Category: 4. SOMEDAY it

4. SOMEDAY it · Technology

BR 290: Empowered by Marty Cagan with Chris Jones

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Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: I loved Marty Cagan’s book “Inspired” and was curious about “Empowered.” It read more as a compilation of ideas tailored toward companies/people outside of technology/software-oriented industries.

Insight(s) that resonated: 

(1) A reminder of the importance of coaching in the PM manager role.

(2) Platform teams have very different success metrics vs. experience teams.

(3) Bad strategy is a consequence of leaders not willing to make trade-offs.

4. SOMEDAY it · Novel Concepts and Interesting Research · Psychology · Sales

BR 289: The Science of Storytelling by Will Storr

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Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Will makes 2 simple points – (1) storytelling makes us human and (2) all story arcs rhyme with the hero’s journey. Use it to tell your stories better.

Insights that resonated: 

(1) “We organize much of our lives around reassuring ourselves about the accuracy of the hallucinated model world inside our skulls.”

(2) The 5 part story arc is: (i) Introduce hero with a system of control, (ii) Hero sees evidence that system of control doesn’t work, (iii) Hero is challenged significantly, (iv) Hero faces a reckoning, (v) Hero emerges changed and in control.

4. SOMEDAY it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Management

BR 245: Brave New Work by Aaron Dignan

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Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: I think this might work for folks who are working in an old-world industry with no exposure to technology driven workplaces. It didn’t work for me. I got through 80% of the book before I quit.. so, I might have missed something game changing in the last 20%…

4. SOMEDAY it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Entrepreneurship · Technology

BR 186: The Third Wave by Steve Case

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the third wave, steve case

Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: This book read as part autobiography, part technology book, part political change manifesto. It was an interesting read until a point after which I felt it got a bit repetitive. I definitely agreed with his thesis that working with the government will become critical for the next generation/”third wave” of entrepreneurs. I also enjoyed Steve Case talking about his time at AOL as this was a part of internet history I didn’t experience.

Top 3 Learnings:

1. The first wave was the start of the internet. The second was the social wave and was about communication and social media. The third wave will be the internet of everything.

2. As entrepreneurs attempt to disrupt large industries, they will need to partner more with incumbents and the governments. It will not be possible to disrupt industries like infrastructure and energy from the outside like in the second wave. Regulatory nous will be key as there will be plenty of government interaction in the third wave.

3. Entrepreneurs often slam the government as holding them back. However, the internet wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for government programs. Build bridges instead of burning them.

4. SOMEDAY it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Creativity · Entrepreneurship · Skills · Technology

BR 173: The Elements of User Experience by Jesse James Garrett

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user experience, UI, UX

Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: This is a user experience book that attempts to structure how you build tools (in this case, websites) that result in a good user experience.

Top Learning: Book notes here (it is the sort of book I might come back to when I’m designing a website)

4. SOMEDAY it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Career · Entrepreneurship

BR 123: The Millionaire Upgrade by Richard Parkes Cordock

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Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: This book was a real disappointment. I hardly ever put in books in the someday category but exceptions had to be made. I decided to listen to it as I was eager to get through a short book on a flight. I did.. And I was disappointed by the insight.

Perhaps this is a consequence of having read many great books on  career and entrepreneurship (So Good They Can’t Ignore You comes to mind), I found the book’s advice rhetorical – “follow your passion”, etc.

Top 3 learnings:

I’m going to pass on this for this book.

4. SOMEDAY it · Book Review Actions

BR 58: The 4 Disciplines of Execution by Stephen Covey

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Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

4 useful disciplines. The irony is that I don’t remember 3.

I do remember hearing the ‘Don’t Multi task’ discipline and feeling like hearing the book was worth it right and there for the reminder.

I wasn’t all that impressed with the book though – I remember not liking the audio experience. Maybe the paperback experience would be better.

4. SOMEDAY it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Self Improvement

BR 27: Go Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingham

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Category: 4 – SOMEDAY it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: I didn’t find the book to be helpful – maybe because I had gotten most of the insight from other books. Not much on impact bu definitely good on the concept and theme.

What to expect: I don’t remember – And I guess that says a lot.