Ryan DeissCo-Founder & CEO, The Scalable Company

The Ultimate Leadership Book Bracket: which one actually makes your business run without you?

2 Feb 2026 · 1 min

Watch on YouTube

1:00

A short excerpt from a YouTube video by Ryan Deiss in which the speaker runs a rapid, bracket-style set of head-to-head comparisons among popular leadership books (e.g., Start With Why; Dare to Lead; Principles; Radical Candor; The Five Dysfunctions of a Team; The Effective Executive; The One Minute Manager; The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership). Throughout the excerpt the speaker repeatedly selects The Effective Executive (Peter Drucker) as the top choice and names The Five Dysfunctions of a Team (Patrick Lencioni) as a close second; the final line reads "Drucker wins. Lencioni close second."

Chapters

All right, which of these books will make you the best leader? Start with why or principles. Principles. Principles are dare to lead principles. Principles are Radical candor. Radical candor. Radical candor are five dysfunctions of a team. Oh, five dysfunctions of a team Just because it's a little broader Five dysfunctions of a team or lean in Five dysfunctions of a team Five dysfunctions of a team or the effective executive? Effective executive the effective executive or what got you here won't get you? Effective executive the effective executive Are the five most important questions Effective executive the effective executive or leader? Effective executive the effective executive or one minute manager? Definitely effective executive the effective executive are 21 irrefutable laws of leadership. Effective executive. Effective executive or entre Leadership. Oh, God. Effective executive, the effective executive or the CEOs mindset? Effective executive the effective executive or the obsolete employee? Effective executive Is the effective executive going to make you the strongest leader? If there was just one, I'd probably pick that one. Five questions are also good. So Drucker wins. Licioni close second.