Eight Books on My Leadership Shelf
Not every useful leadership book is about healthcare. These eight, read over several years, mostly in short breaks between meetings, have each changed something about how I lead.
I listen to more books than I read, usually in the gaps of a working day. Some of the most valuable lessons for running hospitals have come from outside medicine entirely. Here are eight I return to, and what each taught me.
Built to Last — Jim Collins and Jerry Porras
A six-year study of companies that endured for generations. Their common thread was not a brilliant product or a charismatic leader but a core ideology that stayed fixed while everything else changed. For hospitals, the lesson is to be clear about the values that must never move, and willing to change everything else.
What Got You Here Won't Get You There — Marshall Goldsmith
Goldsmith identifies twenty habits that hold successful people back, from failing to listen to claiming credit for others' work and not saying thank you. Physicians promoted into leadership should read it early. The skills that made us good clinicians are not always the ones that make us good leaders.
True North — Bill George
An argument for authentic leadership grounded in personal values and life story. Leadership in healthcare is a journey of personal as well as professional development, and staff can tell quickly whether a leader's values are real.
Good Power — Ginni Rometty
The former IBM chief executive's memoir on using power for good, including her work to create pathways into skilled jobs for people without traditional degrees. A useful lens for healthcare workforce strategy, where skills matter more than credentials.
The Ride of a Lifetime — Robert Iger
Lessons from fifteen years leading Disney. The one that stayed with me is integrity: Iger treats it as a leader's quiet advantage in every negotiation and decision. Also a lesson in respectful acquisitions, relevant to any healthcare group growing by merger.
Blind Spot — Jon Clifton
Drawing on Gallup's global data, Clifton shows that unhappiness has risen around the world while leaders measured only economic indicators. For health leaders, it is a reminder that wellbeing is measurable, and that what we do not measure we tend to ignore.
The Future-Proof Career — Isabel Berwick
How work is changing and what professionals can do to stay relevant. Healthcare careers are being reshaped by technology and new models of care, and leaders have a duty to help their people prepare.
Brave New Words — Salman Khan
The founder of Khan Academy on AI in education, balancing optimism with caution. Medical education and continuing professional development will be transformed in the same way, and health systems should be planning for it now.
The best leadership lessons for healthcare do not always come from healthcare. They come from paying attention.
Dr Fatih Mehmet Gul is a physician and healthcare executive who has built, commissioned and led hospitals across the Gulf and Türkiye. He is an Honorary Professor at UCL Global Business School for Health, author of Connected Care, and host of The Chief Healthcare Officer podcast.
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