Books Recommended by Craig Groeschel

Jim Collins, bestselling author of Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t, is a globally recognized authority on business strategy and organizational excellence.

A Stanford-trained researcher and former faculty member at Stanford Graduate School of Business, Collins has dedicated over 25 years to studying what separates enduring companies from their competitors. His work blends rigorous analysis with actionable frameworks like the "Hedgehog Concept" and "Level 5 Leadership," cementing Good to Great as a cornerstone of modern management literature.

Collins’ other influential works, including Built to Last and Great by Choice, explore themes of visionary leadership and sustained success in turbulent markets. His concepts are taught in top MBA programs and implemented by Fortune 500 executives, military leaders, and social sector pioneers.

Recognized by Forbes as one of the "100 Greatest Living Business Minds," Collins founded a management laboratory in Boulder, Colorado, where he continues advising CEOs. Good to Great has sold over 10 million copies worldwide and been translated into 32 languages, solidifying its status as a transformative business classic.

1. Level 5 leaders combine humility with unwavering resolve for company success
2. The Hedgehog Concept demands focus on passion, excellence, and economic drivers
3. Build momentum through consistent action, not overnight transformations (Flywheel Effect)
4. Confront brutal truths while maintaining faith in eventual triumph
5. Get the right people on the bus before setting strategic direction
6. Cultivate disciplined people who thrive in entrepreneurial freedom
7. Use technology as an accelerator, not a primary change driver
8. Embrace the Stockdale Paradox: confront reality but never lose hope
9. Complacency with "good" is the greatest barrier to achieving greatness
10. Preserve core values while relentlessly adapting operational strategies
11. Align your business around what you can dominate, profit from, and love
12. Prioritize "who" before "what" to build enduring organizational strength

James Kouzes and Barry Posner are bestselling authors and leadership development pioneers who revolutionized organizational management with their seminal work, The Leadership Challenge. As co-creators of the evidence-based Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® framework, they bridge academic rigor and real-world application in the business and leadership genre.

Kouzes, a longtime Dean’s Executive Fellow at Santa Clara University, and Posner, a distinguished professor emeritus at the same institution, have collaborated since 1983 to address core themes of trust-building, team empowerment, and vision-driven leadership.

Their influential Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) assessment tool and companion works like Credibility and The Truth About Leadership cement their status as management thought leaders. Featured in The Washington Post and Fast Company, their research underpins leadership programs at Fortune 500 companies and institutions like Stanford Graduate School of Business.

The Leadership Challenge has sold over 2 million copies worldwide, been translated into 20 languages, and remains required reading in executive education curricula at Microsoft, Pfizer, and the U.S. Naval Academy.

1. Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership: Model, Inspire, Challenge, Enable, Encourage.
2. Leaders model integrity by aligning actions with shared values.
3. Inspire vision by connecting daily tasks to larger purpose.
4. Challenge the process through incremental experiments and learning.
5. Enable others by fostering collaboration and sharing power.
6. Encourage the heart with sincere recognition of contributions.
7. Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) provides 360-degree growth insights.
8. Exemplary leaders create trust through consistency and accountability.
9. Kouzes and Posner’s research proves leadership is learnable, not innate.
10. Celebrate team wins to build community and reinforce values.
11. Instead of authority, use humility to empower others.
12. Leaders at all levels drive change by owning challenges.

Les McKeown, bestselling author of Predictable Success, is a globally recognized business growth strategist and serial entrepreneur with over four decades of leadership expertise. A native of Ireland, McKeown founded or co-founded 40+ ventures—from a Pizza Hut master license to a multinational consultancy—before pioneering the Predictable Success model, a proven framework for achieving scalable, sustainable organizational growth.

His book, a cornerstone of business leadership and organizational development literature, distills insights from advising clients like Harvard University, American Express, and the US Army.

McKeown’s work has been featured on CNN, BBC, and in The New York Times, bolstering his reputation as a trusted voice in executive strategy. As CEO of Predictable Success, he equips leaders worldwide with tools to navigate business lifecycle stages, emphasizing operational clarity and team alignment.

His methodologies are widely adopted by Fortune 500 companies and institutions, cementing his legacy as a blueprint for transformative leadership. Over 1,000 organizations have implemented his models to maintain peak performance and adaptability in competitive markets.

