Best Books 2021: Top Picks from 51 Business and Finance Leaders (original) (raw)

2021 Best Books on Business and Leadership The 49 Most Fascinating, Mind-Blowing, Challenging, Hilarious, and Urgent Titles of the Year

December 15, 2021, 7:00 AM UTC

Before the end of every year, we reach out to the more than 2,500 journalists who work at Bloomberg’s 150-plus bureaus around the world and ask them to poll the newsmakers they cover in search of our best books of the year. The results might seem random at first. Going There, the gossipy tell-all from news anchor Katie Couric, has very little in common with a volume that bears the name Lectures on the Philosophy of Mathematics.

Look closer, though, and a few themes emerge. Everyone is curious about crypto. And given the numerous crises we face today, books on leadership and success are as popular as ever among the executive class.

More than anything, the wide variety of topics reflects the various ways people have responded to a challenging year. Some delved into difficult issues via such titles as Empire of Pain, Power, and Rationality. Others found humorous books—A Very Punchable Face and _Tacky_—more palatable. In other words, think of this list the way you would regard an actor like Matthew McConaughey, whose Greenlights memoir was one of the only books cited twice. It’s got range.

Ron Baron

Chairman and CEO, Baron Capital

This is a fascinating story about an incredible company that is changing the world—the next chapter for Elon Musk. It also emphasizes the importance of understanding exceptional, successful people and aspects of their personalities.
Published on March 2, 2021

Christine Lagarde

President, European Central Bank

Koenig spent five months alone with his horse riding across Europe to create this original and deeply inspiring book. He traveled from France to Italy, via Bavaria, sleeping outside when necessary, following the 16th century journey by French philosopher Montaigne, to discover people living far from capital cities with often hard lives but also with dreams. It is a fascinating philosophical and political reflection and full of humor.
Published on Sept. 1, 2021

Danny Meyer

Founder and CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group

One of my favorite people shares heartfelt stories and observations from a life loved and fully lived. The book is candy: As soon as you finish one chapter, you want to have another. It’s the easiest book to read, you can spend five minutes or an hour with it.
Published on Oct. 26, 2021

Martha Pollack

President, Cornell University

Reading great fiction is one of the best antidotes to the all-too-common assumption that people’s opinions are fully defined by a single aspect of their identity. In this brilliant semi-autobiographical novel, Akhtar reminds us that people—like the nations they inhabit—are complicated; that their lives are anything but linear; and that reducing them to simplistic political categorizations is a mistake that does us all an injustice.
Published on Sept. 15, 2020

Pam Liebman

CEO, Corcoran Group

The opioid epidemic has killed nearly a half-million Americans over the past two decades. Radden Keefe has written a fascinating biography on the Sacklers, a family who has yet to fully face the consequences for their role in this public health crisis. This book isn’t just about the drugs that they foisted upon the public—it’s ultimately a damning tale focused around the obvious dangers of insatiable greed and indifference.
Published on April 13, 2021

Devi Shetty

Founder and chairman, Narayana Hrudayalaya

As an experienced doctor and cardiac surgeon, I thought I knew everything there is to know in health care. Until I read The Code Breaker. It's an enthralling story about a bunch of passionate scientists who break the code of life, something that holds the promise of a cure for many dreadful diseases. We are in the midst of rapid digital advances. Similarly, this genetic code innovation could spark a life sciences revolution. It’s a stirring read in a challenging year.
Published on March 9, 2021

Valerie Red-Horse Mohl

CFO, East Bay Community Foundation and co-founder of Known Holdings

I found it terrifying as well as fascinating. It showed some scary facts about how our government handled the pandemic but also highlighted some heroes that would not give up and gave me hope in the human spirit.
Published on May 4, 2021

Dan Schulman

CEO, PayPal

In Greenlights, Matthew McConaughey shares advice on how to navigate life’s challenges and how we can take advantage of the opportunities that come to us as “greenlights.” When I spoke to Matthew on my podcast, Never Stand Still, he explained the traffic analogy behind his philosophy: that green lights signify moving forward, but on our “highway of life,” people often struggle with the red lights that can stop us in our tracks. Matthew’s book is filled with helpful insights into how we can remain resilient through those barriers and persist through our most difficult times.
Published on Oct. 20, 2020

Ophelia Snyder

Co-founder and president, 21Shares and Amun Tokens

A fantastic walk through the history of Ethereum and how one of the largest crypto networks in the world was able to rise to dominance. Against the backdrop of increased interest in the sector, this book provides a human and historical review of the major turning points that have lead Ethereum to its current state. It is a wonderful book for anyone looking to better understand crypto, DeFi, and the people who helped create it.
Published on July 14, 2020

