7 ms·

Ask HN: Non-tech books that have helped you grow professionally?

• wepple 10y ago
  I really enjoyed and got value from books about companies/people I admire; Hatching twitter, In the Plex, Elon Musk, etc. More specific topics, however: * "what every body is saying" - how to read/understand body language * "an astronauts guide to life on earth" - by Chris Hadfield, lots of good general advice * "speed reading" - for digesting information quickly (albeit, I find with less depth) * "The 8 traits successful people have in common" - kinda painfully obvious advice, but often it's the context and stories that help you digest a message * "the lean startup" - wasn't mindblowing but looks aligned with what you've been reading, still worth reading.
  • tsaprailis 10y ago
    Thanks a lot for these. The lean startup is already on my list, will check the rest.
  • DarkTree 10y ago
    I definitely agree with getting value from books about companies/people you admire. I think it's more memorable to read about real people's actions and lifestyles as opposed to reading "how-to" or "self-help" books, though I read those too and have received value from them as well. Here are some books I'd recommend in the former vein: 1. Elon Musk - as mentioned, awesome, inspiring read 2. Creativity, Inc. - Ed Catmull's story of Pixar 3. Masters of Doom - Carmack is a boss 4. The Innovators - The people who created the computing world 5. Hackers - The people who created the computing world 6. Steve Jobs - obligatory, whether positive/negative
    • tsaprailis 10y ago
      Will check these just because Elon Musk is on the list :)
    • wepple 10y ago
      Hackers & Masters of Doom are two of my favourite books. And I'm not even really a gamer.
  • mikejames16 10y ago
    Hatching Twitter is excellent!
• alexmorenodev 10y ago
  The ones from Scott Adams and Cal Newport.
  • snappye 10y ago
    Influence - Psychology of persuasion Gun Germs and Steel Hero with a thousand faces Starting Strength
  • SyneRyder 10y ago
    The Scott Adams book "How To Fail At Almost Everything And Still Win Big" is surprisingly good. It's too early for me to tell if it's made an improvement, but I have a ton of highlights and I've been reviewing them every couple of weeks. [I've had a similar reaction recently to "Everything I Know" by Paul Jarvis as well.]
• bizzleDawg 10y ago
  I guess someone has to be the first to say "Thinking Fast and Slow"[1] by Daniel Kahneman. It's certainly a very useful book (even for it's flaws) for it's detail on cognitive phycology and human biases. It certainly improved my personal and professional life. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thinking,_Fast_and_Slow
  • tsaprailis 10y ago
    Looks interesting, thanks!
  • dominotw 10y ago
    >It certainly improved my personal and professional life. If you don't mind me asking how has it improved your life? Also, have you seen the effects wearing off after a while?
• Healplz 10y ago
  Have you seen the awesome list[1] Ramiro Gomez put together? Lot of great non-tech books on there. [1] http://ramiro.org/vis/hn-most-linked-books/ http://ramiro.org/vis/hn-most-linked-books/
• p333347 10y ago
  Coders At Work and Founders At Work. Immensely inspirational.
  • rckrd 10y ago
    Founders at Work was phenomenal. Its a collection of interviews with early startup founders where Jessica Livingston asks great, probing questions. An excellent example of how to conduct a good interview.
    • MichaelGG 10y ago
      Are there any other books that are as inspirational? I very much enjoyed reading those ones.
      • p333347 10y ago
        YMMV but I found Masterminds of Programming quite a worthy read. It is an interview based book and talks to the creators of a variety programming languages, including such 'obscure' ones as Forth, APL and Eiffel. I am interested in programming languages in a meta way, and even dabble around designing a couple, so it was inspirational to me, also quite an eye opener.
• kentt 10y ago
  Deep Work has been one of the most influential books about productivity. https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/dp/1455586692 https://www.amazon.com/Deep-Work-Focused-Success-Distracted/...
  • adamnemecek 10y ago
    Can you give me a tl;dr?
