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This article showcases our top picks for the Leadership Books For Teens. We reached out to industry leaders and experts who have contributed the suggestions within this article (they have been credited for their contributions below).
We are keen to hear your feedback on all of our content and our comment section is a moderated space to express your thoughts and feelings related (or not) to this article This list is in no particular order.
This product was recommended by Linda Shaffer from Checkr
Teenagers of this generation face unique challenges that require inventive solutions. For example, the pressure to succeed in school can be overwhelming, and the ever-changing landscape of social media can be tough to navigate. It’s important for teenagers to develop leadership skills so they can handle these challenges with grace and confidence. Norman Vincent Peale’s The Power of Positive Thinking is a classic self-help book that teaches the power of positive thinking and how it can change your life. Peale’s message is simple but profound: if you believe in yourself and have faith in God, you can achieve anything. This book is an inspiring read for teenagers who want to develop their leadership skills. In this book, Peale provides practical exercises and guidance on how to overcome negative thoughts and cultivate a more positive attitude, which will benefit teens in this generation and in future endeavors.
This product was recommended by Michael East from Griddle King
This book is an absolute classic that any strong leader needs to read, especially those looking for guidance for a future career in leadership. This book will help to guide teens through personal and business relationships whilst gaining an understanding of the importance of another person’s perspective.
This product was recommended by Ishtiaq Ahmed from Coursetakers
Drive takes a deep dive into the history of human motivation in a way that is entirely mesmerizing and captivating. Reading this book completely changed the way I see human interaction, especially in the business world. The earlier you can understand these motivations, the more expert you’ll be at adjusting them to suit your needs.
This product was recommended by Morgan Lilker from Watches of Today
Leadership involves being able to think outside of the box and remove the constraints of convention and tradition. You can find out all about this within this book. A leader has transformative power and the way to transcend these limitations is all covered within the pages of this book. As a teenager, your mind is malleable and incredibly intelligent, exploring the transformative power of leadership sooner rather than later is the best step you can take.
This product was recommended by Kshitij Nigam from Cheef Botanicals
Team management can be very complex and difficult to grasp, but once you know what to expect and avoid, you’ll be given a better board to dive on. As students, you’ll be prone to making mistakes. It’s part of getting your bearings when you first start leading a bigger group. Patrick Leoncioni gives you the common pitfalls in leadership so you can reflect on your own leadership style and how you’re positively acting despite these common mistakes. Likewise, you can manage these mistakes more effectively when you’re faced with the same problems.
This product was recommended by Deepanshu Bedi from Exhalewell
I recommend Seth Godin’s Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us. In this book, Godin talks about how we are all leaders in our way and that it’s essential to understand what that means and how to use it correctly. He also talks about how we can become better leaders and how others see us as leaders. Godin uses anecdotes from his own life and from other famous people to illustrate his points in this book, making it easier for teens to relate to him and learn from him. This book will help you understand your role as a leader in your community and help you become better at leading others!
This product was recommended by Patrick Wilson from SkillCourses
This book is for anyone who loves the concept of influencing. All our lives we have been taught that only people with power can influence others. John C. Maxwell negates that by repeatedly mentioning that inspiration needs to be earned. It does not come from a place of power, but from the impact we leave on those around us. Reading it will help young adults make it big in life.
This product was recommended by Kathleen Ahmmed from USCarJunker
Managing Up is one of the most influential books that any aspiring young leader should read, simply because most young adults will usually end up starting their careers under the leadership of others. And as such, Badowski dives deep into how you can effectively master the art of managing up, in order to help others recognize your value within any organization. In other words, this book acts as a management bible that can teach you how to become an invaluable resource, in order to not only ensure that your prospects for career advancement are better than the competition, but that you are also categorized as someone too valuable to lose by management.
This product was recommended by Kathleen Fletcher from Kitty Baby Love
In any leadership environment, chaos and unpredictability thrives. So, for teenagers and young adults, understanding how to navigate this is key in order to establish a route to success. Jeff Boss draws upon his experience as a Navy SEAL and the unpredictable chaos of that environment to help readers navigate their leadership journey.
This product was recommended by Rob Greene from Price of Meat
Being a teenager is difficult at the best of times, and trying to navigate the unpredictable halls of High School and figure out who you are is hard enough without having the added pressure of working for a place in college and learning how to deal with the opposite, and same sex. But Covey’s book includes all of the life lessons that any teen will need to conquer and sail through that tumultuous time in their lives and become an efficient leader and high achiever at the same time.
This product was recommended by Cassie Tucker from CAMM Media
Career Magic recounts this story while Lee shares valuable career lessons he learned along the way. This book is excellent for our next generation of leaders, as well as seasoned professionals.
