Some of My Favorite Books About Leadership - Wisler Plumbing & Air

The first major leadership book that I read several years ago was called Lead Like Jesus . A lot of people might have differing ideas about who Jesus is, but I think that most people can agree that he was a good leader. Who better to model your leadership practices and principles than Jesus himself? One idea that sticks out from this book is how effective leadership is really about servant leadership. One of the qualities that most people want in their leader is someone who is willing to serve, collaborate, and partner with others. It’s just simply a different mindset than some leadership principles may have.

I think Lead Like Jesus is more about having the head of a leader, heart of a leader, and hands of a leader. That basically means a leader thinks about things, feels things, and does things. Someone once asked me what comes out when you shake a Dr. Pepper. He told me that Dr. Pepper is what comes out because that’s what’s inside. The same thing applies to a leader—when a leader is shaken while under extreme pressure, sometimes bad things come out. It’s important that our heart is right so we can lead during these critical times.

More recently, I have read a book called Extreme Ownership . It was written by two Navy Seals who were on tour in Afghanistan during some of the roughest times in years past. One of the things that I really love about this book is that it’s very practical to both life and business. I was amazed at the fact that there is a clear parallel between the leadership necessary for the battlefield, the leadership necessary in business, and the leadership necessary for our homes. It just goes to cement the fact that leadership is universal. What people want in their leaders is the same regardless of whether you’re a child looking to your parents, an employee looking to an employer, or a soldier looking to a commander.

Extreme Ownership talks about how leaders are responsible for everything in their world. You shouldn’t point any fingers or make excuses, because as a leader, you are responsible for what happens. Yes, there are some things that are out of your control. But for those things that are within our control, we must be very careful to own responsibility.

If you want to work with the team at Wisler Plumbing and Air or find out about the principles we apply to leadership every day, contact us online or give us a call at 540-483-9382.