B-Schoolers Catch Up on Reading

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Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me): Why We Justify Foolish Beliefs, Bad Decisions, and Hurtful Acts by Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson

This book should make it to the top of most summer reading lists. It speaks to the forces that keep us repeating harmful mistakes, whether it's an everyday personal issue or an organization-wide problem. The consequences of rationalization and attempts at self-preservation through denial are daunting and can be personally devastating. I'm interested in reading this book for a deeper window into my own behavior, but also for insight into the reasons that corruption persists around the world and vexes so many organizational and individual efforts to fight it.

Global Capitalism: Its Fall and Rise in the Twentieth Century by Jeffry A. Frieden

By the title, it's plain that Jeffry Frieden is recounting 20th century capitalism with an eye toward lessons learned. Though we've heard quite a lot about this subject, we need to hear much more. History humbles academics and policymakers every day, but Frieden is more clever than most. I'm reading this book to help me think about how we might progress to a form of global capitalism that manages the voids in governance and the risks of a world economy that is better but quite different than anyone imagined just a few decades ago. I'm also an economic history buff and can't wait to read a smart academic's take on a century of commercial tumult and change.

The Republic of Pirates: Being the True and Surprising Story of the Caribbean Pirates and the Man Who Brought Them Down by Colin Woodard

Much as I enjoy the blockbuster Hollywood take on the age of pirates, the nerd in me always wants the truth behind the glamour. Beyond the obviously compelling subject matter of pirates, gold, and adventure, Woodward's book should offer insight into a theme that stretches beyond the days of Davy Jones: lawlessness and attempts to create order. In a hyperconnected age with watchful eyes everywhere, it's hard to imagine a world with scant communication, no objective records to speak of, and powerful, violent groups grappling over largely uncharted waters. Adventures and adventurers like these don't seem to exist anymore, but the challenge of creating order where there is none still does. Plus, it's a book about pirates—how cool is that?

Michelle L. Buck

Academic Director of Executive Education
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Five Minds for the Future by Howard Gardner

In teaching leadership in our MBA and executive courses, I already draw heavily from Gardner's previous research on the lives of extraordinary leaders. In his latest book, he suggests that what is most essential for success in the future is certain ways of thinking. He writes about the disciplinary mind, the synthesizing mind, the creating mind, the respectful mind, and the ethical mind. I'm excited to read this book for inspiring ideas to transform management education—leadership is, indeed, about certain mindsets, about asking courageous questions, and seeing new possibilities. What are the ways we need to think differently, what are the questions we need to be asking to lead and create value in the future, and what does this mean for the education of future business leaders? These are questions that excite me and make me want to stay up late to read.

A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future by Daniel H. Pink

I'm looking forward to reading this one for similar reasons, as it also addresses different ways of thinking that are necessary for success and for leadership in the future. It was recommended by someone I respect, who sees things from an interdisciplinary perspective, and with whom I enjoy talking about innovative methods of teaching and learning. I'm always looking for new ideas or more examples of the ways that creativity is associated with learning, success, leadership, and fulfillment.

Capoeira: Roots of the Dance-Fight-Game by Nestor Capoeira

I want to read this because of my love of Brazil and my fascination with capoeira, an African-Brazilian combination of dance and martial arts. Although some consider it just in terms of sport, I find capoeira to be a combination of mind, body, and spirit—it's rich in insight about the difference between being a master and a novice in any field, about how to both use and misuse power, and how to be responsible for yourself while interacting with others. I love finding insight and wisdom from unlikely sources that I can then apply to the fields of management, leadership, negotiations, and personal development.

The Way of the Elders: West African Spirituality and Tradition by Adama and Naomi Doumbia

This is on my reading list because of my lifelong interest in Africa, my increasing interest in the spirituality of West Africa, and my desire to travel there sometime soon.

Cosmopolitanism: Ethics in a World of Strangers by Kwame Anthony Appiah

I picked this up when browsing in a bookstore…I don't know too much about it, but it sounded like a good interdisciplinary look at how we all try to live together on this increasingly connected planet. It says that one of the central questions of the book is: "What do we owe strangers by virtue of our shared humanity?" Good question. I want to see what the author has to say. It could be just an interesting read, or it could be very relevant to how we educate global leaders of the future.