Boove / Professional Development Explained by These Books

Too many young professionals starting in today’s corporate world perceive a disconnection between the environment they experienced in high school and their new corporate reality. It is like they skipped a couple of important classes in-between! They better catch up and learn to adapt to it soon, .

If navigating the modern corporate world is challenging, just wait until you find out that you’re supposed to quietly always put your professional interest first and foremost before those of the company, regardless of what the company officially says.

Sounds confusing? Let those who already navigated the corporate waters towards success guide you by reading their books on professional development. Make sure that at the end, you gain much more from the company than they take from you.

#1 Life Is Easy. We Make It Hard by Cory Collins

“Life is Easy, We Make it Hard “ is an uplifting, inspirational, and motivational self-help book that offers practical advice for its readers to follow on a range of topics in both their personal and professional lives such as unlocking your full potential, finding your true calling, overcoming adversity, building better relationships, connecting through communication, work-life balance, personal & professional development, attaining prosperity, self-fulfilment, and much more.

The author makes his points clearly, and in a way that is very accessible to the reader, offering quite a few things that most people can put to almost immediate use according to the book’s copy editor. One of the features of this book is the wealth of quotations from people who are well-known. They are the kinds of quotations that make me say to myself, Gee, I have to write that down so I don’t forget it!

#2 Never Split the Difference: Negotiating as if Your Life Depended on It

The ability to negotiate is an essential skill to have, whether in your personal life or work. This book by Chris Voss illustrates the many ways he has dealt with high-stakes negotiations in his life and the lessons you can take away from his experiences. Your emotional intelligence and intuition will be challenged at a whole new level, equipping you with a competitive edge.

#3 Management Mess to Leadership Success by Scott Jeffrey Miller

Scott Miller knows what it’s like to fail. He was demoted from his first leadership position after only three weeks―and that’s just one of several messy management stories in Management Mess to Leadership Success. And Scott’s not alone. Everyone fails. But something sets Scott apart: he knows that failure is not a synonym for unwanted retirement. Scott knows firsthand what it’s like to go from out-of-touch boss to team-growing leader.

In Management Mess to Leadership Success, you’ll find 30 leadership challenges, honed by FranklinCovey through years of research, instructional programs, and executive consultancy, and illustrated with real-life experiences shared by someone who’s lived these challenges.

Leaders aren’t hired to maintain the status quo. The whole point of leadership is to create positive (often radical) change. Sometimes, that means watching someone you’ve coached succeed―and maybe even surpass you. Sometimes, it means saying no more often than saying yes. But always, it means improving yourself and your team in new and unconventional ways. Dare to do the unexpected―dare to lead.

#4 “Think and Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill

This book was my first personal development book. It is an old one, maybe one of the first but its message is still valid.

#5 Better Decisions. Better Thinking. Better Outcomes by Steven Howard

Too many decisions are being made by entrepreneurs, leaders, and employees who are impacted by stress, overloaded brains, tiredness, and unregulated emotions. All of these are impacting their decision-making processes, cognitive abilities, and the outcomes they produce.

This book has a range of strategies, techniques, and tips for regaining control of the decision-making process by enabling the rational, thinking centre of the brain (prefrontal cortex) to regain jurisdiction. The result will be better decisions, improved cognitive abilities, and better outcomes.

The book was released in October 2018 and recently received a Silver Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association for providing a comprehensive plan of action for improving life through recognising decision-making patterns that don’t serve us well, don’t enrich our lives, and don’t bring us to our goals and dreams. It has also received a Distinguished Favourite Award in the 2019 Independent Press Awards Leadership Books category.

#6 Connect: How to Love and Accept Yourself After Divorce

Connect is a foolproof plan on how to push past fears and struggles and build your confidence, so you can live the life you’ve been dreaming of. The book focuses on thriving after divorce but the advice can really be applied to any situation in life.

#7 The Millionaire Real Estate Agent by Gary Keller

This book is one of the top professional development sources for real estate agents, both beginners and experienced ones. This book really focuses on how to enhance your productivity (through three different strategies) and master the art of lead generation, which is key for the success of any real estate agent career. It’s not a get-rich-quickly scheme but a detailed road to long-term success in the real estate business.

#8 The Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents by Hal Elrod

This book is specifically tailored for real estate agents who have worked for a few years and have started feeling some of the exhaustion of a career in real estate. It poses a 30-day challenge to agents to change their professional and personally lives for the better, based on the experience of the authors. If you want to take your real estate business to the next level, that’s the right book for you.

#9 Limitless: How to Ignore Everybody, Carve your Own Path, and Live Your Best Life

Limitless helps readers discover their consonance—how they align what they do with who they are—to achieve their limitless potential. In a striking contrast to other self-help books, Limitless debunks the traditional and externally defined versions of success, helping readers understand why we’ve gotten it wrong for so long. Limitless gives a framework for everyone, at every age and life stage—from high school seniors and entrepreneurs to new mothers going back to work and retirees—to understand what success means for them and what to change to have it the way that works for themselves.

#10 Everybody Matters by Bob Chapman

It’s an amazing book, one filled with moving personal stories of real employees whose lives were changed for the better forever when they began working at Bob Chapman’s company Barry-Wehmiller. The big message I took from this book is while businesses need to make a profit, it doesn’t have to be at the expense of its people.

If you truly care for people you can create a company that flourishes, people want to show up for work, give their best and you can still make a profit. I contacted Bob to tell him how much the book had influenced me, and he actually took the time to call me and have a chat. Just wow, someone that writes about this stuff and lives and breathes it!

#11 I’m Possible: Jumping into Fear and Discovering a Life of Purpose

This book was amazing. I haven’t finished a book in a few years. I couldn’t put this one down as it spoke to the heart of who I am. As a photographer, Jeremy touched on many topics I have struggled with. It was honest, encouraging, and exactly what I needed to read. Give this book a chance, you won’t regret it!

#12 Business Model Generation by Alexander Osterwalder

For those who seek to develop their business models, this book is perfect as it contains professional advice from established entrepreneurs. The concepts mentioned will effectively aid you in visualising and understanding all aspects of your business. Reviewed by many to be valuable, it’s guaranteed to revolutionise the way your company works and how consumers view your brand.

#13 Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance

This book is both a motivational tool and an informative dissertation. It teaches you the science behind grit, as well as gives you practical advice via anecdotes and other personal stories. It’s super easy to read and interesting all along the way. Check it out!