MINI REVIEW: TRANSFORMED
The key to transformation...
A group of coworkers and I buddy read this book together and I have to say, it is one of the better professional development books I've consumed.
HOW I RATED IT
5/5 This book is a fine example of professional development literature done right. I'm glad I had people at work who brought it to my attention and was even more glad that we've been having a somewhat informal buddy-read discussion about it as we progress at our own speeds.
A good professional development book can be hard to find. Sometimes the ideas presented are unrealistic, unhelpful, and/or just dishonest. In most cases though, I simply find that the authors tend to focus on idyllic conditions that really don't reflect the actual working environment of very many companies. TRANSFORMED, however, very much manages to avoid the typical pitfalls of this type of literature. Cagan breaks down, in painstaking detail, what it means to move to a Product Operating Model, what opposition companies might face when shifting to this way of working, and how to potentially overcome those challenges. The problems outlined are not simple ones, but this book breaks them down one piece at a time and makes them feel much more manageable. I especially liked that Cagan is transparent in acknowledging that leaders all the way up to the CEO are essential to a successful transformation, but also balances that reality with suggestions on how anyone can push for this type of change even at an individual level with their direct working team. Complimenting all of this is a healthy selection of case studies that outline how actual companies have succeeded in shifting to the type of model that the book describes. It was great to see such a mix of companies across different types of industries, but I found myself wishing that there was a little more diversity in the catalyst for these transformations as the vast majority of these stories looked at companies who adapted to the worldwide shutdowns from 2020 to roughly 2022. The unprecedented conditions from that time period will hopefully never be replicated again, so it would have been nice to see more examples of other key drivers for innovation. All in all, I think there's a lot to mull over here. Much of what the book had to say felt quite relevant to the current state of various industries and I certainly walked away having learned quite a bit.
EBOOK QUALITY
Technically, I read the electronic version of this book on O'Reilly, which my company has a subscription to. I assume the experience is very similar to picking up the eBook edition on an eReader, so I'll cover this part based on that assumption. First off, the cover is quite nice. As with most professional development books, it's design is simple, but the color choices look great. There are also other books in this collection which have a very similar look to them, giving titles by this author/publisher a nice sense of visual continuity. The interior fonts and formatting are also well handled and I especially appreciated the way that the table of contents is laid out.
CONCLUSION
Whether you are a CEO or an Individual Contributor, this book is well worth a read for it's compelling ideas, nuanced perspective, real-world examples, and highly organized structure.
(+) A realistic look at what it really takes for a company to transform
(+) Well-organized sections and a careful attention to key details, especially when it comes to potential counter-arguments
(+) Ton's of case studies to make things real
(+) Information and perspectives incorporated from a variety of sources
(-) There was a little too much emphasis on the worldwide shutdowns due to COVID when it came to the innovation stories showcased (I would have liked to have seen more examples with other catalysts for innovation).
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