I had a great year. Not because of any one particular event. But I enjoyed some terrific time with family, had fun at work, learned a ton of new things, traveled to interesting places, developed some good habits, and gave away more than I spent. Who knows what 2024 holds, but I’m glad 2023 happened.
While I read a pile of books and wrote more than I have in years, I also felt like I did fewer things overall. For example, this was the first time in over a decade that I didn’t create any new Pluralsight courses, and I’m likely done with that season of life. I’ve been trying to do fewer things, better. Let’s take a look at some of the items I wrote this year, and the best books that I read.
Things I Wrote (or Said)
One of the main things I wrote this year was 229 editions of my daily reading list! I started the year aiming to share each day, and mostly achieved that.
The most fun “speaking” I got to do this year was at Google events. The Cloud Next ’23 dev keynote is a career highlight for me.
I also had the pleasure of delivering the Cloud update at Google I/O.
Other content I was proud of:
The Modernization Imperative: Shifting left is for suckers. Shift down instead. I send out a weekly internal newsletter and we occasionally take some of these and make them into blog posts. This one actually took off a bit as the “shift down” metaphor resonated with folks.
The Modernization Imperative (TMI): The beauty in boring. Here’s another one of those, and I liked the point of embracing the right mix of novel and stable tech.
Richard Seroter on Balancing Business and Technology Strategies. The fine folks at Semaphore had me on their podcast, and we talked about a lot of things.
The Role of DevRel at Google with Richard Seroter. This was another fun chat with Corey Quinn, and I’m glad I got to give props to our amazing developer relations team.
Richard Seroter on Google Cloud Next ’23, Tech Newsletters and VMware. The Software Defined Talk folks had me back on, and we covered a spicy set of topics.
Would generative AI have made me a better software architect? Probably. Generative AI isn’t a fad, although the hype is off the charts. Lots of people will benefit from it, including architects.
An AI-assisted cloud? It’s a thing now, and here are six ways it’s already made my cloud experience better. We’re going to see a lot about how generative AI helps devs, and this is what initially stood out to me.
I don’t enjoy these 7 software development activities. Thanks to generative AI, I might not have to do them anymore. There’s a lot of toil in software development, and generative AI may eliminate a lot of it.
There’s a new cloud-based integration platform available. Here are eight things I like (and two I don’t) about Google Cloud Application Integration. I’ve been testing out technologies for years, and it makes me happy to keep doing it. This was a fun look at Google’s new iPaaS.
Build event handlers and scale them across regions, all with serverless cloud services? Let’s try it. I’m always a fan of trying out end-to-end scenarios. Here’s one that covered a few different components.
Things I Read
I finished 47 books this year, across the usual wide range of topics. A clear theme this year was “leadership” and I learned a lot.
Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness by Steve Magness. It “toughness” about being calloused and fearing nothing? This book says we have it wrong. It’s about making choices under discomfort while embracing reality, listening to our bodies, proactively responding, and transcending discomfort. Good read!
The Last Folk Hero: The Life and Myth of Bo Jackson by Jeff Pearlman. Bo was a freakish athlete who I grew up watching. He had a short “prime” period, as playing both sports simultaneously was grueling, but we’re better off for having seen him play.
Scaling People: Tactics for Management and Company Building by Claire Hughes Johnson. If you’re building a team, scaling a team, or doing this for a whole company, this book is invaluable. I appreciated the frameworks and tips shared across a wide range of leadership dimensions.
Genghis: Birth of an Empire by Conn Iggulden. I read more historical fiction this year than ever, and boy, I really loved these two. This, and book 2 (Genghis: Lords of the Bow) were an absolutely engrossing look at what the early life of Genghis Khan was probably like, and how Mongolians lived at this time.
The Catalyst: How to Change Anyone’s Mind by Jonah Berger. This book offered an outstanding reframing of persuasion. Instead of pushing people to change their minds, you become a catalyst and remove roadblocks. Very actionable stuff here.
Kydd: A Novel (Kydd Sea Adventures Book 1) by Julian Stockwin. More historical fiction! I also loved these stories about a man yanked into service at sea in the late 1700s. Great storytelling, and a compelling look at life aboard a ship at this time. I also read three more besides this one, including Artemis, Seaflower, and Mutiny.
MOVE: The 4-question Go-to-Market Framework by Sangram Vajre and Bryan Brown. My day job involved more focus on a full set of go-to-market strategies, and I wanted to gain more knowledge. This book offered a useful lens on the activities of the GTM process.
The Dark Hours by Michael Connelly. I’m a sucker for just about anything from Connelly. Harry Bosch is a legendary character at this point, and I’m becoming just as big a fan of Renée Ballard. I also read Desert Star, which featured these two.
