2021 Scrummer Reading List

This book explores how the author used his 35 years of journal entries to create an approach to his present and future self. He identifies eight themes/categories and how they are composed to create lights; red, yellow, and green lights on the road of life. He uses these lights (experiences) to help define in his life what to stop, proceed with caution and continue forward - complete with bumper stickers. For those looking for tips on self-discovery and self-awareness, this is your read for the summer - calling all coaches!! Also, I recommend the audio version - read by the author. 

I’ve been enjoying learning more about the Civil War through the lives of the characters, author Ginny Dye, has created in the Bregdam Chronicles. The series starts out before the war on events leading up to the war, then one book per year of the war, and many after the war. There are 18 books in the series and the main characters are on both the North and the South sides to help the reader understand different perspectives.

It's so easy to be limited by our own understanding, experience, and “know-how.” To combat our own ego and unconscious bias, questioning, unlearning, and relearning are essential. This quick read (or listen) from Adam Grant acts as a reminder of the importance and thrill of not believing everything you think. If you, like me, benefit from constant reminders and tips on how to free yourself from your own limited thinking, you might enjoy this one.

If you liked The Martian by Andy Weir, you’ll get a kick out of the “Bobiverse” series from Dennis E. Taylor: We Are Legion (We Are Bob), For We Are Many, All These Worlds, and Heaven’s River. The books are packed with nerdy twists and plots along with lots of humor sprinkled throughout. I listened to these on Audible as narrated by Ray Porter. Given I’ll sometimes put a book on in the background when I’m doing a mundane task or winding down my day, I’ve listened to the set four or five times and still find them enjoyable.

In ‘The Open Society and Its Enemies’ Karl Popper outlines his views on liberal democracy, tolerance, and the philosophy of science. He began work on it at the height of WWII in Europe when Democracy seemed to be at its most vulnerable to differing strains of totalitarianism. To Popper, totalitarian ideologies shared a common ancestor – platonic thought, and generally, the idea that history follows a predetermined set of rules that, if discovered, would help us perfectly predict the future. Popper rejects this out of hand – we determine history, history doesn’t determine us, and while we can learn from the past, we are not particularly gifted fortune-tellers.

There is a lot of material to digest here, including blistering critiques of Plato, Hegel, and Marx. I particularly enjoyed dipping into the Philosophy of Science. What does it mean to be ‘Scientific’? Learning, Popper argues, requires us to make claims that have a possibility of being wrong, that can be falsified. When people casually or seriously make predictions about the future they are often so vague that no matter what happens, they can always claim they were ‘right’, or at least, not wrong. We’ve all seen this happen in business and in life. Wiggle room, “CYA”, excuses that explain why new evidence shouldn’t change our beliefs-“Well yes, but…”. This way of making predictions teaches us little. Popper challenges us to make riskier claims- ones that have real stakes and clear conditions of success and failure, that others can replicate. Only then can we be considered scientific thinkers.

If you don’t find the time for this tome, you can still challenge yourself and your team to make predictions that have a legitimate, or even high chance of failure. Consider logging your predictions and your confidence in them, then, later, compare to reality. How often did your 50% predictions happen in a year? If you find they occurred more than 50% of the time, you might be being too pessimistic about your predictive prowess.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

This story is beautifully told and incredibly deep. In the story, we meet a man returning “home” to a life he had left long behind. When he arrives, memories begin to flood back to him about when he was a boy and the challenges and adventures that he had long since forgotten. As the story unfolds wild, unbelievable, and wholly thrilling events take place and the very nature of the world is challenged.

I first picked up a copy after having been told that during the writing of the book the author called his wife, the musician, Amanda Palmer, while she was on tour and would read her his updates. Supposedly, she would listen, offer feedback, and inspire him to write more. I found the idea practical and romantic in equal measure. Getting feedback fast from the people that are most invested in your work is great. Reading a beautiful story to your partner is even better. So as part of my summer, I have dedicated time each night to reading to my wife and discussing the complex story and rich characters.

This is a book that you won’t want to put down, that you may learn from, and that you will think about often.

Crushing It!: How Great Entrepreneurs Build Their Business and Influence-and How You Can, Too by Gary Vaynerchuck

GaryVee is one of my favorite online personalities and entrepreneurs. He is no-nonsense, fast-paced, insightful, and genuinely cares about people. His podcast, social media presence, and his books are all geared toward putting in the work to accomplish big things. I’m not personally entrepreneurially-minded, but when Crushing It! came out I picked it up, gave it a read, and was inspired to continue to put in the effort (even more than before). This book is a follow-up to Crush It!: Why NOW Is the Time to Cash In on Your Passion and includes review, retrospective, and follow-up on the ideas that he presented at that time.

One of the best things about the book is that GaryVee took the time to compile the feedback from the community and included it as pure examples of how different people, from different walks of life, and in different industries were able to apply a new way of thinking to their own context. As a Scrum Master and Agile evangelist, I value so deeply that he didn’t make it about him and his insights but made it about the community of practice and offered real-world examples.

It is a quick read, has great stories, and might inspire you to pursue your passions a bit more feverishly.

There are four books on my must-share list this time, two by one of my favorite authors. 

Malcolm Gladwell is a simply phenomenal storyteller (his podcast Revisionist History is always in heavy rotation on my road trips). As a writer, I love his clear, concise, and accessible style. But, as a former radio journalist, I stand in awe of his use of sound, interviews, and story structure. This is why I urge you not to read these books, but to listen to them. Gladwell’s audiobooks are packed with archival tape, interviews, and insights. You hear not just what was said, but how.

My other recommendations are thanks to my continued fascination with change management and understanding the human mind.