I chose each nonfiction book on the following list, ordered from newest to oldest, not only because they\u2019re great reads but also because of the professionally meaningful insights I reaped from them. In this sense, it\u2019s a personal list and it won\u2019t resonate equally with everyone. Furthermore, the topics of these books are specific to my interests\u200a\u2014\u200aScience, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Supply Chain, Baseball, Politics, History\u200a\u2014\u200aand don\u2019t hold universal appeal. Instead of providing book reviews, I provide a brief overview of each and explain why I find them professionally important.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n1. The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race<\/a>, by Walter Isaacson, March 2021. Isaacson follows Nobelist Jennifer Doudna and her collaborators and students through the invention of CRISPR, an easy-to-use tool for editing DNA. Although this is especially relevant today with mRNA COVID-19 vaccines, I also found the human drama inspirational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Doudna\u2019s lab fiercely competes with other labs to be the first to publish discoveries, bringing fame and fortune. Yet, these academics-cum-businesspeople adhere to a mostly genteel set of rules based on years of tradition and mutual respect. Early on, these scientists recognized the ethical dilemmas posed by these discoveries and self-governed, establishing boundaries to guide the God-like powers these inventions make possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Valuable managers are player coaches. Doudna embodies the servant-leader ethos, giving the post-docs in her lab space to innovate. At the same time, she\u2019s present to ask challenging questions and weigh in using her immense experience and informed intuition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. Genius Makers: The Mavericks Who Brought AI to Google, Facebook, and the World<\/a>, by Cade Metz, March 2021. An immensely readable non-technical recounting of the colorful personalities who brought about the Artificial Intelligence gold rush of the past fifteen years. Those fortunate and smart enough to hop on the AI train became immensely wealthy as Google, Facebook, Tesla, Baidu, and others competed for the best and brightest. More importantly, after a long period of \u201cAI winter\u201d where the technology didn\u2019t live up to the hype, there is an explosion of impactful work around neural networks and deep learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One managerial takeaway is the importance of acquiring a thorough understanding of the landscape before starting up a new business. The behemoth companies pouring huge dollars into AI\/ML can easily trample underfunded or badly positioned startups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Stockholm: The Adrenaline Fueled Adventures of an Accidental Scientist<\/a>, by Robert J. Lefkowitz, February 2021. Cardiologist turned biochemist Lefkowitz tells the entertaining story of his career, culminating in the 2012 Nobel prize in Chemistry. This book reads like \u201cSurely You\u2019re Joking, Mr. Feynman!\u201d: Adventures of a Curious Character<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lefkowitz explains how he mentored his 200+ trainees in the penultimate chapter of the book. Many of his mentees have gone on to their own fame and fortune due, in some part, to the nurturing Lefkowitz provided during their formative years. Lefkowitz\u2019s ten golden rules of mentorship are worth the price of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. Invent and Wander: The Collected Writings of Jeff Bezos<\/a>, by Jeff Bezos, November 2020. If you\u2019re like me, a compendium of Bezos\u2019s annual shareholder letters sounds like a snoozer. How wrong I was. Bezos\u2019s flexible intellect revealed in these shareholder letters helped me understand Amazon\u2019s unparalleled financial success better. A few takeaways from this short book\u200a\u2014\u200aall quotes from Bezos:<\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Artificial Intelligence: A Guide for Thinking Humans<\/a>, by Melanie Mitchell, November 2020. Portland State University professor Melanie Mitchell presents the current work in the field, recognizing the great advances in machine learning and its limitations. Artificial Intelligence is redefining how enterprises of all stripes interpret data. In the over-hyped world of AI\/ML, this book provides a managerial level-setting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitchell illustrates how Google Translate mangles colloquialisms and sarcasm with the following passage:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cA man went into a restaurant and ordered a hamburger, cooked rare. When it arrived, it was burned to a crisp. The waitress stopped by the man\u2019s table \u201cIs the burger okay?\u201d she asked. \u201cOh, it\u2019s just great,\u201d the man said, pushing back his chair and storming out of the restaurant without paying. The waitress yelled after him, \u201cHey, what about the bill?\u201d She shrugged her shoulders, muttering under her breath, \u201cWhy is he so bent out of shape?\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n French Translation (Google)<\/strong>: Un homme est entr\u00e9 dans un restaurant et a command\u00e9 un hamburger, cuit \u00e0 point. Quand il est arriv\u00e9, il \u00e9tait br\u00fbl\u00e9. La serveuse s\u2019arr\u00eata \u00e0 la table de l\u2019homme. \u201cEst-ce que le hamburger va bien?\u201d elle a demand\u00e9. \u201cOh, c\u2019est g\u00e9nial\u201d, dit l\u2019homme en reculant sa chaise et en sortant du restaurant sans payer. La serveuse lui cria: \u201cH\u00e9, qu\u2019en est-il de l\u2019addition?\u201d Elle haussa les \u00e9paules, murmurant dans un souffle. \u201cPourquoi est-il si d\u00e9form\u00e9?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Translation back to English<\/strong>: A man entered a restaurant and ordered a hamburger, cooked to perfection. When he arrived, he was burned. The waitress stopped at the man\u2019s table. \u201cIs the burger okay?\u201d she asked. \u201cOh, that\u2019s great,\u201d the man said, pulling back his chair and leaving the restaurant without paying. The waitress shouted, \u201cHey, what about the bill?\u201d She shrugged, murmuring in a breath. \u201cWhy is he so deformed?\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitchell uses the Obama photo below to reflect on the chasm existing between human intelligence and artificial intelligence. A glance at the photo enables humans to understand the joke immediately, but this is far beyond the capabilities of the most intelligent AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 6. Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World<\/a>, by Fareed Zakaria, October 2020. Best known as a journalist and political commentator, Zakaria explores the consequences of political, social, economic, and technological change related to the post-pandemic experience. Rather than adopting an apocalyptic worldview, he expresses informed optimism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zacharia\u2019s commentary about Artificial Intelligence is spot-on coming from a non-technologist. He recognizes the benefits of AI over humans for medical diagnosis through pattern matching, the robotic replacement for humans in hazardous situations, and self-driving cars. He sees the future of AI as technology that assists humans rather than obviating them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The value of this book for me is not just Zacharia\u2019s take on AI. Rather, it\u2019s his ability to place our digital future in a global context. Zacharia\u2019s insights help me guide employees into career paths with secure futures instead of jobs that will become obsolete as technology advances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 7. The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket<\/a>, by Benjamin Lorr, September 2020. Lorr pens a superb expos\u00e9 of the grocery industry along the lines of Nickel And Dimed: On (Not) Getting By In America<\/a>, Barbara Ehrenreich\u2019s 2010 unmasking of the underbelly of low wage work. Lorr\u2019s fascinating first-person accounts from workers in all stages of the grocery supply chain give the book its gravitas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One chapter in particular, in which Lorr rides shotgun with a female long-haul trucker, provides the managerial nugget warranting inclusion on this list. The driver reveals the financial hardships faced by owner-operators (those who own their trucks and drive them). She also discusses the discrimination female drivers face and the physical danger that accompanies women on the job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These managerial insights are specific to women in trucking but apply to virtually any workplace where men far outnumber women:<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"\/](\"https:\/\/cdn-images-1.medium.com\/max\/945\/1*DwbllT9CHkx85El7jMROEA.jpeg\")
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