If you’re looking for the next book to read over the holidays, consider this list of titles that helped carve a path for the top thought leaders in business.
1. Mandela’s Way by Richard Stengel – Selected by Richard Branson
“I was 60 by the time I read Mandela’s Way for the first time, but it has left a profound impression on my life.” – Branson
2. Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin – Selected by Phyllis Wise and Giovanni Colella
“Lincoln proved that givers and quieter types – people who stray from the spotlight and know how to let others shine – can be very successful leaders.” – Colella
3. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey – Selected by Lou Adler, Jim Citrin, and Denise Morrison
“Taking the time to develop my personal mission statement was a life-changing exercise and an anchor for me.” -Morrison
4. How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie – Selected by Ilya Pozin and Linda Coles
“I guarantee it will transform you into a better person, not just a professional.” –Pozin
5. The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand – Selected by Beth Comstock and Randy Kessler
“I immediately gained confidence that whatever I did, I could do it my way.” – Kessler
6. A Pattern Language by Christopher Alexander – Selected by Gretchen Rubin
“This book doesn’t need to be read from front to back; I often just flip through it and study the parts that resonate with me–and look at the pictures, too, of course.” – Rubin
7. The Years of High Theory by G. L. S. Shackle – Selected by Mohamed El-Erian
“It is an old, specialized, and rather drily written volume…but its basic messages are universal, topical and consequential.” –El-Erian
8. A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens – Selected by Christopher Schroeder
“Dickens’ revelations were not merely powerful storytelling, but calls to actions as well as warnings of the results of inaction.” –Schroeder
9. Motherless Daughters by Hope Edelman – Selected by Kristina Salen
“When the unexpected knocks me off my intended career course, there are three mantras I practice, gleaned from its pages.” – Salen
10. The Emperor of Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee – Selected by Glenn Kelman
“We all know that cancer research is important and yet after reading breathless accounts of Tumblr’s growth or Twitter’s IPO, we somehow forget. This is where the book is most important, not just as sentiment but as a spirited defense of what science can do” –Kelman
You can see the full list of books chosen by LinkedIn’s Influencers here.
