As an avid reader, learnings from some books have deeply influenced my mindset and decisions.
1. Questions are way more powerful than statements
Never Split the Difference — Christopher Voss and Tahl Raz
This great negotiation book demonstrates that asking rather than stating proves powerful. Rather than telling the other party what they should do or agree upon, asking questions leads the other party to rationalize their thinking, ideally resulting in fair negotiation. This approach avoids win-lose scenarios, which prove bad long-term.
Adopting this practice increased my empathy with people and enabled getting my point of view across differently.
2. Always start lean. Scale only after a lot of learning
The Lean Startup — Eric Ries
Seen as one of the greatest startup books ever, The Lean Startup holds special significance for me. It eventually led me to become a Product Designer and sparked my interest in the startup world.
While still learning about customers and problems being solved, products should remain very lean and easy to maintain. Once you learn more about customer problem-solving approaches, scaling becomes appropriate.
At the product lifecycle beginning, teams don't deliver much value while still learning about problems. Once teams learn more about problems and customers, value curves become exponential — now knowing what customers care about enables delivery. Finally, when teams have learned extensively and delivered significant value, each release adds less customer value since important parts have already been built.
3. It is always your fault, even when it isn't
Extreme Ownership — Jocko Willink and Leif Babin
"Everything is my fault, even what isn't" — this should guide daily thinking. This book by two marines relating overseas deployment experiences to their consulting business explains that owning everything around you is what leaders do. They take responsibility.
Throughout the book, Jocko and Leif provide examples praising ownership of everything around you as the only success path. Rather than blaming others, looking inward and asking "It is my fault. What could I have done differently? Better?" proves more effective.
Facing things this way reveals that you always influence outcomes — if things go wrong, you bear responsibility.
4. Innovation is going from 0 to 1, not 1 to N
Zero to One — Peter Thiel
After Uber in 2009 came Ola in 2010, Lyft, Didi, and InDriver in 2012. Uber was original, going from Zero to One. All others went from 1 to N.
Copying others and going from 1 to N is easy, but real innovation happens in the Zero to One spectrum. 1 to N companies must constantly focus on price. In perfect competition, companies make zero dollars profit, while innovators — Zero to One companies — focus on true value since their innovation needn't fight for every dollar or cut every cost.
The mindset shift: always find the 0, not the 1. Replicating something leads nowhere except price wars and zero long-term profit. Find the 0, innovate, and reach 1.
5. Focus on Systems, Not Goals
Atomic Habits — James Clear
The best habit book ever provides real ways to create habits leading to consistency, which achieves goals. While goal-setting matters greatly, actions leading to goal achievement involve small daily efforts.
Wanting to lose weight requires small daily effort — focusing on creating sustainable long-term weight loss systems rather than eating 1000 calories daily for two weeks achieves goals.
Since this became a habit, I stress less about daily goals, knowing my set systems (or habits) will achieve them. As long as daily habits continue, goals get achieved.
The way to be a better comic is to create better jokes and the way to create better jokes is to write every day.
Focus on systems, not goals.
6. It's okay not planning 3 years from now, as long as you have a long-term vision and a plan for the next 6–12 weeks
Scrum — Jeff Sutherland
Before Jeff created the Scrum framework — eventually leading to the Agile Manifesto — he was frustrated that companies spent months gathering requirements and planning projects to the day. These companies planned what they'd do two years ahead as if knowing exactly what customers wanted then.
Obviously, projects would delay, require more money, and prove overall problematic. Companies lucky enough to still have markets for that effort would often hear "we don't need this product anymore. Our customers want something else." Of course they did — two years had passed.
The lesson: no need to list 50 books and know the exact reading order. Just identify the next 3, learn, then figure out the next 3.
Sprint > Feedback > Sprint > Feedback > Sprint > Feedback…
7. Nobody cares, just work harder
The Hard Thing About Hard Things — Ben Horowitz
At one point, Ben tells of a football coach with three injured best players before a big season game. While the coach complains about injuries, someone says "coach, nobody cares, just win the game." Supporters don't care about injuries; they care about winning.
Since first reading this in 2019, whenever I find myself whining or complaining, I remind myself — "dude, nobody cares, just work harder."
This might seem harsh, but it's true. Nobody cares. Just win the game.
