If you’re interested in career and personal development, then you might find a book or two that will grab your attention from the list of some of the books I read in 2017.
There are a few career-related, which you might not think of as being career books, but they’ll help you advance if you chose to be openminded.
Reading books is somewhat a “new” thing I’ve started doing.
Honestly, I’m not proud that it took me so many years to read books consistently. So, last year I set out to read a book a month, even though I didn’t get to twelve books I did read ten or eleven which was a significant improvement from reading maybe just one book a year.
This year I decided to up the number to 15 books. Below, I’ve selected a handful of the books I’ve read, sharing some of my thoughts and what I liked about them. You can find the entire list of all the books I read in 2017 at the bottom of the post.
My Recommended Career Development Books
2018 Edition
ENDLESS REFERRALS
by Bob Burg
★★★★★
Bob Burg is my #1 go-to guy when it comes to networking.
I’ve had the pleasure of interviewing Bob a couple of times, first about The Go-Giver which he co-wrote along with John David Mann and the second time was for The Career Branding Summit talking about this GREAT book ‘Endless Referrals.’
Endless Referrals gives you the best networking tools and strategies to build authentic and valuable professional relationships. AND you don’t have to be in sales to leverage the teachings Bob delivers.
SO GOOD THEY CAN’T IGNORE YOU
by Cal Newport
★★★★
In this book, Cal Newport writes about why skills trump passion in the quest for work you love. I have to admit this book provoked me a bit and didn’t necessarily totally agree with his point of view, but I believe it’s a mix of having a passion or interest in investing in building the skills you need to get to do work you love.
Of course, you need to have the skills necessary to get to do the work you love. You won’t get there just being passionate. But, you have to have the passion for pushing through learning the skills you need to get where you want to go.
Get So Good They Can’t Ignore You
MOTIVATION MANIFESTO
by Brendon Burchard
★★★★★
This New York Times Bestseller is a masterpiece that will help you take your power and motivation back.
The nine declarations Brendon covers in the book are timeless, and if implemented, they will have an impact not just on yourself but the people around you as well.
If you’re ready to meet life with full presence and power, reclaiming your agenda, defeating your demons, practice joy and gratitude, amplifying love, and inspire greatness, then this book is for you.
SELL WITH A STORY
by Paul Smith
★★★★
Storytelling has been around for as long as we’ve been on this plant, but it’s a skill that many of us never learn, and very few use it efficiently in their career.
In this book, Paul provides you with a storytelling model that you can use in any professional setting, not just in a sales situation but also if you do presentations for your manager, CEO or the Board. Using Paul’s method will help your message get the attention it deserves and build trust with the people you’re presenting it to.
HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE PEOPLE
by Dale Carnegie
★★★★★
This timeless classic is laying down the ground rules for being a class act human being in general.
Even though the first edition was published more than a century ago, it’s still highly relevant and gives you the perfect etiquette for networking and establishing valuable relationships with people you meet in any social and professional setting.
Get How to Win Friends and Influence People
THE INDUSTRIES OF THE FUTURE
by Alec Ross
★★★★
Alec Ross used to work for Hillary Clinton as her Senior Advisor for Innovation, and he has written this book about which industries he expects to flourish within the next 10 to 20 years.
Based on his travels all over the world, talking to world leaders, and seeing how industries are developing, this book gives a great insight into what to be on the lookout for next, so you can adapt and build the skills necessary to stay competitive in the future job market.
Reading this book will also serve your kid’s future.
Get The Industries of The Future
THE BOOK OF JOY
by Dalia Lama, Desmund Tuto, and Douglas Abrams
★★★★★
So profound. Full of wisdom. And with so much compassion floating from the pages of this heartwarming book. It’s written based on a five-day meeting between The Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
When I read it, I couldn’t help but smile and picture those two men as they sat there during their meeting, teasing and praising each other.
A book I’ll turn back to, just to make sure I didn’t miss some of the great wisdom and lessons included in the book.
Stand Out and Reinventing You
by Dorie Clark
★★★★
These two books by Dorie Clark are great and actionable to help you to either become a thought leader in your industry or if you are looking to change careers.
Stand Out focuses on how to find your breakthrough idea and then building a following and platform around it to help you stand out.
Reinventing You is for those who want to change careers and gives you a great outline of things to do to help you through the process.
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List Of All The Career Development Books To Read In 2018:
- Art of Work by Jeff Goins ★★★
- Endless Referrals by Bob Burg ★★★★★
- Pivot by Jenny Blake ★★★
- So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport ★★★★
- Motivation Manifesto by Brendon Burchard ★★★★★
- Stand Out by Dorie Clark ★★★★
- Born for This by Chris Guillebeau ★★★★
- Reinventing You by Dorie Clark ★★★★
- Sell With a Story by Paul Smith ★★★★
- How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie ★★★★★
- The Future of Industries by Alec Ross ★★★★
- The Book of Joy by Dalia Lama, Desmund Tuto and Douglas Abrams ★★★★★
- Find Your Why by Simon Sinek, David Mead, and Peter Docker ★★★★★
- Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth ★★★★
- High-Performance Habits by Brendon Burchard ★★★★★
All of these books have inspired and given me something to think about and reflect on.
Also, check out the list of my all-time favorite career books covering branding, leadership, and growth personally and professionally.
Ratings
★ Disappointing and didn’t finish it
★★ Alright, but didn’t finish it
★★★ Great book
★★★★ Inspiring
★★★★★ Transformational
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