Sachin Rekhi
Founder & CEO @NotejoyApp, a fast & focused notes app for you and your team. Writer @ https://t.co/nauKnJxVc6, on all things product management. Dad @ https://t.co/BrgZ7BNZlZ.
20+ Book Recommendations by Sachin Rekhi
Obviously Awesome
April Dunford
You know your product is awesome-but does anybody else? Successfully connecting your product with consumers isn't a matter of following trends, comparing yourself to the competition or trying to attract the widest customer base. So what is it? April Dunford, positioning guru and tech exec, is here to enlighten you.@lennysan Obviously Awesome by @aprildunford https://t.co/nI3s8nphQ8
The Cold Start Problem
Andrew Chen
A venture capitalist draws on expertise developed at the premier venture capital firm, Andreessen Horowitz, and as an executive at Uber to address how tech's most successful products have solved the dreaded "cold start problem"--by leveraging networks effects to launch and scale towards billions of users. Although software has become easier to build, launching and scaling new products and services remains difficult. Startups face daunting challenges entering the technology ecosystem, including stiff competition, copycats, and ineffective marketing channels. Teams launching new products must consider the advantages of "the network effect," where a product or service's value increases as more users engage with it. Apple, Google, Microsoft, and other tech giants utilize network effects, and most tech products incorporate them, whether they're messaging apps, workplace collaboration tools, or marketplaces. Network effects provide a path for fledgling products to break through, attracting new users through viral growth and word of mouth. Yet most entrepreneurs lack the vocabulary and context to describe them--much less understand the fundamental principles that drive the effect. What exactly are network effects? How do teams create and build them into their products? How do products compete in a market where every player has them? Andrew Chen draws on his experience and on interviews with the CEOs and founding teams of LinkedIn, Twitch, Zoom, Dropbox, Tinder, Uber, Airbnb, Pinterest -- to provide unique insights in answering these questions. Chen also provides practical frameworks and principles that can be applied across products and industries. The Cold Start Problem reveals what makes winning networks successful, why some startups fail to successfully scale, and most crucially, why products that create and compete using the network effect are vitally important today.I’ve already had the privilege of reading @andrewchen’s new book and it’s fantastic! Required reading for anyone aspiring to build a network effects driven business. Pre-order now! https://t.co/m25QAPfHBB
The Cold Start Problem
Andrew Chen
I've already had a chance to read @andrewchen's new book, which will be a must read for any startup looking to achieve high growth through network effects. Pre-order it now! https://t.co/uozAKfKWmV
Cracking the PM Career
Jackie Bavaro
Our goal for this book is to be the guide we never had. This book shares the skills, frameworks, and practices that my peers and I have painstakingly learned and honed over the years so that PMs can spend less time reinventing the wheel. It delves into the mystery and ambiguity surrounding career progression so that PMs can focus on the right areas and reach their potential. It connects the dots on how to develop each important PM skill so that mentors can point their mentees towards actionable feedback.Excited to see @gayle and @jackiebo launch their new book, Cracking the PM Career! Includes an interview with me and my framework for 3 types of product managers: builders, tuners, and innovators. Encourage you to check it out! https://t.co/uojGyqpURM
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R. Covey
A leading management consultant outlines seven organizational rules for improving effectiveness and increasing productivity at work and at home.@SandeepPotdar 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, which I read in high school. It's been paying dividends ever since, including internalizing concepts like circle of concern vs circle of influence, production vs production capability, having a mission statement, & more https://t.co/HOcxGgK3DB
Creativity, Inc.
