6 Books That Top Tech Execs Recommend Reading Now

I’m constantly on the lookout for astute, thought-provoking books to satisfy my appetite for personal growth and development—and to pass along to readers, colleagues and friends. To avoid missing out on page-turners that belong in my hands and yours, I’ve asked six tech leaders to share the most riveting reads they’ve devoured lately.

The titles they sent me offer a varied landscape of topics and viewpoints. I hope this list inspires you to pick up at least one new hardback, paperback or Kindle download to peruse this month. I know their recs have ensured I’ll soon be buying yet another bookshelf to house my thriving personal library.

1. The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth

 by Amy C. Edmondson

David Wagner, president and CEO of Zix, has a passion for protection. As the head of a company focused on security technology, including email encryption solutions, he lives and breathes security. Is it any wonder that a top book pick of his relates to the importance of employees feeling safe enough to speak their minds?

The Fearless Organization uses research and case studies to support the notion that the smartest way to disrupt and scale is to foster a workplace that respects truth-telling and left-field thinking rather than protects the status quo. As Wagner explains, “Culture is increasingly important to knowledge workers, so building and maintaining strong managers who more deeply understand the why is critical to long-term success.” According to Wagner, Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson lays out a strong argument for why companies should reward ideas—even dissension—rather than uplift yes-people who choose silence over suggestions.

2. Measure What Matters: How Google, Bono, and the Gates Foundation Rock the World with OKRs by John Doerr

Few would argue with the success of Google. That’s why forward-thinking professionals like Sarah Fruy, director, brand and digital experience, at Pantheon, have made John Doerr’s work required reading. Fruy’s successful WebOps platform company needs to consistently up its game to remain competitive, including adopting goal-setting processes like objectives and key results (OKRs).

Fruy admits that OKRs can be tough beasts to clearly understand and tackle. “It may take years for your organization to become really efficient at writing effective OKRs,” she acknowledges. “Short-term, however, leveraging OKRs will help your company align on the highest-value work and do so in a cross-functional manner.” Fruy dove headfirst into Measure What Matters to ensure her team remains on the best path to setting and hitting its goals—and advocates other professionals ready to scale with agility do likewise.

3. The Big Nine: How the Tech Titans & Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity by Amy Webb

No one could argue that Nick Chasinov, founder and CEO of agile marketing tech and services company Teknicks, doesn’t love innovation. He’s built his venture around leveraging software and web advancements to grease clients’ digital sales funnels. Yet he remains keenly aware that some movements, notably machine learning, may have darker sides.

Consequently, Chasinov recommends The Big Nine, which investigates how AI—and the people working on it—are yielding unpredictable systems that could have a harmful effect on humankind’s health, wealth and happiness. “Entrepreneurs are scrambling to create AI-based software, not necessarily because they believe it will add value to their customers, but because it is the thing to do right now, and it is attracting significant funding,” he notes, wryly adding that “with all of this momentum, no one is taking a step back and illustrating how this shift in technology will affect humanity.” Author Amy Webb is an exception, to her credit.

4. The Alter Ego Effect: The Power of Secret Identities to Transform Your Life by Todd Herman

In a world of books pushing total transparency and full disclosure, Todd Herman’s writings seem a bit contrarian. Yet as Duran Inci, CEO of full-service Internet tech company Optimum7, sees it, the author’s idea of generating alter egos isn’t a way for people to shield their true selves, but an opportunity for them to unleash their innate talents.

For Inci, The Alter Ego Effect offers leaders a straightforward method to change their personas at work and become the boss who can handle any situation. “Rather than succumb to impostor syndrome, this book helps you create a secret identity to be the hero your business needs,” he concludes. For those skip-to-the-last page readers who want the book’s central insight straightaway, Inci sums it up like this: “Practice confidence until it becomes a habit, and save the day all the time.”

5. Blitzscaling: The Lightning-Fast Path to Building Massively Valuable Companies by Reid Hoffman and Chris Yeh

Chris Ronzio, founder and CEO of Trainual, resides in a fast-paced world. Knee-deep in the tech of employee training and onboarding, he welcomes any chance to make things happen. When asked to make a reading recommendation, he mused on not just which book to talk about, but also how he finds reading material. “I’m buying books from the people that I follow on social media and listen to on podcasts,” he explains. No doubt multitasker Ronzio discovered Blitzscaling in a similar way, ultimately taking in the book’s message while working out.

In Blitzscaling, Reid Hoffman and co-author Chris Yeh echo Ronzio’s fondness for speed in general, painting a picture of how many noteworthy companies grew—and continue to grow—at dizzying rates. By extrapolating the elements of organizations that scaled posthaste, the authors establish rules other startups can follow if they want to play a similar game of breakneck evolution.

6. Lost and Founder: A Painfully Honest Field Guide to the Startup World by Rand Fishkin

We all know the mythologized version of the startup founder: He or she—usually he—goes straight from garage or dorm room to unstoppable Silicon Valley juggernaut in a matter of years (or months). Moz founder Rand Fishkin reveals the frequent missteps that take place behind this idealized facade, and his refreshing look at what it takes to conquer the entrepreneurial world is exactly why tech leaders like Nick McHenry welcome Lost and Founder.

McHenry, CEO and co-founder of Employi, a personal sales and marketing suite aimed at job seekers, sees himself in Fishkin’s narrative. “I have failed or taken the wrong steps at every corner,” he concedes. However, he doesn’t hide those experiences any more than Fishkin does in his tell-all. “I try to share those stories as much as possible so others can fast-track their own path, especially for those who haven’t even started their entrepreneurial journey,” he says. Despite the ups and downs of founder life, both McHenry and Fishkin believe it’s a great choice for people who are willing to be honest about the sausage-making aspects of the process.