9 books that every leader should read

List of 9 books that a good leader should read, as recommended by Royal Professor Ungku Aziz. An insight into books that influence Ungku Aziz's thinking.

1. Fit for Life, Not Fat for Life - Harvey Diamond
A leader should have a healthy diet.
A book on how to balance between proteins and starches, meat and non-meat, life food and cooked food.

2. Thinking Course - Edward de Bono
A leader should be able to spot opportunities.
A book on lateral thinking, and how to think differently

3. The Mind Map - Tony Buzan
4. Head First - Tony Buzan
Successful people need to have a strong mind to remain resilient.
A book on holistic thinking. Start with a central idea, and branch out to detailed points involving the central ideas, using colours, shapes and lines.

5. The 36 strategies of the Chinese : Adopting an ancient Chinese wisdom to the business world - Wee Chow Hou & Lan Luh Luh
A book on strategies to create something out of nothing

6. The Art of war - Sun Tzu
A renown Chinese scholar. This one book and its strategies have spurned off many other book titles written by other authors who have interpreted the timeless strategies for modern business audience.
A book on strategies on winning a war without fighting.

7. Level 5 leadership - Jim Collins
A book about humility

8. The prince on the Art of Power - Niccolo Machiavelli
A book on the art of beign feared and loved

9. Leader's window - JDW Beck & NM Yeager
A book on tips of successful leader.



Other books on leadership that are worth mentioning here:
1. The 21 irrefutable Laws of Leadership - John C Maxwell


Now you know what books to buy for your loved ones.

5 Qualities of a Good Leader

The (Malaysian) Royal Professor Ungku Aziz Ungku Hamid gave his views on the qualities he considers a good leader should have during a talk on the Quest for Success in Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC)

I didn't attend the talk, and this article is taken from theSun.

I do have fond memories of the professor. I have a graduation picture taken with Professor Ungku Aziz way back in the 80's when Ungku Aziz was the then Vice Chancellor for Universiti Malaya, from where I graduated with a Bachelor of Accounting. I won't put the picture up because I don't want the picture to be doctored and used unscrupulously. The Royal Professor is a wise old man, at aged 87, and what he says makes sense, and he is a tall order to follow.

5 qualities of a good leader according to Royal Professor Ungku Aziz

1. Intelligence
2. Credibility
3. Humility
4. Courage
5. Discipline

Success Quotes from Ungku Aziz

Success is almost like the Holy Grail, where everyone knows about it, but not quite able to identify it

.

A good leader would be able to spot opportunities during a crisis. Every crisis opens up opportunities

A leader should be a 'kiasu' person - a Hokkien word that literally translates as a person who is 'afraid to lose' or someone who wants to win at all costs. Someone 'kiasu' is an aggressive person, and that is needed to be successful nowadays.

Like a traveller, we need to have 2 important things for the journey (of life) - a map and a compass- so that we know our destination (goals), and directions to get there.

Ungku Aziz also recommends some books that every leader should read. Do put this in you must-buy gifts for yourself and loved ones.

Who is Ungku Aziz?