Michael Hyatt once said, "a readership crisis is really a leadership crisis." Reading is a healthy and helpful habit that can build leaders into even better leaders.

In my many years of working in both ministry and business, I don't think I have ever met an effective leader who isn't an avid reader. That's not to say that they're natural readers, but that they are deliberate in building habits for learning and development.

Reading has personally helped me in becoming a better leader. When we take in ideas of other experts through books, we pay a small price to catch their incredibly valuable insight.

Here are seven books that will help you grow as a leader in ministry, business, home and any other sphere that you influence.

"Courageous Leadership" by Bill Hybels

Drawn from the colorful experiences that founding pastor of Will Creek Church Bill Hybels has gone through in life and ministry, courageous leadership shows us how leadership helps us shape society and the world.

"Simple Church" by Thom S. Rainer

This book is a collection of insights from 400 churches on church growth and health. Rainier and Eric Geiger put together proofs that a simple disciple-making process fast-tracks growth in church congregations.

"Next Generation Leader" by Andy Stanley

In this book, pastor and writer Andy Stanley puts together values that help build leaders not just for today, but for the succeeding generations. The book shares 5 essentials to becoming a leader of the future.

"Platform: Get Noticed in a Noisy World" by Michael Hyatt

Top blogger and successful Christian businessman Michael Hyatt outlines practical ways that leaders can create a "platform" online to push ideas and messages to an audience and thus building greater influence.

"Good to Great" by Jim Collins

One of the most sought-after management books, Jim Collins's "Good to Great" draws principles that have transformed average companies to empires which have shaped societies and industries.

"The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni

Business speaker and management consultant Patrick Lencioni puts into practical perspective five simple yet all-encompassing cultures that limit organizational growth and outlines what can be avoided or overcome.

"15 Invaluable Laws of Growth" by John Maxwell

Although leadership expert John Maxwell has written dozens of leadership books that have impacted so many, "15 Invaluable Laws of Growth" has to be one his most influential ones. In this book, Maxwell outlines 15 laws that define leaders with a growth mindset.