The Abstract Ep 109: Books That Stay With You: Legal Leaders Share Their Shelf
What’s on the bookshelf of today’s top legal leaders? In this special bonus episode, host Tyler Finn asks general counsels, founders, and legal innovators one simple question: What book would you recommend to our listeners?
From legal thrillers to leadership classics, personal growth memoirs to spiritual texts — the answers are as wide-ranging as the roles these leaders play. Hear how books like Give and Take, The Culture Code, Ikigai, The Hard Thing About Hard Things, and 100 Saturdays have helped shape how these professionals think, lead, and live.
Whether you're looking for your next business read or something more soul-stirring, this episode is your perfect reading list.
Read detailed summary: https://www.spotdraft.com/podcast/episode-109
Topics
Introduction: 00:00
Rob Chesnut, Former GC and CEO at Airbnb, on writing a book that started as a dinner-table idea: 00:33
Dana Rao, Former GC & CTO, Adobe, on falling for fiction through Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty: 05:52
Shashank Bijapur, Co-Founder & CEO, SpotDraft, on how Zero to One and The Hard Thing About Hard Things guided his transition from lawyer to founder: Akshay Verma, COO at SpotDraft, on the leadership lessons from Getting Naked: 07:07
Tim Hirsch, GC of Mars Science & Diagnostics, on the untold Holocaust history in 100 Saturdays: 08:48
Manu Kanwar, Founder and CEO, LexSolutions, on trauma, ADHD, and human flourishing: 11:17
Alex Herrity, Director of Global Legal Solutions, Adidas, on contract design and building a second brain: 14:52
Keita de Souza, GC at Ryse, on Likable Badass and redefining influence: 17:00
David Cowen, President at The Cowen Group, on how books shape leadership and connection: 19:33
Joon Park, Chief Legal Officer at Extend Enterprises, Inc., on the spiritual depth of the Tao Te Ching and his wife's Pulitzer-winning biography: 21:14
Tyler Finn, Head of Community & Growth at SpotDraft, on books that shaped his values, legal curiosity, and political awareness: 23:01
Connect with us:
Tyler Finn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/tylerhfinn
SpotDraft - https://www.linkedin.com/company/spotdraft
SpotDraft is a leading contract lifecycle management platform that solves your end-to-end contract management issues. Visit https://www.spotdraft.com to learn more.