    • proksoup 10y ago
      > The book is written as if it's presenting "a new, flashy, grand theory of everything". It's not that. The idea of working in a deep, focused manner isn't a new one or one that would shock people (as the book's extensive citations show). But the book puts up a very intense battle against an army of straw men. I don't think you'd find anyone who disagrees with the general notion of working intensely on your priorities; it's making your life conducive to it (and getting done what you aim to get done when you sit down) that's the hard part. So the book feels more to me like ideas you'd share with friends about how to be more productive than a revolutionary new idea, but you have to wade through pages of why this is life-changing and flashy to get to the more useful actionable steps.
      • adamnemecek 10y ago
        I checked it out and it seems to criticize the whole open office movement which is good I think.
      • cylinder 10y ago
        This is the problem with almost all self help books. I ignore the category because of this.
• pavlov 10y ago
  Seneca's Letters to Lucilius helped me come to grips with the modest scale of my own achievements (or lack thereof) and the futility of further ambition at the expense of anything else.
  • kornish 10y ago
    Seconded. For those interested in Seneca's timeless letters but short on time (or if you find existing translations a bit dry), http://stoicletters.blogspot.com/ http://stoicletters.blogspot.com/ is a phenomenal resource which concisely but effectively modernizes the language. They're a pleasure to read.
  • rckrd 10y ago
    Also, Seneca's De Brevitate Vitae, or On the Shortness of Life
    • sn9 10y ago
      That's Letter 49 IIRC.
• boothead 10y ago
  Extreme Ownership by Joko Wilink Team of teams by Gen. Stan McChrystal Both of these are required reading for understanding how humans work together.
• dv35z 10y ago
  FYI: For Your Improvement, A Guide for Development and Coaching (4th edition) Several close colleagues & mentors recommended this book as their "career bible". I finally listened to them (took me 10 years, but finally did it). And glad I did. In my opinion, it is the most infornation-dense, non-BS, completely actionable advice I have found in a business book. Strongly recommend. From my understanding, the 4th Ed is the one you want. This is the way you take your professional & career life to the next level. https://www.amazon.com/FYI-Improvement-Guide-Development-Coaching/dp/0974589233 https://www.amazon.com/FYI-Improvement-Guide-Development-Coa...
• jrs235 10y ago
  Peopleware: Productive Projects and Teams by Tom DeMarco and Tim Lister (http://amzn.to/2ckIYbJ http://amzn.to/2ckIYbJ)
• gary__ 10y ago
  An acquaintance recommended Peter Drucker's "The Effective Executive" as a first book to read about management. I found it very interesting and it changed my outlook on the value of tracking time, focusing on strengths and what contribution matters. (I am not a manager myself.) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-Executive-Classic-Drucker-Collection/dp/0750685077 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Effective-Executive-Classic-Drucker...
• tracker1 10y ago
  I would look at a few design and user experience books... "Don't make me think", "Thinking fast and slow" and "Designed for use" come to mind. As developers, and even PMs we will tend to overload our users with too much... simplification, structure, clarity come to mind. Another deep issue, and I don't have any books to recommend center around nomenclature... Too many projects don't take the time to concentrate on naming things from a high level... From project features to user roles and the language/platform that integrate them, there's often confusion and blurred lines with the same names used in different contexts.
• anotherarray 10y ago
  The Bible.
  • uxp100 10y ago
    Maybe elaborate a little bit? Its certainly an influential book. I can think of a lot of professional lessons it could contain, (I've turning the other cheek a lot at work this summer with some very abrasive folks; hard to tell how well its worked so far...) but you probably should be the one to justify it. I'm an Atheist, though culturally christian, so I won't pretend to understand it well.
    • beginrescueend 10y ago
      Start with the book of Proverbs, follow its wisdom and advice, if all you're after is career improvements. Great wisdom. (Wisdom about people, situations, attitudes, and actions are all found there). But, move on to John, if you are eager for more.
      • beginrescueend 10y ago
        0 points?!?!? I thought this was about what non-technical books have helped me, professionally. Intolerance?
    • flubert 10y ago
      >turning the other cheek a lot at work this summer Interesting to contemplate that gesture as being active or passive... http://dharmagates.org/other_cheek.html http://dharmagates.org/other_cheek.html
    • anotherarray 10y ago
      The Bible provides a solid moral background for a very successful career in the long-term. I'd ask material atheists to go beyond the realms of Genesis and focus on the true revolutions it has brought about. Go ahead and read about Rene Girard. "Thou shall not covet or kill" is not a self-evident concept for Humanity.
