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The ways we have thought about leadership have not always served us well. We have tended to think of leadership as something outside and above the rest. If leadership isn’t among, it will let us down.

Hierarchies are still important, but they must allow for freedom to act, think, and experiment in a way that encourages individual growth.

Moving ahead we need more clarity. We need to look at what we do with fresh eyes. As Andy Grove said to Gordon Moore, after a year of aimless wandering, “If we got kicked out and the board brought in a new CEO, what do you think he would do? … Why shouldn’t you and I walk out the door, come back, and do it ourselves?”

We need to step back and take another look. We have become mired in the organizational processes that are no longer relevant to the world we live in. It requires taking a fearless inventory of all that we do. And that takes courage.

Looking beyond the immediate result we seek or problem we are trying to solve or skirt, we need to continually ask, “What message are we sending?”

What is your approach to leadership?

How is that helping or hindering others?

How has your leadership style changed?

Are we sending the right message?

The list below represents our picks for the best leadership books of 2012. All of these books have helped us to look at the what and ask why?