Essential reads for CEOs: Master leadership, strategy, innovation, and building resilient organizations in the fast-changing business world of 2025.
Since childhood, we have all heard about the habit of reading books and its benefits. Books are the source of knowledge and information, it allows you to understand several perspectives and analyze them. It introduces you to different worlds, people, emotions, opinions, and ways to manage situations. Leaders deal with different situations, which requires an understanding of the vast world and its practices.
Becoming a successful CEO takes more than just business skills; it requires strong leadership, smart strategy, and an understanding of people. To tackle the challenges of this role, many CEOs turn to books for advice and inspiration. These books offer useful tips on leading well, making smart decisions, and creating a positive company culture. Whether you’re an experienced executive or new to the CEO role, these books can help in giving insights and tools to thrive.
8 Books Every CEO Should Read in 2025
In today’s fast-changing business world, CEOs need to keep learning and adapting to stay on top. The handpicked list of books can offer helpful guidance for leaders to grow their businesses. These eight books cover leadership, strategy, innovation, and personal growth, giving CEOs the insights and tools they need to succeed in their roles. We have mentioned below 8 books every CEO should read this year.
- Good to Great
Jim Collins’ Good to Great dives into what sets truly exceptional companies apart from just good ones. In 2025, with businesses facing more disruption and competition, its lessons are still incredibly relevant. CEOs can use their insights to build strong organizations that focus on long-term goals and steady execution rather than quick wins. By applying the “Hedgehog Concept,” CEOs can pinpoint their company’s strengths and focus on what they do best.
The book’s ideas on disciplined people and disciplined thought can help companies navigate tough times and encourage innovation. In the end, Good to Great offers a timeless guide for CEOs aiming to create companies that last and outperform the competition.
- The Innovator’s Dilemma
Clayton Christensen’s The Innovator’s Dilemma explains why successful companies can still fail, even when they seem to be doing everything right. It shows how disruptive innovations, which might seem inferior at first, can eventually take over established markets, leaving big companies struggling to keep up. With technology changing faster than ever, The Innovator’s Dilemma is more important than ever for CEOs.
The book offers a way to understand disruptive changes and build strategies to handle them. CEOs can learn how to spot and support potential game-changers within their own companies, even if they seem small or not profitable at first.
- Disrupt-It-Yourself
Disrupt-It-Yourself by Simone Brummelhuis gives CEOs a practical guide to thriving in the age of disruption. Unlike other books that just talk about disruptive forces, this one shows CEOs how to embrace disruption and turn it into an advantage. It focuses on building a culture of intrapreneurship and empowering employees to drive innovation from within.
As businesses face constant change, Disrupt-It-Yourself will be a key resource for CEOs. It provides a clear approach to fostering continuous innovation, spotting disruptive threats and opportunities, and building flexible organizations that can quickly adapt.
- Blue Ocean Strategy
Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne gives CEOs a powerful way to escape the fierce competition of existing markets and create “blue oceans” with untapped opportunities. In 2025, as industries get more crowded and competition grows tougher, this strategy will be key for CEOs looking for sustainable growth. The book offers practical tools for finding unmet customer needs and creating innovative products that make competitors irrelevant.
CEOs can learn how to explore new market spaces, redefine industry boundaries, and create innovations that generate new demand. By applying the Blue Ocean Strategy, CEOs can lead their companies
- Shoe Dog
Phil Knight’s memoir, Shoe Dog, gives an honest and inspiring look at how Nike was built. It’s more than just a business story—it’s a personal journey of passion, perseverance, and chasing a dream. While it’s not a typical business book, Shoe Dog offers valuable lessons for CEOs. It highlights the importance of creating a strong company culture, taking smart risks, and staying committed to your vision, even when things don’t go as planned. Knight’s journey speaks to the highs and lows of entrepreneurship, reminding CEOs of the human side of business.
In today’s complex and competitive world, Shoe Dog can inspire CEOs to tackle challenges, build purpose within their teams, and develop the resilience needed to succeed in a constantly changing business environment.
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things
Ben Horowitz’s The Hard Thing About Hard Things offers an honest and practical look at the challenges of leading a company, especially during tough times. Unlike many business books that highlight success, Horowitz dives into the messy realities of running a business, like firing employees and handling crises. In 2025, as CEOs deal with growing uncertainty and disruption, this book will be an essential resource.
It gives straightforward advice on making tough decisions, building a strong company culture, and leading through adversity. Horowitz’s real-world examples and honest approach give CEOs both practical guidance and reassurance when facing the “hard things” that come with the job. The book’s focus on resilience, communication, and problem-solving offers a valuable toolkit for CEOs looking to build strong, adaptable organizations that can thrive in challenging times.
- Competing in the age of AI
Competing in the Age of AI by Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani explores how artificial intelligence is changing businesses and entire industries. The book goes beyond the AI hype and gives CEOs a practical guide to understanding and using AI’s potential. In 2025, as AI becomes a bigger part of business, this book will be a must-read for CEOs.
It shows how AI can help create new products, improve operations, and personalize customer experiences. The authors highlight the need to build AI skills within organizations, create new business models, and grasp the strategic impact of adopting AI.
- Dare to Lead
Brené Brown’s Dare to Lead focuses on the importance of courage and vulnerability in leadership. It challenges the traditional view of leadership as being about power and control, instead highlighting the value of empathy, connection, and being authentic. Workplaces grow more complex and employees seek purpose-driven leadership, Dare to Lead will be a key read for CEOs.
The book offers practical advice on building courage, creating a culture of trust, and using vulnerability as a strength. Brown’s research-backed insights give CEOs a clear path to creating more human-centered organizations where employees feel valued, empowered, and motivated to do their best work. By leading with empathy and vulnerability, CEOs can inspire a more engaged workforce, spark innovation, and build stronger, more resilient organizations for the future.
