danmayer/tech_books.csv

## tech_books.csv

          
            Book
            Theme
            Recommended By
            Notes

            
              [Remote: Office Not Required](http://batman.com)
              Distributed Work
              Moyinoluwa Adeyemi
              A great book about how to function as a distributed team. Full review here: https://tech.offgrid-electric.com/book-review-remote-office-not-required-e75e19c68529

            
              Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity
              Communication / Team Management
              Thor Muller
              From the time we learn to speak, we’re told that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. When you become a manager, it’s your job to say it--and your obligation.

            
              Emotional Intelligence 2.0
              Communication / Self Management
              Dian
              four, core EQ skills that enable you to achieve your fullest potential:
1) Self-Awareness
2) Self-Management
3) Social Awareness
4) Relationship Management

            
              Creativity, Inc - Ed Catmull 
              Creative work / Collaboration
              Dan Mayer
              How to encourage deep thought and creativity in a working environment, told through the story of Pixar

            
              The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
              Team Dynamics
              many of my (Dan's) previous managers 
              Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team.

            
              The Advantage, Enhanced Edition: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business
              Team Dynamics / Collaboration
              many of my (Dan's) previous managers 
              Simply put, an organization is healthy when it is whole, consistent and complete, when its management, operations and culture are unified.  Healthy organizations outperform their counterparts, are free of politics and confusion and provide an environment where star performers never want to leave.

            
              The Checklist Manifesto
              Processes / Tools
              Galt
              How checklists, as simple as they are, have transformed many industries when used in a codified, systematic way. Argues everyone should use checklists all the time always for everything.

            
              The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change
              Team Management
              many of my (Dan's) previous managers 
              Managing people is difficult wherever you work. But in the tech industry, where management is also a technical discipline, the learning curve can be brutal—especially when there are few tools, texts, and frameworks to help you.

            
              High Output Management
              Team Management
              Thor Muller
              The essential skill of creating and maintaining new businesses—the art of the entrepreneur—can be summed up in a single word: managing.

            
              The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done
              Team Management / Leadership
              @QuickerLeft
@kovyrin
              Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned: 	•	Managing time
	•	Choosing what to contribute to the organization
	•	Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect
	•	Setting the right priorities
	•	Knitting all of them together with effective decision-making

            
              Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager
              Team Management
              various folks
              This book is full of stories based on companies in the Silicon Valley where people have been known to yell at each other and occasionally throw chairs. 
(note, I, Dan Mayer I haven't read this, but have had it recommended a number of times)

            
              Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams
              Team Management
              various folks
              Its underlying strength is its base of immense real experience, much of it quantified. Many, many varied projects have been reflected on and distilled; but what we are given is not just lifeless distillate, but vivid examples from which we share the authors’ inductions. Their premise is right: most software project problems are sociological, not technological.
(note, I, Dan Mayer I haven't read this, but have had it recommended a number of times)

            
              The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering
              Team Management /  software project management
              Dan Mayer
              Assigned to me in College, one of the tech books I still think about most often. With a blend of software engineering facts and thought-provoking opinions, Fred Brooks offers insight for anyone managing complex projects.

            
              The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter
              Leadership
              many of my (Dan's) previous managers 
               turning a business around, or inheriting a high-performing unit, a new leader's success or failure is determined within the first 90 days on the job.

            
              The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz
              Leadership
              Dan Mayer
              Offers essential advice on building and running a startup—practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog.

            
              Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World
              Time Management
              Iris van de Kieft
              Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship.

            
              Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency
              Time Management
              many of my (Dan's) previous managers 
              I haven't read Deep Work, but feel like this book and it are very similar and Deep Work is much newer and likely a bit more relevant to todays challenges.

            
              Antifragile (and really anything else by him) - Nassim Taleb
              Systems Design
              Thor Muller
              Taleb challenges how people think about risk, perception and human behavior. Antifragile is possibly his most actionable book for product designers and developers, in that he provides guidance for what any system needs to do if it is to not just withstand shocks and failures, but actually improve when they occur.

            
              The Righteous Mind - Jonathan Haidt
              Psychology
              Thor Muller
              Haidt is a prominent evolutionary psychologist and developer of moral foundations theory. He explains the 5-6 core moral "taste centers" that drive our motivations as social animals. I have found it very useful for empathizing and finding common ground with people very different backgrounds than mind.

