My top 5 books to leverage when building a stellar leadership career

My top 5 books to leverage when building a stellar leadership career:

1?? Rise - Three Practical Steps for Advancing Your Career and Standing Out as a Leader by Patty Azzarello

The book that changed my career! This is a game changer in how we think.

Patty talks about how to stop working so hard and start working strategically.

Recognize that there are no prizes or shortcuts for doing it by yourself. You need a team and you need advocates (even more than mentors).?

Investing in yourself is KEY.

There is nothing wrong with being the translator - in fact as an executive that is your job (I used to think this was what made me bad at my job - I was a translator instead of in the deep tech, but you always have choices.

2?? The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins

I recommend this to everyone, clients, friends, family. Anyone starting in a new job.?

It is what made me passionate about transition coaching because it really lays out all the stuff I had to learn the hard way.?

But it is also a quick but dense read. In a single sentence there is a nugget of wisdom that you may need to unpack — which is why I dig into this in lots more detail with clients. But even if you aren't working with a transition coach or in my academy this is a great place to start and should be a must read for every transition. Just don't leave it too late to read!

3?? Ask For It by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever

This one’s all about how women can use the power of negotiation to get what they really want.

This is the first book that really opened my eyes to how little we negotiate as women and how I was shying away from it. I love it for the real world examples and practical tips.?

Sure it isn't the most advanced negotiation book out there, but if you are failing to negotiate then this could be a great first book for giving you the confidence and belief that you can.?

4?? Flourish - Martin Seligman

A new understanding of happiness and well-being and how to achieve it.?

This is a book by a psychologist. In fact a psychologist that my parents recommended to me as professional psychs themselves! This is a book all about the power of positive psychology and all it can do for you.?

What is scary about this book is the damage it highlights we are all doing by not embracing learned optimism even though this is a new field with a lot of critics. But the research that the author cites is a little scary when you consider the implications of us existing as a society without embracing how to put our well being center stage. This changed my approach to my life, my coaching and my leadership.?

5?? Deep Work - Cal Newport

Rules for focused success in a distracted world.

I first read this as a struggling software engineer. I was stretched thin, on too many projects and always responding to the whirlwind of who is making the most noise. I just wish this book had been around when I was first stepping out in my career. In fact I wish this book was taught in school. In an age of busy busy busy and so many distractions, this one is a game changer to help us learn the art and muscle of focus.?

A lot of the productivity techniques I now use every day have grown through multiple reads of this book. I don't do everything this author suggests, and much of the work I've adapted to my own practices, but I live and breath the idea of deep work daily and I encourage all my clients to do the same.?

Find out more about my top 5 books to leverage when building a stellar leadership career by listening to episode 100 of the podcast here: https://tonicollis.com/episode100

Some honorable mentions:

The 1 Thing by Gary Keller - another great book for focus, and figuring out what is really going to move the needle.

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhymes - a book that motivates and encourages self discovery with a lot of humour along the way.

Savvy Woman in 5 minutes a day - make time for a life that matters - by my dear friend Moira Lethbridge. I couldn't have a list with out this book. There is a daily entry and every single one lights you up.?

Mindset by Carol Dweck - the first book I read that helped me understand that nothing is fixed and we can always grow.

Multipliers by Liz Wiseman - an insightful read on identifying if you are unconsciously being a “accidental diminisher”

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever by Michael Bungay Stanier - a short read on how to ask more open-ended questions and be more effective in one-on-one’s.