What are the best “leadership books” for tweens and teens to read?
The following answers are provided by the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the world’s most promising young entrepreneurs. The YEC recently published #FixYoungAmerica: How to Rebuild Our Economy and Put Young Americans Back to Work (for Good), a book of 30+ proven solutions to help end youth unemployment.
1. “Ender’s Game” by Orson Scott Card
Ender’s Game is a classic. Not only does the book make for enjoyable reading at the surface level, but it also is littered with hidden leadership lessons. As a leader, Ender faces many challenges: isolation, confrontation, and more. He must gain the support and reverence of his subordinates who were formerly peers.
- Bhavin Parikh, Magoosh Test Prep
2. “Getting Unstuck” by Timothy Butler
“Getting Unstuck: A Guide to Discovering your Next Career Path” provides a practical, hands-on road map for moving past your career or personal life impasse, recognize patterns of meaning in your life, and take action for change.
- Erica Dhawan, Erica Dhawan Inc. and Galahads
3. “E-Myth” by Michael Gerber
I love the E-Myth because it helps early entrepreneurs understand there is so much more to owning a business than knowing how to do something well. Teach them early that great leaders must also manage and create the vision for the team and you’ll develop a well-rounded young adult.
- Kelly Azevedo, She’s Got Systems
4. Learn From “The Coolest Startups in America”
I made sure “The Coolest Startups in America” was written in a colloquial fun way that is easily accessible for teens and tweens. With over 70 startups profiled from across diverse industries, there’s something for everyone in the book that will resonate to get young adults excited about startups. Furthermore, the book covers important startups trends and terminology too.
5. “The Synergist” by Les Mckeown
Learning how other people lead and operate can help young readers understand how other people think. This in turn will help them adapt their communication style. “The Synergist: How to Lead Your Team to Predictable Success” by Les Mckeown is awesome for that.
- Nathalie Lussier, The Website Checkup Tool
6. Read Stories From “Chicken Soup for the Soul Extraordinary Teens”
Authored by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Kent Healy, Chicken Soup for the Soul has a book with personal advice from teens and some well-known folks such as Brenda Song and Donald Trump Jr. Each story is written from an experienced teen with lessons they learned along their journey and each story is unique because of the various jobs and roles each teen has.
- Lane Sutton, Social Media from a Teen
7. “The Other 90%” by Robert K. Cooper
“The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership and Life” by Robert K. Cooper is a must-read for all leaders, regardless of age. It grasps the core roots of understanding yourself and others and leading to your fullest potential, as both an entrepreneur and a human being.
- Richard Lorenzen, Fifth Avenue Brands
8. “Founders at Work” by Jessica Livingston
The best way to learn about leadership is to read in-depth stories about leaders. Livingston interviewed founders of fascinating companies like Google, Firefox, Yahoo! and PayPal. What’s unique about this book is that Livingston transcribes the conversations –some are 20 pages! Young entrepreneurs will learn how to start a company and see a well-developed perspective of challenges they’ll face.
- Aaron Schwartz, Modify Watches
9. “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson
I highly recommend Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. It is not necessarily geared towards tweens and teens, but the advice is definitely applicable. Case studies of people who have been extremely successful in their careers are invaluable leadership tools.
- Caroline Ghosn, The Levo League
10. “How To Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale Carnegie
When I was a teenager, I thought being a leader meant “being the boss” and telling everyone what to do. It wasn’t until college that I had some true leadership roles and had to learn the hard way what leadership is really about. There is no book better to start your journey of learning true leadership than Dale Carnegie’s. The sooner they start learning those lessons, the better they’ll be.
- Jason Evanish, Greenhorn Connect
11. “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens” by Sean Covey
The book I highly recommend for teens and tweens is “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.” It was written by Sean Covey, son of world-renowned author Stephen Covey, who wrote the wildly successful book, “Seven Habits of Highly Effective People.” This book offers tips and advice on topics such as how to deal with peer pressure, how to become motivated and how to deal with success and failure.
- Andrew Schrage, Money Crashers Personal Finance
12. “Kidpreneurs” by Adam and Matthew Toren
“Kidpreneurs: Young Entrepreneurs With Big Ideas!” is a good book by the Toren brothers that inspires teens and younger kids to take steps toward becoming leaders in the entrepreneurial world.
- John Hall, Digital Talent Agents
13. “Awaken the Giant Within” by Anthony Robbins
I recommend “Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!” by Anthony Robbins. He started when he was young and inspires others to take control of their lives and break through objections to become successful. It’s a great book by a great author, and anyone can start applying the principles — at any age.
- Nick Reese, Elite Health Blends
These are really great resources. I especially am excited to check out “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens.” I have read “The 7 Habits for Highly Effective People,” and found it to be a very valuable book. Love that there is now one for teens. I am not sure if you have heard of Bill Sims, Jr.’s latest book, “Green Beans & Ice Cream,” but it is also a very valuable book for that both teens and adults can learn from – in my opinion it will forever change the way you deal with your family, customers, coworkers, students, and yes, even your spouse!
http://greenbeanleadership.com/
Thank you so much for sharing this resource with us Becky! I so appreciate you! – Sarah
Thank you for these terrific resources!
Thank you for stopping by to comment!! We are so happy with the article as well! The YEC is a fabulous group of talented young entrepreneurs with amazing resources and ideas! We love that they support the Raising CEO Kids community with great content and mentoring!