How to reach John Doerr
John Doerr said something like ”Email me three books you like read, and I’ll email you a list of my favorites as well”. He spoke last week at the GSB with fellow Kleiner Perkins partners Trae Vassallo and Chi-Hua Chien.
Above: (left) Trae Vassallo; (right) John Doerr
It’s days like these when I can’t believe how lucky I am to be at Stanford. Not only does Doerr advise billionaires like Sergey, Larry and Bezos on how to run their companies, he helps Obama figure out how to turn the country around as a member of the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board. When the slide popped up with his email address I jotted it down. I figured I’d follow him on Twitter as well.
For me the crux of John’s talk was on the concept of “missionary vs. mercenary companies” based on the book the Monk and the Riddle by Randy Komisar. John gave a similar talk at Stanford in 2005:
Above: In 3 minutes and 38 seconds John Doerr explains missionary vs. mercenary companies
My key takeaway: work with people who love what they do, rather than those who chase money. Nothing I write will come close to expressing this idea like John Doerr himself, so please consider watching the video.
Okay, now the main event: What three books do I send John Doerr to read?
It’s an interesting interview question. Cuts quickly to what people are about. Here goes:
Book 1: Joel on Software by Joel Spolsky. A set of caustic, enlightened and hilarious essays on managing software teams and processes—and on how to build, test and ship great software. The text bursts with passion for “getting things done” and disdain for waste and thoughtlessness. Any engineer who loves this book deserves a high five.
Book 2: The Art of War by Sun Tzu. Fourteen hundred year old advice on military strategy remarkably applicable to leading organizations and high stakes competition today. I feel it’s more a poem than a text. Random passages (e.g. “In war, then, let your great object be victory, not lengthy campaigns”) unpack into tidy advice on business practices (e.g. don’t go empire building).
Book 3: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The story of an underdog who transforms his life, rises to aristocracy and loses everything pursuing what he loves. For me, it’s a testament to the evil of indifference and to the “greatness” of life lived with passion. This book persuades me to put dreams ahead of money in my life’s work.
