Inspiration from the Crew: Product Reads for Product Leads

Here at Products That Count, we’re not shy about our love for accelerating the mind through continuous knowledge. From our webinars to our podcasts and every way in-between, we’re always picking the brains of product innovators and leaders. To be continually surrounded by some of the greatest minds in tech, we count ourselves pretty lucky. Like you, though, our crew is consistently seeking ways in which to level-up and get inspired. With the holidays upon us, we think this is the perfect time to share where our resident product leaders go to fuel their own growth mindset.

Read on to discover the books, blogs and podcasts that inspire the crew of Products That Count.

Inspiring reads with ErisX CEO Matthew Trudeau

As you may know, each week we release new articles from different members of our Editorial team. Matthew Trudeau, ErisX CEO, regularly queries the product community with in-depth leadership topics through his articles. His latest, Incentivizing Trust Through Transparency dives into why transparency may be the most effective method to establish and maintain trust. Check back this week for his next piece, breaking down the power of markets.

In his own words, product managers need to be “curious, multidisciplinary, and diplomatic.” After you finish his recent article, check out Matt’s favorite books and blogs below, curated especially for the curious.

Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of the Reluctant Businessman
by Yvon Chouinard
Written by the Founder of Patagonia, this book has long been lauded as the “philosophical manual for Patagonia’s employees”.

The Wide Lens: What Successful Innovators See That Others Miss
By Ron Adner
A holistic approach to success, written by the Professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

Farnam Street Blog
A highly acclaimed “decision journal”, this is where to find provoking pieces on the career mindset and mental acceleration.

Product leader insights with CollegeVine Product Manager David Prentice

While we’d love to simply reshare all of our editorial articles – because these writers are just that good – they’ve also dropped some amazing, inspirational gems we want to pass on. Let’s tag in CollegeVine Product Manager David Prentice, who recently brought the Products That Count community up to speed on how to Organize Your Product to Empower Your Users. Before you switch on over, make sure to save his favorite mind ticklers below.

Good Strategy, Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why it Matters
by Richard Rumelt

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love
by Marty Cagan
From the mind of the founder of the Silicon Valley Product Group himself.

This Might Get Me Fired: A Manual For Thriving in the Corporate Entrepreneurial Underground
by Greg Larkin
Insight from a product leader who’s launched more than 30 new products in Fortune 500 companies and start-ups

Andreesen Horowitz blog
What’s niche, what’s newsworthy, and what’s next in tech.

Great listens with CreditKarma Product Director Christina Lucey

“What differentiates a good PM from a great PM is their flexibility of mind. Specifically, one valuable skill is the ability to zoom in and zoom out to different levels of detail and strategy.”

We couldn’t agree more with CreditKarma Product Director Christina Lucey, who also happens to be one of our hosts of the Product Talk podcast. Each week, we push the product conversation further with deep, insightful, and inspiring conversations with product leaders. If you missed her latest, make sure to grab a listen to her discussion with Sam’s Club Product VP Tim Simmons. Then swing back here and prep for your next networking event with these literary tidbits.

The Courage to Be Disliked
by Ichiro Kishimi
The perfect dose of digestible Freudian psychology.

What Works for Women at Work
by Joan C Williams, Anne-Marie Slaughter, Rachel Dempsey
Nuanced, enlightening, and in-depth expose of the modern office.

Good Product Manager/Bad Product Manager
by Ben Horowitz
Lessons from the past.

99% Invisible, podcast
Acclaimed weekly design series.

Startup Parent, podcast
Bringing parenting out of the daycare and back to the office.

Unconventional to classic with nate Product Marketing Lead Patrick Blute

Just like any muscle, the trick to growing the mind is keeping it on its toes, so to speak. While new-age business memoirs are endlessly popular, there’s immense value in the conventional and even the unconventional. From legacy business publications to new illustrated works, nate Product Marketing Lead Patrick Blute knows how to stay curious. Before you click on through, make sure to listen to him discuss integrity in tech with former Airbnb Chief Ethics Officer Rob Chesnut. 

100 Tricks to Appear Smart in Meetings
by Sarah Cooper
Because business insights should always come illustrated.

Creativity Inc: Overcoming the Unforeseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration
by Ed Catmull
Because when a founder of Pixar talks creativity, we should probably listen.

The School of Greatness
by Lewis Howes
Because who doesn’t love a sports injury comeback story?

The Atlantic
The New York Times
Products That Count

Where ever you get inspired, we’re glad to have you here at Products That Count. Before you go, make sure to pop on over and nominate your favorite products for the 2021 Product Awards before the end of the year!