10 Professional Development Books to Read in 2022
Professional development books give insight on how to grow in our careers and better approach work-related conflict through self-improvement, education, and mindset shifts. They also strengthen how we respond to challenges and how well we adapt to shifting work environments.
We asked the team at PowerToFly to share their favorite reads for career growth. Keep reading to see our top 10 professional development books to read this year!
Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World by Cal Newport
What Cal Newport calls a “valuable” and “increasingly rare” skill, having the ability to deep work will not only allow you to feel truly fulfilled, but to be better at your job and to be more successful in both work and life. With practical and actionable advice, Newport teaches you how to transform your mind and your daily habits so that you can learn the life-changing art of deep work and become the professional you have always wanted to be.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
In this insightful book, Dale Carnegie teaches you how to succeed in your personal and professional life by transforming the way you interact with the people around you. By improving your communication skills you can boost your confidence, grow your social circle, strengthen your public speaking, and ultimately strengthen your professional life.
Awaken the Giant Within: How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny by Anthony Robbins
Renowned expert Tony Robbins teaches you how to master your mind, body, relationships, and money so you can take control of your life and find your purpose. Through practical steps, you can learn how to propel your career forward and reach your true potential in your professional life through the power of self-mastery, goal setting, and perseverance.
The Untethered Soul at Work: Teachings to Transform Your Work Life by Michael A. Singer
A spiritual leader, founder of the Medical Manager Corporation, and software architect, Michael A. Singer delivers a powerful program that focuses on building a healthy relationship with the mind to transform how we approach our work. By properly equipping our minds, Singer teaches us how to handle the 10 most common workplace issues, win success, and find fulfillment in our professional careers.
The Ride of a Lifetime: Lessons Learned from 15 Years as CEO of the Walt Disney Company by Robert Iger and Joel Lovell
Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company and one of the most successful CEOs of our time, shares the lessons he learned and the ideas and values he gained while leading Disney, a company of 200,000 employees, from a position of increased competition and rapidly changing technology to the internationally beloved name we all know today.
The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer
We live in a very connected world, and the more virtual we become, the more connected we get. With such a culture clash happening in the workplace, Erin Meyer expertly guides us through the sometimes funny, sometimes messy issues that can arise in a culturally diverse environment by providing a model of how these differences can affect international business, along with some practical advice for overcoming them.
Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World by Ashley Godall and Marcus Buckingham
There are nine lies pervading the workplace, and as well-intentioned as they may be, they are wreaking havoc. According to Buckingham and Goodall in this insightful work, the only way to overcome these destructive lies is through freethinking leadership. By digging deeper, breaking some outdated patterns, and embracing uniqueness, freethinking leaders are paving the way for a workplace that is real, functional, and displays its success down to its very core.
Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Malone Scott
Expert CEO Coach Kim Scott understands that being a good boss is tough, which is why she created a radical, new method to approach management. By finding the middle ground between what Scott calls “obnoxious aggression” and “ruinous empathy”, she teaches bosses about the power of radical candor and how they can use it to create success as a leader – and maintain their humanity while they’re at it. Written for bosses by a boss, this practical guide to leadership is certain to change the professional environment for the better.
What Color Is Your Parachute? A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers by Richard Nelson Bolles
With timeless advice, up-to-the-minute insights, and more than ten million copies sold over fifty years, the advice in this book still rings true in today’s challenging job market, as recent grads face a shifting economic landscape and seek work that pays and inspires, as workers are laid off mid-career, and as people search for an inspiring work-life change. In this highly regarded career advice book, Richard Nelson Bolles offers unique and authoritative guidance so that job seekers and pivoters can have the tools to discover and land their dream job.
The Happiness Advantage: the 7 Principles of Positive Psychology That Fuel Success and Performance at Work by Shawn Anchor
Conventional wisdom ties success to happiness: the more successful we are, the happier we’ll be. In this book, Harvard lecturer Shawn Anchor explores the possibility that happiness fuels success. When we are positive, our brains become more engaged, creative, motivated, energetic, resilient, and productive at work. He outlines seven actionable principles that lead to success, backed by research in psychology, neuroscience, and management studies. He highlights how to reap the benefits of a happier and more positive mind-set to achieve the extraordinary in our work and in our lives.
