My 6 favorite professional development books from the last 5 years
I read a lot of professional development books. The more I can learn about the way people think, the way we work, and the way I can live a more well-rounded life, the better. Whether you’re considering a career pivot, looking to expand your network, or simply trying to figure out what you want to do “when you grow up,” a good professional development book can make all the difference.
But not all professional development books are created equally. For me, the best ones are also the best personal development books, and the best of those teach us to live balanced lives (so no comparing yourself to billionaires or working twelve-hour days here). As Emilie Wapnick says in How to Be Everything, “this is about life design, not career planning.” These books have helped me create a fuller life for myself, not just find a good way to pay the bills, and are the ones I go back to again and again, keep within arm’s reach, and recommend to friends. So here are my favorite professional development books from the last five years (and check out those covers—there’s definitely a color scheme going on!).
Build Your Dream Network by J. Kelly Hoey is the best book to learn how to network.
The best book to learn how to network is Build Your Dream Network by J. Kelly Hoey
I’ve written about Build Your Dream Network by networking expert, speaker, podcast host, and all-around great connector J. Kelly Hoey a few times. I knew for ages that I had to “network” but I hated the word and the idea—then I read this book and promptly tracked Kelly down at LMHQ’s Women’s Breakfast and wrote about her book for Business Insider. She takes the cringe out of network and tells it like it really is: networking is just a way to go about solving a problem by tending to and expanding your community. Kelly has an awesome blog, an amazing mailing list that I subscribe to, and a great podcast (I don’t subscribe to many mailing lists or listen to many podcasts, so you know they’ve got to be good). She’s also very active on Twitter, so say hi! And if you’re looking for a goal-focused networking process that centers real human connection and generosity, definitely pick up Build Your Dream Network.
Pivot by Jenny Blake is the best book when you’re thinking about a career pivot.
The best book when you’re thinking about a career pivot is Pivot by Jenny Blake
Jenny Blake is the absolute expert when it comes to the career pivot, and in Pivot, she takes you through her Pivot Method (Plant, Scan, Pilot, Launch, Lead), a start-to-finish roadmap of self awareness and taking action. I still can’t believe how in-depth Jenny got in just 270 pages—if you follow the method, it really does give you every step you need to achieve a successful pivot. What I like most about this book is that it’s not one of those “stick it to the man, work from a beach, anyone can do it!” books (at all—who benefits from those, honestly!?). It’s practical and encourages building the pivot mindset into everyday behaviors. She also has so many resources on her site—she is truly the pivot master!
I Know How She Does it by Laura Vanderkam is the best book for examining how you spend your time.
The best book for how to manage your time is I Know How She Does it by Laura Vanderkam
Time can be our enemy and our friend and it can (appear to) move swiftly or slowly, but all of us have 168 hours per week. And yet, I often get to the end of the week and think: what did I just do? In I Know How She Does It, time management expert Laura Vanderkam studied hourly time logs of 1,001 days of women who make at least $100,000 a year and examined how they balance work, family, and fun. I’ve read 168 Hours, Off the Clock, and I Know How She Does It and I like them all, but I Know How She Does It was first for me and introduced me to the concept of a time audit for the first...time. If you’re interested in time management and how to be mindful of your time to live a balanced life, go ahead and read all three! If you’re interested in trying out a time log or doing a time-tracking challenge, she has both of those and more on her site.
How to Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick is the best book when you like to do all of the things.
The best book when you can’t pick just one thing to do is How to Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick
As someone who has worn many hats, worked in many industries, has many (MANY) hobbies, and has frequently been described as a jack-of-all-trades, How to Be Everything by Emilie Wapnick really caught my eye. Emilie explores the concept of being a multipotentialite: someone with many interests and creative pursuits. Instead of focusing on one career, niche, or interest, she posits, multipotentialites should embrace their many passions—and make it work for them in life and in their career. In addition to describing the four multipotentialite work models (the Group Hug Approach, the Slash Approach, the Einstein Approach, and the Phoenix Approach), she lays out practical career advice, productivity techniques, and encouragement for those of us who love to do all of the things to embrace our endless curiosity and own being everything. Check out her TED talk and also Puttylike, her community site that also has loads of amazing blog posts and resources.
No Hard Feelings by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy is the best book about learning how to embrace your emotions at work. Note the many post-its.
The best book about workplace psychology and dealing with other people is No Hard Feelings by Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy
No Hard Feelings is a must-have for navigating the modern workplace. Do I take my whole self to work or keep my personal life private? If I do what I love, will I really never work a day in my life? Which emotions should I consider when I’m trying to make decisions? Liz Fosslien and Mollie West Duffy examine the power of embracing your emotions at work by examining burnout, company culture, psychological safety, and so much more by drawing on behavioral economics, psychology, and their own expertise. The book is filled with amazing illustrations by Liz and they also have takeaways for each chapter, resources, and assessments like how to determine how psychologically safe your team is. You can check out even more resources on their site.
The New Rules of Work by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew is the best book for modern career navigation.
The best book for general career development is The New Rules of Work by Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew
As a long-time reader of The Muse, I knew I had to check out The New Rules of Work by The Muse founders Alexandra Cavoulacos and Kathryn Minshew. This book is a goldmine, especially for early-career folks, but really, anyone at any stage in their career can use it. Like Pivot, it goes through the steps of examining what you really want to do, examining your choices, and expanding your network, but it has a really helpful and in-depth section about finding job opportunities and openings, crafting your application, acing the interview, and negotiating—all for the modern workplace. The last section about growing and advancing your career goes into the nitty gritty of communication, productivity, managing up, and other aspects of professional development. It is extremely detailed and, like every book on this list, is absolutely crammed with practical, actionable advice and things you can put into practice today. You can look inside The New Rules of work and check out some of their free downloads here.
While the internet is full of videos, posts, and lists (like this one!) about professional and personal development, I think there’s still nothing better than curling up with a good book to take your career—and yourself—to the next level.