The Top 10 Books For Professionals

Books make great gifts, but they’re even more meaningful with a story behind them.

This month, over 60 of the most powerful figures in business shared the one book that got them where they are, and described how reading it transformed them professionally and personally. “The Book That Changed Me,” November’s feature series of Influencer posts on LinkedIn, amounted to a library of life-altering books. Some were inspirational, some serious, and others downright silly. But they all had a profound impact on the lives of leaders, among them Virgin founder Richard Branson, executive recruiter James Citrin and GE CMO Beth Comstock.

LinkedIn’s members enthusiastically participated in the series, and added another shelf to that library. Your responses in the comments and on social media layered new meaning onto some Influencer favorites and offered a whole new selection of great books.

Now, we’ve developed a list of pivotal reads that the LinkedIn community recommends. To assemble it, we looked across the list of Influencer posts for the books that members talked about the most, and the books with which members were most engaged. Then we added in the books Influencers didn't mention but members rallied around. Below, you’ll find the top ten books that LinkedIn members and Influencers say changed their lives.

One book resonated particularly loudly with the LinkedIn network: Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Lincoln biography “Team of Rivals,” which Influencers Giovanni Colella, CEO of Castlight Health, and Phyllis Wise, Chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, both say made a profound difference in who they are as professionals. LinkedIn member Patricia Sullivan-Taylor agreed, responding:

Rather than attempt to ignore his weaknesses, he chose to place people around him that were a good complement to his skills. I've discovered this is both a good rule for business and marriage.

The ten most buzzed-about books for professionals

1. "Mandela's Way: Lessons on Life, Love, and Courage" by Richard Stengel

LinkedIn Member Pramod Kumar Srivastava on Stengel's book:

He saw the innate hidden aspirations in his people - to be equal.

2. “The 7 Habits of highly Effective People” Stephen R. Covey

LinkedIn member Inna Stelmukh:

Often common sense is hidden in the routine, and therefore when someone like Mr. Covey brings it to the surface again, it starts making even more sense.

3. “The Alchemist” Paolo Coelho

LinkedIn Member Charles Hurst:

The journey of Santiago and following his personal legend has changed the way I look at my life.

4. “How to Win Friends and Influence People” Dale Carnegie

LinkedIn Member Barney P. Popkin:

Understanding your customer in depth is a brilliant yet obvious and often overlooked concept.

5. “Atlas Shrugged” Ayn Rand

LinkedIn Member Donna Greiner:

[Rand] was a bit ahead of her time, but also very much a woman of her time. There is much to admire about her, and also much to disagree with.

6. “Les Miserables” Victor Hugo

LinkedIn Member Chris Burton:

It teaches us the importance of justice, redemption, words with actions, commitment and endurance, faithfulness and love. And it's a great story.

7. “As a Man Thinketh” James Allen

LinkedIn member Erika Powell-Burson:

It's a short, pithy read, advocating a change in thought process to change outcome...I sing its effectiveness whenever I can!

8. The Bible

LinkedIn member Sam Lee:

The proverbs are full of incredible wisdom regarding how to conduct yourself in your personal and business life.

9. “Think and Grow Rich” Napoleon Hill

LinkedIn member Talha (Terry) Husayn:

Nothing has changed me more ...I would be grinding away in medical school if it wasn’t for Napoleon Hill.

10. "Team of Rivals" Doris Kearns Goodwin

Lincoln member Ross Gibson:

Lincoln’s understanding of people, of the necessity to listen, to bring divergent opinions into the conversation and take decisive action … are all things we should learn.