15 Apps and Tools Every Leader Needs

Work can become slightly chaotic at times, especially for the busy entrepreneur. While some people thrive in chaos, most of us need some effective organization to help maintain productivity. Because we know you’re always looking for the best tools to keep you on top of your game, we’ve put together a list of some great apps every great leader should have. While these apps won’t transform you into the perfect entrepreneur, they will give you some great tools to tackle your next big career move.

1. Grammarly

Everyone hates the tedious task of editing documents. Before you send that email or finish up the latest proposal, make sure you’ve installed Grammarly. This one-of-a-kind tool searches your entire document looking for spelling errors, grammatical missteps, poor word choice, and even incorrect punctuation. This is a must-have for every professional on-the-go. While the free version is great, you’ll get an even more in-depth proofread with the full experience. Grammarly Business is designed to help every member of your team produce polished, high-quality writing that reflects well on your organization.

2. Dropbox

If you work from more than one machine or frequently collaborate with co-workers, you need a fast, safe way to transfer files. Stop emailing yourself or carrying around a flash drive! Do things the easy way with a system like Dropbox. You can upload files from one computer (or tablet or any other electronic device) to the cloud and instantly access them anywhere else. It’s easy to share files, too, so you can work collaboratively with other users.

3. Slack

Speaking of collaboration, Slack is a messaging app for businesses that connects people to the information that they need. By bringing people together to work as one unified team, Slack transforms the way that organizations communicate. Slack is one of the best apps you can have that doesn’t rely on endless emails or outdated project management checklists. You can create channels, add members, and share files to keep everyone updated at the same time. Not only is it efficient, but it’s also a great way to build team relationships.

4. Spark

If your inbox is a nightmare (trust us, we’ve all been there), you may want to look into getting a good email management app to save you precious time looking for the most important messages. Spark is a great tool to boost your productivity. It lets you prioritize messages based on criteria you decide, “snooze” less important ones, and set up reminders for yourself so that you’ll never miss a deadline.

5. Hootsuite

Many businesses rely on a solid social media presence. With Hootsuite, you can easily maintain online visibility without putting in a lot of work. This app allows you to create, schedule, publish, and manage your social content and ad campaigns across social networks from a single dashboard—and maximize the impact of your social marketing with real-time measurement and insights across networks.

6. Bill.com

Ready to go paperless? Bill.com is a digital payment program that allows you to easily manage bills and invoices without the hassle of physical paperwork. It puts all your payables and receivables into one easily managed location that ensures you get payments in and out on time and helps you get back to doing what you do best – being a productive leader.

7. Evernote

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a better app for productivity and organization than Evernote. It does just about everything a good leader needs to be on top of their projects. It’s great for taking notes between meetings, organizing your projects, managing documents, sharing files, and even keeping track of photos or images. Even better, it auto-syncs to all of your devices so you’ll always be able to access your information quickly.

8. Zoom

Zoom quickly gained popularity to become one of the most widely used teleconferencing options for business during the pandemic. The free version allows up to 100 participants per call and group phone calls up to 40 minutes, has full webinar functionality, and is incredibly intuitive and easy to use. Its current popularity alone makes it a must-have tool in every leader’s arsenal.

9. Microsoft To Do

This one is exactly what the title would suggest – making to-do lists and organizing your daily or weekly tasks. Stay on top of your to-do list by setting reminders, setting up your daily planner, and grouping your tasks by topic or project. It also syncs to all your devices (and Microsoft Outlook) so you’ll always have your next task on hand.

10. Trello

Another great productivity app, Trello is a great task manager. Do you use an abundance of post-it notes on your projects? Trello uses digital cards that serve the same purpose; each one represents a task that can be broken down into smaller parts. You can share cards with any collaborators on your projects and archive them when tasks have been achieved. If you need to visualize your projects, this is the app for you.

11. LastPass

Do you have a password manager? If not, you should get one ASAP. LastPass is a great option. Not only does it help keep your passwords secure – no taping them under your keyboard or your monitor – but it also keeps them encrypted in one database that only you can access.

12. LinkedIn

You won’t get anywhere in your career without networking. That is an unrefuted fact in any business. With over 660 million registered users worldwide, LinkedIn is the most widely used networking platform online. It’s an excellent tool for building an easily accessible professional profile that helps you connect with others in your circles. It’s also a great tool for recruiters, allowing companies to share information about their organizations, post jobs, and even reach out to prospective employees.

13. TripIt

If your work includes any kind of traveling, you should be using TripIt. Forward your itinerary to plans@tripit.com and it puts all of your travel plans in one place, letting you organize everything from dates and tickets, to a detailed itinerary for each trip. You book the flights, hotels, and car rentals and TripIt does the rest. You can also share your itinerary with your team, making sure you’re all on the same page.

14. Expensify

Keeping track of business expenses can be a lot of work, especially when you’re constantly tracking down receipts to turn back into the office. Why not use your smartphone to streamline the process? Snap a photo of your receipt and Expensify will organize it for you. With this app, you can track all of your travel expenditures, your meal expenses, and even log your mileage!

15. The Leadership Challenge

While this isn’t necessarily a productivity app, The Leadership Challenge app is based on the best-selling book by the same name. It incorporates The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership efficiently, letting you integrate your schedule, goals, and even streamlines your workflow. It also offers a great overview of the book, quotes, and plenty of information sure to inspire your growth as a leader.

Every great leader needs great tools to do the job. Download your new favorite leadership app today!

RECAP: 15 Apps and Tools Every Leader Needs

Below is the list again for those with short memories or who can’t be bothered to scroll back up. I’d be surprised if your list looks exactly the same. Let us know which app is invaluable to your day to day leadership life.