Leadership is a word that, in the current environment, has extended well beyond driving profits. It’s now more important than ever for leaders to build companies that create meaningful, long-term value. The role of a leader has expanded in recent years, including key responsibilities like shaping a positive workplace culture, creating social impact, and championing sustainability.
I recently attended a conference where one question continued to resurface: What will your legacy be? It wasn’t just a rhetorical prompt but a genuine challenge for leaders to think beyond their next quarter or fiscal year. The discussion made me realize how vital it is to constantly seek new perspectives and challenge our leadership assumptions. One of the simplest but most powerful ways to do that? Read.
Books For the Modern Leader
Whether you’re managing a team, launching a start-up, or simply considering how you want to show up for your employees as a business leader, books can be a surprisingly helpful and accessible resource. The right ones challenge conventional thinking and introduce new strategies, but more importantly, they offer fresh lenses through which to view your role and responsibilities.
These books stand out because they go beyond surface-level leadership tips. They provide bold, actionable insights on building companies prioritizing sustainability, resilience, and long-term impact. The strategies presented challenge the status quo and inspire leaders to build enduring legacies. Here are four books for leaders looking to make a lasting impact.
1. Too Big to Care by Glen Wood
In Too Big to Care: Adopt Sustainable Business Practices or Embrace Defeat, author Glen Wood expounds on the idea that sustainability is more than a catchphrase – it’s a contemporary requirement of running an enterprise. Throughout this unconventional take on business ethics, Wood argues that businesses lacking sustainability methods are missing out on a huge benefit and potentially risking their future existence.
The book explores the dilemma of organizations, particularly large and successful ones, that are often too complacent, too traditional, and too disconnected from the broader burden of the consequences of their decisions. Wood draws on broad organizational experience to suggest going beyond sustainability as a mere add-on, encouraging business leaders to embrace sustainability as a key driver of operational success, brand trust, and future growth.
Too Big to Care does not rely on idealism or frameworks. Wood offers a variety of real-world examples for leaders looking to take action functionally. Strategic responsibility is the book’s main theme, drawing on the real-world truth that ignoring key responsibilities comes with costs; Glen’s prescription is a model for building a healthier, more profitable business that supports both employee satisfaction and long-term success.
2. The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
In The Infinite Game, author and inspirational speaker Simon Sinek confronts one of the most prevailing assumptions in business: Leadership is only about winning. Instead, he advocates for a change in mindset, one where success is not defined by quarterly performance or beating the competition but by staying in the game long enough to have a lasting impact.
Sinek introduces the concept of an “infinite mindset”: prioritizing long-term vision, adaptability, and resilience rather than short-term performance metrics. He argues that the most successful and sustainable leaders focus on factors like trust and ethics, not performance. This is a philosophy that can be adopted in any sector and with any team size, offering a fresh perspective on how to lead in an unpredictable context.
Rather than prescribing a specific set of instructions, the book outlines principles that help leaders think beyond immediate wins and position their organizations for sustainability. For organizations that want to build sustainable teams focused on growth culture, The Infinite Game offers firm and functional advice.
3. Let My People Go Surfing by Yvon Chouinard
Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman serves as both a personal memoir and a business guide about Yvon Chouinard’s journey to build Patagonia around his values. The book discusses what Chouinard’s vision for the company meant in terms of culture, growth, and long-term development; initially written for his employees, it has since become a handbook for leaders who want to lead successful and purpose-driven businesses.
Chouinard explains how his love for the outdoors permeated all aspects of Patagonia, including product design and corporate environmental activism. A unique aspect of the book is its grounded approach to running a responsible company. In the author’s eyes, it’s not about doing everything perfectly – it’s about making decisions based on values and taking action when it matters.
Instead of giving readers typical advice on leadership, Chouinard takes readers behind the scenes of the brand that redefined corporate consciousness and gives them a straightforward, take-it-or-leave-it approach to organizational leadership.
4. Net Positive by Paul Polman and Andrew Winston
Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take goes past the concept of simply “doing less bad, as Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, and sustainability expert Andrew Winston explain. The authors offer a simple and actionable roadmap for companies to become a positive force in the world without limiting their business performance. They advise that businesses give more back to the world than they take; this means delivering value not just to shareholders but to employees, communities, and the environment.
What makes Net Positive unique is its pragmatic tone. It does not focus on the political or ideological lenses but on how to functionally scale change. Whether you are the CEO of a major company, the sustainability officer, or an entrepreneur looking for guidance on responsibly growing your business, this book provides tools to take you from intention to action. It is a tactical tool for leaders who want to build future-proof companies with real-world value and impact.
Leading with Purpose
Being a strong leader today means looking past the next quarter. Leadership is primarily about developing companies that will last; the goal is to create teams that remain engaged, cultures that can withstand pressure, and strategies that can pivot as the market changes.
The books listed here will not provide a magic pill or a silver bullet solution. They may not even solve the immediate problem. What these books do provide is a perspective on what matters. They instruct on how to lead with clarity of thought and resilience of heart. Each book has a different intention, but they all hold the gravity of running a business in a firm, ethical manner. Ultimately, the modern business leader does not have to turn everything upside down in a company to lead with more purpose. Often, it starts with a shift in thinking, and a good book can be the first step in that direction.
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