Books on Leadership

Lead · Think · Thrive · Connect

A curated selection of books by Columbia alumni and faculty offering ideas and insights for leading, thinking, growing, and connecting.

Lead  

• Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others
  Adam Galinsky · Columbia Business School Faculty
  An engaging look at the qualities that make leaders inspiring—and how those skills can be learned and developed.
   
• Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent
  Sydney Finkelstein ’86BUS, ’88BUS
  Explores how exceptional leaders recognize, develop, and inspire talent—and create the next generation of leaders.
   
• Leadership Step by Step: Become the Person Others Follow
  Joshua Spodek ’93CC, ’96GSAS, ’99GSAS, ’06BUS 
  A hands-on approach to developing leadership skills through practical exercises, reflection, and experience. 
   
• Soulfluent Leadership Business Guide: Amplify Your Message, Visibility and Profits by Leveraging Your Archetype
  Priscilla Stephan ’98SIPA
  A guide to developing an authentic leadership presence and using individual strengths to strengthen communication, visibility, and impact. 
   
• Inner Mastery, Outer Impact: How Your Five Core Energies Hold the Key to Success
  Hitendra Wadhwa PhD · Columbia Business School Faculty
  Explores five core inner energies—Purpose, Wisdom, Growth, Love, and Self-Realization—as foundations for authentic leadership and meaningful impact. 
   

Think 

• Think Bigger: How to Innovate
  Sheena Iyengar · Columbia Business School Faculty
  An evidence-based method for generating new ideas, approaching problems creatively, and turning innovation into a learnable skill.
   
• Seeing Around Corners: How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen
  Rita McGrath ’81BC, ’82SIPA · Columbia Business School Faculty
  A guide to recognizing important shifts early and making smarter decisions in times of change. 
   
• Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement
  William Duggan ’74CC, ’79GSAS, ’82GSAS, ’86GSAS
  Explores how breakthrough ideas emerge and how past experience can lead to creative new solutions.
   
• Three or More Is a Riot: Notes on How We Got Here: 2012-2025
  Jelani Cobb* · Dean, Columbia Journalism School 
  A collection of essays examining the political, social, and cultural forces that have shaped American life over more than a decade.  
   
• Safe Havens for Hate: The Challenge of Moderating Online Extremism 
  Tamar Mitts* ’13GSAS, ’15GSAS, ’17GSAS 
  An examination of how extremist communities operate online and the challenges technology platforms face in countering harmful content while preserving open expression. 
   
• You Are What You Risk: The New Art and Science of Navigating an Uncertain World
  Michele Wucker ’93SIPA
  Examines how our individual “risk fingerprints” shape the way we perceive and respond to uncertainty—and how understanding them can improve decision-making. 
   

Thrive

• Trust Yourself: Stop Overthinking and Channel Your Emotions for Success at Work
  Melody Wilding ’11SW
  Practical strategies for overcoming self-doubt, managing overthinking, and turning sensitivity and self-awareness into strengths.
   
•  Type R: Transformative Resilience for Thriving in a Turbulent World
  Ama Marston ’05SIPA
  Reimagines resilience as the ability not simply to bounce back, but to use adversity and change as catalysts for growth.
   
• You Have a Choice: Beyond Hard Work to Meaningful Impact
  Eric Nehrlich ’08SPS
  An invitation to rethink traditional definitions of success and make more intentional choices about work, purpose, and life.
   
•  Embody Joy: A Woman’s Journey of Reconnection with Her Body 
  Beatriz Fritschler* ’08SIPA 
  A personal journey of healing and self-discovery that explores reconnecting with the body and finding greater joy, freedom, and self-acceptance. 
   
• You Have A Choice: Beyond Hard Work To Meaningful Impact 
  Eric Nehrlich ’08SPS
  Encourages readers to rethink traditional definitions of success and make more intentional choices about work, purpose, and meaningful impact. 

Connect

• No One Understands You and What to Do About It
  Heidi Grant Halvorson ’97GSAS, ’01GSAS, ’01GSAS
  Explores the gap between how we think we come across and how others actually perceive us—and how to bridge it.
   
• Go To Help: 31 Strategies to Offer, Ask For, and Accept Help
  Deborah Grayson Riegel ’98SW
  Practical strategies for getting better at something essential to strong relationships and leadership: giving, receiving, and asking for help.
   
•  Growing for Justice: A Developmental Continuum of Leadership Capacities and Practices
  Eleanor Drago-Severson · Teachers College Faculty; Jessica Blum-DeStefano ’13TC, ’14TC; Deborah Brooks Lawrence · Teachers College Faculty
  A research-based approach to developing the capacities leaders need to support others, foster growth, and lead meaningful change.
   
• Next to Normal 
  Tom Kitt* ’96C and Brian Yorkey ’93CC 
  The Pulitzer Prize-winning musical explores family, love, loss, and the ways people connect and persevere through profound personal challenges.
   
• Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together
  Michael Morris* · Columbia Business School Faculty
  Explores how our deeply rooted group instincts shape culture and behavior—and how leaders can harness them to build trust, strengthen communities, and bring people together.  
   
• Feature and Narrative Storytelling for Multimedia Journalists 1st Edition
  Duy Linh Tu ’99JRN† · Columbia Journalism School Faculty
  A practical guide to using narrative, reporting, and multimedia tools to tell compelling stories and connect more effectively with audiences. 
   

*Panelist, 2026 Columbia Alumni Leaders Experience †Moderator, 2026 Columbia Alumni Leaders Experience