AMA Leadership Answer - Do you have any book recommendations?
23 Mar 2026
In this moment:
Emily O'Connor
Thanks for the question Emily!
I remember being on a management course based on the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey many years ago. The course was great and I absorbed all the content, the book came with it. So the course left a mark with me that there was something in this. I tried to read the book but it got harder and harder the deeper I got. I was a terrible reader in those days, always easily distracted. So I bought an audio book version that I didn't know at the time wasn't the original and it took a different approach to explain the principles.
It explained the 7 Habits of Highly "Ineffective" People first. That was immensely powerful and I would listen to it on my journeys to work every morning. So that was the most influential book on my career by far.
I did also read Simon Sinek Start with Why a couple of years ago and that was also a lightbulb moment where I realised "wow...no-one is asking why here". So now "why?" is my most common question to product managers and repetition is gradually having an influence.
I do need to read more so I will add The Captain Class to my list.
I remember being on a management course based on the book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey many years ago. The course was great and I absorbed all the content, the book came with it. So the course left a mark with me that there was something in this. I tried to read the book but it got harder and harder the deeper I got. I was a terrible reader in those days, always easily distracted. So I bought an audio book version that I didn't know at the time wasn't the original and it took a different approach to explain the principles.
It explained the 7 Habits of Highly "Ineffective" People first. That was immensely powerful and I would listen to it on my journeys to work every morning. So that was the most influential book on my career by far.
I did also read Simon Sinek Start with Why a couple of years ago and that was also a lightbulb moment where I realised "wow...no-one is asking why here". So now "why?" is my most common question to product managers and repetition is gradually having an influence.
I do need to read more so I will add The Captain Class to my list.
Gary Hawkes
Head of Engineering
He/Him
Software QA Lead and tester who loves to see people grow, processes continuously improve and help organisations understand and support Quality Engineering. Recently promoted to Head of Engineering (Jul 2026).
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Simon Tomes
Nice one, Gary.
'The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People' had a profound impact on the early part of my leadership career too. "Seek first to understand, then to be understood" was a game changer.
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