One valuable way to learn leadership lessons is through the experiences of others who have faced similar challenges. It helps when those leaders’ experiences can be abstracted easily to your own situation, and when their reputations have stood the test of time (i.e., not Eliot Spitzer).

While not all of us will need to lead our nation into war or run one of the largest corporations in history, the books below are my Podium Finishers for this category.

1. Jack Welch – Winning
2. Marcus Aurelius – Emperor’s Handbook
3. Terry Leahy – Management in Ten Words

So who else deserves a spot on the podium? In a flash of self-awareness I just realized this is a list of old white guys…can anyone help me expand the diversity of my list?