My Bookshelf

Truth be told I was never a fan of formal classroom.  As soon as I realized that I learned more by reading and doing I generally avoided class.  Most of what I learn comes from reading and doing.  Here is my reading list for consumer web product managers.  I am always looking to expand my reading list, let me know if you think a book deserves to be on my bookshelf.

Designing & Building Software

How People Make Decisions

Beyond the skills of how to build software  you need to understand how users (i.e. people) make decisions i.e. get into the head of users.

Strategy & Economics

What is the context you are going to market in? How do you navigate your competitive landscape? How do you identify and leverage emerging trends? These books address these questions and more.

  • Crossing the Chasm (moving technology products from early adopter to mass adoption)
  • Blue Ocean (re-thinking the problem your trying to solve to differentiate)
  • Information Rules (the economics of switching costs and network effects for information based products)
  • Only the Paranoid Survive (how 10x changes create inflection points that change the basic rules)
  • Innovator’s Dilemma (how established players can try and avoid disruption via newer cheaper alternatives)
  • Crowdsourcing (how to engage with people beyond the four walls of your company to build, extend, and market products)

Marketing & Communication

How do you imprint your message into the consumers mind and present your message in a compelling way to employees, customers, investors, etc.

Entrepreneurship

Building something new is hard. These people have built  something new.

  • Bloomberg on Bloomberg (now known as Mayor Bloomberg. He built the first technology-media company)
  • Swimming Across (Andy Grove’s life story. From Holocaust survivor to entrepreneur. A story of perseverance and ambition)

Recruiting and Hiring

Building and Analyzing Financial Value

  • Essays of Warren Buffett (Warren’s letter to shareholders organized by topic, this is one of those masterpieces that I should re-read every few years.)

Understanding Yourself

If you don’t understand your strengths and weaknesses or your true motivations (wealth, fame, help people, etc.) you won’t be able to lead others. Get to know yourself.

Articles and Blogs about the Product Management Role