Titles or positions do not define leadership—it is shaped by principles, resilience, and the ability to inspire others. Great leaders are not born fully formed; they are made through experience, reflection, and an ongoing commitment to growth. One of the most powerful tools for that growth is reading. The best leadership books act as mentors in print, providing guidance, perspective, and lessons from those who have walked the path before us.
For Robert N. Tullar, author of Why Leaders Fall: A Journey through the Redwoods, leadership is best understood through nature’s wisdom. Just as towering redwoods survive for centuries by intertwining their roots, leaders survive by staying grounded in values, building strong networks, and remaining resilient through storms. His book illustrates not only why leaders rise and fall but also why principles matter at every stage of influence.
This blog will explore why building a leadership library is so important by providing a toolkit of resilience, clarity, and balance for leaders seeking to transform their careers.
Why Leadership Reading Matters
Leadership challenges shift with each season of life. A first-time manager may struggle with earning trust, while a seasoned executive may wrestle with burnout or crisis management. Yet across all contexts, the principles remain steady. That is why the best leadership books are so valuable—they reinforce timeless truths and equip us with adaptable strategies.
Tullar’s Why Leaders Fall reminds us that leadership is not just about outward success but about the unseen foundations: values, humility, and networks of support. Without these, even the tallest leaders can topple. This theme recurs across the best books on leadership, which consistently stress that principles—not perks—are what sustain influence over time.
Cornerstone Book: Why Leaders Fall: A Journey through the Redwoods
Robert Tullar’s book is a unique contribution among the best leadership books because it combines vivid metaphors with practical leadership lessons. The redwoods serve as powerful symbols:
- Roots represent the relationships, mentors, and values that hold leaders steady.
- Bark symbolizes protective boundaries and ethics that safeguard integrity.
- The forest ecosystem reflects interdependence—the truth that no leader stands alone.
- The fall of a giant tree illustrates the collateral damage when leaders collapse.
Throughout the book, Tullar emphasizes that leaders fail not because they lack skill but because they neglect principles. Pride, isolation, imbalance between work and family, and poor accountability can undo even the strongest careers. By grounding his lessons in the natural resilience of redwoods, Tullar makes the message memorable and universally applicable.
For those building a personal library, Why Leaders Fall belongs at the very center. It belongs not only among the best books about leadership but also stands out as one of the best leadership books for new leaders, because it offers both cautionary tales and practical safeguards.
Expanding the Leadership Library: Explore Some of the Best Leadership Books
While Why Leaders Fall provides the foundation, your leadership journey benefits from exploring a range of perspectives. For more, you can explore our blog, where you’ll find additional titles that complement Robert Tullar’s work by adding insights into innovation, resilience, and long-term growth.
1. Source Code: My Beginnings by Bill Gates
Bill Gates’s memoir traces his early journey from childhood curiosity to building Microsoft and eventually turning to philanthropy. His story highlights how focus, iteration, and relentless problem-solving compound over time.
This book aligns with Tullar’s lessons in Why Leaders Fall by showing how the roots of curiosity and values shape long-term impact. Gates reminds us that leadership is not about sudden genius but about steady habits, thoughtful risks, and the ability to learn from mistakes.
For today’s readers, Source Code remains one of the best books to read for leadership in 2025. Its blend of personal narrative and practical insight makes it both inspiring and instructive, especially for leaders navigating uncertainty in fast-changing industries.
2. The Optimist: Sam Altman, OpenAI, and the Race to Invent the Future by Keach Hagey
Innovation brings both opportunity and responsibility. In The Optimist, journalist Keach Hagey explores Sam Altman’s leadership of OpenAI and the challenges of guiding cutting-edge technology with global implications.
This book complements Why Leaders Fall by showing what happens when leaders fail to balance speed, power, and principle. Just as Tullar warns of imbalance toppling leaders, Hagey highlights how rapid innovation tests the boundaries of responsibility.
As organizations grapple with artificial intelligence and technological disruption, this biography belongs among the best books on leadership 2025. It offers cautionary tales and strategic lessons for leaders working in environments where reputations and decisions shift overnight.
3. The Brain at Rest by Dr. Joseph Jebelli
In a culture that glorifies busyness, Dr. Joseph Jebelli argues that true performance comes from rest. His neuroscience-based book shows how downtime—walks, nature, unstructured thinking—activates the brain’s default network, leading to deeper insights and better decisions.
This resonates strongly with Tullar’s Why Leaders Fall. Just as redwoods survive storms by being deeply rooted, leaders endure challenges by prioritizing rest, balance, and sustainable growth. Neglecting this balance, Tullar warns, is one of the key reasons leaders collapse.
The Brain at Rest deserves recognition among the best books on leadership because it reframes rest not as weakness but as strength. For leaders facing burnout or constant pressure, it is one of the best leadership books to ensure resilience.
Building Your Leadership Reading Plan
With Why Leaders Fall as your cornerstone and these additional titles in your toolkit, how should you structure your reading?
1. Start with Foundations
Begin with Tullar’s book to assess your own “root system.” Identify where you need deeper values, stronger relationships, or clearer boundaries.
2. Add Curiosity and Growth
Follow with Gates’s Source Code to see how persistence and learning compound across seasons.
3. Confront Innovation and Risk
Read Hagey’s The Optimist to understand the leadership challenges of high-speed, high-stakes industries.
4. Sustain Your Resilience
Close the cycle with Jebelli’s The Brain at Rest, ensuring that balance and renewal are part of your leadership rhythm.
This sequence ensures that you cover the core themes Tullar emphasizes—principles, balance, and resilience—while expanding into innovation and personal well-being.
Expanding Your Shelf Further
For leaders ready to go beyond, our blog offers a broader list of 10 titles that mix biographies, science, and practical playbooks. From resilience strategies to purpose-driven communication, it’s one of the best resources for curating the best books on leadership for your own journey.
Remember, leadership is not about reading everything at once but about selecting wisely. The most effective leaders apply lessons in real time, reflecting on how principles influence decisions, relationships, and results.
Final Thoughts: Growing Like the Redwoods
At the heart of leadership is resilience. Robert Tullar’s Why Leaders Fall shows us that even the tallest leaders can topple if their foundations are shallow, but with strong roots—principles, values, and trusted relationships—they can endure for generations.
By pairing Tullar’s wisdom with other works like Gates’s Source Code, Hagey’s The Optimist, and Jebelli’s The Brain at Rest, you equip yourself with a holistic toolkit for modern leadership. These are not just books to read—they are companions on your journey.
If you are ready to transform your career, start with the best leadership books that ground you in principles, prepare you for crises, and remind you of the balance required to thrive. Like the redwoods, your growth and endurance depend on what lies beneath the surface. Choose the right books, cultivate your principles, and let your leadership stand the test of time.
