When listening to talks during the last conferences I attended – ACE! Conference and GeeCON – I have noticed that there are some books which titles reappear here and then. I guess this is because they are worth reading. And I plan to read them in 2015 (omg, need some extra time for this!). I have added a short note to each of them to give you idea of what to expect of them.
- Kahneman Thinking Fast and Slow – probably the most often mentioned book. Definitely a must-read! All kinds of cognitive biases brilliantly illustrated. (BTW. Now that I’ve read the book I still have no clue what to do with this knowledge, but that is another story).
- Dan Ariely Predictably Irrational – we are not as rational as we think. Surprised?
- Linda Rising Fearless Change – so you have this great, revolutionary idea? Cool, but how you gonna make others see it and follow you?
- Laurie Williams, Robert Kessler Pair Programming Illuminated – seems simple but how to do it right?
- Teresa Amabile The Progress Principle – you can make your work place more enjoyable (for you and others).
- Giff Constable Talking to Humans: Success starts with understanding your customers – master the interactions with humans and the sky will be your limit.
- Brian W. Fitzpatrick, Ben Collins-Sussman Team Geek A Software Developer’s Guide to Working Well with Others – coding is a team activity, so maybe we could improve our soft skills?
- Tom DeMarco and Timothy Lister Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams – oldie-goldie about the social side of IT work
- Daniel Pink The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us – the days of carrot & stick motivation are gone. Our motivation is of different kind. We are driven by mastery, autonomy and purpose. Read the book to find out more – you won’t be disappointed!
- Tom DeMarco Slack – creativity can’t be rushed so you better add some slack, so it can happen.
- Kotter Our Iceberg is melting – the fear of (inevitable) change is paralysing us, so how can we take action?
- Chris Guillebeau The Art of Non-Conformity – be yourself and prosper
- Ed Catmull Creativity Inc – add some creativity to the life of your organization – written by one of Pixar’s founders
- Nancy Kline Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind – attentive listening as the key to your business and social success
Last, but not least, there are also my books. I do not plan to read them, but maybe you will. See the links below.
P.S. You can read the follow up of this post here.