The Intelligent Investor — Benjamin Graham
Buffett says this book changed his life at 19. The central concept: Mr. Market is a manic-depressive — profit from his mood swings instead of following them.
Get the book →Culture
The books that shaped them, the concepts they use, the wisdom they pass on.
Leaders' library
What great leaders read — and why these books changed their trajectory.
Buffett says this book changed his life at 19. The central concept: Mr. Market is a manic-depressive — profit from his mood swings instead of following them.
Get the book →The foundation of Microsoft's transformation: the growth mindset. The person who keeps learning eventually beats the person who knows everything. Nadella made all his executives read it.
Get the book →27 years in prison told without bitterness. The most powerful resilience manual ever written — and a lesson in writing one's own history.
Get the book →Cited by world leaders for 2,500 years. "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting" — strategy before force.
Get the book →The authoritative biography, authorized but unsparing. A complete portrait of the genius and his shadows — read it to emulate the best and avoid the worst.
Get the book →A classic of African literature on dignity and resilience. Understanding Africa through its writers, not only through its entrepreneurs.
Get the book →Leadership vocabulary
Master the mental vocabulary of great leaders.
Reason from fundamental truths rather than by analogy. Break down a problem to its basic elements, then rebuild from scratch.
Act every day as if the company had just been born. Day 2 is stasis — then decline. Permanent urgency as a culture.
Believe that abilities develop through effort. The "learn-it-all" beats the "know-it-all" over time.
Know precisely the limits of what you understand — and refuse to act outside them, regardless of the apparent opportunity.
"I am because we are." Humanity is realized through others. The foundation of Mandela's leadership and South African reconciliation.
The public performance contracts from Rwandan tradition, modernized by Kagame: measurable commitments made before the community.
The structural advantage that protects a business from competition: brand, costs, network, infrastructure. Dangote applied it to African cement.
The ability to convince others that the impossible is doable. Powerful for innovation — dangerous when it disconnects from reality.
Personalised paths
Every situation calls for different lessons. Find your path.
Start with Jensen Huang (bet on a skill before it's in demand), then Buffett (read every day, let knowledge compound) and Jobs (connect the dots of your journey).
Start with Ngannou (no starting point condemns you), then Eto'o (humiliation as fuel) and Marie Curie (invisible work before glory).
The profiles are here! Start with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala (integrity that nothing bends) and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (rebuilding a country in ruins). More coming: Oprah, Indra Nooyi... Subscribe to be notified!
Wisdom
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together."African proverb
"The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now."Proverb
"Until the lion has his own historian, the hunter's story will always glorify the hunter."African proverb — attributed to Chinua Achebe
"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world."Nelson Mandela
"Knowledge is like a garden: if it is not cultivated, it cannot be harvested."African proverb