Summer reading 2025

In The Power of Mattering, Zach Mercurio reveals how leaders can unlock performance and engagement by meeting a core human need: the need to feel seen, valued and essential. Backed by research and real-world examples, the book offers a practical three-step framework to help build a culture where everyone knows they matter and contributes at their best.

• Title: The Power of Mattering: How Leaders Can Create a Culture of Significance
• Author: Mercurio, Z.
• Library Link
• ISBN: 9798892790123
• Year: 2025
• Publisher: Harvard Business Review Press

In Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others, Adam Galinsky explores the science behind what makes leaders inspiring rather than infuriating. Galinsky emphasises that inspiring leadership is not innate but can be developed through intentional behaviour, self-awareness, and empathy. This book offers practical strategies for anyone seeking to elevate their influence and foster positive change in their personal and professional lives.

• Title: Inspire: The Universal Path for Leading Yourself and Others
• Author: Galinsky, A.
• Library Link 
• ISBN: 9780063294677
• Year: 2025
• Publisher: Harper Business

Daniela Rus and Gregory Mone's The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots, offers an engaging vision of robotics transforming society, not by replacing humans but by enhancing human capabilities in health, work, and exploration. The book surveys current and emerging robotic technologies, examines challenges like ethical responsibility and technical limitations, and outlines a framework for responsible development. Rus emphasises that when robots (the “chip”) are designed with a human-centred purpose (the “heart”), they can foster innovation, productivity, and well-being..

• Title: The Heart and the Chip: Our Bright Future with Robots
• Author: Rus, D. and Mone, G.
• Library Link 
• ISBN: 9781324050230
• Year: 2024
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

In Co-Intelligence, Ethan Mollick explores how to work productively with AI as a partner in daily life and business. He outlines four key principles for effective use: broad experimentation, human oversight, clear communication, and an understanding that AI is rapidly evolving. With real-world examples, the book offers practical guidance to harness AI as a co-worker, tutor and creative collaborator.

• Title: Co-intelligence: Living and Working with AI
• Author: Mollick, E.
• Library Link
• ISBN: 9780593716717
• Year: 2024
• Publisher: Penguin

In Superagency: What Could Possibly Go Right with Our AI Future, Reid Hoffman and Greg Beato present a forward-thinking vision of artificial intelligence as a catalyst for human empowerment. Challenging prevalent fears, they argue that AI, when developed and deployed responsibly, can amplify human agency, enhance decision-making, and democratise access to knowledge and resources.

• Title: Superagency
• Author: Hoffman, R. & Beato, G.
• Library Link
• ISBN: 9780349442136
• Year: 2025
• Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Drawing on rigorous research and hundreds of interviews with high‑performing individuals, from entrepreneurs and Olympic athletes to Pulitzer Prize winners Laura Huang explores how our brains synthesise data, past experiences, and subconscious signals into powerful intuitive insights, or “gut feelings”. Through a science‑backed framework and practical exercises, she shows how this intuition can be transformed from a passive, mysterious impulse into a reliable and intentional decision‑making tool. Ultimately, You Already Know argues that mastering this inner compass enables quicker, more confident decisions, unlocking our full potential amid today’s noisy world..

• Title: You Already Know: The Science of Mastering Intuition
• Author: Huang, L.
• Library Link: publication date mid-July
• ISBN: 9780593714768
• Year: 2025
• Publisher: Penguin Random House

Charles Handy died on 13 December 2024 at the age of 92. In The View from Ninety: Reflections on How to Live a Long, Contented Life, the renowned management thinker and social philosopher offers a poignant reflection on life, work, and purpose from the vantage point of his 90s. Drawing on his experiences and Stoic philosophy, Handy shares insights on what truly matters, the importance of empowering leadership, and the pursuit of a meaningful life. This final work serves as a gentle yet powerful exhortation to live with purpose and compassion, emphasising that good management and leadership are about "finding the gift in others and getting them to use it".

• Title: The View from Ninety: Reflections on How to Live a Long, Contented Life
• Author:  Handy, C.
• Library Link: publication date September
• ISBN: 9781529154801
• Year: 2025
• Publisher: Cornerstone

In Groeien als ondernemer – 36 inzichten voor blijvende impact Vlerick author Yannick Dillen shares practical lessons drawn from real conversations with entrepreneurs in Belgium and the Netherlands. This compact guide presents 36 accessible insights that show how personal development and business growth go hand in hand. Written for ambitious entrepreneurs, managers and leaders, the book helps you reflect on your own growth journey and build a more sustainable, impactful business, step by step. Available in Dutch only.

• Title: Groeien als ondernemer
• Author: Dillen, Y. 
• Library Link
• ISBN: 9789464676044
• Year: 2024
• Publisher: Acco

Negotiation Intelligence: Rethinking Negotiation by Vlerick author Katia Tieleman and Laurence Dewaele introduces a groundbreaking philosophy that moves beyond compromise and power struggles to foster sustainable, transformational negotiation outcomes. In a rapidly changing world, the book presents Negotiation Intelligence (NQ®) as a practical and collaborative model that empowers individuals to reshape themselves, their relationships and their results. It offers a clear roadmap for developing long-term negotiation capabilities and creating real impact across sectors. Available in Dutch only.

• Title: Negotiation Intelligence
• Author: Tieleman, K. and Dewaele, L. 
• Library Link
• ISBN: 9789401482493
• Year: 2025
• Publisher: LannooCampus

In Digital at Heart: How to Lead the Human-Centric Digital Transformation, Vlerick authors Karlien Vanderheyden, Ignace Decroix and Stijn Viaene present a framework for embedding people at the core of digital transformation initiatives. The book introduces the 4V model - Vigilant, Voyager, Visionary, Vested - guiding leaders to foster inclusive, adaptive, and purpose-driven change. Through real-world case studies and actionable insights, it emphasises that successful digital transformation is not solely about technology but about cultivating a culture where individuals are empowered to lead and adapt.

• Title: Digital at Heart
• Author: Vanderheyden, K., Decroix, I. and Viaene, S.
• Library Link
• ISBN: 9789401487740
• Year: 2025
• Publisher: LannooCampus