Ali Hamed

Partner at CoVenture

It takes one page to be hooked. And the book makes you laugh so hard that by the end of it you’re surprised how much you’ve learned about family, friends, the entertainment industry, and about discovering a true north. It’s one of the first books I’ve laughed and cried during, and I have a 100% hit rate in recommending it to friends.
Published on July 14, 2020

Shirley Tilghman

President emeritus, Princeton University

A brilliant fictionalized biography of the German Nobel laureate Thomas Mann and his rambunctious and complicated family. Toibin describes the inspiration for Mann’s great masterpieces, including Death in Venice and The Magic Mountain, and poignantly portrays his lifelong struggle with homosexual desires. His banishment from Germany after the rise of the Nazis and his eventual (but less violent) banishment from the U.S. during the Cold War remind us of the turbulent times he lived through.
Published on Sept. 7, 2021

Nathan Tankus

Publisher of Notes on the Crises and research director of the Modern Money Network

In a year of desolation and suffering from the never-ending coronavirus pandemic, Rax’s book is a joy which encourages readers to reflect on U.S. culture in a more earnest, lighter, and enjoyable way.
Published on Nov. 2, 2021

Sarah Ketterer

CEO, Causeway Capital Management

These two men—one born into poverty, one into slavery—united to change the future of Black Americans and redirect this nation toward a more perfect union. This is a factual and highly readable account of the intertwined lives of these remarkable men and the complex relationship between race and history.
Published on Nov. 2, 2021

Marko Papic

Chief strategist, the Clocktower Group

The book, wonderfully written, sheds a light on one of the most over-cited intellectuals, John Maynard Keynes. It focuses on the macroeconomic legacy of Keynes thought, as well as his penchant for being involved in the resolution of almost all the great crises in the first half of the 20th century. As such, it is both a biography of an extraordinary person and a look back at an era that forged the modern world, even if the sinews that tie us to that era appear to be fraying today.
Published on May 19, 2020

Inii King

Cofounder, King & Partners

Out of all stories, the ones that stay on my mind and inspire me, time to time, are true stories of people navigating through the hardest challenges in their lives. Between Two Kingdoms is a captivating memoir by a young journalist on her fight to survive from leukemia, and her 100-day, 1,500-mile road trip with her dog Oscar during the process of re-engaging with life again. The first half of the book was devastating and brutal, but the rest was deeply inspiring and personal. The title is in reference to this beautiful quote by Susan Sontag: “Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place.”
Published on Feb. 9, 2021

Nancy Davis

Founder and chief investment officer, Quadratic Capital Management.

I am not a fan of horror stories, but I loved reading Perry’s Melmoth. It is a Gothic novel, and one reads it with a sense of dread. Set in several locations, from Europe to Asia, and in different times, the characters are burdened by guilt for wrongs they have done. They carry this guilt through the years, almost physically. We learn how their brief moments of selfish or angry behavior lead to years of misery for themselves and others. As these characters try to live under their burdens, they are pursued by the titular Melmoth, who offers rest and comfort, of a sort.
Published on Oct. 16, 2018

Alan Philips

Chief creative officer of REEF

The book perfectly explained a concept that I have been thinking about for some time and struggle every day to live. “When we mentally give a person, place, or point in time more credit than ourselves, we create a fictitious ceiling. A restriction over the expectations that we have over our own performance in that moment. We focus on the outcome instead of the activity, and we miss the doing of the deed. We either think the world depends on the result or it’s too good to be true. But it doesn’t and it isn’t. And it's not our right to believe it does or is.” We must not create imaginary constraints on what is possible—all that matters is inside our minds.
Published on Oct. 20, 2020

Jeremy Grantham

Long-term investment strategist, Grantham, Mayo, Van Otterloo, & Co.

