Suggested reading for Agile marketing teams
Recently I was asked to recommend my ‘best books’ for marketing teams looking to adopt agile ways of working. As you are probably already aware, there are different agile frameworks that can be applied to marketing, either standalone or as a mix. Some teams simply apply Scrum or Kanban in their pure form, while others apply Scrumban – a mix of both frameworks. The natural reading path for agile marketing teams starts with a deep understanding of the Agile Manifesto and the Principles behind the manifesto.
Scrum
The next logical step is to read the Scrum Guide by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber. Here is a link to the web version of the Scrum Guide and the PDF version is also available for download via this link. This title has also been translated into a range of languages other than English. Although the information in these resources provides the needed information required to understand Scrum, bear in mind that these were originally created for software teams, so you will likely need to make adjustments when deciding which aspects to apply (or not apply) to your specific marketing context.
Kanban
For marketers interested in learning more about Kanban, I recommend reading David Anderson’s book Kanban: Successful Evolutionary Change for Your Technology Business. David is a highly respected thought-leader in the Kanban community and his book explains everything teams need to know about Kanban. The only downside is that the book was written for IT professionals and some of the content might be too technical for some marketers.
Communication Skills
Despite our tendency to believe otherwise, we can all benefit from improving our communication skills. For marketers looking to improve their listening skills, I would recommend Mark Goulston’s book Just Listen. Another good book for conversational intelligence is Crucial Conversations by Kerry Petterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron Mcmillan and Al Switzler. Also, Marshall Rosenberg’s book Nonviolent Communication is another good read for marketers.
Customer Experience
Harley Manning and Kerry Bodine’s book Outside In: The power of putting customers at the center of your business is one of the best books for marketers looking to understand customer experience.
Conclusion
The books listed above will help prepare marketing teams for the first stages of agile adoption, but it is important to highlight that agile is an ongoing journey that requires a change in mindset before anything else. Please leave your comments below and let me know if there are other books you think should be included in the list.