29 Best Books for Product Managers

Learn how to become a great manager in this Wall Street Journal bestseller from the leadership experts at FranklinCovey.

The essential guide when you make the challenging yet rewarding leap to manager. Based on nearly a decade of research on what makes managers successful, Everyone Deserves a Great Manager includes field-tested tips, techniques, and the top advice from hundreds of thousands of managers all over the world.

Organized by the four main roles every manager fills, this must-read guide focuses on how to lead yourself, people, teams, and change to success. No matter what your current problem or time constraint, pick up a helpful tip in ten minutes or glean an entire skillset by developing people skills and clarity through straightforward advice.

Dive into common managerial tasks like one-on-ones, giving feedback, delegating, hiring, building team culture, and leading remote teams, with useful worksheets and a list of questions for your next interview. An approachable, engaging style using real-world stories, Everyone Deserves a Great Manager provides the blueprint for becoming the great manager every team deserves.

Entrepreneur and journalist Shane Snow (Wired, Fast Company, The New Yorker, and cofounder of Contently) analyzes the lives of people and companies that do incredible things in implausibly short time.

How do some startups go from zero to billions in mere months? How did Alexander the Great, YouTube tycoon Michelle Phan, and Tonight Show host Jimmy Fallon climb to the top in less time than it takes most of us to get a promotion? What do high-growth businesses, world-class heart surgeons, and underdog marketers do in common to beat the norm?

One way or another, they do it like computer hackers. They employ what psychologists call “lateral thinking: to rethink convention and break “rules” that aren’t rules.

These are not shortcuts, which produce often dubious short-term gains, but ethical “smartcuts” that eliminate unnecessary effort and yield sustainable momentum. In Smartcuts, Snow shatters common wisdom about success, revealing how conventions like “paying dues” prevent progress, why kids shouldn’t learn times tables, and how, paradoxically, it’s easier to build a huge business than a small one.

From SpaceX to The Cuban Revolution, from Ferrari to Skrillex, Smartcuts is a narrative adventure that busts old myths about success and shows how innovators and icons do the incredible by working smarter–and how perhaps the rest of us can, too.

For more than two decades, Winning at New Products has served as the bible for product developers everywhere. Robert G. Cooper demonstrates why consistent product development is vital to corporate growth and how to maximize your chances of success. Citing the author’s most recent research, Winning at New Products showcases innovative practices by industry leaders to present a field-tested game plan for achieving product leadership. Cooper outlines specific strategies for making sound business decisions at every step-from idea generation to launch. This fully updated and expanded edition is an essential resource for product developers around the world.

“This is a must read. There’s so much new in this book, from how to generate the breakthrough ideas, picking the winners, and driving them to market successfully.” — Philip Kotler, Professor of International Marketing, Northwestern University, Kellogg School of Management

Kentucky’s charismatic coach shares the secrets of creating one of the premiere programs in college basketball, revealing how he transforms a group of former high school superstars into selfless, cohesive teams–including a remarkable squad last year that fell just one game short of a perfect season.

Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari is known for his unparalleled ability to recruit the nation’s best young players, some of whom will spend just one year with him before going to the NBA, and convincing them to commit to the team without sacrificing their personal goals. It is a promise he makes to them: “Fully invest in the present–and each other–and I guarantee it will serve your future.”

Here, for the first time, he distills his team-building methods in ways that apply to CEOs, business owners, coaches, teachers and leaders of all kinds–lessons for anyone seeking to inspire talented individuals to reach for their best selves and contribute to a greater good.

A basketball team is an intimate workplace, in which blend is everything and character matters. As such, it is a window into the nature of successful leadership. Calipari views each new team like a startup business–one composed of new players, new relationships, and new challenges. Each season is a series of discoveries as he learns how to unleash the extreme talent in each of his players and mold them into championship material as college basketball comes to a crescendo every spring. While he can’t control everything, he is responsible for everything–just like a CEO.

An enlightening look at leadership, management, and team building, Success Is the Only Option offers the keys to winning, on and off the court.

No business concept was more important to America’s economic revival in the 1990s than reengineering — introduced to the world in Michael Hammer and James Champy’s Reengineering the Corporation. Already a classic, this international bestseller describes how the radical redesign of a company’s processes, organization, and culture can achieve a quantum leap in performance.