1. Les McKeown's 7-stage lifecycle explains why 80% of businesses stall before scaling
2. Predictable Success requires balancing Visionary-Operator-Processor leadership roles for sustainable growth
3. Avoid the Treadmill stage by replacing bureaucracy with enterprise-wide innovation systems
4. Whitewater stage crisis reveals whether organizations can systematize without stifling creativity
5. Institutionalize founder vision through replicable processes before hitting growth plateaus
6. Escape Early Struggle by validating markets before overinvesting in operations
7. Maintain Predictable Success through Invent-Implement-Improve cycles across all departments
8. Recognize Big Rut warning signs: suppressed criticism and vanishing middle management
9. Shift from founder-driven vision to team-executed strategy during Whitewater transitions
10. Les McKeown's "Fun" stage traps: prioritizing rapid growth over sustainable systems
11. Death Rattle begins when businesses prioritize survival over customer value creation
12. Build Treadmill-resistant cultures by rewarding calculated risk-taking in Processors

Will Guidara, author of the New York Times bestselling book Unreasonable Hospitality: The Remarkable Power of Giving People More Than They Expect, is a renowned restaurateur and leadership visionary. A graduate of Cornell University’s School of Hotel Administration, Guidara has spent decades honing his expertise in hospitality.

Guidara co-owned Eleven Madison Park, transforming it from a struggling brasserie into the #1 restaurant in the world (2017) through his philosophy of radical, personalized service. His industry experience includes roles at Wolfgang Puck’s Spago and Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group. He is also the co-author of four acclaimed cookbooks, including Eleven Madison Park: The Cookbook and The NoMad Cookbook.

A Wall Street Journal Innovator Award recipient, Guidara hosts The Welcome Conference, co-produces FX’s The Bear, and advises businesses on elevating customer experiences. Unreasonable Hospitality—a blend of memoir and leadership manifesto—has become a cornerstone for professionals seeking to redefine service excellence, reflecting its status as a global business bestseller.

1. Transform transactions into experiences by prioritizing human connection over technical perfection
2. Scale hospitality by empowering staff with agency to create spontaneous guest surprises
3. Systematize generosity through "gift culture" that anticipates unspoken desires before customers ask
4. Build loyalty through unreasonable acts like serving street food at fine dining establishments
5. Create "hospitality-first" culture where employees feel seen to make customers feel valued
6. Replace transactional service with generous acts that build emotional loyalty and memorability
7. Overdeliver on experiences rather than discounting prices to boost perceived value and profitability
8. Elevate hospitality from polite service to meaningful human connection that defies expectations
9. Focus on making guests feel they belong rather than simply executing flawless service
10. Embed hospitality DNA by hiring for empathy rather than just technical skills
11. Celebrate vulnerability in leadership to foster risk-taking that delights customers unexpectedly
12. Position your brand as "unreasonable" in generosity to stand out in competitive markets

James Clear is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits and a leading expert on habit formation, decision-making, and continuous improvement.

A writer and speaker with a biomechanics degree from Denison University, Clear blends scientific research with practical strategies to help individuals and organizations master small, sustainable behavior changes. His work is rooted in personal experience, having rebuilt his own habits after a severe baseball injury ended his athletic career.

Clear’s insights are featured in major publications like Time, The New York Times, and Forbes, and he regularly advises Fortune 500 companies. His widely acclaimed "3-2-1" newsletter reaches over 1 million subscribers weekly, cementing his status as a trusted voice in personal development. Atomic Habits, a cornerstone of modern self-help literature, has sold over 7 million copies worldwide and been translated into more than 50 languages, establishing Clear as a transformative figure in the science of human behavior.

1. 1% daily improvements compound into transformative long-term results through consistent habit stacking.
2. Systems surpass goals: design processes that make success inevitable by focusing on daily routines.
3. Identity shapes habits: act as the person you aspire to become to drive lasting behavioral shifts.
4. Habit formation follows four laws: make cues obvious, cravings attractive, actions easy, and rewards satisfying.
5. Environment design outperforms willpower: optimize spaces to prompt desired behaviors automatically.
6. Two-minute rule: start small to overcome inertia and build momentum for complex habits.
7. Habit tracking reinforces consistency by transforming abstract goals into visible progress markers.
8. Identity over outcomes: every action is a vote for the person you wish to be.
9. Plateau of latent potential: breakthroughs follow persistent small gains, not single efforts.
10. Habit stacking builds routines by anchoring new behaviors to existing ones.
11. Satisfying habits repeat: immediate rewards solidify long-term behavior changes.
12. Atomic habits leverage tiny changes that create mismatched outcomes over time.

