Libraries of Leaders: On Hillary Clinton, Sheryl Sandberg and Indra Nooyi’s Bookshelves
The bookshelves of women leaders
Hillary Clinton broke the ultimate glass ceiling in the U.S. last week by becoming the first woman to win the Democratic presidential nomination. Here is a list of her favourite books, and the preferred books of other women leaders who support her.
Hillary Clinton
Clinton likes reading fiction in her spare time. These are some of her favourite books, according to interviews she did with the New York Times and the Washington Post.
1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tart
The novel won the Pulitzer prize, and follows the story of a 13 year old New-Yorker who survives an accident which kills his mother.
2. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
Set in the 19th century, the novel follows the fortunes of the wealthy Whittaker family, in particular Anna Whittaker, a botanist who sets out to study evolution around the same time as Charles Darwin undertakes his study on the subject.
3. A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth
The 1,488 page novel is a love story set in 1950s India.
4. The Hare With Amber Eyes by Edmund de Wal
The book is a memoir by British ceramicist Edmund de Waal.
5. Our Divided Political Heart by E.J. Dionne
Clinton says that this book is about how almost everybody has some conservative and liberal impulses. “Just as individuals have to reconcile them within [themselves], so does our political system if we expect it to function productively.”
6. World Order by Henry Kissinger
Like Mark Zuckerberg, Clinton too is a fan of the book.
Kissinger’s analysis largely fits with the broad strategy behind the Obama administration’s effort to build a global architecture of security and cooperation for the 21st century.Hillary Clinton - In her Washington Post review of World Order
She also mentions a host of crime and mystery novels, saying that she will read anything by John le Carre, and John Grisham, among others.
By the way, on July 28, in her speech at the Democratic National Convention, Chelsea Clinton mentioned that her mother always make time to read to Chelsea’s daughter. Within a day of her speech, the sales of the three books Chelsea mentioned, rocketed exponentially, with Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo rising 1,454 percent to number 210 number on Amazon. She also mentioned A Wrinkle in Time which climbed 82 percent to number 74, and Goodnight Moon which jumped from 59th place to 46th.
Sheryl Sandberg
Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook, is big on women’s issues. She is the founder of the Lean In campaign, and author of the book Lean In, which is about empowering women to achieve their ambitions.
Here are some books she likes, according to an interview she did with the New York Times:
1. Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
In 2014, Sandberg launched a campaign to ban the word “bossy” to encourage young women to seek more leadership roles.
It is so, so good. As a young girl, I was labelled bossy, too, so as a former — O.K., current — bossypants, I am grateful to Tina for being outspoken, unapologetic and hysterically funny.Sheryl Sandberg commenting on Bossy Pants, in an interview with the New York Times
2. Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton.
Sandberg says this is the best business book she has read. The authors say that the most important predictor of the success of a company or division is how many people answer yes to the question “Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?”
Sandberg says that the book has been instrumental in how Facebook thinks about developing talent.
4. Conscious Business: How to Build Value Through Values by Fred Kofman
[This book] had a profound effect on my career and life. I think about his lessons almost every day — the importance of authentic communication, impeccable commitments, being a player not a victim, and taking responsibility.Sheryl Sandberg in an interview with the New York Times
3. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
According to Sandberg, this is one of the best books to read on technology. She says that this book provides a “great inside look at how the tech industry approaches building products and businesses.”
5. Queen of Fashion: What Marie Antoinette Wore to the Revolution by Caroline Webber.
Sandberg says that she enjoyed this book, which has been written by her college roommate.
Sandberg says that if she could meet any one author, it would be J.K Rowling. I agree with her on that!
She is also working on her second book, Option B with author and professor Adam Grant.
Indra Nooyi
1. The Road to Character by David Brooks.
In an interview with Fortune, the Indian born, Pepsi CEO names this as one of the books that inspired her.
Beyond provoking valuable self-reflection and introspection, it sparked a wonderful discussion with my two daughters about why building inner character is just as important as building a career. In fact, the two go hand in hand—the moral compass of our lives must also be the moral compass of our livelihoods.Indra Nooyi’s Review of The Road To Character in Fortune magazine
2. The Three Box Solution: A Strategy for Leading Innovation by Vijay Govindarajan
3. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Meg Whitman
Meg Whitman, Hewlett Packard’s CEO, and high profile Republican, broke with the party by announcing that she will vote for Hilary, and donate to her campaign. She urged Republicans to ‘put country first before party,’ in a statement.
Here is a book that she thinks is critical for business:
Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works by A.G Lafley.
This book is required reading for managers at HP. At a quarterly earnings conference call Whitman mentioned that she applies the framework in the book across HP, reported the New York Times, and CNN, among others.