This month we are sharing what Canadian technology leaders like to read while being away on vacation. It is a fun way to get to know the community better and find some good reads for your spare time.
Here is the first quick fact: did you know that the average North American person only reads twelve books per year? Isn’t it surprising? And according to a recent study, the median person actually only reads four books per year. To increase this number, we decided to share some of the most recommended books out there that you can add to your reading list without a doubt.
Read on for the top recommendations from Presidents and CEOs of multiple companies such as SOIT, Google Cloud, IBM and more.
Read #1 recommended by Carl Rodrigues, President, and CEO of SOTI Inc.
Carl always liked to learn about early innovators and how they used their thinking to change the world. He believes that there is always something valuable to learn from the journey of those who have paved the way for our industry’s capabilities. Right now, Carl is reading Nicola Tesla’s autobiography, My Inventions, and Other Writings.
This book provides a reader with a fascinating look at Tesla’s life and works as well as, highlights the unique vision that he had for the future.
Read #2 recommended by Jim Lambe, country director of Google Cloud for Canada
“Next on my reading list is Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari.
The recommendation came from Jean-Michel Lemieux, SVP of engineering at Shopify.“It’s a fascinating story of humanity and ‘JML’ talks abstractly about it, and I need to understand why he talks about it so much.”
Read #3 recommended by Neil Cawse, CEO of Geotab
Neil is currently reading Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow by Yuval Noah Harari, which is the sequel to Sapiens. “It’s a very interesting book describing why we do the things we do. The book tackles the big questions – why do we have war? How do our emotions impact our actions? It gives you great insights into understanding what emotions are there in the first place and that helps you control your own emotions.”
Read #4 recommended by Charlotte Wang, Chief Technology Officer, Global Technology Services, IBM Canada
“I’m a city dweller, and love to find a quiet corner in my backyard to get lost in a good book. This summer, I am focusing on a few different themes. My career began in the Canadian Navy, and I’m going back to my roots with Turn the Ship Around! by L. David Marquet. This is a true story of how one captain brought the morale of his ship’s fleet from bottom to top by challenging traditional leadership strategies. His learnings are invaluable for me as a CTO at IBM and leading a team of ambitious and talented high achievers.
“At the other end of the spectrum, I’m reading The Truth About Your Future – The Money Guide You Need Now, Later, and Much Later by Ric Edelman. Ric takes an interesting angle on the digital disruption and reinvention, by discussing how it affects the way we invest our personal finances.
“Lastly, if you haven’t heard of Don Tapscott, I highly recommended looking him up. He is a leading authority on technology and business. His book is called Blockchain Revolution: How the Technology Behind Bitcoin Is Changing Money, Business, and the World.”
Read #5 recommended Paul Struthers, EVP & Managing Director, Sage Canada
Some of his favourite books that he plans to revisit include First, Break All The Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently; Barbarians at the Gate: The Fall of RJR Nabisco by Bryan Burrough; and Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future by Ashlee Vance, as Paul loves the great insights and inspiring details on how Musk has innovated and pushed boundaries.
Paul also has three daughters, so he is on board with pushing the diversity agenda globally, and recommends to have a look at Earning It: Hard-Won Lessons from Trailblazing Women at the Top of the Business World by Joann S. Lublin.
Some other titles he plans to include are: Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Timothy Ferriss and The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries.”
…And our last but not least to share great reads is Bill Gates
He shared his top reads on his blog in May, so it would be silly not to include his suggestions here.
- Leonardo da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson: “Isaacson does the best job I’ve seen of pulling together the different strands of Leonardo’s life and explaining what made him so exceptional.”
- Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I’ve Loved, by Kate Bowler
- Lincoln in the Bardo, by George Saunders: “I thought I knew everything I needed to know about Abraham Lincoln, but this novel made me rethink parts of his life.”
- Origin Story: A Big History of Everything, by David Christian
- Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World–and Why Things Are Better Than You Think, by Hans Rosling, with Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund
We hope, you enjoyed this list of books from the top leaders in Canadian technology industry. Are there other books that we missed that you enjoyed? Please, share those in the comment section below. We would like to extend our knowledge together with you!
References
Comrie, L. (2018, August 10). August Community Slideshow: What's on your summer reading list and why?
Retrieved August 15, 2018, from https://www.itworldcanada.com/slideshow/august-community-slideshow-whats-on-your-summer-reading-list-and-why
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