The DCWW Business Bookshelf

These books were recommended by DCWW members. Comments are from the person or people who recommended each book.

Woman-Directed Advice

Brag: The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It
Peggy Klaus

The main strength of this book is the specific examples – the missed opportunities vs. what might have been said. The real stories convey why bragging is important!

Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers
Lois P. Frankel

If you ever wondered why you weren't promoted when the guy down the hall was, this book might illuminate how others see you based on behaviors girl are taught. Not only does Frankel point out the problems, she provides concrete ways to make the changes needed.

Business Knowledge

Business Side of Creativity
Cameron Foote

The Tipping Point
Malcolm Gladwell

Looking at trends to see their creation and impact, this book talks about the different ways to make something happen. Very easy read but it makes you think a lot.

Self-Promotion Online
Ilise Benun

Very helpful book on marketing creative services using websites, email, and digital portfolios. I have found the daily to do list section very helpful.

The 22 Immutable Laws of Branding
Al Ries & Laura Ries

Out of sheer cantankerousness, I'm not big on the 'immutable laws' concept but this book has a lot of food for thought.

True Professionalism
David Maister

My office's managing director was so impressed with this book that he bought it for everyone in the office – more than a hundred copies. Maister has written a number of other well-reviewed books too.

How to be a Star at Work: 9 Breakthrough Strategies You Need to Succeed
Robert E. Kelley

Practical discussions and case studies of strategies and how to implement them.

Who Moved My Cheese
Spencer Johnson

By discovering how you deal with change, you can then decide how to better react. The book uses a parable to help you see how you deal with trouble or problems. It is short and can be read in an hour.

The Servant: A Simple Story about the True Essence of Leadership
James C. Hunter

A novella about leadership. Another very short, simple read.

The One Minute Manager
Spencer Johnson & Kenneth Blanchard

Fast and simple tips on how to better manage your time and your staff. It is short and can be read in an hour.

Slack, Getting Past Burnout, Busywork and the Myth of Total Efficiency
Tom DeMarco

This intuitive and revolutionary work challenges many misconceptions about knowledge workers and their culture. It makes some startling yet reasonable conclusions. It is described as a handbook for managers, entrepreneurs, and CEOs – but it is more than that: it is a manifesto.

Who Really Matters
Art Klein

Have you ever wondered at why your organization does some things that make no sense? This book may help you understand why and how organizations work and how you can work successfully or enable the bad practices. His thesis of 'core groups' will make sense to anyone who has worked a decade or four – and will help you at work whether you are in or out of the core group.

The Gifted Boss: How to Find, Create, and Keep Great Employees
Dale Dauten

Useful if you are the boss and a good guide to being a great employee if you are not. May help you think about the type of person you want to work for too.

Creativity and Growth

Its about people expanding the results they truly desire. He discusses how organizations can improve collaborative learning and task production and allow their members to develop.

Pencil Dancing
Mari Messner

Thought-provoking and creativity-inducing.

Job Search and Career Development

Work It! How to Get Ahead, Save Your Ass, and Land a Job in Any Economy
Allison Hamming

This book is entertaining and straightforward, with great practical advice on job-search strategies, especially how to make the most of networking opportunities. Consider this book the professional personal trainer you have been seeking, packed with tips and strategies on recognizing and maximizing the many options and opportunities awaiting you.

Targeting the Job You Want
Building a Great Resume
Getting Interviews
Interviewing and Salary Negotiation

Ten Steps to a Federal Job
Karthryn Kraemer Troutman

This book guides you through all the vital steps required to become a serious contender for federal jobs. Makes a potentially perplexing and overwhelming process much more navigable and gives concrete help on improving your odds of getting past HR screeners.

Ask the Headhunter
Nick Corcodilos

My personal bible on job hunting. See his site: AsktheHeadhunter.com.

Best Answers to the 201 Most Frequently Asked Interview Questions
Matthew DeLuca

This book presents questions you may not have thought of and discusses answering strategies. You can use this as a tool for thinking about your strengths, weaknesses, accomplishments, and job preferences, even if you are not about to be interviewed. Also helpful for those who are the interviewers.

The Doom Loop System: A Step by Step Guide to Career Mastery
Dory Hollander

A simple but effective system for analyzing your current work and your intellectual and emotional needs. The book presents ideas on what leads to career satisfaction and how to achieve this with practical methods.

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