The LeadTech Diet - Issue #10
...and a happy new year! | My top 3 books of 2021
…and just like that, it’s 2022! What?! I feel like March 2020 was just 6 months ago!
In any case, congratulations for making it through what may have been the most tiring, complicated, frustrating, sad and infuriating year of our lives!
This is especially true if you beat COVID - I had the displeasure of catching Omicron just before Christmas which, as you can imagine, ruined my holiday plans. Though I feel fortunate: I am doubly vaccinated and only had mild symptoms. All in all, I’ve had it easy.
Of course we’re not out of the woods yet but current vaccination rates are encouraging. Let’s hope the trend continues!
2022 will be better! And I hope you get to do whatever it is that brings you joy!
My top 3 books of 2021
I have a yearly goal of reading 25 books. For 2020 though, I only read 17. It wasn’t an easy year for reading for various reasons but I’m sharing this because while having a goal is important, the progress that comes from chasing that goal is what I’m after.
So another way to look at it is that I made it to 17! How cool is that?
Remember, progress compounds if you’re consistent! That’s when real change happens!
Now on to my top 3…
Think Like a Rocket Scientist
This was my absolute favourite book of 2021.
Engineers will definitely relate to this book. And no, you don’t need to know anything about rocket science to read this book. This book could as well be titled “Think Like a Scientist” because what it really is about is the Scientific method. You may be familiar with its basic steps:
make an observation that describes a problem
create a hypothesis (e.g.: write a test case)
test the hypothesis (e.g.: write the code that you think will satisfy your test case)
draw conclusions and refine the hypothesis. (e.g.: did your test pass? Ship it! Otherwise, go back to step 2
The author draws from his personal experience in two mars rovers projects as well as in business to share tools which allow us to reason about our complex world and make better decisions. Tools such as first principles thinking, thought experiments and many more.
Working Backwards
Working Backwards was written by two long time Amazon VPs which have a combined 27 year tenure at Bezos’ Everything Store.
It’s a detailed look at Amazon’s internal processes, from their 6-page narratives to how they evaluate and take on big bets.
I find narratives particularly useful in modern business where teams are becoming increasingly distributed. Relying on being in the same room together is no longer sufficient.
Antifragile: Things That Gain from Disorder
What is the difference between being robust and being antifragile? That is the question at the core of Antifragile.
If you’re not afraid of some philosophy, this book has fascinating insights on what it means to be antifragile. I won’t say much more as Issue #9 of my newsletter that topic. Feel free to read it by following the snippet below:
And that’s a wrap! I wish you all the best for the year ahead!
And as usual, if you have a question for me or a suggestion for the newsletter , please submit it here - I’ll address as many as possible in coming issues.