13 leaders share the books that changed how they live, think and lead: 2024 Books Roundup

Looking for a new read? Something that will make you sharper in 2025 or something for that hard-to-buy-for person on your list? Or maybe you just want closer access to the ideas shaping today's brightest changemakers. No matter the reason, look no further than our annual books roundup, an episode collecting books that have transformed how some of the top global leaders manage teams, get inspired and motivated, shift mindsets and more. This year's recommendations include fresh takes on classic business books, histories, time-honored works of literature, and new favorites that can change how you build and lead.  

Leaders and their book selections:
Leader: Alexi Robichaux, CEO, BetterUp
Book Selection: Boyd Varty's Liontracker's Guide to Life: https://boydvarty.com/book/the-lion-trackers-guide-to-life/

Leader: Mark Lundstrom, CEO, Radia: 
Book Selection: Eliyahu Moshe Goldratt's The Goal: https://www.tocinstitute.org/the-goal-summary.html

Leader: Sahil Tesfu, Chief Strategy Officer, Essity
Book Selection: Mark Manson's The Subtle Art of Not Giving a ****: https://markmanson.net/not-giving-a-fuck

Leader: Christopher Oakes, CEO, Reefgen
Book Selection: Cal Newport's A World Without Email: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575655/a-world-without-email-by-cal-newport/

Leader: Brad Smith, President, Microsoft
Book Selection: Brian Merchant's Blood in the Machine: https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/titles/brian-merchant/blood-in-the-machine/9780316487740/?lens=little-brown

Leader: Serge Raemaekers, CEO, ABOLOBI
Book Selection: Jim Collins' The Flywheel Effect: https://www.jimcollins.com/concepts/the-flywheel.html

Leader: Ritu Narayan, CEO, Zum
Book Selection: Clayton Christensen's The Innovator's Dillemma: https://www.amazon.com/Innovators-Dilemma-Revolutionary-Change-Business/dp/0062060244

Leader: Jordan Justus, Automotus
Book Selection: Matt Ridley's How Innovation Works: https://www.mattridley.co.uk/books/how-innovation-works/

Leader: Catalina Cock Duque, founder, Fundacion mi Sangre
Book Selection: Otto Scharmer's Leading from the Emerging Future: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/575194/leading-from-the-emerging-future-by-otto-scharmer-and-katrin-kaufer/

Leader: Christophe Catoir, President, Adecco
Book Selection: W. Henry Gilbert's Homo erectus: https://www.ucpress.edu/books/homo-erectus/hardcover

Leader: Kara Alaimo, Professor and author, Fairleigh Dickinson University
Book Selection: Kate Manne's Down Girl: The Logic of Misogyny: http://www.katemanne.net/down-girl.html
Book Selection: Mikki Kendall's Hood Feminism: https://www.amazon.com/Hood-Feminism-Notes-Movement-Forgot/dp/0525560548
Book Selection: Caroline Criado Perez's Invisible Women: https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Women-Data-World-Designed/dp/1419729071

Leader: Jonathan Reckford, CEO, Habitat for Humanity
Book Selection: J. R.R. Tolkein's Lord of the Rings Series: https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Picture-Trilogy-Extended/dp/B000654ZK0

Leader: Florian Hoffman, Founder, The Do
Book Selection: Voltaire's Candide: https://www.gutenberg.org/files/19942/19942-h/19942-h.htm