Resources: Books About Career Development

Marti explains in this terrific book "how responding to change will inspire your life's work." Marti tackles the changing workplace and how we can fit into it. A great book!

Not truly "business development," Guillebeau in this book walks us through how to, as he says, "find the work we were meant to do." He reminds us when looking for our dream job to not only find what we love and are passionate about, but what actually makes money. A nice balance between inspiration and reality. 

Maria hits all the basics -which are too often overlooked- in this terrific and readable book. Written for small businesses and start-ups, the recommendations are easily applicable to those in professional services fields in larger organizations as well. 

Sara is a genius, and her book is no different. This is a concise and practical guide for women lawyers looking to become rainmakers.

My favorite is how he walks you through selecting the clients for whom you will do your best work. This is a great book!

An amazing book that helped me make a difference in just a month.

An incredibly useful book, Roffer walks the reader through (as the rest of the title states) "eight steps every woman needs to create a personal brand strategy for success." How could you not want to read it? 

Coleman walks through how to retain customers, a critical (and usually overlooked) part of good business development practices. A helpful reminder and a good read.

More of a "how to change your life" book than a business development book, I put it here because Loehr's exercises around how to tell your own story can, as he says "change your destiny in business and in life." 

The authors of this book share their "RAINSelling" technique to explain how to have conversations that lead to rapport, and ultimately, to business. As they put it in the rest of the title of their book, their process will help service professionals "influence, persuade, and sell in any situation."

Written by a former lawyer turned business coach, this book gives a practical guide on how to build and develop a book of business for service professionals.

This book's method for creating a "sale" I found perfect for a service industry where the goal is, ultimately, to help.

Pink examines what motivates others, and gives his new "ABCs" of sales. A great book for anyone, not just traditional sales people, he starts from examining how we are all in sales now.

Not truly "business development" and more about how to give "all the performances in your life," Port hits another home-run with this book, giving us tips on how to give presentations in a variety of situations. From content to the mechanics of the performance, this is a great tool for anyone. Whether you regularly "give big speeches" or just want to use those skills in your day-to-day life.

Gannett, in his book, walks us through "how to develop the right idea at the right time" (the book's subtitle). An empowering look at how great ideas come about, and how we have the potential to be creative too.

In this book, subtitled "Using Your Inborn Resources to Create a Fulfilling Life," Deutsch describes to the reader the five innate tools (curiosity, openness, sensuality, paradox and self-story) we can rely on to create our ideal life. Often cited by other experts, and with good reason.

This book was first published in 1997, and is now in its third edition. Its subtitle says it all, "the secret to acheiving more with less." Koch applies Pareto's 80/20 rule to business life, and encourages us to focus on the 20 percent that brings in 80 percent of our revenue.

I have recommended this book to everyone! It is truly phenomenal, and makes you rethink your standard "don't have enough time" worries. Read it. You won't be sorry.

It was all I could do not to write all over every margin of this book. Barker explains (the remaining title) "the surprising science behind why everything you know about success is (mostly) wrong." Such a great book!

I will, as it is already clear, buy any book Rubin writes. In this one, she provides (as the subtitle explains) us with an actionable description of "what [she] learned about making and breaking habits - to sleep more, quit sugar, procrastinate less, and generally build a happier life." Obviously advice we all need, and I'm working to implement into my daily life.

A hard to categorize book, Kantor outlines (as described by the rest of the book title) "how winning streaks and losing streaks begin and end." More specifically, how business leaders can turn around a losing streak. A great book!

Going deeper into the concept of "flow," the author explores creativity in this book. He looks at creative people and how they live and work, and the lessons we can learn from them.

The subtitle of this amazing book is "Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World." And Newport delivers. It won't come as a surprise that a big culprit to deep work is the distractions of screen time and social media. So also not a surprise? I loved his message and this book.

This book goes well beyond simple productivity and time management, and looks more holistically about "designing" a rewarding life. 

In this book, Pink examines what motivates us, and gives tools for putting the lessons into practice.

Another terrific book by a leader in the field, this book helps you find and focus on what is truly important to you.

The lessons Sinek teaches I think are critical for all of us. In this book he looks at how individuals and teams can find their "why."

