Summer is here and many of us are looking for a couple of new books to pack along on vacation or even a long weekend.
You could surf over to Amazon a pick up one of the current
bestsellers such as Sheryl Sandburg’s new biography. If you wanted something a little lighter, you
might want to try James Patterson’s most recent novel.
While these may be good choices, I’m guessing these books probably won’t have a long-term impact on your life. I’ve always found it difficult to find the books that fit in this category. Reading is a serendipitous exercise that I sometimes find frustrating—I usually have to read 20 books to find one that creates a lasting impression.
That’s why a recent article in Entrepreneur magazine caught my attention. The article was written by Alyson Shontell and documents the books that had the greatest impact on several of today’s most prominent business leaders.
Here are some the leaders and the books they found most impactful:
Jeff Bezos, Founder and CEO of Amazon.
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras
The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.
Bezos once told Newsweek magazine: "If you read The Remains of the Day, which is one of my favorite books, you can't help but come away and think, I just spent 10 hours living an alternate life and I learned something about life and about regret."
Tony Hsieh, Founder and CEO of Zappos.
Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright.
Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow by Chip Conley
Hsieh recently said, "Tribal Leadership codifies a lot of what we've been doing instinctually and provides a great framework for all companies to bring company culture to the next level,"
Bill Gates, Co-Founder of Microsoft.
The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined by Steven Pinker.
The Catcher in the Rye. by J.D. Salinger
Gates told the Academy of Achievement that The Catcher and the Rye is “…very clever. It acknowledges that young people are a little confused, but can be smart about things and see things that adults don't really see. So I've always loved it,"
Mark Zukerberg, CEO of Facebook.
He told the New Yorker in 2010 that his favorite book was The Aeneid by Virgil.
Larry Ellison, CEO of Oracle.
Napoleon by Vincent Cronin.
Ellison recently told the Academy of Achievement, "[Napoleon] is interesting to read about him for a couple of reasons: to see what one man of modest birth can do with his life, and to see how history can distort the truth entirely."
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple.
Competing Against Time by George Stalk
Cook has been known to hand out copies of this book to Apple employees.
Jack Dorsey, Co-Founder of Twitter, and Founder and CEO of Square.
The Checklist Manifesto: How To Get Things Right by Atul Gawande.
When Jack Dorsey hires a new employee at his company Square, he gives them a welcome kit that contains this book.
Steve Jobs, Co-Founder of Apple
Innovator's Dilemma, by Clayton Christensen
King Lear, by William Shakespeare
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville
Steve Jobs’ reading influences were very extensive, eclectic and are well-documented in various sources in recent years.
You’ve probably not read every book on this list. If you see one that seems interesting, it may be a shortcut to finding one that also has a significant impact on your life. Regardless, it will make your decision on what to read this summer a little easier.
Question: What book (s) have you found to be the most impactful in the last 10 years?
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Editor's Note: This article was written by Ben Hess. Ben is the Founding Partner and Managing Director of Tidemark, Inc. and a regular contributor to WorkPuzzle.
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