• nik1aa5 10y ago
  Probably the best to start with is "How to read a book". That opened my eyes and helped me a lot with deciding what to read and how to read it.
  • hoodwink 10y ago
    +1 for How To Read a Book by Mortimer Adler. I wish I had found this at a younger age.
• thrilleratplay 10y ago
  The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman This should be a required reading for anyone who does UI design. It helps explain why items you interact with subconsciously frustrate you and why product simplicity is typically better than more features.
  • kej 10y ago
    Not just UI design, either. The same concepts that make a UI or a physical object pleasing to interact with apply to the API your library exposes to other developers, or even your own helper functions that nobody but you will ever use.
  • rckrd 10y ago
    You will never look at another Norman door the same ever again [0] http://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-know-whether-push-pull-blame-design/ http://99percentinvisible.org/article/norman-doors-dont-know...
  • sathishvj 10y ago
    I too have been recommending this book quite a bit for new UI developers.
• zackbloom 10y ago
  Never Split the Difference is ostensibly a book on negotiation, but I found it also a great primer on the more subtle and emotional side of human communication.
• b_emery 10y ago
  The most important books I've read in the last 10 yrs (with respect to professional growth) are: Talent is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else, by G. Colvin The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business, by C. Duhigg These books have reshaped how I work and how I think about work. With the knowledge contained in these books it's not hard to outline the daily routines needed to be great at just about anything.
  • myg204 10y ago
    I am interested and curious. Could you give an example of something you were dissatisfied with, and at which you became great because of those books? Thanks.
    • b_emery 10y ago
      Well, I'm still a work in progress! I'm working on a PhD and passed my oral exams because of these books. I have a weekly schedule that balances reading/doing math, writing and coding and producing toward the dissertation. These books have helped me 'discover' the process for becoming an expert. Cribbed from my notes: One very important idea is the idea of intrinsic motivation: the best motivation is perhaps a really compelling and or interesting problem. Also, time is needed to learn and practice, and this practice comes at the cost of time spent elsewhere (eg producing). So there is a natural division of time into learning (incl. practicing) and producing. A lot of the Talent book is the sort of nuts and bolts of deliberate practice. From the Habit book: Have a plan for what to do when the pain or other emotional event threatens to derail your action. Such as when this happens, I will do __. Having a plan helps people to get through the event, encouraging will power, and continue on until the will power action becomes a habit (by being incorporated into long term memory I suppose). (Incidentally, this is why having a daily plan help one to be more productive. When you get tired and easily derailed, and are low in will power, you can fall back onto your plan). 1) Cue, 2) Routine, 3) Reward. That is the habit loop. A book called Moonwalking with Einstein, as well as a number of Cal Newport's books have also been helpful with these goals.
      • 10y ago
• AJAlabs 10y ago
  David Allen's Book Getting Things Done http://gettingthingsdone.com http://gettingthingsdone.com
• lifeisstillgood 10y ago
  Up the organization https://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stifling-Strangling/dp/0787987751 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Up-Organization-Corporation-Stiflin... The complete Yes Minister https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Prime-Complete-Collection/dp/B000HXDM0U https://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Prime-Complete-Collect... The undercover economist and it's follow up https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp/0349119856 https://www.amazon.co.uk/Undercover-Economist-Tim-Harford/dp... I would struggle to encapsulate it all except "people and organizations can be vicious and complex but we all innately want them to be simple, fair and if we can find someone believable we can turn around any hideous situation"
• navbaker 10y ago
  The Five Dysfunctions of a Team - Patrick Lencioni. It's a pretty fast read, I think the thing that stuck with me the most from it was the reassurance that (constructive) conflict on a team is not something to be avoided at all costs.
• slavik81 10y ago
  I haven't got a chance to put its advice into practice yet, but I liked "Getting to Yes". It's short and to the point, providing a good perspective on handling negotiations.
• JSeymourATL 10y ago
  A couple of thought provoking professional reads- The Sticking Point Solution: 9 Ways to Move Your Business from Stagnation to Stunning Growth In Tough Economic Times > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-point-solution http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6515635-the-sticking-poin... Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal > http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10321016-pitch-anything?ac=1&from_search=true http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10321016-pitch-anything?a... * Several excellent recommendations already posted here, always impressed by HNers!