I first read this incredible book in college, and the concept of getting to your optimal experience has been floating around in the back of my head ever since. I now find myself on a mission not only to live in my flow, but to help others find and live in theirs. A truly great thinker, this is a must-read.

The rest of the title of this humorous book is "how to stop worrying about what you should do so you can finish what you need to do and start doing what you want to do." That pretty much sums it up. It's a best seller, and there is a reason.

So now you read Flow, how do you find yours? This book gives the reader ideas about how they can find flow, and most importantly, find it in their daily jobs.

This book deserves a category of its own! If you haven't read it yet, you have to. A best seller for a reason, Duckworth walks us through how to achieve, and how to help others (including our kids) do so too.

Rubin does it again, this time marrying two of my favorite topics: organization at home and time management skills. There is a reason she is a best seller, and the tips in this book will not disappoint.

I'm a sucker for quizzes and tests, especially those that explain "who" you are.  Hogshead's book, which promises (in the rest of the title) to help you "discover your highest value through the science of fascination" doesn't disappoint.  

The rest of the book's title?: "How Our Intuitions Deceive Us." In this book, written by the authors of the famous "gorilla study" (did you see the gorilla on the basketball court?!), we learn how trusting "intuition" can be a costly mistake. Fortunately, they give us hints on how to avoid jumping to conclusions.

The authors of this book provide a four step approach to creating time in your day to do the things that matter. My favorite advice is, of course, the advice about turning your phone off and avoiding "infinity pools." These are what they call the time suck activities like social media and bing watching a favorite show. 

In this book, Dweck provides powerful and ground-breaking insight into how to tap into your potential. A must-read, credited with "changing millions of lives." And for good reason.

If you read Lean In you owe it to yourself to read this one too. Sandberg and Grant give us insights in this book into how we can use adversity to our advantage, learning from the hardest lessons life throws us to (from the subtitle) "build resilience and find joy."

More examples from Vanderkam about how you can (as the rest of the title of this book states): "feel less busy while getting more done." Who wouldn't want that?

A great book by a popular author, Grant outlines how to be an original thinker by looking at those who really are original thinkers. My lesson? Have lots of ideas, one might be a winner. Because they don't all have to be.

Gladwell has written tons of great books, I liked this one because it outlined how various successful people got to where they are.

The authors of this book posit that to truly dominate your field, you need to create your market category. Full of corporate examples, it's an interesting idea to try to position onto a service firm model.

Frederickson examines what she refers to as the "upward spiral," or how to be more effective by being positive. The book has quizes to test your current level of positivity, and ideas to raise it.

Picking a habit that gets more done is the name of the game. This book exampines how to create habits.

This book follows a format similar to The Happiness Project, but focuses on ways to become more productive. I found lots of useful tips, and bet you will too.

Don't you just want the title of this book to be true?! Pang provides tons of examples of incredibly creative and productive people who worked only 4 or 5 hours a day. Now we need to figure out how we can do that too. 

A great book that uses the "strengths" approach to managing your career. 

The title of this book pretty much says it all. I recommended this one holiday season to all my friends because it was such a great read. 

When you are setting up a meeting, do you think about why you are bringing everyone together? Or do you just do it because that is what has always been done? In this incredible book, Parker forces us to look at gatherings differently.

This book walks us through how to handle difficult conversations, negotiations, and other tough situations.

A great book! This husband-wife duo, law firm partners and parents of a daughter, give real-life practical advice about how women can navigate male-centric work environments.

Do you manage people? Do you want to help your team members grow and thrive? This book is a must-read, and as the rest of the title explains, will show you how to "say less, ask more and change the way you lead forever."

Written by two journalists, this book explores the confidence of women leaders . . . or surprising lack thereof. Filled with great stories and ideas for how to bring confidence into your life.

A leadership book written by a woman with extensive experience in the business world, this has great tips on how to work with your boss, your peers, and your team. Innovative too, she starts probably our most important relationship: the relationship we have with ourselves.

Do you know what the Power Dead-Even rule is? Do you work with women? Then you need to read this book. The rest of the title? Indirect Aggression AMong Women: Why We Hurt Each Other and How to Stop.

