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Leadership and management

A collection of resources to help you to develop your skills in leadership and management.
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Latest on leadership and management

Read our latest features and articles on leadership and management.
Two people looking at the laptop having a conversation
Occupational health pitfalls and how to avoid them
  • Article
  • 25 Aug 2026
Good approaches to occupational health can benefit staff wellbeing and have a positive impact on organisational outcomes, including retention and productivity. Experts outline how employers can make the most of the process.
Blue screen illustration of world map with arrows up and down
2026 six months in: international insights
  • Article
  • 14 Jul 2026
ICAEW offers insights into the key issues facing members around the world, from the growing demand for international expertise in China to the mandating of climate-related financial disclosures in Australia.
Female in smart attire working on her laptop
How Gerald Edelman took the pain out of succession planning
  • Article
  • 13 Jul 2026
When accounting and advisory firm Gerald Edelman needed a new CEO, long-term succession planning ensured a smooth transition.
5 multi racial hands placed down on table
Ten ways to nurture an inclusive workplace
  • Article
  • 04 Jun 2026
With Pride month upon us, organisations have a valuable opportunity to celebrate inclusion, but also to reflect on how they can become truly supportive environments for LGBTQ+ individuals. Experts share practical steps and key things to consider.
Male wearing headphones working on his laptop
Five simple storytelling tricks for accountants
  • Article
  • 28 May 2026
Whether you’re writing an annual report or a one-off piece of research, these tips will help you ensure that your key points don’t get lost in the weeds of excessive detail.
Scene of people working in an office
Seven things accountants can do now to prevent burnout
  • Article
  • 11 May 2026
Accountants are at risk of burnout, particularly during busy periods. This Mental Health Awareness Week, there are steps you can take to keep it at bay.
Scene of people working in an office
Eight simple steps to manage stress
  • Article
  • 27 Apr 2026
Stress is one of the most common wellbeing challenges affecting accountants. April is Stress Awareness Month, and so we’ve asked experts to offer tips on coping mechanisms to help you thrive.
Female in smart attire working on her laptop
International Women's Day: sharing your achievements can empower others
  • Article
  • 06 Mar 2026
For ICAEW member Bryhanna Campbell, International Women’s Day is a reminder of the importance of creating safe spaces for people to talk about their experiences and allowing ourselves to be inspired by other people's stories

The role of the CFO and board in driving growth

We spoke to prominent CFOs, CEOs and board members, to understand how they think about the long term, about growth and about the relationship between the two.

Find out more
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Reports and guides

Exclusive Special Report 72: The aspiring CFO
  • Report
  • 2021
  • PDF (1,950kb)
Explores the skills, career paths and challenges involved in becoming a CFO, drawing on research and finance leaders’ experiences to offer advice on developing commercial understanding, people skills and professional networks.
Exclusive Organisational culture: Leadership styles
  • Report
  • 2021
  • PDF (502kb)
It is recognised that an effective culture can reduce risk and improve performance of an organisation, and that the success or failure of the culture is greatly influenced by its leaders. This guide, written by Jenny Jones, explores different leadership styles and the impact they can have on organisational culture.
Exclusive Special Report 69: Effective collaboration
  • Report
  • 2020
  • PDF (2,073kb)
Collaboration has been a trendy buzz word in business lexicon for some time now, but, as the pandemic has done with many other ‘nice-to have’ skills, it has now become absolutely necessary to master. With your colleagues, business partners, suppliers and all other stakeholders more than likely working from home, and maybe even across different locations and time zones, effective collaboration is essential
Exclusive Special Report 67: Problem solving
  • Report
  • 2020
  • PDF (1,647kb)
This month’s special report focuses on solving problems of all shapes and sizes in the workplace. Whatever your position in the hierarchy, there are practical hints and tips included to make your day-to-day work easier and more efficient.
Exclusive Special Report 64: Managing People
  • Report
  • 2019
  • PDF (1,487kb)
Managing people is one of the most important skills needed to successfully navigate your way to the top of the corporate ladder. This report provides practical tips and advice on topics such as team management, dealing with difficult people and the effect of technology on recruitment.
Exclusive Special Report 60: Communication skills
  • Report
  • 2018
  • PDF (2,459kb)
This report seeks to assist with some of the more pertinent reporting needs for busy finance executives at all levels.
Finance business partnering - a guide
  • Thought leadership report
  • 2018
  • PDF (2,833kb)
This report provides practical advice for those considering business partnering initiatives and those looking to improve their approach.
Exclusive Special Report 58: Courageous Leadership
  • Report
  • 2017
  • PDF (1,654kb)
Courage is one of the skills that great leaders are deemed to need and perhaps the most important. This report covers the key areas that leaders might want to focus on.
More reports and guides

