You want to know the secret to success and leadership? Reading good books is the secret. Only readers can become true leaders.

My Favorite 7 Books-

1. As a Man Thinketh

This is a small book, but every word is so powerful. If someone ask for the one best book for personal development- this is it. This is the mother of all self-help books.

As we think, so we become. This fundamental truth, which some have called "The Secret" or the"Law of Attraction," was clearly and convincingly argued for the first time in James Allen's masterpiece, As a Man Thinketh.

Allen reveals how our thoughts shape our character, and manifest themselves in our finances, health, appearance, and environment. The choice is yours: either master your thoughts and create the life you want; or remain mired in negativity, frustration, and failure.

2. Rich Dad Poor Dad(Robert Kayosaki)

This book really changed my thinking from employee thinking to businessman thinking. Do you know that employees and business people think in totally different ways? The transition from employee thinking to businessman thinking does not happen overnight. It takes some time. This book taught me that freedom in life is not a cheep thing, we have to pay the price to achieve real freedom.

3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change – Stephen. R. Covey

The title of this book doesn't capture it all. Covey shares with us seven habits one should adapt to become truly effective in whatever you would like to achieve. Of course, it is not as easy as it sounds. He stresses the fact that we need to go through a paradigm shift – a fundamental change in how we perceive the world and ourselves. This book can be read as a guide, with practices and everything, to go through the stages in order to make such a shift happen. Part shock-therapy, part ageless spiritual wisdom, Covey’s book is packed with wisdom that actually makes a difference. And, as I mentioned, don’t let the title of the book fool you; it is about much more than just becoming more effective. It is about becoming a whole integer person who not only seeks the best in oneself, but also in the people around him. A must read for anyone who feels there is always something left to learn.

4. Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time – Brian Tracy

We all know how that destructive downward spiral feels. We have to do some big task, of which the thought alone triggers resistance, not sure how and where to begin and feeling overwhelmed before we start; we get easily distracted to get rid of that feeling, only to suddenly realize that hours went by- precious hours- and then find ourselves in the same position as before, still not knowing where and how to begin, but now, feeling guilty on top of it. To break this spell of procrastination before it paralyzes us, Tracy advises us to Eat That Frog, to set our priorities straight, deconstruct larger tasks into smaller ones, learn when to tackle the big frog first or to start out with something else. Tracy is truly a motivational writer, and while I wished he had gone a bit deeper into the psychological reasons why people procrastinate, it is still a must have for anyone who wants to break the spell and get shit done.

5. Think and Grow Rich: The Original 1937 Unedited Edition – Napoleon Hill

A book from 1937, this book by Hill is a masterpiece. Don’t bother with the edited versions since they all omit important and controversial information: some historical, and some pertaining to the goal of the book, which is to think and grow rich. The word rich might imply that this book is all about material gain, and while it certainly covers that area, it is about much more than that. Perhaps the first explicit mention of positive thinking, on how to care not just about the cash in your pocket, but also the thoughts in your head, this book has been able to withstand the destruction of time. It covers all the basics from planning, decision making and persistence, to the more advanced techniques as auto-suggestion, transmutation and what we can learn from fear. This is not a grow rich book, but a timeless guide to find out what actually matters. As it says clearly in the beginning ‘Riches can’t always be measured in money!’

6. How to Win Friends and Influence People

This is the first self-improvement book I have ever read and it is also probably one of the oldest in this category. Written in 1937, mainly for the door to door salesman of that era, this book by Carnegie can truly be called a classic. It shows what we all intuitively know: it doesn’t  matter what your line of work is or what you want to achieve- if you are doing business of any kind, you need to make it about the other person. Being nice helps, a lot. And while I might not fully defend the premise of this book, because it doesn’t distinguish between genuine interest and faking it to get what you want, it still contains a treasure chest full of timeless wisdom. Everybody wants to feel appreciated, and rightfully so. Learning to take a small effort to make someone’s day will make the world run smoother, no matter what your goal is. I still spontaneously remember some of his guidance, and perhaps this quality is the reason why this book still draws millions of readers to this day.

7    Magic of Thinking Big

This book is a classic motivational and self-help book, which is similar to another motivational book - The Power of Positive Thinking. 

As one reads each chapter, the reader gains an understanding of each chapter title/topic along with a brief excerpt from the author's personal life. He also describes three failure diseases : excuse-itis, detail-itis and procrastination. This book builds an individual's confidence, mentality, vision of life and ultimately the ability to think big introspectively and extrospectively. In short, making better decisions and avoiding negative thoughts are benefits of reading this book.