Building products and being a parent are both tough jobs that require immense amounts of influencing skill. Each week I share what I learn about the people side of product management to help leaders at work and at home go from unsure to unstoppable through influence.

What I’ve been learning

5 years from now you’ll be the same person except for the books you read and the people you meet.

Charlie “Tremendous” Jones

Sharing the books I read each year is one of my most engaging posts on social media. It’s rewarding now to hear from many people tell me they read more because they have seen my posts over the years. I didn’t hit my goal this year, but here are the 10 books I read:

A few things I’ve learned about reading:

• The best way to get my kids to read is to read in front of them.

• The practice of regular reading feeds your mind. It’s worth the mental state alone, content and ideas aside.

• Taking notes about models to use and stories worth sharing changes you from casual reading into a superhero (and it doesn’t take much effort).

• Reading 10+ books a year only takes a tiny habit of reading 10 minutes a day. Read my past post about how to actually read more books. My main secret is keeping books close by and having clear triggers to open a book.

You can see all the books I’ve read and rated on Goodreads. I’m always up to hear about another book I should read or get questions about books I’ve already read.

Happy reading.

What I published

The Price of Success (LinkedIn Article)

Lesson exampled by my son in his football game. Just keep going.

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

People mess up. Tom Hooper was the director of Cats. He also won an Oscar for The Kings Speech in 2011. (via @TrevMcKendrick) 1/3

January 7th 2020

4 Likes

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

The 80/20 rule is a game-changer once you understand it. 80% of results come from 20% of the effort. The key for product managers is to invest the time and create an environment to prioritize that 20%. #prodmgmt 1/3

January 7th 2020

1 Retweet4 Likes

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

The first experiment is to experiment. #prodmgmt

January 10th 2020

3 Retweets5 Likes

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

In 2017 glassdoor best jobs in America, Product Management ranked dead last for job satisfaction. The reason isn’t because of the hard skills. It’s about the people stuff. #prodmgmt 1/4 Best Jobs in America 2017The 50 Best Jobs in America for 2017 ranks jobs with the highest overall Glassdoor Job Score, determined by combining three key factors — number of job openings, salary and overall job satisfaction rating. These jobs stand out across all three categories.glassdoor.com

January 7th 2020

1 Like

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

Leaders create the future. My answer in a coaching session to the question: “How do I show up as a leader on my product team?” 1/4

January 11th 2020

2 Retweets2 Likes

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

@jackiebo I graduated with a CS degree and most of these terms I learned on the job. Too many people overindex on the importance of a technical degree. I’ll take a PM who’s a voracious learner over a technical background every time.

January 11th 2020

5 Likes

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

It's incredible to me how easy it is to try to do it all at the beginning.

Andy Johns@ibringtraffic

My latest post is about how startups and product leaders within them should aspire to be more like In-N-Out. The goal is to do less, do it well, and be consistent. And no matter what, don't be like Cheesecake Factory! https://t.co/vQdX2aU2SG

January 7th 2020

2 Likes

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

Being aware of the stories you tell yourself is major progress.

January 5th 2020

3 Likes

Ryan Seamons@ryanseamons

Humility is the most underrated trait of great product managers. #prodmgmt

January 1st 2020

1 Retweet4 Likes

What have you been learning about?

Ryan

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