Leadership Reading Path
Leadership is not a title, a platform, or something you switch on when it suits you—it is responsibility. Becoming a better leader does not happen by accident; it happens when you deliberately choose to take ownership of who you are, how you think, how you act, and how you respond when things go wrong. The books on this list begin with that foundation because real leadership is built on responsibility, sacrifice, and service, not theory or image. Throughout this journey, you will see consistent themes emerge—discipline over motivation, service over status, character over charisma, and consistency over intensity—because leadership touches every area of life, not just the workplace. Growth requires personal change, and effective leadership is impossible without it. Read slowly, apply what you learn, wrestle honestly with the ideas, and let the truth reshape you. If you do, the change by year’s end will be real—and the people closest to you will feel it first.
Leadership Path: Why We’re Starting with Extreme Ownership
There are a handful of books I keep coming back to over and over again. Extreme Ownership is one of them.
I’ve read it several times, and at this point it’s become a regular reset for me—at least once every year or two. It’s one of those books that helps me get grounded, refocused, and realigned before moving forward. No fluff. No hype. Just principles that actually work.
The book opens with the idea of Extreme Ownership, and that’s not an accident. If leadership breaks down, it almost always breaks down right there. Leaders want credit when things go well, but distance themselves when things don’t. This book forces you to confront that instinct head-on.
And then there’s the principle that may be even more important for our time:
Discipline equals freedom.
We live in a culture that defines freedom as doing whatever I want, whenever I want, with no responsibility. That’s not freedom—that’s chaos. Real freedom comes from discipline. From responsibility. From order. When you discipline yourself, you create margin. You gain control. That’s when freedom actually shows up in your life.
Over the next several weeks, we’re going to work through this book together, starting with the first core principles:
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Extreme Ownership – Leadership starts and ends with you.
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No Bad Teams, Only Bad Leaders – A tough chapter, but a necessary one.
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Believe – If you don’t believe in the mission, neither will your team.
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Check the Ego – This one never gets easier, but it’s essential.
From there, the book walks through principles that every leader needs:
cover and move, keeping it simple, prioritizing and executing, decentralized command, planning, leading up and down the chain, decisiveness under uncertainty—and it finishes exactly where it should: discipline equals freedom.
I love the structure of this book. It starts with ownership and ends with discipline. That’s not accidental—that’s leadership.
As we go through this leadership path, my goal isn’t just to talk about leadership, but to help you practice it. Leadership is personal. It shows up in your home, your work, your team, and your decisions when no one is watching.
If you have the time, I’d also encourage you to read The Dichotomy of Leadership alongside this. It builds directly on these ideas and adds depth where leaders often struggle.
So let’s start here.
Take ownership.
Set the ego aside.
Embrace discipline.
That’s how leaders are built—and that’s where real freedom begins.
Links
Extreme Ownership
Purchase Extreme Ownership
Chpt. 1 – Extreme Ownership
Chpt. 2 – Only Bad Leaders
Chpt. 3 – Believe