The 25 M&A Books Every CEO, Founder, And Business Owner Should Read

Sharp feline entrepreneurs and business owners are adding M&A books to their reading list as deal volume is expected to surge in 2026.

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Mergers and acquisitions are poised to remain a core growth strategy in 2026, and leaders at every level need to be prepared. After a rebound in deal activity in the second half of 2025, three forces are converging to sustain momentum.

First, there is what’s being called the ‘Silver Tsunami” phenomenon, as Baby Boomer business owners, who control over 12 million small-to-mid size companies in the US, begin transitioning ownership. Second, private equity firms continue to sit on unprecedented capital reserves, creating sustained pressure to deploy capital through acquisitions, add-ons, and exits. Third, according to EY’s CEO Outlook survey, more than half of CEOs plan to pursue M&A deals specifically to drive growth, reflecting mounting board and investor expectations for faster returns than organic expansion has been able to deliver.

Together, these forces are raising both the volume of deals and the stakes for execution. For leaders who have never led a transaction—or who underestimate what happens after the deal closes—the learning curve is steep, and the margin for error is thin.

To help executives and advisors navigate this reality, I’ve curated 25 essential M&A books, organized into five categories. The list intentionally avoids being overly banker-centric or academic, reflecting more how M&A is experienced by leaders and employees through the life-cycle of a transaction. The strong response to human-centric M&A books—including my own, NOW WHAT?—underscores a growing demand for guidance that goes beyond transaction mechanics.

You will see well-known and established books that have long been part of the merger and acquisition library, as well as more recent books from M&A practitioners. Together, these books shed light on navigating M&A’s unique culture challenges, integration pressure points, and how decision-making must adapt before, during, and after the deal closes.

M&A Fundamentals: Classic Books Every Deal Leader Should Read

These books are considered foundational works that establish how leaders should think about M&A as a system of strategy, execution, and human transition—not a single transaction.

• Leading Change — John P. Kotter
  The definitive framework for organizational transformation, explaining why even well-structured deals fail as leaders underestimate the human response to change.
• The Art of M&A — Stanley Foster Reed, Alexandra Reed Lajoux & H. Peter Nesvold
  The most comprehensive end-to-end reference on mergers and acquisitions, covering strategy, valuation, diligence, and execution.
• Managing the Merger: Making It Work — Philip H. Mirvis & Mitchell Lee Marks
  A seminal integration guide focused on leadership alignment, culture, and the realities of post-close execution.
• Surviving Corporate Transition — William Bridges
  A classic exploration of the psychology of transition that helps leaders understand what employees experience after major organizational change.
• Creating Value from Mergers and Acquisitions — S. David Young & Orit Gadiesh
  A strategy-first guide to ensuring deals deliver measurable value long after closing.

M&A Integration and Execution: How Deals Actually Work

Books that focus on how M&A works in practice—from diligence through post-close integration—where value is ultimately realized or lost.

• Mergers, Acquisitions, and Other Restructuring Activities — Donald DePamphilis
  The definitive reference on valuation, deal structuring, financing, and integration fundamentals across the full M&A lifecycle.
• Lessons from 1,000 Deals — Price Pritchett
  A practitioner’s guide to avoiding integration missteps, based on patterns observed across hundreds of real-world transactions.
• Anatomy of a Merger — Jim Freund
  A clear, deal-lawyer’s view of how acquisitions unfold, from negotiation through closing and early integration.
• Corporate Turnaround Artistry: Fix Any Business in 100 Days — Jeff Sands
  Insights into restoring performance and value when acquisitions underperform or require rapid operational intervention.
• Functional Integration in Mergers and Acquisitions — Anirvan Sen
  A practical, function-by-function playbook for executing post-merger integration across finance, HR, operations, technology, and commercial teams.

Leadership and Change Management in M&A

Books that address leadership behavior, mindset, and decision-making under the pressure and disruption inherent in M&A.

• The Soul of the Deal — Marc Morgenstern
  An exploration of the emotional, relational, and psychological dynamics of buying, selling, and integrating businesses.
• The Merger Mindset — Constance Dierickx
  A concise, M&A-specific guide to how leaders must think differently to avoid common integration blind spots.
• The Exception Code — Jonathan Johannes
  A leadership framework informed by a landmark Caribbean banking acquisition, demonstrating that culture, trust, and integration challenges—and solutions—are global.
• How to Survive Change You Didn’t Ask For — M.J. Ryan
  A practical resilience guide and framework for leaders and employees navigating involuntary change.
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni
  A leadership fable that shows how the absence of trust, healthy conflict, and accountability quietly erodes team performance during periods of change.

Culture, Talent, and People Risk in M&A

Books that surface the often-overlooked people, culture, and talent risks that can erode deal value.

• The Culture Map — Erin Meyer
  A practical framework for understanding and navigating cross-cultural differences that commonly derail multinational integrations.
• The HR Practitioner’s Guide to M&A Due Diligence — Klint Kendrick
  A tactical manual for identifying leadership, culture, and people risks before they surface post-close.
• People Economics — Laura Queen
  A data-driven framework for defining and measuring the true value of human capital in organizational performance.
• The NEW ROI: Return on Individuals — Dave Bookbinder
  A reframing of value creation that centers on individual contribution, engagement, and accountability.
• The M&A Failure Trap — Baruch Lev & Feng Gu
  An evidence-based analysis explaining why most deals fail and how a small minority succeed, grounded in large-scale empirical research.

Exits, Private Equity, and Ownership Transitions

Books that examine ownership transitions through exits and private equity, focusing on how deals play out beyond the transaction.

• The Private Equity Playbook — Adam Coffey
  An operator’s guide to scaling, acquiring, and exiting businesses based on extensive private equity experience.
• The Art of the Exit — Jacob Orosz
  A founder-focused exploration of exit planning that integrates financial, strategic, and emotional readiness.
• Buy Then Build — Walker Deibel
  A practical guide to acquisition entrepreneurship, positioning M&A as a deliberate growth strategy rather than a startup alternative.
• Barbarians at the Gate — Bryan Burrough & John Helyar
  A classic account of deal excess and incentive misalignment that continues to shape how leaders think about power in transactions.
• Taken for a Ride — Bill Vlasic & Bradley A. Stertz
  A cautionary case study of the Daimler-Chrysler merger and the cultural miscalculations that doomed it.

M&A is often framed as a financial event, but seasoned leaders know it is equally a test of leadership. The books on this list reflect that reality. For CEOs, founders, entrepreneurs and investors navigating growth, succession, or transformation through M&A, let this reading list be your field guide.