Top 7 Favorite Professional Development Books

Continuous learning plays an essential role in your future success. There are several ways you can invest in yourself such as reading industry blogs, attending webinars, and enrolling in comprehensive training. Or, it could be as simple as reading a book.

To help on your continuous learning journey, our technical experts have shared their seven favorite books that have helped shape them into the engineers they are today.

TOP 7 FAVORITE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT BOOKS

“The Unwritten Laws of Engineering” by W.J. King and James G. Skakoon (1)

Dave Vedder, Vice President of Engineering & Technology, suggests the book because “it provides a series of common sense personal principles (how to work in teams, work with others, deal with specific situations, etc.) applicable to any person, any team, any department, and any business.”

“Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service” by Ken Blanchard (2)

Sam Hochberg, Applications Engineer, suggests the book because it has helped shape him as a service provider, employee, and even as a consumer. “It’s about exemplary customer service and creating loyalty.”

According to the book’s description, it uses storytelling to teach readers “how to define a vision, learn what a customer really wants, institute effective systems, and make Raving Fan Service a constant feature – not just another program of the month.”

“Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies” by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras (3)

Alletia DeMartino, Campaign Coordinator, recommends this book because “it reveals how visionary companies operate. It revolves around long term growth and the practice of preserving your core while stimulating progress. The core is defined as the company’s purpose, culture and values – the lifeline of any company. While sustaining the core, a company’s goals must always be changing and evolving, and pushing towards consistent progress.”

Alletia was recommended the book herself, by a coworker, and finds that it’s an essential management tool for success.

She adds, “Collins and Porras poured 6 years into researching some of the most successful companies in the world and correlate these underlying characteristics to highly visionary companies.Their ideas are fundamental in researching the sustainability of a successful company.”

“I Can See You Naked: A Fearless Guide to Making Great Presentations” by Ron Hoff (4)

Jeff Setzer, Technology Evangelist, suggests the book because:

“It’s the best book I’ve ever read regarding making presentations to audiences of any size. I bought and read it almost 25 years ago, and the book is still listed on Amazon as a top-rated book on the subject. Some of the tricks to combat nervousness are ones I still use today.”

The book’s description touts it as “a complete guide to public speaking, [it] describes the qualities of a good presenter and discusses openings, nervousness, boredom, audiences, question handling, and more.”

“The New One Minute Manager” by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson (5)

A suggestion from Clare Schaeffer, Electrical Product Manager, who suggests the book because “it conveys a simple method to create an attitude and culture to inspire people and teams to high-performance levels.”

According to its description, the book will teach readers three very practical secrets about leading others – and explain why these techniques continue to work so well.

“Mastery” by Robert Greene (6)

Fred Ochieng, PDM Applications Engineer, suggests the book because it encourages readers to become a Master in their field. According to its description, the book encourages you “learn the secrets of the field you have chosen, submit to a rigorous apprenticeship, absorb the hidden knowledge possessed by those with years of experience, surge past competitors to surpass them in brilliance, and explode established patterns from within,” according to its description.

“Managing Oneself” by Peter F. Drucker (7)

Brandon Donnelly, Technical Account Specialist, suggests the book because it helped him address and adapt to situations when working in a group that may not share the same ideas and manners of communicating.

“It points out that you may not be aware that you learn/communicate in certain ways that your organization doesn’t respond to as much,” says Brandon.

According to its description, the book will teach you how to “cultivate a deep understanding of yourself by identifying your most valuable strengths and most dangerous weaknesses; articulate how you learn and work with others and what your most deeply held values are; and describe the type of work environment where you can make the greatest contribution.”