Cover CEOs share the books and podcasts they recommend for sustained leadership and success
CEOs share the books and podcasts they recommend for sustained leadership and success
1 / 1
Women CEOs from various industries and across Asia highlight the resources that have been influential in their journeys to the top
Our series Thriving at the Top garnered insights from female leaders from across Asia to understand how they sustain success as a CEO, from avoiding burnout and setting boundaries to balancing life and work, managing stress and investing in personal growth.
A number of the leaders we spoke to recommended specific books and podcasts that have been helpful to their progress and success. We’ve gathered their recommendations together for inspiration so you, too, can thrive at the top—or on your way there—whatever your industry or expertise.
See also: 19 must-read non-fiction books of 2024 so far selected by Front & Female
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
Above The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
1 / 1
First published 35 years ago, this business and self-help book has had lasting impact, inspiring millions of readers to improve their lives both personally and professionally. The seven habits outlined in The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are centred around independence (self-mastery), interdependence (working with others) and continual improvement (with emphasis on physical, spiritual and mental renewal for a sustainable lifestyle).
Recommended by Sally Wan, CEO, AXA Greater China
The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle
Most of us now know the importance of mindfulness and being present, but when The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment was published in 1997, awareness of emotional well-being was not as widespread. The fundamental message of Tolle's book is that for an individual to avoid anxiety and emotional pain, they must live in the present moment because that is all that matters. Tolle shares various ways to relax and meditate to help readers ground themselves in the present, and extols the virtues of slowing down, spending time in nature and letting go of worries about the future, while also highlighting the negative impact of ego on happiness.
“I like the way Tolle explains the paralysis of fear and self doubt, and how to overcome the feeling,” says Anna Yip of a book she has recommended extensively, and whose notable advocates include Oprah Winfrey.
Recommended by Anna Yip, CEO, Business Development & Deputy CEO Singapore, Singtel
Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
The only constant in life is change—so observed Greek philosopher Heraclitus. Spencer Johnson's story, Who Moved My Cheese?, is a parable for navigating this change in our everyday lives and the different ways in which we can respond to unexpected change for more enjoyable and successful lives.
Recommended by Sally Wan, CEO, AXA Greater China
Good to Great by Jim Collins
Jim Collins' classic business book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t was the culmination of five years of research during which time Collins analysed 1,435 'good' companies and found the 11 companies that became 'great', before distilling how other companies might 'make the leap' too. From the Flywheel Effect to the Hedgehog Concept, the book presents insights on leadership, management, strategy and organisational culture that can enable others to achieve greatness.
Recommended by Dione Song, CEO, Love, Bonito
Traction by Gino Wickman
1 / 1
Traction: Get a Grip on your Business is the business book in which author and entrepreneur Gino Wickman sets out his Entrepreneurial Operating System®, a practical framework designed to help entrepreneurs achieve the business success they envision, profitably and frustration-free. It's a set of concepts and tools that has helped thousands of entrepreneurs around the world.
Recommended by Dione Song, CEO, Love, Bonito
Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
"I have lots of interest in understanding how we think and why we act," says Anna Yip, naming the late Daniel Kahneman, who died earlier this year, among her favourite writers. Kahneman was a world-renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, whose bestselling book Thinking, Fast and Slow discusses the differences between fast thinking—intuitive and emotional, and slow thinking—more deliberative and rational, why we make the decisions that we do, and how we can improve our decision-making.
Recommended by Anna Yip, CEO, Business Development & Deputy CEO Singapore, Singtel
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
As a successful businessman, tech entrepreneur and investor, Ben Horowitz has learned a thing or two about starting and running a business. And in The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers he is open and honest about the toughest challenges that leaders will face every day, doling out practical advice and insights on everything from making difficult decisions to moving on from mistakes, and what matters most in these situations.
Recommended by Dione Song, CEO, Love, Bonito
Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek
1 / 1
In Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't bestselling author Simon Sinek argues that leaders who put the needs of their teams above their own and go out of their way to protect the individuals who work for them, such as those in the military, can cultivate loyalty, create more cohesive and motivated teams, and drive long-term success. It's a practical guide to developing strong teams and a supportive working environment.
Recommended by Dione Song, CEO, Love, Bonito
The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership by Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman and Kaley Warner Klemp
According to authors Jim Dethmer, Diana Chapman and Kaley Warner Klemp, who have worked with a host of CEOs and other leaders, there are 15 commitments that individuals should adopt to become a more self-aware and effective leader. These are laid out in The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership: A New Paradigm for Sustainable Success, which aims to provide a roadmap that allows leaders to lead more sustainably and with greater happiness, clarity and energy, and to develop teams that are more engaged, collaborative and creative.
