Experts Tell Us the Best Leadership Books For Women

This book provides insights into more inclusive education and learning spaces and walks the reader through how to introduce and implement ideas without feeling overwhelmed by the process. It’s perfect for every parent and educator, as well as anyone working with kids, as research consistently shows the benefits of teaching kids about diversity, equity, and inclusion in a variety of age-appropriate ways. Plus, it is supported by The Trevor Project, PostSecret, and so many others that it’s clear that this author knows what she’s talking about!

The checklist is one of the world’s oldest, and most effective, productivity systems. If anything, author and entrepreneur Alexandra Franzen shares, it is just as valuable now as it was during the days of the Roman Empire. Writing out a simple checklist allows us to tangibly plan our day and set in stone what we want to accomplish.

Orgasmic Leadership tells the story of what drives, inspires and sustains entrepreneurs in the rapidly growing global women’s sexual health and wellness space. Rachel Braun Scherl’s best-selling book reflects a wellspring of deep personal experience in pharmaceuticals, consumer products, women’s health as well as in depth interviews with leaders in the sexual wellness field. Rachel takes on women’s long-neglected needs and satisfaction with a strategic business focus, humor, insight, passion, and in the process, exposes an incredibly complex tangle of outdated barriers and challenges that stand in the way of the successful commercialization of women’s health products and services.

The book I recommend for women about leadership is Years of Yes by Shonda Rhimes. One of the reasons Shonda Rhimes’ Years of Yes stood out to me is her ideology to own and accept flaws. Mothers, whether single moms or not, are almost superhumans. But, as Years of Yes suggests, mothers can’t win every time. We have to accept that we can fail, and that’s all right. Failing as a mom is one of the mothers’ fears, but this book will inspire you to confront and defeat these fears. Shonda Rhimes, being the highly acclaimed, successful TV producer and a single mom that she is, paves her way. Her insights in this book will challenge you to be more because you can be more. The narratives of Shonda Rhimes will motivate you to be open to new experiences and embrace your womanhood. By reading this, you’ll feel the power to be in control of your life. An abundance of more significant opportunities will open as soon as you say yes to life more often.

Women, are you ready to BE and live your YOU? In this practical and exciting book, Jacqueline Pirtle – a female powerhouse – presents unique and easy ways for women to align with their powerful purpose, truth, and their natural zest for life. Jacqueline believes that you already have it all in you; wisdom, strength, power, and so much more, and that through realizing the monumental female-force that you ARE, you will lead a life that is precisely custom made to fit what you came here to BE and experience. This book touches you in your heart, a space where your guards and hair are down; the dress or pants, high heels or tennies, and make-up is off; where rawness, honesty, and vulnerability open the gate for every woman to be her “everyday woman” with an “everyday girl” inside, and where you are not afraid to shed a tear. Where, instead, you are ready to feel, heal, and shift to your female power. Jacqueline wrote these words in her purest rawness and honesty, and invites you to meet and connect with her in that truthfulness of femininity. So, in her words, “Let us learn how to fly together and bathe in the delight of being free women and the real ‘hotness’ that we all are.”

Breaking through gender bias and becoming an effective leader is no easy task but Leading Gracefully can provide you with essential tools to help you lead as a woman. Tallon provides readers with neuroscience that shows why women act the way they do and how they can channel those character traits to lead their best lives. The exercises included inside help you to self-coach your confidence and effectiveness as a leader.

This book is an easy read and is all about embracing your vulnerability to make you a stronger leader. It’s something many of us women have a hard time doing (we’ve been conditioned to think of vulnerability as a weakness) but it’s liberating once you realize we all want leaders who are not afraid to show they are human.

As co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates offers this premise: If you want to lift a society up, invest in women. In harrowing personal stories from years of leadership and working with women in all different places and positions in the world, she links women’s empowerment to the health of societies. She focuses on: accessibility to family planning, ensuring access to job opportunities, encouraging men to share in housework, advocating for paid family leave and eliminating gender bias. The stories she shares stay with the reader long after the last page and inspire women to lead and lift other women into leadership.

The Heart of Leadership for Women is about cultivating the sacred space for growth, learning and leadership where empowerment is fostered and transformation made possible. Lisa speaks connections fluently and offers actionable advice about how you as a leader can create a safe space for people to grow. A great book to spend time with while staying at home during the COVID 19 pandemic. Leadership is needed during these challenging and transitional times, and the leadership style that the author maps and encourages will help all of us learn to lead from a new place connected to the heart.

The author brings a down-to-earth look at what it takes to go from mom to successful entrepreneur. It is something that women can relate to and doesn’t present a rigid and formal approach to running a business, but a relatable and real look at what it takes.

I would recommend Untamed by Glennon Doyle. It recently came out and while it isn’t a traditional leadership book, I’ve been able to take the principles I learned and use them in a business-setting. For instance, she gives great advice about trusting yourself and following your own compass in everything you do. I’ve been able to use these tips in leading my team by not second-guessing my decisions and giving my team the freedom to do the same.