Book Recommendations - Personal Growth

Who doesn't want to get better and be able to put their emphasis on excellence? The people who visit this site know what I mean!  We love to learn and grow.  Here are some books that I grouped under the category of 'personal growth' - and they are about professional growth as well, which can't really happen without the personal growth...at least that's my experience.  See if some of these recommendations sound helpful for you. 

Babcock, Linda & Laschever, Sara.  Women Don't Ask:  The High Cost of Avoiding Negotiation--and Positive Strategies for Change.

This book will wake you up. I only wish it had been available at the beginning of my career.  Pretty much, you can't afford NOT to read this book.

Babcock, Linda & Laschever, Sara.  Ask For It: How Women Can Use the Power of Negotiation to Get What They Really Want .

Braiker, Harriet. The Disease to Please.

Dr. Braiker's first book (that I read) was The Type E Woman (for the woman who tries to be everything to everyone). Let's just say I found a few tidbits in there for myself and for others I knew. So when this particular book came out, I bought it right away. It has quizzes and suggestions, and best of all, a 21-day plan. I have recommended it to many, have used it in workshops and with coaching clients, and have worked with it myself (for myself). Powerful.

Buckingham, Marcus. GO Put Your Strengths to Work:  6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance.

Marcus Buckingham is the face of the strengths movement.  His earlier books that he wrote while with the Gallup Organization helped propel him to rock star status.  Plus, he's a fabulous speaker and communicator and thinker (and yes, he's handsome, too).  Now that he's started his own company, he is building an empire to keep propelling the strengths movement ahead.  This book is an excellent read, you get to take a strengths assessment, and it has super nifty tools included (Love it and Loathe it cards, for example).  HIGHLY recommended to be part of your library.

Buckingham, Marcus & Donald O. Clifton. Now, Discover Your Strengths.

I cannot recommend this book enough and even though it's not a time/paper management book per se, it is because of their research-based philosophy that we need to spend our time, energy, efforts, and lives doing what we do best and helping those around us do the same. This is probably the book I have recommended to more people for a longer period of time than any other book I've ever read. It's life changing.

Collins, Peggy with Saverance, Deborah. Help Is Not a Four Letter Word: When Doing It All is Doing You In.

Hallowell, Edward, CrazyBusy: Overstretched, Overbooked, and About to Snap! Strategies for Handling Your Fast-Paced Life.

The title alone is probably intriguing to you - and once you read it, you will have a new perspective on whether your life is CrazyBusy and if that's the way you want to keep it.  Hallowell, who has studied professionals for YEARS and why we seem to stay in a frenzied state, offers strategies that are applicable.  I've read and reread this book and bought it as a CD series as well.  Apparently, I need to hear/see the information more than once.  How about you?

Kossek, Ellen Ernst & Lautsch , Brenda A.  CEO of Me.

I read this book in preparation for a day-long workshop I was going to be doing at Michigan State University as part of a symposium on Work-Life Balance.  The first author was one of the symposium presenters. This book is fabulous and I've bought at least 30 copies to give away to others.  The authors studied professionals in academia, government, and corporate settings.  You'll find yourself among these pages - and will learn some tools to help create the best professional & personal life you can.

Mason, Mary Ann & Ekman, Eve Mason.  Mothers on the Fast Track.

Excellent book based on the "Do Babies Matter" study (by Mason & Goulden) as well as additional research conducted by the two authors (mother & daughter)

Olsen Laney, Marti. The Introvert Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World.

This is an OUTSTANDING book whether you are an introvert or an extrovert.  I learned so much from reading Laney's book.  I wish it had been written years ago and that I had known about it. Her information is enlightening and her suggestions are smart and reasonable.  She knows what she is talking about and doesn't offer ideas that an introvert would eschew.  This is an excellent follow-up book to the 'Networking for Introverts' workshop.

Rath, Tom, and Reckmeyer, Mary. How Full Is Your Bucket? For Kids.

Rath, Tom, and Clifton, Donald O. How Full Is Your Bucket?: Positive Strategies for Work and Life.

Rath, Tom. StrengthsFinder 2.0.

After Marcus Buckingham left the Gallup Organization to start his own company (and write his own book....GO Put Your Strengths to Work:  6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance), then it was important for Gallup to publish a new book on the Strengths work that they have continued to do.  And this is that book.  For some reason, I was poised not to like it (who knows why), but I like it VERY much.  It's clear, provides excellent action suggestions for each of the 34 strengths, and of course, has the magic code in it so you can take the StrengthsFinder assessment.  This is the book I now use when I'm teaching Strengths workshops.  Order it today if you haven't already.

Welch, Suzy 10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea.