Reading List for CEOs Part II – Survey Results

Samsung Economic Research Institute (SERI) released its 2013 summer reading list for CEOs yesterday, and it's a great time to add two or three of the books to your summer reading list (Please read Reading List for CEOs Part I). There are 14 books on the list, but I am only including books that we have access to in the West, and those that are in English. I must compliment SERI, because they have done a far better job than in the past of providing complete information on the books so that we can search to see if they are available to us. Here are some of the results from their CEO reading habits study.

Monthly Reading Habits of Korean CEOs

• 54.5 percent read 1 – 2 books each month
• 22.8 percent read 3 – 4 books
• 6.9 percent read 5 books
• 13.6 percent read 6 or more books

Reasons for Reading

• 33.0 percent cited finding wisdom in life
• 22.4 percent wanted to capture business trends
• 18.0 percent cited discovering management  ideas
• 6.5 percent wanted to learn how to respond to economic crisis
• 10.2 percent are seeking peace of mind
• 8.8 are acquiring knowledge about culture

Most Sought-After Reading Topics

• 45.1 percent were interested in the economy and management
• 30.0 percent were interested in history and philosophy
• 12.5 percent were interested in hobbies and interests
• 7.6 percent were interested in culture and the arts
• 1.2 percent were interested in science and engineering

2013 SERI Reading List for CEOs

1. Hidden in Plain Sight: How to Create Extraordinary Products for Tomorrow's Customers, Jan Chipchase
2. The Strategist: Be the Leader Your Business Needs, Cynthia Montgomery
3. Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, Chris Anderson
4. The New Digital Age: Reshaping the Future of People, Nations and Business, Eric Schmidt and Jared Cohen
5. The Art of Thinking Clearly, Rolf Dobelli
6. The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, Charles Duhigg
7. The World Until Yesterday: What Can We Learn from Traditional Societies?, Jared Diamond
8. Beyond Reason: Using Emotions as You Negotiate, Daniel Shapiro and Roger Fisher
9. Howard's Gift: Uncommon Wisdom to Inspire Your Life's Work, Eric Sinoway and Merrill Meadow

Discussion

The most sought after reading topics for Korean CEOs are books about the economy and management – 45 percent. When I interviewed people for my book, Tales of People Who Get It, respondents seldomly read business books because they didn't make them think. In Harriet Rubin's article, “C.E.O. Libraries Reveal Keys to Success,” her findings support mine – CEOs read books that make them think, books like philosophy, history, religion and so on. SERI removed novels and religious related books from the humanities and culture categories, which affected the results.

Only 2.3 percent of CEOs responded that they didn't have time to read, which demonstrates that CEOs believe in ongoing learning so they make reading a priority.

How many books from the 2013 reading list for CEOs have you read? I have two of the books – The Power of Habit and Howard's Gift – and I have started to read Howard's Gift. Which two or three will you choose to read this summer? Book links are affiliate links.