I believe that leadership skills are essential in ministry.

I’ve watched too many people in ministry fail, or be less effective than they could be, because of a lack of leadership abilities.

I’ve identified the top books on my shelf in this area to share with you.  There are dozens of books that have helped me grow in my leadership abilities, way too many to list here.

Here are my top five.

The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership, by John C. Maxwell
This resource has been around for several years, and is the first book that I read that sparked my leadership interests.  In it, Maxwell identifies the top 21 qualities that are essential in a leader.  In my opinion, this is the essential book on leadership to have on your shelf.  (View The 21 Irrefutable Laws Of Leadership on Amazon.com.)

Leading On Empty, by Wayne Cordeiro
In Leading On Empty, Cordeiro addresses burnout among leaders.  Speaking from his own experience, he identifies what led to his own burnout, and identifies numerous ways that he could have avoided it.  Learning from his experiences, I absolutely loved this book.  I’ve implemented several of his suggestions in my own life, to avoid the spiritual and emotional exhaustion that can cause burnout.  (View Leading On Empty on Amazon.com.)

Courageous Leadership, by Bill Hybels
Based on 30 years of leadership experience, Bill Hybels explains how he learned how to have a 360-degree view of leadership.  He tackles such issues of casting vision, developing other leaders, and influencing other people, and not just the people under you, but over you and around you as well.  Hybels encourages those with the spiritual gift of leadership to take it to the next level… and not be afraid to do so.  (View Courageous Leadership on Amazon.com.)

The Winning Attitude, by John C. Maxwell
This is the second book by Maxwell on my list, but is well worth it.  Maxwell has correctly identified that the starting point for any leader is his attitude.  Maxwell discusses how to build the proper attitude in your life, and how to maintain it and improve it.  Your attitude determines the difference you will make as a leader.  How does yours stack up?  (View The Winning Attitude on Amazon.com.)

The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, by Stephen R. Covey
No list of leadership resources would be complete without this book.  I have to confess:  I’ve owned this book for over ten years, and only recently read it for the first time.  It changed the way I view leadership, time management, relationships, and communication.  This will be a resource I return to again and again.  And I regret that I took so long in getting to it.  If you haven’t read this book, start it today!  (View The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People on Amazon.com.)

As I mentioned above, these are just a sample of the books that have influenced my leadership develpment.  There are many, many more.  Perhaps I’ll share the next ones on my list in a future post…

What books would you add to this list?  What do you consider essential for a leader to read?

Disclosure of Material Connection:
Some of the links in the post above are ìaffiliate links.î This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissionís 16 CFR, Part 255: Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.