35 essential book recommendations by and for IT leaders

Next time you settle into your airline seat, it might be worth setting aside the reports and spreadsheets and instead turn this time into an opportunity for big-picture thinking. Load a smart read onto your phone or e-reader or crack the spine of a new book and delve into some thought leadership on everything from leading an amazing team to building a productive company culture to reaching for a better mindset for guiding your organization forward.

I asked CIOs and other high-level IT leaders what they have read that they think other leaders would benefit from. They shared their book recommendations, for light or deep reading on everything from spirituality to AI, for juicing your brain into action and reflection.

So, if you’re looking to be a better leader, here are just over two dozen books worth adding to your to-be-read pile, recommended by your peers.

On leadership

The Ideal Executive: Why You Cannot Be One and What to Do About It

By Ichak Kalderon Adizes, PhD

This is the first book in a three-book leadership series by Adizes, a renowned expert on management. “The Ideal Executive explores a topic not typically discussed, says Erik Gfesser, owner of Fesswise. “The fact that nobody can be an ideal executive.” An organization needs four roles at its head, Gfesser says: A producer, administrator, entrepreneur, and integrator.  “No single individual can excel at all four of these roles.”

“Every manager has their own unique management style that consists of some combination of these four roles, and mismanagement is the result when a given manager doesn’t meet the minimum competence level of one or more of these,” says Gfesser. “This book not only helped me identify my management style but helped me identify the management styles of those around me. I would love to see it introduced as required reading in every organization.”

The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done

By Peter Drucker

Drucker is a legend when it comes to the philosophy of management. Rather than espousing the necessity of imagination, intelligence, and knowledge in this book, though, he takes a hard look at the daily habits and skills that get things done.

“It’s a totally actionable book. Drucker teaches that effectiveness is learned and centers on managing time, focusing on priorities, leveraging strengths, and making impact-driven decisions,” says Mark Porter, CTO of dbt Labs. “It doesn’t pull any punches. It feels like you’re having a mirror held up to you — an uncomfortably clear one.”

Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers Into Leaders

By L. David Marquet

Marquet tells his own story. He was given command of a nuclear-powered submarine with a crew that was plagued by poor morale, poor performance, and the worst retention rate in the fleet and transformed that crew into one that set records for performance, morale, and retention. He did it by creating a leader from every crew member. This book details how to do the same in your organization.

“Turn the Ship Around! is a blueprint for escaping the trap of being the bottleneck,” says Gerry Miller, CEO at Cloudticity. It works, he says. “Using this shift from command to intent-based leadership unlocked speed and creativity across my team.”

Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage

By Alfred Lansing

“Endurance is a master class in leadership, especially for those of us in the fast-paced, high-stakes world of technology,” says Alon Yamin, CEO and co-founder of Copyleaks. “Shackleton’s famous job description from 1913 — ‘Men wanted for hazardous journey. Low wages, bitter cold, long hours of complete darkness. Safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in the event of success.’ — is a perfect example of radical transparency.”  

The thrilling and nearly unbelievable story of survival also showcases Shackleton’s relentless excellence at leadership. “He never hid the truth from his team,” says Yamin. “Instead of dwelling on the despair, he immediately inspired them to focus on solutions and take action. It’s a powerful reminder that even the most ambitious ventures require a team built on trust, transparency, and the resilience to endure the impossible.”

The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success

By Deepak Chopra

In The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success, Deepak Chopra distills his teachings into seven principles that can easily be applied to your daily life. Raffael Marty, EVP and general manager of cybersecurity at ConnectWise, who recommends the title to IT leaders, says it was one of the first spiritual books he has read. The book focuses on discovering your true nature and living in harmony with natural laws to create fulfilling relationships and enthusiasm for life, Marty says.

“Create an environment where people are fulfilled, where they enjoy the relationships they have with each other, and where empathy and gratitude are practiced,” he says, noting a key takeaway he received from the book. “Find fulfillment in what you do. Work from a place of excitement, intention, and ‘pure potentiality,’ as Chopra calls it.”

Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building

By Claire Hughes Johnson

For those looking for in-the-trenches advice on effectively managing resources for growth, John Cannava, CIO of Ping Identity, recommends Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building by Claire Hughes Johnson, who has worked as a leader at Google and Stripe. Consider Johnson’s book a handbook on scaling your organization through its most vital resource: its people. Scaling People includes wisdom on leading as well as worksheets, templates, and exercises to help you get it done.

“As a business scales, it’s important to scale your team along the way,” says Cannava. “This book offers valuable techniques and frameworks. I particularly enjoyed her approach to ‘saying the thing you think you cannot say’ and the ‘player vs. victim’ dynamic.”

Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win 

By Jocko Willink and Leif Babin

Nageswaran Vaidyanathan, CTO of Duck Creek Technologies, believes any IT leader will benefit from reading Jocko Willink and Leif Babin’s Extreme Ownership: How US Navy SEALs Lead and Win, a book about leadership from the ranks of the US Navy’s elite special operations force, known as the SEALs, for sea, air, land.

In the book, Willink and Babin write of being sent to Ramadi, Iraq — a violent war zone at the time — to secure the city. There they discovered that leadership is the element most essential to team success — even in the worst situations. They returned home to found the SEAL leadership training team.

“It talks about the competencies and leadership traits necessary to take ownership of a team and allow each member to do the same — and be able to make crucial decisions under pressure,” says Vaidyanathan. “I find it to be a great source for how to cultivate the right team competencies and individual leadership traits for dealing with stressful situations.”

Death by Meeting: A Leadership Fable … About Solving the Most Painful Problem in Business

By Patrick Lencioni

Shannon Thomas, CIO at Hennepin Technical College in Minnesota, acknowledges that meetings have become a necessary evil. “Often leaders end their days exhausted by meetings only to finish work after-hours,” she says. Is there a better way? In Death by Meeting, a fast-paced work of fiction, and a parable about leadership, author Patrick Lencioni finds strategies for making meetings better, faster, and more effective and turns them into an easy read and a blueprint for you to use.

“Lencioni addresses meetings in a fun way and encourages you to rethink how they are structured to improve effectiveness and morale around this business necessity,” says Thomas.

Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know

By Adam Grant

As a leader, you are often looked upon as the final decision maker. If your beliefs become entrenched, you might listen only to people who agree with you, which means you will miss opportunities and reject good ideas. To fight against this, Rachel Hayden, CIO at ScanSource, recommends picking up Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know because it will help you embrace the ability to rethink and relearn.

In it, Adam Grant “emphasizes the value in maintaining an open mind and encourages readers to build a ‘challenge’ network in addition to a ‘support’ network,” Hayden says. “The technology industry constantly evolves, the world has new problems to solve, and our answers and solutions as technology leaders should evolve, too.”

Thinking Fast and Slow

By Daniel Kahneman

ReadingThinking Fast and Slow by famous psychologist and Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman helped Kirsty Roth, chief operations and technology officer at Thomson Reuters, understand her own thinking style and use that knowledge to better handle the people she works with. Kahneman describes two elemental thinking styles and shows you when you can and when you can’t trust your intuition when dealing with people — based on your style and theirs.

“This book isn’t just for CxO’s,” she says. “It’s about the human cognitive condition. It helps me see myself for who I am, with all the experience, bias, and tendency I come with, and helps me see others for who they are, with all their own.”

Herding Cats: A Primer for Programmers Who Lead Programmers

By Hank Rainwater

If you are looking for advice on fine-tuning your approach to leading programmers, Matt Aird, CTO of Custom Neon and co-owner of Infoactive Media, recommends Herding Cats: A Primer for Programmers Who Lead Programmers. In it, author Hank Rainwater, “Dives into the unique challenges of leading a group of highly intelligent, creative, and often independent-minded individuals, and offers practical advice that is both relatable and actionable,” says Aird.

Rainwater breaks down the personality traits you will encounter, how to match people to the right projects, hiring, managing meetings, and more. “The book offers concrete strategies for fostering collaboration, maintaining productivity, and balancing the fine line between leadership and micromanagement,” says Aird.

Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow

By Gallup

More than 3 million people have taken Gallup’s StrengthsFinder assessment — a wealth of data and insights into human potential. To tap into that wisdom, Diana Cano, CIO at Cambium Learning Group, highly recommends Strengths Based Leadership. In this deep-dive, two renowned leadership experts — Tom Rath and Barry Conchie — delve into Gallup’s surveys as well as decades of research on the results and on leadership to identify the keys to being a better leader.  

“I’ve spent the last 16 years dog-earing the book to help me build well-balanced teams and develop individuals through self-awareness,” says Cano. “It’s helped me see the diversity we have in how we work with each other.”

On competitors, customers, and business growth

Onboarding Matters: How Successful Companies Transform New Customers Into Loyal Champions

By Donna Weber

Onboarding Matters digs into the importance of your customer onboarding experience — from the point of view of the customer. It is a prescription for helping your customers through this important process — the first impression they have of your company.

“Tech leaders typically spend up to 10 times more on marketing and product development than they do on onboarding and training,” says Jeremy Shiner, founder and president of Myriad Systems. “This book touches upon the psychological trepidation that end users feel when onboarding with a new system, especially in fast-paced environments. It helped me to empathize with them.”

