The Phoenix Project

When I first started working in startups, I asked my soon to be manager and mentor, Ben Ross, what I should do to prepare for the job. He recommended The Phoenix Project as a good introduction into the world of modern tech businesses. And as I have continued to work in startups, it is probably the book I recommend the most to other people in the space. Not only is it a fun and engaging story about a business trying to transform itself through leveraging modern software practices, it does a great job in teaching the best practices around building and applying software in the industry today.

As humans, we evolved to embed knowledge in stories so it can be passed down and easily understood. Patrick Lencioni, another prolific author who writes about business philosophy, also uses these “work fables” as a way to teach powerful business ideas. And The Phoenix Project uses this work fable approach to teach many important lessons and ideas around software and tech.

Not only are the ideas and approach well suited to each other, the actual story is engaging with interesting characters and fun moments of drama and comedy. Whether it is the boss everyone love to hate, the eccentric mentor in flipflops, or spunky group of heroes who level up with each challenge, the story has something for everyone. 

If you are curious about getting a high level view of how modern business should build and leverage software, or are just looking for a fun story about the challenges of tech companies, The Phoenix Project is well worth a read.