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7 books billionaires swear by
Here’s how to read like a billionaire…
Words: Gentleman's Journal
Billionaires are undeniably busy people – how else do they become billionaires? But between building their companies, managing investments and making billion-dollar decisions, many of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world make it a priority to read. That’s right – if billionaires can find the time to pick up a book, so can you. But what exactly would you find on their bookshelves? Here are seven titles that come recommended by the 0.01%...
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari’s 2014 bestseller comes recommended by the likes of Mark Zuckerberg and Bill Gates, the latter of whom named it as one of his favourite books, telling the New York Times, “This look at the entire history of the human race sparked lots of great conversations at our family’s dinner table. Harari also writes about our species today and how artificial intelligence, genetic engineering and other technologies will change us in the future.”
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Despite being published almost a century ago, self-improvement maestro Dale Carnegie’s manual for climbing the ladder of success in life and business remains a bestselling classic. It details the “six ways to make people like you”, the “twelve ways to win people to your way of thinking”, and the “nine ways to change people without arousing resentment”. Renowned American investor Warren Buffett once said, “Dale Carnegie’s writing and courses changed my life.” They might just change yours, too.
Net Positive by Paul Polman and Andrew Winston
Unilever's former CEO Paul Polman and sustainability expert Andrew Winston joined forces to write the 2021 business handbook Net Positive, which argues that the companies of the future will profit by fixing the world's problems, rather than creating them. In his round-up of the best books he read in 2021, Richard Branson shouted out Net Positive, remarking, “The words won me over with their relentless optimism and sharp-eyed vision of a sustainable future, where purpose-driven companies put people and the planet first… I whole-heartedly believe that large-scale change is possible – if businesses focus on making the world a better place.”
Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh
It’s no surprise that this book from LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and entrepreneur and investor Chris Yeh remains a hit amongst budding tech entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley. It features a foreword by Bill Gates, plenty of case studies from prominent tech start ups like AirBnB and WeChat, and high praise from the likes of Sheryl Sandberg, who said, "Blitzscaling shows how companies can build value for customers and shareholders in the digital age. A compelling inside view of how the new economy is being built and is transforming global business.”
The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh
Based on interviews and notes collected from the late former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers Bill Walsh, The Score Takes Care of Itself has become an essential manual for aspiring leaders in every field. Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey claims to have learned a lot about leadership from the book: “What’s important about this is that as you start building a team, you need to set expectations around how people need to perform in the company – how people need to act in the company,” he said. “And these can be very simple things, but without that, you are rutterless – you will react to the outside. And if you react to the outside, you are building someone else’s roadmap and you’re building someone else’s dream instead of your own.”
Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
In 2016, Bill Gates revealed that Shoe Dog, a memoir of the history of Nike from the footwear behemoth co-founder Phil Knight, was one of his top books of the year, and called it a “refreshingly honest reminder of what the path to business success really looks like: messy, precarious, and riddled with mistakes.” He went on to praise Knight’s candour, saying, “He tells his story as honestly as he can. It’s an amazing tale. It’s real. And you’ll understand in the final pages why, despite all of the hardships he experienced along the way, Knight says, ‘God, how I wish I could relive the whole thing.’”
Forged in Crisis: The Power of Courageous Leadership in Turbulent Times by Nancy Koehn
In Forged in Crisis, Harvard Business School historian Nancy Koehn reflects on what history can tell us about leadership in crisis by analysing the plights of polar explorer Ernest Shackleton, President Abraham Lincoln, legendary abolitionist Frederick Douglass, Nazi-resisting clergyman Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and environmental crusader Rachel Carson. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella highlighted this book as one of his favourites, writing on LinkedIn, “It’s an inspiring compilation of stories of leadership… that demonstrate how effective leaders are made, not born, in times of adversity.”
For more inspirational reading material, check out our pick of the best books by business leaders...