This is the first book I've read by this popular author, and I can see why she has sold so many books. Thought provoking look at vulnerability, and how having the courage to be vulnerable can transform us.

While fairly technical, the book outlines the case for having diverse teams. Filled with research on the issue from a variety of disciplines. 

I had the good fortune to attend a workshop run by the author of this book. She had amazing ideas about how to handle cocktail parties, small talk, and other situations where without her tools I might have just gone home. I'm so glad I didn't! And you will be too after you read and use some of these tools.

Another book where I had the good fortune to meet the author, this book is a guide for how to develop meaningful friendships as an adult . . . and how to value the friendly relationships we have in our daily lives. Including, at work.

Confession: I am a Rubin junky. Her Happiness Project motivated me to do one of my own, and start getting much more done in my life while striving for happiness. In this book, she goes further, and looks at personality traits (the four Tendencies) and how to motivate each one. Super helpful for thinking not just about how to motivate yourself, but others.

In this book, Grant walks us through "givers" and "takers" and why being a giver can lead to greater overall success.

The rest of the book's title is "Winning at the Game of Business," and it is truly a roadmap for how to handle yourself in the business world as a woman, from women who have been in the game for a long time. It's hard to categorize this book, it has so much great information about so many topics. But some of the ones that really stood out to me were ways to lead and navigate the working world. A must for women in the business world, or anyone who works with them.

A newer title, and a great book about (as the subtitle explains) how to "live your purpose, reclaim your sanity, and embrace the daily grind." That pretty much sums it up! Very much worth the read.

There is a reason this leading book is in its sixth edition. This text has been a resource for 30 years of leaders, including many of the authors listed on this page. Worth including on your reading list.

Shapiro walks us through "how to resolve your most emotionally charged conflicts" (the rest of the title of this book) by drawing on his experience negotiating large conflicts . . . and helping us apply it in work and personal contexts.

A well written and quick read, the rest of the title of this book sums it up: "How we gain and lose influence." Keltner looks and how people both get -and lose- power, and how it changes them.

It took me a while to read Cuddy's book, and I wish I had gotten to it sooner. This book became so well known for a reason. Great information about how to, as she says "Bring Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges."

Written by a silicon valley executive, recommended to me by a friend in Spain, read by me in Chicago . . . this book has universal appeal. This book breaks down how to be a great boss, and provides insights and stories along the way.

This is the book -and the person- that really got my started down my journey. Denise is an amazing writer and person, and her description of "how to increase your influence, impact, and success" is spot on. A hard book to categorize, I put it with "leadership" but it is truly in a category of its own. A must-read.

Do you know how to tell powerful stories? Do you know the power of stories? Carmine Gallo shows you how in this super helpful book.

The Heath brothers, in this deservedly best-selling book, outline how to motivate change not only in ourselves, but in others as well. Super helpful read.

The rest of the (descriptive) title for this great book is "boost your effectiveness at work by inspiring and developing those around you." Why wouldn't you want to read this book and do that?!

How can you not want to read a book with a title like this? Heinrich gives instructions on how to use rhetoric not just in your work life, but your everyday life as well.

Another great book by this irreverent author. This one focuses on being your true self. Or, as the rest of the title says, "how to be who you are and use what you've got to get what you want."

This book walks us through how to talk about (from the rest of the title) "race, religion, politics, and other polarizing topics" at work. A great read; and thought provoking. It forces us as readers to think about not only how we approach a difficult topic, but how the other person in the conversation does as well.

Leadership in professional service firms is not like leadership elsewhere, and these authors get it. I couldn't put this book down, filled with incredibly helpful advice from leaders in the field.

The rest of the book's title? When business works for women, it works for everyone. Filled with great insights on how men and women work, and how they can work together to close the gender gap in corporations. 

I can't stop talking about this book, and have probably listenened to every author interview Chip has now done during his book tour. How do we relate to people entering the work force who are 15 or 20 years younger than us? Especially if we don't think we are that old? Conley gives us an amazingly useful roadmap. And hosts workshops in Mexico if the book isn't enough.