4 Great Books That the Top CEOs Read
Books to Inspire you
The world’s top CEOs tend to read the same books. What do those books have in common? They are in the fiction, science, and business genres. The 4 great books that the top CEOs read are things that help them focus on business, innovation, and staying on track in their respective fields. These are 4 great books that the top CEOs read.
BUSINESS, SCIENCE, AND FICTION
These books don’t just have numbers, data, and facts. They ignite a spark of creativity in their readers, which is a fundamental aspect of building a business. It takes creativity to think outside the box and imagine a future where you live your wildest dreams on a daily basis. Because CEOs are constantly craving creative inspiration, they read A LOT of fiction. Classic stories like The Catcher in the Rye and sci-fi favorites like Enders Game can be found on CEOs reading lists.
HISTORY AND POLITICS
Besides business, science, and fiction, the top CEOs in the world also read history and stay up-to-date on politics. History is imperative, mainly because it is a good way to learn what to do that has been successful with other civilizations and leaders, and what has failed. If you know what mistakes have been made in the past, then you know how to avoid making them in the present and future.
One of their smartest moves as big power players is to follow new rules and regulations in the political game, and the political leaders who are making those laws.
Keep reading to see 4 great books that the top CEOs read and how they influence entrepreneurs.
Don’t be fooled by the title. Thomas, the author, is not making the argument that the world is literally flat. It is a clickbait title to draw you in. It worked.
Meg Whitman and Jamie Dimon are both successful CEOs of very large companies. What do they have in common? Well, they have both read The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman.
The Butterfly Effect is very real, and Thomas has an extraordinary ability to recognize how one event, many years ago, has affected our lives today.
This book takes you on a journey through the historical, political, and business-centric events that took place within the first few years of the 21st Century, now known as the 2k years. But Thomas understands that the world we live in today was not jump-started by the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He points out how the fall of the Berlin wall and two World Wars drastically shifted the political structure of several countries in a way that affects all classes of people (specific consumers) on an international level.
Some topics of interest include:
- How the events of 9/11 affected…well, the world as a whole.
- The merging of several powerful countries’ business industries
- How a quickly changing world affects politics
- The rise of digital culture and how imperative it is to keep up, or risk downfall
- Things that could stop the “flattening out” of this era of personal and international developments
… and more.
This book is a hard-core think-piece that brings business, politics, and the dangers of innovation and rapid growth to the forefront of the minds of top CEOs.
This book is a hard-core think-piece that brings business, politics, and the dangers of innovation and rapid growth to the forefront of the minds of top CEOs.
I think we can all agree that Warren Buffet has been the smarted guy in the room. This book, by Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind is about the Enron scandal. This book delves into the company’s surprising and sudden rise, followed by its even faster crash. Clearly, The Smartest Guys in the Room weren’t as smart as they thought they were.
This book appeals to top CEOs and leaders because it is basically a guide on how NOT to do business. Or maybe they love it because it tells them how not to get caught…
” The Enron scandal grew out of a steady accumulation of habits and values and actions that began years before and finally spiraled out of control.”
Read all about the greedy leadership that lied about their financial growth in order to sell stocks, hid $38 BILLION in debt, and closing on deals that LOST the company money just for the sake of closing. But the drama doesn’t end there!
This book brings out all of the dirty details. See the biographies of the power players, the other companies that were tied to Enron, the events leading up to the big scandal, and so much more.
Although there are a ton of books, videos, and articles all about the fall of Enron, this book is the #1 source for the facts. If big business drama, accounting and Wall Street deals, and shady leaders interests you, then this book needs to be next on your TBR list!
One of the most well-recognized names in the business industry is Steve Jobs. He has read The Innovators Dilemma, and for good reason. This book is essentially a warning on how new technologies cause businesses to fail because they aren’t keeping up with innovation.
All business owners, leaders, and entrepreneurs should read and re-read this book! The insights, real-world examples, and predictions are thoroughly researched and insightful.
Read The Innovators Dilemma NOW!
Follow along as Clayton M. Christensen reveals how “disruptive technologies” are the downfall of many successful businesses.
Real-world technology is mentioned often, like the electric car. It was originally seen as an innovation that would flop, so many companies ignored it. Now, after seeing how successful Tesla has become, they probably wish that they had accepted the new technology instead of brushing it off.
Even the idea of listening to the customer is brought into question. The older style of management is that “the customer is always right”, but that is becoming less and less true as new technology is created every day.
Clayton tells us his thoughts on WHAT tech will be disruptive to companies, WHO will be most affected, HOW it will affect business and consumers, and how to handle those specific innovations from a leadership point of view.
Built to Last is about an epic case study that went on for 6 years with the Stanford University Business School. Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras took a deep look into eighteen different companies and compared all of them to their top competitor. This book is #1 on the list of 4 Great Books That The Top CEOs read because of how applicable and real-life it is.
While the other books on this list explore history, events, and leaders, THIS book not only asks questions like “How did this company become successful?” but it also ANSWERS THE QUESTIONS FOR YOU.
If you are looking for an actionable blueprint to building and sustaining a successful company in your niche, then reading this book should be next on your to-do list.
Jeff Bezos is known for reading Built to Last.
One of the big conclusions on how to reach success, and keep it, is to build a company that stays true to its mission and whose practices can evolve and withstand the test of time.
Another main point that all of the best companies have in common – their goal is not profit. It may seem counterintuitive that a large company does not have money as its main goal, but in fact, keeping people happy and providing value to the world is what eventually brings them financial success.
Built to Last has a ton of very well-researched tips that leaders at all levels can follow and initiate in their own businesses.
CONCLUSION
We have mentioned books in various genres like science, history, fiction, business, and politics, but we can’t forget about biographies.
BIOGRAPHIES
The top CEOs all follow each other’s stories and lives. Many of them work closely together, but for the ones that don’t, they stay updated on what moves the “big fish” make by reading their published biographies.
Some of the most popular biographies from top CEOs are:
It probably sounds like these world innovators and entrepreneurs read just about everything, but have you noticed what genre is NOT on the list?
Fantasy.
That’s right, fantasy books are not on their TBR lists. Sure, they might read Harry Potter, Twilight, or Throne of Glass for fun, but escapism is not a priority. These top CEOs don’t know what they are missing out on if they have never picked up a Sarah J. Maas book.
So what is the lesson here?
It seems like one of the most basic and vital things to do to become a successful entrepreneur and STAY successful is to DO YOUR RESEARCH. Study your competition, study the past, and stay up-to-date on news and trends in your industry AND other relevant companies. It’s what the current top CEOs do…
BOOK DEPOSITORY
These books are available on The Book Depository. You’ll even get FREE SHIPPING!