Ashwinee Kalkura
He is SAFe® Premier Trainer, SAFe® SPCT, AHRA (Agile HR Enabler), and an experienced Agile Coach,... Read more
He is SAFe® Premier Trainer, SAFe® SPCT, AHRA (Agile HR Enabler), and an experienced Agile Coach,... Read more
- Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
There are some goals we pursue relentlessly and some we drop on the way. Is there a reason for that? I have always been a veracious reader, but never went about it methodically. Whatever I could lay hands on would be read, was my approach. Around 2016, I tried to change this with some discipline on what should I read and how to go about it.
This also meant, making a meaningful list and keeping it handy. One thing leads to another, and around the start of 2024, I decided to make a yearly resolution. While researching on the topic of reading itself, I stumbled upon few articles suggesting, some of the best-known thought leaders read around 40 to 60 books per year. The goal of 52 somehow crossed the mind, why not a book per week? This was also to get an answer to the question I started the article with.
I Started with few books on Safari Books at the place I was working at that time, continued with buying some books, borrowed a few from friends when they recommended and most importantly started on the audio. Bangalore traffic and my 2+ hour commute per day was a blessing in disguise for this activity! I am listing the books I completed reading/listening with a small explanation about the book and what was interesting for me.
The books are in no specific order of priority or the order I have read them, unless mentioned. I intend to do an elaborate write-up of books I liked a lot and discussed with some of my friends. Watch out for that!
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The title itself was an invitation for me and the depth of research throughout the book made it even sweeter. Contains lot of practical and realistic tips (backed by research) on managing agile teams.
As a SAFe Program Consultant (SPC), this book is a must for us to teach the class. The book decomposes every aspect of framework and is written by the creator of the framework.
One of the most quoted books about team dynamics and rightly so. A fable style novel makes it interesting read.
From the man who has seen Steve from a very close quarter. Busts a lot of myths about Jobs and creates a few more. An interesting read about Jobs.
Steve Jobs again and a tale of his leadership and style and his uncanny ability to see the future.
Everything you need to know about Lean Product Development. The information contained is phenomenal and hence not a “one-sitting” read. The book assumes the reader at a certain level on manufacturing, management and economics and takes it from there. Makes a clear distinction of Product Manufacturing vs Product Development.
The book is a practical guide on how to affect a long lasting and sticking change even in the face of adverse situation. Through the examples authors drive their point. Absolutely relevant to the problems we face on a daily basis.
Harley Davidson’s story of how it had to evolve to stay on top and become a “learning organization”. Brings a lot of practical examples on implementation of lean product development process. Practitioners view point is the highlight of the book.
Seminal book by Deming, very famous for clearly bringing out his views on quality, management and statistics. A must read for anyone who cares for quality and how to implement good practices around that irrespective of the industry one works for. Written in simple and direct language, this book is a treasure trove of information.
Typical Mike Cohn. Easy, simple to read, pragmatic, gives a lot of choices and examples. Recommended for any one working as an agile team member, drives across the point of how to write stories effectively and the rationale behind this simple and powerful technique.
This was a repeat reading. A comprehensive guide to agile coaches while being framework agnostic. The book explores and explains how to apply the skills from professional coaching in an agile environment. Practical approach for the situations on mentoring, training, facilitating and coaching makes it a must have book for anyone working with agile teams.
Teachings of Buddhist philosophy and Dalai Lama’s life learnings in a simple narrative. A thought-provoking book on compassion and meditation.
The authors put a case on the abundantly available resources (like sun-light) and how can they be harnessed by us for a better future. A perfect book for the naysayers with lot of data provided and the scientific achievements in that direction.
A good book on how to persuade people and influence them ethically for a win-win situation. Mixes business with psychology to get the best results while influencing.
After reading this book, you will start thinking about the way you have been thinking. The Nobel laureate, Kahneman distils a lifelong research on conscious and unconscious thinking. Taught me a great deal on why we make certain choices, where do we fail in analyzing the data we have and our biases.
Hugely popular book backed by research and a very short read. Puts a lot of emphasis on doing things. Leaves you with lasting impression.
A master piece on practicality of DevOps and its implementation. The book looks at the values, principle, practices and tools used in DevOps with examples from practical implementations for everything the authors talk about in the book. Icing on the cake for me was being part of one of the examples (Dojo at Target).
The book answers the question of whether mastery in any topic is an in-built quality of a person that can’t be changed or is it something else. The carefully crafted book talks about some of the greats like Da Vinci and Darwin, and their perseverance. Talks a great deal about apprenticeship and its importance.
A very positive look at the possibilities of science and a great future. This book is a series of essay articles on technological innovation in a variety of fields. Takes a look at the moral questions arising from the innovations as well.
