If you want to advance your career, learning from others’ experiences can give you a boost.
PEXELS.COM
Climbing the corporate ladder—particularly for women—can at times feel like you’re entering uncharted territory, where you’re suddenly forced to rely on guesswork and speculation.
But advancing in your career doesn’t have to be (and shouldn’t be) based on guesswork. Advancing your career can be studied and implemented by anyone in any industry, just by utilizing the analytical skills that most likely got you where you are in the first place.
That’s why it’s important to reach out and ask others for wisdom. You can also read up on the keys to advancement. Expanding your knowledge beyond your particular skill set and researching elements that have contributed to others’ success can further your own career.
These books will help women rise another rung (or three) up the career ladder.
Digital Transformation by Thomas Siebel
Digital Transformation by Thomas Siebel (Rosetta Books)
AMAZON.COM
If you’ve been wary of embracing new technology within your organization out of fear or uncertainty, this book is for you. In Digital Transformation, Thomas Siebel explains how four new technologies can be implemented within your business and why they should be embraced rather than avoided. Siebel argues that these four technologies—cloud computing, big data, artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things—are fundamentally changing how we do business.
Stories That Stick by Kindra Hall
Stories That Stick by Kindra Hall (HarperCollins Leadership)
AMAZON.COM
The importance of storytelling in the business arena is an idea that’s proving vital for a company’s success—not only with customers but also among leadership teams. But it can still be challenging to know which stories are the right ones to share, as well as who you should share them with. In Stories That Stick, Kindra Hall lends her wisdom and details the four types of stories that will shine a spotlight on you and your contributions to the business.
It’s the Manager by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter
It’s the Manager by Jim Clifton and Jim Harter (Simon & Schuster)
AMAZON.COM
Compiling more than 50 notable finds from its recent study, Gallup released It’s the Manager, a book backed by meticulous research and illuminating data for any business. The study focused on one element of a company that’s critical to its success: its managers. High-quality management can determine the success of your company, especially if it’s in the midst of a big structural change or struggling with employee retention. The book focuses on an emergent management style that’s different from the more commanding model of past decades, where the manager works more in tandem with their employees, not above them. It’s a model that aspiring managers would be smart to emulate.
Non-Obvious 2019 by Rohit Bhargava
Non-Obvious 2019 by Rohit Bhargava (Idea Press)
AMAZON.COM
The ninth edition of this series, Non-Obvious 2019 from Georgetown University professor Bhargava adds 15 new trends to watch for across five different categories of work. Bhargava examines patterns across businesses that are often overlooked by predictors to uncover innovative solutions that can help grow your business. The new edition looks at the decline of a lingerie brand and the creation of empathetic shampoo bottles to provide readers with the opportunity to make an impact with their work.
80/20 Your Life! by Damon Zahariades
80/20 Your Life! by Damon Zahariades
AMAZON.COM
Leaders commonly experience burnout or feel stuck and unmotivated in their careers. It can be easy to feel like there’s never enough time to get everything done at work, let alone continue to build relationships, take care of your health and have time to pursue your own interests. That’s where the 80/20 Your Life! approach can be implemented to carve out more time for what’s really important, while expending less time and energy. Damon Zahariades covers how to manage your home life, build meaningful relationships, and even manage your finances smoothly and easily.
Never Check E-Mail in the Morning by Julie Morgenstern
Never Check E-Mail in the Morning by Julie Morgenstern (Touchstone)
AMAZON.COM
It can become habitual to hit the alarm, only to check your email immediately after you wake up. The same can be said for checking social media or responding to texts—but that’s no way to get ahead. In Never Check E-Mail in the Morning, Julie Morgenstern argues that checking your email right away (along with other time management and prioritization mistakes) can actually make you less productive and more scattered in your efforts. That’s why she lays out several strategies (including stopping multitasking) to help advancement-minded professionals prioritize and accomplish tasks with clarity and efficiency.
Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Made to Stick by Chip Heath and Dan Heath (Random House)
AMAZON.COM
Sometimes, the most-remembered facts aren’t actually true—a conundrum that’s even more prevalent with the rise of fake news. But just because your story, factoid or product isn’t associated with an urban legend doesn’t mean it can’t be memorable—or useful. The authors of Made to Sticklay out several strategies to capture audience attention and increase retention that are derived from true, sticky success stories that utilize the same principles.
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal
Indistractable: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life by Nir Eyal (BenBella Books)
AMAZON.COM
One of the biggest challenges facing us all—especially those wanting considerable career success—is a bevy of distractions. From social media to opportunities that just aren’t quite right for us, we’re easily pulled away from the things that matter most. I read an advance copy of this book—which will be published in September—and Eyal explains how we can balance technology with our well-being and our relationships. He offers numerous steps for getting focused so you can take your career where you want it to go.
The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham
The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham (Free Press)
AMAZON.COM
Marcus Buckingham’s third book, The One Thing You Need to Know, outlines a key practice for creating and sustaining a successful business. Successful management, leadership and career success are all possible by continuing to pay attention to the one thing that really matters to you and keeping that “core insight” at the heart of your endeavors. The author backs up his strategies with research and interviews that examine employees at every level of a variety of organizations, all with the goal of distilling their success into reproducible strategies.
[“source=forbes”]