Every book list from the leadership series, organized, linked, and ready for your growth as a tech leader.

Over the last several posts, we’ve unpacked the books that actually help you lead better, not the fluffy, buzzword-heavy “leadership inspiration” you forget 12 minutes after reading.

This series covers the foundational areas every leader needs to grow in:

• Your core leadership principles
• Communication (aka “the thing leaders think they’re good at… until they’re not”)
• Team dynamics & culture
• Self-leadership & mindset

And now, this master index, your one-stop shop to find every book, every post, and every reading path depending on where you want to improve next.

If you want to become a stronger, calmer, clearer, more effective leader, this is your roadmap.

1. Must-Read Leadership Classics

These books shape your understanding of what leadership is, influence, trust, ownership, clarity, and responsibility.

They’ll change how you think, how you show up, and how you lead others.

Read the full post → https://mullins.io/must-read-leadership-classics-that-actually-make-you-better-at-leading-humans/

Books included:

• Leadership and Self-Deception
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
• Team of Teams
• Leaders Eat Last
• The Advantage
• Multipliers
• Extreme Ownership

2. Communication Books (and How Not to Accidentally Start a Fire)

Because most leadership problems are really communication problems in disguise.

This list helps you navigate conflict, negotiate, understand people, and give (and receive) feedback like an adult.

Read the full post → https://mullins.io/books-that-make-you-better-at-communication-and-less-likely-to-accidentally-start-a-fire/

Books included:

• Surrounded by Idiots
• Crucial Conversations
• Never Split the Difference
• How to Win Friends & Influence People
• Radical Candor
• The Culture Code

3. Team Dynamics & Culture Books (a.k.a. Keeping the Circus Running Smoothly)

Want a team that trusts each other, works well together, communicates without drama, and doesn’t melt down at the slightest stress?

Start here.

Read the full post → https://mullins.io/books-that-help-you-build-stronger-teams-healthier-culture/

Books included:

• Turn the Ship Around!
• The Speed of Trust
• The No Asshole Rule
• Creativity, Inc.
• Thanks for the Feedback

4. Books That Help You Lead Yourself (Before Trying to Lead Anyone Else)

This might be the most important category of all.

If you don’t manage your habits, mindset, ego, and focus… your team will feel it long before you do.

Read the full post → https://mullins.io/books-that-help-you-lead-yourself-before-trying-to-lead-anyone-else/

Books included:

• Atomic Habits
• Mindset
• Ego Is the Enemy
• The Power of Habit
• Deep Work

5. Looking for the Quick Version? Here’s the Full Benable List

I keep an always-updated list of all these books (and more) here:

👉 Benable Leadership Book List

Bookmark it. Share it. Use it as your personalized leadership syllabus.

Wrapping Up the Series

Leadership isn’t a title, it’s a set of skills.
Communication. Self-awareness. Clarity. Trust. Courage. Accountability.
And like any skill, you get better with practice… and with the right tools.

These books have helped me grow as a tech leader, not by giving me rules, but by offering frameworks, mindsets, and better questions to ask.

Whether you read one, three, or all of them, I hope this series becomes something you return to again and again.

And yes, more series like this are coming.

Hey, since you made it this far, you might actually care about becoming a better leader.
Good news: I wrote an ebook that’ll help you skip years of trial and error.

📘 Get Tech Leadership Made Simple.