library for leaders

The library for leaders is a selection of books that are personally recommended by members of the telos team for their insight and inspiration. We encourage you to use these resources as tools for continued growth and personal exploration.

strategy

Competitive Strategy
Michael Porter
Competitive Strategy
Michael Porter
Effectively assessing and understanding the competitive marketplace is a competitive advantage. Porter's rich frameworks and deep insights have been instrumental in transforming the theory, practice and teaching of business strategy. A must read for business leaders.
Elevate
Rich Horwath
Elevate
Rich Horwath
The ability to think strategically is an essential skill for leaders. Elevate provides a framework for combining strategy and innovation to achieve competitive advantage. With examples and tools, this book elevates thinking to create competitive advantage.
The Essential Advantage
Paul Leinwand & Cesare Mainardi
The Essential Advantage
Paul Leinwand & Cesare Mainardi
Finding competitive advantage is at the heart of business strategy and this book takes inventory of what an organization does at its best and uses that as the foundation for building strategy. What do you do that is world class?

leadership

Braving the Wilderness
Brené Brown
Braving the Wilderness
Brené Brown
The wilderness is scary - the unknown, the uncontrollable and the unpredictable. Embracing vulnerability and encouraging curiousity both with ourselves and with others can lead to deeper connection and allow us to view the wilderness in a more positive light.
The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg
The Power of Habit
Charles Duhigg
By analyzing the science behind habits, readers will be better able to assess cravings, triggers, routines, and rewards and ultimately create strategies that turn habits into automatic behaviors.
Sapiens
Yuval Harari
Sapiens
Yuval Harari
Sapiens tackles many of the biggest questions of history and the modern world. With unforgettably vivid language, the author helps us to understand who we are, how we came to be who we are, and think as we do, and he illuminates the impact of that history on our current challenges.
Stillness Is the Key
Ryan Holiday
Stillness Is the Key
Ryan Holiday
If the quiet moments are the best moments, and if so many wise, virtuous people have sung their praises, why are they so rare? The author draws from a range of leaders, thinkers, artists, and athletes to show us what stillness is and how it might be achieved.
The Four Tendencies
Gretchen Rubin
The Four Tendencies
Gretchen Rubin
Understanding how we respond to inner and outer expectations provides insight into motivation, growth, and interpersonal relationships. This book enables us to be more effective leaders by determining how to best motivate ourselves and others by focusing on accountability.
The War for Kindness
Jamil Zaki
The War for Kindness
Jamil Zaki
Is empathy a trait you are born with or a skill that you can build and develop, nurture and grow? Through research and stories, Zaki demonstrates how empathy and kindness are contagious, and a skill that can be strengthened.

change

Change by Design
Tim Brown
Change by Design
Tim Brown
Design thinking is a human centered approach to solving problems that can help any organization innovate and be more creative. Tim Brown brings the process and benefits to life through his stories of leading IDEO and the impact this approach had on their clients.
Switch
Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Switch
Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Why can change be so hard? The primary obstacle to change is found in our brain. This book uses everyday examples to show how people overcome biology to achieve results and shares the pattern to to help all of us making successful change.
A Sense of Urgency
John P. Kotter
A Sense of Urgency
John P. Kotter
This book builds on Kotter's earlier work and dives deep into the crucial first step in his change framework - focusing on how to create a sense of urgency by getting people to actually see and feel the need for change