Need recommendations for your 2017 professional development reading list? Here are ten titles to start with, plus the best tips from each book!

1. LEVELUP
10 BOOKS TO
YOUR CAREER
Recommendations by
Sr. Consultant Sara Gallagher

2. LEVELUP YOUR INFLUENCE
Pre-Suasion
A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade
Author: Robert Cialdini
What if the key to persuasion didn’t lie in the message
itself, but in the key moment before that message was
delivered? This is the idea behind “pre-suasion,” or
working ahead of time to ensure people are receptive of a
message before they experience it.
Tip From The Book
Don’t sit next to the person you want to influence in a
meeting. You may be tempted to sit next to a VIP, but if
discussion rotates around a table, you’ll be subject to the “next in
line” effect. Speak directly before the VIP, and she’ll be rehearsing
what she plans to say when you are done. Speak after, and she’ll
be mentally rehashing what she just said. Instead, sit across from
the person you want to influence. Not only will you avoid the “next
in line” effect, but you’ll also have better “visual prominence.”

3. LEVELUP YOUR DISCIPLINE
The Power of Habit:
Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business
Author: Charles Duhigg
Pulitzer Prize-winning business reporter Charles Duhigg
uses the latest scientific discoveries to explain why habits
exist, and how they can be changed. Read this book if you
are seeking to make a difficult, permanent change in your
life.
Tip From the Book
Cultivate keystone habits. Certain habits are proven to create a
domino effect of personal change, so that it has an exponential
impact on your life. Two common keystone habits are 1) waking up
early and 2) making your bed.

4. LEVELUP YOUR WRITING
Sense of Style:
The Thinking Person’s Guide to Writing in the 21st Century
Author: Steven Pinker
How do you learn to write well? This book uses insights
from linguistics and neuroscience to answer this question
and put even the most language-challenged on the path
to clear, persuasive communication.
Tip From the Book
Remember your reader’s basic tolerance for the pace
of information. If you’ve got a big, hairy, complicated phrase,
move it to the end of the sentence so that the reader doesn’t have
to hold it in mind while they’re figuring out the structure of the
sentence.

5. LEVELUP YOUR NEGOTIATION
Never Split the Difference
Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
Author: Chris Voss
This book takes you inside the world of high-stakes
hostage negotiations, sharing nine effective principles that
you can use to become more persuasive in your
negotiations.
Tip From the Book
Don’t try to get them to say yes. A lot of advice
suggests that getting people to say “yes” multiple times will make
them more likely to say “yes” to whatever you want. But while that
may have been good advice years ago, people are on to it. Today,
people are reluctant to say “yes” because they suspect it is being
used to manipulate them or secure commitment they aren’t ready
to provide. On the other hand, getting people to say “no” helps
them relax. Try a phrase like, “Would it be a bad idea if…?”

6. LEVELUP YOUR PRODUCTIVITY
Getting Things Done:
The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Author: David Allen
This is the definitive guide to staying productive in an
information-intensive career. The principles can be applied
to both a paper and electronic workflow; resources
abound online to help you apply this book to your system
of choice (i.e. Outlook, Todoist, OneNote, etc.)
Tip from the Book
Don’t put projects on your to-do list. Focus your to-do list
on tangible actions that move you closer to your project
objectives. Instead of writing “Marketing proposal” (a project),
think about the next thing you must do to move that project
forward. Put that instead. Example: “Schedule meeting with sales
to define scope of marketing proposal.”

7. LEVELUP YOUR TEAM LEADERSHIP
The Speed of Trust
The One Thing That Changes Everything
Author: Stephen M.R. Covey
Want to improve performance at your organization? Start
by building trust. This provocative book outlines how
stablish trust immediately so your organization can forego
the time-killing, bureaucratic, check-and-balance
processes that thrive in low-trust environments.
Tip From the Book
Assess your trustworthiness. Building trust starts with
an honest assessment of your own trustworthiness. Covey
identifies four cores of trust: integrity, intent, capabilities, and
results. Use the assessment in the book to identify where you
need development along with coaching tips to help you develop
yourself as a better team leader.

8. LEVELUP YOUR DECISION-MAKING
THINKING FAST AND SLOW
Author: Daniel Kahneman
Renowned psychologist and Nobel Prize winner
Daniel Kahneman gives us a groundbreaking tour
of the mind, explaining the two systems that drive
the way we think and make decisions. The book
isn’t all theory—it offers practical insights on how
choices are made in both our business and our
personal lives—and how we can use different
techniques to guard against the mental glitches
that often get us into trouble.
Tip From the Book
Good executives are good thinkers. If it is part of
your job to manage and assess risk, understanding how
your brain works is a pre-requisite. Reading this book will
help you understand how the very qualities that help you
think quickly on your feet may work against you when
making high-significance decisions.

9. LEVELUP YOUR FOCUS
The Dip
The Little Book That Teaches You When to Quit
(And When To Stick)
Author: Seth Godin What if winners were just really good quitters? This
counter-intuitive (but really useful) book challenges us to
think about where we spend our energy and where we can
make the best impact.
Tip From the Book
Winners can be quitters. Winners quit fast, quit often,
and quit without guilt—until they commit to beating the right Dip.
A Dip is a temporary setback that will get better if you keep
pushing. But sometimes, a Dip is actually a total dead end. What
sets superstars apart is the ability to tell the two apart.

10. LEVELUP YOUR BUSINESS KNOWLEDGE
Getting Things Done:
The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
Author: Josh Kaufman
Want to fill gaps in your overall business knowledge?
This digestible book by Josh Kaufman is like an MBA in
your pocket.
Tip From the Book
Skip business school. Using the technology available
today, you can acquire many of the tools, skills, and
connections an MBA provides for free. Check out MOOCs
(massive open online courses), join or form a peer coaching
group, and build a personal reading list to design a
curriculum tailored to your needs.

11. LEVELUP YOUR WORK/LIFE BALANCE
10% Happier:
How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without
Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works
Author: Dan Harris
After having a nationally televised panic attack on Good
Morning America, Dan Harris knew he had to make some
changes. This book chronicles his unexpected, hilarious,
and deeply skeptical odyssey through the strange world of
self-help—but it also provides excellent insight about how
to stay mindful and balanced, even in a highly competitive
industry.
Tip From the Book
Set modest goals. Most people have a “set point” for their
happiness. Some people are naturally more melancholic, or more
easily excitable, or more “on edge” than others. But most people,
whatever their starting place, can make modest steps toward
balance by employing a basic discipline of mindfulness and
meditation (hence the title, 10% happier.)