Leading Matters: Lessons from My Journey

Former Stanford University president Hennessy's recipe for success begins with a reflective discussion of humility being at the heart of good leadership. A hallmark of his style are the vast lessons he's learned from not only his own experiences but from his voracious reading of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, and John D. Rockefeller, among others. The author keeps the narrative authentic (another of the key traits he identifies) by sharing his failures along with his achievements. Throughout his career, which includes founding a high-tech startup, Hennessy rubbed shoulders with the rich and powerful in Silicon Valley and beyond. A bonus reading list ranges from ancient classics (Thucydides and Herodotus) to contemporary histories and even fiction titles that have provided him with guidance.