Webinars and podcasts

Exclusive Executive presence and leadership communication
  • Webinar
  • 14 Oct 2026
Develop executive presence and communication skills, discover your leadership style, strengthen your personal brand, and inspire greater engagement.
Exclusive Critical Skills series: Personal branding and networking for success
  • Webinar
  • 19 Mar 2026
Unlock your personal brand to stand out by identifying your strengths, improving communication, and building meaningful relationships. Learn effective networking skills and how to use social media to boost your visibility and professional presence.
Exclusive Storytelling – the R.E.A.L. way
  • Webinar
  • 10 Feb 2026
Understand how being R.E.A.L. leads to great storytelling, communication and impact.
Exclusive Stepping up from CFO to CEO
  • Webinar
  • 26 Nov 2025
Seasoned leaders share practical tips and real experiences on stepping into the CEO role.
Exclusive Develop a leadership mindset
  • Webinar
  • 24 Nov 2025
This workshop from the Women in Finance Community focuses on the mindset and leadership skills you can deploy to not only cope with the pressures of your role but also to thrive in all types of situations.
Exclusive Critical Skills Series: Modern PowerPoint must know speed up tricks
  • Webinar
  • 27 Mar 2025
Around 40% of time spent on PowerPoint is spent formatting, and as much as it can sometimes be essential, the time could be drastically cut if users knew some speed up tips. PowerPoint MVP David Benaim will showcase his favourite keyboard shortcuts, speed align tricks, and slide surgery techniques to edit multiple things quickly plus all the various ways that AI and modern tools can help to create stunning, engaging presentation slides.
Exclusive Critical Skills series: Cultivating a growth mindset for resilience and overcoming disappointment
  • Webinar
  • 14 Nov 2024
Strong EQ and AQ are vital for career growth in today's workplace. Improving these skills can boost leadership, relationship-building, adaptability, and success in a dynamic economy. This interactive workshop explores how individuals can maximise their resilience to work to their full potential. It provides an opportunity to create an individual plan to help participants cope more effectively with setbacks and challenges both in and outside of the workplace.
Exclusive Critical Skills Workshop - Strategic storytelling
  • Webinar
  • 24 Oct 2024
This workshop will help participants understand the science behind storytelling, develop a toolbox of different story telling techniques, highlight ways to better structure their messaging for clarity and impact and buy in, and learn to apply them to their day to day communication needs.
More webinars and podcasts

Training courses

Our leadership training courses cover a range of topics including finance, resilience, corporate governance and communication.
A-Z of CPD courses by topic
  • Listing
As a global leader of the finance profession, ICAEW offers a comprehensive range of training and learning options for every stage of professional development, designed for finance teams and finance leaders.
Business men and business women, hands together.
Leadership Development Programmes
  • Promotional material
Catering for those significant transitions in your career, these leadership programmes are instrumental to achieving your leadership ambition or fulfilling your succession planning goals.

eBooks

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides full text access to a selection of key business and reference eBooks from leading publishers. eBooks are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users. If you are unable to access an eBook, please see our Help and support advice or contact library@icaew.com.

Exclusive Work revolution: performance and leadership in the modern world
  • eBook
  • 2023
  • Jonathan Males
  • Spiramus
Designed to allow you to become more effective and more human at work, in both team and leadership positions.
Exclusive Executive guide to integrated talent management
  • eBook
  • 2023
  • Pat Galagan, Kevin Oakes
  • ASTD Press
Nineteen experts examine research-based theopries and current practices in highly successful enterprises, and explain how you can adopt effective, state-of-the-art methods to integrate your talent management functions.
Exclusive Practice of corporate governance
  • eBook
  • 2022
  • Bob Tricker
  • CRC Press
A practical guide to board roles, responsibilities and effectiveness, with worksheets to help directors and other governing body members assess and improve governance in their own organisations.
Exclusive Master your next move: the essential companion to the first 90 days
  • eBook
  • 2019
  • Michael D. Watkins
  • Harvard Business Review Press
A practical guide to moving into more senior leadership roles, with advice on setting priorities, securing stakeholder support and establishing credibility through early achievements.
Exclusive Talent management handbook: making culture a competitive advantage by acquiring, identifying, developing and promoting the best people
  • eBook
  • 2017
  • Lance A. Berger, Dorothy Berger
  • McGraw Hill Education
A guide to finding, developing and keeping the best talent. Contains material for identifying, recruiting, positioning, and developing highly qualified, motivated people to meet current and future business requirements.
Exclusive Reach the top in finance: the ambitious accountant's guide to career success
  • eBook
  • 2017
  • Sally Percy
  • Bloomsbury
A career development guide for finance professionals who want to know how they can succeed as trusted advisors, business partners, senior leaders and innovators, regardless of whether they work in industry, not-for-profit or public practice.
Exclusive Narrative and numbers: the value of stories in business
  • eBook
  • 2017
  • Aswath Damodaran
  • Columbia University Press
A guide to combining business storytelling with financial analysis, using company case studies to show how narratives shape valuations and how numbers can test and strengthen those narratives.
Exclusive Financial Times guide to management: how to be a manager who makes a difference and gets results
  • eBook
  • 2014
  • Anne Francke
  • FT Press
A practical guide to effective management, covering personal development, communication, team leadership, strategy, change and resource management, with advice on tackling everyday challenges and improving performance.
Terms of use

You are permitted to access, download, copy, or print out content from eBooks for your own research or study only, subject to the terms of use set by our suppliers and any restrictions imposed by individual publishers. Please see individual supplier pages for full terms of use.