Recommended by Dione Song, CEO, Love, Bonito
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
1 / 1
How do you cultivate and nurture more daring leaders? That's the question that research professor and storyteller Brené Brown seeks to answer in Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. “One of the most important findings of my career is that daring leadership is a collection of four skill sets that are 100 percent teachable, observable, and measurable. It's learning and unlearning that requires brave work, tough conversations, and showing up with your whole heart," writes Brown. “Easy? No. Because choosing courage over comfort is not always our default. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and our work. It's why we're here.”
Recommended by Nasaa Narmandakh, CEO, Monpolymet Group
The Infinite Game by Simon Sinek
In 1986, religious scholar James P. Carse's book Finite and Infinite Games argued that there were two types of games: finite and infinite—the former played "for the purpose of winning," and the latter "for the purpose of continuing the play". Sinek's The Infinite Game, published in 2019, expands on this, stating that in finite games, such as football, baseball or chess, the rules are fixed and there are clear winners and losers, while infinite games, such as business, politics or even marriage, players and rules change and there is no defined end. With so much that is unpredictable, leaders control what they can, which is how they choose to play, adopting what Sinek calls an "infinite mindset" where the goal is not to "be the best" but rather to be better everyday in order to keep playing the game.
Recommended by Nasaa Narmandakh, CEO, Monpolymet Group
No Rules Rules by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer
The story of Netflix has been one of reinvention. From its launch in 1998 as an online DVD rental company to its position today as one of the world's leading entertainment services, its evolution has been unprecedented. This can be attributed to the radical working culture that co-founder Reed Hastings put in place from the very start. No Rules Rules: Netflix and the Culture of Reinvention outlines some of Hastings' unorthodox and innovative principles and how transformative doing things differently can truly be.
Recommended by Dione Song, CEO, Love, Bonito
Hidden Potential by Adam Grant
Anna Yip recommends the author Adam Grant, stating that "almost anything that they have written is worth reading". The author of bestselling tomes Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World and Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know, Grant's most recent book is Hidden Potential: The Science of Achieving Greater Things. Published in 2023, it lays out how in a world where talent is held in such high regard, we all actually have the potential to be great because progress depends not on how hard you work or on some innate gift, but rather on how you can optimise your learning.
Recommended by Anna Yip, CEO, Business Development & Deputy CEO Singapore, Singtel
Diary of a CEO podcast
Hosted by Steven Bartlett, a university dropout turned serial entrepreneur, Diary of a CEO aims to provide "an unfiltered journey into the remarkable stories and untold dimensions of the world's most influential people, experts and thinkers". Those people, so far, have included the likes of Richard Branson and Simon Cowell, as well as prominent women in business Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder of Bumble, Trinny Woodall, CEO of Trinny London, Reshma Saujani, CEO of Girls Who Code, and most recently Arianna Huffington, who share their experiences and insights on success, personal growth and the challenges they have faced along the way.
Recommended by Rachael Harding, CEO, Club Med and Dione Song, CEO, Love, Bonito
How I Built This podcast
The world's best known entrepreneurs are interviewed by journalist Guy Raz as they share how they built their iconic brands, revealing moments of doubt, what they learned from failure and how they finally achieved success. Interviewees include the founders and CEOs behind brands that range from Starbucks, Tory Burch and Patagonia, to AOL, LinkedIn and Dell Computers.
Recommended by Nasaa Narmandakh, CEO, Monpolymet Group
Your Undivided Attention podcast
“In recent years, I am getting increasingly concerned about the risks of technology, and mental wellness of youths and adults, and I listen to podcasts like Your Undivided Attention to follow the topic and latest debates,” says Singtel's Anna Yip. This podcast explores the "unprecedented power of emerging technologies: how they fit into our lives, and how they fit into a humane future", tackling topics from how to make AI work with us, not against us, to the proliferation of deepfake images, to future-proofing democracy.
Recommended by Anna Yip, CEO, Business Development & Deputy CEO Singapore, Singtel
TED Business podcast
Not only does the TED Business podcast highlight powerful insights from the business world, but after each talk host Modupe Akinola, a business professional and experienced educator who is currently a professor at Columbia Business School, shares how you can apply the episode's ideas, which have recently covered topics such as reskilling in the age of AI, discussing your anxiety at work and making stress your friend, to your own life.
Recommended by Rachael Harding, CEO, Club Med
About
Rachel Duffell is regional content director for Power & Purpose, including Front & Female, and former regional content director for Tatler Dining. She is a journalist and editor who has been covering people, gender, impact, leadership, culture and lifestyle for more than 15 years.
