Preface: “Leadership is not about titles, positions or flowcharts. It is about one life influencing another.” ―
Best New Business & Leadership Books of 2025: A year-end reading list for thinking about work… without actually working
That quiet stretch at the end of the year is a rare reset. The inbox slows down, the meetings ease up, and your brain finally has room to notice things you’ve been too busy to think about.
If you’re taking a break over the holidays (or just enjoying a slower season), a good leadership book is a low-pressure way to stay sharp without actually “working.” It’s reflection, not grind. A way to think about your business from a healthier distance.
Here are some of the best new business and leadership books of 2025. A few lean more toward strategy and market awareness, and a few lean toward people-first, servant-hearted leadership — the kind of leadership that strengthens a team instead of just squeezing results out of it.
1. The Thinking Machine — Stephen Witt
If you’ve been trying to understand what the AI wave really means for everyday businesses, this is the most readable “big picture” book of the year. It traces Nvidia’s rise and the infrastructure behind generative AI — but more importantly, it shows how leaders spot a shift early and prepare wisely.
Why it’s worth your year-end time:
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- it’s story-driven and easy to read in short sittings
- it helps you think about what’s changing in your industry before it changes you
- it nudges a steady, stewardship-oriented question: How do I prepare my people for what’s coming, not just my bottom line?
2. Empire of AI — Karen Hao
This book zooms out from tools and trends and looks at how AI organizations gain power, where they risk overreach, and why governance matters. It’s not a “how to use AI tomorrow” manual — it’s a “how to lead responsibly in a new era” book.
Why it’s good for a slower season:
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- it helps you re-orient instead of react
- it encourages discernment about automation and ethics
- it pushes the servant-leader kind of wisdom: Just because we can automate something, should we?
3. Make Work Fair — Iris Bohnet & Siri Chilazi
A practical, research-grounded book on building workplaces that are fairer and more effective — and not in a slogan-heavy way. This is about designing systems that help people thrive and teams perform better over time.
Why leaders keep recommending it:
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- it focuses on structures, not just intentions
- it’s full of “small changes that make a big difference”
- it’s aligned with the idea that good leadership removes burdens people shouldn’t be carrying
A year-end question it raises:
Where are our systems unintentionally making life harder for our people — and what’s one thing we can fix in Q1?
4. Chokepoints — Edward Fishman
This one isn’t a leadership book in the classic sense — it’s a clarity book. It explains how trade pressure, geopolitics, tariffs, and supply chains shape today’s economy. For small business owners, those global realities show up as price spikes, delays, and customer shifts.
Why it earns a spot on this list:
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- it helps you see the terrain clearly
- it makes uncertainty feel less mysterious
- it strengthens your ability to lead calmly when costs or markets swing
A simple takeaway for 2026 planning:
Where are we more dependent than we realized — and what’s one backup plan we should build?
5. Leadership with a Servant’s Heart — Kevin Wayne Johnson
This 2025 release is a gentle but grounding read for leaders who want character to stay ahead of ego. It connects leadership to humility, service, and the everyday ways we shape the people around us. It’s less about scaling fast and more about leading well.
Why it fits a year-end reset:
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- it’s reflective, not frantic
- it helps you examine leadership at work and at home
- it encourages the kind of leadership that strengthens trust and dignity in your team
A small question to sit with this week:
Do the people around me feel served or managed by my leadership?
A simple way to read these without turning rest into homework
Try this low-effort rhythm:
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- Read 20–30 pages at a time.
- Underline anything that makes you pause.
- At the end of each session, write one sentence – “If I used this idea, I would…”
No big plan required. Just gentle clarity that you can carry into January.
Closing thought
Some of the best leadership work happens when you’re not “working” at all — when you’re rested enough to think clearly and care deeply.
If this season gives you a little margin, pick one book to start now and add a couple to your 2026 to-read wish list. You’ll head into the new year with something better than a to-do list: a clearer way to lead.