Schools & Resources

Reading List: SteelHouse CEO Mark Douglas

Mark Douglas

Mark Douglas

In “Reading List,” we ask ecommerce professionals to name some of their favorite books and blogs and tell us why they read them. For this installment, we corresponded with Mark Douglas, president and CEO of SteelHouse, an online marketing firm.

Before SteelHouse, Douglas served as vice president of technology at eHarmony, was a member of the founding engineering team of the Oracle Applications Division and was vice president of engineering at the Rubicon Project.

 

Douglas’ Top Five Recent Books

“The Future of Management” by Gary Hamel

The Future of Management

The Future of Management

“This is the best business book I’ve ever read. It points out how almost every company uses 100-year-old management structures and incentive systems that were invented for mass assembly lines, when they’re trying to manage today’s startups and growth companies for innovation. The book opens your eyes to how you can innovate in your structure and manage a company, as much as you innovate in creating that company’s products.”

“Good to Great” by Jim Collins

Good to Great

Good to Great

“I’ve built several companies from scratch but always appreciate Collins’ insight into how important it is to have the right team on board to ensure your company’s success, and how important it is to deal with getting the wrong people off the bus sooner rather than later.”

“The No Asshole Rule” by Robert I. Sutton

The No Asshole Rule

The No Asshole Rule

“The title says it all. If you want to have a successful company get rid of the people that kill your culture and make working toward that success a fight within your team rather than a battle with your competitors.”

“Cosmic Motors: Spaceships, Cars and Pilots of Another Galaxy” by Daniel Simon

Cosmic Motors

Cosmic Motors

“I apply Simon’s out-of-the-box thinking a lot in my business life by asking – what would Simon think? This book is Daniel Simon’s vision of what vehicles in another solar system might look like. The images are photo realistic and are absolutely stunning. You literally can’t believe that what you’re seeing doesn’t actually exist. I love flipping through this book and showing it to friends. Daniel’s story is also interesting. He grew up in East Germany and didn’t see a Western car until he was 14. So he has no early childhood influences on car design. He now designs for Lamborghini, Bugatti, Hollywood movie studios, Formula 1 racing teams and others.”

“Futureland” by Walter Mosley

Futureland

Futureland

“A series of short stories about life in a world where there’s massive disparity between the richest and poorest in every quality of life. Large companies and wealthy individuals are essentially sovereign states, and your job determines everything about the quality of your life. The story is apocalyptic without any death.”

Douglas’ Top Five Recent Blogs

The eTail Blog

The eTail Blog

The eTail Blog

“I started reading this after attending an eTail tradeshow earlier this year. Helps me stay on top of what issues our clients face today.”

Blog.shop.org

Blog.shop.org

Blog.shop.org

“A lot of our customers are part of this organization so this helps me have relevant conversations with them.”

Internet Retailer

Internet Retailer

Internet Retailer

“The daily briefings on significant announcements from most ecommerce players, including upcoming start-ups and revenue-driving service providers. It is a good way to keep a pulse on the industry.”

Media Post

Media Post

Media Post

Media Post provides broader insight into the online ad and agency industry, including studies, polls and case-studies.”

TechCrunch

TechCrunch

TechCrunch

“The fastest way to know what’s happening in Silicon Valley.”

PEC Staff
PEC Staff
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