My book recommendations for 2023
As we approach the end of 2022 I wanted to share some of the books I have read over the past twelve months, and why I chose to read them. I’d like to thank Stephen Waring for the idea for this blog (and if you haven’t read any of his I would highly recommend you do!).
Scrum Mastery: From Good to Great Servant Leadership
I first read this five years ago when I started to explore being a scrum master and it cemented the idea of the role as one I wished to pursue. I read the book again as part of an agile book club six months ago. In my opinion a good starting point for any wannabe, aspiring scrum master.
Agile Retrospective: Making Good Teams Great
This book was recommended by Stephen Waring — seriously, give him a follow if you haven’t already.
This book helped me understand how I could help the teams utilise retrospectives.
The LSP Method: How to Engage People and Spark Insights using the LEGO Serious Play Method
This book was a follow-on from the previous book — I wanted to make sure everyone in the retrospective was able to share their thoughts and avoid situations where a couple of the team are talking and the rest just watching.
User Story Mapping
I knew this subject was a weak area for me and I needed to improve in order to help both the team and POs I work with focus on the user and their needs.
Gridiron Genius
Technically I haven’t finished reading this yet but thought I would share anyway as it touches on a past-time of mine — American football — and was a recommended book to read by Ryan Ripley of Agile for Humans.
Summary
I am not known for reading loads but I challenged myself in 2022 to broaden my knowledge of being a coach/scrum master/ facilitator to help my teams. These are the books that have helped me in these areas and I hope the books I have listed have inspired you for 2023.