Ed Catmull
Excited to see Ed Catmull of Pixar win the $1M Turing Award. If you haven’t read his book Creativity, Inc, it is one of my favorites https://t.co/aRnNoAjgH2
The Everything Store
Brad Stone
@gerstenzang I love every book on your list. I’d add The Everything Store for a great read on business strategy.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
Stephen R. Covey
A leading management consultant outlines seven organizational rules for improving effectiveness and increasing productivity at work and at home.@JamesClear 7 Habits
The South Asian Health Solution
Ronesh Sinha
@Suhail Have you read Ronesh Sinha’s work? Expert on South Asian health (focusing on heart disease, diabetes) here in the Bay Area. Also advocates a low carb diet. I’m a huge believer in his approach. https://t.co/ZZB9pQ9HPJ
Thinking in Bets
Annie Duke
Poker champion turned business consultant Annie Duke teaches you how to get comfortable with uncertainty and make better decisions as a result. In Super Bowl XLIX, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll made one of the most controversial calls in football history: With 26 seconds remaining, and trailing by four at the Patriots' one-yard line, he called for a pass instead of a hand off to his star running back. The pass was intercepted and the Seahawks lost. Critics called it the dumbest play in history. But was the call really that bad? Or did Carroll actually make a great move that was ruined by bad luck? Even the best decision doesn't yield the best outcome every time. There's always an element of luck that you can't control, and there is always information that is hidden from view. So the key to long-term success (and avoiding worrying yourself to death) is to think in bets: How sure am I? What are the possible ways things could turn out? What decision has the highest odds of success? Did I land in the unlucky 10% on the strategy that works 90% of the time? Or is my success attributable to dumb luck rather than great decision making? Annie Duke, a former World Series of Poker champion turned business consultant, draws on examples from business, sports, politics, and (of course) poker to share tools anyone can use to embrace uncertainty and make better decisions. For most people, it's difficult to say "I'm not sure" in a world that values and, even, rewards the appearance of certainty. But professional poker players are comfortable with the fact that great decisions don't always lead to great outcomes and bad decisions don't always lead to bad outcomes. By shifting your thinking from a need for certainty to a goal of accurately assessing what you know and what you don't, you'll be less vulnerable to reactive emotions, knee-jerk biases, and destructive habits in your decision making. You'll become more confident, calm, compassionate and successful in the long run.New post: Really enjoyed reading Thinking in Bets by Annie Duke, which encourages us to think of decisions as structured bets in an attempt to overcome the cognitive biases that cause poor decision-making https://t.co/yn3nfjNTtt
The Nurture Assumption
Judith Rich Harris
Argues that children's development is influenced primarily by their peers--other children--rather than by their parents@bryce Don’t have kids but the topic came up with others recently & they suggested reading The Nurture Assumption by Judith Ritch Harris. It argues parents give themselves too much credit for influencing their child’s personality but instead peers matter way more https://t.co/x5e4o6WbQD
Differentiate or Die
Jack Trout
A newly revised and expanded edition of the revolutionary business classic, Differentiate or Die, Second Edition shows you how to differentiate your products, services, and business in order to dominate the competition. Veteran marketing guru Jack Trout uses real-world examples and his own unique insight to show you how to bind customers to your products for long-term success and loyalty. This edition includes new case studies, new research, and updated examples from around the world.@SparksZilla Differentiate or Die by Jack Trout
Obviously Awesome
April Dunford
You know your product is awesome-but does anybody else? Successfully connecting your product with consumers isn't a matter of following trends, comparing yourself to the competition or trying to attract the widest customer base. So what is it? April Dunford, positioning guru and tech exec, is here to enlighten you.This weekend’s read thanks to @aprildunford https://t.co/VJ5eYprB1J
The Score Takes Care of Itself
Bill Walsh
The last lecture on leadership by the NFL's greatest coach: Bill Walsh Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty. In the process, he changed the way football is played. Prior to his death, Walsh granted a series of exclusive interviews to bestselling author Steve Jamison. These became his ultimate lecture on leadership. Additional insights and perspective are provided by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and others. Bill Walsh taught that the requirements of successful leadership are the same whether you run an NFL franchise, a fortune 500 company, or a hardware store with 12 employees. These final words of 'wisdom by Walsh' will inspire, inform, and enlighten leaders in all professions.@SparksZilla The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh https://t.co/BQdwlWFh4s