• kapv89 10y ago
  Seven Habits of Highly Effective People
  • sebringj 10y ago
    absolutely, it focuses you to what matters
• unusximmortalis 10y ago
  The book of Mirdad
• jjbohn 10y ago
  I have a lot of the classics on my list, but a new one that I've found extremely growth spurring was "Ego is the Enemy" by Ryan Holiday. I never really considered myself an egotists; confident perhaps, but something I never struggled with. This book showed me that I indeed did have more ego than necessary and gave me some really good guidance on how to live a better, happier, and more fulfilled life. Really something for a book I didn't even know I needed.
• tedmiston 10y ago
  Vagabonding: An Uncommon Guide to the Art of Long-Term World Travel by Rolf Potts On the surface, it's about traveling the world on a budget for extended periods of time, but deeper than that is a philosophy about going without things you don't need and connecting with people more authentically. https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-Travel/dp/0812992180/ https://www.amazon.com/Vagabonding-Uncommon-Guide-Long-Term-...
  • mikejames16 10y ago
    +1
• tedmiston 10y ago
  Since there are so many readers in this thread, are you guys managing your books: Goodreads, Google Books, etc?
  • lwhalen 10y ago
    Good old fashioned dead trees, on my end.
• romanhn 10y ago
  Really surprised nobody has mentioned How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie yet. IMO, required reading for understanding and communicating with people.
  • rezashirazian 10y ago
    I was about to mention it. I still find it hard sometimes not to get into long winded arguments with people, but after reading this book I've gotten much better at picking my battles.
  • sebringj 10y ago
    totally right on that one, it goes to every area of life
  • afarrell 10y ago
    It is the sort of book that is worth reading again if it's been 5 years.
• atzpawn 10y ago
  The books of Pieter Hintjens, ok, he is a developer but...
• atzpawn 10y ago
  The books of Pieter Hintjens, ok, he is a developer but...
• nmalaguti 10y ago
  Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well by Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen. I think it has made me a better teammate, mentor, and mentee. If you'd like to know more before buying it, check out http://www.npr.org/2015/09/22/434597124/trying-to-change-or-changing-the-subject-how-feedback-gets-derailed http://www.npr.org/2015/09/22/434597124/trying-to-change-or-... https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Feedback-Science-Receiving-Well-ebook/dp/B00DMCV0XE#productDescription_secondary_view_div_1472850774308 https://www.amazon.com/Thanks-Feedback-Science-Receiving-Wel...
• cwbrandsma 10y ago
  * Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell * Freakenomics * Slideology * The Checklist Manifesto
• jhh 10y ago
  "The Goal" by Eliyahu Goldratt, while set in a traditional manufacturing world, does a great job in clarifying the role of constraints in any team effort. It's written in the form of a novel. It is not perfect. I think it hase some sexist undertones, is generally just super-eighties and kind of self serving as a novel. But it has definitely changed the way I think about business in a deep way.
• netizen123 10y ago
  Old related thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243611 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12243611
• mikejames16 10y ago
  Depends on what you're after. If you like the 4 hour work week and want to change your lifestyle then I'd read inspiration for the four hour work week; vagabonding by Ralf Potts and more recently the obstacle is the way by Ryan Holiday. At the end of this month I'll be heading off on a round the world trip with no return ticket starting in india. I have the four hour work week to thank for that, I changed my job to one where I was able to work remote, started my own product gocaller.co.uk whether it's going to bring income to support long term travel will be interesting to see, nevertheless it's a fun ride. I feel more confident now that I can go back to doing what im doing now I love software development and the interesting people I've had the pleasure of working with
  • hoodwink 10y ago
    I was similarly impacted by both books -- Four Hour Work Week led me to Vagabonding which is much better. If you haven't already, you should read the inspiration for Vagabonding: Walden by Thoreau.
    • mikejames16 10y ago
      Neat thank you for sharing. Out of interest what's the biggest thing you've changed after reading these books?
      • hoodwink 10y ago
        Quit my "prestigious" but hollow job of 10 years. Sold 90% of my possessions. Let go of my loft apartment. Dramatically cut back my lifestyle. I'm much freer (and happier) as a result. Thoreau calls it Economy. I like to say that I broke out of captivity and am now an outdoor cat.
