Survive and Thrive: 5 Must-Read New Books For Career Success
Career success is one of those terms that isn’t very easy to define. Because what success looks like varies widely from one person to another. You may have aspirations to secure a seat at the boardroom table, or even the CEO’s chair. Or you may find greater satisfaction in any of the other parts of your company. There’s no right or wrong path. And contrary to common rhetoric, there’s nothing greater or lesser about whatever your choice may be.
No matter where your sights are, there are common elements of career success. The basics you probably learned in college. Some you’ve learned along the way. But as in most of human experience, unique insights and ideas are hatching in the minds and experiences of those around us every day. While most of those are probably never broadly shared, some are transformed into written accounts that instruct, inform, and inspire us. They light the path to greater career success.
In the first quarter of 2017, I’ve seen quite a number of newly published books. I’ve whittled those down to five that I think are great resources for anyone aspiring to up their career game. They’re listed below in no particular order. Whether you want to be your company superstar, or want the boss’s job, applying the wisdom in these resources to your career is sure to make a difference in 2017 and beyond.
Why Women by Jeffery Tobias Halter
Forget for a moment any discussion of gender equality in the workplace. A business exists to make a profit for its owners or stockholders. But author Jeffery Halter says that’s exactly why corporations, and men in particular, need to get clear with the reality that it’s women who offer perhaps the largest untapped potential for increasing productivity and profits.
He sums it up quite clearly:
“Growing revenue, improving operating profits, and enhancing your company reputation are the three primary reasons to implement an Integrated Women’s Leadership Strategy.”
Get a copy for yourself as a reminder of your own value. Then, give a copy to your boss prior to your next review or when you’re after that promotion.
Happier at Work by Gayle Van Gils
It’s been said that happiness is one of the most sought-after commodities of human culture. In the final analysis, we all just want to be happy. Our hectic, connected, modern world makes it pretty common to feel happiness slip away and be replaced by the nine-to-five drag.
In Happier at Work, Gayle Van Gils shows how to shift the dynamic from one of stress, fear, and unproductive reactivity to one of clarity in communication (with self and others) and effective collaboration. Through concepts of mindfulness and meditation, she shows how showing a little for for yourself and your co-workers can transform the work experience. If you’re a yoga practitioner, these insights will be very familiar.
Imagine having a joyful work experience. Grab this great read and create it for yourself.
Is This Working? by Courtney C.W. Guerra
So your career, or maybe your search for one, is on cruise control. You’re pretty sure where you want to go and doing what you think it takes to get there. But how do you know? What are the course corrections that you should be considering, and when should you make them? Are you simply moving too fast to even read the signs along the way?
Yes, the devil is in the details. And on the rush to the prize, the details can sometimes get overlooked. “Is This Working” is like your mom at the door before you left for school. Full of reminders and reality checks. It’s an easy-reading and worthwhile collection of tips to help get you and keep you on track to your career goals.
True Fit by Jim Beqaj
It was Steve Jobs who insightfully said
“The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know it when you find it.”
So if that’s your mantra, also, then you must believe that somewhere out there the perfect job awaits you, even while you’re seeking to find it. It only follows then that it’s important to remain true to yourself.
Sure we have to pay the bills. But in the process you’ve got to remain true to yourself. How else can that perfect job find you? Author Jim Beqaj says finally making that connection is worth the effort, because both you and your employer will benefit. And coaches you on how to identify and find it.
Boss Bitch by Nicole Lapin
The subtitle of Boss Bitch is “A Simple 12-Step Plan To Take Charge of Your Career.” But that’s like like calling a gallon of super high octane racing fuel a gasoline additive.
In Boss Bitch, author Nicole Lapin uses her own experience of business, the hard-knocks of life, and well-earned successes to illustrate what it takes to get what you want from your career, and even life. Boss Bitch isn’t about incarnating the persona of “The Devil Wears Prada,” it’s about setting your sights on your dreams and going for them. Read it, and prepare to take your seat at the table.
