On My Shelf with Ross Chapman— Head of Etch Sprints (London)
About Ross
I help product teams deliver change, adopt execution as a strategy and work together to improve the user experience of their businesses. Ross loves helping people identify what they want to achieve, gain alignment and understanding and de-risk projects through prototyping ideas and testing them with real people. He fundamentally believes that process is greater than skill.
On my shelf
Sprint
How to solve big problems and test new ideas in just five days
by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky & Braden Kowitz
My opinion
This book actually changed my life, and there’s not many books that I can say have done that. Sprint really answered a question I had as I’d grown as a UX designer: How do you start a design project? From there, my interest and passion about Design Sprints has just exploded! It’s also the only book I’ve read over 2 days and finished feeling totally inspired.
288 pages, Simon & Schuster 2016
Hacking Growth
How Today’s Fastest-Growing Companies Drive Breakout Success
by Morgan Brown & Sean Ellis
My opinion
This book is a fantastic reference and support for when I talk to teams about executing fast. It features the stories of many relatable startups and companies, and shares some of the principles about hacking for growth. After Sprint, it’s the next book I recommend to people.
320 pages, Currency 2017
Sense and Respond
How Successful Organizations Listen to Customers and Create New Products Continuously
by Jeff Gothelf & Josh Seiden
My opinion
What I really took away from this book is this idea of a two-way conversation between business and user. It’s so relevant now when companies need to understand and react faster than ever — a must-read.
272 pages, Harvard Business Review Press 2017
Crush It!
Why Now is the Time to Cash in on Your Passion
by Gary Vaynerchuk
My opinion
I regularly tune-in to Gary’s content on both Instagram and YouTube, and this booked kicked it all off. It was actually gifted to me by one of my first customers and whilst it talks about hustle, I find that it’s great for how to get started in digital marketing, how to really understand what customers need and desire and how to start building a business. Really easy to read as well.
142 pages, Harper Studio 2009
Make time
How to focus on what matters every day
by Jake Knapp & John Zeratsky
My opinion
Another Knapp and Zeratsky recommendation. Where ‘Sprint’ helped me with work, ‘Make Time’ enabled me to take more control of my life. I hate procrastination and often I worry that I’m not spending my time as best I can. ‘Make Time’ helped — it’s essentially a recipe book of activities to help when you need to get stuff done. From removing distraction from your phone, to focussing on a highlight each day, ‘Make Time’ has enabled me to relax, focus and make the most of the time I do have.
304 pages, Bantam Press 2018
A newsletter about making time for what matters, from Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky.
Business Stripped Bare
Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur
by Richard Branson
My opinion
I don’t read many business books (or books at all!), but this one was one of my first. Richard Branson’s journey has always fascinated me — from the story of creating an airline to mixing business with adventure, I just really enjoyed reading and learning that you have to make your own journey and that nobody is going to do it for you.
342 pages, Virgin Books 2010
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 📚.