• ktamura 10y ago
  "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro. At first glance, it's a 1,000-page, detailed biography of a (in)famously effective city planner Robert Moses. At its core, it's a lucid examination of the anatomy of power. It has completely changed how I think about power, where it comes from (whether it's at work or in the greater market/world) and how it is retained and lost. It's also a great antithesis to junk-food journalism and online reading that we've become addicted to. Caro's research is thorough and his writing is inspiring.
  • rckrd 10y ago
    I recently finished this book and I have to agree. An exceptionally well written historical artifact. A critical, but not prescriptive, description of power.
• sergeyfilippov 10y ago
  "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius https://www.amazon.com/Emperor-Rome-Marcus-Aurelius-Meditations/dp/B01FOD7CRG/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1472852903&sr=1-10&keywords=meditations+marcus+aurelius https://www.amazon.com/Emperor-Rome-Marcus-Aurelius-Meditati...
• rch 10y ago
  Pathologies of Power -- Dr. Paul Farmer
• alienjr 10y ago
  "I'm wondering which other books have you read that have had the most impact on you professionally or even personally?" Professionally: Peter F. Drucker's books. Personally: "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius, "A Treatise of Human Nature" by David Hume, "The Law" by Frédéric Bastiat, "Autobiography" by Benjamin Franklin, "Common Sense" by Thomas Paine, "Gespräche mit Goethe" by Johann Peter Eckermann, "The Old Regime and the Revolution" Alexis de Tocqueville, "On Liberty" by John Stuart Mill, "The Man Versus the State" by Herbert Spencer, "The Revolt of the Masses" by José Ortega y Gasset, "The Logic of Scientific Discovery" by Karl Popper, "On Power" Bertrand de Jouvenel, "1984" by George Orwell, "The State" by Anthony de Jasay, "Sketched With the Quill" by Andrzej Bobkowski, "Metaphysical Horror" by Leszek Kolakowski, "Rationality in Economics" by Vernon L. Smith, "The Machinery of Freedom" by David Friedman.
• crdb 10y ago
  The first scene in Tolstoy's War and Peace should be required reading for engineering graduates, particularly the hyper-rational Sheldon types. I'm referring specifically to the impact Pierre has on the people at the party, the importance of manners, why small talk, etc. War and Peace is generally a great book because of how much it captures about human nature and power plays and it is still relevant today. It has a reputation for length but I found it much more readable than, say, Lord of the Rings. Delta Force by Col. Charlie Beckwith. Think your company has red tape? Try the US Army post-Vietnam. It's a great example of someone moving through bureaucracy to achieve great things and taught me to stop making excuses based on organisational behaviour. The Phantom Major by Virginia Cowles is in the same vein with some phenomenal hustling lessons. I still think of both men whenever I think whatever I'm doing is hard. Dynamic Hedging by Taleb was written whilst he was a pit trader and is the most intuitive introduction to thinking about options I've read. It informs my thinking about decision making in terms of probability, path dependency and higher order greeks, and helps me take risks in a smart manner. I recommend it to a lot of people but nobody takes it up because (I'm guessing) it's only available as a second hand paper copy, and people think trading options has nothing to do with their life. Legionnaire by Simon Murray was recommended to me by my thesis supervisor shortly before graduation. I respected his opinion so I read the thing and it blew my mind in what people were capable of doing when pushed to the edge. Murray went on to have multiple interesting careers and set records as a helicopter pilot. There are two books that were lessons in what they did not teach me. Clayton Christensen's Innovator's Dilemma/Solution presents a very enticing idea but I think the core explanation for what it covers is much better set forward in Marc Bloch's Strange Defeat. There are regular sub-threads on the book on HN so I won't go into it further. I also read a couple of Jack Welch books and thought, wow, this guy knows what he is talking about. This was before 2007. After 2007, I heard from a few people - including very smart investors - who basically put GE's success down to the 30 year bull market and to the growth of GE Capital which became something like 60% of the company and indeed did almost take down GE with it after Lehman. It introduced the possibility that some famous leaders and gurus might not be as competent as they are branded to be and it's important to check for confounding variables.
• sssilver 10y ago
  Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead" changed me when I was younger. Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" changed me back when I got older.