The Score Takes Care of Itself
Bill Walsh
The last lecture on leadership by the NFL's greatest coach: Bill Walsh Bill Walsh is a towering figure in the history of the NFL. His advanced leadership transformed the San Francisco 49ers from the worst franchise in sports to a legendary dynasty. In the process, he changed the way football is played. Prior to his death, Walsh granted a series of exclusive interviews to bestselling author Steve Jamison. These became his ultimate lecture on leadership. Additional insights and perspective are provided by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana and others. Bill Walsh taught that the requirements of successful leadership are the same whether you run an NFL franchise, a fortune 500 company, or a hardware store with 12 employees. These final words of 'wisdom by Walsh' will inspire, inform, and enlighten leaders in all professions.Just finished reading The Score Takes Care of Itself by Bill Walsh. What a refreshingly unique perspective on leadership from the former head coach of the SF 49ers. I share my biggest takeaways for leaders in Silicon Valley in my latest post https://t.co/BQdwlWFh4s
The Score Takes Care of Itself
Bill Walsh
Offers insights and best leadership principles from the successful coach of the San Francisco 49ers, explaining how he motivated people, crafted winning teams, and his words of wisdom such as “Believe in people,” and “Keep a short enemies list.”Excited for this https://t.co/R1puUFBAKX
- The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer Note: This is a BOOK SUMMARY of The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer - this is not the original book. Original book description: The Untethered Soul: The Journey Beyond Yourself by Michael A. Singer Who are you? When you start to explore this question, you find out how elusive it really is. Are you a physical body? A collection of experiences and memories? A partner to relationships? Each time you consider these aspects of yourself, you realize that there is much more to you than any of these can define. The Untethered Soul, spiritual teacher Michael Singer explores the question of who we are and arrives at the conclusion that our identity is to be found in our consciousness, the fact of our ability to observe ourselves, and the world around us. By tapping into traditions of meditation and mindfulness, Singer shows how the development of consciousness can enable us all to dwell in the present moment and let go of painful thoughts and memories that keep us from achieving happiness and self-realization. This book, copublished with the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS), offers a frank and friendly discussion of consciousness and how we can develop it. In part one, he examines the notion of self and the inner dialogue we all live with. Part two examines the experience of energy as it flows through us and works to show readers how to open their hearts to the energy of experience that permeates their lives. Ways to overcome tendencies to close down to the rest of the world are the subject of part three. Enlightenment, the embrace of universal consciousness, is the subject of part four. And finally, in part five, Singer returns to daily life and the pursuit of unconditional happiness. Throughout, the book maintains a light and engaging tone, free from heavy dogma and prescriptive religious references. The easy exercises that figure in each chapter help readers experience the ideas that Singer presents.
Just read The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer this weekend. It's the most approachable reading on Buddhist philosophy, mindfulness, and meditation I've found targeted at a Western audience. Highly recommend. h/t @justinkan https://t.co/mGgQuhhfyq
The Untethered Soul
Michael A. Singer
The chapters of this book are nothing but mirrors for seeing your ''self'' from different angles. And though the journey we are about to embark on is an inner one, it will draw upon every aspect of your life. The only requirement asked of you is the willingness to honestly look at yourself in the most natural, intuitive manner. Remember, if we are seeking the root of ''self,'' what we are actually seeking is you. As you read through these pages, you will find that you know much more than you thought you did about some very deep subjects. The fact is, you already know how to find yourself; you have just gotten distracted and disoriented. Once refocused, you will realize that you not only have the ability to find yourself, you have the ability to free yourself. Whether you choose to do so or not is entirely up to you. But upon completion of your journey through these chapters, there will be no more confusion, no more lack of empowerment, and no more blaming others. You will know exactly what must be done. And should you choose to devote yourself to the ongoing journey of self-realization, you will develop a tremendous sense of respect for who you really are. It is only then that you will come to appreciate the full depth of meaning in the advice: ''This above all: to thine own self be true.'' ---- IntroductionJust read The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer this weekend. It's the most approachable reading on Buddhist philosophy, mindfulness, and meditation I've found targeted at a Western audience. Highly recommend. h/t @justinkan https://t.co/mGgQuhhfyq
