5 Sales & Leadership Books That Should Be on Your Bedside Table

Stay at the top of your game with our list of leadership must-haves. This list of books can help ease the stress of where to start. Pick up any of these books today and instantly improve your leadership style!

5. Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek

From Congress to corporations like Microsoft and 3M, Simon Sinek uses the power of positivity to inspire the next generation of personal, professional sales. He champions the "messiness" (in the very best way) of human interactions as applied to sales, highlighting the importance of being able to connect with clients for maximum reward on both sides. He supports the practice of storytelling (as referenced in the earlier post, "Storytelling in Your Presentations: It's Not Just for Bedtime Anymore") as a tool to build a working relationship that is grounded in a personal connection. Sienk encourages executives to stop looking out for themselves first. He argues that true success isn't achievable until your team is taken care of. Leaders who give their team all they have before taking care of themselves see the highest levels of loyalty and greatest moments of victory.

4. Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet 

As one of the best books of all time, Turn the Ship Around, encourages positive, successful motivation that energizes all involved. Much as he did as a Naval commander, Marquet prompts team members to operate in a way that sees everyone truly engaged and confident in their abilities to maneuver any rough waters that they may encounter in the business world. This book helps leaders build confidence in their underlings, allowing them to flourish in their careers.

3. The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Mathew Dixon 

This book takes the idea of relationships being the most crucial element of sales success to the next level, asking team members to go beyond building relationships and challenge them. After exhaustive research of the top sales executives, Dixon found that the best of the best, or "Challengers," are those who are not content to build relationships controlled by client desire and potential outcome but are able to build relationships that are strong enough to allow them to challenge what a client thinks or believes regarding ultimate success. The strategies put forth in this book can strengthen top team members and equip new team members with the tools needed to bolster an existing champion crew. 

2. Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman 

Most of the books on this list give you applicable "how-to's" that can be taken immediately to the sales table. Emotional Intelligence focuses on the reasons behind the behaviors. Coleman links science with sales in this piece to provide incredible insight into how logic is tied to emotions and the best practices for utilizing these simultaneously in scenarios spanning from personal to professional. To be clear, this isn't a study in sales, but more of human possibility that can be applied to every area of our lives, including the professional realm and the relationships that make up that space. 

1. Rule of 24: The Future of B2B Client Engagement by Daniel Conway and Bob Riefstahl 

2Win! Founder Bob Riefstahl and 2Win! CEO Daniel Conway focus on the rapidly changing world of sales and the new challenges of working in a business world that often moves at a dizzying pace. In a sales environment that continually offers less time for discovery and preparation, Conway and Riefstahl provide innovative ways to successfully adapt to the "immediate gratification in all things" climate that permeates both our personal and professional realms. From client preferences regarding acquisition of information and solutions to driving engagement using virtual presentation, this book promises to be the new go-to handbook for all professionals and executives who are looking to be on the cutting edge in the world of sales.