Summer reading for tech leaders

Elaine Montilla, Assistant Vice President and CIO, Graduate Center, City University of New York

“The Inclusion Revolution: The Ultimate Guide to Ending Racial Inequity in the Workplace” by Daisy Auger-Dominguez

As a CIO, I see a strong need for leaders to pay more attention to our teams and the people who work with us. Until then, diversity, equity and inclusion are critical for any leader looking to retain talent in the coming years. Racial inequity in the workplace is a problem we can all tackle, and the tools are included in this gem for us to follow.

Susan Lilly Gerok, Senior Vice President of IT and CIO, Washington Real Estate Investment Trust

“From Fascination to Obsession: 12 Principles for Converting Customers and Employees into Lifelong Fans” by John Picoult

For anyone looking to marry people, turning process and technology into positive, memorable experiences is a must read. Real-life stories from familiar (and some lesser-known) companies transform the approach to design.

Corrado Azzarita, Global CIO, Kraft Heinz Co.

“Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity” by David Allen.

I recommend this book to everyone. The only strategy is good performance and great performance starts with personal productivity.

Arthur Hu, SVP and CIO, Lenovo Group Ltd

and Chief Technology Officer of the company’s solutions and services division

“The Secret Life of the Grocery Store: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket” by Benjamin Lorre

A fascinating insight that most of us take for granted—how the food we eat got to us in the first place. It’s a fascinating tour that takes the reader from grocery shelves to who stocks the shelves, to the laws behind how the food is delivered. At every step, he recalls the incredible complexity and integration involved in this seemingly quotidian activity and demonstrates the limits of visibility and even discernment to businesses at the far edges of supply webs.

Bob Ferry, Associate Vice President, Information Technology, Securities Investor Protection Corporation.

“Life is Simple: How Occam’s Razor Liberated Science and Shaped the Universe” by John Jo McFadden

Part history book, part science lesson, part theological discussion, this book is both a grand narrative covering the greatest discoveries in world history, but also a study of how William Ockham and his “razor” were. He advanced the thinking of his time and was responsible for laying down the framework for how scientific research has been conducted ever since. Highly recommended for the beach.

“Play Nice But Win: The CEO’s Journey from Founder to Leader” by Michael Dell

It’s hard to make technology infrastructure stories interesting, but Michael Dell does an amazing job in his memoir—highlighting the many different chapters and turning points of Dell’s story.

Jeremy King, SVP and Head of Engineering, Pinterest Inc.

“Transitional Panic: A Novel” by Neal Stephens

What little techie doesn’t love Neal Stephens? This book has it all: environmental philanthropists, global climate change, geopolitical ramifications, a bit of human connection, and a bit of technology.

Christian Heller, Director of AI Success, DataRobot Inc.

“The Crucible of the Pacific: War in the Pacific, 1941-1942” by Ian W. Toole

There is no other military history book I have read that appeals to hard-core historians and casual readers. The real beauty of the book is how innovation happens in the military during wartime. In his book, Toll shows how technology changes (eg, new types of torpedoes, radar), policy changes (submarine operations and campaigning), advanced manufacturing (mass development of new aircraft from American builders), and human ingenuity (submarine captains). Discovering new methods through trial and error) led to extensive defense innovation that helped the US win the war in the Pacific. It is a must-read for national security professionals, especially those working with digital transformation and new technologies today, and shows how all these moving parts must come together for warfighting success.

Ram Venkatesh, CTO, Cloudera Inc.

“Invisible Women: Data Bias in a Man’s World” by Carolyn Criado Perez

As someone who has worked in the database for many years, I am deeply saddened to read how systematic the gender data gap is and how the consequences are reflected in the world we live in today. At the same time, the vast amount of research and detailed information that Caroline Criado Pérez has shared has helped remind me even more of the importance of proactively addressing this gap.

Tom Murphy, SVP and University CIO, University of Pennsylvania

“Gangsters: True Stories of Grifters, Murderers, Rebels, and Scammers” by Patrick Raden Keefe

For enterprise CIOs and technologists, this is a handbook for dealing with the politics and risks of C-level life with colleagues and unscrupulous salespeople.

Brian Schulte, Chief Data Controller, Leaf Logistics Inc.

“Where’s my flying car?” in J. Storrs Hall

In the FAA’s book of airspace regulations: “They make it a desert, and call it peace.” I don’t read any book just because it mentions Tacitus…but I will read this one.

Rajin Chauhan, Senior Customer Value Architect, Selonis Inc.

Amp It Up: Leading to Greater Growth by Raising Expectations, Increasing Urgency, and Building Intensity” by Frank Slootman [CEO of

Snowflake Inc.

]

You’ll learn how it enabled wild growth and successful IPOs at ServiceNow and Snowflake. The companies’ trips; Slothman’s Leadership Methods and Values; The basics of cloud business.

Amit Prakash, Co-Founder and CTO, ThoughtSpot Inc.

“Alchemy: The Dark Arts and Magic of Brands, Business and the Exciting Science of Creation” by Rory Sutherland

As an engineer, I excel at taking real-world problems, summarizing them, and using techniques gathered over the years to solve them. Naturally, it’s a bag of tools that I often reach for. It was very instructive and interesting to see a diametrically opposed point of view. Rory Sutherland makes a very convincing case in this book that this kind of reductionist thinking, while effective, often leaves little room for magic. Rather than taking a problem and reducing it to something readily available, thinking a little laterally and applying human psychology often results in inexpensive, fun, and highly effective magical solutions.

“Digital Business Transformation: How Established Companies Sustain Competitive Advantage From Now to Next” by Nigel Vaz

This book is a great read for those on a journey to digitally transform their business. It looks at how companies can drive change at the speed of business, improve decision-making and create the culture necessary to meet ever-increasing customer demands.

Krishna Subramanian, President and Chief Operating Officer, Compresse Inc.

“Shoe Dog: Memoirs of a Nike Creator” by Phil Knight

It’s an amazing story of entrepreneurship told by a founder. The details are clear and feel very accurate, and there are valuable lessons to be learned, only they aren’t found on dry or pedestrian roads.

Write Thomas Loftus at Thomas.Loftus@wsj.com