Books have long held the power to transport us to different worlds, ignite our imaginations, and challenge our perspectives. Their hidden treasure trove of wisdom and inspiration can profoundly impact our personal and professional lives. Whether we seek guidance, motivation, or a fresh perspective, the right book has the ability to shape our thinking, ignite our passion, and propel us toward growth.
In advance of TMG’s 2023 Retreat, “Permission to Be Human,” we asked team members to share the books that have had the most profound impact on their personal and professional growth. Whether you are seeking a fresh source of motivation, looking to expand your knowledge, or simply curious to explore the books that have influenced some of TMG’s brightest minds, this compilation can ignite your own journey of self-discovery and professional growth.
Get Out Of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts
By Jennie Allen
“I am a classic overthinker, to a fault. So much so that it was impacting my ability to lead. I would overthink and overanalyze every situation until I was so far in my head I could not get out. I was unable to relate to or connect with my team in a meaningful way. Jennie Allen’s book shifted my mindset and gave me the tools to get out of my head.” Maggie Wilkerson
HQ Solutions: Resource for the Healthcare Quality Professional
By NAHQ
“As a long-time MSP, I believe it is necessary to continually improve your knowledge. Data has become an integral part of being successful in managing credentialing functions. Acquiring the skills taught by the CPHQ exam improves my ability to analyze data and also serves to show my employer (current and future) that I am invested in utilyzing many modalities to improve the output of our department.” Jackie Lam
“In 2022 and so far in 2023 I’ve read 52 books, none of which directly addressed job, career, or colleagues. Yet, some books featured important themes cloaked within their pages that can be brought to bear on job, career, and colleagues. I read books that reminded me of the power of resilience (The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls); of perseverance (Madame Curie: A Biography by Eve Curie); the necessity of family and friends (Abigail Adams: A Biography by Phyllis Lee Levin); the ingenuity and creativity of the human mind (Mercury: An Intimate Biography of Freddie Mercury by Lesley-Anne Jones); and the liberating power associated with empowering others (The Testaments by Margaret Atwood).” Deb Ormay
Great Leaders Grow: Becoming a Leader for Life
By Ken Blanchard & Mark Miller
“This book is an extremely easy read that tells a story to demonstrate how to be a servant leader. It shows the importance of being a lifelong learner in being a good leader and how to be a mentor to help others grow. I have used this acronym from the book on my path as a leader:
G – Gain Knowledge
R – Reach Out to Others
O – Open Your World
W – Walk Toward Wisdom”
Rachelle Silva
Miracle and Wonder: Conversations with Paul Simon
By Malcolm Gladwell
“This is a beautiful audiobook that incorporates Malcolm Gladwell’s interviews with Paul Simon as well as narrative. Paul Simon picks up the guitar from time to time, treating the listener to tastes of his musical genius. Miracle and Wonder isn’t an autobiography per se; it’s an exploration of how Simon approaches the creative process. It prompted me to consider how I approach the creative nature of my work and the value in exploring edge cases and outliers. The book is a bit hagiographic, glossing over the problematic nature of ‘Graceland,’ but is, on the whole, a delight.” Sally Smith
Your Purpose Is Calling: Your Difference Is Your Destiny
By Dharius Daniels
“This book focuses on discovering who you are so you can do what you were called to do. It takes you on a journey of discovering your identity through a threefold solution of finding fulfillment, fit, and fruitfulness, thriving through effective self-leadership and uncovering your unique design, desires, dreams, and destiny.” Ivonne Oladunni
Business is Personal: The Truth About What it Takes to Be Successful While Staying True to Yourself
By Bethenny Frankel
“This book is for any professional. Bethenny shares details on all her business moves and provides insights and tips on how she managed her career decisions. It’s helpful to hear a businesswoman’s strategies and read about all her success, failures, and misses.” Yesenia Servin
Everybody Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People
By Bob Goff
“I used to struggle immensely with anger issues. I could not understand why people weren’t like me, didn’t work as hard as me, didn’t think about things the way I did. I could not empathize with their real lives when it interfered with their work product – until I read Everybody Always. I learned how to love everyone for where they are, even if it’s only for a couple of seconds at a time.” Maggie Wilkerson
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir
By Michelle Zauner
“A beautiful, emotional book about the connection we have to our parents, our culture, and how those things impact the person we are both personally and professionally. Loved it!” Yesenia Sevin
12 Rules For Life: An Antidote to Chaos
By Jordan Peterson
“This book is intended not only as a guide for the life of the individual, but as a remedy for society as a whole. Peterson believes that the cure for society starts with the individual, the smallest unit of society. Personal growth is not only possible, but necessary; there’s no doubt you can be slightly better today than you were yesterday!” Hadley Domnick
The Proximity Principle: The Proven Strategy That Will Lead to a Career You Love
By Ken Coleman
“This book lays out a plan to help you identify the kinds of people you should spend time with, the places you should position yourself in, and the importance of building your network to achieve career opportunities.” Rachelle Silva
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
By Carol Dweck
“Mindset lays out the research around the newly-instituted “Not Yet” approach to life. It helps those of us who are black-and-white, “I can’t do that,” to learn how to say, ‘This is a problem for which I will take time and figure it out.” It retrains the mind to have a ‘can-do with enough time and resources’ outlook.” Joyce Moore
Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking
By Jon Acuff
“Soundtracks has been a great tool to use within my office. It focuses on changing your perspective and transforming overthinking to positivity. It is a guide on retraining your brain.” Erin DeHoyos
Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway
By Susan Jeffers
“Feel the Fear and Do it Anyway is a great book that reinforced for me that everyone fears something! Initially, I thought I was the only scaredy cat! It further explores the concept that any change or step to self-improvement requires one to do something new, challenging, scary, and risk-taking. By pursuing something you fear, it almost always results in growth, an increase in competence, and success. This type of risk-taking then becomes a habit and one that I practice everyday. Once you read this book, you will never think the same way again.” Donna Goestenkors