Buffer’s 19 Favorite Books of 2014

We find that self-improvement and reading go hand-in-hand.

Many of the books we seem to grab at Buffer tend to be related to our current tasks, our new ideas, our passions and pursuits, or even just a nice sampling of good writing and entertaining topics to keep us tuned in and engaged.

We end up reading a deep and wide assortment of inspiring stuff.

As a team, we read 656 books in 2014.

I’m happy to share the 19 most popular ones from our reading list.

Note: One of the neat perks we have on the Buffer team is that any team member (and their family members!) can request a Kindle book for free at anytime. Learn more about the Buffer perks—and our current job openings! :)

1. Reinventing Organizations by Frederic Laloux

A fascinating read about the shift toward a new way of doing business—a way that focuses on autonomy, wholeness, and purpose in the decisions we make and the way we structure our organizations. It’s been called a “soulful revolution,” and having experienced it for the past few months here at Buffer, it’s been hugely edifying, encouraging, and rewarding.

Hat tip to Joel for turning the Buffer team onto this book. Twenty-four of us (nearly the whole team!) picked up the book in 2014.

A favorite quote:

Extraordinary things begin to happen when we dare to bring all of who we are to work.

2. The Decision Maker by Dennis Bakke

A leadership fable based loosely on the experience of Dennis Bakke in turning AES into a company with no managers. The book outlines a fascinating advice process and highlights the amazing outcomes of giving decisions to the people closest to the action.

We came across this book as a team over the summer. Twenty-two of us picked up this one.

A favorite quote:

People think that sports are fun and work isn’t. But that’s not because sports are easy. Players make a lot more decisions in a single basketball game than a lot of people get to make at work during a whole day. That’s what makes sports fun. The coach puts you in the game. And then they actually let you play.

3. Joy at Work by Dennis Bakke

The prequel to The Decision Maker and a great case for removing bureaucracy, management, job descriptions, and more in order to help employees flourish.

Along with The Decision Maker, Joy at Work was an influential read for a majority of the Buffer team this summer. Seventeen of us checked this one out.

4. How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie

The inspiration for our Buffer values, How to Win Friends is chock full of actionable advice on the many ways to bring a selfless, empathic approach to communicating. This is the single most influential book for Buffer—and would have been the clear No. 1 on this list if we were tracking books read from all-time.

A favorite quote:

the rare individual who unselfishly tries to serve others has an enormous advantage. He has little competition. Owen Young: “People who can put themselves in the place of other people, who can understand the workings of their minds, need never worry about what the future has in store for them.”

5. Lean Customer Development by Cindy Alvarez

Written by Cindy Alvarez, a product manager at Yammer, Lean Customer Development shares a practical approach to validating product ideas through customer development research.

The book is part of the Lean Series of startup books (one more from the series made our 2014 list, as well as the original Lean Startup by Eric Ries), and it proved very useful for our team as we’ve delved deeper into customer insights over the past six months.

A favorite quote:

It’s a simple formula. Learn what your customers need, and use that knowledge to build exactly what they’re willing to pay for.

6. The Customer Support Handbook by Sarah Hatter

A complete collection of real-life customer support questions and scenarios, rife with examples and best practices for how to succeed in support. How do you hire the best support team? What’s the best use of social media for support and service? Should we apologize for the inconvenience?

The book’s author, Sarah Hatter, founded CoSupport and has gained real-world experience in communicating with customers and advising companies via writing and speaking. Her advice in The Customer Support Handbook has proven super useful as we deliver happiness to those who use Buffer. 9 of us read this book in 2014.

A favorite quote:

At our company, CoSupport, we only have two rules we work and live by: We are unwaveringly kind to our teammates and we don’t “thank people for their feedback.”

7. Die Empty: Unleash Your Best Work Every Day by Todd Henry

An inspiring call to bring your full creativity with you every day and to never put off important work for tomorrow.

Read by: Carolyn, Mary, Michael, Nicole, Octavio, Sunil

8. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain

A brilliant explanation of the qualities that make introverts unique. The ideas expressed so beautifully in this book resonated with many of us on the team.

Read by: Jose, Kevan, Mary, Rodolphe, Steven, Sunil

A favorite quote:

Introverts often stick with their enthusiasms. This gives them a major advantage as they grow, because true self-esteem comes from competence, not the other way around. Researchers have found that intense engagement in and commitment to an activity is a proven route to happiness and well-being.

9. The Introvert Advantage by Marti Olsen Laney

Another great read about introversion, helping us notice the strengths of our inward focus and how best to use these skills in an extroverted world.