• emptybits 10y ago
  A couple of these have been named and I've upvoted them, but this is my list: * "Flow" by Mihály Csíkszentmihályi. Being fully immersed and engaged in an activity. 1) Knowing the value of this mental state, 2) being able to recognize when you're in it, and 3) setting yourself up so that you can be in this state as much as possible is really valuable. File it under living an examined life, IMO. All the popular "don't interrupt the programmer" and Pomodoro and other time management techniques build on this old research. * "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius (several translations, worth comparing for even more insight) -- this is a man who understood duty and getting things done! (Not surprising from a stoic, but somehow this collection has extra impact because I know they were primarily notes and reflections written for his own clarity, more than for an audience.) Wisdom to apply to situations. Patterns to recognize in yourself and others. * "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" by Stephen Covey. When more sophisticated or trendy approaches to effectiveness reach their limits, you can't go wrong falling back on "Begin with the end in mind", "Sharpen the saw", classifying activities into the Four Quadrants, etc. * Modern (typically psychological) interpretations of Buddhism. If a single book pops into my head, I will update this, so right now I'm talking about a whole category of books on Buddhist perspectives on character traits and habits of behaviour. If you strip any paranormal nonsense from Buddhist psychology you are often left with effective ways to classify your own thoughts, words, and deeds and work on improving them. A simple example would be the Four Sublime Attitudes. If I reflect on any relationship or interaction I have with colleagues or clients or new prospects, I can almost always take direct action immediately to improve it by applying these old rules: 1) replace anger toward someone with active good will toward them, 2) replace jealousy or envy of someone else's fortune with sympathetic joy for them, 3) approach anyone's suffering as your own suffering (compassion), 4) treat all situations and people impartially without judgement of of "good" or "bad" (equanimity). I'm sorry these are really old! For me, these just don't go out of style and their wisdom works cross-culture.
• ThrustVectoring 10y ago
  Impro by Keith Johnstone There's a reason why it's one of two books on Palantir's new employee reading list.
• cs702 10y ago
  I agree with others on the "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius. Off the top of my head, I would add: * "The Way to Wealth," by Benjamin Franklin: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0918222885 (also available online for free; it's in the public domain) -- no-nonsense practical advice from a super-successful individual * Warren Buffett's Letters to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders: http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html http://www.berkshirehathaway.com/letters/letters.html (also available organized by topic, in a bound book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 https://www.amazon.com/dp/1611637589 which some will find much easier to read) * "The Intelligent Investor," by Benjamin Graham (specifically the chapters titled "The Investor and Market Fluctuations" and "Margin of Safety"): https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060555661 * "Influence: the Psychology of Persuasion," by Robert Cialdini: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0688128165 Also: * "Devil Take the Hindmost," by Edward Chancellor: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0452281806 * "A Short History of Financial Euphoria," by John Kenneth Galbraith: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565 https://www.amazon.com/dp/0140238565 * "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds," by Charles Mackay: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581 http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1586635581
• obihill 10y ago
  "Built to Last", by James Collins and Jerry Porras. Great book that goes into the principles of how to build enduring businesses.
• jramz 10y ago
  http://www.blockshelf.com/ http://www.blockshelf.com/
• samblr 10y ago
  Made in Japan had a profound impact on me - how two engineers disgruntled by their nation's defeat in world war 2 went on to become leading company in electronics.
• cylinder 10y ago
  I never see this recommended but any book about Contracts (law). It's very valuable for lay persons to understand the basic principles and it will help a lot in your business and personal life.
• hirundo 10y ago
  Atlas Shrugged. It clarifies the moral benefit of a selfish honest creative pursuit of money. It seriously improves your workday to feel faintly heroic about it.
  • navyad 10y ago
    One of the best read of mine, "Who is John Galt ?"