This is a hard look at a brutal fact; there are limits to growth on a finite planet. After 50 years of dismissing this clear, physical truth, we can see we are entering the endgame where we are beginning to run out of everything, starting with energy. We must profoundly change our ways and do it fast, according to Heinberg, or suffer the direst of consequences.
Published on Sept. 14, 2021

Jim McKelvey

Co-founder, Square

Reading Dr. Pinker is like eating a flourless chocolate cake. I have to take it slowly, but it’s wonderfully satisfying.
Published on Sept. 28, 2021

Kymberly Pinder

Stavros Niarchos Foundation Dean of Yale School of Art

We have all been asking ourselves recently, how can so many starkly different realities co-exist? Seth provides some answers. Perception is an essential component of every action we take, from making judgements to making art. I learned so much about how this perception is itself a controlled hallucination in which our predictions shape our awareness as much as senses do. When our individual hallucinations align, we call that reality. Seth explains just how fragile the whole process is.
Published on Oct. 19, 2021

Matteo del Fante

CEO, Poste Italiane

This book is about mathematics, or, as the author defines it, math as the art of the shortcut. In a series of intriguing chapters all starting with a puzzle, the author brings you in a journey of over 2,000 years of human history. It is a book about how humanity found new patterns to manage different issues, like managing resources or charting the universe. But ultimately, it is a celebration of the human mind and its capacity to select what matters or what does not.
Published on Oct. 19, 2021

Nicolai Tangen

CEO, Norges Bank Investment Management

My book of the year is Adam Grant’s Think Again. I am particularly fascinated by the concept of “confident humility,” which is the ability to make the right decision while acknowledging that we need the input from others to get it right. It’s about having faith in our strengths, while also being aware of our weaknesses. This constant “learning mode” is what we try to install, and Adam explains it extremely well in this book.
Published on Feb. 2, 2021

Dorothy Brown

Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Law, Emory University

It is a must-read if you want to understand how we arrived at our 21st-century, separate-but-unequal system of higher education in the United States. A system whose roots are carefully and methodically traced by Harris from slavery to Jim Crow and the present while also highlighting the significant contributions made by historically Black colleges and universities. Making college more accessible to Black Americans is an important and timely topic in light of research that shows 65% of jobs will require a college education.
Published on Aug. 10, 2021

Federico Trucco

CEO of Bioceres, which develops seed strains for resisting drought induced by climate change

Margaret’s book is not about predicting/discussing the future or managing the uncertainty of current times, which is often the focus of management/leadership training. It is about creating the future and thriving in uncertainty... it's about soft skills over academic content... about human creativity beating efficiency. For all these reasons I loved it.
Published on Sept. 8, 2020

Jill Hazelbaker

SVP of Public Affairs and Marketing at Uber

From Iraq to Syria to Afghanistan, Clarissa Ward has covered many of the defining conflicts of the 21st century—and often as the only woman in the war zone. Her book is a candid, heart-pounding look into her life as a war correspondent, but it’s how she tells the stories of the people on the inside, especially the children, that will stay with you. I walked away astounded by the bravery of this woman.
Published on Sept. 8, 2020

Charles Hoskinson

Cofounder, Ethereum and CEO of blockchain-development company IOHK

This book will change the perspective of anyone who thinks mathematics is a boring, dry, pre-decided field of inquiry. It looks at the underlying deep questions that math tries to address, from “what is a number?” to the nature of infinity.
Published on March 9, 2021

Moonlynn Tsai

Cofounder, Heart of Dinner

This was an incredibly thought-provoking novel. Ishiguro has an unparalleled ability to craft dystopian societies which are simultaneously shocking and disorientating, yet oddly familiar. Though it may seem like simple writing at first glance, his purposeful lack of details allows readers to conjure up their own ideas of what Klara’s world looks like and leaves it up to the reader as if they’re looking into their own mirror to answer the question: what makes us human? For me, this is a question I’ve revisited and constantly thought about especially during the past year.
Published on March 2, 2021

Li Zheng

Secretary-General of the Global Alliance of Universities on Climate and professor of thermal engineering at Tsinghua University

The climate change emergency calls for the fundamental energy transition. Building on evidence from past and today, the author proposes that energy transition is not a supply-side driven process but a side-effect that comes with the transformation of the overall economic development of the society—and that an energy-supply system that matches the demand-side evolutions is the pathway for a true transition away from fossil fuels.
Published on June 21, 2021

Sheila Davis

CEO, Partners In Health

Farmer’s book could not have come at a more important time. As we continue to combat Covid-19 around the world, the lessons learned from the Ebola epidemic are more relevant than ever. Paul skillfully weaves these learnings among a powerful account of the colonial and racist historical forces that led to the epidemic, and deeply impactful stories of those who lived through it.
Published on Nov. 17, 2020

Pranav Pai

Founder and managing partner, 3one4 Capital

This book is a refreshing take on matters of principle that young Indians must meditate upon as the country enters a new macro reality. From individual liberty and free speech to economic freedom and governance reform, the book presents an India-out, issue-led approach that confronts the fundamentals of Indian polity after independence. The authors cover the dance of contradictions in superposition—of an India that is an ancient civilization being reborn into a young republic that is now entering the cycle of maturation as the world’s largest democracy.
Published on Jan. 1, 2020

