First Look: Leadership Books for April 2026

HERE'S A LOOK at some of the best leadership books to be released in April 2026 curated just for you. Be sure to check out the other great titles being offered this month.

Design Love In: How to Unleash the Most Powerful Force in Business by Marcus Buckingham

Think about the last time you said, "I love that." Maybe it was about a product that exceeded expectations, a service experience that built instant loyalty, or a moment when your work brought out the best in you. That reaction isn't just emotional—it's electric. In the organization, it fuels engagement, strengthens performance, and drives lasting success. Yet most leaders don't even acknowledge it, let alone measure or make use of it. In Design Love In, leading researcher on human performance and bestselling author Marcus Buckingham reveals how love—the deep connection that makes people feel seen, valued, and inspired—isn't just a soft feeling. It's a measurable driver of performance and growth. He shows how leaders, as experience-makers, can intentionally "design love in" to everything we do: our interactions with team members, our company policies and practices, the products and services and experiences we create for those we lead and serve.

Leading in Chaos: A Clarion Call To A New Future From Two Pioneers In Leadership Development And Transformational Change by Nicholas Janni and Amy Elizabeth Fox

Increasingly today we find ourselves surrounded by chaos, turbulence and existential threats. We are at a destiny-shaped moment for humanity that calls for a next level of consciousness, courage and compassion from business leaders, who have a chance to contribute to the common good. In this context, and building on the main themes of Janni’s first book, he has come together with another pioneering leadership expert, Amy Elizabeth Fox to create Leading in Chaos, based on their mutual recognition of the unique demands the world faces today. Together, they encourage leaders to take one step further on the journey of self-discovery and self-mastery. Today’s fast-changing, uncertain times call for leaders to develop new capacities of consciousness and to view leadership as a sacred vocation – to become a blessing in the world through presence, coherence and deep human connection.

Making Organizational Culture Great: Moving Beyond Popular Beliefs by Jennifer Chatman and Glenn R. Carroll

Can a manager really influence an organization’s culture, or do executives just try to impose a culture on their employees? Is the concept of culture too vague to measure objectively and improve? What happens to valuable employees who feel left out by the prevailing culture? Even if a “good” culture makes team members happy, does it actually affect the bottom line? This essential book answers the biggest questions about organizational culture, offering research-backed insights for leaders on shaping and managing an environment that spurs achievement. The authors draw on social-scientific findings to evaluate and debunk common misconceptions. They show how research on culture empowers managers to identify what really matters and deploy it productively. Chatman and Carroll also provide actionable levers to build and maintain organizational culture, from crafting a culture that supports strategic objectives to ensuring that it can adapt as conditions change.

Fearless Persistence by Adam Leipzig

Fearless Persistence is about the systems that quietly shape creative success and why so many talented people struggle without ever understanding why. Drawing on decades inside film studios, creative institutions, and leadership classrooms, Adam Leipzig reveals the hidden systems that support and constrain success-how power, pressure, time, belief, and structure shape whose work travels and whose work stalls, regardless of talent. Rather than offering inspiration or hustle culture, Fearless Persistence reframes persistence as design. It shows how creators and leaders build structures that allow their work to continue when conditions change, as they always do. Clear-eyed, deeply practical, and grounded in real experience, this book helps readers see the system beneath the story and redesign their creative lives for endurance, integrity, and impact. Creative success is shaped by systems. This book shows how to design a life that thrives inside them.

The Core: 8 Principles for Building Strong, Authentic Leadership by Matt Paden with Dr. L. Ken Jones

Every leader reaches a moment when skill isn’t enough.When the challenge cuts deeper and tests conviction, humility, and heart. The Core takes readers into that defining space, introducing us to Clint Smith and his mentor, Dr. Bill Jackson, and revealing that the foundation of lasting influence doesn’t come from power or position—it comes from the strength of one’s core. Through the journey of a young man whose plans are upended by tragedy, The Core blends a compelling story of mentorship with timeless principles of leadership. Under Dr. Jackson’s guidance—a hospital CEO who leads with quiet strength and deep conviction—Clint discovers that great leadership grows from the inside out.

Uncommon Sense: Rethinking Ordinary Problems in Extraordinary Ways by William R. Brody with Mike Field

Why do some of the most successful people in the world―from Bill Gates to Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey to Ralph Lauren―never finish college, while others with every academic advantage still struggle to find their way? For William R. Brody, a renowned physician-scientist and the former president of Johns Hopkins University, the answer lies in a truth higher education all too often overlooks: life, unlike textbooks, has no answer key. Most of the truly important questions we face rarely have a ready rubric and a simple solution. In Uncommon Sense, Brody distills lessons from decades in medicine, engineering, entrepreneurship, and academic leadership into a thoughtful, surprising, and often humorous exploration of how to think―and live―beyond the syllabus. Born from his popular Johns Hopkins seminar aimed at graduating seniors, the book exposes the gap between classroom achievement and real-world wisdom, offering readers a practical framework for navigating the unpredictable opportunities and sometimes contrarian decisions that define success and fulfillment.

For bulk orders call 1-626-441-2024

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Posted by Michael McKinney at 09:54 AM
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