Is it possible to find a pattern in success stories? Like the Canadian hockey players born in the first half of the year are successful, the opportunities that Bill Gates got. 10,000 hours that was talked about in “Mastery” makes a comeback here as well. Gladwell discusses the factors and the support required for success in a honest and direct way.
One of the gripping reads. The author, a psychiatrist/neurologist was a prisoner in Nazi Germany and his quest to understand what is meaning of life even in captivity makes for the subject of this book. He also talks about “logotherapy” in this book. If you start this book, you can’t put it down till the end.
It is easier to copy something and make it one to N, but zero to one is what makes the startups, and the enterprises which defines the future are made up of. The author, who is a serial entrepreneur and investor is no stranger to this type of world and the book is an interesting read.
Antifragile is neither fragile nor robust but thrives on disorders and becomes better. What about benefiting from volatility? The no nonsense thinker in Nassim Taleb speaks about risks, luck, probability, uncertainly and knowledge in a very lucid manner. You can like the theories or hate it, but can’t avoid noticing the implications.
The power of mindset is discussed in this book on success at school, arts, work etc. She talks about fixed mindset vs growth mindset through the book and proves through research that abilities can be developed. An essential read for teachers, parents and coaches.
What are the ingredients for a high-performance culture? Does the interaction between people differ in an innovating organization? The answers lie in Tribes and the leader of that tribe. The authors identify a path to 5 stages of Tribal Leadership which can help organizations thrive in any condition.
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ENROLL TODAYMore than the money at hand, for every startup the dilemma is to understand what product works in which condition. Most often than not, the seemingly great ideas flounder to flourish. In this context, how can a startup learn quicker, and pivot as necessary is the central theme of the book. Eric puts his learnings in form of a book explaining the finer nuances to a successful startup. Great read for anyone who cares about being an entrepreneur.
A classic of modern American literature with a warm story telling. It’s the only book the author has written and a Pulitzer prize winner. In 2006, the British librarians ranked this book ahead of Bible as a book every adult should read before they die.
One of the best-selling books which talks about Individualism and philosophical about the ideal man.
A fable on the most dreaded topic in corporate world. While the title suggest something, Patrick helps the readers how to make meetings effective and enjoyable.
Pixar and Toy Story changed the world of animation forever. The book describes the principles and practices on how to lead people to get the outcome of joy, originality and a sustaining creative culture. Per Ed Catmull this book is “an expression of the ideas that I believe make the best in us possible”
A master piece by John Kotter on effecting a transformation. His 8 step process is widely used in the industry and the book details the rationale behind those. A practical guide and must have book for managers, leaders and coaches.
Dale Carnegie is a known name in the industry on presentation, relationship in business and public speaking. The book details and give some simple, practical tips on public speaking. A good one to go through.
Hard to differentiate if it’s a memoir of a dying doctor or a philosophy of life and death. Dr. Paul Kalanithi could have been an accomplished author if not the neurosurgeon he was. The book will leave anyone teary eyed.
Malcolm Gladwell’s best seller describes the phenomenon of successful social epidemics. He describes the 3 rules or agents of change as Law of Few, Stickiness factor and power of context. It tries to explain some of the ideas, products and behaviors that spread like a virus.
Dean’s seminal work explaining what would later be called as “Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)”. The book examines the product development from Agile, Lean and Management view point and combines best of all. A complete guide on anyone trying to scale agile from a team level to program and portfolio levels.
A funny adventure about an ordinary man named Arthur who explores space with his alien friend, learning that the universe is strange and unpredictable.
Arthur and his friends travel to a restaurant that sits at the end of time, encountering wild events and odd beings along the way.
Arthur and his group must stop robots from destroying the universe while uncovering more weird secrets about existence.
Back on Earth, Arthur finds love and learns more about the dolphins, who left a mysterious goodbye before the planet was destroyed.
The Trilogy in five parts as the author has put it, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy or popularly known as H2G2 is a comedy science fiction which has a cult following. Per an article, this series has inspired more people to take up science and space related exploration than any university can do! The marvelous stories with impeccable British humor is certain thumbs up from me.
A thorough book for understanding the Scaled Agile Framework or SAFe. A must read for anyone teaching or implementing SAFe.
A story is any day better than just the theory. Alex’s book takes that approach and narrates a SAFe implementation through a practical scenario of thought to implementation with a bumpy road of failure and success. The flow of the story is so riveting, as a member of agile team, you might be able to identify yourself in that story based on your role.
I would read this book just for the narrative style! Answers the question of how we humans were/are able to rule this world and what makes us collaborate at scale. Every sentence in the book makes you think.
Self-help book based on the belief of law of attraction, which claims thoughts can change one’s life directly. The book has sold 30 million copies. While the book is more theoretical and explanation oriented, helps on optimism and visualization.
