Even the best leaders find inspiration in the stories of others. At our annual CEO Collaborate, we asked our portfolio company CEOs to recommend the business and leadership books that have helped them accelerate growth, shape great cultures and more.

Here are their recommendations, with links at the bottom for more information on each book. Add them to your summer reading list or consider this your gift guide for the emerging leader in your life.

Happy reading!

(And for quick, personal leadership lessons from our CEOs, past and present, check out 20 Years of High Growth Insights.)

 

20 Business and Leadership Books for CEOs

Private-equity backed CEOs share the books that have helped them build great businesses. Titles were collected at LLR Partners’ annual CEO Collaborate forum for portfolio company leaders.

21 Business and Leadership Books for CEOs

 

Here is where you can find out more about each author and book:

  1. Turn the Ship Around
  2. Traction
  3. Leaders Eat Last
  4. Leadership and Self-Deception
  5. Scaling Up
  6. Blue Ocean Shift
  7. Spin Selling
  8. The Sales Acceleration Formula
  9. Essentialism
  10. Managing Management Time
  11. The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
  12. Powerful
  13. Good to Great
  14. Competitive Strategy
  15. Great by Choice
  16. Inside the Tornado
  17. Shoe Dog
  18. The Hard Thing About Hard Things
  19. What the CEO Wants You to Know