The Ultimate Summer Reading List to Grow Your Career

Summertime means great weather and bus, train, or plane trips to even better weather and adventures, and if you’re like me, you’ll find yourself on a beach with a book in hand. When I take time off work to go on a vacation — a real one, where I’m not checking email every five minutes — I come back to work refreshed and ready to take my projects to the next level.

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Vacation provides essential time to unwind and rest. But, a break from the everyday tasks of work also gives a natural space to be introspective about your own career path. Where were you at this time last year, and where do you want to get to next year? Does your manager know your career goals? Do *you* know your career goals?

See also: Career Growth Lab: How to Develop People Faster

Keeping in mind that the summer months might give you the necessary time to dive into a book, my team at Reflektive suggested the following books to get you thinking about how you can be better at work, and work can be better for you. Take a look and let me know if you pick one of these up!

1. Thanks for the Feedback

Douglas Stone and Sheila Heen

Mihca Anderson, director of people development at our customer Qumulo, says the company utilizes concepts from “Thanks for the Feedback” in workshops for employees on giving feedback. “In our workshops, we play with a framework for clarifying, constructing, and sharing feedback so that it lands with the receiver and opens up a dialogue.”

2. Good Authority: How to Become the Leader Your Team Is Waiting For

Jonathan Raymond

One of my favorite insights from Jonathan Raymond is that getting feedback from peers and managers at work can benefit our personal relationships outside work — you spend almost a third of your time at work, after all. If you enjoyed Jonathan’s webinars with us on leading one-on-ones and the 30-second manager, you’ll love his book.

3. Spark: How to Lead Yourself and Others to Greater Success

Angie Morgan, Courtney Lynch, Sean Lynch

We can’t get much better than the promotional copy on “Spark”:

Many people believe that leaders are the rare few at the upper echelons of a business or other enterprise. But the truth is leaders can be found at any level of an organization. These are the Sparks – the doers, thinkers, innovators, and key influencers who are catalysts for personal and organizational change. Sparks aren’t defined by the place they hold on an organizational chart. They are defined by their actions, commitment, and will.

“Spark” is recommended by Reflektive product manager and resident academic, Donna Scarola.

4. The Alliance: Managing Talent in the Networked Age

Chris Yeh, Ben Casnocha, Reid Hoffman

Today’s workplace requires a new type of relationship between employees and employers. To do this right, think about this relationship as an alliance, written by three leading thinkers with experience consulting and leading at technology companies in Silicon Valley.

Also, check out Chris Yeh’s webinar with us on neuroscience and feedback.

5. Rising Strong

Brene Brown

Brene Brown’s book “blurs personal and professional development. Excellent read!” says Reflektive senior customer success manager Leo Bialis-White.

6. The Vibrant Workplace: Overcoming the Obstacles to Building a Culture of Appreciation

Dr. Paul White

As employees are drawn to companies that align with their values and where they have impact, it’s important that employees feel appreciated. True appreciation is different than recognition, according to Dr. Paul White, who also co-wrote “Appreciation at Work” with Gary Chapman, based on his research from “The 5 Love Languages.”

7. The War of Art

Steven Pressfield

No matter whether you are writing a screenplay, planning a live event, or writing code for a new product, Steven Pressfield dives into what blocks innovation and creativity. The book shares on how to face resistance and is recommended by Reflektive senior customer success manager, Mengchao Wu.

8. The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness

Lolly Daskal

There’s a massive shift in today’s organizations. Employees need people leaders, not task managers, in order to be motivated to do their best work. Lolly Daskal is a renown expert on leadership and brings together some amazing tools into her latest book.

9. Leaders Eat Last

Simon Sinek

“Leaders Eat Last” is also recommended by Reflektive’s product manager, Donna Scarola. “This is a great book on how being a leader is more than just holding power, but having the responsibility to enable others.”

Don’t miss our webinar with LifeLabs on career growth, now available on-demand.