Nate Mook

CEO, World Central Kitchen

Ross, who was the senior advisor for innovation under Sec. Clinton at the State Department, astutely captures the changing landscape of society, documenting through real-life examples and engaging storytelling how the balance between individuals, business, and government has shifted. Corporations are bigger than countries, non-profits like World Central Kitchen respond to disasters faster than governments, and people—whose leaders should be representing them—are being left behind through growing inequity. I loved how the stories throughout the book challenge our assumption of how we think the world works—or should work—while laying out fresh ideas for a new direction forward.
Published on Sept. 14, 2021

Byron Allen

Head of Entertainment Studios

I first learned of Ghost Boys from my daughter, who was reading it for a school class assignment, and I was immediately intrigued by the story and subject matter. It is simply a brilliant book.
Published on April 17, 2018

Rathi Murthy

CTO, Expedia

The world as we know it is evolving rapidly. This book offers excellent analysis on global trends and how Covid-19 will affect societal shifts over time. I consider it a real must-read to understand how our future could be impacted.
Published on Aug. 25, 2020

Jim Kavanaugh

CEO, World Wide Technology

The past two years have required many of us to prioritize listening and learning from one another, myself included, as our world moved faster than ever—spurring both societal and digital disruption that is impacting everyone, everywhere. As we work through this global pandemic and heightened social unrest, along with the massive shift towards digital transformation, Grant redefines what it means to listen and learn, requiring us all to challenge our current thoughts, beliefs and open our minds to what is possible.
Published on Feb. 2, 2021

Jay Penske

Chairman and CEO, Penske Media Corp

A must read, because it offers a clear and thorough perspective of the immediate importance of DeFi and its long-term macroeconomic impact. The book serves as a helpful guide, outlining some of the companies that will disrupt the financial ecosystem, while cutting through the smoke and mirrors. The book is worth reading for anyone in any industry looking for insights to prepare strategically for future ways of doing business.
Published on Aug. 24, 2021

Anne Chow

CEO, AT&T Business

The need to shift our focus from output to outcomes has never been greater. Contemporary leadership is all about making an impact. Wiseman provides an invaluable guide to evolving your mindset and approach from being a contributor to a true impact player. This practical playbook is filled with robust tips and insights including what habits to develop, what success vs. failure looks like, and other “how-to” suggestions that readers will find immensely helpful to support them on their own journeys towards greater impact.
Published on Oct. 19, 2021

Dev Khare

Partner, Lightspeed Venture Partners

I liked it because of Dave’s irreverent tone to tackling life and his deep insight into how work really works. I recommend it highly to younger professionals who are in a steep part of their career trajectory.
Published on Nov. 9, 2021

Stephen Kaufer

CEO and cofounder, Tripadvisor

A great way to remember that you always have choices in front of you, and they aren’t all risky and irreversible.
Published on Aug. 17, 2021

Bernd Radaschitz

Owner and CEO, Lanserring

This book is about leadership that embraces emotional intelligence, making decisions by listening to your heart—your gut feeling—while not being shy in showing vulnerability. It’s a new way of engaging the young generation of people and resonates a lot with my own leadership style.
Published on May 4, 2021

Ynon Kreiz

CEO, Mattel

Mattel takes its commitment to corporate citizenship seriously, and this compelling book calls on leaders from all sectors of business to do just that and to give more of the world than they take.
Published on Oct. 5, 2021

Hildegard Wortmann

Member of the board of management, Audi

Smil focuses on various topics ranging from people, populations, and countries, to energy use, technical innovation, and the machines and devices that define our modern civilization. The book closes with some factual perspectives on our food supply and eating choices, and on the state and degradation of our environment. It’s a fact-finding adventure. I especially like the way he draws on surprising statistics to capture our complex reality, how he proposes solutions to some of our most challenging problems, and how he is questioning conventional thinking.
Published on Oct. 1, 2021

Patrick Spence

CEO, Sonos

It’s imperative for innovative companies to take a more inclusive approach to the way they build products and services. It sets companies up for better serving the needs of all their existing customers and for reaching new customers. Annie is on the forefront of building inclusive organizations that build inclusive products, and has created a practical guide for how to do this in your own organization. It’s helpfully filled with real world examples that will help inspire readers to build a more inclusive organization.
Published on Sept. 1, 2020

