Reading the right book at the right time is the fastest way to get smart on the go, a direct line to the insights and experiences of other leaders and thinkers who can help you navigate the past, present and future of your chosen field.
This month’s list of books most in demand by brighter CEOs covers the public and private aspects of running an organisation under pressure from people and time. Spend a few hours in the company of any or all of these authors – in print or on audio, it doesn’t matter - and your business brain will be richer as a result.
Superfast: Lead at Speed
Sophie Devonshire
Director of the Caffeine Partnership
A guide to leading decisively and with impact in a fast-moving, opportunity rich world - backed up by interviews with leaders of corporations including Unilever, Google and Unruly.
From Crash to defeat: Diaries volume 7, 2007-2010
Alastair Campbell
Former director of communications for PM Tony Blair
Having succeeded Tony Blair as Prime Minister, Gordon Brown wants spin doctor Campbell at his side. Campbell resists, flooding his reservoir of guilt as a general election looms.
Future politics: living together
in a world transformed by tech
Jamie Susskind
Fellow of Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet and Society
Rapid and relentless innovation in a range of technologies - from artificial intelligence to virtual reality - will transform the way we live together.
Create space: How to manage time 
and find focus, productivity and success
Derek Draper
Psychologist
Shows how to push back against the tide and create space in your life to think, relate and act on a deeper level - The author is a former political lobbyist and now works as a psychologist.
Compassion Inc: Unleashing the
power of empathy in life and business
Guarav Sinha
Business leader
Aligning purpose and profit is the biggest challenge facing both the ethical capitalist and the conscious consumer of the future. This manifesto for change is a step in the right direction.
The discomfort zone: How to get
what you want by living fearlessly
Farrah Storr
Magazine editor
The first work of non-fiction from the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine in the UK. Looking at how the very thing we try to avoid - discomfort - is the secret sauce of success.
Lessons in leadership: 12 key concepts
John Adair
Academic
The very fundamentals of being a leader and how it operates as a management function. Highly recommended as a video call to your management team.
The challenge culture: why the most 
successful organisations run on pushback
Nigel Travis
Chairman and CEO of Dunkin brands
The best way for organisations to succeed in today's environment is to embrace challenge and encourage pushback, rather than reject them.
What's your type? The strange history of Myers-
Briggs and the birth of personality testing
Merve Emre
Assistant professor of English, McGill University
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator is the most popular personality test in the world. This book examines nothing less than the definition of the self – our attempts to grasp, categorise and quantify our personalities.
Make time: How to focus on what matters every day
Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky
Productivity experts
Ex Google Venture productivity designers lend their brains to the task of finding more joy in your day to day working life. Their previous book Sprint was Excellent.
Richard Kilgarriff is editorial director of Bookomi.com, which connects businesses with the world’s most wanted authors for live events and video calls. In this column, he tracks the reading habits of business leaders, flagging titles that are set to cause a stir. You can contact Richard at hello@bookomi.com.
Main image credit: Pixabay/Pexels
Book jackets: the publishers
