You can’t expect to grow professionally and become a better version of yourself if you give up reading. It’s not only about professional development. Reading helps open your mind to a new world. You become smarter and more thoughtful due to reading. Indeed, no matter how old you grow, reading and book recommendations should always be a valuable part of your life.
Only those people who aren’t satisfied with surface knowledge and always have an unquenchable thirst for learning more are able to make a difference. Hence, if you want to find a way to help your professional development, you can count on reading to be your most valuable ally.
But here’s the thing. There are too many books around. How to determine which of these books can help with your professional development and enable you to become a better leader? That’s what we are here for.
Book Recommendations for Professional Development Worth A Read
It can be tricky to decide which books to start with. Here are some books you must give a read if you want to take your professional development to the next level. They will provide you with much-needed guidance.
1. Tribe of Mentors by Tim Ferris
Tim Ferris is quite a well-known author. He has written some pretty incredible books like The 4-hour Workweek. And this one is no exception. In fact, you will find invaluable tips for professional development in Tribe of Mentors.
Ferris took it upon himself to provide a detailed guide to those looking for professional development and enrichment. Hence, he not only researched habits but also collected advice from numerous top performers of the world. From athletes to entrepreneurs, everyone contributed to this gem.
If you want to read a book that will unveil the secret to career development in a single read, this one’s a must-read.
2. Unshakeable by Tony Robbins
Professional development cannot be complete without financial wisdom. After all, can you really expect to grow in your career if you don’t have a sound understanding of the financial world? This is why you must read this book.
Tony Robbins interviewed around fifty successful investors and economists from all over the world for this book. Hence, you will find Unshakeable to be enriched with financial wisdom. It will tell you all you need to know about protecting your asset.
This book focuses on attaining financial stability. And once you manage to become financially secure, working on your professional development wouldn’t seem such a challenge.
3. Powerful by Patty McCord
You might have heard of Patty McCord. She was in charge of hiring at Netflix for a long time. Hence, her advice about recruiting and motivating your team is bound to come in handy.
If you want to ensure your professional development and become a leader, you have to learn how to lead a team. You will have to hire the right candidates for every position and keep a check on their performance. You must also learn how to make difficult decisions of letting people go. Patty McCord makes it easier for you to understand it all via her book.
4. It Doesn’t Have to Be Crazy at Work by Jason Fried & David Heinemeier Hansson
Think about it. What’s one of the most significant roadblocks to professional development? Yes, it’s the reluctance to go to work. A lot of modern workplaces expect their employees to work until they drop. There’s no concept of work-life balance. The result? The monotonous and overwhelming routine eventually gets to you.
But this doesn’t always have to be the case. It’s indeed possible to avoid the hustle yet continue to put in your best performance at work. This is precisely what you will learn in this book. This book elaborates on a work culture targeted at nurturing employees. If you are a team lead, this book will do wonders for your professional development and teach you how to get the most out of your team members.
5. Principles by Ray Dalio
What better way to learn about professional development than hear about it directly from people who have managed to make a mark? Ray Dalio is known as a successful entrepreneur and investor. Hence, his advice about leading a successful personal and professional life is definitely worth a read.
This book elaborates on the set of principles adopted by Dalio all his life. He attributes his success to these rules and is now sharing them with the world. The best part about this book is that it can help anyone with professional development and is particularly helpful for leaders.
Plenty of Help for Professional Development
There’s no scarcity of book recommendations that can help you with professional development. We have merely mentioned a few of them, but you will soon realize how many options you have.
For instance, you can read Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson. This book has some incredibly powerful lessons on leading a happy and successful life.
Then there’s The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey. This book not only helps with your professional development but will also teach you how to be more efficient in your personal life.
How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie is also a good read. It teaches you how to inspire people around you. You can also read Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill and StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath.
To put it in simple words, once you decide to make reading a habit, you will never run out of options. These book recommendations won’t only prove to be helpful in professional development. They will also teach you how to be more successful and happy in life.
