6 Books That Will Take Your Career To The Next Level

Having a great career is about way more than just working hard and playing hard. There will be hard work involved, of course, but I’ve always been a bigger fan of the axiom “work smarter, not harder.” When it comes to your career, working smarter means being targeted in the changes you want to make and the way you plan to go about them. 

Focus on solving the right problems, whose resolutions will actually make your life better instead of simply delaying the inevitable (like staying in a horrible job and hoping it will get better). Here are six books that will challenge you, make you think, and help you not only take your career to the next level, but also live a more fulfilling life:

1. Atomic Habits, by James Clear

If you think about it, your day is really just a series of habits stacked one on top of the other. Wake up, drink coffee, procrastinate starting your work, work for a few minutes, get distracted by Instagram, eat food, rinse, repeat. Creating better habits creates building blocks for a better day, career, and life. But how do you create better habits?

James Clear is the king of habits, and he is here to guide you to a more successful life by explaining how small changes can yield big results. I’ve personally implemented some of the tips in his book and found them to be very helpful. The chapter about “habit stacking” is truly a game-changer. It’s a very easy book to read, so you can get through it quickly and start building that better day ASAP! Buy it here.

2. The 5 Second Rule: Transform Your Life, Work, and Confidence with Everyday Courage, by Mel Robbins

One of my favorite quotes of all time comes from Mel Robbins, and it starts off like this: “No one is coming. No one is coming to save you. No one is coming to push you. No one is coming to tell you to turn the TV off. No one is coming to tell you to get out the door and exercise. No one is coming to tell yourself to apply for that job you’ve always dreamt about. Nobody’s coming to write the business plan for you. It’s up to you.” This is one of the hardest lessons to learn in life, but it’s also the most important. 

Mel Robbins is of the belief that you have to parent yourself and push yourself if you want to change your life. No one else is going to do the work for you. Big changes don’t just happen, you have to make them happen. In this book, Mel Robbins explains how you can jump-start change in under five seconds and get yourself to do the hard work required to become successful. She’s witty and down-to-earth, and this is a fun read that can actually change your life. Buy it here.

3. How To Win Friends and Influence People, by Dale Carnegie

This book is almost 100 years old (don’t worry, this is an updated version!), but the advice it offers is just as applicable today as it was in the days of Andrew Carnegie and James Rockefeller. Like the title says, this book will help you learn how to win friends and influence people, but it’s about more than that. 

Getting people to like you isn’t about offering hollow compliments and manipulating them. Quite the opposite, actually. You win people over by empowering them, helping them, and communicating effectively. A lot of the advice this book offers seems obvious, yet so many of us fail at being an effective leader and communicator on a daily basis. This book is a great reminder that we empower ourselves by empowering others to do their best work. Buy it here.

4. Daring Greatly: How the Courage To Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead, by Brené Brown

I watched Brené Brown’s Ted Talk, you’ve probably watched Brené Brown’s Ted Talk, over 18 million people have watched Brené Brown’s Ted Talk! Brené is warm, funny, and captivating, and the same humble likeability that came across in her Ted Talk is apparent in her writing. While her book is called Daring Greatly, its core message is actually about vulnerability. 

It might seem counterintuitive, but the secret to being fearless is being vulnerable. As Brené explains, “When we shut ourselves off from vulnerability, we distance ourselves from the experiences that bring purpose and meaning to our lives.” Whether your daring move is asking for more money at work, moving to a new city, or making a risky career move, you need to get comfortable being uncomfortable (a.k.a. vulnerable) before you can truly make lasting changes. Buy it here.

5. Designing Your Life: How To Build a Well-Lived, Joyful Life, by Bill Burnett and Dave Evans

Too many people let their problems become their story. Maybe they hate their job or they’re in an unhappy marriage or they want to lose weight. It’s easier to complain about problems than solve them, but letting your problems define you is a roadmap to an unhappy life. This book is a charming guide to designing not only a joyful career, but a joyful life by focusing on solving the right problems, not the wrong ones (and recognizing how to tell the difference between the two). 

Trying to fight reality will only make you resentful and bitter, so don’t. Instead, focus on fixing problems you can actually solve. I’ve often said that life is not about finding a job you love (because no one loves their job 100% of the time), but about creating a life you love and fitting your job into it. This book expands upon that idea in an entertaining and actionable way. Buy it here.

6. Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead, by Sheryl Sandberg

Former Meta-COO, Sheryl Sandberg, was a pioneer of the mid-2000s girlboss movement, wherein women were encouraged to speak up at the office, work like a man, and be business leaders. While there are a lot of issues with the (arguably now-extinct) girlboss movement, the core message of Sandberg’s book is an important one. 

It can be very intimidating for women to stand up for themselves in the workplace, especially if they work in male-dominated fields. With her book, Sandberg seeks to empower women to become better leaders and develop savvy business acumen. It’s not easy (good things in life never are), but women can become more successful in the workplace by being fearless, seeking out challenges, and taking bigger risks. Buy it here.

Closing Thoughts

Hopefully, some of the books on this list will help you work smarter toward your big career goals. And remember: “If you don’t raise your hand, no one will call on you.” It can be intimidating, but you need to speak up at work if you want to make changes. So ask for the promotion, apply to the new job, and pitch your idea in the next meeting. 

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