Three New Books On Meaning Every Leader Should Read

By Laurel Donnellan (originally published at Forbes.com) 

Last year, I read and wrote about becoming a more compassionate, remarkable leader. This year, the books that have stayed with me aren’t about strategy or productivity. They’re about meaning and purpose, which is the best place to start a personal and leadership development journey, but we often visit it only in crisis.

I don’t think that’s a coincidence. According to McKinsey, 70% of employed people look to work for a sense of purpose, but only 15% actually find it. That isn’t a small gap. It’s most of us. And now that AI is fanning the flames of fear, many people are “job hugging” instead of moving toward purpose, which I believe will only widen the gap.

The encouraging news is that some of today's most rigorous thinkers are taking that gap seriously. Here are three books published this year that I highly recommend for anyone who has looked at a life that works on paper and wondered why it doesn’t feel like enough.

Book #1: The Meaning of Your Life: Finding Purpose in an Age of Emptiness by Arthur C. Brooks (2026)

Brooks is a social scientist who teaches happiness at Harvard, and in this book he takes on the question so many accomplished people are quietly asking themselves. He argues that rapid cultural, economic, and technological change has rewired our brains and dulled our ability to perceive depth and purpose. That helps explain why so many high achievers feel empty when everything looks fine from the outside. He doesn’t leave you there. Readers take a test to see where they are on their meaning journey, then learn evidence-based tactics and where to look for transcendence, vocation, and significance.

If you enjoy doing reflective work as you read, this book is for you. On page 33, a Meaning of Life Questionnaire will help you identify two purpose-related scores: a presence score and a search score. And this will help you read the book more intentionally.

Book #2: What to Make of a Life: Cliffs, Fog, Fire, and the Self-Knowledge Imperative by Jim Collins (2026)

Most of us know Collins from Good to Great, the book that taught a generation of executives about Level 5 leadership and getting the right people on the bus. Here he turns that same research discipline away from great companies and toward great lives. Drawing on a decade of research into dozens of remarkable people, from Olympic athletes and rock musicians to scientists and public figures, he builds a framework for self-discovery, navigating uncertainty, and building momentum across a lifetime.

The heart of the book is the cliff moments, the transitions we all face more than once. Collins reminds us that you’ve survived these and learned how to cope through them. Knowing yourself and learning is what lets you rebuild each time.

I believe Collins has written another timeless classic here that I hope everyone will read, no matter where you are in your career. It is never too early or too late to reset a life and career. You will be impressed with the fascinating stories and careful research included in the book.

Book #3: Mattering: The Secret to a Life of Deep Connection and Purpose by Jennifer Breheny Wallace (2026)

I first learned about the author and her book at SXSW in April. She was a natural, engaging speaker.

Wallace is an award-winning journalist who began her career at 60 Minutes and wrote the bestseller Never Enough. In Mattering, she argues that feeling valued and having the chance to add value is a basic human need, right alongside food and water. Beneath the loneliness and burnout so many of us see at work, she finds what she calls “an erosion of mattering.”

Every leader should pay attention to that phrase. Gallup reports that only 31% of employees are engaged, a 10-year low, and that disengagement costs a median S&P 500 company up to $282 million a year. 

Her remedy is practical. She lays out a “mattering core” with four parts: recognizing your impact, being relied on (but not too much), feeling prioritized, and being truly known and invested in. Then she shows how to build cultures of mattering in our homes, workplaces, and communities.

Three questions to bring back to work

1. From Brooks: If you took his test today, where would you honestly land on your own meaning journey?
2. From Collins: How have you and your team coped with significant events that have radically changed your life? How can you use this experience to better face the challenges you have now?
3. From Wallace: Who on your team would say, without hesitating, that they matter here? Who wouldn’t?

You don’t need a crisis to start

For me, this work begins with reading and reflection. A plan is what turns it into something real. That’s why Sarah Feely and I created Plan for Purpose, a structured way to design the life and career you actually want, with clarity first and courage after. Our fall group cohort meets for eight Wednesday evenings on Zoom beginning October 14. For those who want a more private path, we also offer Plan for Purpose one-on-one. You can learn more about both here.