Evidence suggests reading can lead to innovation and insight as well as improve one’s leadership skills. Many top leaders have a love of reading in common. When someone asked Warren Buffet what was the secret to success, he famously responded by pointing to a stack of books and said to read 500 pages every day. Former Microsoft CEO Bill Gates reads 50 books a year, and one of Steve Jobs’ last gifts was a copy of the book, Autobiography of a Yogi, which was handed out at his memorial service.
This reading list has been handpicked by our Under 40s to motivate and inspire.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer
Becoming by Michelle Obama
Chase the Lion by Mark Batterson
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Find Your Yellow Tux by Jesse Cole
First, Break All the Rules by Gallup Organization
Fish! by Stephen C. Lundin, John Christensen, et al.
Give and Take by Adam Grant
Good to Great by Jim Collins
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie, Andrew MacMillan, et al
Ike: An American Hero by Michael Korda
It Worked for Me by Colin Powell
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
Leadership from the Inside Out by Kevin Cashman
Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg
Make Time by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
Make Your Bed by William H. McRaven
Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi and Tahl Raz
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain
So Good They Can't Ignore You by Cal Newport
Start Something That Matters by Blake Mycoskie
Start with Why by Simon Sinek
StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath
Talking Across the Divide by Justin Lee
Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by John C. Maxwell
The 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene
The Effective Executive by Peter F. Drucker
The Energy Bus by Jon Gordon
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
The Happiness Advantage by Shawn Achor
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
The Ideal Team Player by Patrick M. Lencioni
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien
The ONE Thing by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
The Red Rising Series by Pierce Brown
The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do by Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller
The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson
Think Again by Adam Grant
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed
Whale Done! by Kenneth Blanchard
Work It Out by Mel Robbins
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes