The Goal – Eli Goldratt
This book (and honourable mention to The Phoenix Project) was my intro to LEAN and the Theory of Constraints.
Its not actually a textbook. It's a fictionalised account of a bloke who runs a factory.
Somehow seeing LEAN concepts play out in a story makes it way way easier to see their impact. When it first clicked it changed my entire concept of recruitment. It's easily had the greatest impact on how I perceive recruitment and changed the course of my career.
If you’re hiring at pace, this book will permanently change how you think about throughput, blockers, and WIP.
The Agile Handbook
Everyone says “agile”, but almost no one actually knows what it means.
This handbook is short, digestible, and practical
Learn just the first half and you’ll understand iterative delivery, stakeholder management, and project scoping.
It’ll help you run better projects and collaborate more effectively in tech-led environments.
DONT blow your L&D budget on some $500 five day project management course. Just buy the handbook for $35 and dig into it. Try to use it to see deeper into how your business works.
Transformational Leadership - Bernard Bass et al
This is the foundational text on what most tech execs mean when they say “leadership.”
Transformational leadership is everywhere in tech, especially high-growth startups where building a vision for the business is really really important.
Understanding it helps you decode what execs are trying to build, and how you can support it.
You’ll become a better operator just by understanding how top leadership frames success.
The First 90 Days - Michael D. Watkins
This is THE book on onboarding into leadership roles.
Use it yourself when stepping into new teams, companies, or mandates.
But it’s also great for designing onboarding experiences for candidates, so it almost has double the value for recruiters who are interested in people experience.
If you want better quality of hire, start by improving what happens after “yes.”
Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
Yes, seriously. Don't work you've not entered the manosphere and their bonkers interpretation of stoicism.
If you’re going to survive in recruitment, you need a mindset that can handle rejection, change, and chaos.
Stoicism helped me focus only on what I can control, practice active gratitude which improved both my work and relationships.
You don’t need to wear a toga. But reading a few lines every morning will change how you handle hard days. Additionally, you should wear a toga...... |
