If you’re not sure what to expect in 2024, you’re not alone. Dire predictions for everything from a recession to a housing market crash never materialized last year, and though the economy has slowed, it seems to be on a surprisingly steady course, at least for now. However, turmoil abroad, an election in November, and a rapidly changing workplace all make it hard to plan with certainty. The vibes are off, as the kids say.
It’s undoubtedly a tough time to be an executive, which is why it’s the perfect moment to brush up on your leadership bona fides with nonfiction reads that will help you keep calm and carry on through any storm. The books below promise to do just that, with advice on everything from fostering a growth strategy in volatile times to breaking your people-pleasing habit and nailing your next interview. Here are the leadership books we’re most excited to read this year:
Survive, Reset, Thrive: Leading Breakthrough Growth Strategy in Volatile Times by Rebecca Homkes (February 2024)
It seems as though uncertainty in business is here to stay. Rather than viewing it as an obstacle to your company’s growth, author and executive advisor Rebecca Homkes says there are ways in which you can use expected and unexpected changes to foster new opportunities. In this playbook, Homkes illustrates simple, actionable steps leaders can lean on when navigating complex situations.
Leadership From Bad to Worse: What Happens When Bad Festers by Barbara Kellerman (March 2024)
It’s no secret that bad leadership damages individuals, institutions, and companies. And if left unchecked, its impact can dig an irreversible hole in an organization's success. In this read, Harvard Kennedy School Fellow Barabara Kellerman uses four cases of leadership — two in politics and two in business — to help executives detect and act on bad leadership before it turns too toxic.
Interviewology: The New Science of Interviewing by Anna Papalia (January 2024)
Whether you’re aiming to land a new role in the new year, or to entice a talented candidate to join your team, this guide’s revolutionary advice will help you polish your pitch. Based on 15-plus years of experience in corporate recruiting and talent acquisition, author and speaker Anna Papalia details her proven approach that focuses on self-awareness — and how to develop it — to help everyone master their own unique interview style.
What Do You Need?: How Women of Color Can Take Ownership of Their Careers to Accelerate Their Path to Success by Lauren Wesley Wilson (April 2024)
At 25, Lauren Wesley Wilson became the founder and CEO of ColorComm Corporation, an informal networking luncheon series that has evolved into a multimillion dollar communications company. Drawing on lessons from her own career experience, as well as those of close friends and connections including Whoopi Goldberg, Gayle King, Ann Curry, and Michelle Lee, Wilson reveals in her groundbreaking book the unwritten rules women of color need to know in order to succeed.
Without a Doubt: How to Go From Underrated to Unbeatable by Surbhi Sarna (March 2024)
As a woman of color without a medical or Ivy-league degree, Surbhi Sarna was often overlooked when she founded her medical startup, nVision Medical, in 2012 to detect early ovarian cancer. Today as an investor, Y Combinator partner, and entrepreneur who sold her company for $275 million, Sarna is offering a blueprint for how other leaders can raise funds, overcome setbacks, and build a profitable network that leads them to success.
Fair Shake: Women and the Fight to Build a Just Economy by Naomi Cahn, June Carbone, Nancy Levit (May 2024)
In Fair Shake, law professors and authors Naomi Cahn, June Carbone, and Nancy Levit provide a comprehensive look at the state of women in the workforce and the systemic factors that are continuing to hold them back. The authors make note that this is not a “fix the woman” book, but rather a “fix the system” book that diagnoses the problems with the modern economy and shows how awareness and collective action can lead to a more fair working world for everyone.
Stop People Pleasing and Find Your Power by Hailey Magee (May 2024)
Like many, life coach Haily Magee spent years putting other people’s needs and feelings before her own as a coping mechanism to stay physically and emotionally safe. But, after realizing how this pattern was doing more harm than good to her career and relationships she became committed to breaking this habit. In this refreshingly nuanced guide, Magee explains how anyone can break the cycle of people-pleasing by learning their own feelings, needs, values, and desires.
