On May 1st is celebrated Labor Day. Thinking about the date, 5 executives, including CEOs and directors of companies with global operations such as Appdome, Infobip, ManageEngine and Fair Fashion, listed 10 reading recommendations for those who want to improve their knowledge in business and technology at work and for young people seeking a career in the area. The list brings a wide range of titles with insights related to artificial intelligence, communication and leadership that can help professionals and enthusiasts of these areas to improve their skills and expand their worldviews.
Yuri Fiaschi, VP of strategic projects at Infobip, a global cloud communications platform
Steve Jobs, Walter Isaacson's
“A biography of Steve Jobs is undoubtedly an interesting book, which aligns technology and entrepreneurship.It is impressive to see someone so disruptive and who made real changes, even going against the tide. The book brings several interviews with Jobs over two years, in addition to the vision of competitors, family, friends and co-workers.Living high and low, he made many mistakes in his journey, going through a tortuous path to learn, which today brings us several lessons, especially for entrepreneurs and businesses.”
Multipliers by Liz Wiseman
“Another super interesting title is Multipliers, because it addresses one of my greatest passions: people management. The book distinguishes between multipliers, leaders who know how to highlight qualities and the potential of their team to generate good results, and diminishers, those who focus on reaffirming their position centralizing power and suck the ability and intelligence of the team. The lessons of Liz Wiseman clearly make you see and change attitudes that are diminishing and that you do not even notice in everyday life.”
Caio Borges, country manager at Infobip
Inevitable, by Kevin Kelly
“Presents 12 technological forces that will shape our future. The book shows how trends such as artificial intelligence, sharing and the economy of access are irreversible. Technology will become increasingly integrated, personalized and interactive. Adapting to these changes is essential to thrive.”
The social animal, by Elliot Aronson and Joshua Aronson
“Reference for social psychology studies, this book discusses several issues ranging from prejudice to the effects of communication and mass persuasion. The authors, based on scientific production, bring real examples when addressing how the science of human behavior works, bringing great reflections on the actions of the human being. It is a title that is worth for those who work with people, and want to develop leadership and communication.”
Rajesh Ganesan, CEO of ManageEngine, a division of Zoho Corporation that offers security management and IT operations solutions
You are what you do: How to create your company culture, by Ben Horowitz
“What makes companies become lasting institutions? What is the secret for these companies to achieve global impact? What inspires and motivates people to work together in these companies with a long-term goal? The answer is certainly culture, which is typically a vague and abstract term for most people. The book firmly establishes what culture means for an organization & is what each person and team does when they are confronted with tasks. It is not what they think, talk, or plan, but what they do consistently defines what culture is. Consistency in the actions of a company is important and flows from top to bottom.
The book explains this idea with examples over hundreds of years, highlighting how victorious leaders cared about creating the best culture possible and how it helped them achieve the company's goals & learnings that have endured over time and can be applied in companies even today.”
Tighten F5: Microsoft's transformation and the search for a better future for all, by Satya Nadella
“Although it is quite difficult to establish a strong culture, changing it is usually impossible, which ultimately leads to the end of organizations. By the late 2000s, Microsoft was losing out to competitors in the areas of smartphone, cloud, search, browser and games market.It was not only the change in leadership, but the cultural change that the new leadership brought that made Microsoft a relevant company again in each of these segments.
The book has many valuable lessons and offers wisdom to leaders who are shy, insecure, or with little conviction about how to deal with strong market interference. Moreover, it is inspiring to learn how a typical and academically successful engineer from India starts as a Microsoft contributor and, moving up the hierarchy, could monumentally impact one of the most influential organizations of this century.”
Tom Tovar, CEO and Co-founder of Appdome, a mobile app protection company
Deep Survival by Laurence Gonzales
“In life, change is constant. Similarly, changes and crises can hit us when we least expect it. Especially when we chose the situation that led to the crisis, this change can cause us to enlarge the mistakes and further worsen our situation. Deep Survival helps us to keep our feet on the ground, understand the new environment, transcend it and triumph over it. It is a book full of short stories about people who have overcome incredible odds of surviving lost in the sea, in mountains, in the jungle, etc. It ends by offering a checklist to help us survive and thrive in our own lives, in the day to day.
Fermat's Last Theorem by Simon Singh
“This book is about a very simple equation that has remained unproven for hundreds of years & the quest to solve it. It is about searching for the truth and proving how our universe works, plus the constant struggle against ourselves to find answers.”
Andre Salem, founder of Blockforce, the blockchain technology platform of Fair Fashion
Blockchain from theory to practice: Everything you need to know about the technology that is revolutionizing the world, by Richard Montezino
“This book allows anyone to understand in a simple and accessible way what blockchain is, how it works and why it is considered one of the most impactful innovations of the XXI century. In addition to cryptocurrencies, it explores real applications of blockchain in various types of businesses. It is a good guide for those who want to become more familiar with the topic without needing prior technical knowledge.The book offers a clear vision on the benefits, challenges and the future of this technology. For me, particularly, it is an important reading, even already working for years with the technology, because the author's vision makes us analyze several relevant points.”
Google Biography by Steven Levy
“It is a great read for those who want to understand how the startup founded in a garage has become one of the most influential companies in the world. For those who like technology and great stories, it is an indispensable read, after all, we all use Google. With privileged access to the company's backstage, the author tells the trajectory of founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, the ethical dilemmas faced by the company and the impacts of technology on society. It is a dive into the culture of Silicon Valley, a region very important for our current technology scenario, the innovations that shaped the internet and the decisions that transformed Google into a true digital empire.
