10 books shaping business thinking this year
On topics ranging from AI leadership to workplace culture, these 10 books are redefining how business leaders think, work, and adapt in 2025
The business bookshelf is being rewritten. Today’s defining titles trade charisma for clarity, exploring how strategy, technology, and society now intersect.
Across boardrooms and back channels, executives are trading in hustle for frameworks, rethinking what power, growth, and resilience really mean in an age of automation. That's why the titles gaining traction in 2025 aren’t just about profit — they’re about adaptation. From AI ethics to organizational design, these books are redefining how global leaders think, manage, and measure success. The mix of authors spans futurists, behavioral economists, and startup veterans, each offering a different map for the same volatile terrain.
Together, they suggest a quieter revolution — one where emotional intelligence meets data fluency, and the future of work depends as much on empathy as efficiency.
Here are the 10 books helping to shape business thinking right now.
2 / 11
“The Algorithmic Leader” by Mike Walsh
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As AI saturates the workplace, Walsh argues the best leaders are those who learn to think like machines without becoming one. He offers a framework for human-machine collaboration that prizes adaptability and ethical foresight. It’s a must-read for executives designing AI-ready organizations.
3 / 11
“The Friction Project” by Robert I. Sutton and Huggy Rao
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Drawing on years of Stanford research, Sutton and Rao dissect how bureaucracy and bad process slow innovation. Their thesis: reducing friction is the new frontier of management. As McKinsey points out, the book helps leaders understand how they can eliminate friction within their organizations.
4 / 11
“The Rise of the Rest” by Steve Case
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Case argues that innovation’s center of gravity is shifting from Silicon Valley to America’s mid-sized cities. The book profiles founders building outside the traditional venture bubble, making it the ideal read for an age in which wealth and power within the tech world seem to be centralizing.
5 / 11
“How to Fall in Love With Questions” by Elizabeth Weingarten
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Weingarten’s book examines decision-making under pressure, arguing that vulnerability and curiosity outperform certainty in volatile conditions. Porchlight Books named it one of the best new business titles of 2025.
6 / 11
“Radical Uncertainty” by Mervyn King and John Kay
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In an age obsessed with forecasting, King and Kay argue that unpredictability isn’t a bug, it’s a feature. Their approach teaches decision-makers to operate confidently without perfect information. The Financial Times previously included it among its business books of the year for its clarity on risk and reasoning.
7 / 11
“Power and Prediction” by Ajay Agrawal, Joshua Gans, and Avi Goldfarb
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This trio dives into an exploration of AI economics, focusing on how prediction reshapes strategy and competition. The authors translate abstract tech theory into operational playbooks, making the book ideal for executives navigating digital transformation.
8 / 11
“How Big Things Get Done” by Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner
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In this data-driven exploration of why most big projects fail, and how a few succeed spectacularly, Flyvbjerg and Gardner apply behavioral economics to infrastructure and innovation alike. The Financial Times included it on its 2023 list of the best business books of the year.
9 / 11
“Rebel Ideas” by Matthew Syed
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Syed reframes diversity as cognitive strategy. The argument: heterogeneous teams consistently outperform homogenous ones when facing complex problems. The Financial Times wrote that the book is a must-read for people responsible for decision-making and recruitment.
10 / 11
“Extreme Ownership” by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
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The bestseller from two Navy SEALs focuses on decentralized leadership. Leadr included it on its lists of the best books to help leaders navigate challenges and difficult conversations.
11 / 11
“The Good Enough Job” by Simone Stolzoff
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Stolzoff questions the culture of over-identification with work, suggesting balance as the ultimate business advantage. The books has been praised for its ability to help readers rethink ambition and meaning.