List Of Top 10 Books Every CFO Should Read At Least Once In Their Lifetime

CFOs are responsible for managing the financial health and strategy of an organization. They need to stay updated on the latest trends, innovations, and best practices in the field of finance. One way to do that is to read books written by experts, leaders, and thinkers who have shaped the world of finance.

Reading will help them expand their skill set beyond finance-related topics. CFOs must assume the role of a thought leader in this new digitized age. For this, investing their time in learning new trends, strategies and business models is essential. Although there isn’t a single course that covers such a variety of subjects, there are always books to rely on.

For that, we have compiled a list of 10 books that we believe every CFO from top FinTech companies in India must read at least once. 

The 80/20 CFO: How to Make Strategic Transformations in Your Company by Janice Berthold & Suzy Taherian

Initiating change in an organization can be pretty tricky. To help CFOs with this, Janice Berthold and Suzy Taherian wrote this ‘hand guide’. It offers best practices and strategies that CFOs can use to transform their organizations.  Financial leaders of top fintech companies in India swear by this book for its relevance in guiding them through the process of nurturing relationships with stakeholders and aligning change with business values and aspirations.

Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors by Michael Porter

‘When in doubt, stick to basics,’ is a popular quote across the board. It typically says that regardless of disruption or transformation, foundational principles of how things work don’t change. This is exactly why this 1980 book by Michael Porter is still one of the top management reads. At a time when top FinTech companies in India are enforcing the need for modern financial strategies, Potter outlines frameworks known as the ‘Five Forces Model’ that began a new way of competitor analysis. plans to succeed across industries.

The Innovator’s Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail by Clayton M. Christensen

This book by Harvard Business School professor Clayton M. Christensen gives a no-nonsense account of how goliaths will become irrelevant against Davids like top FinTech companies in India. It gives an outstanding account of how companies, despite doing nothing wrong, can still fail or be disrupted only because they didn’t innovate as the time demanded.

The Successful CFO by Tony Tripodo 

Interestingly, there are a handful of companies whose success was led by financial executives and Tony Tripodo is one such leader. Having been named ‘CFO of the Year 2014’, this book is a ‘from the horse’s mouth’ account of what it takes to build a financially resilient enterprise in a complex and competitive business environment, sharing his lessons and experiences.

Fit for Growth: A Guide to Strategic Cost Cutting, Restructuring, and Renewal by Vinay Couto, John Plansky, & Deniz Caglar

Since the beginning of 2023, we have witnessed how companies are adopting restructuring as a financial tactic. This approach doesn’t seem avoidable for businesses including top FinTech companies in India in the current scenario. This book by Vinay Couto, John Plansky, and Deniz Caglar helps you understand how to survive challenging times and aim for long-term growth. It gives a series of case studies and examples to give you a firsthand account of what growth demands.

Future Ready: How to Master Business Forecasting by Steve Morlidge & Steve Player

This book came out soon after the 2008 financial crisis and the call for ‘future ready’ was then a survival instinct. And it still is. Steve Morlidge and Steve Player have laid out the significance of anticipating and preparing organizations for any eventualities and disruptions. The book also helps CFOs with the ‘how-to’ of business forecasting through detailed strategies and plans.

Beyond Digital: How Great Leaders Transform Their Organizations and Shape the Future by Paul Leinwand & Mahadeva Matt Mani 

Not every CFO or financial leader takes to the digital revolution like a fish in water. Some need a wise guide and this book by Paul Leinwand and Mahadeva Matt Mani offers generously. It gives you tips and best practices on how to evolve your business to suit the digital age by enhancing your leadership style with seven principles.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman

Everyone has this book on their reading list and deservedly so. Daniel Kahneman’s bestseller can help you improve your decision-making process by explaining the two ways of human thinking – fast and emotional, and slow and logical. The book helps you understand how each of these influences your decisions.

Build: An Unorthodox Guide to Making Things Worth Making by Tony Fadell

Tony Fadell, the leader behind the iPod and iPhone (among others), walks you through his life discussing his successes and failures. He essentially says that innovation is driven by leadership and your management approach. If you look at some of the top FinTech companies in India, you will realize how true this principle is.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

This illustrated book by Charlie Mackesy is a personal favorite of many leaders and founders of top FinTech companies in India. It has just two lessons – the power of asking for help and showing kindness. These two things can lift you in challenging times.

Turn to balanced lines from the balance sheet

Saying that CFOs are great at reading balance sheets is an understatement. As much as they help them shape business growth and sustainability, relying on them alone isn’t ideal. To evolve with the evolving times, finance leaders must turn to books that give insights into how some of the smartest people succeeded – or failed – in navigating the uncertainty of it all.