Reading Checklist for a Product Manager
A list of books that have helped me shape up as a PM!
As the year 2021 kicks off, one thing I pride upon in 2020 is the numerous books I lapped up over the year (it helped that I got laid off). Books do come with a lot of time investment, but they are totally worth it!
Being a Product Manager, being updated, and learning constantly is critical to the role and I intend to take the pledge of being a lifelong bibliophile, at the cost of missing some great series on Netflix and Prime!
I had earlier written a list of books that made an impact on me, personally and professionally. Here, I share the same for a quick reference. This builds on my previous reading list I had shared here.
This list is indicative and is largely targeted at anyone interested in the Product space for someone who is starting off or is mid-level in the area. Many of these books are well documented and reviewed. This is my simple attempt at collating some of the books I enjoyed in one place.
Core Product Management
Start With Why by Simon Sinek: Focus on the essence of building products: WHY.
Product Roadmaps by Todd Lombardo: A must-read for mid-level and senior PMs who work on roadmaps.
Escaping the Build Trap by Melissa Perri: A very simple and easy to understand book about Product management principles.
Are Your Lights On by Donald Gause et. al: A great reading on how to approach solving problems in the real world.
Making It Right by Rian van der Merwe: A great book on the diverse scope of product management. Read for a holistic perspective!
Product Development
User Story Mapping by Jeff Patton et. al: Another great book around user research and behavioral understanding.
Sprint by Jake Knapp et. al: If you are some with an early-stage startup, this is a must-read around building products using sprints.
Shape Up by Ryan Singer: Shipping products is not easy. This book provides simple tips on how to simplify the development process.
The Lean Product Playbook by Dan Olsen: A much more grounded and hands-on guide on building the ‘Lean way’.
Agile Retrospectives by Esther Derby et. al: Learning from experiences is underrated. Read this book to use retrospectives for the utmost impact.
Product Strategy
Inspired by Marty Cagan: This book needs no mention! Simple, yet very powerful and practical in approach.
Hooked by Nir Eyal: Yet another book that focuses on building habits in consumers. Must read for consumer PMs.
Obviously Awesome by April Dunford: A great book around product marketing and positioning, especially for new launches
Strategize by Roman Pichler: A great book around aligning product roadmaps to your product strategy.
Design/User Experience
The Mom Test by Rob Fitzpatrick: PMs need to get a reality check on how they can keep their ideas simple. Simple premise right?
Lean UX by Jeff Gothelf: Must read for folks into UX and those working with UX/Design teams in consumer space.
Don’t Make Me Think by Steve Krug: One of the 1st really great books on web design. Still very relevant.
Mapping Experiences by James Kalbach: A great book on solving customers’ problems in a structured manner.
The Design of Everyday Things by Donald Norman: An enlightening book on how to build products for Humans, not just technology products!
Business Strategy/Org-Level
Measure What Matters by John Doerr: If you are someone struggling with alignment, this is your book for OKRs!
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz: A very practical book on the challenges in scaling a business.
The Lean Startup by Eric Ries: The book that launched the lean product development movement!
Zero To One by Peter Thiel: A very simple yet powerful book on building startups. A seminal book in the 0-to-1 space.
Blitzscaling by Reid Hoffman: If you are growing furiously and fast, be prepared for the worst as much as the best.
Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder: A very focused book on how to nail the right business model for a startup.
The 4 Steps to Epiphany by Steve Blank: A great book around launching a new product from discovery to user research to launch.
Team Management/Leadership
Creativity Inc. by Ed Catmull: Creativity is a critical component in today’s products. Learn from the Pixar leaders about creativity!
The Progress Principle by Teresa Amabile et. al: It's easy for teams to get demotivated. Keeping them motivated with small wins is key!
Radical Candor by Kim Malone Scott: Being a boss is not easy. But we need to learn to become better at managing teams and people. Great read!
The Charisma Myth by Olivia Fox Cabane: A big ingredient of becoming a leader is your ability to drive and develop people.
Getting Things Done by David Allen: A great book on how to achieve more together and focus on the really important things as a team.
Personal Development
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport: Focusing on work is critical. In today’s cluttered world, it's all the more important.
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink: A great book on how ownership is a critical component to the SEAL’s success. Must read for PMs!
Atomic Habits by James Clear: A well-known book on how to improve 1% every day, something that can be built into our lives quite easily.
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck by Mark Manson: How many times have PMs been told they need to get things DONE! Read it up.
Never Split The Difference by Chris Voss: You are always negotiating; you might as well become great at it!
The 7 Habits by Stephen Covey: Does this book even need an introduction! Must read for folks across levels.
Parting Words
As individuals, we need to constantly strive to learn, unlearn, and re-learn. Books are just one of the conduits. Most of the books mentioned need considerable effort to adapt them into your context; so don’t expect immediate impact!
If you have thoughts or books I may have missed out on, do drop a note! Would love to add it to my to-read list.
