This is an article I wrote for The Vancouver Board of Trade's Leaders of Tomorrow Program newsletter, Young Leader. To read the original article, you may find it here.

Reading can expand our minds and challenge perspectives. As future leaders of tomorrow, it is important to equip ourselves with necessary skills and insight that can prepare us as we begin our careers. Below are eight books that can impact areas in our personal and professional lives.

1. The Start-up of You by Reid Hoffman and Ben Casnocha – Co-authored by Hoffman, co-founder of LinkedIn, The Start-up of You is a guide to starting out or changing careers. Hoffman applies entrepreneurial strategies to building careers, such as developing a competitive advantage and the importance of investing in oneself.

2. Never Eat Alone by Keith Ferrazzi – Ferrazzi shares his networking and relationship-building ‘secrets’ which helped him build a powerful network of relationships to bring him opportunities and success.

3. The Personal MBA by Josh Kaufman – Kaufman’s The Personal MBA provides the fundamentals and equips readers, with or without a business background, with the foundations of business knowledge.

4. The Sales Bible by Jeffrey Gitomer – Learning how to sell, whether in an interview with a potential employer or pitching a project to co-workers, is an essential skill. Gitomer’s Sales Bible is a primer on selling, applicable to all industries.

5. Yes! 50 Scientifically Proven Ways to Be Persuasive by Noah J. Goldstein, Steve J. Martin and Robert B. Cialdini – It is important to be able to communicate effectively to others. The three authors present methods that have been proven by science to communicate more persuasively.

6. Four Steps to Epiphany by Steve Blank – According to Igor Faletski, CEO and co-founder of Mobify, this book showed him how to take innovation and turn it into products that customers love. “Inventing a new technology is only one step towards a successful venture. This book talks about the rest of the way,” says Faletski.

7. Playing to Win by A.G. Lafley and Roger L. Martin – Recommended by Danny Robinson, CEO of Perch, Playing to Win is co-authored by Proctor & Gamble’s Lafley, who returns to his role as CEO. This book provides a framework for creating and executing strategies.

8. Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson – A business book that presents practical advice with creativity. Written by the co-founders of Basecamp (formerly 37signals), Rework encourages readers to rethink perceptions about work and business.

Which books do you recommend young people should read?

Image Source: Chalkbass

8 Books Every Leader of Tomorrow Should Read