Welcome back to The Lens, a newsletter on Product Management and related topics. This edition takes a lighter approach — a year-end reflection through books.
Completed in 2020
Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert Cialdini — A classic I finally got to as an audiobook. Absolutely essential reading for anyone in marketing, product, or honestly just being a more aware consumer. The Brain Audit by Sean D'Souza — Brief and densely useful. Marketing insight packed into a short read. Running Lean by Ash Maurya — Practical, step-by-step guide to discovering real problems and iterating toward product-market fit. One of the best product books available. Building a StoryBrand by Donald Miller — Uses film narrative structure to explain customer messaging. Engaging and immediately applicable. Atomic Habits by James Clear — Practical and honest about habit formation. Some of the techniques I was already using without knowing they had names. The 1-Page Marketing Plan — Fills gaps from B2B-focused MBA education with a direct B2C online marketing perspective. The Seven Figure Agency Roadmap — Covers digital marketing agency scaling. The $100 Startup by Chris Guillebeau — A collection of real small business stories. Grounding. Build Better Products — Genuinely excellent for product professionals. One of the most practically useful PM books I've read.In Progress
- Making Websites Win (free online) - Blue Ocean Strategy
Currently Listening
A Promised Land by Barack Obama — History and political decision-making woven into narrative. Worthwhile.Also
Finished the Harry Potter series — a 2020 New Year's resolution met. Alongside these, a significant amount of time went into podcasts and online courses, which increasingly feel like a separate curriculum worth tracking separately.