Rare and unpredictable event like a wall-street crash have a huge impact on our world and our own lives. The book stresses on the fact that iinstead of trying to predict everything that happens in our life, we should embrace uncertainty and make the most of it. Read this book along with Antifragile by the author.
In an increasingly connected and distracting world, how to make sure we do quality work rather than some shallow work. Carl Newport uses principles of psychology and neuroscience to drive home the point of focused work free from all other distractions. A very timely book for corporations who believe multitasking and a always connected world.
A savage attack on Stalin and timeless satire of idealism deceived by power and corruption, this book is known to be a world famous classic. The reader can easily relate the book to most in powerful positions who take advantage of others and manipulate them.
War is Peace, Freedom is slavery and Ignorance is Strength. The three tenants of George Orwel’s book written in 1949 looks at a world of 1984 with a dictator as a ruler and the propaganda that runs deep in the lives of people. A fine balance between fear, satire, horror and thrill.
Simon Sinek’s golden circle needs no introduction and the book explains in detail why “starting with why” is more important than how and what. The examples he gives, makes it easy for the reader to understand the theory behind golden circle.
I read this book towards the end of the year. As an agile coach, I use Scrum at a team level. Do I understand the framework right, was the question I wanted to address. The book is a thorough reading outlining the Scrum co-creator’s thoughts on all aspects of Scrum with practical explanations. It was fascinating at the same time to understand the sources from which he has taken the inspiration to create Scrum.
One of the most interesting and influential books, an examination of how we live and how to live better. The book talks about science, philosophy and quality with an interesting narrative. I have taken the quote from this book to start the article. Changes your perspective on how you look at anything.
Fittingly, the last book I read for the year. A phenomenal book, which talks about the dilemmas an introvert faces in a world that values talking and can’t stop talking. Laden with lot of studies, the book helps understand what your style is, how to nurture that style and what type of work/job suites you. A must read by every manager/leader to understand, empathize and utilize the inherent skills of every person on the team.
Will I read the same number of books for 2025 or less or more? I don’t have a target now. While reading the books, there were few weeks I read almost a book per day and sometimes there were prolonged breaks because of work, travel or reading fatigue. Finally, it’s not about the number but the quality and knowledge you assimilate and can utilize in your life. Get the reading list from friends/colleagues and business leaders you admire.
Many of them share their interest on social platforms. Read about that book, and if interests you, add to your list. I intend to read a lot, the number I am not too sure and don’t want that as a parameter as well.
He is SAFe® Premier Trainer, SAFe® SPCT, AHRA (Agile HR Enabler), and an experienced Agile Coach, Consultant, and passionate Trainer (SAFe®, IC Agile, and Axelos Accredited) with a demonstrated history of working in the Retail, Mobile, Industrial Automation, Banking, and Networking industries. Strong engineering professional skilled in Agile Methodologies (SAFe®, Scrum, XP, Kanban), Technical Practices, Test Automation, and Stakeholder Management. Trained over 2000 people on Certification-based training.
WhatsApp UsI recently concluded my PSM 1 training from Agilemania with Piyush being the instructor. I have had multiple trainings before but this one was very different - Good different. For many reasons : 1. Piyush’s content delivery was by far the best I have seen. This tells he has done this many times or to be short, is an expert at this. 2. Unique way to present. I won’t break the surprise but there were no slides or ppt's during the training. And yet, it was so engaging, I felt as active throughout as at the start. This also gave me inspiration to do something different when it comes to your presentation. 3. Different types of activities in breakout rooms. This gave me the opportunity to interact with fellow trainees like myself who were there to learn. You got to try out those. P.S. - there will be always a catch. 4. Full of real life examples. Piyush gave real life examples from his experience that helped me to understand the concepts better. 5. Lastly, there were optimum breaks in 2 days that helped me to remain focused throughout. When I was choosing the trainer for PSM 1 from Scrum.org, I read a lot of reviews for many trainers. I chose Agilemania after careful evaluation. I was right. Hope this honest review helps others in line.
I have taken the session with AgileMania for PSM-1 Certification and my trainer was Piyush Rahate. Piyush's sessions are very interactive and engaging. Highly recommended!
Preeth Pandalay is an excellent trainer! He makes learning concepts easy to understand and applies them with real-world examples. His sessions are engaging and interactive. With his guidance, I successfully passed the PSM assessment on my first attempt. Thank you :)
I attended the virtual PSPO-I course offered by Agilemania, led by Sumeet Madan. The course was excellent and provided valuable insights that helped me successfully pass the exam. Additionally, the provided study materials were comprehensive and highly useful.
Sumeet was an excellent instructor. His knowledge on Scrum is excellent and he made the session interesting with his Funny but relevant examples. He also went beyond to explain how ChatGPT can be used as a tool to assist a product owner.
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For a detailed enquiry, please write to us at connect@agilemania.com