Here’s the 2020 edition of my recommended reading list where I share a few books that have made an impact on my year. 2020 was a particularly opportune time to get some reading done, what with all the free time we had on our hands. These are just a few of my favorites for the year, and I hope you find these as interesting as I have! Enjoy!
P.S. These books were not necessarily published in 2020, just that I’ve read them this year. That said, here’s the list!
"Thinking Fast and Slow"
By Daniel Kahneman
Undoubtedly the most interesting and enjoyable read of my 2020, and a must-read for those who want to develop better self-awareness. “Thinking…” brings to light mental heuristics and biases that are all too common in our decision-making, but are rarely in our conscious awareness. Being aware of them, of course, gives you a better handle on the decisions you make – allowing you to consciously detect and think twice about certain assumptions you inevitably make when considering the facts.
"The Five Dysfunctions of a Team"
By Patrick Lencioni
Admittedly, I should have read this much earlier as I started my career in leading and managing teams. This is an essential view on how teams can be more effective and actually perform as teams (and not merely a group of individuals). Key takeaway is that politics goes beyond in-fighting and power struggles – more nefarious are the politics that keep people from speaking up in fear of offending others. While a lot of the discussion here looks common-sensical on paper, I find that in practice they are much more difficult to observe in the real world. I personally realized a lot of dysfunctional team behavior I’ve willingly participated in at some points of my career. Definitely a must-read for leaders at any level!
"The Art of Leadership (Small Things, Done Well"
By Michael Lopp
Rands does it again with this collection of essays on leadership. I’ve been all praises for his book “Managing Humans“, which truly helped me transcend my own understanding of what management is about and gave me a better mental model of what I can continue to do more of. This book is yet another great collection of practical advice and views on what leadership is about – basically not about heroics or big decisions, but a lot of small things that are done right. Another strong recommendation from me for leaders and managers!
"Shape Up (Stop Running In Circles and Ship Work That Matters)"
By Ryan Singer
I’ll be honest – this wasn’t a super interesting read, but I included it here as it has been truly essential this year for my work at Synacy. Shape Up is a process model developed at Basecamp which they use for their own work as well as a basis for their popular work management tools. Truth be told, it may not be for everyone – but it is a very practical approach to agile development that you can definitely learn principles and philosophies from (even if you don’t intend to adopt it fully). Best part is, you can download it for free on Basecamp!
"Hit Refresh"
By Satya Nadella
Last but not least on my 2020 recommended reading is this memoir by Satya Nadella – a business leader that I personally admire for the values he openly shares and demonstrates. I’ve always been a fan of Microsoft for what they have done for computing over their existence, but I also recognize the issues that have beset the company and affected their reputation with the rest of the software community. This memoir talks about the culture shift (starting at the top) that has been set in action to amend these issues and I think they’re great lessons to learn for any leader or entrepreneur. Whether you are a fan of Microsoft or not, this book is definitely a wellspring of wisdom you can benefit from in whatever work you do.