Often what makes leadership so difficult is not the responsibilities or pressure that comes with it, but the soft skills needed to effectively manage people. Unlike many goals, soft skills are difficult to measure, which can make them hard to improve upon. That’s why we brought in the experts. With advice from some of the best in the business to help you inspire your team and improve your workplace, here is our list of the 15 best leadership audiobooks.
Good leadership books don’t just belong in the workplace, they should inspire our personal lives as well. In Extreme Ownership, Jocko Willink and Leif Babin—two former U.S. Navy SEAL officers highly decorated for their operations in the Iraq War—manage to take their military experience and do just that: share leadership skills that tie into day-to-day life. What makes this audiobook such an enjoyable listen is the way it jumps back and forth between battle scenes and wisdom, with action-packed moments seamlessly transitioning into practical advice.
Living with a SEAL approaches leadership lessons from a radically different perspective. After falling into the same habits year after year, entrepreneur Jesse Itzler hired David Goggins, a Navy SEAL, to whip him into shape. In his own voice, Itzler tells the incredible story of how Goggins put him on a strict training and fitness regimen, turning a month’s worth of hard work into lessons we can all benefit from as leaders. The experiment is not without its funny moments—the extremes to which Goggins pushes Itzler are ridiculous at times but always constructive. Itzler’s passion for sharing his story makes this a compelling as well as valuable listen.
Good to Great established Jim Collins as an expert leadership coach, based on his belief that acceptance of good or mediocre work is why many companies never become great. Backing this theory with five years of research, he explores whether every company has the ability to transform from good to great and why some companies stay stuck. Narrating his own work, Collins deliberately paces his performance like a teacher carefully explaining his ideas. You’ll have no trouble following along and getting caught up in his excitement for putting his findings into action.
A decade after releasing his breakout bestseller, Jim Collins returned to the topic of greatness. In Great by Choice, Collins and his coauthor, Morten T. Hansen, analyze nine years of research to determine why some companies thrive under pressure and others fail. Rich with research, this audiobook is brought to life with anecdotes and entertaining tales read by the impassioned author himself. Best of all, this is an actionable audiobook packed with tips you can try out as soon as you hear them.
Dare to Lead brought Brené Brown to fame by reframing how we perceive which traits are considered important in leadership. Casting aside any mention of titles, power, or influence, Brown cuts straight to the core, highlighting how true leadership is all about empathy, curiosity, and—most surprising of all—a willingness to share the very power so many covet. A dynamic narrator, Brown delivers her findings with a fire that makes listeners want to follow suit, eager to put her wisdom and insights into practice.
One of Silicon Valley’s most notable entrepreneurs and the cofounder of a venture capital firm, Ben Horowitz cuts straight to the truth in The Hard Thing About Hard Things. Horowtiz takes his experiences and turns them into comedic, realistic, and actionable advice. Narrator Kevin Kenerly has a unique wit that brings the words to life, more like a friend with a crackling sense of humor than a performer, capturing Horowitz’s tone without distracting from the work.
A sought out executive advisor, Liz Wiseman breaks leaders down into two categories: Multipliers,
those who encourage growth from their workers, and Diminishers,
those who hinder individual employee development. In Multipliers, Wiseman reveals how placing a priority on people rather than sweating tiny details strengthens teams overall. John Meagher’s well-paced performance makes it easy to internalize and apply the book's insights—you’ll never feel like a single minute is wasted as you learn more about how to be a productive and effective leader.
Part leadership guide and part memoir, Call Sign Chaos draws inspiration and lessons from Jim Mattis's distinguished career, from his leadership roles in three different wars to his eventual post commanding a quarter of a million troops in the Middle East as Secretary of Defense. Organized by three core tenets of leadership, the book connects Mattis's high-level military work to challenges all leaders face, from cultivating allies to avoiding short-sighted thinking. Call Sign Chaos makes it easy to understand the unique leadership philosophy Mattis developed through a lifetime of service.
Women are outpacing men in terms of earning college degrees, as Pew findings confirm. In Lean In, Sheryl Sandberg aims to empower women to take on leadership roles while offering concrete reasons as to why women’s representation in the workforce is disproportionate to their education. Women will gain a new perspective on how to achieve success but men should listen, too, to better understand what female friends and coworkers experience in the workplace every day. Performed by actress and author Elisa Donovan, Lean In feels like getting advice from a close friend who’s been there and has only your best interest at heart.
No leadership book list would be complete without a work from Dave Ramsey, a widely known and trusted expert on money and business. In EntreLeadership, Ramsey shares his proven tips for getting your team excited and passionate to show up to work every day, without bankrupting your business. After all, his company won Best Place to Work year over year, while turning a huge profit. Setting aside formalities, the author delivers his advice in a straightforward, easy-to-follow way. Hearing from Ramsey himself makes the work all the more empowering.
If you need a burst of inspiration to apply to your leadership skills, Extraordinary Leadership offers a snackable approach to learning more about how to inspire your team. At only an hour long, Robin Sharma’s short lecture covers the lessons he taught key clients like Nike and NASA, anecdotes which will inspire you into action. His energetic and conversational tone paired with his down-to-earth delivery makes the information easy to grasp and put into practice.
The Outsiders lets you in on the data-driven reality of what makes a CEO successful: the shareholder returns over time. Closely analyzing eight CEOs from different backgrounds and experiences, William N. Thorndike determines which attributes led them to their positions today. For each of the eight unconventional CEOs, Thorndike presents an accompanying case study. As each scenario unfolds, listeners are given the time to ponder what they would do in each situation before hearing how the CEOs handled them, maximizing the potential for truly interactive leadership learning.
As a leader, knowing where to turn your attention next can prove challenging. In The 5 Levels of Leadership, John C. Maxwell addresses decision paralysis by breaking leadership down into five coachable sections. Narrating his own work, the author dispenses wisdom and key advice in an easily digestible and intimate way. The listening experience will leave you feeling like you've bought a ticket to a personal seminar.
John Maxwell’s expertise on leadership is so well-established that we’ve included two of his works on this list. The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership brings with it the same memorable, easy-to-apply rules and ideas of his other works. Maxwell weaves these laws of leadership into stories based on his own experiences as a successful leader. This audiobook is packed with uplifting messages, encouragement, and specific actions for turning Maxwell’s leadership guidance into practice.
Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson’s The New One Minute Manager has to be quick to live up to its title, and it is. Right on point, this audiobook delivers snippets of helpful leadership advice in short bursts, effectively practicing the message it preaches. Clocking in at just under an hour-and-a-half, the audiobook is split into three core areas, each condensed into its own series of minute-long conversations. These are great to listen to on your morning commute, especially when you need a motivational boost. You’ll learn what it takes to become an impactful leader in almost no time.
