No one gets to the position of CEO and does not organize a successful business from the first time without having any experience. All the successful and famous have gone through a rather difficult path of trial and error. And at that time, they were influenced by a huge number of factors - the places they lived in, the people who surrounded them, the problems they faced and, of course, the books they read.
A person's favorite book can give you the key to understanding the choices they make or their actions. Of course, reading your favorite books by Richard Branson or Warren Buffett will not make you as successful, but perhaps you will begin to understand their actions and find your own, individual way.
Throughout his life, the literary preferences of the former head of Microsoft and multimillionaire Bill Gates have constantly changed. But once in one of his interviews, he said that the book "The Catcher in the Rye" by Jerome Salinger was one of his favorites, referring to the fact that the theme of alienation, fear and rebellion has always been an integral part of growing up.
«She is very smart. She admits that young people may be a little confused, but at the same time they understand a lot of things and see things that adults do not see. That's why I've always liked her.»
But in a recent Ask me anything poll conducted by Reddit, Gates changed his list of the top 10 books, capturing books from the last decade. And his choice was Steven Pinker The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined. In his opinion, this book reflects a long but deep look at the decline in violence and discrimination over time.
After he left the CEO position at Microsoft, he became fully engaged in charity work with his wife and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation he founded.
Richard Branson started his first business at the age of 16 under the influence of a magazine called The Student in the crypt of the church. And now his empire has grown to the limits of visible space, as well as his literary tastes. Arthur Ransom's book "Swallows and Amazons" is a favorite book of his childhood. In addition to this book, his list includes Anthony Beevor's "Stalingrad" about the turning point of World War II and Jung Chang's "Wild Swans" about three generations of women in one family facing political instability in twentieth-century China.
Mark's own Facebook profile* lists only one favorite book, "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card. Those who know what this book is about will immediately understand the connection between Mark and the main character — a little genius who saved his world. However, in an interview with the New Yorker in 2010, Zuckerberg said that his favorite book is Virgil's Aeneid.
Oprah has her own book club, whose meetings discuss the work of writers from all over the world. But her favorite book is the American classic "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee.
"I remember coming to class after reading this book and couldn't help but talk about it. I read it in 8th or 9th grade and after that I tried to get other children hooked on it. And that's why I have my own book club now, as it hooked me after reading this book."
Mukhtar Kent loves economic observations and believes that his favorite book is one of the best "The Rise of Money" by Niall Ferguson. In it, you can trace human history from the moment when the first money appeared in Mesopotamia, and see how all this has changed over the centuries.
Now you can buy almost anything on Amazon, but it all started with the sale of books. Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, reads 10 books in one month. In the list of his favorites: "Built forever. The success of companies with a vision" by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras and "The Rest of the Day" by Kazuo Ishiguro. The first book tells about how to get rid of imposed myths and find new ideas and thoughts. But "The Rest of the Day" holds a special place in Bezos' heart.
"If you've been reading The Rest of the Day, there's nothing you can do but immerse yourself in the ramifications. I just spent 10 hours in an alternate life and learned something about life and regrets."
Using his example, Steve Jobs showed how humanities and technology can intersect. In the biography of Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson listed a number of books that influenced the co-founder of Apple: Shakespeare's King Lear, Plato's works, Herman Melville's Moby Dick, Clayton Christensen's The Innovator's Dilemma, Paramahans Yoganand's Autobiography of a Yogi, Shunryu Suzuki's Zen Consciousness, Beginner's Consciousness.
"It's interesting to read about him for two reasons: to see what a person who is modest from birth can do with his life, and how history can distort facts. It also makes it clear that even the story is based on fashion. Even morality — popular morality — is built on fashion. Real morality is based on reasons, and never confuse these two morals with each other."
Before replacing Steve Jobs as CEO, Tim Cook was known as the wizard of the supply chain. His strategy was largely responsible for Apple's large profits and for their quality products. His favorite book is "Competition with Time" by George Stalk and Thomas Hout. It talks about the importance of the supply chain and time in product development. This book is the result of 10 years of research and focuses on time management in development, production, sales and distribution. Tim Cook considers it important enough to periodically give several copies to his colleagues to study.
Tony Shay is deeply convinced of the importance of culture in business. So much so that he invested $350 million to turn Las Vegas into a Disneyland for entrepreneurs. His favorite book is "Tribal Management" by Dave Logan, John King and Haley Fisher-Wright.
"Tribal Management" systematizes everything we did instinctively and provides a broad base for all companies wishing to take their culture to the next level.»
His other favorite books are "The Top" by Chip Conley and "The Hypothesis of Happiness" by Jonathan Heidt.
His favorite book is so important to him that he gives it out in the starter package to every new employee at Square — "Manifesto of the Checklist" by Atul Gawande. This book carries a simple thought — checklist helps people manage difficult situations. Atul Gawande cites examples from medicine, technology and natural disasters in order to demonstrate the power of such lists.
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