YUX's Books Guide on People Management & Company Culture

Hello, YUX enthusiasts! If you're eager to enhance your people management skills with a dash of casual wisdom and dive into the broader realms of business brilliance, we've curated an extensive collection of books just for you that we used along our journey and adapted to the African context. Join us on a relaxed stroll through these insightful reads that focus on the human side of business and beyond, perfectly complementing your YUX design journey.

### Top Picks

#### 1. No Rules Rules

Authors: Reed Hastings, Erin Meyer

Explore the unorthodox yet successful culture at Netflix with "No Rules Rules" by Reed Hastings and Erin Meyer. It's not just about design principles but understanding how a unique company culture can shape effective people management strategies. We took the Feedback 360 diner from this book and it works perfectly, with a bit of practice, in the Senegalese and African context

#### 2. The Culture Map

Author: Erin Meyer

Erin Meyer's "The Culture Map" is your companion for navigating the diverse terrains of global business, emphasizing the people aspect. Much like YUX's commitment to inclusivity, this book offers insights into cross-cultural collaboration and effective team management. We encourage our teammate to do their map by themselves and have them done by their colleagues... surprising stuff!

#### 3. The Hero and the Outlaw

Author: Margaret Mark

Explore the role of branding and archetypes, adding a layer of depth to YUX's approach in designing memorable user experiences. Amazing one to align your team (and yourself) on your company DNA.

#### 4. What You Do Is Who You Are

Author: Ben Horowitz

Ben Horowitz's "What You Do Is Who You Are" explores the crucial link between actions and company culture. This book is not just about design; it's a guide to cultivating a positive and impactful work environment, key to effective people management. I found the part on the Haitian Revolution particularly relevant to the African context. However, I still struggle to find the "shocking rule" that would be as fit for us as the one Toussaint Louverture found for his people... go read it

#### 5. The Hard Thing About Hard Things

Author: Ben Horowitz

Dive into the challenges of leadership with "The Hard Thing About Hard Things" by Ben Horowitz. As YUX projects require strong leadership, this book offers pragmatic insights into overcoming obstacles and fostering a resilient team. The most interesting part is the one on "how to fire people". There is no good way but that's almost the only founder's book I saw talking about it in practical terms. It actually differentiate the firing of executive from other employees.

#### 6. Remote & Rework

Author: Jason Fried

In "Remote," Jason Fried delves into the world of remote work, focusing on managing teams from afar. As YUX embraces flexible work approaches, this book provides practical tips for nurturing a cohesive team, no matter where they are located. "Rework" by Jason Fried challenges conventional business norms with a focus on practical management advice. It's like a casual mentorship session, discussing innovative people management strategies that align seamlessly with YUX's commitment to a dynamic work culture. However, many things in these book are not applicable for our context, fo instance we found that the 100% remote does not work well for junior colleagues or people with a complex family or house context.

### Other Notable Good Reads

Expand your horizons with these additional recommendations:

- Build by Tony Fadell: Uncover the intricacies of building not just products but successful teams, great for all designers and product managers -- thanks Thomas Sarlandie and Jimmy Kuassi KUMAKO, PMP?

- Only the Paranoid Survive by Andy Grove: A guide to staying ahead in the fast-paced business world, resonating with YUX's dedication to innovation. Since then every year I tell the team we are at an inflection point loool

- High Output Management by Andy Grove: Learn about effective management practices from one of the best in the business, applicable to any type of company really. A bible to say the least. One of the first book that really showed me the value of just hanging out at the cafeteria and chit chatting to get the info from the people who are in frontlines.

- The Hero and the Outlaw: Explore the role of branding and archetypes, adding a layer of depth to YUX's approach in designing memorable user experiences. Amazing one to align your team (and yourself) on your company DNA. We have an "Explorer" + "Sage" DNA at YUX and now we then understood why we don't get along with clients who have a "ruler" DNA...

- Measure What Matters by John Doerr: Gain insights into goal-setting and performance measurement. It will make you crazy about OKRs at all level... we tried and after 4 years we still use the OKRs but in a very light way - not everyone need to have objectives and measurable indicators every month, that's a myth. Most just do good work because they like it.

- From Counterculture to Cyberculture: Trace the evolution of culture and technology, offering historical context to any innovative or tech company. A great way to remember that one day, the web was not about money or globalisation, it was about sharing and learning.

### Other Books that I don't like, but are important

- Zero to One by Peter Thiel: Delve into the world of startups and innovation, from the perspective of Thiel. I disagree with 80% of what he says but still worth to understand how the rich white tech utopists think.

- Hiring for Attitude: Learn the art of hiring based on attitude, aligning with YUX's focus on fostering a positive and collaborative work environment. Yeah but frankly it uses 400 pages just to tell you what you got from the title: hire for attitude, not the skills!

- Decolonizing Design by Dori Tunstall: very cool as it address a crucial topic and make the term more public. However not really relevant for the African context as the experience of the author is more with north-American indigenous people and within the Academic sector.

- Traction by Gino Wickman: Dive into practical strategies for gaining traction in business, specifically agencies – a useful read for those steering service based companies and want to scale them. Not super relevant I found for our context it does not facilitate rapid scale let's say - the book is also a bit outdated.

- Life Profitability by Adii Pienaar. It introduces a holistic approach to success, connecting personal values with professional endeavors. The only drawback I found is that it gives you advice on how to enjoy life while working... but the author is already a millionaire lool! Lemme get my million and I'll chill I promise!

So, that's it for today ! Embark on a journey to refine your people management skills and broaden your business horizons with these casual yet enriching reads. Whether you're leading a design team, managing projects, or exploring the intersection of design and business, these books offer valuable insights into effective management and business brilliance. Happy reading!