My Favorite Program Manager Books

Welcome Redfin interns!

Woo-hoo! Redfin’s summer 2009 intern class started today. Welcome Patrick, David, Daniel, Aeron, Edward and Ben.

Seems a fitting time as any to press publish on this post that has been languishing in draft form way too long.

Here are my favorite program manager (or product manager or marketing analyst) books:

Making Things Happen: Mastering Project Management by Scott Berkun. This is the book I got a year and half into my time at Microsoft as a junior program manager. I wish I read it day one. It would have really accelerated my learning as it touches on almost every aspect of program management.

How to Win Friends & Influence People by Andrew Carnegie is a timeless classic. I need to re-read it.

Don’t Make Me Think: A Common Sense Approach to Web Usability by Steve Krug is the one and only book I recommend on web usability. Though if you’re designing a lot of forms I do really like this book, Web Form Design: Filling in the Blanks by Luke Wroblewski.

Smart and Gets Things Done: Joel Spolsky’s Concise Guide to Finding the Best Technical Talent by Joel Spolsky on hiring.

What’s missing from this list is a good book on branding or customer focus. Any suggestions?