Top 5 Books …for those getting started in Product

I’m a physical book guy. I know, the horror. I work in tech, surely I should be using an eReader, or a tablet. Nope, I believe deep learning and periods of reflection require switching off, putting the screens away and focusing on something tactile. Zoning out, in order to zone in. So for me, nothing beats the feeling of turning a page and seeing the real-world progress bar of pages fill up as you slowly work your way through.

Of course some books are better than others, and after almost fifteen years in product roles, I’m routinely asked to recommend my favourite titles on the subject, either by people looking to transition into Product Management or those already in a product role looking to advance either their product, or their career. All I can present to you is my view on the best place to start and perhaps an order in which to read them.

1) Inspired: How to Create Products Customers Love (2nd Edition) — Marty Cagan, & Empowered: Ordinary People, Extraordinary Products — Marty Cagan & Chris Jones
Starting off with a two-for-one because these books are both equally great and deserve to be read in succession — you’ll cover almost all of your bases this way and it will provide a strong foundation for any future reading. The now legendary Marty Cagan provides an overview of all the product fundamentals, core principles and practices outlined in easily digestible sections. I’ve spent a bunch of time with Marty and his team at Silicon Valley Product Group (SVPG) over the years and they’re the real deal. If you want to start anywhere, start here.
Authors site | Amazon

2) Start With Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone To Take Action — Simon Sinek
One of my all time favourites to recommend. Any product person, business leader or individual trying to find their way needs to understand and distill the essence of why. Yes, there’s a wonderfully unpolished but brilliant TedTalk by Simon on this topic and perhaps the simple point being conveyed is overly laboured in written form, but I think it’s worth taking time over this subject and I can’t count how many copies I must have handed out to first time Product Managers over the years.
Authors site | Amazon

3) Radical Focus: Achieving Your Most Important Goals with Objectives and Key Results (2nd Edition) — Christina Wodtke
Recently updated; few things beat a business or tech process delivered in the form of a well written fictional narrative. This is the most accessible work I’ve found on setting objectives and using them to create powerful focus and alignment within an organisation. An incredibly simple framework that’s oh-so-hard to get working well, but oh-so-powerful once it is. I bought ten copies and sent them to all of the executive leadership in my current company; we’re still on a journey, but it was a sound investment. Oh, and Christina, on the very slim chance that you read this — I need help with OKRs for Advocacy based organisations with high levels of external dependency on achieving their outcomes — hit me up on LinkedIn!
Authors site | Amazon

4) User Story Mapping: Discover the Whole Story, Build the Right Product — Jeff Patton
When it comes to effective risk-averse delivery the approach outlined in this book is the key to it all. The difference between an okay Product Manager and a great Product Manager, for me, is being good at user story mapping and thin slicing end-to-end outcome-driven functionality. I sat next to Jeff at the London Mind the Product conference three years in a row, a quiet super humble chap, he knows what he’s giving you is the keys to the castle here.
Authors site | Amazon

5) Agile Product Management with Scrum: Creating Products That Customers Love — Roman Pichler
Maybe I’m being a little sentimental here, (Roman was one of the first people to formally teach me about Agile in 2011) but the core principles in this book are as relevant today as they have ever been. Pace of delivery, in the pursuit of experimentation and optimisation, requires strong processes. Start here, it’s all laid out in a straight-forward fashion, you can drown in internet articles on this subject later.
Authors site | Amazon

In summary

If you’ve been working as a Product Manager, Product Designer or in some such similar role you might have come across some if not all of these books already. There are hundreds of books that could continue to flow from lists like these but my suggestion is that if you’ve read all of these at some point in the past, start at the top and read them again. In a world of information overload and “good ideas” the best concepts are often the simplest ones. I regularly return to and read these titles time and time again, routinely reminding myself of good practices or inspiring me to try new things.

So that’s my top five. What are yours?

These two may not have made it into my top five but are also well worth a read: ‘The Lean Startup: How Constant Innovation Creates Radically Successful Businesses’, by Eric Ries. While it’s a little more start-up orientated, most of the lessons carry over into larger organisations. It’s easy to read and split into meaningful chapters. ‘Product Leadership’ by Richard Banfield is also a great starting point for all Product Managers looking to understand the basics.

Other articles in this series:

• Top 5 books …for more advanced Product development
• Top 5 books …for those transitioning to Chief Product Officer
• Top 5 books …for the hardest workers in the room
• Top 10 videos …for Product people

Please note: I do not receive commission or affiliate revenue of any kind from the above endorsements or links, which are provided only for the benefit of the reader. I do have professional relationships with some of the authors and one of SVPG’s partners is a Non-Executive Director for my current organisation, Which? Ltd. All the thoughts above are my own.