Suggested Reading: Books That Changed How I Work, Think, and Lead

I go through phases with reading. Some weeks I devour pages like I’m making up for lost time, and other weeks I stare at a book on my bedside table like it’s judging me. But every so often, a book lands at exactly the right moment and hits me with the kind of clarity you don’t forget.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck – Mark Manson

Picking this one up felt like a slap and a hug at the same time.

Mark Manson’s style is brutally honest, and that’s exactly why it works. He strips away the nonsense and gets straight to the point: you can’t care about everything. You simply don’t have the capacity.

What stuck with me most is the idea that discomfort and failure aren’t just unavoidable — they’re valuable. They’re the price of doing anything meaningful. The book isn’t about apathy; it’s about choosing carefully what deserves your energy. For someone who often ends up as the “fix-it” person, this was… eye-opening.

It’s a refreshing reminder to stop leaking energy into things that simply don’t matter.

Building a StoryBrand – Donald Miller

This one reshaped how I think about communication, especially in fast-moving B2B tech.

Donald Miller makes a simple but powerful point: your customer is the hero of the story — not you. Your job as a brand, a marketer, or even as a communicator is to be the guide. The Yoda. The Gandalf. The person who helps the hero succeed.

Once you see messaging through this lens, you can’t unsee it. Everything becomes clearer. You start writing in a way that resonates. You connect the dots between what you offer and what people actually need.

It’s one of the most practical, immediately useful business books I’ve read.

The One Thing – Gary Keller

This book hit me right in the habit of juggling too much at once.

Gary Keller’s message is beautifully simple: find the one thing that makes everything else easier or unnecessary — and focus on that. It’s a call to cut the noise, stop multitasking yourself into exhaustion, and prioritise deliberately.

For me, it was a reminder to stop glorifying being busy and start being intentional. Doing less but doing it properly. It’s a book that’s deceptively simple but incredibly grounding.

Pitch Anything – Oren Klaff

This one is part strategy, part psychology, and part “how did no one teach me this years ago?”

Klaff dives into the mechanics of pitching — not just presentations, but ideas, projects, proposals, everything. He talks about framing, attention, tension, and why people say yes.

It’s especially useful in B2B tech, where you often need to convince people who are already overwhelmed, sceptical, or simply distracted. The techniques immediately helped me structure my conversations with more confidence and clarity.

If your job involves persuading anyone of anything, this book belongs on your list.

Turn the Ship Around – L. David Marquet

This one completely reframes leadership.

David Marquet shares his experience transforming a submarine crew by replacing command-and-control leadership with intent-based leadership. It’s practical, human, and quietly profound.

The idea is simple: great leaders create more leaders, not more followers.

For anyone working in high-demand environments — especially where quick decisions and autonomy are essential — this book is gold. It’s about trust, clarity, and empowering people to do their best work without waiting for permission.

The Five Dysfunctions of a Team – Patrick Lencioni

A classic for a reason.

Lencioni breaks down the core issues that drag teams down:

• Absence of trust
• Fear of conflict
• Lack of commitment
• Avoidance of accountability
• Inattention to results

What I like about this book is that it uses storytelling to walk you through how real teams fall apart — and how they rebuild. Working in tech, where team structures shift quickly and roles change faster than roadmaps, the lessons feel incredibly relevant.

It’s the kind of book you finish and immediately start mentally assessing every team you’ve ever been part of.

Jobs To Be Done – Various Authors (Clay Christensen’s work as the foundation)

This isn’t a single book so much as a body of thinking, but it’s transformative for product and customer experience.

The idea is simple: people don’t buy products; they “hire” them to solve a job in their lives.

Once you start thinking this way, you stop obsessing over features and start focusing on outcomes. You stop guessing and start understanding. It makes conversations with partners, customers, and internal teams sharper and more grounded.

For anyone who works with products, strategy, or customer alignment, JTBD thinking is essential.

Why These Books Matter

Every one of these books landed at a moment when I needed a nudge, a rethink, or a reminder. Some taught me to be clearer. Some taught me to be calmer. Some taught me to be more strategic. And a few just taught me to care less about the things draining my energy.

Reading isn’t about collecting quotes or appearing well-read — it’s about finding tools that shape how you show up in your work and your life.

These books did that for me.