I am often asked for book suggestions for product builders (Product Managers, Product Designers, Project Managers, Software Engineers, etc.) about the craft of building products, so here's a list of books that have helped me throughout my career in different ways. Truthfully, these books are also great for leaders, executives, and entrepreneurs who are building teams and companies.

Each of these books have shaped my thinking and my approach to designing and shipping products and to leading product development teams. Even if you aren't a people manager, the ability to manage, coach, and lead people and teams to do their best work is a critical piece of the creative process.

Process & Analysis

• The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Michael D. Watkins
• The Principles of Product Development Flow, Donald G. Reinertsen
• Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind, Shunryu Suzuki
• The Great Mental Models Volume 1: General Thinking Concepts, Rhiannon Beaubien, Shane Parrish
• The Lean Startup, Eric Ries
• Sprint, Jake Knapp
• The Innovator’s Dilemma, Clayton Christensen
• The Lean Product Playbook, Dan Olsen
• Getting Things Done, David Allen
• The Mythical Man-Month, Frederick Brooks
• The Challenger Launch Decision, Diane Vaughan
• The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error, Sidney Dekker
• Making Work Visible, Dominica Degrandis

Storytelling, Communication & Writing

• Nonviolent Communication, Marshall B. Rosenberg
• The Pyramid Principle: Logic in Writing and Thinking, Barbara Minto
• On Writing, Stephen King
• Draft No. 4, On the Writing Process, John McPhee
• If you Want to Write, A Book about Art, Independence and Spirit, Brenda Ueland

Management & Leadership

• Resilient Management, Lara Hogan
• The Manager’s Path, Camille Fournier
• The Making of a Manager, Julie Zhuo
• An Elegant Puzzle, Will Larson
• High Output Management, Andy Grove
• Quiet: The Power of Introverts, Susan Cain
• Team of Rivals, Doris Kearns Goodwin
• Dare to Lead, Brene Brown
• The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz
• Reboot: Leadership and the Art of Growing Up, Jerry Colonna
• The Art of Leadership. Small Things Done Well, Michael Lopp
• Creating Great Choices, A Leader's Guide to Integrative Thinking, Roger L Martin, Jennifer Riel
• High Growth Handbook, Elad Gil

Design & Creativity

• Creativity, Inc., Ed Catmull
• Don’t Make Me Think, Steve Krug
• The Design of Everyday Things, Donald Norman
• The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles, Steven Pressfield
• Meaningful: the Story of Ideas that Fly, Bernadette Jiwa

Motivation, Inspiration & Influence

• Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini
• Positioning, Al Ries, Jack Trout
• Drive, Dan Pink
• Inspired, Marty Cagan
• Empowered, Marty Cagan
• Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products, Nir Eyal
• Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life, Nir Eyal
• Nudge, Richard Thaler and Cass Sunstein
• Getting To Yes, Roger Fisher, William Ury
• Crossing the Chasm, Geoffrey Moore
• Where Good Ideas Come From, Steven Johnson
• Made to Stick, Chip Heath, Dan Heath
• Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman
• Thinking Fast & Slow, Daniel Kahneman
• Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely
• Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don't Have All the Facts, Annie Duke
• How to Decide: Simple Tools for Making Better Choices, Annie Duke
  

If you have suggestions to add, please do let me know. It's not lost on me that so many of these books are written by men. I'm especially interested in learning about books written by women and underrepresented minorities on the topics of creativity, communication, leadership, persuasion, product development processes, and beyond. Thank you!