English and Literature Majors: The Unlikely Foundation for Top Business Leaders

Stephanie Mehta, CEO and chief content officer of Mansueto Ventures, a media company known for its publications like Inc. and Fast Company, advocates for aspiring business leaders to consider majors in English or literature. Drawing from her own experience as an English major, Mehta emphasizes that her humanities education has provided her with invaluable skills for her leadership role. Specifically, she highlights how her professors fostered an appreciation for nuance and originality, traits she actively seeks when recruiting new talent. Furthermore, Mehta recalls how college-era group discussions about literature taught her a crucial lesson: that diverse interpretations of the same text are not only possible but expected. This understanding, she explains, is directly applicable to navigating the inevitable divergent opinions and complex dynamics within a leadership team, a core responsibility for any CEO.

Nikhil Deogun, CEO of the Americas at Brunswick Group, a prominent global advisory firm specializing in communications and strategic advisory, shares a similar perspective. Deogun holds degrees in English and economics, humorously noting that economics was primarily pursued to appease his father. He strongly believes that a liberal arts education, particularly in fields like English, equips individuals with essential critical thinking abilities. These include the capacity to construct well-reasoned arguments, rigorously question underlying assumptions, distill complex issues to their core, and articulate the significance of these findings. Deogun asserts that these skills are fundamental to the daily responsibilities of a CEO, which involve making sense of intricate business landscapes, identifying and prioritizing what truly matters, and effectively galvanizing and guiding teams towards common objectives.

David Risher, chief executive officer and a director of Lyft, a leading ride-sharing company, brings another compelling viewpoint. Risher earned a degree in comparative literature, a field he describes as an exploration of what makes great literature resonate. His studies focused on understanding how authors tap into universal human interests and needs – such as the desire for adventure, love, and a sense of relevance – to craft truly novel and impactful works. Risher draws a direct parallel between this literary endeavor and the principles of successful business ventures. He posits that any thriving business, much like a compelling piece of literature, must similarly identify and connect with fundamental human interests and needs to develop innovative products and services that capture the market's attention and loyalty. The collective insights from Mehta, Deogun, and Risher underscore a powerful argument: that the analytical, communicative, and empathetic skills cultivated through humanities studies are not only transferable but are exceptionally beneficial for navigating the challenges and opportunities inherent in modern business leadership.