CEO Reading List: 6 Business Books You Don’t Want to Miss
A great CEO never passes up a chance to learn. Here are six books coming out soon,
each with lessons for how to think about innovation, growth, and personal success.
Cutthroat: A Surgeon’s Fight Against Big Government, Corrupt Businessmen, and a Broken Healthcare System
Steven J. Cyr, MD
Amplify Publishing
May 2022
289 pages
Dr. Steven J. Cyr is a Mayo Clinic–trained, board-certified orthopedic spine surgeon who was rated the top doctor in San Antonio by RateMDs. But as this eye-opening memoir reveals, he also believes the US healthcare system has gone off the rails. Despite abiding by the labyrinth of rules physicians are expected to follow, Dr. Cyr found himself targeted by unscrupulous members of insurance companies, other businesses, and government agencies. Cutthroat tells the story of how false attacks on him led to threats of a federal indictment and major reputational damage—and explains what that story tells us about an industry that affects the health and life of every American.
The Leadership Secrets of Nick Saban: How Alabama’s Coach Became the Greatest Ever
John Talty
Matt Holt Books
August 2022
256 pages
Is Nick Saban the best college football coach ever? There’s a good case to be made (and our magazine’s publisher and CEO certainly thinks so). John Talty, sports editor and SEC Insider for Alabama Media Group, has written a book that dives into the philosophy of this coach who is not only revered by football fans but who also fascinated leaders in the corporate realm. As the creator of “The Process” and leader of Alabama to six of the last 12 national titles, Saban offers an example to leaders on and off the field, as Taltz shows through original interviews and practical analysis of the man and his ideas.
Annie Duke’s first bestseller, Thinking in Bets, was a fascinating look at decision-making in uncertain circumstances. Now, Duke—former World Series of Poker champion and previous contributor to Texas CEO Magazine (Q2 2020, “Leading Through Crisis”)—has written a new book on the power of knowing when to throw in the towel, fold rather than hold, and simply call it quits. “This brilliant and entertaining book documents a major flaw in human actions and decisions: the bias against quitting,” says Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Prize winner in economics and the New York Times bestselling author of Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Quiet Leader, Loud Results: How Quiet Leaders Drive Outcomes That Speak for Themselveseading Lightly: Lower Your Stress, Think with Clarity, and Lead with Ease
Ankit Mahadevia
Post Hill Press
September 2022
160 pages
The stereotypical corporate CEO is far from quiet: He—yes, he—is usually charismatic, aggressive, and prone to oration. But like all stereotypes, this one is severely flawed, and not reflective of how success really happens. Ankit Mahadevia, founder of nine biotech companies, is himself a quiet leader, and in this book he offers insights for how more reserved quieter men and women can survive and thrive in leadership—a domain still seen by many as the province of the extroverted.
Power, for All: How It Really Works and Why It’s Everyone’s Business
Julie Battilana, Tiziana Casciaro
Simon & Schuster
August 2021
288 pages
For Julie Battilana and Tiziana Casciaro, professors at Harvard Business School and the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management respectively, power is merely the ability to influence someone else’s behavior. Through examination of examples ranging from broad social movements to Donatella Versace’s leadership after her brother’s death to everyday managers working with employees, the authors show the power isn’t reserved for those at the upper echelons: It’s something any of us can wield for good.
How to Be a Founder: How Entrepreneurs Can Identify, Fund and Launch Their Best Ideas
Alice Bentinck, Matt Clifford
Bloomsbury Business
October 2022
224 pages
Alice Bentinck and Matt Clifford are the cofounders of Entrepreneur First, a company that identifies and invests in great founders, and they’ve worked with thousands of them over the years, some of whom have built billion-dollar businesses. If you want to start your own venture—or be a better founder to the venture you’ve already started—How to Be a Founder offers inside insights on everything from fundraising to the first 100 days to working with VCs. Features a foreword by Reid Hoffman, founder of LinkedIn.
