Tech Leaderism

Books in 2025

Looking back at some of the books I read in 2025, I noticed a distinct theme. While technical skills are the baseline for working in IT, the ability to understand systems, people and strategy is what truly drives a career forward.

Revisiting "The Phoenix Project" alongside "Team Topologies" was a powerful exercise. It reinforced the idea that software architecture is inextricably linked to organizational architecture. You cannot optimize your deployment pipeline if you do not optimize your communication structures. Understanding cognitive load and team flow is just as critical as the code itself.

With the rapid evolution of AI, reading Harari’s "Nexus" and Doctorow’s "Enshittification" felt necessary. These books serve as a reminder that we need to be vigilant about the long-term impacts of the platforms we create and maintain.

"The Lean Startup" and "The First 90 Days" provided a solid grounding in agility. Whether you are launching a new feature or stepping into a new role, the ability to validate assumptions quickly and deliver value early is the core of modern IT strategy.

Perhaps the most useful book for my day-to-day work was "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius. In an industry often defined by urgent incidents and rapid change, Stoicism offers a practical framework for resilience.

To be effective in IT, we have to look beyond the screen. We need to understand the business, the ethics and the people behind the technology.