Five Professional Development Book Recommendations

Spring is a time of changes and growth, and what better way to showcase that than through sharing our favorite books that help us grow. Here are some great recommendations of books surrounding professional development from the OSG team.

From Gita, Director of Learning and Development

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom (A Toltec Wisdom Book) by Don Miguel Ruiz

In The Four Agreements, bestselling author don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, The Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love.

I dip into this book time and time again – to better understand the four agreements – that will help me with my professional and personal spaces. Do I follow those agreements all the time? Well, the good news is I am trying!

Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen

We attempt or avoid difficult conversations every day-whether dealing with an underperforming employee, disagreeing with a spouse, or negotiating with a client. From the Harvard Negotiation Project, the organization that brought you Getting to Yes, Difficult Conversations provides a step-by-step approach to having those tough conversations with less stress and more success.

This book came recommended by my Coach in Denver two decades back and, in my opinion, has helped me understand myself a bit better – in dealing with situations that are complex and/or heightened by emotion. I gravitate towards books that add value to a better understanding of who I am and how I can bring the best of myself every single day.

From Ragini, Associate of Digital Marketing and Demand Generation

How to Win Friends And Influence People by Dale Carnegie

You can go after the job you want…and get it! You can take the job you have…and improve it! And you can take any situation you’re in…and make it work for you! For over 60 years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this book has carried thousands of now-famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.

I highly recommend it to all working professionals. It’s a great foundation when it comes to professional development because it focuses on how we relate to each other.

From Kristin, Sales Assistant for the Business Development team

Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen

Since it was first published almost fifteen years ago, David Allen’s Getting Things Done has become one of the most influential business books of its era, and the ultimate book on personal organization. “GTD” is now shorthand for an entire way of approaching professional and personal tasks, and has spawned an entire culture of websites, organizational tools, seminars, and offshoots.

I like that it was very practical, and had tactical steps someone could do right away. I read a lot of other books, but I think for business that one was really good.

From Sriram, Managing Director of the Bengaluru office

True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George with Peter Sims