House of Fidelity
by Justin Baer
As Fidelity is the primary custodian for The Bahnsen Group I had a vested interest in learning more about the history of this financial behemoth, but what I got was something any student of closely-held business, succession planning, and general financial history should read. I am not sure there is a multi-generational family-led private business more significant and successful than Fidelity, ever. It is a story for the ages.
Think Christianly: Developing an Undivided Mind
by Joseph Boot
A needed book to say the least, not just for its rare clarity, profundity, and deep end of the pool pursuit of truth … but also for the highly readable and comprehensible style of writing that makes these vital nuggets ascertainable for a wide audience
Bonfire of the Murdochs
by Gabriel Sherman
I wouldn’t waste your time with the book (the Netflix documentary series was better) but the story being chronicled is a fascinating one. This author is too hateful of Rupert to allow readers an objective telling of the story, but for those who want to understand the drama in the entire Murdoch saga, there is a lifetime of material out there to absorb.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
by Patrick Lencioni
I read more books in this general category than I want to and usually because I keep hoping this category will offer better books than it does, and with this well-known book for Lencioni I did hit the jackpot. I am having my leadership team read it this summer, and I can only say that I am jealous of Lencioni’s writing style, and appreciative of the simple but profound message of the book. Trust is the foundation of a team, always and forever.
Streetwise: Getting to and through Goldman Sachs
by Lloyd Blankfein
Absolutely loved him as the post-GFC CEO of the iconic investment bank, and love him even more now having taken in his story. A little heavy on the self-congratulatory personal bio schtick, but it still seems to all be true, and he does seem to be a rare case of authenticity divorced from excess PR polish. An inspiring story and person.
The Outsiders: Eight Unconventional CEO’s and their Radically Rational Blueprint for Success
by William Thorndike Jr.
To say there were takeaways from this book and some of the particular CEO stories chronicled that will impact the way I do business is an under-statement. An easy read that left a huge impression on me.
Burn Rate:
by Michael Wolff
Published in 1998 about a 1994-1997 journey of an aspiring new media dotcom company that almost did a deal with multiple big tech and online players before it all fizzled to nothing, the book that originally put Michael Wolff on the map is a fascinating story of the dotcom mania, as it was written way before the dotcom implosion, and way before we actually did know how this whole internet thing would play out. Filled with things that proved brilliantly prescient and also tragically naïve, the history was as gripping as the storytelling.
INSIDE THE GREATEST CRASH IN WALL STREET HISTORY
by Andrew Ross Sorkin
There are few writers in financial media like Sorkin, and none who can make historical events read with such gripping narrative. As he did with Too Big to Fail, Sorkin really makes you feel like you are inside the room with the key players as historical events play out. The Great Depression was not, not, not caused by the 1929 market crash, and Calvin Coolidge’s 1920’s policies did not, not, not cause the 1929 crash, but as for Sorkin’s storytelling, this was as fun of a read as I have had in a long time.
The King of Content:
SUMNER REDSTONE’S BATTLE
by Keach Hagey
As the Netflix/Warner Brothers/Paramount drama plays out, it is important to learn from history. And no history of media merger drama scratches the surface without diving into Sumner Redstone, the ruthless, sometimes pathological, brilliant, and often contemptible figure who may be the most important media executive in history. I came away learning a lot about how deep total depravity can go, but also how figures like Redstone are always two-sided coins. And like most stories of media M&A, I learned how money can be set on fire at scale.
Furious Minds:
THE MAKING OF THE MAGA NEW RIGHT
by Dr. Laura Field
This era of Trump will not be historically remembered as only about Donald Trump. Those who attempted to intellectualize the populist-Trumpist moment cover a wide array of characters. Field’s analysis here is fair, fascinating, and in some cases, disturbing.
EMPIRE OF AI:
DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES IN SAM ALTMAN’S OPEN AI
by Karen Hao
A fascinating read on the individual who has quickly become one of the most important names in all of American business, technology, and political economy.