Product, strategy and business
Find on GoodreadsI saw a presentation by Teresa Torres defending the product discovery, and introducing the concept of the “product trio” (tech + product + design), and got the book right away. It is a practical guide for product teams on how to build a culture of continuous discovery and use data to drive decision-making.
A really good guide on how to create a company to perdure. The book covers a wide range of topics, including how to set the right goals, how to assemble and lead a strong team, and how to make strategic decisions that will drive growth and success. They speak out of their extensive experience as entrepreneurs and business leaders to provide practical guidance and strategies for building a successful, long-term business.
A guide on how to create new markets, and compete in new areas without competition; instead of fighting for market share growth in crowded markets. I liked how it could result counter-intuitive, but sometimes it’s best to avoid competition at all, and find a market that is underserved (blue ocean), instead of starting a fight in a proven, competed one (red ocean).
The book focuses on how to navigate the “chasm” between early adopters and mainstream customers and achieve mass market success; and how it’s key to succeed after a promising beginning with the most passionate (and forgiving) piece of the market.
A really good guide for product teams on how to build effective, empowered teams that can drive innovation and deliver great products. It touches how to build a strong product culture, how to foster collaboration and communication within a team, and how to set clear goals and priorities. It provides practical strategies and insights for building and leading successful product teams.
A guide for organizations on how to avoid the “build trap” of constantly adding more features to their products and focus on delivering value to customers. It includes how to prioritize and validate product ideas, how to build and measure product outcomes, and how to create an organizational culture that is focused on delivering value to customers. It has quite some practical tips.
Guide for businesses on how to become great by focusing on the right goals, assembling the right team, and making the right decisions. The book presents the results of a research study that identified a set of companies that made the transition from good to great and identifies the key factors that contributed to their success. Collins provides practical guidance and strategies for businesses looking to make the transition from good to great, including how to set the right goals, how to assemble the right team, and how to make the right decisions.
It got me really curious because the author who taught startups how to find product-market fit was now writing a book on governance. I am quite fascinated by how businesses operate, evolve, and create their own external and internal-facing cultures - and the structures we create to shape them. The book nails that: it explores different governance structures, such as cooperatives and public service companies that also have a profit arm. It’s a great proof and handbook to have by hand for when money or profit is about to corrupt the vision of a company, proof that a different way is possible, and sometimes better. Many of the examples are European, such as Novo Nordisk, Grundfos, and Grupo Mondragon. Really interesting, and it challenges the assumption that companies are just there to make money.
It focuses in agile development and lean startup concepts. It gives very good insights on how to define a product vision, how to validate product ideas through customer research and testing, and how to measure and optimize product performance. It has a very practical look - and together with Empowered serves as a really good field guide on how to setup product teams for success.