Finding the time to read in our busy schedules can often feel like a luxury. Yet, books hold the unique power of opening up space in our lives – whether through sparking new ideas, challenging the ways we view the world, or offering pause from the demands of daily life. Here’s our curated list of the most thought-provoking, purposeful business books for leaders written in 2024, designed to inspire action and nurture change.

Higher Ground: How Business Can Do the Right Thing in a Turbulent World

By Alison Taylor

Ethics in business should go beyond reputation management, argues NYU ethics professor Alison Taylor. In this book, she offers how CEOs can set robust environmental and social priorities, and get to the bottom of when is the right time to speak out on social issues, especially in times of division. Taylor’s approach doesn’t assume CEOs have all the answers; instead, she offers thoughtful guidance on navigating complex social and environmental issues.

A quote from the book:

May Contain Lies: How Stories, Statistics and Studies Exploit Our Biases – And What We Can Do About It

By Alex Edmans

The world bombards us with numbers, stats and facts – often without the evidence, or the care, to back them up. This book is a navigational guide to separate fact from fiction, guiding readers to sift through fake news and skewed data to cut through to real information. Alex Edmans’ book provides an important lesson, and a methodology, for finding the truth and solutions, rather than reinforcing lies in politics and business.

A quote from the book:

The Authentic Shift: Inner Development for a Changing World

By Carl Lindeborg

The Authentic Shift offers a roadmap towards effective leadership told through the journey of finding inner clarity. In his book, Carl Lindeborg writes with equal weight philosophically and practically about personal development, leadership, and how these relate in an increasingly complex and changing world. Blending ancient wisdom with modern science, he provides a holistic approach to personal and leadership development.

You Belong Here: The Power of Being Seen, Heard

By Kim Dabbs

It’s not uncommon to feel like you don’t belong somewhere. But to avoid these feelings of exclusion, many of us hide our authentic selves and allow others to define our identity. You Belong Here explores the critical role that belonging plays in personal and professional environments, advocating for the creation of inclusive spaces where individuals can thrive. Through the exploration of identity and the outsider experience, her work is poignant and personal as much as it is practical and actionable.

A quote from the book:

​Slow Productivity: The Lost Art of Accomplishment without Burnout

By Cal Newport

This book is for those stretched thin – for those who feel they will never get to the end of their to-do lists. Cal Newport describes a groundbreaking new philosophy for pursuing meaningful accomplishment while avoiding burnout. He harnesses the wisdom of traditional knowledge workers, those who had mastered the art of producing valuable work with staying power, to radically transform the way we think about and do work amid society’s obsession with productivity.

A quote from the book:

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

By Jonathan Haidt

Gen Z and beyond are now experiencing the consequences of constant connectivity through their phones – some of them wish they had known this all before. Haidt proposes new research which outlines the profound consequences of being raised with technology as a constant, including rising rates of anxiety and depression, coupled with the erosion of face-to-face connection. This book isn’t just for parents – it’s for anyone concerned about the impact that technology has on our future generations. 

A quote from the book:

Coming in 2025:

The Arts of Leading: Perspectives from the Humanities and the Liberal Arts

Edited by Edward Brooks and Michael Lamb

What does it mean to lead? Who do we consider to be leaders? And how might viewing leadership through the many lenses of the humanities expand our understanding of how it is imagined, represented and enacted? This series of thoughtful and refreshing essays engages a litany of diverse and nuanced perspectives to uncover alternative ways of imagining and embodying leadership across different historical, moral, political, and cultural contexts. It invites leaders, scholars and citizens to expand their practice of leadership in our ever-evolving world.