A full list of all our book recommendations can be found here, by browsing the "book club" tag.

Why Read?

Independent reading is a great way to learn more about the wide world of management at the very beginning of your journey, because it's low-cost, low-commitment, and lets you source a variety of ideas quickly about what seems interesting, what resonates, and how you might add your own unique spin to someone else's ideas.

The world of management, of course, is quite broad – so you'll find that this list is, too. We write recommendations on books that help us be better managers; some of them are quite technical, and others are focused entirely on the personal. Many fall somewhere in between.

Whenever we're writing about project management reading specifically, we'll organize our recommendation around the PMI Talent Triangle. This allows you to be more discerning in the books you spend your limited time on (i.e. are you looking for a read that helps you sharpen an already-honed skill, or are you looking for something to help you fill a skill gap?), as well as to be more organized in how you present your thoughts to an interviewer, a colleague, or anyone else you find yourself talking "book shop" with.

Our Recommendations

Title & Author Topline Summary PMI Talent Triangle + Other Topics Bookshop Link
Made to Stick, by Chip and Dan Heath Great for anyone who communicates novel ideas to diverse stakeholders. (I buy it and require it for marketers who work with me.) Skip if you're looking for a technical read OR if you're new to PM. Power Skills, Communication, Stakeholder Management Buy @ Bookshop.org
Risk Up Front, by Adam Josephs & Brad Rubenstein Really helped me sharpen my point of view on project management and team leadership. Read to prep for an interview (particularly in software); skip if you’re looking for a quick read (it’s VERY dense). Ways of Working, Risk Management Buy @ Bookshop.org
If I Understood You, by Alan Alda An easy, joyful read for anyone practicing speaking conversationally about the value of communication in project management. Skip if you’re in a time crunch to learn technical skills OR learn PM basics. Power Skills, Communication Buy @ Bookshop.org
The Checklist Manifesto, by Atul Gawande A great overview of how process creation and management guides project work — a great early read as you’re shaping your PM POV. Examples are highly medical — skip if you’re likely to get triggered by descriptions of ORs, surgery, etc. Ways of Working, Risk Management, Planning Buy @ Bookshop.org

Our Storefront

You can visit our Bookshop.org storefront directly if you already know what you want to read and you're interested in supporting BI with your purchase. (Thank you!! ❤️🙏🏻)

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A quick word about affiliates:

Boundless Impact is an affiliate with Bookshop.org, a storefront that supports indie booksellers. All of the Bookshop links included on this page are affiliate links, so we’ll get an affiliate reward if you use them to purchase. If you choose to do so, thank you in advance for your support! (Full terms & conditions here.)