Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Genentech: The Beginnings of Biotech

By Scott J. Pearson | April 8, 2026April 8, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Today, biotech companies are synonymous with high-risk, high-reward research that advances the healthcare and wallets of countries with advanced economies. However, fifty years ago, this type of company did not exist. There were university research labs, and there were big corporations. No startup companies sought to translate the small experiments into lucrative business ventures. Out of Silicon Valley, California, Genentech was one of the first to do so. They translated work in recombinant DNA technology…

Religion-Philosophy

The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern Christianity

By Scott J. Pearson | April 5, 2026April 5, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Like many Protestants, I have not experienced an in-depth introduction to Eastern Orthodoxy in my life. I’ve driven by its churches, sure, I’ve met its churchgoers, and in religion classes, I’ve read about its history. However, I never have taken a deep-dive into its culture on my own, mediated only be an advocate for its faith expression. Therefore, I read Timothy Ware’s classic work, now in a third edition, on the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith…

Healthcare Management-Business Software-Technology

From Breakthrough to Blockbuster: The Business of Biotechnology

By Scott J. Pearson | April 4, 2026April 4, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Biotechnology is a hot topic in today’s global economy. It promises to help humanity, so it often receives startup funding from governments. Success stories show the strong financial potential of the right investments. Big pharmaceutical companies (“big pharma”) can purchase entire companies for large amounts of profits. Yet the risks are great, with an estimated 90% of ventures ending in non-successful outcomes. There seems little that can be done to predict success from the outset.…

History

An African History of Africa: From the Dawn of Humanity to Independence

By Scott J. Pearson | March 31, 2026March 31, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

In the West, so many histories of Africa only focus on a depressing narrative that conveniently neglects many inspiring parts. Omitted are the triumphs of empires and heights of humanity shown in the African people; instead, only colonialist attitudes are amplified to disparage the Africans as an inferior continent. Many of us intuit that these negative narratives are lacking somehow, but we don’t have any new information to replace it. The Oxford-educated, Sudanese-born Zeinab Badawi…

Artificial Intelligence Leadership

Leaderwired: The AI-Era Leadership Playbook for Transforming How You Think, Decide & Lead

By Scott J. Pearson | March 22, 2026March 22, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Change is the key challenge to any leader because there’s no great way to predict its course. New things arise, and no clear direction exists. All we can do is to prepare ourselves and our mindsets to embrace new challenges with a realistic yet positive attitude. Artificial intelligence (AI) is a key case in point. As a paradigm-shifting technology, it is changing the way workplaces operate, and those who don’t adapt well – or don’t…

Indie Program Management Software-Technology

Beyond Delivery: How Technical Program Managers Lead Change & Grow with Impact

By Scott J. Pearson | March 21, 2026March 21, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Technical Program Managers (TPMs) are a recent phenomenon, particularly in larger organizations that use a lot of IT to achieve value. They combine the technical role and a leadership role in one function to enhance technical value. However, today’s literature on how to excel as a TPM is relatively sparse. Johnathan Stephen Sexton adds his experiences as a Walmart TPM to the mix in this book of homespun wisdom. As a very experience-driven account, he…

Biography-Memoir

Finding My Way: A Memoir by Malala Yousafzai

By Scott J. Pearson | March 20, 2026March 20, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Malala, as she is simply called, is widely known as the girl who stood up to the Taliban for girls’ education. She paid for it by being shot in the face, but amazingly survived. She spent the rest of her youth in Manchester in Britain, protected by a security detail against would-be assassins. She started an international fund called the Malala Fund to aid girls’ education in needy countries. This book does not tell that…

Leadership Management-Business

Ownership Unlocked: 4 Principles to Build Self-Driven Teams That Take Initiative, Innovate & Win

By Scott J. Pearson | March 10, 2026March 10, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Employees’ psychological ownership of their projects is a secret weapon to increase their productivity and effectiveness. Increasing ownership of their projects is a trait I seek to encourage among the software developers I work with. Their ownership not only keeps me from making too many tiny decisions for them, but it also tends to increase the quality of their work. It lets me know that they’re gaining self-confidence and investment in their work towards mastery…

Management-Business

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet & Why It Matters

By Scott J. Pearson | March 9, 2026March 9, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Humans are “social animals,” so Aristotle said long ago. We gather together to get things done, whether those gatherings are familial, a work conference, religious, or a party. What makes a good gathering work? Are there universal rules that govern gatherings’ format so that you can construct it to achieve a given goal? Yes, says Priya Parker, and this book seeks to show us how. I help organize biannual academic conferences as a part of…

Program Management Software-Technology

Technical Program Manager’s Handbook: Second Edition

By Scott J. Pearson | March 6, 2026March 6, 2026 by Scott J. Pearson

Technical Program Management represents a hot field to work in. In today’s world, many have skills to be software developers, and many know how to manage a program of projects, but few combine those skills to manage an entire program of software development projects. In an increasingly digital world, these combined skills are both marketable and valuable and define what a technical program manager (TPM) does. They are force multipliers to projects and organizations who…