Not an exhaustive list, and starting from 2021 (my library is currently still packed in boxes). However, the following are the books that have managed to make an impact in the last year. I’ll add a few comments and thoughts to each one (edit: moved the comments to blog-like posts parallel to this page). Each is here because they added value to my thinking regarding my career, management and/or technology. In most books, I walked away with a few kernels that really resonated, and in some cases a few parts where I would truly argue with the author. Use your own judgement, and remember that we are in our jobs to help the people around us to deliver a product or service that should help our clients. We are here to support and build up the people around us.
Management and Leadership
First, Break All the Rules: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently by Jim Harter
Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
Out of Office by Charlie Warzel and Anne Helen Petersen
Creativity, Inc. by Ed Catmull
The Ride of a Lifetime by Robert Iger
Good to Great by Jim Collins
The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz
High Output Management by Andrew S. Grove
Fearless Change: Patterns for Introducing New Ideas by Mary Lynn Manns and Linda Rising
Lights Out: Pride, Delusion, and the Fall of General Electric
Fast Forward: Organizational Change in 100 Days [MBA] by Elspeth J. Murray and Peter R. Richardson
Give and Take [MBA] by Adam Grant
Diversity and Inclusion
The 1619 Project: A New Origin Story by Nikole Hannah-Jones, The New York Times Magazine
Bias Interrupted by Joan Williams
White Fragility by Robin Diangelo
So you want to talk about race by Ijeoma Oluo
Resilience
Asshole Survival Guide by Robert I. Sutton
Meditation and Mindfulness
Grit by Angela Duckworth
Negotiations
Never Split the Difference by Chris Voss with Tahl Raz
Negotiation Genius [MBA] by Deepak Malhotra and Max H. Bazerman
Essentials of Negotiation [MBA]
Communication
Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
Business
Principles by Ray Dalio
Why People (Don’t) Buy: The Go and Stop Signals [MBA] by Amitav Chakravarti and Manoj Thomas
Strategy from the Outside In [MBA] by Day Moorman
Coaching
Ignite the Third Factor [MBA] by Dr. Peter Jensen
Harvard Business Review
Emotional Intelligence (Series) - Resilience, Mindfulness, Empathy, Happiness
20 Minute Manager (Series) - Virtual Collaboration, Leading Virtual Teams, Running Virtual Meetings
Biographies
scrappy little nobody by Anna Kendrick