Stephen R. Covey (1932–2012) was the renowned leadership expert and bestselling author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, a landmark work in personal development and business leadership.

A Harvard MBA graduate and professor at Brigham Young University, Covey blended academic rigor with practical wisdom, founding the Covey Leadership Center (later FranklinCovey) to institutionalize his principles.

His book distills timeless habits like "Begin with the end in mind" and "Seek first to understand" into actionable strategies, bridging theory and real-world application. The framework emerged from Covey’s decades of seminars and his newsletter Executive Excellence, cementing his reputation as a transformative voice in organizational behavior.

The 7 Habits spent over five years on the New York Times bestseller list, selling 40 million copies worldwide and translating into 48 languages.

1. Stephen Covey’s Character Ethic vs. Personality Ethic for lasting success
2. How to shift from reactive to proactive living using your Circle of Influence
3. Why “Begin With the End in Mind” transforms goal-setting into value alignment
4. Eisenhower Matrix: Prioritize tasks by urgency and importance for peak productivity
5. Win/Win thinking versus compromise: Building mutually beneficial personal and professional relationships
6. Seek first to understand—master empathetic listening to resolve conflicts faster
7. Synergy over solo efforts: Leveraging differences for innovative problem-solving
8. Sharpen the Saw: Covey’s four-dimension renewal system (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual)
9. Why moving from dependence to interdependence maximizes leadership impact
10. Clarifying personal values before setting goals ensures aligned decisions
11. Time management vs. principle-centered living: Scheduling priorities vs. prioritizing schedules
12. Stephen Covey’s “Sharpening the Saw” principle for sustainable success cycles

Carol S. Dweck, Stanford University psychologist and bestselling author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, revolutionized our understanding of human potential through her groundbreaking research on growth and fixed mindsets. A Lewis and Virginia Eaton Professor of Psychology, Dweck earned her Ph.D. from Yale and previously held faculty positions at Columbia and Harvard.

Her work bridges developmental and social psychology, with Mindset synthesizing decades of research into accessible insights about how beliefs shape achievement, relationships, and personal growth. The book’s framework for cultivating resilience through effort-based learning has been adopted by educators, Fortune 500 companies, and elite sports teams worldwide.

Dweck’s prior award-winning book Self-theories—recognized by the United Nations’ World Education Federation—laid the academic foundation for her mindset research. Her TED Talk on growth mindset has been viewed over 15 million times, and she’s been featured in The New Yorker, Harvard Business Review, and NPR. Mindset has sold millions of copies globally, translated into 25+ languages, and remains required reading in psychology and leadership programs.

1. Growth mindset unlocks potential through effort, not fixed talent
2. Fixed mindset limits achievement by avoiding challenges and feedback
3. Embracing setbacks as learning opportunities defines growth-oriented individuals
4. Effort cultivates intelligence more than innate talent in growth mindset
5. Praising progress over perfection builds resilience and academic success
6. Corporate "talent-first" hiring strategies often undermine long-term growth
7. Challenges are opportunities for growth, not threats to self-worth
8. Feedback is fuel for improvement, not personal criticism
9. Relationships thrive when partners believe in mutual growth potential
10. Malleable intelligence theory empowers lifelong learning at any age
11. Fixed mindset perpetuates fear of failure; growth mindset embraces risk
12. Self-awareness of mindset triggers enables intentional cognitive shifts

Arthur C. Brooks, bestselling author of From Strength to Strength: Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life, is a Harvard professor, social scientist, and leading expert on human happiness. A #1 New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, including Build the Life You Want (co-authored with Oprah Winfrey), Brooks blends neuroscience and philosophy to address life transitions and purposeful aging. His work as a professor at Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, combined with his tenure as president of the American Enterprise Institute, informs his research-backed approach to personal growth.

Brooks’ weekly Atlantic column “How to Build a Life” and global speaking engagements position him as a trusted voice in positive psychology. Recognized among Fortune’s “50 World’s Greatest Leaders,” he translates academic insights into actionable strategies for professionals navigating career shifts.

