Business leaders didn't get to where they are today without a bit of wisdom guiding them along the way. Many of them cite books — whether strategy guides or novels — that inspired them or changed the way they think.
In an interview with LittlePinkBook.com, Mayer revealed her favorite book as "The Design of Everyday Things" (2002) by Donald Norman. She said:
"I think a lot about design and products and how things should work. But it makes you notice things that can be infuriating. Like, why does my sandwich shop have meat all the way over there? At the same time, it makes you think about design in new ways, because when you use something everyday it needs to be absolutely efficient and not get in your way. It’s cool to be able to articulate and discuss that on a level that is really accessible and interesting."
Zuckerberg named "The Aeneid" by Virgil as one of his favorite books in a 2010 New Yorker profile:
He first read the Aeneid while he was studying Latin in high school, and he recounted the story of Aeneas’s quest and his desire to build a city that, he said, quoting the text in English, “knows no boundaries in time and greatness.”
Trump named "The Power of Positive Thinking" by Norman Vincent Peale as his favorite book, according to ShortList Magazine. This book inspired Trump at his lowest moment when he was billions of dollars in debt. He told Psychology Today:
"My father was friends with Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, and I had read his famous book, 'The Power of Positive Thinking.' I'm a cautious optimist but also a firm believer in the power of being positive. I think that helped. I refused to be sucked into negative thinking on any level, even when the indications weren't great. That was a good lesson because I emerged on a very victorious level. It's a good way to go."
Hsieh told USA Today that one of his favorite books is "Tribal Leadership: Leveraging Natural Groups to Build a Thriving Organization" by Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fischer-Wright.
"'Tribal Leadership' codifies a lot of what we've been doing instinctually and provides a great framework for all companies to bring company culture to the next level," he said.
Hsieh's other favorites include "Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow" by Chip Conley and "The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom" by Jonathan Haidt.
Winfrey has said "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Harper Lee is her all-time favorite book. She was even featured in Mary McDonagh Murphy's documentary on the book.
"I remember reading this book and then going to class and not being able to shut up about it," she said, according to The Baltimore Sun. "I read it in eighth or ninth grade, and I was trying to push the book off on other kids. So it makes sense to me that now I have a book club, because I have been doing that since probably this book."
Lutnick's favorite book is "The Tender Bar: A Memoir" by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist J.R. Moehringer. “It’s an uplifting story in a place and manor you’d never expect," he told Fox Business News.
Gelfond's favorite book is "Life," the autobiography of Rolling Stones musician Keith Richards.
"The guy’s had an incredibly eclectic and interesting life that no one else has ever lived," he told Fox Business News.
Ghosn's favorite book is "The Reader" by Bernhard Schlink, a novel set in post-war Germany about a young boy's affair with a woman twice his age.
“My son gave it to me and I love it," he told Fox Business News.
Kent's favorite book is "The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the World" by Niall Ferguson, a non-fiction work that chronicles the evolution of the financial system.
“I love books on economic observations," he told Fox Business News. "This is one of the best.”
READ MORE: http://www.businessinsider.com/27-business-leaders-name-their-favorite-books-ever-2013-8?op=1
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