Whether a diplomat, CEO, chairman, business owner, manager, politician, CFO, influencer, organizer — becoming a leader in any industry is difficult. Becoming a good leader and then maintaining that position is harder, especially when you are female. So, we recommend every women who wants to become a leader: read.
Even if you are already a leader, read… Read often.
There is an infinite amount of information out there that you will never know even if you tried. So, there will always be concepts you will not know… gaps in your education.
One of your goals should be to fill in that gap as much as possible, or at least, as much as is needed.
Read books that will teach you the skills and insights needed to succeed in the professional world. Read books that will help develop the personality traits needed to overcome obstacles. Read books that will teach you the pitfalls to avoid and directions to move towards. Read books with inspiring stories and helpful anecdotes. Read books that will benefit your overall well-being.
Here are the 8 books we think you should read this year…
This book is a New York Times Bestseller. It was also named a Best Holiday Gift Book by Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and Boston Globe. It features over 100 exceptional women – media titans, hoteliers, comedians, architects, and more. All describe how they embraced their creative spirit, overcame adversity, and sparked a global movement of entrepreneurship.
Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski
This book explains why women experience burnout differently than men and teaches women how to minimize stress, manage emotions, and live a more joyful life.
This book is a guide on what goes on behind-the-scenes of a growing business. It covers topics like brand stories, self-care routines, revenue, and mistakes to avoid as an entrepreneur. Each chapter is candidly written by different female entrepreneur and gives candid advice to empower women.
The Creator’s Code: The Six Essential Skills of Extraordinary Entrepreneurs by Amy Wilkinson
Based on 200+ interviews with leading entrepreneurs from different industries, this book identifies the six essential disciplines needed to transform your ideas into real-world successes. Entrepreneurs like the founders of LinkedIn, Chipotle, eBay, Teasla Motors, SpaceX, Spanx, Airbnb, PayPal, Jetblue, Theranos, and Dropbx share fundamental skills that can be learned and practiced.
This book offers 366 days of Stoic insights and exercises, from great minds like the Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, Zeno, Cleanthes, and Musonius Rufus. Every day of the year you’ll find one of their pithy, powerful quotations, as well as historical anecdotes, provocative commentary, and a helpful glossary of Greek terms. The purpose: to help you find the serenity, self-knowledge, and resilience needed to live well.
Discipline Is Destiny: The Power of Self-Control (The Stoic Virtues Series) by Ryan Holiday
To master anything, one must first master themselves – one’s emotions, one’s thoughts, one’s actions. In a world of temptation and excess, this ancient idea is more urgent than ever. This book teaches readers the power of self-discipline and balance, and cautions against the perils of extravagance and hedonism. It provides historical figures like Lou Gehrig, Queen Elizabeth II, Marcus Aurelius, and Toni Morrison, that we can emulate as pillars of self-discipline. It also provides the cautionary tales of historical figures like Napoleon. This book is a #1 Best Seller in Amazon’s Greek & Roman Philosophy genre.
Courage Is Calling: Fortune Favors the Brave (The Stoic Virtues Series) by Ryan Holiday
This book is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today Bestseller. In it, Holiday breaks down the elements of fear, courage, and heroism. He discusses moral dilemmas. He shows you how to conquer fear and practice courage. He also shares stories about historic and contemporary leaders like Charles De Gaulle, Florence Nightingale, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Helvidius Priscus, Frank Serpico, and Frederick Douglass.
Rubenstein is Chairman of the Boards of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the National Gallery of Art. He is the cofounder and cochairman of The Carlyle Group, one of the world’s largest and most successful private equity firms. In this book, he shares stories as well as advice and wisdom from CEOs, presidents, founders, and master performers from the worlds of finance (Warren Buffett and Christine Lagarde), tech (Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, and Tim Cook), entertainment (Oprah Winfrey and Yo-Yo Ma), sports (Jack Nicklaus and Coach K), government (President Bill Clinton, President George W. Bush, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Nancy Pelosi), and many others.
BALISSANDE FINISHING SCHOOL 