This product was recommended by Aviad Faruz from Faruzo
Adversity Brings Balance by Ake Satia is the best self-improvement and leadership book I’ve read in the past few months. It is a motivational book that shows how to be an effective leader and maintain a healthy environment. It also provides essential guidance on how to work on yourself to acquire unique skills and develop an inspiring personality. This book is easy to read and comprehend because it is based on actual occurrences. Therefore, I would recommend this book to everyone who wants to strengthen their interpersonal and leadership skills to effectively cope with the challenges they face daily.
This product was recommended by Chris Kowalski from Autopadre
Why? Because it’s a straightforward, simple-to-follow guide to all of the lessons that you need to teach your teenagers to make sure that they end up becoming leaders rather than followers in later life. It’s an effective and efficient way to encourage your teens to find, and raise their voices instead of being content to stay quiet and happily fade into the background.
Be Unstoppable is the perfect leadership book for young people who will soon be entering the adult world. It touches on 8 essential actions needed to succeed that every new adult should know about. These actions are most beneficial to young people who learn about and incorporate them early.
This product was recommended by Colleen Colodany from KidsWiki
The Prodigal Daughter, by Jeffrey Archer, is the best book on leadership for teenagers, especially girls. Inspired by the life of Goda Meir, Margaret Thatcher and Indira Gandhi. The book focuses on a journey of a young girl from youth to becoming the President of America. The story emphasises the role of education and intelligence in achieving various crossroads of life and coming out a winner.
The reason why I am recommending this book for teens is that it motivates and encourages the teens to get out of their comfort zones and do the hard thing which will lead them to success. This book is worth reading and is not boring at all as there is humour and practical examples in it.
The Alchemist is one of the world’s best-loved books, and it makes an outstanding leadership resource for teenagers and young adults. The Alchemist can show teenagers, in a gripping and profound way, how to become a leader in the most fundamental sense, i.e. how we are to lead ourselves through our own lives.
This product was recommended by Michael Gardon from Career Cloud
Peter Diamandise’s book, Abundance, improves your ability to think, create, take control of your life’s path, and be a positive influence in society. Abundance dives into how we best steer our accelerating technologies to create social progress, and what human problems can be solved with technology. Technology has the potential to create an abundance in society when harnessed correctly. The upcoming generation is the key to creating an abundance in our living standards, protecting the environment, and improving society for the generations to follow.
Teens must be taught to take responsibility for themselves and their world. They also want input on what matters most, which will help them find the courage within themselves and lead others into action! This resource provides excellent information in written form (to encourage reflection) or do something activities that call out a commitment from you–whether it’s attending an event/ Meeting with friends once per week, giving money monthly or volunteering your time.
This product was recommended by Huzaifa Ahsan from FindPeopleFirst
If you have ever wanted to improve your leadership skills, this book is your answer. Teens can learn how to lead, gain influence, negotiate and succeed at work while discovering their own unique leadership styles. With a blend of real-world examples and applicable advice, the book will teach you everything from the importance of networking and collaboration to the key skills that influence negotiation. From the beginning of learning how leadership works to put everything into practice, it’s a perfect companion on your journey to becoming a better leader.
This product was recommended by Adam Garcia from The Stock Dork
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion is a must-have book for teens. It is worth reading because it teaches people the six core principles of being a successful persuader: authority, commitment and consistency, liking, reciprocation, scarcity, and social proof. The author, Dr. Robert Cialdini, has a refreshing way of transforming readers into business leaders. That said, this book has the power to change young people’s mindsets, especially on how to become successful leaders even in the early stage of their lives.
This product was recommended by Allison from ThriftBooks
As one of our bestselling business books, Simon Sinek focuses on inspiration, a topic that will resonate with teens who are trying to find their path and will show them that caring about and devoting themselves to a project can often be the key to success. The book also includes real work examples teens will be familiar with, such as Steve Jobs and Martin Luther King Jr, which will help teens to apply the book’s ideas to real life.
This product was recommended by Allison from ThriftBooks
While not specifically about leadership, what makes Pietra Rivoli’s business book great for teens interested in leadership is that it shows them a real-world example they can completely understand, the journey of a shirt, and illustrates the necessity of cooperation and teamwork to make that shirt. We think teens will be surprised and enlightened by just how many people have to work together to do something so banal as getting a shirt into their closet.
This product was recommended by Allison from ThriftBooks
Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point is a bestseller and business classic that can back up the hype. In this book, Gladwell shows how small moments can become more. This is more relevant to teens than ever with the domination of social media – one video can become a trend, and this book shows how that is not only a social media phenomenon, but one found in industries all over the world and it shows how that power can be harnessed.
