Author Archives: Max

June 21

What you could learn from ‘Humble Inquiry’ by Edgar Schein (2013, 110 pages)

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While asking questions is one of the most powerful tools leaders possess, it is very easy to get wrong, especially under stress. I am very inquisitive.  I love to ask questions, learn, debate and argue to find out more. However, I have received consistent feedback that I can be pretty brutal, and that sometimes people […]

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June 15

What you could learn from ‘Scrum A pocket guide’ by Gunther Verheyen (2013, 99 pages)

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What you could learn from ‘Scrum A pocket guide’ by Gunther Verheyen (2013, 99 pages)

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June 08

What I learnt from the Oxford Said FinTech Course – part 1

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I spent the last ten weeks taking part in the Oxford Siad Business School FinTech course.  The course was split into ten modules that cover the various aspects of the FinTech landscape. In a series of blogs, I aim to collect my thoughts and share what I learnt.  In this first blog, I have tried to […]

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June 04

What you could learn from ‘Accelerate’ by Forsgren, Humble & Kim (2018, 200 pages)

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There is a lot of opinion in the software development industry about what works.  Even though some of the insights are the result of decades of hard-won experience, humans are highly biased and context-dependent – we often think what works in one situation will keep on working, or will work great in an altogether different […]

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December 15

How to grow your start-up, product or company – what you could learn from ‘Hacking Growth’ by Sean Ellis (2017, 276 pages)

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How did companies like DropBox, Airbnb and Facebook attract many more customers than their competitors?

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November 17

What you could learn from ‘How Google Tests Software’ by James Whittaker (2012, 235 pages)

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Google is one of the companies that are building and maintaining software at scale.  While many of Google’s applications are not life-critical, the world certainly notices any disruption.  These disruptions are surprisingly rare, given the number of products, the quantity of code and the sheer number of developers.

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October 27

What you could learn from ‘Lincon on Leadership’ by Donald Phillips (1992, 173 pages)

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In his book ‘Lincon on Leadership’ Donald Phillips uses examples from President Abraham Lincoln’s life to explore the type of leaders Lincon was, and what lessons are there to learn.  The book is split across four chapters: People, Character, Endeavour and Communication. The main lesson articulated in the book are: Get out of the office.  Lincoln […]

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October 05

What could you learn from ‘The mom test’ by Rob Fitzpatrick (2013, 133 pages)

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How do you get detailed, insightful and unbiased feedback?  In his book ‘The mom test’, Rob sets out three rules that will you get user testing right. The Mom Test Talk about their life instead of your idea Ask about specifics in the past instead of generics or opinions about the future Talk less and listen more   The […]

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September 22

What you could learn from ‘the War of Art’ by Steve Pressfield (2002, 165 pages)

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The War of Art is a great, quick read.  Read this book if you need a quick burst of inspiration, or if you are struggling to make progress.

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September 15

What you could learn from ‘Product Leadership’ (2017, 209 pages)

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How do companies produce products and services customer want?  The book ‘Product Leadership’ suggests that the key is to build empowered and autonomous teams, lead by product leaders.

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September 04

What you could learn from ‘Retail Banking Technology’ by Suresh Samudrala (2015, pages 2017)

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Technology accounts for an average 25% of banks costs (Gartner IT budget 2017).   Legacy banking systems are horrendously complex.  Built up over decades, with multiple systems added, integrated and removed, CTOs have found it hard to justify the cost of modernizing core banking systems. In ‘Retail Banking Technology’ Suresh outlines and discusses the main […]

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