Here’s what CEOs are reading

What do successful people have in common? They read. A lot. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌   ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ 

Share this email Share this email on LinkedIn   Share this email on Twitter   Share this email on Facebook   New from McKinsey & Company   Curated by Eleni Kostopoulos   Digital Publishing Manager, New York What are CEOs reading this summer? When McKinsey senior partners Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra conducted detailed interviews with high-performing CEOs for their book CEO Excellence, they discovered that some of the best leaders—despite the "always on" nature of their roles—take the time to read books on various topics. And the payoff is worth it: Books can educate, inspire, and motivate even the busiest leaders. So we asked global CEOs and founders to tell us which books are on their bookshelves this summer. Check out some of the responses below, and explore the our full 2022 summer reading guide for more picks from more Nobel Prize winners, editors-in-chief, economists, McKinsey leaders, and more. Read more Very Bad People: The Inside Story of the Fight against the World's Network of Corruption by Patrick Alley "An inspiring story of how three passionate campaigners and founders of Global Witness have been fighting for justice at the nexus of human rights abuses and environmental degradation." —Katherine Garrett-Cox, CEO, Gulf International Bank (UK) The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel by Kati Marton "This is a compelling chronicle of an extraordinary leader. Marton makes a reader feel as though she's walking alongside Merkel through each pivotal point in her journey. It's a captivating portrait that I found hard to put down." —Indra Nooyi, Former CEO, PepsiCo The Constitution of Knowledge: A Defense of Truth by Jonathan Rauch "Every leader, including and especially business leaders, needs to move our society forward toward the common goal of seeking truth and resisting any such corrosive and democracy-destroying attacks such as alternative facts." —Reid Hoffman, Cofounder, LinkedIn; partner, Greylock Partners How Civil Wars Start: And How to Stop Them by Barbara F. Walter "We must focus on meeting in the middle and engaging in tough conversations to strengthen our democracy." —Marc Rosen, CEO, JCPenney Leadership: Six Studies in World Strategy by Henry Kissinger "Henry Kissinger brings a unique combination of wisdom, personal experience, and historical perspectives to frame his reflections on the world order and leadership." —Laxman Narasimhan, CEO, Reckitt Benckiser Maverick: The Success Story Behind the World's Most Unusual Workplace by Ricardo Semler "I first read this book many years ago and plan to read it again. I wouldn't advise adopting everything that Semler did after he took over the family business. But understanding his approach stretches your thinking on both the art of the possible and the art of leadership." —Noel Quinn, CEO, HSBC The Future of the Professions: How Technology Will Transform the Work of Human Experts, updated edition by Daniel Susskind and Richard Susskind "In 2020, I had the opportunity to introduce the Spanish translation of Online Courts and The Future of Justice—a book by Richard Susskind, whom I have had the pleasure of knowing well throughout my legal career—to an audience in Madrid. At that time, I had not read this book, which he had written with his son, the equally brilliant Oxford University professor Daniel Susskind. I am going to do it now, taking advantage of the fact that the updated edition has just been published." —Óscar García Maceiras, CEO, Inditex Liberalism and Its Discontents by Francis Fukuyama "Here's what I'm reading this summer." —David Vélez, Cofounder and CEO, Nubank How to Get Your Act Together: A Judgement-Free Guide to Diversity and Inclusion for Straight White Men by Felicity Hassan and Suki Sandhu "At Sanofi, we are committed to creating a more diverse and inclusive workplace, and as the CEO of Sanofi, I recognize that this requires continuous learning for the organization and for myself. I have to confess, I am already halfway through this relatively quick read. I'm excited not only for what this book will teach me as a leader but also for the actionable steps that I can incorporate into my everyday interactions with my team to empower people at Sanofi to bring their best selves to work." —Paul Hudson, CEO, Sanofi My Life in Full: Work, Family, and Our Future by Indra Nooyi "As a South Asian American woman business executive and founder, it was extraordinarily inspirational and invigorating to hear in first person the journey of the first woman of color and US immigrant to run a Fortune 50 company. I listened to this one on Audible, narrated by Ms. Nooyi herself." —Sylvana Quader Sinha, Founder and CEO, Praava Health Follow our thinking Share these insights Did you enjoy this email? Forward it to colleagues and friends so they can subscribe too. Was this forwarded to you? Sign up for it and sample our 40+ other free email subscriptions here. McKinsey Insights - Get our latest thinking on your iPhone, iPad or Android. 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