These are Jody Ono's recommendations for 2022!
1. The Meditations | Marcus Aurelius
We know about Marcus as Emperor of Rome 161-180 CE, as a Stoic philosopher, even as a warrior (he fires up the troops in early scenes of Gladiator). But he also handed down his innermost thoughts on ruling the empire in this book, which may never have been intended for readership of any kind, let alone 2,000 years later by the likes of us.
Look to Marcus' ponderings not for leadership advice (come on, it's never that easy), but for a glimpse into the mind of one of the ancient world's most powerful and benevolent rulers. He's timelessly complex; a side of leaders we don't usually get to see. Britannica explains: "Marcus was forever proposing to himself unattainable goals of conduct, forever contemplating the triviality, brutishness, and transience of the physical world and of humanity in general and himself in particular; otherworldly, yet believing in no other world..."
Note: Read a good translation of this, in your native language.
2. The Emigrants | W.G. Sebald
I'm reading this one now. Beautifully written and, sadly, far more relevant to our times than it should be. Translated from the German (by M. Hulse), it tells the stories of four individuals, Germans living mostly outside Germany through the 20th century's wars in Europe. What's really captivating is the way Sebald uses actual photographs, of the places and times he names, to help narrate his fiction; it's a sort of documented fiction... clever. Sebald's characters are complex and curious. A good practice of human relatedness, so critical for leadership development.
3. Race for Tomorrow | Simon Mundy
I have deep intellectual trust in those who have recommended this book to me. "Telling unforgettable human stories from six continents, this is an account of disaster, of promise, of frantic adaptation and relentless innovation, of hope, of survival, and of the forces that will define our future," says the blurb.
Jody Ono
Jody Ono is dedicated to helping people to characterize and express their leadership as a personal practice, an endeavor to which she has applied herself in policy, business, and academic spheres. At Hitotsubashi ICS, she teaches leadership development to MBA students and in executive education programs for Japanese and global companies; co-leads the MBA program; and serves as the school's chief of staff. In addition to leadership development, Jody's interests include the intersection of leadership and sustainability; the role of corporations in leading global social and economic change; and human welfare and well-being in capitalism.
Jody serves as an Outside Director for Mabuchi Motor Co., Ltd., appointed in 2019 as the company's first female and first non-Japanese director.
