A product manager's list of things to read, watch, and listen to
I have spent 19 years building products, teams, and companies. Along the way, I have read, watched, and listened to a LOT of content. Here are some of my favorites.
Books on Business Leaders and Creators
Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson
The Everything Store: Jeff Bezos and the Age of Amazon by Brad Stone
Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose by Tony Hsieh
Pour Your Heart Into It: How Starbucks Built a Company One Cup at a Time by Howard Schultz
The Billionaire Who Wasn’t: How Chuck Feeney Made and Gave Away a Fortune by Conor O’Clery
Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist by Roger Lowenstein
The PayPal Wars: Battles with EBay, The Media, the Mafia, and the Rest of Planet Earth by Eric M. Jackson
Hit Refresh: The Quest to Rediscover Microsoft's Soul and Imagine a Better Future for Everyone by Satya Nadella
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
Steven Spielberg: A Life in Films by Molly Haskell
Built from Scratch: How a Couple of Regular Guys Grew the Home Depot from Nothing to $30B by Bernie Marcus, Arthur Blank, and Bob Andelman
Books on Leadership and Management
The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers by Ben Horowitz
What Every BODY is Saying: An Ex-FBI Agent’s Guide to Speed-Reading People by Joe Navarro
The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism by Olivia Fox Cabane
Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, Annie McKee
Never Eat Alone and Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time by Keith Ferrazzi, Tahl Raz
Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO by Harrison Monarth
Make your bed: Little things that can change your life...and maybe the world by William McRaven
The Making of a Manager: What to Do When Everyone Looks to You by Julie Zhuo
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath, Dan Heath
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier
The Trillion Dollar Coach: The Leadership Playbook of Silicon Valley’s Bill Campbell by Eric Schmidt, Jonathan Rosenberg, and Alan Eagle
The Dichotomy of Leadership: Balancing the Challenges of Extreme Ownership to Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Books on Productivity
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done by Peter Drucker
The Power of Habit: Why we do what we do in life and business by Charles Duhigg
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
The Willpower Instinct: How Self-Control Works, Why it Matters, and How to Get More of It by Kelly McGonigal
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results by James Clear
Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky
Books on Product Management
The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses by Eric Ries
Inspired: How to create products customers love by Marty Cagan
The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals by Sean Covey
The 4 Steps to the Epiphany: Successful Strategies for Products that Win by Steve Blank
Lean Analytics: Use Data to Build a Better Startup Faster by Alistair Croll
Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, Braden Kowitz
Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration by Ed Catmull, Amy Wallace
Books on Sales and Marketing
Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling High-Tech Products to Mainstream Customers by Steve Blank
The Art of Persuasion: How to Influence People and Get What You Want by Juliet Erickson
Rainmaking Conversations: Influence, Persuade, and Sell in Any Situation by Mike Schultz, John Doerr
Building a StoryBrand: Clarify Your Message So Customers Will Listen by Donald Miller
On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
Building a Story Brand: Clarify your message so customers will listen by Donald Miller
Books on Startups
Venture Deals: Be Smarter than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist by Brad Feld, Jason Mendelson, Dick Costolo
Do More Faster: TechStars Lessons to Accelerate Your Startup by Brad Feld, David Cohen
The Art of the Start: The Time-Tested, Battle-Hardened Guide for Anyone Starting Anything by Guy Kawasaki
Rework by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
The Messy Middle by Scott Belsky
Angel: How to Invest in Technology Startups - Timeless Advice from an Angel Investor Who Turned $100,000 into $100,000,000 by Jason Calacanis
It Doesn't Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried, David Heinemeier Hansson
Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou (just for fun, incredible story)
Books on How to Think
Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven Levitt, Stephen Dubner
Awakening Your Ikigai: How the Japanese Wake Up to Joy and Purpose Every Day by Ken Mogi
Principles: Life and Work by Ray Dalio
Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuvan Noah Harari
Websites and Blogs
Techmeme (simple aggregator)
Email lists
Axios Pro Rata (venture capital, private equity, M&A)
Seeking Alpha Wall Street Breakfast (financial markets)
Fitt Insider (business of health and fitness)
Videos
Bloomberg Technology (available on Bloomberg TV or web)
Pando Monthly Fireside Chats (no longer published, includes some oldies but goodies)
Podcasts
Motley Fool Money (financial markets)