Creative Selection
Ken Kocienda
An insider's account of Apple's creative process during the golden years of Steve Jobs. 'If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to work in a hotbed of innovation, you’ll enjoy this inside view of life at Apple. Ken Kocienda pioneered the iPhone keyboard, and this book gives a play-by-play of their creative process –from generating ideas to doing a demo for Steve Jobs.' Adam Grant Hundreds of millions of people use Apple products every day; several thousand work on Apple's campus in Cupertino, California; but only a handful sit at the drawing board. Creative Selection recounts the life of one of the few who worked behind the scenes, a highly-respected software engineer who worked in the final years of the Steve Jobs era, the Golden Age of Apple. Ken Kocienda offers an inside look at Apple’s creative process. For fifteen years, he was on the ground floor of the company as a specialist, directly responsible for experimenting with novel user interface concepts and writing powerful, easy-to-use software for products including the iPhone, the iPad and the Safari web browser. His stories explain the symbiotic relationship between software and product development for those who have never dreamed of programming a computer, and reveal what it was like to work on the cutting edge of technology at one of the world's most admired companies. Kocienda shares moments of struggle and success, crisis and collaboration, illuminating each with lessons learned over his Apple career. He introduces the essential elements of innovation, inspiration, collaboration, craft, diligence, decisiveness, taste, and empathy, and uses these as a lens through which to understand productive work culture. An insider's tale of creativity and innovation at Apple, Creative Selection shows readers how a small group of people developed an evolutionary design model, and how they used this methodology to make groundbreaking and intuitive software which countless millions use every day.What's amazing today is that when you read a book you love that no longer has to be the end of your experience with the author. You can follow them on Twitter and keep engaging with their ideas. Creative Selection and @kocienda is my most recent favorite example.
Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed
Meghan Daum
Sixteen literary luminaries on the controversial subject of being childless by choice, in this critically acclaimed, bestselling anthology One of the most provocative and talked-about books of the year, Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed is the stunning collection exploring one of society’s most vexing taboos. One of the main topics of cultural conversation during the last decade was the supposed “fertility crisis,” and whether modern women could figure out a way to have it all—a successful career and the required 2.3 children—before their biological clocks stopped ticking. Now, however, the conversation has turned to whether it’s necessary to have it all (see Anne-Marie Slaughter) or, perhaps more controversial, whether children are really a requirement for a fulfilling life. In this exciting and controversial collection of essays, curated by writer Meghan Daum, thirteen acclaimed female writers explain why they have chosen to eschew motherhood. Contributors include Lionel Shriver, Sigrid Nunez, Kate Christensen, Elliott Holt, Geoff Dyer, and Tim Kreider, among others, who will give a unique perspective on the overwhelming cultural pressure of parenthood. This collection makes a smart and passionate case for why parenthood is not the only path to a happy, productive life, and takes our parent-centric, kid-fixated, baby-bump-patrolling culture to task in the process. In this book, that shadowy faction known as the childless-by-choice comes out into the light.@DanielleMorrill @teller I read this a few years back: Selfish, Shallow, and Self-Absorbed: Sixteen Writers on the Decision Not to Have Kids https://t.co/aYjt8GaUKE
Creative Selection
Ken Kocienda
* WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER * An insider's account of Apple's creative process during the golden years of Steve Jobs. Hundreds of millions of people use Apple products every day; several thousand work on Apple's campus in Cupertino, California; but only a handful sit at the drawing board. Creative Selection recounts the life of one of the few who worked behind the scenes, a highly-respected software engineer who worked in the final years of the Steve Jobs era—the Golden Age of Apple. Ken Kocienda offers an inside look at Apple’s creative process. For fifteen years, he was on the ground floor of the company as a specialist, directly responsible for experimenting with novel user interface concepts and writing powerful, easy-to-use software for products including the iPhone, the iPad, and the Safari web browser. His stories explain the symbiotic relationship between software and product development for those who have never dreamed of programming a computer, and reveal what it was like to work on the cutting edge of technology at one of