Sometimes we think of leadership as a natural ability—either you have a knack for it, or you don’t. But the good news is that in reality, it’s a skill that can be honed over time. The only question is, which successful leaders should you learn from and emulate? In our opinion, the seven remarkable new books below provide an excellent place to start.
1% Leadership: Master the Small, Daily Improvements That Set Great Leaders Apart
By Andy Ellis
One of the most well-known and experienced cybersecurity leaders shares dozens of lessons and observations that anyone, at any stage of their career, can use to create a work culture of continuous improvement and strong leadership. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Andy Ellis, in the Next Big Idea App
Surf When You Can: Lessons in Life, Loyalty, and Leadership from a Maverick Navy Captain
By Brett Crozier, with Michael Vlessides
From his days as fighter pilot facing near-death experiences to commandeering suspected pirate vessels in the Persian Gulf—and of course, seizing any opportunity to go surfing—a renowned Navy officer describes the lessons he has learned and the principles that have guided him. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Brett Crozier, in the Next Big Idea App
Leading Through Disruption: A Changemaker’s Guide to Twenty-First Century Leadership
By Andrew Liveris
A former Chairman and CEO of The Dow Chemical Company presents a variety of powerful tools that will enable you to tackle any problem quickly and responsively, with an eye to creating a more equitable, sustainable future. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Andrew Liveris, in the Next Big Idea App
Elevate Your Team: Empower Your Team to Reach Their Full Potential and Build a Business That Builds Leaders
By Robert Glazer
A serial entrepreneur applies his groundbreaking capacity-building framework to teams and organizations alike. The result is the playbook for a results-oriented, learning-driven culture that elevates its people to meet the company’s ever-changing growth needs. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Robert Glazer, in the Next Big Idea App
Culture Is the Way: How Leaders at Every Level Build an Organization for Speed, Impact, and Excellence
By Matt Mayberry
An essential roadmap to organizational transformation, Culture Is the Way will earn a place on the bookshelves of managers, executives, and other business leaders seeking to improve the performance of their team members. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Matt Mayberry, in the Next Big Idea App
Turnaround Time: Uniting an Airline and Its Employees in the Friendly Skies
By Oscar Munoz
With candor, humor, and heartfelt wisdom, a former United Airlines CEO reveals how he rose from humble immigrant origins to lead United through one of modern business’s greatest corporate turnarounds. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author Oscar Munoz, in the Next Big Idea App
The Manager’s Handbook: Five Simple Steps to Build a Team, Stay Focused, Make Better Decisions, and Crush Your Competition
By David Dodson
A Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty member, serial entrepreneur, and investor in over 100 companies delivers an insightful work that describes, in highly practical detail, five skills every great manager needs to know if they want to get things done. Listen to our Book Bite summary, read by author David Dodson, in the Next Big Idea App
The Key Ideas in 15 Minutes
“If you are going to get anywhere in life, you have to read a lot of books,” Roald Dahl once famously said. The only trouble is, reading even one book from cover to cover takes hours—and you may not have many hours to spare.
But imagine for a moment: What if you could read a groundbreaking new book every day? Or even better, what if you could invite a world-renowned thinker into your earbuds, where they personally describe the 5 key takeaways from their work in just 15 minutes?
With the Next Big Idea App, we’ve turned this fantasy into a reality. We partnered with hundreds of acclaimed authors to create “Book Bites,” short audio summaries of the latest nonfiction that are prepared and read aloud by the authors themselves. Discover cutting-edge leadership skills, productivity hacks, the science of happiness and well-being, and much more—all in the time it takes to drive to work or walk the dog.
Go Deeper with a Next Big Idea Club Membership
The Next Big Idea App is free for anyone to try—and if you love it, we invite you to become an official member of the Next Big Idea Club. Membership grants you unlimited access to Book Bites and unlocks early-release, ad-free episodes of our LinkedIn-partnered podcast. You also gain entry to our private online discussion group, where you can talk big ideas with fellow club members and join exclusive live Q&A sessions with featured authors.
For a more focused learning experience, we recommend a Hardcover or eBook Membership. Every few months, legendary authors and club curators Malcolm Gladwell, Susan Cain, Adam Grant, and Daniel Pink select two new nonfiction books as the must-reads of the season. We then send hardcover copies straight to your doorstep, or eBook versions to your favorite digital device. We also collaborate with the authors of selected books to produce original reading guides and premium video e-courses, 50-minute master classes that take you step by step through their most life-changing ideas. And yes, it’s all available through the Next Big Idea App.
Learn Faster, from the World’s Leading Thinkers
Whether you prefer to read, listen, or watch, the Next Big Idea is here to help you work smarter and live better. Wake up with an always-fresh Idea of the Day, the perfect shot of inspiration to go with your morning coffee. Then dive into one of our Challenges, hand-picked collections of Book Bites that form crash courses in subjects like communication, motivation, and career acceleration. Later, watch the playback of an interview with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, Stanford psychologist Jennifer Eberhardt, or philosopher John Kaag. And be sure to check the “Events” tab in the app, so that you can join an upcoming live Q&A and personally chat with the next featured thought leader.
If you’re hoping to grow as a person or as a professional, we hope you’ll join us and tens of thousands of others who enjoy the Next Big Idea. Get started by downloading the app today!