From Strength to Strength remained on the New York Times bestseller list for months and has been endorsed by thought leaders like the Dalai Lama, reflecting its cross-cultural resonance. Born in Seattle and raised in a musical family, Brooks’ unconventional path—from classical French hornist to policy scholar—underscores his expertise in reinvention.

1. Shift from fluid to crystallized intelligence for late-career success
2. Escape the striver's curse by valuing wisdom over raw talent
3. Create a reverse bucket list to subtract life's distractions annually
4. Replace success addiction with purpose-driven work in later years
5. Arthur Brooks reveals how decline sparks creative reinvention opportunities
6. Adopt the four-step growth mindset of a modern elder
7. Prioritize meaning over achievement to avoid post-peak emptiness
8. From Strength to Strength advocates using weakness as hidden gift
9. Transform professional decline into strength through strategic pivots
10. Let go of fluid intelligence to harness crystallized wisdom post-50
11. Counteract natural decline by evolving from achiever to mentor
12. Discover second-curve happiness through service and spiritual grounding

Chip Heath and Dan Heath, bestselling authors and behavioral science experts, co-wrote Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work, a business and self-help book that dissects decision-making pitfalls and offers research-backed strategies to overcome them. Chip, a Stanford Graduate School of Business professor, and Dan, a Duke University CASE Center fellow, combine academic rigor with accessible storytelling, drawing from psychology, economics, and organizational behavior.

Their work, including the New York Times bestsellers Made to Stick and Switch, has redefined how readers approach communication and change management.

The brothers’ insights extend beyond their books: Dan hosted the behavioral economics podcast Choiceology, and both contributed a column to Fast Company. Their frameworks are taught in top MBA programs and adopted by Fortune 500 leaders.

Decisive builds on their signature blend of case studies and actionable advice, cementing their reputation as pioneers in practical behavioral science. Translated into 29 languages, their books have collectively sold millions of copies, with Made to Stick named BusinessWeek’s Best Business Book of the Year.

1. Chip Heath's WRAP method counters four decision-making villains
2. Widen options beyond binary choices using the WRAP decision process
3. Reality-test assumptions by seeking disconfirming evidence first
4. Attain emotional distance with 10/10/10 rule for clarity
5. Prepare for failure through bookending and tripwire strategies
6. Avoid confirmation bias by actively challenging your hypotheses
7. Shift from "whether or not" to multi-option frameworks
8. Use ooching (small tests) before committing to big bets
9. Overcome narrow framing with opportunity cost analysis
10. Implement Zappos-style tripwires to prevent decision drift
11. Counter short-term emotion with successor mindset (What would my replacement do?)
12. Apply Intel's microprocessor pivot strategy to avoid status quo bias

Morgan Housel, bestselling author of The Psychology of Money: Timeless Lessons on Wealth, Greed, and Happiness, is a renowned expert in behavioral finance and investment strategy. A partner at The Collaborative Fund and former columnist for The Wall Street Journal and The Motley Fool, Housel blends insights from economic history, psychology, and storytelling to decode how human behavior shapes financial decisions. His work has earned prestigious accolades, including the New York Times Sidney Award and multiple Society of American Business Editors and Writers honors.

Housel’s expertise extends beyond his writing—he hosts a widely followed podcast and frequently speaks at global conferences, distilling complex financial concepts into actionable wisdom. His follow-up book, Same As Ever: A Guide to What Never Changes, further explores enduring principles in an unpredictable world.

The Psychology of Money has achieved remarkable traction, selling over seven million copies worldwide and being translated into 60+ languages. MarketWatch recognizes Housel as one of the 50 most influential voices in finance, cementing his status as a leading thinker in modern economic discourse.

1. Money’s highest purpose is buying freedom to control your time
2. Wealth hides in unspent savings, not visible luxuries like cars
3. Compounding requires consistency more than extreme returns to succeed
4. Staying wealthy demands different skills than acquiring wealth initially
5. The "Man in the Car Paradox" proves possessions don’t earn respect
6. Risk what you don’t need, never what you can’t lose
7. Enough means stopping goalpost-moving before it destroys your satisfaction
8. Room for error matters more than optimism in financial plans
9. History shows money’s rules evolve faster than human psychology does
10. Long-term growth comes from surviving failures, not avoiding them
11. Humility beats financial IQ when managing luck and risk
12. Saving buys options regardless of income level or market conditions