5 Must-Read Books For Building High-Performing Teams
When it comes to growing a successful business, having the right team around you is essential. But building a high-performing team takes more than just hiring talented people—it takes intentional leadership, clear communication, and a strong understanding of how to bring out the best in others.
If you're looking for resources to help you elevate your team’s performance, these five books are a great place to start. We recently featured them on LinkedIn, and now we’re bringing them here to give you a closer look at why they’re worth your time.
1. No Ego by Cy Wakeman
Drama is emotional waste. Leaders should eliminate it, not manage it.
This book is a powerful guide to eliminating workplace drama and creating a culture of personal accountability. Wakeman challenges leaders to stop excusing unproductive behavior and instead foster teams that are resilient, responsible, and focused on results.
2. Tribal Leadership by Dave Logan, John King, & Halee Fischer-Wright
A tribe is only as strong as its leaders. Transform the leaders, and you transform the culture.
If you want to uplevel your culture, this book gives you the language, tools, and framework to do it. The authors outline five stages of tribal development, offering practical strategies to help move your organization toward higher performance, trust, and collaboration.
3. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
Success comes only when every member of the team is fully bought in.
Told as a leadership fable, this book explores the common pitfalls that prevent teams from reaching their potential. Lencioni breaks down the five dysfunctions—including lack of trust and fear of conflict—and offers actionable strategies to overcome them and build a cohesive, committed team.
4. The 6 Types of Working Genius by Patrick Lencioni
People struggle at work not because they’re lazy, but because they’re working outside their genius.
Lencioni’s Working Genius model helps teams identify the natural gifts of each member—so everyone is working in their zone of strength. It’s a great tool for improving collaboration, boosting morale, and eliminating the frustration that comes from misaligned roles.
5. Who Not How by Dan Sullivan with Dr. Benjamin Hardy
Your time is best spent on what you do best—find the right “Who” to handle the rest.
This Strategic Coach favorite teaches a powerful mindset shift: Stop asking, “How do I do this?” and start asking, “Who can do this for me?” It’s a simple but transformational approach that helps entrepreneurs break through bottlenecks, free up time, and scale faster—with less stress.
These five books offer powerful strategies for improving team dynamics, leadership, and collaboration. But the biggest breakthroughs often come from changing the way you think—especially about your own role as an entrepreneur.
If you’re ready to take a step back from doing everything yourself and start building a business that grows through teamwork, Who Not How is a great place to begin.
