100 Books Like Servant Leadership

This is the freshest account I’ve read by a leader of his company’s transformational journey: Ricardo Semler became CEO of his father’s company, SEMCO, at the age of 21, and wrote the book in his early thirties, not to forget the transformative journey he just led.

But even more than the narrative itself, I loved Semler’s philosophical reflections, densely packed throughout the book. Example: “We simply don’t believe our employees have an interest in coming in late and doing as little as possible. After all, the same people raise children and elect mayors and presidents. They are adults. In SEMCO, we treat them as adults.”

Semler, twice chosen as Brazil’s businessperson of the year, proves how a leader, driven by authentic beliefs, can lead a transformation that makes people and—consequently—the company thrive.

I admire this first-ever book stating the principles of authentic leadership. Written by the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu in the 6th century BCE, it comprises a collection of paradoxical, enigmatic, and profound teachings that laid the foundation of Taoism.

I love all of them, but here is one regarding leadership: “Why do the hundred rivers turn and rush toward the sea? / Because it naturally stays below them / He who wishes to rule over the people must speak as if below them.”

While delving into this book, I find myself astounded by the universality and timelessness of the truths it unveils about authentic servant leadership. This modest volume—which adorns my bedroom as a wooden scroll—has proven to be a revelation, offering continuous inspiration to me.

He was the CEO who famously coined the slogan “We Try Harder” in the ‘60s, signaling Avis's transition from obscurity to Hertz’s top rental car competitor.

The book is irreverent, witty, wise, and brutally honest about the perils of executive egotism and corporate board indolence. Published in the late ‘60s, the book has withstood the test of time.

I was working as a consultant for McKinsey and Company when I read it. What I learned was that we were giving our business clients all the wrong advice. I submitted my resignation and changed careers.

I love basketball and was thrilled that John Wooden, ESPN's best 20th-century coach, wrote on leadership. What intrigued me even more is that the book contains few basketball stories. Its theme is universal: How a leader builds a value-and vision-based organizational culture, resulting in perennial success.

Everyone knows that Wooden’s UCLA team won 10 NCAA championships in a span of 12 years, but I was surprised to learn that it took Wooden 15 years to transform UCLA and win the first title.

I admire Wooden’s key to leadership: “Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best you are capable of becoming.” As a byproduct of this success, UCLA won 10 titles. Now, I understand why my team—the Knicks—is not getting there.

I love this book because it helped me understand that real care for people–love for people–is a crucial part of leadership. Real care means really helping people to see and realize their potential. That takes many small and simple things done consistently, coherently, and persistently. But those small and simple things like giving people real work with real responsibility are hard to do.

I saw that so clearly in the way this book weaves together Bob Chapman’s personal leadership journey and the journey of leadership in his company. Bob did not start out caring for his people. He was a classic hard-nosed, financially driven executive who wielded power. But he changed! His journey and his company’s journey did not just instruct me; they inspired me. 

I loved this collection of stories about leadership; what a page-turner! I was thrilled by the depth and imaginativeness of possible connections between fairy tales, legends, and traditional stories and management learning. I loved how the tales of Prometheus, Dædalus and Icarus, Merlin, and others are interwoven with issues important for contemporary managers.

Stories of conceit and hubris, as well as of adventurous quests for integration are spun in a way that made me feel compassion for the plight of many employees as well as of leaders, but, at the same time, they spoke to my rebellious streak. With so many glorious tales to learn from, we deserve better leaders: inspired, spirited, humane, or at the very least–human. 

I met Kim Cameron as a guest on my podcast, Be Brave at Work, and he enlightened and incited within me a flame that I always knew was there yet did not know how to ignite. I have always believed that great leaders are energizers–they help people move from where they are today to a new place, positively and rewardingly.

This book focuses on identifying virtuous actions and relationships that create high performance. While we have never been told this, organizations must be led by people who value relationships and are focused on action. They help others, smile, and are trustworthy. I could not define what my leadership style was until I read this book.

This is a short book, a revised version of another classic, and I like its focus on the fact that the only sensible definition of management is achieving results through other people.

This demands a constructive approach, constructive criticism, and development, helping people achieve excellent performance. It is sound common sense in an area so often overpowered and neglected in today’s hectic, time-poor world.

When AG Lafley became the CEO of P&G he had an idea that the best way to drive innovation was through collaboration. His book goes behind the scenes on how he encouraged P&Gers to look to suppliers and even competitors' help P&G take innovation to a new level. In fact—Lafley set the lofty goal that 50% of all innovations would not come from P&G—but through P&G by working with strategic partnerships. The book has several examples of how the CPG giant is using collaboration to drive innovation.

For me, the idea of leading by serving others, of helping them grow to be their best, expresses one of the core principles of leadership–releasing the potential in others. Service was the background track of my early corporate career in an organisation striving to do this globally.

The principles of servant leadership–empowering others and ethical and sustainable leadership–sit well with my spiritual values. This book has played a significant part in my journey to leading and living more consciously. 

What also stood out for me was Greenleaf’s introduction of the concept of stewardship–we are, after all, just stewards of our organisation, and our world, tending and nurturing them for the next generation. This stewardship mentality is increasingly important given the climate and other crises of today.