The education of a minister should not end with the theological school, but should be prolonged, like that of a teacher or physician, to the latest day of his (or her) life.
– Charles Eliot, longest tenured president of Harvard University and brother of TS Eliot

You know, I wish I could confine that quote only to the clerical profession.  But, I can’t.  That is a quote that is tailor made for leadership development if ever there was one.  And it hits me square between the eyes.

Many times we think that leadership development is for “those young folks” who really need it.  The truth of the matter is that it must be a part of our ongoing personal and professional development.  Material is so readily available and affordable that there is no excuse for not having several books at the ready on your Kindle or sitting on your physical bookshelf for those times that arise in every day when there is 15 minutes of downtime or transition time.  Wouldn’t if be of greater value to read through a leadership book by a well-known author than to check Facebook one more time to see where your friend went to lunch?

From time to time we want to bring to you some of the resources that we are finding valuable right now.  We have not been compensated to include any of the books or resources that you may see listed from time to time.  If they are on our list it is because they have been of value to us.  So, in the spirit of offering some great developmental resources, consider the following:

• Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves
• Never Give In! The Best of Winston Churchill’s Speeches by Winston S. Churchill
• Wooden on Leadership: How to Create a Winning Organization by John Wooden
• Questions of Character: Illuminating the Heart of Leadership Through Literature by Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.
• Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin
• The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You by John C. Maxwell
• From Values to Action: The Four Principles of Values-Based Leadership by Harry M. Kraemer

I have not read all of these.  But they are either on my Kindle or on my radar.  From time to time I will have more lists of resources for you to consider.  If you are interested in any of these books, just click on their title and you can pick them up via our Amazon Bookstore and help us strengthen our voice in the marketplace.

Question: What book have we left off that we should we have included on this first list? You can leave a comment by clicking here.

Photo credit: Foter / CC BY-SA