Need a serious boost in your career or life? Well, turn off the TV, invest in yourself and stretch your mind with one of these thought provoking page-turners instead.
1. “Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers” by Lois P. Frankel
Who it’s for: If you’ve ever slaved away like a little ant hoping to get noticed, while Dave seems to spend half his day chatting to the boss – and still gets all the good assignments, then this book is for you.
There are 7 sections covering everything from politics to personal branding to how we communicate. Read it cover to cover or simply pick it up, review one of the 101 ‘mistakes’ discussed and ponder.
And while I disagree with some of the suggestions, I could not agree more with the core message – that success comes not from acting like a man, but by acting like a woman instead of a girl.
2. “Difficult Conversations” by Douglas Hatton, Bruce Stone and Sheila Heen
Who it’s for: If you ever avoid difficult conversations, or launch into them and then wish things had gone differently, then this book is for you.
Conflict is inevitable. But in business and life we often avoid essential conversations like asking for a well-deserved raise, giving feedback to a touchy staff-member or confronting a friend who has been undermining us.
It doesn’t have to be that way. This invaluable book gives you the lowdown on a rare skill that will make you shine as you move up the corporate ladder (and preserve your sanity too!)
3. “Take Yourself to the Top” by Laura Berman-Fortgang
Who it’s for: If you would you like more from life than just doing your job in the week and relaxing (or collapsing) on weekends then this book is for you.
The world has changed. Organizational restructuring and downsizing are common, we move jobs regularly and this means we have to constantly reprove and reinvent ourselves. So whether you’re a professional or an entrepreneur, we all need to look out for ourselves and be a leader in our own lives.
Laura’s book helps us do just that, showing how to take charge of our career and life, stop making excuses and go out and make our dreams happen.
4. “Now Discover Your Strengths” by Marcus Buckingham
Who it’s for: If you want to know what your greatest strengths are, boost your career and enjoy yourself more then this book is for you.
Marcus believes we would all be a lot more successful if we focused on building and using our strengths. As opposed to the current culture (think employee appraisals and school report cards) which focuses on improving and trying to ‘fix’ our weaknesses.
So, go ahead and discover Top 5 Signature Strengths and hidden talents using the online test. Now all you need to do is start using them!
5. “The 4-Hour Workweek” by Tim Ferriss
Who it’s for: If you truly love your job or your office is a “home away from home”, then this book is not for you. But if you want to get inspired to work less or find a way to inject some well-deserved adventure into your life then get reading!
Despite the many criticisms that could be levelled at it, this book makes it mark by giving us a new definition of wealth: The “New Rich” focus on happiness and enjoyment now rather than waiting to retire, whereas “Deferrers” work their way up organizations, collect status symbols and wait to retire (or die). Which are you?
About the author: Emma-Louise Elsey is a recovering perfectionist committed to living a life of simplicity, ease and happiness on Salt Spring Island with her husband, Starsky the cat and Dexter the dog. As the CEO of Simplicity Life Coaching, a certified Life-Coach and NLP practitioner, she has worked with many smart, successful women to get them unstuck in their careers and lives. She now works with fellow coaches, providing professional coaching tools and exercises at http://www.thecoachingtoolscompany.com that help them skyrocket both their clients and business. Also, coming soon www.rebelwomencafe – an inspirational website for unconventional women who are passionate about life!
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