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10 books to help employees take control of their careers
Laurie Ruettimann, career adviser and author of Betting on You: How to Put Yourself First and (Finally) Take Control of Your Career, teamed up with Limeade to share her list of 10 Books to Help Employees Take Control of Their Careers, plus tips for being an effective leader in the age of hybrid work.
Women of color are vastly underrepresented in the corporate world, often exposing them to unique challenges — and a lack of support. Right Within offers women of color strategies for navigating and overcoming racialized traumas and burdens that are unique to their experiences in the workplace. This book serves as a guide for encouraging women of color to discover opportunities for healing and thriving at work.
Recommended for readers who like Brené Brown
Like many who find themselves trapped in the wrong career, Andy Storch found his personal life bearing the brunt of his negative work experiences. With his career and life now on the other side of success, the professional coach, speaker and author has made it his mission to “equip others to live intentionally, love the life they live, and fulfill their true potential.” Own Your Career Own Your Life is full of tips, tricks and hacks leading to better personal and professional development, self-leadership and more.
Recommended for readers who like David Goggins
What’s the best way to turn a dream into reality? Get moving — and don’t stop. This was the strategy Bennett used to turn her idea for an apron company into a multimillion-dollar enterprise that makes kitchen gear worn by top chefs and home cooks around the world. Dream First, Details Later chronicles her transformative journey from young line cook to successful business owner and shares some of the wisdom she gained along the way, including how to overcome doubt, solve problems creatively and transform your business venture into a well-oiled machine.
Recommended for readers who like Jen Sincero
The word “no” can inflict crippling fear in people — especially when it comes to a professional setting. But should it have the power to prevent you from reaching for your career goals? In the follow-up to her New York Times best seller, I’m Judging You: The Do-Better Manual, Ajayi Jones urges us to not only move beyond our fear of rejection, but to also use it to fuel the fire that elevates us to greater heights. Professional Troublemaker is the ultimate motivation manual for summoning the courage you need — when it’s needed the most.
Recommended for readers who like Jenny Lawson
What’s difference between being at your best and giving your best? Only one of them is completely within your control (hint: it’s not being at your best). In his book, Stop Living Your Life on Autopilot, career success coach and renowned leadership speaker Antonio Neves challenges us to examine the effort we give our personal and professional lives. Are you giving your family, your job and yourself your best or are you phoning it in? This book is a “raw and inspiring how-to guide that will help you recommit to your life, find your drive, and take action to stay bold, honest, and accountable for lasting happiness.”
Recommended for readers who like Tony Robbins
There’s a fine line between merely sharing your thoughts on social media and leveraging each platform to assert your influence as a passionate thought leader. You Are the Brand walks us through Kim’s tried-and-true methods for building a thriving business around personal branding. Kim’s 8-step approach to personal branding will make you rethink how you interact with your social networks.
Recommended for readers who like Seth Godin
Widely regarded as one of the most important artists of the twentieth century, Frida Kahlo was known for her portrait paintings, but it was her unapologetic commentary on politics, gender, class and race in Mexico that cemented her status as a global feminist icon. More than 70 years after Kahlo’s death, journalist Arianna Davis wrote What Would Frida Do? to celebrate the life and times of an artist who serves as a beacon of courage for women and minorities to speak their truths and live boldly both personally and professionally.
Recommended for readers who like Rachel Hollis
In a culture obsessed with recapturing youth and idealizing the past, author and journalist Jonathan Rauch reminds us that our best years are still ahead of us. The Happiness Curve delivers an insightful and hopeful look at life on the other side of 50 with stories, anecdotes and data that supports Rauch’s belief that the wisdom we gain in middle age is the cure to finding happiness that often eludes us in youth.
Recommended for readers who like Gretchen Rubin
The patriarchal construct of the corporate world forces many women to choose between being successful or being liked at work. Menendez explores this gendered paradox in The Likeability Trap and proposes practical solutions that implore business leaders and underrepresented professionals to change the narrative by empowering all people to bring their whole self to work.
Recommended for readers who like Mel Robbin
From the time R. Eric Thomas was forced to navigate his predominantly white school and his predominantly black church — all while grappling with his sexual identity — he always experienced life as an outsider. His keen observations of life from the outside fueled his success as an acclaimed journalist, author, television writer and playwright. Here for It finds Thomas examining his own life as a playful and witty case study for reimagining what it means to be normal in modern America. With stories of Thomas learning how to be comfortable in his own skin, this book lends hope to those navigating life and work when it feels like the odds are stacked against you.
Recommended for readers who like Glennon Doyle
Whether you’re passionate about your career or hate it with a passion, it could always be better. When Ruettimann found herself feeling uninspired and unhappy in her career, she realized it was up to her to change the narrative. Betting on You offers advice and stories on how to be your own leader and champion so you can create a positive relationship with work and give your whole-person well-being a much-needed boost in the process.
Laurie’s Top 5 Tips for Navigating the Hybrid Workforce
The world of work is rapidly changing, and to keep up you’ll need help from an expert who knows the ins and out of hybrid work. In addition to curating the latest Limeade reading list, Laurie Ruettimann, the former human resources leader turned writer, entrepreneur and speaker, shares her tips for being an effective leader when your employees work both remotely and in the office.
Clearly define what it means to work for your company, how work gets done and when and where it happens. Reinforce your values, but also take every chance you get to remind employees that you trust them, too.
Take the time to connect with workers. Watch for burnout, stress, anxiety or general unhappiness. Ask candid questions to find out how employees are doing, and be ready with resources if someone asks for help.
HR technology is crucial for managers to keep their teams motivated and engaged. Look for solutions to help leaders and employees engage in regular check-ins, participate in more thoughtful performance management discussions and ask timely questions through surveys or polls.
Train your leadership team to build inclusivity and increase participation across the entire workforce so nobody feels forgotten in an office, behind a screen or in an isolated work location. Teach managers and individual contributors how to communicate with clarity and transparency on projects and tasks so that everybody understands essential details and deadlines — no matter where they’re located.
Enable teams to bond and build relationships by asking your people how often they’d like to get together, when and where they’d like to meet and how they prefer to have fun and stay connected with their colleagues.
About Laurie Ruettimann
Laurie is a former human resources leader turned writer, entrepreneur and speaker. CNN recognized her as one of the top five career advisers in the U.S., and her work has been featured on NPR, The New Yorker, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal and Vox. She frequently delivers keynote speeches at business and management events around the world and hosts a popular podcast focused on fixing work. She lives with her husband and cats in Raleigh, North Carolina.