• mathsciencekid 10y ago
  I grew up in a single-parent household back in the 70's before computers and startups were the thing they are now and although my mom was an uneducated immigrant, I was fortunate to grow up in the bay area and get an education at a good public school where my teachers introduced me to Harold Jacobs's "Geometry" Nietziche's "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" Freeman Dyson's "Disturbing The Universe" Nigel Calder's "The Key to the Universe" Jacob Bronowski's "The Ascent of Man" Douglas Hofstadter's "Gödel, Escher, Bach" I especially loved spending time in the library, reading OMNI magazine, Scientific American magazine (especially Martin Gardner's column) and the stories of Issac Asimov and Larry Niven. Those authors made me want to go to college and learn from people like them - people capable of thinking big ideas about science and civilization - and while none of those books ever helped me raise money or start a business, they did help me help me overcome my personal feelings of inadequacy from having come from a poor family and eventually become accepted into a technical community which appreciated an ability to think and ask questions.
• leandot 10y ago
  Professionally by adding to soft skills - Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High Personally - by helping me appreciated science better - Cosmos: Carl Sagan As a side note - a lot of the startup stuff is learned on the job and by talking to others about their experiences. Doing a side project can be a good way to try out and you will be forced to think about marketing, sales, etc. Shameless plug: http://hackernewsbooks.com/ http://hackernewsbooks.com/ - is what books the HN community comments on, maybe you find something interesting there
• Eido95 10y ago
  This is a very different book, it definitely impacted my personal life. He literally helped me go out of an infinit loop in life when it came to interactions with women and humen connections: Game Over: From Pick-Up Artist to Social Heartist https://www.amazon.com/Game-Over-Pick-Up-Artist-Heartist/dp/1522918493 https://www.amazon.com/Game-Over-Pick-Up-Artist-Heartist/dp/... GOOD LUCK!
• ekr 10y ago
  How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of "Intangibles" in Business . A vital step in becoming a more (instrumentally) rational person is to track and calibrate your beliefs. This book teaches you of how to do that.
• tsaprailis 10y ago
  Thank you all for you feedback. I must admit I was not expecting so many responses :) I have gone through all comments and compiled a list of all suggestions sorted by genre to keep track of everything if anyone else is interested: https://github.com/kostistsaprailis/non-tech-books-for-developers https://github.com/kostistsaprailis/non-tech-books-for-devel...
  • throwawaymnbv 10y ago
    You missed The Effective Executive book on that list
    • tsaprailis 10y ago
      Done! Thanks, I added a few more books I have missed. If you think I missed any more, let me know.
• kapauldo 10y ago
  "made to stick" is a great read for techies because it helps you think about simplifying communication to non techies. It also helps technical founders think about market perceptions about your product. It's a super fast read and well written.
• threesixandnine 10y ago
  Big impact for me both professionally and personally : The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
• endswapper 10y ago
  The Tao of Power by R.L. Wing https://www.amazon.com/Tao-Power-Leadership-Excellence-translation/dp/0385196377 https://www.amazon.com/Tao-Power-Leadership-Excellence-trans... It's like The Art of War, but for life in a business/leadership context.
• Vaebn 10y ago
  Great Work with the list! I can see it becoming a thing in the future! I would add Douglas Adams & Terry Pratchett to your fiction category, although it is hard to quantify why. They are an amazing interplay of imagination, creativity & playfulness and by going through them, some of it rubs off to their readers. In the case of Terry Pratchett in particular, some of the books are actually quite indirectly educational and as good as philosophical critiques on society and aspects of. Including: Authoritarianism, Government, Racism, Superstition, Charlatanism, Economics, Mortality etc etc.
• kevin42 10y ago
  What Got You Here Won't Get You There: How Successful People Become Even More Successful by Marshall Goldsmith. This book really helped me make the transition between being valued primarily for my technical abilities and focusing more on interpersonal relationships and how that affects my ability to be part of a successful team. It was very humbling to read as I realized I had been guilty of so many of the things mentioned in this book. It really changed my career for the better.
• codeful 10y ago
  Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest by Amy Cuddy and The Charisma Myth: Master the Art of Personal Magnetism by Olivia Fox Cabane I really liked these books about how to be more influential in everyday life. These books provide simple techniques you can use right after you have read. Available as audiobooks too.
• cdvonstinkpot 10y ago
  Seth Godin: "Purple Cow" "Tribes"
• pramit 10y ago
  Shameless plug: The Success Manual Contains best advice from the best books on the most important skills (other than technical/professional skills). https://www.thesuccessmanual.in https://www.thesuccessmanual.in
• adidash 10y ago
  the hard thing about hard things & zero to one