Leaders are readers. Reading helps you discover ideas to try and expand your mental models. In this post I point you to reviews of recent business books. You’ll find pointers to reviews of Everybody Wants to Rule the World: Surviving and Thriving in a World of Digital Giants, A Minute to Think: Reclaim Creativity, Conquer Busyness, and Do Your Best Work, Hot Seat: Hard-won Lessons in Challenging Times, Wanting: The Power of Mimetic Desire in Everyday Life, and The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony. There’s also a pointer to Michael McKinney’s post about leadership books scheduled for release in December 2021.

From Skip Prichard: 5 Characteristics of Digital Giants that Enable Domination

“Ray Wang is the Founder of Constellation Research, Inc. and has studied emerging business and technology trends. His columns are read by millions, and he is a frequent keynote speaker at some of the major tech conferences. His new book, Everybody Wants to Rule the World: Surviving and Thriving in a World of Digital Giants is a compelling book for leaders thinking about strategy and positioning their companies for what’s next.”

From Michael McKinney: A Minute to Think

“WE ALL NEED white space – open, unassigned time. We need it for better relationships, mental health, and better productivity. Juliet Funt writes in A Minute to Think, ‘without space, we can’t sustain ourselves.’ It is the missing element in our lives, and we need to get it back.”

From Chief Executive: Former GE CEO Jeff Immelt: ‘It’s Complicated’

“If it’s true, as James Joyce wrote, that mistakes are the ‘portals of discovery,’ then Jeff Immelt’s new memoir may serve as a detailed map for CEOs in every industry on what not to do. In Hot Seat: Hard-won Lessons in Challenging Times, Immelt offers an excruciatingly detailed look into the pivotal decisions he made at GE—many of which he was later crucified for in the press and on the Street.”

From Theodore Kinni: Why you want what you want

“In the new book Wanting, Luke Burgis, entrepreneur-in-residence and director of programs at the Catholic University of America’s Busch School of Business, takes readers down the rabbit hole of mimetic theory. Developed by French social scientist and philosopher René Girard in the 1960s and 1970s, mimetic theory seeks to explain human relations and culture in terms of desire. Girard’s theory and Burgis’s book are worthy of executive attention because they offer leaders insights into their own behavior and careers, as well as the behavior of the many stakeholders they are charged with understanding and influencing.”

From Wharton: How to Harness the Power of Belonging

“Milkman interviews Jay Van Bavel, associate professor of psychology and neural science at New York University. Van Bavel and Dominic Packer, a psychology professor at Lehigh University, have written a new book titled, The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony. It examines how group affiliations influence behavior and inspire both personal and social change.”

From Michael McKinney: First Look: Leadership Books for December 2021

“Here’s a look at some of the best leadership books to be released in December 2021. Don’t miss out on other great new and future releases not listed here.”

Reading recommendations are a regular feature of this blog. Want more recommendations about what to read? Monday is “Book Day.” Come back for book reviews, reading lists and other reading-related posts.