            
              Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman
              Behavioral Psychology
              Thor Muller
              The most important book for understanding how our minds mislead us, i.e., biases and fallacies. It's like the missing manual to the human brain.
Book	Theme	Recommended By	Notes
[Remote: Office Not Required](http://batman.com)	Distributed Work	Moyinoluwa Adeyemi	A great book about how to function as a distributed team. Full review here: https://tech.offgrid-electric.com/book-review-remote-office-not-required-e75e19c68529
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity	Communication / Team Management	Thor Muller	From the time we learn to speak, we’re told that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. When you become a manager, it’s your job to say it--and your obligation.
Emotional Intelligence 2.0	Communication / Self Management	Dian	four, core EQ skills that enable you to achieve your fullest potential: 1) Self-Awareness 2) Self-Management 3) Social Awareness 4) Relationship Management
Creativity, Inc - Ed Catmull	Creative work / Collaboration	Dan Mayer	How to encourage deep thought and creativity in a working environment, told through the story of Pixar
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable	Team Dynamics	many of my (Dan's) previous managers	Throughout the story, Lencioni reveals the five dysfunctions which go to the very heart of why teams even the best ones-often struggle. He outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome these common hurdles and build a cohesive, effective team.
The Advantage, Enhanced Edition: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else In Business	Team Dynamics / Collaboration	many of my (Dan's) previous managers	Simply put, an organization is healthy when it is whole, consistent and complete, when its management, operations and culture are unified. Healthy organizations outperform their counterparts, are free of politics and confusion and provide an environment where star performers never want to leave.
The Checklist Manifesto	Processes / Tools	Galt	How checklists, as simple as they are, have transformed many industries when used in a codified, systematic way. Argues everyone should use checklists all the time always for everything.
The Manager's Path: A Guide for Tech Leaders Navigating Growth and Change	Team Management	many of my (Dan's) previous managers	Managing people is difficult wherever you work. But in the tech industry, where management is also a technical discipline, the learning curve can be brutal—especially when there are few tools, texts, and frameworks to help you.
High Output Management	Team Management	Thor Muller	The essential skill of creating and maintaining new businesses—the art of the entrepreneur—can be summed up in a single word: managing.
The Effective Executive: The Definitive Guide to Getting the Right Things Done	Team Management / Leadership	@QuickerLeft @kovyrin	Drucker identifies five practices essential to business effectiveness that can, and must, be learned: • Managing time • Choosing what to contribute to the organization • Knowing where and how to mobilize strength for best effect • Setting the right priorities • Knitting all of them together with effective decision-making
Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager	Team Management	various folks	This book is full of stories based on companies in the Silicon Valley where people have been known to yell at each other and occasionally throw chairs. (note, I, Dan Mayer I haven't read this, but have had it recommended a number of times)
Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams	Team Management	various folks	Its underlying strength is its base of immense real experience, much of it quantified. Many, many varied projects have been reflected on and distilled; but what we are given is not just lifeless distillate, but vivid examples from which we share the authors’ inductions. Their premise is right: most software project problems are sociological, not technological. (note, I, Dan Mayer I haven't read this, but have had it recommended a number of times)
The Mythical Man-Month: Essays on Software Engineering	Team Management / software project management	Dan Mayer	Assigned to me in College, one of the tech books I still think about most often. With a blend of software engineering facts and thought-provoking opinions, Fred Brooks offers insight for anyone managing complex projects.
The First 90 Days, Updated and Expanded: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter	Leadership	many of my (Dan's) previous managers	turning a business around, or inheriting a high-performing unit, a new leader's success or failure is determined within the first 90 days on the job.
The Hard Thing About Hard Things - Ben Horowitz	Leadership	Dan Mayer	Offers essential advice on building and running a startup—practical wisdom for managing the toughest problems business school doesn’t cover, based on his popular ben’s blog.
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World	Time Management	Iris van de Kieft	Deep work is the ability to focus without distraction on a cognitively demanding task. It's a skill that allows you to quickly master complicated information and produce better results in less time. Deep work will make you better at what you do and provide the sense of true fulfillment that comes from craftsmanship.
Slack: Getting Past Burnout, Busywork, and the Myth of Total Efficiency	Time Management	many of my (Dan's) previous managers	I haven't read Deep Work, but feel like this book and it are very similar and Deep Work is much newer and likely a bit more relevant to todays challenges.
Antifragile (and really anything else by him) - Nassim Taleb	Systems Design	Thor Muller	Taleb challenges how people think about risk, perception and human behavior. Antifragile is possibly his most actionable book for product designers and developers, in that he provides guidance for what any system needs to do if it is to not just withstand shocks and failures, but actually improve when they occur.
The Righteous Mind - Jonathan Haidt	Psychology	Thor Muller	Haidt is a prominent evolutionary psychologist and developer of moral foundations theory. He explains the 5-6 core moral "taste centers" that drive our motivations as social animals. I have found it very useful for empathizing and finding common ground with people very different backgrounds than mind.
Thinking, Fast and Slow - Daniel Kahneman	Behavioral Psychology	Thor Muller	The most important book for understanding how our minds mislead us, i.e., biases and fallacies. It's like the missing manual to the human brain.