But if you think that reengineering once was enough, think again. More changes, more challenges are coming in the twenty-first century. Now Hammer and Champy have updated and revised their milestone work for the New Economy they helped to create — promising to help corporations save hundreds of millions of dollars more, raise their customer satisfaction still higher, and grow ever more nimble in the years to come.

Why do some companies consistently win in the consumer and capital markets while others struggle from crisis to crisis?The answer, says Noel Tichy, is that winning companies possess a “Leadership Engine” — a proven system for creating dynamic leaders at every level.

To get ahead and stay ahead, a company needs agile, flexible, innovative leaders who can anticipate change and turn on a dime. Fortunately, says Tichy, just as everyone has untapped athletic potential, everyone has untapped leadership potential that can be developed. In this audio, Tichy offers colorful and insightful examples from dozens of leaders who have figured out how to do it.

• How does Jack Welch, for example, run the world’s most valuable company — and spend 30% of his time on leadership development?

• How do the United States Navy SEALs and Army Rangers create leaders who can command any team, anytime, anywhere?

• How did Ameritech break its hundred-year-old mentality of entitlement and create a culture where leaders develop other leaders?

No two winning companies are alike. But, each has a Leadership Engine which ensures that leaders have clear, teachable points of view that they use to develop others. This audio not only offers a major contribution to the understanding of successful leadership, but provides concrete, proven methods for leaders developing leaders in any company.

A revised and updated edition of the acclaimed Wall Street Journal bestseller that explores why some leaders drain capability and intelligence from their teams while others amplify it to produce better results.

We’ve all had experience with two dramatically different types of leaders. The first type drains intelligence, energy, and capability from the people around them and always needs to be the smartest person in the room. These are the idea killers, the energy sappers, the diminishers of talent and commitment. On the other side of the spectrum are leaders who use their intelligence to amplify the smarts and capabilities of the people around them. When these leaders walk into a room, light bulbs go off over people’s heads; ideas flow and problems get solved. These are the leaders who inspire employees to stretch themselves to deliver results that surpass expectations. These are the Multipliers. And the world needs more of them, especially now when leaders are expected to do more with less.

In this engaging and highly practical book, leadership expert Liz Wiseman explores these two leadership styles, persuasively showing how Multipliers can have a resoundingly positive and profitable effect on organizations–getting more done with fewer resources, developing and attracting talent, and cultivating new ideas and energy to drive organizational change and innovation.

In analyzing data from more than 150 leaders, Wiseman has identified five disciplines that distinguish Multipliers from Diminishers. These five disciplines are not based on innate talent; indeed, they are skills and practices that everyone can learn to use–even lifelong and recalcitrant Diminishers. Lively, real-world case studies and practical tips and techniques bring to life each of these principles, showing you how to become a Multiplier too, whether you are a new or an experienced manager. This revered classic has been updated with new examples of Multipliers, as well as two new chapters one on accidental Diminishers, and one on how to deal with Diminishers.

Just imagine what you could accomplish if you could harness all the energy and intelligence around you. Multipliers will show you how.

“I cried because I did not have an office with a door, until I met a man who had no cubicle.” – Dilbert

“After your boss has taken away your door, your walls, and your storage areas, there aren’t many options left for the next revolution in office design. One of the following things is likely to go next: the floor; the ceiling; your happiness.

I think the floor will stay, but only because your company would have to dig a huge hole all the way to the other side of the earth to get rid of it. As you can imagine, a huge hole through the earth would represent a serious threat to office productivity.”

From The Joy of Work by Scott Adams

Read by Scott Adams.

“Leading from Anywhere is the best book on remote work I’ve ever read—incisive, original, and eminently practical. Read it—and take notes!”—Daniel H. Pink, author of When, Drive, and To Sell Is Human

The ultimate guide to leading remote teams, tackling the key challenges that managers face—from hiring and onboarding new members from afar to building culture remotely, tracking productivity, communicating speedily, and avoiding burnout

It’s undeniable that we’re entering a new era of remote work. While many leaders seek to run business as usual, why settle for the usual when remote teams allow us to work even better? The research shows that employees are more productive and engaged when they have the freedom to work from anywhere.

Which means leaders need the skills to lead from anywhere.

In this meticulously researched, refreshingly practical book, top business thought leader David Burkus provides managers with the field guide to leading remotely, packed with everyday examples and illuminating insights. Structured around the life cycle of working on a team, Burkus tackles the key inflection points and challenges that remote managers face, from taking the team remote and adding new members to communicating effectively and quickly, managing performance, keeping the team engaged, and even helping them strike the right balance between work and life.

Leading from Anywhere provides everything you’ll need to survive and thrive as the leader of a remote team—something all leaders will need to consider themselves from now on.

Branding is ultimately a way of differentiating your product from the competition. Whether you’re selling a celebrity image, automobiles, or a financial service, your goal is to make your brand the most recognizable by the consumer.

But there’s much more to effective branding than ubiquitous advertising and a memorable slogan. Public relations is becoming key to the entire strategy. PR is much more than just damage control for when something goes wrong; it’s an effective way to communicate the story of your brand through media outlets that the public trusts.

Filled with engaging stories and nuts-and-bolts tips, A Branded World shows marketers and brand managers how to tap into the power of PR to build stronger brands.

A New York Times bestseller!

An Amazon Best Children’s Book of the Month from the New York Times bestselling author of the Goodnight Already! series

This is a book about a bad seed. A baaaaaaaaaad seed. How bad? Do you really want to know?

He has a bad temper, bad manners, and a bad attitude. He’s been bad since he can remember! This seed cuts in line every time, stares at everybody and never listens. But what happens when one mischievous little seed changes his mind about himself, and decides that he wants to be–happy?

With Jory John’s charming and endearing text, here is The Bad Seed: a funny yet touching tale that reminds us of the remarkably transformative power of will, acceptance, and just being you. Perfect for readers young and old, The Bad Seed proves that positive change is possible for each and every one of us.

Updated for today’s readers, Dale Carnegie’s timeless bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People is a classic that has improved and transformed the professional and personal and lives of millions.

One of the best-known motivational guides in history, Dale Carnegie’s groundbreaking book has sold tens of millions of copies, been translated into almost every known language, and has helped countless people succeed.

Originally published during the depths of the Great Depression—and equally valuable during booming economies or hard times—Carnegie’s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their professional and personal lives.

How to Win Friends and Influence People teaches you:

-How to communicate effectively
-How to make people like you
-How to increase your ability to get things done
-How to get others to see your side
-How to become a more effective leader
-How to successfully navigate almost any social situation
-And so much more!

Achieve your maximum potential with this updated version of a classic—a must-read for the 21st century.

Updated for today’s readers, Dale Carnegie’s timeless bestseller How to Win Friends and Influence People is a classic that has improved and transformed the professional and personal and lives of millions.

One of the best-known motivational guides in history, Dale Carnegie’s groundbreaking book has sold tens of millions of copies, been translated into almost every known language, and has helped countless people succeed.

Originally published during the depths of the Great Depression—and equally valuable during booming economies or hard times—Carnegie’s rock-solid, time-tested advice has carried countless people up the ladder of success in their professional and personal lives.

How to Win Friends and Influence People teaches you:

-How to communicate effectively
-How to make people like you
-How to increase your ability to get things done
-How to get others to see your side
-How to become a more effective leader
-How to successfully navigate almost any social situation
-And so much more!

Achieve your maximum potential with this updated version of a classic—a must-read for the 21st century.

The revolutionary book that teaches you how to use the cutting edge of human psychology to build high performing workplace cultures.

Too often, great cultures feel like magic. While most leaders believe culture is critical to success, few know how to build one, or sustain it over time.

What if you knew the science behind the magic–a science so predictive and powerful that you could transform your organization? What if you could use cutting edge psychology to unlock people’s innate desire to innovate, experiment, and adapt? In Primed to Perform, Neel Doshi and Lindsay McGregor show you how to do just that. The result: higher sales, more loyal customers, and more passionate employees.

Primed to Perform explains the counter-intuitive science behind great cultures, building on over a century of academic thinking. It shares the simple, highly predictive new measurement tool–the Total Motivation (ToMo) Factor–that enables you to measure the strength of your culture, and track improvements over time. It explores the authors’ original research into how Total Motivation leads to higher performance in iconic companies, from Apple to Starbucks to Southwest Airlines. Most importantly, it teaches you to build great cultures, using a systematic and sustainable approach.

High performing cultures cant be left to chance. Organizations must create systems that shape and maintain them. Whether you’re a five-person team or a startup, a school, a nonprofit or a mega-institution, Primed to Perform shows you how.