Inspirational Books Recommended by Top CEOs
No one can survive without inspiration. Inspiration works as a vitamin for a happy and prosperous life. It helps us to do something in our life or bring a breakthrough. Inspiration in life is always positive emotions and actions that push someone to go forward. For this, we have to change the outlook from negative to positive, which is much important.
As Napoleon Hill points out in the quote below, “Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” It is always a difficult and painful process to adapt to changes for anyone, be it an organization or an individual. However, the result of the transformed phase is nothing less than a reward.
Reasons of Choosing Books Over Anything Else For Inspiration
Inspiration comes to everyone in different ways, such as to someone in a song or movie, for someone traveling or biography of a person or someone in a book. Personally, to be inspired myself, I love to read books.
I believe that books reconstruct our views on the world.
It helps us to see the hidden things behind the closed door and reveal the hidden knowledge.
Also, it helps to understand the meaning of life and guide us to see what we did not see before.
Why CEOs Read Books?
CEOs are the lover of books. They do not just read business books, they also like to read inspirational books for self-development, confidence and to take a break from work. Personal development and motivational books are full of information about how people could take control and change their lives. As a consequence, they can fill their mind with knowledge and positivity.
It is never too late to learn something new, different, unexceptional and interesting. So, let’s start to read inspirational books. Read lots of books about inspirational stories. I firmly believe it will guide you to change your life and make yourself better. Read these 10 books by some of the top CEOs. I believe they will inspire you, motivate you, and bring your loved one to show you the path to change you and your life.
The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the Worldby Niall Ferguson
This book is written by Harvard professor Niall Ferguson. This is a very readable and enjoyable financial history of money, credit, and banking. Also, this book is very informative about the history, and the need for money.
The book describes the rise of money in term of a trade form and tracks its progression, development, and effects on society into the 21st Century.
The book was adapted into a six-part television documentary with the new full title Ascent of Money: Boom and Bust for Channel 4 in the United Kingdom.
CEO of the famous Coca-Cola Company, Muhtar Kent, recommends this book.
Long Walk to Freedom
by Nelson Mandela
It’s an autobiography written by South African President Nelson Mandela and was first published in 1994 by Little Brown & Co. This book highlights his early life, coming of age, education and 27 years in prison.
A reader will get an introduction of an awesome personality, a story of hardship, and ultimate triumph.
The book awarded the Alan Paton Award in 1995 and has been published in numerous languages.
A movie has been made according to this book titled Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom directed by Justin Chadwick, written by William Nicholson, and produced by Anant Singh.
The End of Power
by Moisés Naím
The book entitled “The End of Power” is written by Moises Naim. This book explores the failure of power in established leaders and institutions.
It describes the leadership in terms of business, politics, education, religion, and family and how it has changed over the past century.
The author tries to focus that businesses rise and fall faster than before, but the same cannot always be said of politics. At the imminent end of power and how it will change your world.
Overall, this book highlights a challenging and stimulating look into the corridors of power.
Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies
by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras
The book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies is written by Jim Collins and Jerry I. Porras. The first edition of this book was published in 1994. The objective of this book is making a company average to successful.
This book is said to be one of the most influential business books.
In this book, the author tries to depict the ideas which make a company great.
Overall, it’s a great book, detailing the successes of visionary companies and what differentiates them from their competitors.
The Innovator’s Dilemma
by Clayton M. Christensen
The Innovator's Dilemma is one of the famous works of the Harvard professor and businessman Clayton Christensen. In 1997, the book was first published. Later, it was again reprinted and a follow-on book entitled The Innovator's Solution was published. The late famous scientist Steve Jobs was a fan of this book.
In this book, the author tries to tell the reader how successful companies can do everything right and yet still lose their market leadership or even fail; because of new, unexpected competitors who can take over the market over time.
It shows the impact of technology on a company’s success.
Moreover, it works as a guide for making their business.
The Power of Positive Thinkingby Norman Vincent Peale
This book is written by Norman Vincent Peale. The goal of this book is to help the reader to achieve a happy, satisfying and quality life.
The power of positive thinking teaches a person to achieve higher satisfaction in life.
Individuals can recognize them by reading this book as it depicts how to ignore negativity, and get rid of negative thoughts, fear, anxiety, and frustration.
Finally, this book helps to get rid of the old mindset and motivates to think positively.
The Design of Everyday Things
by Don Norman
The Design of Everyday Things is written by Donald Norman. This is one of the best-selling books.
The author tries to capture the communication between object and user, and how it can be optimized to make the object pleasurable.
Anyone who designs things for human use can read the book. This book depicts good principles.
The reader will know about the perversity of bad design and the desirability of good design and also about how things should be designed.
Napoleon Bonaparte: An Intimate Biography
by Vincent Cronin
The book, Napoleon is an excellent biography of Napoleon Bonaparte by British historical, cultural, and biographical writer Vincent Cronin. He is well known for his biographies of Louis XIV, Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, Catherine the Great, and Napoleon.
In this book, Cronin portrays the personal perspective of this great man.
This book gives an overview of Napoleon’s life and personal things rather than too much career. Battles are mentioned and described well enough to get the point. This is just a phenomenal book. Clean, easy to read, and just awesome.
The avid reader CEO of Oracle, Larry Ellison’s favorite book is Napoleon.
The Tender Bar
by J. R. Moehringer
The Tender Bar, an incredible book is written by an incredibly good story teller J.R. Moehringer. The author wrote very well, using such amazing descriptive words that the reader could feel very well. The reader will just feel that he was just with him experiencing it all.
This book portrays the story of a boy who is struggling to become a man.
This book is one of the New York Times bestseller and one of the 100 Most Notable Books of 2005. It’s also easy to read.
The CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald Howard Lutnik’s has told that his favorite book is The Tender Bar.
The Pleasures of Finding Things Out
by Richard Feynman
The Pleasure of Finding Things Out is a collection of the excellent short works of American physicist Richard Feynman of interviews, speeches, and printed articles. One of the American Scientists Robert Root- Bernstein gave a splendid review for this book "Anyone looking for an antidote to the concept of science as a practical method of finding truth or an axiomatic description of reality and a path to positive knowledge will find these essays invigorating."
Bringing All Together
I believe the inspirational messages from these books will enlighten you with the divine power of controlling your thoughts, feelings, and actions. All this will be a great source of inspiration in your life. Robert Southey writes about books:
“My never failing friends are they,
With whom I converse day by day.
With them I take delight in weal
And seek relief in woe.”
I want to say you do as much as possible what you like and what you love whatever the thing is. Inspiration can come to your life in any way or from the simplest of things. It can come as your friends or your coffee cup or the flying butterfly or anything else. But it is always difficult to grasp. Anything you want in your life, you can now achieve it by using your positive thoughts and actions. Move forward to the dream right now. Do not let down yourself. Do not miss your inspiration!
Happy reading!
