This column has previously cited or recommended books on security, risk and leadership. Having just submitted a book manuscript to a publisher that explores the confluence of those three topics, I discovered that I drew most inspiration for my approach and analysis from works that don’t directly relate to any of these subjects. (I should note that I tapped this column for content that I updated or more fully developed in the book).

The lesson is, some of the most useful and profound readings in our profession come from insights that cut across genres, geographies and industries. Here is my list of some of the best general-interest non-fiction that particularly resonates for those who practice security, risk management and leadership.

Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise

— Anders Ericsson & Robert Pool (2016)

What It’s About: Expertise is less about genetics than about deliberate practice on specific elements of your craft, targeted feedback and hard work. Which is why I’ve played 1,000 games of ice hockey in my rec league career and have only marginally improved because I don’t work on edge drills, pivot transitions, or breakouts.

Relevance for Security Leaders:

• You can build the skills you need to thrive. You don’t have to have a “knack” for secure coding or countersurveillance.
• It encourages structured development plans for security teams, from business planners to EP agents.
• It suggests the power of developing junior staff and building a culture of continuous improvement.

The Power Broker: Robert Moses and the Fall of New York

— Robert Caro (1974)

What It’s About: A fittingly massive volume on a man with a massive ego and a mixed legacy on his massive construction projects that transformed New York. He built highways, parkways, bridges, beaches, parks, and public works, but at the expense of public transportation, long-time communities, and equal access to amenities. How he built his power is a study in savvy and tenacity.

Relevance for Security Leaders:

• This is how power really works: where it comes from, how it’s wielded, how it can accomplish miraculous things, how it compromises, and how it corrupts.
• An exquisite profile of organizational politics, bureaucratic influence and unchecked mission creep.
• Essential reading for anyone managing up, working cross-functionally, navigating complex political environments, or developing funding sources.

How to Live: Or A Life of Montaigne in One Question and Twenty Attempts at an Answer

— Sarah Bakewell (2010)

What It’s About: A literary biography and philosophical guidebook to the life and thinking of Michel de Montaigne, the 16th-century French essayist who invented the personal essay and questioned everything, especially himself.

Relevance for Security Leaders:

• It covers often underappreciated leadership essentials such as self-awareness, tolerance, doubt and curiosity.
• Montaigne’s approach of Que sais-je? (“What do I know?”) derails the hubris that often plagues risk management.
• The text helps leaders cultivate intellectual humility, which improves listening, learning, and leading across differences.

Meditations

— Marcus Aurelius (Editions published from 1559 – 2025)

What It’s About: Private reflections by the Roman emperor on how to live, lead, and endure with integrity, humility, and discipline.

Relevance for Security Leaders:

• A stoic “bible” for maintain inner calm in the face of chaos, such a cyberattack, hurricane, or even a divided staff.
• It encourages restraint, self-awareness and accountability, all of which are crucial for command roles or high-stakes advisory work.
• Marcus Aurelius models values-based leadership over ego-based control.

Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences

— John Allen Paulos (1988)

What It’s About: Illiterates can’t read. Innumerates don’t grasp numbers, especially statistics. A highly readable exploration of how poor quantitative thinking leads to flawed decisions, including on crime risk.

Relevance for Security Leaders:

• Paulos exposes common statistical fallacies that affect everything from alarm fatigue to risk scoring to vendor performance claims.
• It encourages a more numbers savvy approach risk management, metrics and resource allocation.
• The book equips leaders to challenge data misuse in boardrooms or media narratives, a critical tool in an era of misinformation, disinformation and mal information.

On Writing Well: 30th Anniversary Edition: An Informal Guide to Writing Nonfiction

— William Zinsser (2012)

What It’s About: Writing with clarity, simplicity, and strength begins with thinking with clarity, simplicity, and strength.

Relevance for Security Leaders:

• Strong writing in strategic plans, board decks, and memos amplifies credibility and trust.
• Direct writing eliminates jargon, clarifies threats and persuades with force.
• Zinsser’s emphasis on “humanity in writing” aligns well with the modern security leader’s role as influencer, not just enforcer.

Bonus: A leadership book, but with a twist:

The Power of Noticing: What the Best Leaders See

— Max H. Bazerman (2015)

What It’s About: Even smart, well-intentioned people miss critical information in plain sight. Bazerman helps leaders become more aware of what they’re overlooking.

Relevance for Security Leaders:

• Flawed situational awareness, cognitive filtering, and ethical lapses are all manifestations of the absence of noticing, and all could have profound negative impacts.
• A change in mindset is a powerful tool to enhance post-incident reviews, fraud detection, insider threat programs, and board-level risk reporting.
• It encounters a “stop and ask” habit that counters organizational complacency.

Now go forth and read, heed and lead.