the world's most admired companies. Kocienda shares moments of struggle and success, crisis and collaboration, illuminating each with lessons learned over his Apple career. He introduces the essential elements of innovation—inspiration, collaboration, craft, diligence, decisiveness, taste, and empathy—and uses these as a lens through which to understand productive work culture. An insider's tale of creativity and innovation at Apple, Creative Selection shows readers how a small group of people developed an evolutionary design model, and how they used this methodology to make groundbreaking and intuitive software which countless millions use every day.Loved reading Creative Selection by Ken Kocienda, retelling the story of creating the first iPhone's keyboard and thereby giving us a glimpse into Apple's design process. Here is my review. https://t.co/bOXRKIdO1v
Living the 7 Habits
Stephen R. Covey
In the ten years since its publication, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People has become a worldwide phenomenon, with more than twelve million readers in thirty-two languages. Living the 7 Habits: Stories of Courage and Inspiration captures the essence of people's real-life experiences, applying proven principles to help them solve their problems and overcome challenges. In this uplifting and riveting collection of stories, readers will find wonderful examples of hope and encouragement as they are touched by the words of real people and their experiences of change-change that got them through difficult times; change that solved family crises; change that mended broken relationships; change that turned their businesses around; change that influenced entire communities.Stephen Covey’s concept of your circle of influence remains the earliest form of meditation I started practicing in middle school after reading 7 Habits https://t.co/r66rDyWFwY
Brotopia
Emily Chang
Instant National Bestseller "Excellent." --San Francisco Chronicle "Brotopia is more than a business book. Silicon Valley holds extraordinary power over our present lives as well as whatever utopia (or nightmare) might come next." --New York Times Silicon Valley is a modern utopia where anyone can change the world. Unless you're a woman. For women in tech, Silicon Valley is not a fantasyland of unicorns, virtual reality rainbows, and 3D-printed lollipops, where millions of dollars grow on trees. It's a "Brotopia," where men hold all the cards and make all the rules. Vastly outnumbered, women face toxic workplaces rife with discrimination and sexual harassment, where investors take meetings in hot tubs and network at sex parties. In this powerful exposé, Bloomberg TV journalist Emily Chang reveals how Silicon Valley got so sexist despite its utopian ideals, why bro culture endures despite decades of companies claiming the moral high ground (Don't Be Evil! Connect the World!)--and how women are finally starting to speak out and fight back. Drawing on her deep network of Silicon Valley insiders, Chang opens the boardroom doors of male-dominated venture capital firms like Kleiner Perkins, the subject of Ellen Pao's high-profile gender discrimination lawsuit, and Sequoia, where a partner once famously said they "won't lower their standards" just to hire women. Interviews with Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and former Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer--who got their start at Google, where just one in five engineers is a woman--reveal just how hard it is to crack the Silicon Ceiling. And Chang shows how women such as former Uber engineer Susan Fowler, entrepreneur Niniane Wang, and game developer Brianna Wu, have risked their careers and sometimes their lives to pave a way for other women. Silicon Valley's aggressive, misogynistic, work-at-all costs culture has shut women out of the greatest wealth creation in the history of the world. It's time to break up the boys' club. Emily Chang shows us how to fix this toxic culture--to bring down Brotopia, once and for all.Was so excited to spend the evening with @emilychangtv and @BradStone in an incredible interview on the back story of Brotopia. Can't wait to read it! https://t.co/lsUxgyxguD https://t.co/6o2j4Wo4SJ
- **Winner of the 2013 Financial Times and Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Award** Amazon placed one of the first and largest bets on the Internet. Nothing would ever be the same again. Though Amazon.com started off delivering books through the mail, its visionary founder, Jeff Bezos, was never content with being just a bookseller. He wanted Amazon to become ‘the everything store’, offering limitless selection and seductive convenience at disruptively low prices. To achieve that end, he developed a corporate culture of relentless ambition and secrecy that's never been cracked. Until now... Jeff Bezos stands out for his relentless pursuit of new markets, leading Amazon into risky new ventures like the Kindle and cloud computing, and transforming retail in the same way that Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing.
@TheMudaliar My all time favorite on product strategy is The Everything Store by @BradStone, all about @JeffBezos and the various strategies he employed to ensure Amazon dominated it's markets https://t.co/N4QCB4NKk2