On My Shelf with Deepa Daniels— Director of Product at Tamigo
About me
Deepa Daniels is the Director of Product at Tamigo. She is passionate about promoting inclusion & diversity as well as innovation. She has an MBA from DTU and studied Disruptive Strategy at Harvard Business School and Innovation Leadership at UC Berkeley College of Engineering.
On my shelf
Creativity Inc.
Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
by Ed Catmull
My opinion
Great examples and advice on building a team and creating an environment where people can do their best work. Brought home to me just how much the organizational hierarchy, physical spaces, and processes can impact inspiration and results.
368 pages, Bantam Press 2014
The Social Animal
The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement
by David Brooks
My opinion
Very lengthy but well-researched book introducing the concept of epistemological modesty (intelligent humility). Brooks expounds on some related thoughts in this older NYT article, which I think the time has only made more interesting.
“People overestimate their ability to understand why they are making certain decisions. They make up stories to explain their own actions, even when they have no clue about what is happening inside. After they’ve made a decision, they lie to themselves about why they made the decision and about whether it was the right one in the circumstances.”
— David Brooks
448 pages, Random House Trade Paperbacks 2012
The Ideal Team Player
How to Recognize and Cultivate The Three Essential Virtues
by Patrick Lencioni
My opinion
A helpful framework for hiring and building teams. TLDR: Don’t hire “rockstars”. Hire smart, humble and hungry people.
240 pages, Jossey-Bass 2016
Product Leadership
How Top Product Managers Launch Awesome Products and Build Successful Teams
by Richard Banfield, Martin Eriksson & Nate Walkingshaw
My opinion
Easy to read, with many real-world stories and experiences that you can reference.
248 pages, O’Reilly Media 2017
The Dip
A Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit (and When to Stick)
by Seth Godin
My opinion
Extremely short but I have found in it a useful framework for “quitting”, in the context of Product Management and prioritization figuring out when to “quit” and when to double down and persist with an idea or product is valuable.
96 pages, Portfolio 2007
Inspired (2nd edition)
How to create tech products customers love
by Marty Cagan
My opinion
This one is a long time favorite and a book I recommend to both experienced and new Product Leaders. If you haven’t already you should also follow Marty’s blog.
368 pages, John Wiley & Sons 2018
The PM Library series “On my shelf” features Product Leaders from all over the world who are passionate about reading and sharing with the community. If you want to join the movement and share your reading list with others send us a message or fill out the following form. Let’s get better together 📚.