Penny Pennington

Managing partner, Edward Jones

In this follow up to Conscious Capitalism, Mackey explores his personal journey in becoming the conscious leader he is today. He challenges readers to think beyond the bottom line and engage with a broader group of stakeholders in a human-centered way. The last two years have certainly tested our resolve, but Mackey reaffirms that by keeping purpose at the center of everything we do, to lean into it during times of change, we can truly have a meaningful impact on people’s lives, and that of our communities and society. Doing so makes our businesses better and magnetizes not only customers, but incredibly talented associates as well.
Published on Sept. 15, 2020

Zak Islam

CTO, Linktree

It is the definitive guide for leadership today, just when we need it most. Frei and Morriss reaffirm that leadership is a team game—not a solo sport, making it clear that the leader’s job is to release the potential in others. The stories, examples, and frameworks have helped me take purposeful steps towards becoming a more thoughtful and meaningful leader.
Published on June 2, 2020

Catherine Kniker

Chief strategy officer for PTC, an industrial software company

In my role, I’m not only interested in setting the corporate strategy, I’m deeply invested in ensuring that this strategy is executed and drives success. This can only be achieved by having alignment across the organization so that everyone is “rowing in the same direction.” I appreciated Johnson’s very clear definition of what he describes as the nine pillars of alignment, and also his data-driven approach. This book is a very good reminder that we need to have all the components working together to ensure success.
Published on Feb. 23, 2021

Whitney Johnson

Founder and CEO, Disruption Advisors

Grounded in Gupta’s real-world experience as a start-up founder, and further illustrated with superlatively written and compelling stories, Backable has something to offer everyone. We all have ideas that we care about, but we hesitate to act on them for fear of failure or rejection. This book reminds us that before anyone will back our ideas, we have to face our vulnerability enough to back them ourselves. We need to believe in ourselves with courage and conviction and then invite others to be our partners in a new creation. Suneel shows us how.
Published on Feb. 23, 2021

Alexa von Tobel

Founder and managing partner, Inspired Capital

The ability to build strong relationships is critical for all leaders—particularly in this moment where so many feel disconnected. Stanford Graduate School of Business’s “Touchy-Feely” course is known for being a master class in interpersonal skills. I highly recommend that everyone take the chance to soak up the knowledge that Robin and Bradford are now sharing far and wide.
Published on Feb. 9, 2021

Rob Johnson

CEO, Vertiv

The thing I value most about Winning Now, Winning Later is Dave’s ability to break down complex business concepts into simple principles that readers can easily understand and apply to their everyday work life: 1) scrub accounting and business practices down to what is real, 2) invest in the future, but not excessively, and 3) grow while keeping fixed costs constant.
Published on June 30, 2020

Jaime Schmidt

Founder of personal care brand Schmidt’s Naturals

This book is essential for the modern-day entrepreneur. It’s filled with practical advice on leaning into your unique skills and creative thinking to build a profitable and sustainable business. With the creator economy expanding through TikTok influencers, NFT artists, and others monetizing their passions and talents, this book offers a timely assurance that the path to success as an entrepreneur is what you make it.
Published on October 26, 2021

Judy Samuelson

Founder and executive director, Aspen Institute Business and Society Program

Based on both solid research and story, To Be Honest is unabashedly rooted in morality. Rather than dismiss morality as impractical or naïve, the author nails down the cultural attributes of companies that have made it work, practically, and with an eye to the future. Read it. You will feel better for doing so.
Published on May 25, 2021

Robin Bronk

CEO, The Creative Coalition

I usually pass right by the self-help book section, but I loved this book that legitimizes the science and value of meeting of the minds and souls. These days, it’s hard to get through a conversation without dropping the terms, “influence,” “authenticity,” and “connection.” This is a thoughtful primer on the ways, whys, and wherefores of cultivating a community. The book also is chock full of the author’s real life (sometimes bizarre) anecdotes of his adventures in maximizing opportunity.
Published on May 11, 2021

—Assists from Max Abelson, Emily Anton, Claire Ballentine, Paul Brennan, Austin Carr, Nikki Ekstein, Hannah Elliott, Jonathan Gilbert, Kate Krader, Janet Lorin, Carolina Millan, Lee Miller, Joanna Ossinger, Saritha Rai, David Rocks, Jorgelina do Rosario, Chris Rovzar, Alessandro Speciale, Ben Steverman, Jennifer Surane, James Tarmy, Randy Thanthong-Knight, Ott Ummelas, Alexander Weber

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