Never meant to be published, Marcus’ writings on Stoicism, life, and leadership were the personal notes he used to make sense of the world. Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 A.D., Marcus Aurelius is considered one of history’s “philosopher kings,” and his Meditations were perhaps his most lasting legacy. Invariably, many people will think some of the choices are poor or that the list is incomplete, but I hope it can serve as a start for young business leaders looking for literature to help them chart their careers. But I have tried to make all the choices directly relevant to young businesspeople interested in leadership. Variety is important - novels can enhance empathy social science and history can illuminate lessons from other times and fields that might be relevant to your own and at the very least, reading broadly can make you a more interesting conversationalist.
I’ve only included books I’ve actually read, and I tried to compile a list that includes history, literature, psychology, and how-to. Those interested in leadership might consult the syllabus for David Gergen’s leadership course (PDF) at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government or the syllabus his colleague Ron Heifetz uses for his course on adaptive leadership (PDF).īut if I had to focus on a short list for young business leaders, I’d choose the 11 below.
For those interested in engaging classic literature, Wikipedia has a list of “The 100 Best Books of All Time,” and Modern Library has picks for novels and nonfiction. There are a number of wonderful reading lists out there.
One of the most common follow-up questions was, “Ok, so what should I read?” Reading has a host of benefits for those who wish to occupy positions of leadership and develop into more relaxed, empathetic, and well-rounded people. Recently, I wrote that leaders should be readers.
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