Rohit Talwar

CEO, Fast Future, London
Two books top my list. A recent visit to the Mahatma Gandhi museum in Delhi left me truly inspired by his unstinting conviction and selfless sacrifice, so I’ll be reading Gandhi’s My Autobiography: The Story of My Experiments With Truth. Also, after attending a seminar led by Mark Boyle where he talked about his experience living literally without any money for two years, I’ll be reading his book, The Moneyless Manifesto: Live Well, Live Rich, Live Free.

Mary K. Logan, CAE

President, Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation, Long Beach, California

My list has three categories: lazy, literature, and learning. My top pick for learning is Kathryn Schulz’s Being Wrong: Adventures in the Margin of Error. The premise is that we grow from mistakes, and yet we feel embarrassed instead of celebrating what we learn. The title reeled me in. My left-brained self doesn’t like to make mistakes, and my CEO mindset often asks, “What could go wrong?” My right-brained self seeks adventure and messy margins. It will be fun to gain a fresh perspective on being wrong.

Nelson Fabian

Executive Director and CEO, National Environmental Health Association, Denver

Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think, by Peter Diamandis and Steven Kotler. Except for some inspirational business books, most of the literature today seems to argue for difficult times ahead, economic challenges, global climate change, the loss of jobs to technology, and so forth. I’m hoping to find a different but credible slant on a more exciting and fulfilling future through this book.

Fred Hunt

Active Past President, Society of Professional Benefit Administrators, Chevy Chase, Maryland

I will be reading regulations, regulations, and more regulations. Our members expect us to know, shape, and report to them every aspect of Obamacare and the constant flow of new laws and regulations. We then forecast broad and specific outcomes for them. It is constant research.