4 Book Recommendations for Business Professionals

To succeed in any business or endeavor, it’s important that we continue to learn and grow. From blog posts, webinars, and podcasts to workshops and weeklong industry conferences, the business world is filled with opportunities and resources for professional – and personal – development. We’ve put together a list of four book recommendations for business professionals, all of which could make a positive impact on your non-work life as well.

The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life (Before 8 AM)

by Hal Elrod

Even if you’re not a morning person, you’ll want to give this method a shot. Elrod details the life-changing events that led up to the moment when he developed the “Miracle Morning” – a step-by-step routine that renews energy, motivation, and focus in order to improve productivity and “take your life to the next level.” Filled with real-life stories and insightful advice, The Miracle Morning provides a wealth of inspiration for anyone seeking to improve their physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual well-being and achieve success in business or any other aspect of life. This quick, compelling read will motivate and energize you to take the next step toward your goal, whatever that may be.

Top takeaway: Success begins with commitment. “Our outer world will always be a reflection of our inner world. Our level of success is always going to parallel our level of personal development. Until we dedicate time each day to developing ourselves into the person we need to be to create the life we want, success is always going to be a struggle to attain.”

Other books in the series include The Miracle Morning for Real Estate Agents, The Miracle Morning for Entrepreneurs, The Miracle Morning for Salespeople, Miracle Morning Millionaires, and the forthcoming The Miracle Equation: The Two Decisions that Move Your Biggest Goals from Possible, to Probable, to Inevitable.

Manage Your Day-to-Day: Build Your Routine, Find Your Focus, and Sharpen Your Creative Mind

edited by Jocelyn K. Glei

Useful for creatives and others who want to more easily manage their daily routine and do meaningful work, Volume One of the 99U series by Behance, Manage Your Day-to-Day offers wisdom from 20 leading creative minds, including Leo Babauta, Scott Belsky, Seth Godin, and Gretchen Rubin. Bite-sized chapters detail pragmatic, straightforward ideas and tools for building a routine, finding focus, managing your relationship with technology, and sharpening the creative mind.

Top takeaway: Schedule time to unplug, be mindful, and think creatively. “My thinking – my creativity and imagination – reached a new velocity as soon as I unplugged. When you tune in to the moment, you begin to recognize the world around you and the true potential of your own mind.” – Scott Belsky, Vice President of Community, Adobe, and Co-Founder & Head of Behance

Other books in the series include Maximize Your Potential: Grow Your Expertise, Take Bold Risks & Build an Incredible Career and Make Your Mark: The Creative’s Guide to Building a Business with Impact.

Your Oxygen Mask First: 17 Habits to Help High Achievers Survive & Thrive in Leadership & Life

by Kevin N. Lawrence

If you, as a leader, have ever felt overwhelmed, overworked, and/or overextended, you need Your Oxygen Mask First. Lawrence examines various leadership theories and details 17 basic tools and habits that, once adopted, will allow you to “survive success” and take on bigger challenges. These habits include:

• • Forget work-life balance
  • Manage your mental health
  • Make yourself useless
  • Stop being chief problem solver
  • Keep going for it

Lawrence’s website offers a variety of free, downloadable resources, including the Your Oxygen Mask First online self-assessment.

Top Takeaway: “This is about giving yourself permission to put yourself first. It’s about making your needs an unwavering priority, so you are strong and resilient enough to be of service to others.” For leaders, this can be a difficult concept to accept. Lawrence provides an actionable, step-by-step approach to accomplish this.

Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

by Carol S. Dweck

Originally published in 2006 and since updated, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success has become a classic resource for educators, business leaders, and others interested in the impact of mindset on every aspect of our lives. Dweck details two basic mindsets. An individual with a fixed mindset believes that “talents and abilities are set in stone – either you have them or you don’t.” Someone with a growth mindset, on the other hand, believes that talents and abilities can be developed over time. The book is filled with examples and vignettes that illustrate how people of the two mindsets perceive or react to various life situations, including those in business and leadership roles.

Top takeaway: An in-depth examination of your beliefs, thoughts, and inner monologues (and the transition from fixed mindset to growth mindset) might be a difficult and uncomfortable exercise but will ultimately benefit both you and those around you.

No matter your professional goals this year, The Bank of Elk River is here to help you achieve them. Contact us to learn more about our business banking and business financing services.