Have you ever wondered what books to read for self-development? Our friend Alexey Gerasimovich, CPO at Eschatology Entertainment, shared his list of recommendations with InGame Job.
Knowing that I read a lot, people often ask me which books I would recommend for workers in the GameDev industry. Since I have been more of a manager in this industry for many years, professional deformation plays a role – the books are not so much about specific GameDev sectors, but rather about general management approaches that would suit any IT company (and sometimes even non-IT). Here are my top recommendations.
Erin Meyer ‘The Culture Map‘
If you work in an international company where you constantly have to communicate with colleagues from different countries, the very first book I recommend to any manager is “The Culture Map” by Erin Meyer. In this book, Erin uses examples to illustrate why sometimes we might not understand seemingly obvious points made by colleagues, why communication can break down, and how to ultimately find common ground when you come from completely different cultures. Many people perceive individuals from Eastern Europe as excessively blunt and even rude in their communication, while conversely, there can be confusion about the inability to convey ideas clearly.
The problem lies in the cultural differences that surround us from childhood, and we simply do not know how to perceive reality differently. In her book, the author explains these differences and provides wonderful comparative tables that will help you better structure your presentations or simply conduct meetings with an audience from a different “cultural pole.”
Patrick Lencioni ‘The Five Dysfunctions of a Team’
Patrick Lencioni is one of the most famous business authors. He typically writes in the genre of business novels, where a real managerial problem is used as the basis, but it is presented in the form of a fictional story. Only at the end does the author thoroughly analyze the specific methodology he used and why. “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” is probably one of his most well-known books in this genre. I have read it several times myself, finding new nuances for my work each time.
The main idea of the book is that we often don’t know how to work as a team. We incorrectly assess who is actually part of our team, and then we are afraid to openly discuss the problems that hinder the company’s progress, instead trying to cover them up with generalities, lack of initiative, and lowered expectations of ourselves and others.
Patrick developed a pyramid of five dysfunctions, where each subsequent dysfunction stems from the previous one, driving the nail deeper into the business’s coffin. I highly recommend at least familiarizing yourself with the basic principles of this book and applying them to your business.
Patrick Lencioni ‘The Advantage’ / Simon Sinek ‘Leaders Eat Last’
When building a company, one can balance between two extremes. “Galleys” are where the management doesn’t care about anyone’s opinion; everyone does what they’re ordered to do, and they are squeezed dry. “Dream Jobs” are where everyone loves each other, meritocracy thrives, and every opinion is valued. In practice, it rarely happens that you encounter the extreme of either. However, it is strategically more advantageous to move towards a company culture where leaders value their employees, and employees reciprocate.
Here, I can recommend two books. The first is by the same Patrick Lencioni, “The Advantage.” In this book, Patrick moves away from his favorite method of business novels and simply discusses why company culture is more important than all other criteria typically used to evaluate a business.
Paired with this book, I always recommend “Leaders Eat Last” by Simon Sinek. It is about the same topic but with different words, examples, and emphases. In his view, culture should be such that employees are happy first and foremost, and then success will come to the company and the leadership. Moreover, only such teams can calmly weather various crises, where loyalty to the company turns out to be more important than bonuses.
Richard Rumelt ‘Good Strategy Bad Strategy: The Difference and Why It Matters’
When talking about the strategy of building a company, business, or just a project, it is always important to understand what exactly you mean by “strategy.” And what distinguishes a good strategy from a bad one. The best book on this topic, in my opinion, is “Good Strategy / Bad Strategy” by Richard Rumelt. He starts with examples of “strategies” that are not actually strategies.
He shows that populist slogans, wishes, and missions are not strategies. Moreover, people often confuse strategy with tactics. By explaining the differences between these terms, he demonstrates what you should focus on when thinking about future development, whether for a company or yourself. The book allows you to look at surrounding slogans and plans from a completely new perspective and learn to separate desires from actionable approaches.
Brad Feld, Jason Mendelson ‘Venture Deals’
Many people nowadays dream of having their own business. Startups are popping up like mushrooms, and the word “startup” has become so common that some people don’t even understand its meaning or feel a negative connotation associated with it.
However, any startup inevitably reaches the stage of seeking investments, as few can afford to develop an innovative product with their own money in a garage. How investments work, how company valuation is done, and what investors might demand in return are usually things that aspiring entrepreneurs know very little about.
The book “Venture Deals” tries to explain all the stages of the investment process in fairly simple terms, written by people “from the other side of the barricades.” They aim to clarify both the terminology and the importance of each step for the entrepreneur. It discusses what you need to pay attention to, what is better not to waste time and money on, and where future investors might skillfully outmaneuver you. When you receive the coveted funds, you might suddenly realize that the business is no longer entirely yours.
This is probably one of the most important books if you decide to build your dream project with someone else’s money.
And much more
Of course, there are many excellent books out there, and I tried to select the very best, which is not easy at all. However, I continue to read and write about the gems I find, which can help many people become better and more successful.
