From Executive to Educator: Updated Recommended Reading List For My Courses
Essential Reads for Understanding Marketing, Entrepreneurship, and Living Your Best Life
This week I submit grades for my undergraduate business-to-business marketing and executive MBA strategic marketing courses at the University of Texas at Austin McCombs School of Business. The end of the semester marks my first 16 years having the honor to teach as a marketing professor at this very fine institution.
My journey into academia has been as much about my personal quest for lifelong learning as it has been about imparting knowledge to others. This path has continually fed my innate need to learn and grow, not just through reading, but also through the dynamic process of engaging with my students, collaborating with talented faculty members, and connecting with the broader community. In the ever-evolving landscape of business and society, I have approached each interaction, class discussion, and collaboration as an opportunity for mutual learning and discovery.
One of the concepts that resonate in my academic career and guide my life is 'generativity.' Coined by psychologist Erik Erikson, generativity refers to being concerned with establishing and guiding the next generation. The “ability to transcend personal interests to provide care and concern for younger and older generations.” It involves contributing to the development of others through education, mentoring, and contributing to society at large. This principle is essential not just for personal growth but also for maintaining a youthful outlook. Research suggests that adults who engage in generative activities have longer and happier lives. Through my role as an educator, I am in a constant state of learning, relearning, and innovating, which keeps my mind active and engaged — a fundamental part of maintaining generativity.
For many years my course syllabi have included a recommended reading list of books that have influenced my teaching. These books are intended to spark curiosity, provide insights, and offer practical approaches. They encompass topics on business, economics, entrepreneurship, and principles for leading a fulfilling life, with concepts I integrate into my coursework.
Here is the recently updated iteration of my recommended reading list for my Spring 2024 syllabi.
Brown, Peter C, Roediger III, Henry L, and McDaniel, Mark A. 2014. Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning. Belknap Press. How to learn and teach for better retention. Applies cognitive psychology to demonstrate techniques like self-testing, varied practice, and spacing out study sessions lead to more effective, durable learning compared to common but less effective methods like rereading or cramming.
Burkeman, Oliver. 2021. Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. We can have a better life by shifting our focus from time management to focusing on what we want, embracing life’s limitations, and finding joy in the present.
Calkins, Tim. 2012. Breakthrough Marketing Plans: How to Stop Wasting Time and Start Driving Growth 2nd ed. Palgrave Macmillan. Easy to read guidance on creating effective marketing plans that are concise, clear, and impactful, for those who need to create a marketing plan.
Christensen, Clayton M. 1997. The Innovator's Dilemma: When New Technologies Cause Great Firms to Fail. Harvard Business School Press. Shows how even successful companies can lose their market leadership due to new, disruptive technologies. Essential for understanding innovation and business strategy. Steve Jobs said his approach to business was “deeply influenced” by this book.
Ericsson, Anders and Pool, Robert. 2016. Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. Insights on how to master a skill or profession through deliberate practice that leads to exceptional performance.
Fader, Peter. 2012. Customer Centricity: Focus on the Right Customers for Strategic Advantage. Wharton Digital Press. Create strategic advantage by shifting from a product-centric to a customer-centric organization by retaining your most valuable customers and finding more customers like them.
Kim, W. Chan and Mauborgne, Renée. Revised 2015. Blue Ocean Strategy, Expanded Edition: How to Create Uncontested Market Space and Make the Competition Irrelevant. Harvard Business School Press. Break away from competition and create new market spaces. For those seeking to create transformative growth strategies.
Levitt, Stephen D. and Dubner, Stephen J. 2010. Freakonomics Rev Ed: A Rouge Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything. HarperCollins. This classic reveals how economics influences everything. (Also highly recommend Stephen Dubner’s weekly Freakonomics podcast.)
Lewis, Michael. 2016. The Undoing Project: A Friendship That Changed Our Minds. W. W. Norton & Company. How the friendship and collaboration between psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman created the field of behavioral economics and changed our understanding of human decision-making.
Moore, Geoffrey A. 2014. Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: Marketing and Selling Disruptive Products to Mainstream Customers. Harper Business. A must read for anyone involved in marketing high-tech products. How companies can grow by successfully bridging the gap between the significantly different needs of early adopters and the mainstream market.
Roberts, Russ. 2022. Wild Problems: A Guide to the Decisions That Define Us. Portfolio. An empowering approach to the complex decisions we all face, from what job to accept, which business to start, where to live, and whom to marry.
Tetlock, Philip and Gardner, Dan. 2015. Superforecasting: The Art and Science of Prediction. Crown. The best resource for anyone who wants to improve their skills at forecasting and estimation.
Thiel, Peter. 2014. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future. Crown Business. Insights into startup innovation and entrepreneurship, creating value in competitive markets.
I invite you to explore these books join me in an ongoing journey of learning and growth. If you have already experienced any of these books, or if take on one or more books from this list, I would be eager to hear your insights. Feel free to comment here. Your experiences and reflections not only contribute to our collective knowledge but shape the education of future generations.
Peace through understanding.
Nice staff and well played!
JLM
www.themusingsofthebigredcar.com