Read by: Adam, Åsa, Carolyn, Mike, Nicole, Sunil

10. The Lean Startup by Eric Ries

One of the foundational books for the way we go about our product process. Lean startup ideas have even spread beyond product and into other areas of our team like content, happiness, side projects, and improvements.

Read by: Brian, Carolyn, Leo, Octavio, Sunil

11. Traction by Gabriel Weinberg and Justin Mares

A brilliant collection of 19 traction channels and how to discover the channels that are best for your business today. Weinberg and Mares share examples from several leading startup companies on how these traction ideas might work.

Read by: Åsa, Courtney, Joel, Kevan, Leo, Patrik, Rodolphe

A favorite quote:

The path to reaching your traction goal with the fewest number of steps is your Critical Path. It helps to literally draw this path out, enumerating the intermediate steps (milestones) to get to your traction goal. These milestones need not be traction related, but should be absolutely necessary to reach your goal.

12. Hooked by Nir Eyal

All about the ins and outs of habit-forming products. A fascinating read, Hooked has influenced the way that we go about our product processes and our marketing. It was a privilege to have Nir Eyal join us on a Bufferchat this year, too!

Read by: Daniel, Joel, Nicole, Sunil

13. Lean Analytics by Alistair Croll and Benjamin Yoskovitz

Another in the series of Lean Startup books, Lean Analytics has been a great read for the data experts here at Buffer, helping us find a groove of measuring and analyzing as we grow.

Read by: Joel, Steven

14. Make Your Mark: The Creative’s Guide to Building a Business With Impact by Jocelyn K. Glei

Written by the editor-in-chief of 99U (and featuring a contribution from Buffer’s Joel Gascoigne!), this book is chock full of advice on building a purpose-driven business and how to get started.

Read by:  Carolyn, Colin, Nicole, Sunil

15. Peace Is Every Breath by Thich Nhat Hanh

One of the clearest, simplest views of meditation and mindfulness. As many on the Buffer team have sought to improve with daily meditation and presence, this book has been a popular choice to read and learn about how to build a lasting routine.

Read by: Carolyn, Courtney, Nicole, Tom

A favorite quote:

Practice living every moment of your daily life deeply and in freedom. If that’s what you really want, then what you need to do is let go of pursuing the past, the future, and all your worries, and come back to the present moment.

16. The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss

As a remote team, we connect with many of the principles in this book, and we’re inspired by the simple, wholeness goals that a four-hour workweek seeks to solve.

Read by: Åsa, Brian, Carolyn, Octavio

A favorite quote:

The question you should be asking isn’t, “What do I want?” or “What are my goals?” but “What would excite me?”

17. The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz

A transparent look at the difficulties and challenges of starting a business, written by one of the leading entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley.

Read by: Brian, Carolyn, Joel, Rodolphe

18. Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers by Robert Sapolsky

A thoughtful discussion of stress-related disease and the path to better health.

Read by:  Carolyn, Dave, Kevan, Nicole

19. Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future by Peter Thiel

Thoughts on progress, innovation, and creating new things, written by PayPal founder and entrepreneur Peter Thiel.

Read by: Colin, Joel, Steven

The Best of the rest :)

Two or more Buffer teammates read each of these books in the past year.

20. Brave New World

21. Daily Rituals: How Artists Work

22. Dear Daughter

23. Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap…and Others Don’t

24. How to Deliver a Great TED Talk

25. How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big: Kind of the Story of My Life

27. Lean In

28. Let My People Go Surfing: The Education of a Reluctant Businessman

29. Tao Te Ching

30. The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

31. The Everything Store

32. The War of Art

33. Work: How to Find Joy and Meaning in Each Hour of the Day

Bonus: All the books we read in 2014

Here’s the complete breakdown of the popularity of each of the top 19 books that Buffer read in 2014, based on how many individual team members requested each book.

And for a complete look at who requested what this year—for instance, see the 60 books that our cofounder Joel requested!—you can dig into this spreadsheet.

We’d love to chat with you about any of these books that pique your interest. You can connect with everyone on the Buffer team via Twitter, and you can keep up with our upcoming book choices via our ongoing Pinterest board!

Over to you

Which books were significant to you in 2014?

Have you read some of these ones that caught our attention in 2014?

It’d be awesome to hear your thoughts and to share any book recommendations in the comments! I’m excited to hear from you!

Image sources: Death to the Stock Photo, IconFinder, Unsplash