A Reading List for Tech Leaders

The Wall Street Journal published yesterday,in its business technology column, a post called A Reading List for Tech Leaders, written by Ben Worthen.

It is about the annual list assembled by Bob Rouse, who runs the Society for Information Management’s Regional Leadership Forum, for the students of the Society, that will train 265 potential chief information officers this year.

The list is not from Tech books, is consisting of novels, memoirs, and even movies, like this year, is in the list the movie "Gandhi".


The news mentions some highlights, along with the reason Rouse included the book:

“How to Read a Book,” by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren. “Everyone learns to read, but most people never learn how to read,” Rouse tells us. This book, published in 1972, has been on his curriculum for 15 years. And it’s a great kickoff to a course with so much reading.

“Brain Rules,” by John Medina. “It’s a summary of how the brain works,” says Rouse, which gives students insight into what they really are capable of – and what they aren’t.

“Man’s Search for Meaning,” by Viktor Frankl. Rouse says that Frankl’s account of surviving a Nazi concentration camp and learning how to cope life afterwards is better than any leadership book for learning how to deal with adversity.

“The Pearl,” by John Steinbeck. Rouse says that it’s important to read novels because they can lead to richer conversations about what drives characters to act in certain ways than many non-fiction books.

“Overcoming the Five Dysfunctions of a Team,” by Patrick Lencioni. Students always enjoy this book because “everyone in IT knows every one of those dysfunctions,” says Rouse.

It is a very interesting and eclectic list.