Leading Leaders: How to Manage Smart, Talented, Rich, and Powerful People by Jeswald W. Salacuse. I’m in the enviable position of leading a team of senior folks and I want to be better at it. This book offered good guidance on strategic conversations, org integration, coaching, motivation, and more.
Loved: How to Rethink Marketing for Tech Products by Martina Lauchengco. The best companies do product marketing differently than others. The author does a terrific job looking at listening, positioning, and astutely applying GTM strategies.
Prayer: Experiencing Awe and Intimacy with God by Timothy Keller. Keller passed away this year, but left a giant legacy. I enjoyed this book about the why, when, and how of a fruitful prayer life.
Ghost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II’s Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides. I’ve become somewhat obsessed with learning about the Pacific theater of WWII, and this story was phenomenal. The courage and resilience of the POWs in the Philippines, and those who rescued them, is remarkable.
Pompeii: A Novel by Robert Harris. I visited Pompeii this Summer with my son, and then wanted to learn more about this ancient city. This historical fiction about an aquarius in the days leading up to the eruption of Mount Vesuvius was a real page-turner.
The Terminal List by Jack Carr. Thrilling read—I also read the next two books, True Believer and Savage Son—with good pacing and a hero I was rooting for.
Failure Is Not an Option: Mission Control from Mercury to Apollo 13 and Beyond by Gene Kranz. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year. This was such a good story about the space program, aiming high, and pursuing excellence. We’ve lost some of this, and I hope we get it back.
Certain to Win: The Strategy of John Boyd, Applied to Business by Chet Richards. Agility and using your time advantage? That’s what good strategy does. I really enjoyed the historical lessons and applicable advice on creating a strategy that lets you play on your terms.
Called to Lead: 26 Leadership Lessons from the Life of the Apostle Paul by John MacArthur. Talk about leadership without any traditional “power”! The lessons in this book show how good leadership is much more about influence earned through trust and character.
Truman by David McCullough. This is a big biography of one of the 20th century’s most consequential presidents. He came into a remarkably difficult situation after FDR’s death, and faced many hard decisions. I appreciated the details about Truman’s early years and what led him from humble beginnings to the highest office in the land.
Mismatch: How Inclusion Shapes Design by Kat Holmes. One of my goals this year was to learn more about accessibility, and this book seemed like a good fit. This was a book about making intentional choices about inclusion (or exclusion) and the biases that limit who can participate. Very good read.
With the Old Breed by E.B. Sledge. I think this was the best book I read in 2023. I came across it after watching the miniseries The Pacific. Published over 40 years ago, this book is a visceral look at what war is like, and the toll it took on our men in WWII. It was an emotional and powerful read.
Babe: The Legend Comes to Life by Robert Creamer. The greatest baseball player ever? Statistically, it’s hard to argue. The Babe ushered in the home run era, and lived larger than life in Boston and New York. A tragic tale at times, but you get the sense that Ruth enjoyed the life he had.
Social Justice Fallacies by Thomas Sowell. Not a long book, but Sowell continues to be one of America’s great pragmatic thinkers. Are statistical disparities in representation and economic outcomes due to discrimination by dominant majorities? In this fact-filled book, Sowell explores this idea, and whether distant surrogates creating policies for justice are creating more harm than good.
Why We Love Baseball: A History in 50 Moments by Joe Posnanski. Ask baseball fans for the “50 most magical moments” and you’ll get all sorts of different answers. But I love Joe’s look at what stood out to him, and it reminded me of why this game still captivates me.
Wiring the Winning Organization by Gene Kim and Steve J. Spear. I recently wrote up a full book review, but pick up this book if you’re a leader or someone who influences how work gets done.
Marketing for Product-Led Growth by Steve LaChance. PLG is a powerful tool for product companies, and this was probably the most “highlighted” book on my Kindle this year. It’s full of advice on how to re-think the customer journey.
Hugger Mugger by Robert Parker. I read a few more Spencer books from Parker this year. It’s my guilty pleasure, and I usually finish them in a couple of days. This was the last one I read in 2023, and the gumshoe hasn’t lost a step.
The War That Doesn’t Say Its Name: The Unending Conflict in the Congo by Jason K. Stearns. I have a friend in Africa, and I realized I knew very little about what happens on the continent. This was a good book on the complex conditions that has made war in the Congo a fact of life.
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership by James C. Hunter. This story about a set of people at a leadership retreat resonated a lot with me. What does real leadership look like? It looks like love. Not the feeling, but the behavior. Patience, kindness, humility, selflessness, respectfulness, forgiveness, honesty, commitment. May we all lead this way in 2024.
Thanks for sticking with me for another year, and let’s find some excuses to engage in the year ahead.
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