More eBooks

Business press

The ICAEW Library & Information Service provides access to leading business, finance and management journals. These journals are available to logged-in ICAEW members, ACA students and other entitled users subject to suppliers' terms of use.
Exclusive Overachieving leaders
  • Article
  • Mar 2012
  • Barbara Kaufman
Paper exploring the negative consequences of excessive overachieving behaviour on leaders, their peers, their subordinates and the organisation. Includes how to spot overachiever behaviours and channel the drive to achieve more effectively.
Exclusive Leadership strategies: build your sphere of influence
  • Article
  • Nov 2011
  • Barbara Kaufman
The article introduces research on influence and explains how these skills can be applied, illustrated with examples and quotes from senior executives.
Exclusive You're on! How strong communication skills help leaders succeed
  • Article
  • Nov 2011
  • Karen Friedman
Using multiple examples drawn from her work with executives and organizations, Karen Friedman demonstrates how the right communication techniques can make the difference between success and failure. She includes tips for leaders who want to communicate clearly and effectively, such as using short 'power phrases'.
Exclusive The eight most frequent mistakes people make in front of an audience
  • Article
  • May 2007
  • Suzanne Bates
Effective communication through public speaking is an essential skill for executives. Based on the author's experience as an executive coach and former television news anchor, this article explains how to avoid eight common mistakes that people make when in the spotlight.

Articles and books in the ICAEW Library collection

The collection of the ICAEW Library & Information Service includes a range of articles, books and reports on leadership and management skills. Use the links below to see what we have available to request in our Library catalogue.
Business ethics: the comprehensive guide for making a positive impact
  • Library book
  • 2026
  • P. Hepworth Lloyd
  • Pearson Education
This book provides a practical, executive‑tested framework for turning ethical intent into everyday business decisions. Blending real C‑suite insights with hands‑on tools, it shows how organisations can build trust and grow responsibly beyond box‑ticking ESG.
The good governance guide to boardroom dynamics
  • Library book
  • 2021
  • J. Cross
  • CGI Publishing
A guide to understanding and improving boardroom dynamics, combining theory and practical advice on decision-making, culture, diversity and emotional intelligence to strengthen board performance and working relationships.
Clarity and impact: inform and impress with your reports and talks
  • Library book
  • 2016
  • J. Moon
  • Oberon Publishing
A practical guide to producing clear information and presenting it via a suitable medium. Covers writing, talks, and charts.
Game of thrones on business: strategy, morality and leadership lessons from the world's most talked about TV show
  • Library book
  • 2015
  • Tim Phillips, Rebecca Clare
  • Oxford: Infinite Ideas Limited
Encouraging their readers to learn through stories, the authors have drawn parallels between Game of Thrones and today's business world. The authors also use examples from the series to breathe life into management theory.
Why should anyone be led by you? What it takes to be an authentic leader
  • Library book
  • 2015
  • R.Goffee, G.Jones
  • Harvard Business Review Press
A practical guide to authentic leadership, exploring how leaders can draw on their individual strengths, adapt to changing circumstances and balance personal authenticity with followers’ needs to inspire stronger performance.
Act like a leader, think like a leader
  • Library book
  • 2015
  • H. Ibarra
  • Harvard Business Review Press
This book explores how managers can develop leadership skills through action and experimentation, reshaping their roles, broadening their networks and adapting their leadership styles to make a greater strategic contribution.
How to write a business plan
  • Library book
  • 2013
  • B. Finch
  • Kogan Page
Designed to lead you through writing your own business plan, including the structure, business background, proposal, financial information and using business plans for bidding.
Lean in: women, work and the will to lead
  • Library book
  • 2013
  • S.Sandberg
  • W H Allen
Examines why women's progress in achieving leadership roles has stalled, explains the root causes, and offers solutions that can empower women to achieve their full potential. Sheryl Sandberg is a former Chief Operating Officer of Facebook/Meta.

To find out how you can borrow books from the Library please see our guide to borrowing books.

You can obtain copies of articles or extracts of books and reports through our document supply service.

Can't find what you're looking for?

The ICAEW Library can give you the right information from trustworthy, professional sources that aren't freely available online. Contact us for expert help with your enquiries and research.

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Some of the content on this web page was provided by the Chartered Accountants’ Trust for Education and Research, a registered charity, which owns the library and operates it for ICAEW.