The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail

By Clayton M. Christensen

Sometimes the most outstanding companies fail — even when they did everything right. But why? John Lyotier, CEO and co-founder of TravelAI, recommends pondering this question by reading The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen. The book explains why companies miss out on waves of innovation because managers don’t know when to abandon practices that are holding them back.

“This classic is profoundly relevant in the context of today’s AI revolution,” says Lyotier. “It offers critical insights into how businesses can navigate AI’s disruptive impact. Christensen explains how established companies can be overtaken by upstarts introducing simpler, more convenient, and often more personalized solutions that better meet the evolving needs of their customers. Timeless lessons indeed.”

Sooner Safer Happier: Antipatterns and Patterns for Business Agility

By Jonathan Smart, Zsolt Berend, Myles Ogilvie, and Simon Rohrer

Rajesh Jethwa, CTO at Digiterre, recommends Sooner Safer Happier: Antipatterns and Patterns for Business Agility for leaders, who, in any part of the business, are looking to tap into agile and Lean methodologies to empower teams to be productive and grow together.

“It provides a comprehensive guide to achieving business agility, focusing on real-world examples and practical advice. Technology leaders will benefit from understanding how to deliver better business outcomes and support their teams in becoming more resilient and adaptable,” Jethwa says.

The Four Factors of Trust: How Organizations Can Earn Lifelong Loyalty 

By Ashley Reichheld and Amelia Dunlop

Rick Johnson, chief digital officer of Marvin, recommends Ashley Reichheld and Amelia Dunlop’s The Four Factors of Trust, a book that teaches you to measure, predict, and build trust — all key in developing meaningful relationships with customers.

“We need to really understand the drivers that influence customer and employee trust, as this is increasingly a litmus test,” says Johnson. “Those are the drivers we need to focus on and accentuate in our customer experiences as well as employee experiences — experiences that are shaped and delivered by technology. Technology leaders must be trusted by the enterprise. There must be trust that we are making the right technology decisions, designing and introducing technology that will work and deliver value, and trust in doing what we say we will do. It is imperative for technology leaders to be authentic, honest, candid, and transparent — in the pursuit of being trusted.”

Amp It Up: Leading for Hypergrowth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Elevating Intensity

By Frank Slootman

Barr Moses, CEO and co-founder at Monte Carlo, recommends Amp It Up by Frank Slootman.  

“Frank Slootman, serial entrepreneur and CEO of Snowflake, shares his playbook for building a successful company,” says Moses, “having led Snowflake to the biggest software IPO ever. In his first book, he pulls no punches about the importance of speed and focus when leading a hypergrowth organization, as well as setting a high bar for the rest of your team. As co-founder and CEO of my own category-creating company in the data space, I found Slootman’s tactical advice and insightful perspective on what it takes to reach unprecedented scale to be a goldmine. 10/10; would — and often do — read again.”

On technology and innovation

Four Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products That Win

By Stephen Blank

This is a classic bestseller, written by the eight-time entrepreneur who launched the lean startup movement. The practical four-step process Four Steps to the Epiphany remains a valuable tool for tech leaders who are hoping to uncover flaws in their business and product plans before wasting time and money on them.

“This is my bible for managing and scaling an innovation program and pipeline,” says Tessa Burg, CTO at Mod Op. “It shows tech leaders how to create products your audience is desperate to pay for … without over-engineering. This approach leads to faster go-to-market, less technical debt, and recurring revenue.”

Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products

By Nir Eyal

Based on his years working in gaming and advertising, Eyal details the strategies these industries use to build products that are so compelling customers don’t want to put them down. Hooked was recommended by more than one tech leader.

“Nir has a real talent for unpacking the depths of human behavior,” says Meeta Vouk, vice president of product management for gen AI and analytics at Teradata. “He explains how to design products that connect with people on a psychological level, while also weaving in the ethics and responsibilities that come with building habit-forming experiences.”

“I think about value hooks and creating continuous feedback loops with every product and solution we deliver,” adds Mod Ops’ Burg.

Co-Intelligence

By Ethan Mollick

Looking for a quick read to help you explain AI to the people in your life who don’t live and breathe it? Ken Englund, technology sector growth leader at for EY Americas at Ernst & Young, recommends Co-Intelligence by Ethan Mollick. In the book, Mollick encourages readers to engage with AI as a coworker and offers real examples of AI in action.

