Chief executives at companies ranging from General Electric to Disney have penned accounts of their experiences in the world of business
For many entrepreneurs, the most important lessons are the ones they learn while working and creating – not the ones they are taught in a business school classroom.
Still, for any aspiring businessperson, it can be helpful to learn from people who have already experienced the successes and failures of creating or running successful companies.
If you’re one of the lucky few fortunate enough to already have a relationship with a notable founder or chief executive, having first-hand access to their knowledge can be invaluable. If you’re like the rest of us, however, another option is simply reading the first-hand accounts of already successful entrepreneurs.
Chief executives at an array of companies ranging from General Electric $GE to Disney $DIS, have penned accounts of their experiences in the world of business. Even for people less interested in the world of entrepreneurs, these books can also offer insights into the minds of some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world.
For example, Stephen Schwarzman, the co-founder and CEO of Blackstone, explained his decision to pursue highly ambitious goals in his 2019 memoir “What It Takes.”
“It’s as hard to start and run a small business as it is to start a big one,” he wrote. “So choose one with the potential to be huge.”
In other instances, memoirs reveal the sometimes circuitous paths to success taken by people who weren’t born with access to wealth or power.
“No young kid growing up ever dreams of someday becoming a businessman,” Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard wrote in his book ‘Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman.”
“He wants to be a fireman, a sponsored athlete, or a forest ranger. The Lee Iacoccas, Donald Trumps, and Jack Welches of the business world are heroes to no one except other businessmen with similar values. I wanted to be a fur trapper when I grew up.”
Continue reading to learn more about bestselling books written by CEOs.
First published in 2019, “Learning to Lead” by Aetna CEO Ron Williams recounts the author’s own journey to success while offering readers insights into “the professional leadership qualities that deliver personal, interpersonal, and organizational success.”
First written in 2010, “Delivering Happiness” by now-deceased Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh is divided into three parts: profits, passion and purpose – with Hsieh explaining how he found each one, while building his businesses.
Former presidential candidate and Venture for America founder Andrew Yang wrote “Smart People Should Build Things” in 2014. Yang argues in his book that many of the country’s problems could be solved if young people built their own businesses.
First published in 2012, “Raising the Bar” by Clif Bar’s founder and former CEO Gary Erickson recounts the history of the company. The book also gives insight into Erickson’s decision to work for decades, rather than sell the Clif Bar Company for $120 million in 2000.
Published in 2019, “The Ride of a Lifetime” tells the story of Disney $DIS CEO Bob Iger’s ascent within one of the most powerful companies in the world.
Released in 2016, “Shoe Dog” by Phil Knight chronicles the history of the founding and growth of Nike $NKE. The received acclaim from Knight’s peers, with both Bill Gates and Warren Buffett describing it as one of their favorite books of 2016.
Starbucks $SBUX founder and former CEO Howard Schultz wrote “Pour Your Heart into It” in 1997 but decades later it remains widely acclaimed. The book chronicles the founding of Starbucks and the ways in which the company changed American coffee culture.
Satya Nadella interweaves his life story, beginning with his childhood in India, with his experiences as the CEO of Microsoft $MSFT in his 2017 book “Hit Refresh.” The profits from “Hit Refresh” were given to Microsoft Philanthropies and subsequently distributed to nonprofit organizations.
First published in 2020, “Invent and Wander” is a collection of Amazon $AMZN founder Jeff Bezos’ writings, rather than a traditional memoir. The book contains annual shareholder letters, speeches and interviews, among other writings.
First published in 2019, “Trailblazer” by Salesforce $CRM founder and CEO Marc Benioff details the behind-the-scenes operations of his company. In the book, Benioff argues that building a work culture in which the company’s core values are evident at every level leads to a more successful business.
