Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies For Reinventing Your Career
Author: Herminia Ibarra
Focusing on “the process of career transition, Ibarra uses stories and anecdotes to show how individuals seeking to accomplish a change in their careers did so through a process of ‘experimental’ hands-on experiences, engagements and connections with others, says Carroll Welch, a career coach. “She guides the reader through the challenges of career transition and the importance of arranging these new events into a coherent narrative about who one is becoming. This is a must-read for anyone interested in career transition on a deeper level.”
Lean In: Women, Work And The Will To Lead
Author: Sheryl Sandberg
“I’m not breaking any news by recommending this one, but I devoured Sheryl Sandberg’s tour de force when it came out,” says Leigh Gallagher, assistant managing editor, Fortune, and host, Fortune Live. “Not so much for the positions on working women and child-rearing — I am not a mother — but more for the illuminating, forehead-smacking research on how and why women behave differently in the workplace—and how that behavior may be holding you back.”
How to Have a Good Day: Harness The Power Of Behavioral Science To Transform Your Working Life
Author: Caroline Webb
“I’m a productivity junkie and read everything I can in the canon,” says Gallagher. This book “is an encyclopedia of tools, tactics and shortcuts to improving productivity—your own, but also getting more out of others. I’ve been taking notes as I absorb new principles like the quick win, the positive no, and traveling forward in time. It is an amazing toolbook.”
The End Of Jobs: Money, Meaning And Freedom Without The 9 To 5
Author: Taylor Pearson
Ever wonder if running your own show is your true path? Then, says Lynda Spiegel, Wall Street Journal contributor and owner of Rising Star Resumes, this should be on your bedside table. “Pearson explains why there is no such thing as ‘permanent employment,’” she says, “and why the future of the global workplace lies in self-employment.”
The Creative Lawyer: A Practical Guide To Authentic Professional Satisfaction
Author: Michael Melcher
‘I always recommend this book to transitioning lawyers,” says Welch. “It provides useful exercises and anecdotes that support one’s thinking on skills, values, goals, branding and much more. It is written in a very compelling and authentic style.”
Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self To Your Biggest Challenges
Author: Amy Cuddy
Landed the job but feeling less-than-confident? Career Coach Deena Goodman suggests taking a few pointers from this Harvard Business School professor and TED talk speaker. “Make a strong impact and connect authentically with anyone from a boss, interviewer to a direct report,” she says.
Smarter, Faster, Better: The Secrets Of Being Productive In Life And Business
Author: Charles Duhigg
“I am a huge fan of Charles Duhigg’s ability to merge the deepest reporting with masterful storytelling to reveal remarkable insights on how and why we behave the way we do,” says Gallagher, “so I was thrilled when I found out his follow-up to “The Power of Habit” would be an exploration of productivity. Through individual stories he has unearthed that read like page-turning mysteries, Duhigg reveals the often counter-intuitive forces behind distraction, idea-generation, motivation, and the precise conditions that spark our best performance.”
Nice Girls Don’t Get The Corner Office: Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers
Author: Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D.
In this book, Frankel, a best-selling author and career coach, urges working women to ditch so-called “girly” behaviors like “polling” friends and colleagues before making a decision, offering too much explanation when asked for information or being worried about hurt feelings in favor of actions that will help them get ahead. Says Kat Griffin, founder of Corporette, this book offers “lots of food for thought about habits for women to change or amplify.”
