5 great books business leaders need to read right now

Still looking for a good summer read? Mythology can help us renew while simultaneously building our leadership skills without theories or esoteric concepts. Social scientists show the power of good stories to help us understand problems – and what is leadership if not complexity?

Stories help us transcend our present moment and allow us to share new and different human experiences. Thus, reading fiction can have a strong impact on our relationships with other people—including those we lead and those we advise at work.

While a great business book can inspire innovation, fiction can help us understand the messy problems that arise in human societies by building the muscles of empathy and exposing us to ethical dilemmas. We learn by reading about the characters’ struggle to overcome these problems. Kellogg School of Management Professor of Leadership Brooke Vuckovic says, “You really have the world in your hands when you’re willing to talk about fiction and learn to learn from it as a leader.”

Learning from fiction doesn’t require memorizing key words or strategic examples like fairy tales often do. Instead, when we immerse ourselves in good stories, big, complex ideas – like learning to empathize, control our passions, or face difficult decisions with courage, etc. – are made. it’s human and it shows. Moreover, these studies are like time-release capsules. We’re working on ideas slowly as we think about character choices. Their influence really adds up overtime.

Therefore, immerse yourself in this summer’s book – a complex story, where the characters face problems that can help you reflect on yourself and the chaotic situations that occur in organizations of all types and sizes. What you learn will surely surprise you, and you’ll enjoy a great story along the way.

Summer Reading List for Leaders

This list of books is by no means exhaustive. However, there are a variety of books published in the 21st century that approach complexity in a way that is relevant to the challenges that today’s leaders must face. For example, Sheryle, VP of a large financial institution, recently read Bookkeeper and understanding the issue of work-life balance in a new way. Since the main character in the story had to keep her family and identity a secret from her employer, Sheryle began to wonder if any of her employees felt the same way. the same. He began to wonder with his team, which parts of us are not safe to bring to work and why? Does this help our business succeed or does it hurt our employees? This book didn’t provide any answers on how to build a safe, inclusive work environment, but it helped Sheryle approach the topic with greater empathy.

For Steve, the second-generation owner and CFO of a family manufacturing company, another book spoke in unexpected ways. After reading Crazy Rich Maasia, Steve was able to imagine some of the insecurities some of the non-family managers must feel in their position as outside the family of owners. He became curious about their experience of nepotism and meritocracy within the company, and began asking more questions.

In any organization there will be complex processes, many emotional points, and relationships that will benefit from greater empathy. Enjoy a book on this list and let it take you to a new perspective.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

In this amazing historical fiction book, published by Penguin Random House, authors Benedict and Murray take on the life of an unknown person: JP Morgan’s librarian. Born into a black family in the DC area, Belle da Costa Greene’s mother decides she will choose to “pass” as white. While this option opens many doors for Greene, it also comes at a significant cost. The story tells the complex life of a hero who struggles to make difficult decisions, while shedding light on his mysterious legacy, including – convincing Morgan’s son to donate a mysterious collection to New York City after his father’s death.

Leadership themes: racism, ambition, heritage, equality in work life, identity, empathy.

My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, translated by Ann Goldstein

My Good Friend is the first of four books related to the Italian writer Elena Ferrante, published by Europa Editions that covers the decades of friendship between Lila and Elena. In this story, the readers are immersed in their childhood and old age. Lila is beautiful, smart and intelligent. In contrast, Elena struggles to keep up with Lila. To make matters worse for friends, Elena is allowed to continue her schooling beyond elementary school while Lila’s family forces her to drop out of school to start working. Watch these girls grow up and learn to navigate the complex world of friendship, gender expectations, and social status, as they balance their longings for love, meaning, and stability.

Leadership topics: lust, jealousy, friendship, economic struggle, glass ceiling, sympathy, competition

Bright and Sunny by Kazuo Ishiguro

In the hands of the great writer, Kazuo Ishiguro, the questions of Artificial Intelligence that dominate many topics today become a dystopian future not too different from our world. Eerie, suspenseful and full of hilarious language and behavior problems, this book immerses you in the world of Klara, an artificial friend, who is tasked with helping Josie, a lonely and sick teenager, get to college. Not servants or guides, artificial friends like Klara are not supposed to provide friendship and through Klara’s outside perspective, readers learn the complex decisions faced by the people she supports.

Leadership topics: technology, moral dilemmas, loneliness, courage, compassion

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

Many people currently enjoy the glamor and sophistication of the movie Crazy Rich Asia, but this book has much more to offer than pure entertainment. With a third-person omniscient narrator, this novel allows the reader to spend time in depth with a larger number of characters. This helps to expose the complexities of the relationships between the characters and their environments. While the movie version offers a solution for many characters, the book delves deeper into the flawed characters. If you liked the movie for its glitz, you’ll love this book too because it’s just as fun and funny as the movie.

Leadership topics: wealth, socioeconomic gaps, prestige, outsider vs. insider, power dynamics, empathy, prejudice, equity

The Devil’s Role: Phosphorus and the Earth’s Equilibrium by Dan Egan

For those die-hard nonfiction readers, here is an in-depth review, published by WW Norton, which reads like a novel, is intergenerational and universal. With inspiring stories about people involved with phosphorus – scientists, observers, farmers, refugees, etc. – this book turns the small subject matter into a form in itself, helping the audience generally to understand why phosphorus matters.

Leadership topics: unintended consequences, power, moral dilemmas, empathy, relationships, collective action

If these book recommendations have left you inspired to learn more about how storytelling can strengthen your leadership, learn how to create your own leadership story in just three steps.