No, I\u2019m not talking about the latest young adult fiction novel. I\u2019m talking about books that help you grow by developing your time-management, leadership, and interpersonal skills. Reading books can be an immensely useful resource as you transition from academia to the workforce and prepare yourself to advance to the next level, whether that be in your current company or your future employer.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s been postulated that we are evolving to a post-text world, one in which symbols, images, digital video and virtual reality replace books, magazines and other forms of the written word.<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t believe it. These technologies have their place, but they will augment and co-exist with the written word. Since the time Gutenberg\u2019s Bible first left the press, the world has embraced books as the primary technique for knowledge transfer, storytelling, entertainment and archiving. They may be on paper, on an iPad, or exist as an .MP3 file, but books will continue to hold their rightful place in modern society as the medium from which most human advancements will be chronicled and shared.<\/p>\n
This year, I decided to develop myself through reading. I reached out to my professional resources through the Wisconsin Society of Association Executives (WSAE) and the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE), as well as through LinkedIn. I simply stated that I was looking for \u201cnon-fiction books on any topic (personal finance, leadership, culture, biographies, etc.).\u201d Within hours of each query, the recommendations for books came flooding in and I started to explore my new options.<\/p>\n
The first thing that hit me was the importance of seeking a variety of topics. My entire reading life up until this point has focused on fictional novels. Although novels can enhance empathy and improve your story telling ability, professional self-help books, autobiographies, historical studies, and technical how-to books are what really drive home lessons lived and learned from others that will be relevant to your own experiences or aspirations.<\/p>\n
Plus, a variety of topics and types of books can, at the very least, make you a more interesting and informed conversationalist during interviews or with your coworkers and bosses. No matter what, this approach will give you a broader, deeper and better perspective on management, leadership, markets and organizations and provide you with a method of self-reflection. (And who couldn\u2019t use more of that?)<\/p>\n
Finally, if you\u2019re just one of those people who does not have the patience for reading anymore, I have great news\u2014just listen. Listen to your books that is! I listen to books on my commute, while working out at the gym or just walking my dog.<\/p>\n
At some point in my career, I intend to be a very good leader. To become that person, I intend to be a voracious reader.<\/p>\n
Below are several categories and the books I recommend, many of which came from the recommendations of other young and seasoned professionals in my network. This is not an exhaustive list nor is it in any way final, but these are a few books I recommend for when you\u2019re feeling that fire to better yourself, expand your worldview and advance your professional prospects.<\/p>\n
Professional Development Book Recommendations<\/h3>\nFor when you\u2019re feeling philosophical: <\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business<\/a> \u2013 A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed.<\/li>\n
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion<\/a>\u2013 Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say \u201cyes\u201d \u2013 and how to apply these understandings.<\/li>\n
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t<\/a> \u2013 Built to Last, the defining management study of the ’90s, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term, sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For when you need inspiration<\/strong>:<\/h4>\n\n- Buck: A Memoir<\/a> \u2013 A rebellious boy’s journey through the wilds of urban America and the shrapnel of a self-destructing family \u2013 this is the riveting story of a generation told through one dazzlingly poetic new voice.<\/li>\n
- Educated: A Memoir<\/a>– Growing up in rural Idaho, Tara Westover had no birth certificate, never saw a doctor and didn’t go to school. But Westover defied her family’s expectations when she enrolled in Brigham Young University at 17 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from Cambridge University.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For when you wonder how we got here:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America<\/a> \u2013 Bruce Cannon Gibney shows how America was hijacked by the boomers, a generation whose reckless self-indulgence degraded the foundations of American prosperity.<\/li>\n
- Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History<\/a> \u2013 Kurt Andersen demonstrates that what’s happening in our country today \u2013 this strange, post-factual, “fake news” moment we’re all living through \u2013 is not something entirely new, but rather the ultimate expression of our national character and path.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For when you crave some Girl Power:<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n- I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World<\/a> \u2013 When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.<\/li>\n
- My Own Words<\/a> \u2013 A selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond U.S. shores when interpreting the U.S. Constitution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>
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- \n
- The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business<\/a> \u2013 A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed.<\/li>\n
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion<\/a>\u2013 Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say \u201cyes\u201d \u2013 and how to apply these understandings.<\/li>\n
- Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap … And Others Don’t<\/a> \u2013 Built to Last, the defining management study of the ’90s, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term, sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For when you need inspiration<\/strong>:<\/h4>\n
- \n
- Buck: A Memoir<\/a> \u2013 A rebellious boy’s journey through the wilds of urban America and the shrapnel of a self-destructing family \u2013 this is the riveting story of a generation told through one dazzlingly poetic new voice.<\/li>\n
- Educated: A Memoir<\/a>– Growing up in rural Idaho, Tara Westover had no birth certificate, never saw a doctor and didn’t go to school. But Westover defied her family’s expectations when she enrolled in Brigham Young University at 17 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from Cambridge University.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For when you wonder how we got here:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
- \n
- A Generation of Sociopaths: How the Baby Boomers Betrayed America<\/a> \u2013 Bruce Cannon Gibney shows how America was hijacked by the boomers, a generation whose reckless self-indulgence degraded the foundations of American prosperity.<\/li>\n
- Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History<\/a> \u2013 Kurt Andersen demonstrates that what’s happening in our country today \u2013 this strange, post-factual, “fake news” moment we’re all living through \u2013 is not something entirely new, but rather the ultimate expression of our national character and path.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
For when you crave some Girl Power:<\/strong><\/h4>\n
- \n
- I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World<\/a> \u2013 When the Taliban took control of the Swat Valley in Pakistan, one girl spoke out. Malala Yousafzai refused to be silenced and fought for her right to an education.<\/li>\n
- My Own Words<\/a> \u2013 A selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond U.S. shores when interpreting the U.S. Constitution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
<\/div><\/div> - My Own Words<\/a> \u2013 A selection of writings and speeches by Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on wide-ranging topics, including gender equality, the workways of the Supreme Court, being Jewish, law and lawyers in opera, and the value of looking beyond U.S. shores when interpreting the U.S. Constitution.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Fantasyland: How America Went Haywire: A 500-Year History<\/a> \u2013 Kurt Andersen demonstrates that what’s happening in our country today \u2013 this strange, post-factual, “fake news” moment we’re all living through \u2013 is not something entirely new, but rather the ultimate expression of our national character and path.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Educated: A Memoir<\/a>– Growing up in rural Idaho, Tara Westover had no birth certificate, never saw a doctor and didn’t go to school. But Westover defied her family’s expectations when she enrolled in Brigham Young University at 17 and went on to earn a Ph.D. in history from Cambridge University.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
- Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion<\/a>\u2013 Influence, the classic book on persuasion, explains the psychology of why people say \u201cyes\u201d \u2013 and how to apply these understandings.<\/li>\n