Shana Lebowitz’s 7 books that will change the way you work in 2017 (www.businessinsider.com)
- What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Marshall Goldsmith and Mark Reiter
- Is geared toward workers looking to advance to the next stage in their careers.
- The authors also offer a number of necessary wake-up calls — like the fact that it matters more what other people think of you than what you think of you. And that asking your team for "feedforward," or suggestions for the future, is just as important as soliciting feedback.
- Smarter Faster Better by Charles Duhigg
- He draws on stories from Disney, Google teams, and airplane pilots to make the argument that productivity and creativity are really the results of systematic thinking and behavior.
- Duhigg suggests that the creative team succeeded by combining old ideas in new ways. In other words, anyone can learn to be creative if they embrace the power of new perspectives.
- Payoff by Dan Ariely
- Ariely argues that human motivation is a lot more complex than we might believe. Most importantly, money isn't everything.
- In fact, getting pizza and compliments can be more motivating than getting a financial bonus. And letting people take ownership of a project and giving them credit for it makes them more inclined to do it well.
- Superbosses by Sydney Finkelstein
- Says that if you look at the key players within any industry, you'll notice that most of them at some point worked for the same few individuals.
- The book's main argument is that any manager can become a superboss by developing the key traits and behaviorsthat Finkelstein outlines, like fearlessness, authenticity, and not being afraid to let a great employee go.
- Why We Work by Barry Schwartz
- Human motivation is about more than just money.
- And you can harness the power of intrinsic motivation — or people's desire to do a good job for the sake of doing a good job — to get better work from your employees.
- Designing Your Life by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
- Let's say you're feeling unfulfilled at work. Before you jump ship or resign yourself to a life of misery, the authors suggest keeping what they call a "Good Time Journal." You keep track of your daily activities and which you enjoy the most, and try to redesign your current or next gig so you do more of what you love.
- The authors also recommend an exercise called "Odyssey Plans," in which you map out different potential lives for yourself. The point is to realize that your life could take you in many different directions — and you could be happy in each one.
- Pivot by Jenny Blake
- In "Pivot," career coach and former Googler Jenny Blake guides readers through the steps required to make a career change. It could be a big one — starting your own business — or a small one — taking on new responsibilities in your current role.
- The main thing to know about Blake's pivot plan is that it involves a lot of careful planning and introspection — so even if the final outcome doesn't look exactly the way you imagined it, presumably you won't wine up broke, unemployed, or regretful.
Please share great books you have come across.