Books Every Design Leader Should Read

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.

This quote by Harper Lee sums up everything about my life as a reader.

I wasn’t born with an innate love for books; nobody does I guess. We all need a superhero, a person in our life who introduces us to the magical world of books.

Someone who knows that one needs access to a good library with good books to be successful. Someone who knows that there is nothing more precious than holding a book and learning through the experiences of some of the best minds of the world.

Sadly, my superhero was quite delayed.

I started reading books in my late 20s and I really wish I could go back in time- if not more but at least 5 years, and read more books.

“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.”

C.S. Lewis

So, I’m on a personal mission to make fellow designers read more books and this is what I tell everyone now- irrespective of years of experience you have and the knowledge you possess, a book has the potential to change your perspective, offer fresh ideas, teach new skills, and help you become better.

Here are the books that are my personal favorite. I know the struggles of building and leading Design teams and the below books have helped me immensely in that journey. You must have already heard about most of them in blogs, podcasts, and heard raving reviews about the book on social media.

For simplicity, I’ve divided them on the basis of challenges one faces.

Team culture

There is no doubt that every leader struggles with building a great team culture. A culture that promotes creativity and innovation, a culture that promotes inclusivity, and a culture that keeps its people-first.