Here Are The 13 Books I Recommend To Everyone On My Team
I love reading.
But I’m picky about what I read.
And there’s one thing I spend more time reading than anything else: books.
Why? Books have to withstand the test of time. Think about the effort it takes to write a book vs. to write a blog post like this.
(More on how I read and why learning from others is the only shortcut I’ve found in my career here).
Anyway, I love getting good book recommendations, and people often ask me what I’m reading. And since we just launched a book club for our team here at Drift, I thought I’d share the 13 books that I recommend to everyone on my team (they get the books for free 📚 🚀😀).
- Ego Is The Enemy. The one thing we all fight everyday — our egos. “Success is intoxicating, yet to sustain it requires sobriety. We can’t keep learning if we think we already know everything.”
- The One Thing. This is the book the aligns everything we do at Drift. Focus on the one thing. The big rocks. If you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either.
- Focus: The Future of Your Company Depends on It. Another great reminder.
- Do The Work: Overcome Resistance and Get Out of Your Own Way. A classic from Steven Pressfield. Stop getting in the way of great work.
- Sam Walton: Made In America. This is the story behind Wal-Mart. The only thing I’ll say about this book — Sam is my role model. This is one of my all-time favorites.
- The Score Takes Care of Itself: My Philosophy of Leadership. When the San Francisco 49ers hired Bill Walsh, they were 4–12 and the worst team in the NFL. Three years later, they won their first Super Bowl — and the turnaround happened because of the small things. All of the details matter, because the score will take care of itself.
- From Impossible To Inevitable: How Hyper-Growth Companies Create Predictable Revenue. This is the latest book from Jason Lemkin. A great read if you’re in SaaS — a must-read if you work in marketing and sales.
- Hooked: How To Build Habit Forming Products. Ever wonder why some products catch on and others don’t? Read this.
- Crossing the Chasm: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers. The classic from Geoffrey Moore.
- Behind the Cloud: The Untold Story of How Salesforce.com Went from Idea to Billion-Dollar Company-and Revolutionized an Industry. Benioff. Enough said.
- Marketing: A Love Story: How to Matter to Your Customers. Bernadette Jiwa is one of the best brand storytellers. “What if, before making a pencil stroke or writing a single line of code, every entrepreneur and innovator began by seeing the world through a marketer’s lens and asking, ‘why will someone care about this?’ How different would marketing be then?”
- Predictable Revenue: Turn Your Business Into A Sales Machine. The sales classic from Aaron Ross — doesn’t just apply if you’re in sales. This is another must read if you’re in SaaS.
- The Hard Thing About Hard Things: Building a Business When There Are No Easy Answers. The struggle. The grind. This is the reality check that you will always need when you’re going through it.
Have any books you think I should add to the list?
PS. If you’re into learning, reading, startups, etc. you’ll like our podcast — Seeking Wisdom. Once a week, we share stories and ideas about personal and professional growth.
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