I don’t know about you, but I love to read! Reading makes me better as a leader. It allows me to learn from mentors I normally wouldn’t have access to. I place a high value on reading and learning as much as I can as a leader. Perhaps nothing else has helped me grow as much as a habit of reading.      I do whatever it takes to make time to read. I do this because I want to grow into the best leader I can be. I believe you do to. That’s why you’re reading on a youth ministry leadership site like this! That’s precisely the reason I want to share some of what I’ve been reading with you.      Here are 10 of the books that I’ve been reading lately. I wholeheartedly recommend these books, and I hope they impact you the way they’ve impacted me!

10 Books I’ve Read Lately

#1: The Most Excellent Way to Lead, by Perry Noble

    This is Perry Noble’s latest book and my favorite he’s written so far. The whole premise of the book is based off 1 Corinthians 13. Noble argues that 1 Corinthians 13 is not just a love chapter, but also a leadership chapter of the this biblical book.        Perry breaks down this passage verse by verse to show readers the most excellent way to lead. In short, leadership is love, so what Paul wrote to the Corinthian church about love should inform our  leadership. I loved this book! It was a great reminder, encouragement, and challenge to me. I highly recommend it!

#2: H3 Leadership, by Brad Lomenick

Brad Lomenick served as the leader of Catalyst for years. Although he led catalyst and their leadership conferences to new heights, he slowly began to lose who he was in the process. In H3 Leadership, he walks readers through his time of sabbatical and eventually walking away from Catalyst.        This is a great read for young leaders and established leaders who are on the verge of burnout. The book is broken down into three sections of Hungry, Humble, and Hustle. These are three markers of great leaders, and there is some leadership gold these pages.

#3: Team of Teams, by General Stanley McChrystal

     This book is a longer read and a bit arduous at times, but it’s well worth the investment. In Team of Teams, General Stanley McChrystal walks us through the leadership lessons he learned fighting terrorism in Iraq. Just like the church is having to change to reach a new social media culture, General McChrystal and his specialized teams had to change to fight Al Queida in a new age.        I highly recommend this book to anyone leading a growing ministry or more than 10 volunteers. Leading a team of teams is pivotal for growing youth ministries and those who lead them. General McChrystal shows us how to trust and empower others in order to get the team win. Truly a great book!

#4: In Search of Timothy, by Tony Cooke

     In Search of Timothy is all about leading from the second chair. Youth Pastors are by default support pastors. We aren’t the point leaders for our organization. Part of what will determine our level of success is if we learn to become great support pastors and lead well from the second (or 15th) chair.        Tony Cooke does a great job of outlining what a great support pastor looks like. I went from leading a student ministry on my own to leading a campus student ministry under a central ministry leader at the end of 2015. This book helped me figure out how to serve my leader in the way Timothy served Paul. A great read for youth leaders.

#5: Multipliers, by Liz Wiseman

 What happens when a leader learns to multiply their influence through others? What happens when leaders believe in, trust, and empower the people on their teams to do more? Why is it that some leaders diminish the talent and production around them while others multiply it? These are some of the questions that Liz Wiseman answers in her book Multipliers. She opens up the layers of leadership to help you find out if you are a multiplier or and accidental diminisher. Moreover, she shows leaders how they can become multipliers. This is a must read for any leader who leads teams or volunteers!  

#6: Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon

The Energy Bus is a leadership tale about the power of positivity in leadership. Jon Gordon give leaders 10 simple rules to file their work, life, and family. He shows leaders how to escape the trap of energy vampires in your life and organization. This is a quick and fun read!  

#7: Talk Like Ted, Carmine Gallo

Some of the best talks ever given by communicators have been TED talks. In this book, Carmine Gallo breaks down what makes a TED talk great, and shows communicators how to make their next presentation TED worthy. This is a must read for any leader who communicates regularly.

#8: Developing the Leaders Around You, by John Maxwell

     No one does leadership like John Maxwell! In this oldie but goodie, he outlines how to develop the leaders around you into better leaders who will develop others. Your leadership legacy will not be determined by how many followers you have, but by what the leaders you developed do after you’re gone. Developing others is the best thing a leader can do, and so is reading this book.

#9: Developing the Leader in You, John Maxwell

 This book is a companion book to Developing the Leaders Around You. While the first is about developing those around you, this book is all about your self development as a leader. Want to become the best leader you can? Then read this book and put the wisdom of its pages into practice.

#10: Creating Magic, by Lee Cockerell

     In this book, Lee Cockerell gives leaders 10 common sense leadership strategies from his time leading at Disney. The key to Disney’s success is not the magic. “It’s not the magic that makes it work, its the way we work that makes the magic” he says. This book is an easy read with 10 strategies that will make every leader and organization better. Get your highlighter ready, because it’s a good one.