For technology leaders continuous learning is essential. From honing leadership skills to tackling emerging challenges, the books we read can inspire innovative thinking, provide practical frameworks, and refine our approach to problem-solving.
Representatives for the Executive Council of the CIO Professional Network, have shared a few insightful recommendations to help guide your reading list for 2025. These books represent those they turn to for inspiration, rely on for leadership growth, or have just discovered and found deeply impactful.
And if these suggestions don’t quite peak your interest, explore the 100+ recommendations in the TNCR CIO Bookshelf.
Practical Guides to Leadership and Culture
Jerry Heinz revisited The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership last year, leading his leadership team through its transformative lessons. “It’s a practical manual to help shift fear-based, reactive behaviors to conscious, accountable, and collaborative ones,” he shares. This book emphasizes self-awareness, responsibility, and open communication to create healthier cultures and more fulfilling relationships.
This book offers 15 actionable commitments that help leaders adopt a conscious approach to leadership. With each chapter addressing a specific commitment—from cultivating curiosity to embracing responsibility—it is designed to shift leaders out of fear-driven reactivity into collaborative, trust-centered relationships. Accompanied by exercises and examples, it serves as both a leadership guide and a personal development tool.

Jerry also gives a nod to A Message to Garcia, highly recommending it with enthusiasm: “I recommended that one 3x last year!”
First published in 1899, A Message to Garcia is a motivational essay emphasizing the value of initiative, diligence, and integrity. Through its allegorical tale of delivering a vital message during wartime, it reminds readers of the importance of perseverance and self-reliance in the face of adversity.

Beth O’Rorke highlights True North: Leading Authentically in Today’s Workplace by Bill George, praising its focus on core values and integrity. “It’s about who you are and how you can’t be someone else,” she notes.
Bill George’s provides a framework for discovering your “true north” and leading with purpose. By sharing insights from his career and interviews with successful executives, George outlines how leaders can align their values with actions to build trust, inspire teams, and create enduring organizations.

For those who appreciate relatable and thought-provoking stories, Beth recommends Simon Sinek’s Together is Better and Charlie Mackesy’s The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse. As she puts it, these books use simple narratives to inspire deep reflection.
A visually engaging book combining illustrations and storytelling, Simon Sinek invites readers to embrace collaboration and shared purpose. It emphasizes the joy of working together and the personal growth that comes from pursuing meaningful goals alongside others.

A beautifully illustrated and poignant story, this book explores universal lessons of kindness, courage, and the importance of human connection. Its gentle wisdom is delivered through simple conversations between its four central characters, offering readers inspiration and comfort.

For transitioning leaders, Beth suggests Michael Watkins’ The First 90 Days. “It’s a framework to start a new venture with broad awareness,” she explains, making it a perfect gift or recommendation for new executives.
Recognized as a must-read for leaders entering new roles, The First 90 Days equips executives with a step-by-step strategy to achieve early wins. Through actionable advice and case studies, it helps leaders navigate new challenges, build credibility, and lay the foundation for long-term success.
Navigating Today’s Complexities
Harsha Bellur kicked off 2025 with The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman. “A decade ago, I’d have considered it fiction, but we are living it now,” Harsha says.
Co-authored by Mustafa Suleyman, co-founder of DeepMind, The Coming Wave examines the transformative impact of artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, and other cutting-edge technologies. Suleyman addresses the ethical and societal challenges posed by these advances, offering a thoughtful perspective on navigating this new technological era.

Lonnie Garris recommends Stanley McChrystal’s Team of Teams. “It describes how he grew a special forces organization and scaled its processes with him becoming less involved in the day-to-day activities,” Lonnie shares. He notes that this book is especially relevant for technology leaders facing increasing management scopes, such as integrating AI, addressing cyber threats, and handling board-level demands.
In Team of Teams, General Stanley McChrystal reflects on his experience leading the Joint Special Operations Task Force during the Iraq War. The book challenges traditional hierarchical management and advocates for a networked approach where decentralized decision-making and mutual trust drive success in complex environments.

Timeless Classics for IT Leadership
William VanCuren reflects on his go-to classics for IT leadership. He highlights The Phoenix Project by Kim, Behr, and Spafford, describing it as “written in novel format, it’s the easiest read on understanding DevOps. A ‘can’t put it down’ novel similar to The Goal by Eli Goldratt.” He praises this book for making the complex world of IT relatable and digestible: “It bridges technical challenges with real-world business priorities, providing insights that resonate with both IT professionals and business leaders.”
This novel-turned-leadership-guide explores the world of IT operations through the lens of relatable characters and challenges. The Phoenix Project demonstrates how DevOps principles can revolutionize a company’s productivity and success while weaving a compelling narrative.

Bill also recommends The Speed of Trust by Stephen Covey, which he describes as offering “practical leadership techniques for building trust.” He highlights that the book includes study guides that can be particularly effective for group learning, such as with a management team. He notes: “What stands out is the practical applicability. We incorporated its teachings into management workshops, and the results were immediate, teams became more cohesive and communication more transparent.”
Stephen Covey illustrates how trust, often underestimated, is essential for organizational effectiveness. The book lays out actionable steps for building, maintaining, and restoring trust, showing how its presence accelerates productivity and its absence erodes performance.

VanCuren also highlights The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman as an essential read for understanding globalization and its impact on modern business. He describes it as “the best book to understand globalization ‘flatteners’ and the true spirit of offshore labor as a competitive advantage or threat.” He reflects, “It’s a book that doesn’t just explain globalization but contextualizes its impact on IT strategy and workforce management. It’s invaluable for understanding the competitive forces shaping our industry.” Bill also ties this work to historical texts like Edward Yourdon’s The Decline and Fall of the American Programmer, which predicted the rise of India as an IT talent powerhouse long before Y2K.
Thomas Friedman’s bestselling book explores the interconnectedness of today’s global economy. By examining pivotal “flatteners,” from outsourcing to technological innovation, the book provides a comprehensive understanding of globalization and its implications for businesses and individuals.
The Wrap
The recommendations shared by the CIO Professional Network exemplify the broad spectrum of challenges and opportunities faced by today’s technology leaders. From books that provide actionable strategies for leadership and trust-building to narratives that inspire deep reflection and fresh perspectives, these selections showcase the value of continuous learning.
Whether revisiting timeless classics like The World is Flat and The Phoenix Project or diving into contemporary insights from works like The Coming Wave and The 15 Commitments of Conscious Leadership, these books represent the diverse tools that leaders can leverage to navigate their professional journeys.
As you look ahead to 2025, consider how these texts can inspire new ideas, sharpen your strategies, enrich your leadership journey, and guide your teams toward success.