The summer break is almost here, and there’s no better time to consume a good book or podcast. Leading Teams turned 25 this year, so we’ve pulled together a curated list of 25 leadership books and podcasts recommended by the team at Leading Teams.
This isn’t a “Top 25” or “Must-Do” list – it’s a set of considered suggestions for the holiday break. Things you might enjoy dipping into over a walk, a drive, or a quiet morning.
If you only choose one or two, that’s exactly the point.
The Foundation (Non-Negotiable)
If you only read two books from this list, start here.
1. Any Given Team – Ray McLean
Recommended by: Leading Teams
Why it matters:
Any Given Team shows how clarity, connection and disciplined behaviours turn groups into aligned teams capable of sustained high performance.
Leadership takeaway:
Leaders must define purpose, set behavioural standards, and consistently model them to create trust, ownership, and accountability.
Recommended by: Leading Teams
Why it matters:
Teamwork reveals how trust, alignment and shared purpose transform talented individuals into cohesive, resilient teams that consistently outperform expectations.
Leadership takeaway:
Great leaders shape environments where roles are clear, trust is built daily, and collective success matters more than individual ego.
Leading Teams & Performance
3. Nine Lies About Work – Marcus Buckingham & Ashley Goodall
Recommended by: Matthew Vandermeer
Why it matters:
Challenges many accepted “best practices” of management and reminds us that work is experienced locally — through teams and leaders.
Leadership takeaway:
Shift your focus from process and slogans to the daily experience your leadership creates.
4. Turn the Ship Around! – L. David Marquet
Recommended by: Brett Humphrys
Why it matters:
A powerful case study in distributing control and building ownership at every level.
Leadership takeaway:
Great leaders don’t provide better answers — they create the conditions for better thinking.
5. The Real Madrid Way – Steven G. Mandis
Recommended by: Dean Anderson
Why it matters:
A values-driven high-performance story from elite sport, balancing superstar talent with non-negotiable culture.
Leadership takeaway:
Culture is a competitive advantage — but only if leaders protect it.
6. Herding Cats – Geoff Garrett & Graeme Davies
Recommended by: Jenny Devine
Why it matters:
Explores the challenge of leading highly independent, expert professionals.
Leadership takeaway:
You can’t push empowered people — you have to tempt them.
7. Leaders Eat Last – Simon Sinek
Recommended by: Catherine Ayad
Why it matters:
Focuses on trust, safety, and belonging as foundations for performance.
Leadership takeaway:
Leadership is less about authority and more about relationships.
Thinking, Decisions & Judgement
8. Clear Thinking – Shane Parrish
Recommended by: Matthew Vandermeer
Why it matters:
Practical tools for improving decision-making under pressure.
Leadership takeaway:
Good judgment comes from discipline, not speed.
9. The Tipping Point – Malcolm Gladwell
Recommended by: Steve Lacy
Why it matters:
Shows how small actions, in the right context, can create disproportionate impact.
Leadership takeaway:
Change doesn’t require everyone — it requires the right conditions.
10. The Seven-Day Weekend – Ricardo Semler
Recommended by: Carlos Del Cueto
Why it matters:
A radical rethink of hierarchy, empowerment, and trust at work.
Leadership takeaway:
If you’re clear about what you need and reward it consistently, performance follows.
11. Leadership: Classical, Contemporary & Critical Approaches – Keith Grint (ed.)
Recommended by: Jenny Devine
Why it matters:
A broad look at leadership thinking across history and disciplines.
Leadership takeaway:
Understanding leadership theory helps leaders cut through modern noise and develop their own authentic stance.
Humanity, Meaning & Relationships
12. The Power of Choice – Neale Daniher
Recommended by: Travis Hilton
Why it matters:
A deeply human reflection on adversity, values, and resilience.
Leadership takeaway:
Leadership is a behaviour, not a role — and it’s exercised through everyday choices.
13. Tuesdays with Morrie – Mitch Albom
Recommended by: Daniel Healy
Why it matters:
A simple, powerful reminder of purpose and meaning.
Leadership takeaway:
Leading self is foundational to leading others.
14. John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs
Recommended by: Jake Bridges
Why it matters:
A study in partnership, creative tension, trust, and breakdown.
Leadership takeaway:
Even extraordinary teams unravel without honest conversations.
15. The Captain Class by Sam Walker
Recommended by: Justin Peckett
Why it matters:
The book focuses on one simple, powerful idea about leadership that applies across teams, industries, and contexts beyond sport.
Leadership takeaway:
It reinforces that leader character inspires trust, commitment, and belief in a shared purpose, motivating teams beyond individual talent or authority.
Recommended by: David Arnfield
Why it matters:
Explores the culture and principles behind the sustained success of New Zealand’s national rugby team, the All Blacks.
Leadership Takeaway:
Great leadership is less about power or titles and more about building a strong, values-driven culture that empowers others and leaves a positive, lasting impact.
The Disruptor (Read This Last)
17. W*nkernomics: A Deep-Dive Into Workplace Bullshittery
Recommended by: Jesse McLean
Why it matters:
A sharp, satirical mirror held up to modern workplace language – and what it really signals.
Leadership takeaway:
Culture is the language you tolerate.
If clarity feels risky and vagueness feels safe, leaders need to look at what they’re rewarding.
Podcasts for the Break
Good listening for walks, drives, and quiet moments.
No need to subscribe to everything — pick one and let it land.
18. Cautionary Tales – Tim Harford
Recommended by: Matthew Vandermeer
Why it matters:
True stories about decisions that went wrong — often for very human reasons.
Leadership takeaway:
Most failure isn’t incompetence; it’s blind spots and pressure.
Key listens: The Torrey Canyon | The Tenerife Air Disaster
19. Leading Conversations – Leading Teams
Recommended by: Leading Teams
Why it matters:
These long-form conversations reveal the real, human work of cultural change, offering honest insight into transformation beyond frameworks and theory.
Leadership takeaway:
Leaders learn that meaningful change happens through trust, curiosity and genuine conversations, not quick fixes or surface-level solutions.
Recommended by: Matthew Vandermeer
Why it matters:
Explores motivation, collaboration, feedback, and meaning at work.
Leadership takeaway:
Culture is built in everyday moments, not grand statements.
21. Against the Rules – Michael Lewis
Recommended by: Matthew Vandermeer
Why it matters:
Stories about referees, coaches, and systems — and what happens when fairness breaks down.
Leadership takeaway:
Every system rewards something. Leaders need to know what that is.
22. The Imperfects – Hugh van Cuylenburg, Ryan Shelton & Josh van Cuylenburg
Recommended by: Travis Hilton
Why it matters:
The Imperfects normalises vulnerability, reminding leaders that honesty, self-awareness and imperfection build deeper connection, trust, and psychological safety.
Leadership takeaway:
Strong leaders embrace imperfection, lead with humanity, and create spaces where people feel safe to speak, struggle, and grow.
Recommended by: Matthew Vandermeer
Why it matters:
Deep dives into biographies of high performers, one at a time.
Leadership takeaway:
Patterns matter more than highlights. Long-term thinking beats hype.
24. How’s Work? – Esther Perel
Recommended by: Brett Humphrys
Why it matters:
Explores the emotional and relational dynamics that shape work.
Leadership takeaway:
Leaders who can hold tension and listen deeply build trust and safety.
25. The Invincible Podcast – Owen Eastwood
Recommended by: Brendan Maher
Why it matters:
A powerful narrative on belonging, identity, and culture, using the 1924 All Blacks tour as a case study.
Leadership takeaway:
Belonging is not soft — it’s foundational to performance.
That’s all folks – have a wonderful break from Leading Teams!
