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https://www.kennorton.com/essays/books-for-product-managers.html Getting Things Done By David Allen Soon after this book was published Allen attracted an almost cult-like following. PMs juggle hundreds of priorities, and this book will help you balance your time.
Predictably Irrational By Dan Ariely One of the best books on human nature, Ariely’s enjoyable book helps us understand why people behave irrationally.
Yes to the Mess: Surprising Leadership Lessons from Jazz By Frank Barrett Jazz is messy, and musicians seem to court disaster night after night. What can product leaders learn from how these artists approach their art? Barrett’s entertaining book formed the backbone for my essay on jazz and product management.
Work Rules! By Laszlo Bock Laszlo and his team at Google have reinvented the role of human resources. This book is a terrific overview of what makes Google Google, from culture, to hiring, to making decisions.
TOP PICK
The Mythical Man-Month By Frederick Brooks If you could only read one computer science book, this would be it. More than forty years old, it’s as relevant as ever. I promise you’ll nod your head as Brooks skewers mistakes that engineering leaders continue to make to this day.
Inspired By Marty Cagan Marty has had a long and storied product management career, and is the founder of SVPMA.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts By Susan Cain I’m an introvert and I spent years treating it as a weakness. Susan’s book opened my eyes to the unique contributions introverts make. Even if you’re not an introvert yourself, I guarantee you work with lots of them.
Creativity, Inc By Ed Catmull If you appreciated my essay 10x Not 10%, you’ll enjoy Catmull’s book about putting 10x into practice. He draws from the success – and failures – of Pixar to teach us how to lead creative teams.
TOP PICK
The Innovator's Dilemma By Clayton Christensen The most important business book of the past fifty years. If you’re a technology PM and you haven’t read Christensen, do so right now.
The Innovator's Solution By Clayton Christensen The Innovator’s Dilemma’s equally essential follow-up.
Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products By Nir Eyal Why do some products take hold while others quietly fail? Highly recommended for anyone building consumer products.
Getting To Yes By Roger Fisher and William Ury PMs need to be master negotiators and there’s no better guide to negotiation than this classic.
Team of Rivals By Doris Kearns Goodwin Abraham Lincoln surrounded himself with his opponents, gradually turning them into admirers and influential advisors. Lincoln’s approach to leadership offers lessons for anyone looking to tap into the wisdom of others, with or without formal authority.
TOP PICK
High Output Management By Andy Grove This one only gets better with age. Although it’s only mentioned briefly, this is where Andy Grove first introduced OKRs to the world. His practical advice about meetings, especially the importance of 1-on-1s, inspired my own writing.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things By Ben Horowitz The most truly practical management book. Ben cuts through the B.S. and addresses the messy ambiguity of the real world in entertaining fashion.
How to Lie with Statistics By Darrell Huff Product managers need a solid foundation in statistics to be metrics-driven. This classic book is a lively and fun book will leave you smarter and more skeptical.
Steve Jobs By Walter Isaacson One of the best biographies of all time, of the greatest product manager of all time.
Meaningful: the Story of Ideas that Fly By Bernadette Jiwa A new addition to this list, marketing as storytelling.
Thinking, Fast and Slow By Daniel Kahneman When does our animal brain make decisions for us before our more analytical brain has a chance to think through the consequences? From Nobel laureate Kahneman, this is one of the most important psychology books ever written.
On Writing By Stephen King Product managers need to be good writers, and this is how you learn from one of the masters of the craft.
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Sprint By Jake Knapp From my partners in GV Design—how to cut through the crap, identify a problem, and test it in only one week.
Don't Make Me Think By Steve Krug This lighthearted book about user interface design is fun to read, and chock full of lessons for PMs.
In The Plex: How Google Thinks, Works, and Shapes Our Lives By Steven Levy Levy was given unprecedented access to Google, and the result is what I consider to be an accurate depiction of how the company operates.
✅Crossing the Chasm By Geoffrey Moore The classic technology marketing book. Moore was the first to evaluate the role of early adopters.
Inside the Tornado By Geoffrey Moore Moore’s follow-up tells you what to do after you’ve crossed the chasm, when it’s make-or-break around your ability to reach mainstream customers.
The Design of Everyday Things By Donald Norman After you read Norman’s book you’ll notice design everywhere, both good and bad. A classic in the field of design.
The Lean Product Playbook By Dan Olsen Dan’s book is a perfect companion to Lean Startup, with lots of tactical advice and techniques for putting lean methodologies into practice.
Positioning By Al Ries and Jack Trout The classic marketing book, one of the first to specifically address positioning your product in a consumer’s mind.
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✅ The Lean Startup By Eric Ries This book started a revolution in product development, and introduced us to the now-ubiquitous concepts of the MVP and the pivot.
TOP PICK
The Halo Effect By Phil Rosenzweig A blistering takedown of pop management books. It will sharpen your skepticism about the management advice anyone gives you (including me).
Nudge By Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein In product development, defaults matter. Thaler’s is the best book on why that is, and how to steer your users in the right direction.