“Mollick has wonderful insights on AI as a collaborator, partner, and agent,” says Englund. “He shares highly tangible examples he uses with his students at Wharton. I highly recommend sharing with a parent who might be trying to understand how gen AI will fit in, or with a child who might want to think about the best ways to apply it to their education.”

The Coming Wave

By Mustafa Suleyman

Several people recommended The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman. “There are many books on the topic of AI, but there are three main things that I like about this book,” says Englund.

“First, Mustafa Suleyman founded Deep Mind and later sold it to Google. He and his co-founders were literally at the early commercial explosion of neural networks, which is the foundational architecture behind today’s generative AI wave,” Englund explains. “Secondly, while I consider him balanced and optimistic on humanity, he does place an extremely critical eye on Big Tech.”

Move Fast and Fix Things: The Trusted Leader’s Guide to Solving Hard Problems

By Frances Frei

When Facebook made “move fast and break things” an informal motto, the idea took off. And things got broken. If you prefer to build a great company, help people, and solve hard problems, Beth Scagnoli, vice president of product management at Redpoint Global, recommends reading Move Fast and Fix Things by Frances Frei.

“The premise is to be able to solve hard — and important — problems quickly while emphasizing companywide trust and empathy,” Scagnoli says. “In the tech space, especially where stakes are high for getting ahead of the pack, the book’s focus on radical candor and prioritization, as well as inclusivity across an organization resonated with me, especially in terms of using storytelling to communicate the ‘why’ when working across silos in a company.”

Age of Invisible Machines: A Practical Guide to Creating a Hyperautomated Ecosystem of Intelligent Digital Workers 

By Robb Wilson

Sherry Comes, former CTO at IBM Watson and current managing director of conversational AI at PwC, thinks you need to read Age of Invisible Machines by Robb Wilson. This thorough roadmap for negotiating the future of digital automation is written by the founder and chief technologist at OneReach.ai and the owner of UX Magazine.  

“This is the technology book every business and technology leader needs to read,” says Comes. “With each chapter, I found myself agreeing more and more. This made my ‘must-read’ list for anyone who cares about technology.”

The Industries of the Future 

By Alec Ross

Duck Creek’s Vaidyanathan also recommends Alec Ross’ The Industries of the Future. Ross was Senior Advisor for Innovation to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and traveled the world, visiting startup hubs and R&D labs, to uncover the latest advances that are emerging from every corner of the globe. In the book, he examines robotics, AI, cybercrime, genomics, big data, and more.

“It covers the different aspects of what will drive global transformation and how these will cause progress or failure,” says Vaidyanathan. “Ross also looks at how the global economic future will be shaped and the trends that will drive the way we live.”

For building culture and motivation

What You Do Is Who You Are: How to Create Your Business Culture

By Ben Horowitz

Andrey Ivashin, CIO at Dyninno, recommends What You Do Is Who You Are by Ben Horowitz because it “shows the importance of company culture and the role of leadership.” Horowitz is a venture capitalist and management expert who uses history and modern organizational practice to offer advice on culture building.

“It offers helpful suggestions and examples of what does and doesn’t work in terms of creating a strong company culture,” says Ivashin. “I think it’s more significant that the author examines how leaders may foster a healthy work atmosphere and inspire people to perform at their highest level throughout the book.”

Team Topologies: Organizing Business and Technology Teams for Fast Flow 

By Manuel Pais and Matt Skelton

“CTOs and CIOs who work for organizations that are struggling to deliver value sustainably will greatly benefit from reading Team Topologies,” says Peter Kreslins Jr., CTO and co-founder of Digibee. This step-by-step guide to designing a high-functioning organization helps you understand four team types and interaction patterns and helps you to type and build it.

“It gives the fundamental patterns for achieving fast flow,” he says. “By defining team types, their fundamental interactions, and the science behind them, you learn how to better model your organizations according to these definitions. This book is mind-bending because it translates the complex theories behind the socio-technical aspects of software development and delivery into a set of easy-to-understand patterns. It also gives a set of streamlined steps to get started.”

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us 

By Daniel H. Pink

Ivashin also thinks IT leaders will enjoy Daniel H. Pink’s Drive. Pink is a New York Times bestselling author of seven books about work, creativity, and behavior and his books have sold millions of copies around the world.

“This book explores what truly motivates people, based on scientific research from psychology, economics, and neuroscience,” says Ivashin. “Pink points out that conventional motivational techniques, such as rewards and punishments, are less successful than we assume and might even be counterproductive. It shows that the three key motivation factors are autonomy, mastery, and purpose.”

