My Top 10(ish) books of 2021

A bit about the books I liked the most this year.

Surprisingly I was able to read a lot of books this year. The number one reason was because I made time for it, I made it a habit to read at least 1 hour a day for at least 5 days of the week.  That allowed me to pick interesting things for work, pleasure, and general interest. I only read one book at a time, no context switching, and finishing a book felt good. I finished one before I started another. There were a few books that I started and didn't like, finish, and didn't share or mention. The ones I did read through ( 40+ depending on how you count comics and short books ) I enjoyed to various degrees.

The ones I read in February were re-reads, a good idea to catch back up and relook at something with new or different eyes. If you haven't read those I highly recommend you do ( The Goal - Goldratt, Crucial Conversations - Patterson et/al, User Story Mapping - Patton ). So as a thought experiment, here are the top 10 books ( in no particular order ) that I read based on how much I enjoyed it / made me think.

Hail Mary - Andy Weir 

This was a fantastic read, my favorite fiction of the year. The way Andy writes is unique in my experience. It's a lot of inner monologues and how the character thinks about things. It's a lot of problem-solving and showing how that progresses from situation, idea, experiment, failure/success. Also, the setting, situations, and characters are very well thought out and enjoyable. 

It’s a simple idea, but also stupid. Thing is, when stupid ideas work, they become genius ideas. We’ll see which way this one falls.

What customers want - Tony Ulwick

Tony's book here was a great way to think about what we are really doing when we build products or solutions for ourselves or others. Finding out if someone has the problem to begin with, if they even care, or why someone would use your product is such a better approach to the typical idea/story/delivery practice I see so many teams suck in. The whole concept of unmet needs and friction in the current state are great things to think about. It was so impactful to me I had to talk with him for the show and enrolled in the course which I greatly enjoyed. Now if I could actually use this practice for a company that cares about its customers that would be great. 

https://deliveritcast.com/122-what-customers-want-with-tony-ulwick

In the outcome-driven paradigm, for example, companies do not brainstorm hundreds of ideas and then struggle to figure out which, if any, have value. Instead they figure out which of the 50 to 150 outcomes for a given job are important and unsatisfied and then systematically devise a few ideas that will better satisfy those underserved outcomes.

Banish Sloppiness - Paul Akers

I'd seen a lot of Paul's videos and finally decided to read some of his books. This one was the best for me, the notion of quality and precision really stuck with me. The other one was on waste ( another spark for a show ) and how much of it there really is around us. It helped explain why I get so frustrated at work, out to eat, at home cleaning, or anywhere where flow doesn't happen.

https://deliveritcast.com/131-waste

Precision leads to Quality, Quality leads to Trust, Trust leads to Survival.

Courage to be disliked - Ichiro Kishimi and Fumitake Koga

This one was a more tad more difficult one to read, it's more what I hear told as a Socratic dialog ( even though I haven't read anything like that before ). The questions, the way they are being asked, and the conclusions drawn by the characters in conversation are something I have integrated into my daily life. It's a further expression of things I have control over and things I don't. The ultimate question then to ask of most anything is "Who's task is this?".

We need to think with the perspective of “Whose task is this?” and continually separate one’s own tasks from other people’s tasks. There is a simple way to tell whose task it is. Think, Who ultimately is going to receive the result brought about by the choice that is made?

Empowered - Marty Cagan

Another gem from Marty and something that helps refine some of the thinking that I have had for a while. This one is all about leadership and organizations and why most of them fail and very few succeed. 
Reading this one he referenced several others I read and liked as well, "Team Topologies” from Matthew Skelton and Manuel Pais, and "Continuous Discovery Habits” from Teressa Torres.

https://deliveritcast.com/123-empowered-with-marty-cagan

Realize that your company is currently used to feature teams that exist very clearly to serve the business, and now you're trying to replace them with empowered product teams that exist to serve our customers, in ways that work for the business.

Extreme Programming Explained - Kent Beck

Funny how some of the classics that I have never read before are some of the best sources of information today. This is a good example and such a good review of the foundation and fundamentals from Kent.  It's very good to read why some of the practices that people are supposed to be doing were generated from.

This is the paradigm for XP. Stay aware. Adapt. Change. Everything in software changes. The requirements change. The design changes. The business changes. The technology changes. The team changes. The team members change. The problem isn’t change, because change is going to happen; the problem, rather, is our inability to cope with change.

Beyond Order - Jordan Peterson

A great follow-up from Dr. Peterson and some wonderful rules. I enjoyed the first book a bit better but given what he was going through when he wrote this it's understandable. I really like the different perspectives he gives on each of them, from the religious, physiological, behavioral, historic, artistic, and pop culture. A lot of the stories talk about the balance of chaos and order which I find a good area of deep study,  My big takeaway from this one was to always know what game you are playing, and the rules of that game. The rules themselves are so simple and valuable also ( 5. Do not do what you hate, and 9. If old memories still upset you, write them down carefully and completely. )

Aim at something. Pick the best target you can currently conceptualize. Stumble toward it. Notice your errors and misconceptions along the way, face them, and correct them. Get your story straight. Past, present, future—they all matter. You need to map your path. You need to know where you were, so that you do not repeat the mistakes of the past. You need to know where you are, or you will not be able to draw a line from your starting point to your destination. You need to know where you are going, or you will drown in uncertainty, unpredictability, and chaos, and starve for hope and inspiration. 

Work Clean - Dan Charnas ( a.k.a. Everything in its place )

This one really combined two things I enjoyed in 2021, cooking and organization. It was another book that while doing research for a show popped up and since I didn't have time to read it, I put it on the list for later.  

https://deliveritcast.com/105-stay-organized
https://deliveritcast.com/124-start-at-the-end

I also read Matt Wallaerts book with the same title which I liked as well, really alike ideas that connect behaviors and products which his book does easily.

Plan complex, multistep projects as chefs do: with the end in mind. Just as some chefs being a dish by drawing a plate, for your own projects, first envision the moment of delivery, then plan backward from it.

Catalyst: How to change anyone's mind - Jonah Berger

I liked a lot of the concepts in this book and some of the tactics and practices are great. The way of setting the path, and helping others see it is very useful. Another push for recognizing things you can change and those that you cannot. This may help you to help others change their mind, if they want to. One thing I've learned also is sometimes people don't want to change, not that they can't. And you have to find a way to deal with that.

To avoid reactance and the persuasion radar, then, catalysts allow for agency. They stop trying to persuade and instead get people to persuade themselves.

The Product-Led Organization - Todd Olsen

Pretty much cemented my desire that my next job needs to be in a product-led organization and not a sales/marketing/CEO-led one. Todd describes what a product-led organization wonderfully and it's something I want to be a part of. It's not Product Leader led as others have mentioned. 

https://deliveritcast.com/129-what-kind-of

Ultimately, the product becomes the vehicle for acquiring and retaining customers, driving growth, and influencing organizational priorities. The product is not just one part of the customer experience; it is the experience. Everything your company does should lead back to your product. This means that aspects of sales, marketing, education, service, and support should converge inside the product. Your product should become the nexus of the customer experience.

Honorable mentions:

• Stillness is the key - Finally got me to start journaling.

• The Mom test - Great series of product questions.

• When will it be done - Forecast, Forecast, Forecast.

• The Martian - Such a good movie, even better book.

• Terminal List Series - Compelling action, interesting stories, lots of detail.

So I read a lot, have a ton of notes, and was inspired to do a few shows on topics/information I read, and build a reading habit. Here's to more in the next year. Got any suggestions?