2023 Leadership Development Reading List

Organizations will often put out professional development reading lists to help encourage its' members to study up on the latest trends and lessons learned to help them become better leaders. The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary is no different, and the selection of books found below came from polling leaders at all levels of the Auxiliary organization, creating our 2023 leadership development reading list. All of the books found on our list below can be ordered from any small book store or via Amazon for under $40 (often much less if you get paperback, used, or e-reading versions), and all are well-worth the read!

1.) The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't by Robert I. Sutton, PhD. Recommended by COMO G. Formato, 36th NACO. 

Described as "[t]he definitive guide to working with - and surviving - bullies, creeps, jerks, tyrants, backstabbers, egomaniacs, and all the other assholes who do their best to destroy you at work" this book is designed to help people navigate the negative influences at work so that you can be successful no matter what happens around you. The paperback version runs 238 pages.

2.) Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When the Stakes are High, 3rd Edition, by Joseph Grenny, Kerry Patterson, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler, and Emily Gregory. Recommended by COMO A. Fredd, DNACO-AE/MS.

A New York Times bestseller, this book helps readers learn how to respond when someone initiates a crucial conversation with them, how to identify and address the lag time between identifying an issue and discussing it, and most importantly for the modern Auxiliarist, how to effectively communicate across digital/virtual mediums such as email, text, and video conferencing technology. The paperback version runs 304 pages.

3.) The Fighting Coast Guard: America's Maritime Guardians at War in the Twentieth Century edited by Mark A. Snell. Recommended by J. Saran, DIR-AdP.

This book, edited by the Chief Historian of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary Dr. Mark A. Snell, presents a series of essays about the Coast Guard's combat service from 1790 to 1991. It includes not only sea stories of combat missions at sea, but historical analysis and much, much more. A must-read for any member of the U.S. Coast Guard team. Hardcover version runs 424 pages.

4.) Breaking Ice and Breaking Class: Leading in Uncharted Waters by VADM Sandra Stosz. Recommended by the Auxiliary Senior Officer Course Instruction Team.

This book, written by a pioneering Coast Guard officer, discusses leadership lessons learned, provides tools and formulas for navigating troubled times while ensuring success not only for the reader as a leader, but also for the organizations the readers are involved with. A great book, and a quick read, the paperback version runs 316 pages.

5.) South! The Story of Shackleton's Last Expedition 1914-1917 by Sir Ernest Shackleton. Recommended by J. Austin, DIR-U.

This account of the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition written by the explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, himself. Disaster struck, men were pushed to their limits, and an icy death seemed likely but all of the crew survived to tell their story through good leadership and perseverance. An outstanding story of courage, leadership, and persistence against the odds, the paperback version runs 386 pages.