Books that shaped how I think.
No "top 10" list. Just the ones I keep returning to and the ones I'm working through right now. Each comes with the take that made it stick.
Favorites
The Hard Thing About Hard Things
The only business book that tells the truth about what it actually feels like to run a company. It's a survival manual.
An Elegant Puzzle
Systems thinking applied to engineering management. The chapter on sizing teams changed how I think about organizational design.
Working Backwards
Amazon's operating system, demystified. The press release framework alone is worth the read for any operator building process.
Shoe Dog
The best founder memoir I've read. Raw, honest, and a reminder that every great company was once a terrible mess.
Thinking in Systems
The foundational text. If you operate anything (a company, a team, a supply chain), this is required reading.
Recent
The Mom Test
Short, practical, and humbling. Changed how I ask questions in every customer conversation.
Staff Engineer
The section on 'being visible' applies to any senior operator trying to have impact without authority. Useful well beyond an engineering audience.
The Almanack of Naval Ravikant
Leverage, judgment, and specific knowledge. Naval's framework for wealth creation is the clearest I've found.