As we are coming up on summer vacation season, here are some fantastic recommendations for your summer reading list. This is part two of a three-part blog series that shares a helpful curated collection of books, podcasts, and videos that are personally recommended by talented senior technology leaders active in the Women of Sitecore community. If you missed the part one, check it out here.
The following content is filled with helpful tips and resources to sharpen your career skills, strengthen your leadership skills, and gain inspiration from the stories of successful people. I’ve been enjoying listening to and watching the many wonderful recommendations so far. I encourage you to add these to your lists too!
Top Books and Videos on Leadership
Books
1. Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts. By Brené Brown
- Recommended by: Stephanie Allen
- Why Stephanie recommends it: Every book or talk by Brené will likely inspire you, but this book really leveled me up. It taught me how (and why) to bring the power of vulnerability into the workplace and has given me a framework to show up with my best self to challenges.
2. Start with Why by Simon Sinek
- Recommended by: Jill Grozalsky
- Why Jill recommends it: A phenomenal read about how to inspire people to take action. We so often approach work conversations around the who, what, where, when – but it is important to start with WHY to give projects a sense of purpose.
3. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt
- Recommended by: Ethel Crosby
- Why Ethel recommends it: This book is an approachable read on the concepts around Theory of Constraints. It is important to think logically about the underlying problem your business is trying to solve, and realize the cause and effect relationship on how actions lead to results. Don’t lose sight of the goal and just focus on efficiency for efficiency’s sake.
4. Emotional Intelligence: Influence and Persuasion by Linda Annette Hill, Nancy Duarte, Nick Morgan, and Robert Cialdini
- Recommended by: Jill Grozalsky
- Why Jill recommends it: It gives great advice and input on how to be a leader and approach conversations to get people to support your cause. It gives a lot of great insight into the emotion of business and how to “change minds by changing hearts.”
5. Shoe Dog A Memoir by the Creator of Nike by Phil Knight
- Recommended by: Ishraq Fataftah
- Why Ishraq recommends it: Phil says: “The only time you must not fail is the last time you try.” Nike is a great example of how many times you might fail, your dreams won’t come true, or you get sued! But at the end, you will be able to build a loyal and obsessively driven team whose daily mantra is “JUST DO IT” and be one of the greatest brands you can ever imagine to create!
6. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink
- Recommended by: Ishraq Fataftah
- Why Ishraq recommends it: Always go back to the root when it comes to business: people! Daniel Pink reminds us to treat people as people and not assets, and to focus on motivational leadership.
7. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
- Recommended by: Hetal Dave
- Why Hetal recommends it: Inspirational journey of a woman leader. The book talks about women and leadership sharing insights on gender differences in the workplace.
8. The Business of Honor by Bob Hasson, Danny Silk
- Recommended by: Isabel Tinoco
- Why Isabel recommends it: This book presents how honor is the art of stewarding relationships well, with a special focus in business. Instead of being driven by self-serving, self-protection and fear, it presents the power of connection, including how to take the lead in building an honoring culture in any organization.
Videos and Podcasts
1. TED talk: How great leaders inspire action by Simon Sinek
- Recommended by: Ethel Crosby
- Why Ethel recommends it: Simple and powerful concept of “Start With Why.” It’s important to understand your company’s core belief of the business and why it exists in the first place. It’s a subtle, yet important, difference that separates the Apples of the world from everyone else.
2. TED Talk: Why we have too few women leaders by Sheryl Sandberg
- Recommended by: Deepthi Katta
- Why Deepthi recommends it: Every single time I watch this, I can relate to this in many situations that I have been through as a woman, as a mom and as a passionate individual. It motivates me to go beyond, help women next to me, and together we shall rise.
3. Podcast: The Crazy One by Stephen Gates
- Recommended by: Jill Grozalsky
- Why Jill recommends it: Great digestible topics around being a better and more innovative leader. The podcast is a bit more design focused but really provides helpful inputs on navigating office politics, building better relationships and provides an honest look at what’s facing people in the tech/design space every day.
4. Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel Pink
- Recommended by: Ishraq Fataftah
- Why Ishraq recommends it: Video that highlights Daniel Pink’s novel Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us.
5. Manager Tools Hall of Fame Casts by Michael Auzenne and Mark Horstmann
- Recommended by: Alison Sainsbury
- Why Alison recommends it: Comprising the best of the extensive range of Manager Tools podcasts, Hall of Fame brings together the top episodes from a range of podcasts and tools that have been recording for more than a decade – the first time podcasting was popular! Whether you’re managing up or down or looking for career tools, tips on all kinds of meetings, it’s all there. I love this because it’s the gateway to hundreds of really helpful coaching sessions I can just tap into any time I need.
Special thanks to all the women that shared their recommendations:
- Stephanie Allen – Senior Digital Strategist, Enablement & Optimization Lead, Velir
- Francine Anthony – Head of Global Partner Marketing, Sitecore
- Jacqueline Baxter – Digital Strategist, Hedgehog
- Ethel Crosby – Director of Technology Operations and Offerings, One North
- Hetal Dave – Technical Lead, Verndale
- Ishraq Fataftah – Founder and Chief Technology Officer, ApplezTech
- Jill Grozalsky – Director of Digital Strategy, Brainjocks
- Christina Hauge Engel – Digital Strategist, Pentia
- Deepthi Katta – Technical Architect, Verndale
- Paige O’Neill – Chief Marketing Officer, Sitecore
- Alison Sainsbury – Senior Marketing Consultant, SBOS, Sitecore
- Allison Simpkins – Senior Vice President, North America, Valtech
- Amanda Shiga – Product Strategy, Sitecore
- Isabel Tinoco – Director of Alliances, Coveo
- Una Verhoeven – Solution Architect and Founder, AmpleEdge
- Margaret Wise – Chief Revenue Officer, Arke
Stay tuned for the final post on the rest of the collection of books, podcasts and videos on Inspirational Journeys. You can also check out the Professional Development recommendations from the first post here: Women in Tech – Books, Videos and Podcasts on Professional Development You Must Check Out.
Update: Missed the other posts of this series? See the following: