S3:E1 - The Books That Made Us Better Product Managers (And Better Humans)

We're back — and honestly, we can't believe it's Season 3. What started as two friends connecting over a shared frustration with product management theory has turned into something we genuinely treasure: new ideas, new people, and a lot of laughs along the way.

For our Season 3 kickoff, we decided to ditch the PM playbook entirely and go personal. We asked each other: what books — not product management books — have genuinely shaped how you show up at work? The answer took us through communication, vulnerability, perfectionism, feedback, leadership, and the four short agreements that can change everything. Fair warning: your reading list is about to get longer.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F6phNvTQOB8

KEY TAKEAWAYS

1. The best PM reading list isn't a PM reading list. Books about communication, vulnerability, introversion, and human behaviour do more to shape great product leaders than most frameworks ever will. The craft is fundamentally human work — and the reading should reflect that.

2. Clarity is kindness — and sloppy language is a leadership risk. Whether it's Brené Brown's argument against the feedback "shit sandwich," Marshall Rosenberg's Nonviolent Communication, or Jefferson Fisher's practical conversational strategies — the throughline is the same: words matter enormously, especially under pressure. Intentional language builds trust; careless language erodes it.

3. Your perfectionism might be a superpower in disguise. Katherine Morgan Schafler's The Perfectionist's Guide to Losing Control reframes perfectionism not as something to fix, but something to direct. For PMs who spend more time being wrong than right — and doing the job well means you do — learning to aim toward the North Star without freezing is a genuinely useful skill.

4. Not everyone earns a seat at your table — and your company definitely doesn't. You are the CEO of your own life, and that means being intentional about who gets to influence your identity and decisions. Managers, companies, and randos don't automatically get a seat. The people at your table should know you, have your long-term wellbeing at heart, and carry no agenda.

QUESTIONS FOR PRODUCT MANAGERS

1. Which book outside of product management has most shaped how you lead or communicate — and when did you last go back to it?

2. Who currently has a seat at your personal board table, and is your company or your boss sitting there when they shouldn't be?

3. Where are you being sloppy with your language under pressure — and what would it look like to be more intentional?