Do/Disrupt: Change the Status Quo. Or Become It 

By Mark Shayler

Bill Bragg, CIO at SymphonyAI, recommends Mark Shayler’s Do/Disrupt: Change the Status Quo. Or Become It. This advice book offers tips — as well as quotes from some of history’s most famous innovators — on how to be strategic and bold as you take your own path toward transforming your ideas into reality.

“It is a fun and straight to the point guide or sketchbook,” he says. “It’s suitable for all seeking a brave new way.”

For better process

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High

By Patterson, Grenny, McMillan, and Switzler

Having difficult conversations — with the people in the C-suite, high-level customers, and your team — is part of leading. Being good at it is hard. Crucial Conversations teaches you how not to blow up or clam up, to be persuasive, and to redirect conversations that are headed off the rails.  

“This book helped increase my confidence for entering high-stakes conversations,” says Harkawal Cheema, digital leader at Signify’s (formerly Philips Lighting) Genlyte Solutions, Color Kinetics, and Entertainment Business Unit. “It provides tools and techniques to prepare for high-stakes conversations, to keep emotions in check and to navigate a dialogue, to stay focused on the problem statement, and to ensure different perspectives are heard.”

The Four Tendencies: The Indispensable Personality Profiles That Reveal How to Make Your Life Better

By Gretchen Rubin

“The Four Tendencies is cheesy as all get-out,” says Charity Majors, CTO at Honeycomb. “I was embarrassed to be seen reading it in public. But it helped me save the two most important relationships in my life — with my partner and my cofounder.”

Rubin posits that people respond to expectations — external and internal — in four essential ways. Some meet all kinds of expectations readily. Others need to be convinced to meet external expectations. Some will meet external expectations but can’t hold themselves accountable. Then there are rebels who resist all expectations.

“It can be hard to remember that other people are not just like us,” says Majors. “It’s valuable to learn to spot extreme manifestations of each of these types of people, so you know how to motivate them and get the best work out of them … and out of yourself.”

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

By Marty Cagan

“If you believe in collaboration, agility, and deeply understanding your customer, Inspired is a great guide for organizing and mobilizing your teams to create valuable products,” says Brent Laufenberg, CIO at the Global Electronics Association.

It is a master class in how to structure and staff a product organization. “It provides clear processes for each stage of the full product development lifecycle,” says Laufenberg. “It’s a hands-on framework for aligning product, UX, and engineering to deliver scalable, meaningful solutions that drive business results. Leaders will gain practical tools for accelerating product discovery, prioritizing initiatives, and avoiding the common pitfalls that derail innovation.”

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement 

By Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Dyninno’s Ivashin also recommends Eliyahu M. Goldratt’s The Goal, a treatise on modern economic theory, packaged as a novel.

“It is a well-known book and a classic of business literature,” says Ivashin. “And because it is written like a novel, it is accessible and engaging. It offers helpful techniques and solutions for resolving typical corporate issues like bottlenecks, inefficiencies, and poor communication. The lessons you learn from the characters in the book can be applied to any business and it highlights the necessity for businesses to continuously enhance their processes to remain successful and competitive.”

Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps: Building and Scaling High Performing Technology Organizations 

By Dr. Nicole Forsgren, PhD, Gene Kim, and Jez Humble

Rajesh Jethwa, CTO of Digiterre, suggests Accelerate by Dr. Nicole Forsgren, PhD, Gene Kim, and Jez Humble, a book that examines, through extensive research, ways that technology can drive business value.

“Backed by considerable research,” says Jethwa, “the book provides data-driven insights and practical guidance on how to improve technology delivery capabilities and foster a culture of continuous improvement to build high-performing teams.”

Bonus: Novels that entertain and teach

In another nod to Gene Kim, Digibee’s Kreslins Jr. also recommends two books by the founder and former CTO of Tripwire.

The Unicorn Project: A Novel About Developers, Digital Disruption, and Thriving in the Age of Data tells the story of Maxine, a senior lead developer, as she tries to survive in a heartless bureaucracy overrun with paperwork and committees.

In The Phoenix Project: A Novel About IT, DevOps, and Helping Your Business Win(IT Revolution Press, 2013), Bill — an IT manager — takes over a critical project that’s over budget and behind schedule. The CEO demands that Bill deliver the project in 90 days.

“Both books talk about modern ways of delivering software,” says Kreslins Jr. “They touch the core of the issues that prevent organizations from delivering value without obstacles — generating a sense of purpose, meaning, and pride for everyone working on it. The great thing about both of these books is that they are novels that tell the story from the point of view of people struggling with their day-to-day jobs, as they are hindered by bureaucracy, unnecessary processes, and overall team dysfunction. The Phoenix Project, in particular, shed light on the DevOps movement that later became widely adopted in organizations.”