Resources - Book Recommendations

Atomic Habits, by James Clear

Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results

No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving - every day. James Clear, one of the world's leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.

If you're having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn't you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don't want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you'll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.

Clear is known for his ability to distill complex topics into simple behaviors that can be easily applied to daily life and work. Here, he draws on the most proven ideas from biology, psychology, and neuroscience to create an easy-to-understand guide for making good habits inevitable and bad habits impossible. Along the way, listeners will be inspired and entertained with true stories from Olympic gold medalists, award-winning artists, business leaders, life-saving physicians, and star comedians who have used the science of small habits to master their craft and vault to the top of their field.

Learn how to:

• Make time for new habits (even when life gets crazy)
• Overcome a lack of motivation and willpower
• Design your environment to make success easier
• Get back on track when you fall off course
• And much more

The Portland Business Journal "Book of Lists" provides you with listings of hundreds of the hottest area companies in their fields, by ranking. In addition, it lists the names of key decision makers, along with their titles and complete contact information. 

The Book of Lists is available free in most libraries.

Brene Brown is the author of five #1 New York Times bestsellers: The Gifts of Imperfection, Daring Greatly, Rising Strong, Braving the Wilderness, and Dare to Lead, and featured in the Netflix show, Call to Courage. She's also has a number of well-received TEDTalks on vulnerability, shame, and trust. Her belief is that you have to walk through vulnerability to get to courage, therefore need to embrace it to get to the other side and conquer your goals.

Change Your Questions, Change Your Life, by Marilee Adams

The first edition of Marilee Adams's book introduced a surprising, life-altering truth: any of us can literally change our lives simply by changing the questions we ask, especially those we ask ourselves. We can ask questions that open us to learning, connection, satisfaction, and success. Or we can ask questions that impede progress and keep us from getting results we want. Asking "What great things could happen today?" creates very different expectations, moods, and energy than asking "What could go wrong today?" 

The new, expanded 4th edition contains a new chapter that delves into what neuroscience reveals about managing our stresses and fears more effectively. This strengthens our understanding of why Question Thinking™ works so well. The book provides powerful, practical Question Thinking™ tools for interacting with people and situations more successfully. It provides the missing “how-to” for personal change by showing readers how to switch from a constricting, disempowering “Judger” mindset to an expansive, empowering “Learner” mindset. This is what enables people to foster breakthroughs and achieve the results, experiences, and relationships they desire.

In the extensively revised edition, Adams has made the book even more illuminating and helpful, adding three new chapters as well as three powerful new tools. 

Designing Your Life, a book by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Bill Burnett and Dave Evans from Stanford University show us how design thinking can help us create a life that is both meaningful and fulfilling, regardless of who or where we are, what we do or have done for a living, or how young or old we are. The same design thinking responsible for amazing technology, products, and spaces can be used to design and build your career and your life, a life of fulfillment and joy, constantly creative and productive, one that always holds the possibility of surprise. Use concepts like brainstorming and prototyping to actively design a fulfilling career and life. 

The authors also offer a free course called Designing Your Career

Emotional Agility, by Susan David.

The path to personal and professional fulfillment is rarely straight. Ask anyone who has achieved his or her biggest goals or whose relationships thrive and you’ll hear stories of many unexpected detours along the way. What separates those who master these challenges and those who get derailed? The answer is agility—emotional agility.

Emotional Agility is a science-based approach that allows us to navigate life’s twists and turns with self-acceptance, clear-sightedness, and an open mind. Renowned psychologist Susan David developed this concept after studying emotions, happiness, and achievement for more than twenty years. She found that no matter how intelligent or creative people are, or what type of personality they have, it is how they navigate their inner world—their thoughts, feelings, and self-talk—that ultimately determines how successful they will become.

The way we respond to these internal experiences drives our actions, careers, relationships, happiness, health—everything that matters in our lives. As humans, we are all prone to common hooks—things like self-doubt, shame, sadness, fear, or anger—that can too easily steer us in the wrong direction. Emotionally agile people are not immune to stresses and setbacks. The key difference is that they know how to adapt, aligning their actions with their values and making small but powerful changes that lead to a lifetime of growth. Emotional agility is not about ignoring difficult emotions and thoughts; it’s about holding them loosely, facing them courageously and compassionately, and then moving past them to bring the best of yourself forward.

