The EJC Books We Love!
This year we decided to share a list of some of our favorite books. The books that made this list are ones that have stood the test of time – and we find ourselves reaching for them over and over again. These books have dog-eared pages, sticky notes, and highlights, and are often recommended to our clients for personal and professional development. In no particular order, here are the books and the reasons they made our list:
What Color Is Your Parachute, by Richard Bolles
Why do we love this book? It is a great book and reference guide for anyone new to the job market, looking to make a career transition, or just trying to navigate the job search process. The book contains tips for finding your passion and tapping into your natural talents, to writing your resume. It also contains a free self-inventory tool to help you identify your strengths and ideal work environment.
The 7 Habits Of Highly Effective People, by Stephen Covey
I was introduced to this book early in my HR career, along with Franklin Covey’s time management system. We love this book because the principles around having a personal vision, interpersonal leadership, and how our actions are guided by our attitudes and assumptions apply just as much today as they did in 1989 when the book was first published. This book is an effective tool for anyone wanting to manage their time more effectively, think more strategically, and focus their efforts on the activities that yield the greatest results.
Topgrading, by Bradford D. Smart, PhD
If you are looking to improve your talent and selection process, this book is an excellent resource for understanding what an “A” player is and how to manage “B” and “C” players. The book also provides tips for creating a structured interview guide based on core competencies, recruitment best practices, and strategies for coaching leaders and improving performance.
First, Break All The Rules, by Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
Managers and people leaders play the most critical role in employee satisfaction and retention. Research has shown that employees often stay or leave because of the person they work for. This book provides an inside look at interviews conducted by Gallup with over 90,000 managers and shares some of the things they do differently that have created greater employee satisfaction, cultivated exceptional performance, and retained top talent. The book also explores how leaders provide performance feedback by “holding up the mirror” and help the employee understand and build upon their natural strengths in one-on-one settings. Lastly, the book contains a set of questions that people leaders can ask individuals during their one-on-one meetings to learn about the employee’s unique individual needs, strengths, and their perception. All of the questions are performance management techniques designed to help managers see things through the eyes of the employee.
Showing Up Starts With You, by Jessica Saunders, SPHR, SHRM-SCP, ACC
While this book has not been around nearly as long as our favorites listed above, we love this book because of its general applicability to a broad audience and because it was written with many of our coaching clients in mind. Whether you are an executive, people leader, front-line employee, parent, student, or human being just trying to be better and show up more positively in your daily life, this book has it all! The book is a great resource for anyone who wants to lean into their values, be more intentional in their actions, and maximize their full potential. We all have a purpose and an important role to play in life and our work. It all starts with understanding what is within our control – how we perceive things, how we manage ourselves, and how we choose to respond. The process and journey begins internally, with you!