Now that the chatter about this book has quietened, I wanted to offer my perspective as this book has not been without its critics. Its been cited, amongst other things, as an oversimplification.  To me, the book’s simplicity is its strength, and I’d love to explain why.

Don’t worry, I’m not going to overshare and tell you about specific areas of poor leadership and complex personal relationships that this has helped me with.  I am going to pull out the key takeaways and address some of the criticisms I have read.

In an age where burnout is rapidly becoming the norm and digital life demands more from us than ever before, it’s no surprise that a phrase as simple as “let them” has captured the world’s attention. Mel Robbins’ The Let Them Theory, which has sold more than eight million copies globally, has struck a cultural nerve, topping international bestseller lists including The Sunday Times, The New York Times, Amazon and Audible.

What began as a viral TikTok concept evolved into a structured psychological framework, now explored in depth in Robbins’ bestselling book. The theory invites us to interrupt our instinct to manage, influence or interpret other people’s behaviour and instead reclaim our own emotional power. 

You’ll likely have heard the “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” quote from Peter Drucker, but just how do you shape up the right culture. Culture is undoubtedly one of the most important levers that a leader must aim to understand and build.

In The Culture Code, Daniel Coyle offers one of the clearest, most practical guides available on how leaders can intentionally shape environments where people collaborate deeply, speak up courageously and deliver exceptional results.

Ferrazzi captured my interest straight away when he wrote about his admiration of Five Dysfunctions and then made me realise that this “classic” is perhaps out of date for our new world of work, after all it was written about 20 years ago and so much has changed since then.

In a workplace transformed by hybrid models, rapid change, and rising burnout, Never Lead Alone arrives as a timely and necessary reframe. Ferrazzi doesn’t just update leadership—he starts to reinvent it. The book speaks directly to the challenges of distributed teams, cross-functional collaboration, and the emotional toll of modern work. It’s not about managing from the top anymore; it’s about co-elevating from within.

You’re in back-to-back meetings, juggling stakeholder demands, trying to coach your team while staying strategic. You know you’re capable—but something’s getting in the way. What if the problem isn’t your skillset, but your mindset?

James Clear's Atomic Habits has quickly cemented itself as a modern classic in the realm of personal development and behavioural psychology. At its core, the book makes a compelling argument: small habits are the building blocks of monumental change. Drawing from both academic research and personal anecdotes, Clear creates a blueprint for sustainable self-improvement that’s as practical as it is inspiring.

Years ago, Arianna Huffington’s Thrive made its quiet way onto my bookshelf. I remember admiring its premise—challenging the idea that success could be measured only by money and power—but life at the time, in all its velocity, didn’t leave much room to live those insights.

I regularly recommend this book to the leaders that I am working with because I love its balance between simple yet powerful.  The language used by Kim Scott to bring her concepts to life are easy to understand and relate to, making this book refreshingly practical.

….and yes, I do know that this is not the UK spelling of Candor / Candour but I’ve decided to keep the US spelling throughout for the sake of my poor autocorrect!

I keep finding myself returning to this book and recommending it to the leaders I am working with, for several reasons.

Many of the leaders that I work with tell me that they enjoy reading but don’t or can’t make the time for it.  Well, this book is only 224 pages long and is just 3 hours 40-ish minutes to listen to on Audible.  Very digestible!

Adam Grant, has long worked to reframe our understanding of work and success, and his latest book "Hidden Potential," is a compelling exploration of how we can move beyond conventional notions of talent and achievement.

This book was first released back in 1999, which only feels like yesterday for me, however alarmingly is over a quarter of a century ago! That being said, I believe it has stood the test of time well.

Many people go wild for famous pop stars and actors.  For me, as a Leadership Development geek, I was awe struck to hear Sir John, the creator of the GROW model, speak at a conference about 20 years ago when I was undertaking my first Coaching qualification.  

During Covid, this book opened my eyes to doing things differently. I wasn’t furloughed; I didn’t get that time to mull things over. But I did get physical distance, which gave me space to see how I could improve the business I worked in, and how I was leading my team.

Its simplicity strips away the complexity and theory we are asked to get our heads around when mastering leadership. In just over 150 pages, it emphasises the importance of authenticity, integrity and relationships in building a successful leadership style.

I had the absolute pleasure of attending a small webinar with Sally Helgesen a few years ago and having been a fan of this book even before this happened, it has cemented my appreciation for it even further.

The book is designed to help women overcome the specific challenges they often face in their careers. The authors argue that while women may excel in certain areas, they often fall short in others due to ingrained habits.