Performance Culture

Library · III

Additional Reading

We built in the open and recorded everything. Long-form, short-form, and the literature that inspired this work.

3 min read

Long Form

Books that shaped this work

Twelve volumes we return to — and the line from each that stuck.

  1. 01

    Turn the Ship Around

    L. David Marquet

    You may be able to “buy” a person’s back with a paycheck, position, power, or fear — but a human being’s genius, passion, loyalty, and tenacious creativity are volunteered only.

  2. 02

    Poor Charlie’s Almanack

    Charlie Munger

    Spend each day trying to be a little wiser than you were when you woke up. Day by day — and at the end, like most people, you will get out of life what you deserve.

  3. 03

    Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

    Gabrielle Zevin

    It is worth noting that to be good at something is not quite the same as loving it.

  4. 04

    Zero to One

    Peter Thiel

    Every great business is built around a secret hidden from the outside. A great company is a conspiracy to change the world.

  5. 05

    The Wright Brothers

    David McCullough

    It wasn’t luck that made them fly; it was hard work and common sense — they put their whole heart and soul into an idea, and they had the faith.

  6. 06

    The Hard Thing About Hard Things

    Ben Horowitz

    Take care of the people, the products, and the profits — in that order.

  7. 07

    Why We’re Polarized

    Ezra Klein

    The world is far too vast to fit in our mirror. The fundamental thing the media does, every day, is decide what is newsworthy.

  8. 08

    Creative Confidence

    David Kelley

    Striving for perfection can get in the way during the early stages of the creative process.

  9. 09

    Only the Paranoid Survive

    Andy Grove

    Most companies don’t die because they are wrong; they die because they don’t commit themselves. The greatest danger is in standing still.

  10. 10

    Measure What Matters

    John Doerr

    If we try to focus on everything, we focus on nothing.

  11. 11

    Never Split the Difference

    Chris Voss

    Negotiation is not an act of battle; it’s a process of discovery. The goal is to uncover as much information as possible.

  12. 12

    Unreasonable Hospitality

    Will Guidara

    Intention means every decision — from the most significant to the seemingly mundane — matters.

Short Form

Essays & talks worth your time

Shorter pieces that were integral in developing and inspiring Performance Culture.

  • Jeff Bezos on Anecdotes vs. DataIf anecdotes and data disagree, reassess the data.
  • The Artist Is Never SatisfiedMentioned in the Mastery Arc.
  • The Pleasure of Finding Things OutInnovation comes from people who take joy in their work.
  • What MattersThe Measure What Matters companion.
  • The Sovereignty GameAn alternative to the venture game.
  • Internet CommunitiesHigh-quality insights on internet communities.
  • Spotting & Building the Next Big ThingReading the product zeitgeist.
  • Creating Stories People Want to HearEach of us is a natural storyteller, waiting to be released.
  • Default Alive or Default DeadA common way startups die.
  • Studying the Most Effective FoundersWe get what we inspect, not what we expect.
  • Elevate Your Performance ReviewsHire for strength rather than lack of weakness.
  • 25 Micro-Habits of High-Impact ManagersGood managers practically “do” nothing.
  • 6 Archetypes of Broken OwnershipTo the man with a hammer, the world looks like a nail.
  • The Art of Self-AwarenessBeing true to what you see.
  • Pull, Don’t PushOvercome barriers and drive product adoption.
  • Moore’s Law for EverythingWe believe in a world of abundance.
  • Jeff Weiner’s 5 Day AlignmentAlignment is fundamental to function.
  • How America Got MeanTreat one another more gently and wisely.
  • Directly Responsible IndividualsThe one person with whom the buck stops.
  • Goodbye Product, Hello MovementMovement-defining narratives as a growth multiplier.