5 Books on Heart-Based Leadership

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What is heartful leadership? We have countless examples these days of what it isn’t, but the good news is there are leaders demonstrating empathy, mindfulness, and a sense of purpose in their decision making that goes beyond profits and worse, a clear sense of greed. There are heartful leaders out there, from longtime CEOs to newly minted executives and entrepreneurs, who want to be better, do better, listen better, and ultimately, lead better by focusing on their heart and their people. The kicker? They do indeed create continued success.

For anyone who wants to learn more about this powerful model of leadership, here’s a roundup of five books that get it right — covering a range of angles and perspectives, from business and organizational best practices to mindfulness, from how to survive the unforgiving world of startups to how to get out of our own way.

Network Leadership: Promoting a Healthier World through the Power of Networks by Jeffrey Beeson focuses on how applying network science to organizations fosters a dramatic improvement in connection, collaboration, and innovation. Beeson has worked with thousands of leaders and led culture transformation initiatives for multinational corporations and is an expert on agile organizational cultures. His book offers a clear path to a paradigm shift, from how to reshape organizational design to how to address power dynamics. He addresses issues of social influence, how to best share knowledge and information across a network, and how networks themselves should be led to unlock their full potential. This is a guidebook for leaders who want to bring out the best in their employees and their organization — with an emphasis on people.

Shakti Leadership: Embracing Feminine and Masculine Power in Business by Nilima Bhat and Raj Sisodia has become a leadership classic, and for good reason. It breaks the mold of “masculine” leadership to show how balancing masculine and feminine qualities will result in more creativity and sustained success. Traditional assumptions about what makes for the most powerful or the most effective have a costly blind spot, as the authors point out — and the resulting negative impacts range from environmental havoc to organizational tension to individual struggles with mental, emotional, and physical well-being. The answer lies in embracing the feminine qualities of leadership as well, creating a model of leadership that includes empathy and cooperation. This isn’t as simple as “men” and “women” — it’s based on Indian yogic tradition. The authors provide inspiring examples, exercises and insights, making this a book for anyone that wants to tap into the power of transformation for people as well as organizations. And in an era when some are trying to turn inclusion into a bad thing, it’s a welcome approach.

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Soul Venture: A True Life and Death Journey Into the Startup Culture by Ashwin Gulati is a cautionary tale that manages to also be completely inspiring. Gulati is an entrepreneur, executive and startup consultant with tremendous experience in the world of startups. But this is anything but a how-to book: he’s on a mission to help would-be startup founders make sure they’re up to the challenge — and the lifestyle. Combining memoir, savvy strategies, and soulful self-help, the book takes place during a pivotal point in Gulati’s life at the crux between success and failure. It travels back in time to the many encounters and situations that forged his remarkable career — with candor, wisdom, and a lot of relatable moments. As this author writes, 97% of startups are destined to fail, and even the biggest names in leaders express serious doubts about their vocation. But entrepreneurship isn’t just a job: it’s a calling. The question is how to sustain not just one’s position, but also career, life, relationships, and self-worth. Gulati’s recommendations go far beyond the usual executive approach: if you want to succeed in the startup trenches, you need to develop and practice heartfelt self-awareness.

The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage Into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest should be on the must-read list of anyone looking at why we so easily undermine our own success. Wiest, an author treasured for her expertise on personal growth, mindfulness and emotional intelligence, turns her lens on the private obstacles people put in front of themselves as they aim for transformation, growth, achievements, and love. What makes this book invaluable for leaders is its clarity and compassion: instead of pat solutions, it encourages a deep and loving investigation into ourselves. The road to our own success is fraught with unconscious fears and traps of our own making, writes Weist, but until we truly understand the source, we won’t truly escape them. There are tips in here about breaking out own cycle of self-doubt and self-destruction, using our own pain as fuel for growth, and building a mindset of self-discipline, resilience, and self-compassion.

Leadership Mindset 2.0: The Psychology and Neuroscience of Reaching Your Full Potential by R. Michael Anderson combines psychology, neuroscience, and leadership practices to enable leaders to become truly confident and lead with empathy, connection and authenticity. Anderson, whose own experience includes degrees in business and psychology and a certificate in neuroscience, is no outsider. He’s built, grown and then left three software firms, was nominated for a Most Admired CEO award, and has guided countless readers with two business book bestsellers. Here, he provides leaders with a full array of skills, behaviors and “hacks” to become better leaders — building self-awareness, resilience, emotional intelligence, and presence. Leadership isn’t a stage you get to and then settle in, he points out: it’s an endless journey of personal and professional growth.

With tangible strategies, soulful introspection, real-life stories of life in the leadership lane, and science-based approaches, this group of books serves up well-rounded guidance on being a modern leader by some of the smartest authors out there. Realistic, practical, but also spiritual and intuitive, these are valuable go-to’s and genuinely good reads.

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