What people recommend, in their own words, with the receipt.
Engineering leader and writer; wrote An Elegant Puzzle, Staff Engineer and The Engineering Executive's Primer
14 things
Thinking in Systems: A PrimerBook Donella Meadows
For me, systems thinking has been the most effective universal tool for reasoning through complex problems, and this book is a readable, powerful introduction.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Don't Think of An Elephant! Know Your Values and Frame the DebateBook George Lakoff
While written from a political perspective that some might find challenging, this book completely changed how I think about presenting ideas. You may be tempted to instead read his more academic writing, but I'd recommend reading this first as it's much briefer and more readable.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
The Mythical Man-MonthBook Frederick P. Brooks
The first professional book I ever read, opening my eyes to the wealth of software engineering literature waiting out there.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why it MattersBook Richard Rumelt
This book gave me permission to acknowledge that many strategies I've seen professionally are not very good, and a structured approach to writing good strategies
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Finite and Infinite GamesBook James P. Carse
Success in most life situations is about letting everyone continue to play, not about zero-sum outcomes. This seems pretty obvious, but for me it helped reset my sense of why I work.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to FailBook Clayton Christensen
A look at how being hyper-rational in the short-run has led many great companies to failure. These days I think about this constantly when doing strategic planning.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered CompanyBook Charan, Drotter and Noel
This book opened my eyes to just how thoughtful many companies are in intentionally growing new leadership.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Peopleware: Productive Projects and TeamsBook Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister
The book that has given generations of developers permission to speak on the challenges of space planning and open offices. Particularly powerful in grounding the discussion in data.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total EfficiencyBook Tom DeMarco
Documents a compelling case for middle managers as the critical layer where organizational memory rests and learning occurs. A meditation on the gap between efficiency and effectiveness.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
The Goal: A Process of Ongoing ImprovementBook Eliyahu Goldratt
Explores how constraint-theory can be used to optimize process.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers LoveBook Marty Cagan
A thoughtful approach to product management.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Fierce Conversations: Achieving Success at Work and in Life One Conversation at a TimeBook Susan Scott
How to say what you need to say, particularly powerful in giving structure to get past conflict aversion.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Becoming a Technical Leader: An Organic Problem-Solving ApproachBook Gerald Weinberg
Permission to be a leader that builds on your strengths, not whatever model that folks think you should fit into.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
Designing with the Mind in MindBook Jeff Johnson
An introduction to usability and design, grounding both in how the brain works.
His blog post collecting the management and leadership books that most changed how he thinks, ranked by value
lethain.com ↗·2018-07-24
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