Here are a few recommendations to get things started. I will offer up that these books were used as part of a leadership course I was fortunate to take a few years back and the class was evenly split between women and men. The course consisted of reading ~30 books and we then had group discussions to understand people impressions, takeaways and how they planned to apply these lessons in their organizations. So while these books are not specifically written for a female leaders, I can say that lessons imparted in the books resonated with female leaders in that course.
Here are a few from that course and I’ve ordered them in terms of my recommendations:
The Nibble Theory and the Kernel of Power: A Book About Leadership, Self-Empowerment, and Personal Growth
This is really good for group discussion since a) its short (75 pg) so most people don’t feel burdened and b) it promotes the idea of creating larger circles that enables people to contribute with their talents.
Leadership is an Art
While this book is written by a CEO, the lessons imparted by Depree go beyond corporate governance and “command and control” type leadership. Instead, the idea here is that leaders provide a vision and mission, connects with team members to understand their values and to provide them with the support to help reach that shared vision.
True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership
This review is a good summary:
“True North is about the power of authentic leadership. Great leaders are defined by a sense of passion and purpose and by a profound desire to make a difference. Anyone can find their own True North, if you care deeply and love what you do. This book is a wonderful roadmap for how to get started on the journey.”
—Andrea Jung, chairman and CEO, Avon Products, Inc.
