June 2025 TD Authors: What's on Your Bookshelf?

Stephanie Hubka

Connection Culture

By Michael Lee Stallard, Jason Pankau, and Katherine P. Stallard

How we connect to and with each other is critical to our success, and I love how this book focuses on building cultures that boost and encourage employees to thrive. The book incorporates some great stories and tips that make it easy to incorporate the ideas presented; it offers a nice dose of inspiration.

Human-Centered AI

By Ben Shneiderman

Artificial intelligence will be at the forefront of many conversations from now on, but that doesn't mean the robots need to rule talent development. This book is more about the opportunities AI offers than the risks. It includes some easy-to-implement recommendations for how organizations can use AI without losing focus on the humans at the center of how we work.

Katie Kuhl

What Matters Next: A Leader’s Guide to Making Human-Friendly Tech Decisions in a World That’s Moving Too Fast

By Kate O’Neill

This insightful read offers a powerful framework for leaders navigating rapid technological change while keeping people at the heart of their decisions. For talent development professionals, it reinforces the importance of aligning tech solutions—like leadership development platforms—with organizational values and employee needs to ensure meaningful, lasting impact.

Tactical Empathy: Building Bridges for Successful Negotiations

By Ricardo Cruz

Drawing from negotiation principles, this book emphasizes the power of listening, emotional intelligence, and relationship-building to influence outcomes. It’s especially relevant for talent development professionals working with external partners, ensuring both sides feel heard and valued throughout the collaboration.

The Trusted Advisor

By David H. Maister, Charles H. Green, and Robert M. Galford

This classic offers practical guidance for building trust-based relationships—essential for cultivating strong vendor partnerships or leading successful leadership development initiatives. The book provides actionable frameworks for enhancing credibility, demonstrating reliability, and showing empathy—key traits that foster long-term collaboration and impactful outcomes.

The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why It Matters

By Priya Parker

This book explores the power of intentional gatherings and how well-designed experiences create stronger connections. For talent development professionals, Parker’s insights can inspire more engaging workshops, leadership programs, and vendor partnership meetings—helping to ensure meaningful interactions that drive results. Fun Fact: I had the incredible opportunity to meet Priya during a behind-the-scenes event at ATD's International Conference & Expo in 2023, where she shared captivating stories that added depth and context to the book’s concepts, making them even more impactful and memorable.

Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It

By Chris Voss and Tahl Raz

Drawing from his experience as an FBI negotiator, Voss outlines strategies for mastering high-stakes conversations. This book is especially helpful for those navigating vendor relationships, ensuring organizations get the best value while maintaining positive, productive partnerships.

Radical Candor

By Kim Scott

For leaders who seek to build strong relationships rooted in trust and accountability, this is a must-read book. Its practical strategies for giving clear, honest feedback while maintaining empathy are invaluable when managing partnerships, coaching leaders, or driving successful learning initiatives.

Ivett Casanova

Betrayed: The Legalization of Age Discrimination in the Workplace

By Patricia G. Barnes

It examines how legal frameworks have evolved, often to the detriment of older employees, and provides insights into combating age discrimination in professional settings in the US.

Agewise

By Margaret Morganroth Gullette

This book explores the cultural narratives that reinforce ageism, challenging the decline-focused perspective of aging and advocating for a more nuanced understanding of growing older.

Rehana Rajwani

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking

By Malcolm Gladwell

I first read this book as a 10-year-old and it changed my outlook on life. It talks about the power of intuition and explains why we make decisions within the blink of an eye. It is very relevant today as we think about our biases based on our lived experiences.

Tonya Wilson

Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live

By Becca Levy, PhD

A research-based look at how ageism affects health, career longevity, and productivity.

Ageism Unmasked: Exploring Age Bias and How to End It

By Tracey Gendron

Examines the history, consequences, and ways to combat ageism in society and work.

The Longevity Economy: Unlocking the World’s Fastest-Growing, Most Misunderstood Market

By Joseph F. Coughlin

Examines the economic and business opportunities in an aging workforce.

Love and Work: How to Find What You Love, Love What You Do, and Do It for the Rest of Your Life

By Marcus Buckingham

Encourages people of all ages to integrate personal passions into work.

Kassie LaBorie

The Referable Speaker

By Michael Port and Andrew Davis

Ever wonder why some speeches, training, and presentations shift your perspective, engage you fully, and excite you into action, while others are instantly forgettable? As I worked to add keynote speaking to my business, I kept getting stuck on what truly makes a speech compelling versus just informative. The Referable Speaker gave me the clarity I needed, revealing the key differences between expertise and visionary thinking, what truly captivates an audience, and an actionable model to grow an inspirational speaking business. This book didn’t just offer insights; it delivered a roadmap. Changed. My. Entire. Perspective.

Kevin Lange

Stakeholdering: Diplomatic Skills for Successful Projects

By Jan Van der Vurst

Using real-world examples, this book offers practical strategies for those wishing to build key skills for ensuring learning initiatives gain support and succeed. For those wishing to transition from being an “order taker” to a true “learning consultant,” this book offers frameworks and tools to move beyond mere project management and become strategic partners in organizational learning.

e-Learning and the Science of Instruction: Proven Guidelines for Consumers and Designers of Multimedia Learning (Fifth Edition)

By Ruth Colvin Clark and Richard E. Mayer

The latest update to e-Learning and the Science of Instruction adds three new chapters to an essential resource for any learning professional creating effective multimedia learning experiences. Grounded in cognitive science, the book provides clear, research-backed guidelines that help designers make informed decisions about visuals, text, and interactivity to maximize learner engagement and retention.