At Modyo, a core part of our shared understanding in any domain comes from what we read. We’re avid book readers, and are constantly recommending, sharing, and discussing topics, insights, and ideas shared by brilliant authors.
If you’re already familiar with books on organizational leadership or digital product development, some of these will be instantly recognizable. Others might be new, and for us, many have become instant classics not only for their timeless advice, but also because of how immediately applicable they are to Modyo as an organization and how we work to get things done.
As you strive to create better experiences for your customers, and lead your organization to success, the right insights, and strategies can make all the difference in the world.
We’ve compiled a list of 10 outstanding books from our monthly newsletter that will inspire, educate and equip you to build better digital products and develop your organizational leadership.
By: Mike Paton and Lisa González
Genre: Business/Leadership and Management
About: If you are an owner, manager or leader of a dynamic company, your motivation is probably fueled by passion and a desire for independence. Unfortunately, many leaders mistakenly believe that enforcing strict procedures and structures will limit their freedom.
In the book "Process!", you will discover valuable insights on how to identify a select number of core processes that differentiate your company. The authors provide guidance on how to document and streamline the key steps of these processes, ensuring that they are executed correctly and optimally at all times. In addition, you will have a straightforward and systematic approach that has already helped more than 10,000 business owners around the world achieve their desired results systematically.
By: Klaus Leopold
Genre: Business/Management and Leadership
About: Written by Klaus Leopold, Rethinking Agile is excellent for anyone who is undergoing agile transformation or is open-minded, to learn about the difference between team and business agility. People often mistake having agile teams as having an agile organization, but in reality that is far from true. This book tells you exactly why, and how to fix it.
By: Steven G. Rogelberg
Genre: Time management/ Business/ Leadership
About: If you're tired of long, unproductive meetings, then you'll love "The Surprising Science of Meetings". This book by Steven G. Rogelberg is packed with research-backed tips for making your meetings more effective and engaging.
You'll learn about the negative effects of long meetings, the importance of clear agendas and goals, and the role of leadership in creating successful meetings. Whether you're a manager, team leader, or just someone who attends a lot of meetings, this book is a must-read. It will help you make the most of your meetings and achieve better outcomes.
By: Atul Gawande
Genre: Self-Help/Science/Productivity
About: The modern world has given us stupendous know-how. Yet avoidable failures continue to plague us in health care, government, the law, the financial industry—in almost every realm of organized activity. And the reason is simple: the volume and complexity of knowledge today has exceeded our ability as individuals to properly deliver it to people—consistently, correctly, and safely.
We train longer, specialize more, use ever-advancing technologies, and still we fail. Atul Gawande makes a compelling argument that we can do better, using the simplest of methods: the checklist.
By: Wayne McCulloch
Genre: Business & Investment/Marketing and Sales
About: Organizations are having a hard time understanding how to build an excellent customer success organization.
That's why Author Wayne McCulloch with more than 25+ years of experience and leader at Google Cloud offers a flexible framework for creating a powerful customer success organization in The Seven Pillars of Customer Success.
You'll discover in-depth instances of how businesses have put these seven pillars to the test, from customer journey actions to the development of transformation advisors. Wayne explains how people need a tested framework and informed perspective to build a culture of customer success in order to differentiate yourself in the market; this book offers both and more.
By: Frank Slootman
Genre: Business and Investment/Management and Leadership
About: This a must-read guide for anybody looking to unlock a company's growth potential and scale it to heights they never imagined imaginable. It is ideal for executives, entrepreneurs, founders, managers, and leaders of all stripes.
It offers an expert examination of what it takes to restructure a business for maximum scalability and growth. Slootman demonstrates that most CEOs can significantly raise their organization's performance without spending a significant amount of money on altering their workforce, organizational structure, or core company strategy—and they don't even need to hire a ton of consultants to accomplish it. They do, however, need to organize people around what matters and carry out their daily operations with urgency and passion.
By: Marcus Sheridan
Genre: Business/Marketing and Sales
About: This book is a guide for content marketing and inbound sales. An approach focused on what customers think. Author Marcus Sheridan explains how quality content online is the key to success, and how companies already have the materials available to do so. Not only does it give the basics of what to do, but it gives a number of real-life examples that prove it works 100%.
They Ask You Answer shows you how to structure an effective content strategy using the same proven principles that have revolutionized marketing for all types of businesses across industries
By: Marty Cagan
Genre: Finance/Business/Product Management
About: One highly recommended book for product management is Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love by Marty Cagan.
The book provides a comprehensive overview of what it takes to create successful products, from understanding customer needs to build a strong product team. It covers a wide range of topics, including product strategy, product discovery, product development, and product leadership.
Whether you're a new product manager or a seasoned veteran, "Inspired" is an essential read that will help you take your product management game to the next level.
By: Nicole Forsgren, PhD Jez Humble, and Gene Kim
Genre: Engineer/Development and Technology
About: This month we're recommending Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps by Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble and Gene Kim. This book is a must-read for organizations that want to build and scale high-performing technology teams.
Through rigorous research, the authors demonstrate how DevOps, Agile and Lean practices can accelerate software delivery while maintaining high quality and stability. The book also provides practical guidance for measuring and improving software delivery performance, which can help organizations assess their progress and identify areas for improvement.
By: Peter Thiel
Genre: Business/ Startups/ Leadership
About: In Zero to One, legendary entrepreneur and investor Peter Thiel demonstrates how we can find unique ways to invent the future. Peter Thiel was a co-founder of PayPal, Palantir Technologies, and Founders Fund, as well as an early investor in Facebook and SpaceX.
From Zero to One has become an instant classic that will transform the way you think about business and success. It is a book about startups and an optimistic manifesto about the future of business, innovation, and growth. In today's world, radical ideas are needed more than ever if we want to do more than just survive.
Every month, we share news updates, events, insights, and book recommendations about not only digital product development and leadership, but so much more. If you’re interested in learning more about how frontend technology like Modyo is transforming organizations and helping build successful digital channels, subscribe to our newsletter.
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