By Alec Hogg
Interesting to see two South Africans among 17 global CEOs featured in the third quarter’s most popular story on the website of global consulting group McKinsey. Clearly, reading remains a priority for those seeking personal growth.
Biographies are popular. Headlined “What CEOs are reading” the piece tells us McKinsey’s own MD Dominic Barton’s list is topped by a biography on Florentine Prince Alessando de Medici. JPMorgan’s CEO Jamie Dimon is reading Jacob Weisberg’s biography on Ronald Reagan while Winston Ma of China Investment Corporation is busy with biographies on Shakespeare and Alexander Hamilton.
The South Africans didn’t follow the trend. MTN’s Phuthuma Nhleko told McKinsey he is busy reading Mervyn King’s money and banking classic “The End of Alchemy” and next up for him was the 1981 classic on thinking by Hannah Arendt, “The Life of the Mind”.
The other South African on the list, Gail Kelly, prefers inspirational memoirs of normal folk with extraordinary stories. The former CEO of Australian giant Westpac lists “When breath becomes air” and “H is for Hawk” – both books worth discovering. Google them – you may well agree.
