The best lessons in dealmaking don’t always come from business books. They can come from memoirs, novels and stories about leadership, resilience and human behavior. In the second installment of our summer reading series, dealmakers share the books that have shaped their approach to leading both inside and outside the boardroom.
Missed yesterday’s edition? Catch up on The Investor’s Bookshelf, where dealmakers shared the books that have shaped their thinking on investing, innovation and business strategy.
Mark Cho, Partner & COO at Bluestone Equity Partners
The Confident Mind by Dr. Nate Zinsser
“What I love about this book is that Zinsser moves confidence from a feeling to a discipline. Instead of waiting to feel confident, Zinsser shows how to build it through habits of thought and preparation.”
Michelle Fang, Managing Director, Marketing & Investor Relations at S3 Capital:
10% Happier by Dan Harris
“An honest and thought-triggering advocate for meditation without being preachy. Told through memoir form.”
The Correspondent by Virginia Evans
“A sweet story of life unfolding over decades as told through letters reflecting one woman’s commitment to a lost form of communication.”
A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum
“A well-written and moving peak into middle eastern immigrant conventions that collide head on with modern American norms told through three generations of women.”
Ignacio Jayanti, CEO of Corsair Capital
The Psychology of Secrets: My Adventures with Murderers, Cults and Influencers by Andrew Gold
“This engrossing read by Gold needs no summary!”
Katie Kiersey, Chief Strategy Officer & Operating Partner at Greenbelt Capital Partners
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
“How to Win Friends and Influence People is nearly 90 years old and still the best practical guide to building influence I have read. At Greenbelt, where results depend on earning trust and alignment across portfolio companies, I have found that the ability to influence through empathy and sincerity — not authority — is the skill that moves things forward more than any other.”
Shant Mardirossian, Managing Director, Chief Operating Officer and Head of Strategic Initiatives at Littlejohn & Co.
Necessary Endings by Dr. Henry Cloud
“Necessary Endings helped me process and to prepare me for my new role at Littlejohn.”
Marilyn Yang, Managing Director at Branford Castle Partners
Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey
“You don’t necessarily have to be a Matthew McConaughey fan to enjoy this one. McConaughey reflects upon major personal and career inflection points in his life that are relatable to all of our personal and professional journeys.”