Getting to Yes, Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In, by Roger Fisher, William L. Ury, and Bruce Patton

Since its original publication nearly thirty years ago, Getting to Yes has helped millions of people learn a better way to negotiate. One of the primary business texts of the modern era, it is based on the work of the Harvard Negotiation Project, a group that deals with all levels of negotiation and conflict resolution.

Getting to Yes offers a proven, step-by-step strategy for coming to mutually acceptable agreements in every sort of conflict. Thoroughly updated and revised, it offers readers a straight- forward, universally applicable method for negotiating personal and professional disputes without getting angry-or getting taken.

GRIT - The Power of Passion and Perseverance, by Angela Duckworth

GRIT is a classic resource about why some people succeed and others fail. Angela Duckworth shares new insights from her landmark research about why talent or IQ are hardly guarantors of success. Angela has found that grit—a combination of passion and perseverance for a singularly important goal—is the hallmark of high achievers in every domain. She’s also found scientific evidence that grit can grow, and shares how you can expand your passion and perseverance to make your future a reality.

Watch the author in this GRIT Ted Talk.

How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job, by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith

As you seek to rise to the next level — whether that means a new job, a challenging promotion, an entrepreneurial venture, or a whole new direction — you’ll find that the skills and approach that made you successful need to evolve. What got you here won’t necessarily get where you want to go. In fact, the very behaviors that have served you well in the past may be in your way.

Gold standard women’s leadership expert Sally Helgesen and coaching legend Marshall Goldsmith have each helped thousands of high achievers to reach greater heights and enjoy more satisfying careers. They know the unique strengths women bring to the table. But they have also watched common behaviors trip even the most talented women up. Drawing on decades of stories and insights, Sally and Marshall have combined their expertise to identify the twelve most common habits that undermine women in their quest to become more successful and create careers that are satisfying and rewarding.

See also "How Women Rise" synopsis.

Never Search Alone, by Phyl Terry

Three big ideas animate Never Search Alone:

1. Never Search Alone. Because your emotional balance is the most important thing you need to manage in a job search, you need a support group of fellow job seekers that will help you turn insecurity and anxiety into hope, motivation, confidence, and accountability.
2. Candidate-Market Fit. If product-market fit drives company success, candidate-market fit drives career success. So, before you begin interviewing and networking you need to identify precisely what you want and what the market wants. Phyl shows how this key step will help you figure out the intersection between your hopes and dreams and market realities.
3. Four Legs to the Negotiations Stool. There are *four* legs to the negotiations stool: compensation, budget, resources, and support. The last three drive your success in the next job, which is why Phyl shows job seekers to emphasize those too.

For even more support during this process, join a Job Search Council (JSC), a mutual support group made up of peer job seekers who agree to search together. The author helps interested job seekers find each other to form or join a JSC of people who want to help each other through the process.

Pay Up, Unlocking Insider Secrets of Salary Negotiation, by Kate Dixon

Just the thought of negotiating your salary can feel terrifying. But here’s a secret: pay negotiation doesn’t have to be scary.

For over 20 years, Kate Dixon has coached clients of all backgrounds through pay negotiations and worked inside all types of organizations managing pay and creating offers. Now, she’s sharing her secrets about the process so you can confidently negotiate your package and earn what you deserve.

With the clear explanations, actionable tips, and valuable client stories in Pay UP! Unlocking Insider Secrets of Salary Negotiation, you’ll learn:

• The terms and concepts you’ll encounter — and what they mean for you
• What to research and how to find everything you need to know
• What to say and do (and what NOT to)
• How to shift your mindset to become more confident and competent
• What assumptions are holding you back and how to leave them behind

Whether you’re a top executive or fresh out of school, this step-by-step system will help you create your negotiating plan from the ground up.

The 20-Minute Networking Meeting, by Marcia Ballinger and Nathan Perez

Taking the best elements of the best networkers from a multitude of industries and professions, combined with 40 years of the authors’ own experience, this book culminates in a highly productive networking approach from a hiring perspective. Chock full of real-world scenarios, short stories, meeting examples, and dozens of tips and observations from hiring authorities and recruiting experts, The 20 Minute Networking Meeting is an end-to-end lesson on job-search networking, founded on the premises of gratitude, positivity, and reciprocity. 

Specifically constructed to clarify and simplify networking for job-search, this book was written for even the most introverted networker and is rounded out with a complete set of readiness worksheets that guide the reader through actual networking preparation.

Jump start your learning with this quick summary of The 20-Minute Networking Meeting.