I'll update and fill this out with more links over time. Think of this as an evolving outline.

Clayton Christensen - understand the job to be done
Kathy Sierra - product or service must enable the badass user
Don Norman - product or service must map to user interface expectations
Mike Acton - software transforms data from one form to another
Gary Vaynerchuk - market to the channels of attention (follow what people do, not what they say)
Simon Sinek - lead with your “why” and beliefs

These are directives to achieve a reinforcing loop of delivering value to people.

What does “delivering value to people” mean? Satisfying another person’s self-interest. The self-interest could be entertainment, knowledge seeking or job performance. Essentially, satisfying what another person is interested in at the moment of encounter.

There is a boundary between, a gray area between, self-interest and selfishness. The two should not be confused.

Operate within that gray area using a strong views, weakly held framework to maintain focus on delivering value to others by satisfying their self-interests.