Books That Shaped Me

Below is a list of a few key books that have an outsized impact on how I think about life, work, craft, and more. 

Work Culture

Slow Productivity · Cal Newport
Do fewer things, work at a natural pace, obsess over quality.

It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work · Jason Fried & DHH
You can transform your company culture to be calm and profitable.

Small Giants · Bo Burlingham
Fourteen companies chose greatness over growth.

Company of One · Paul Jarvis
Question growth, build better not bigger, design business around your life.

Craft

So Good They Can't Ignore You · Cal Newport
Passion follows mastery. Rare, valuable skills are what gives you "career capital."

Deep Work · Cal Newport
Focused work is increasingly rare and valuable.

Steal Like an Artist · Austin Kleon
There's nothing new under the sun. Great artist's remix and refine.

Linchpin · Seth Godin
Become indispensable by choosing work that matters. I read this in 2019 and it unlocked countless opportunities in my career over the next 3-5 years by changing my mindset about work.

Product

Inspired · Marty Cagan
Product managers solve answer key problems: Is it viable, is it valuable, is it feasible, is it usable?

The Personal MBA · Josh Kaufman
The "first principles" of business. Value creation, value delivery, sales, marketing, and finance.

Build · Tony Fadell
A "mentor in a box". Thirty years of product wisdom from the creator of the iPod and Nest.

Good Strategy, Bad Strategy · Richard Rumelt

A no-fluff book that defines strategy and lays out a clear system for creating one.

Marketing

This is Marketing · Seth Godin
The generous act of helping others become who they seek to become.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing · Al Ries & Jack Trout
Timeless rules about marketing. Violate them at your own risk.

Positioning · Al Ries & Jack Trout
Win the battle for your prospect's mind.

Building a StoryBrand · Donald Miller
Your customer is the hero. You are the guide.

Life

Essentialism · Greg McKeown

Man's Search for Meaning · Viktor E. Frankl

Hero on a Mission · Donald Miller

Tribe of Mentors · Tim Ferriss