Contributors to the August 2022 issue of TD magazine offer their book recommendations.

Esther Matthews

Leadership Is Language: The Hidden Power of What You Say—and What You Don't

by L. David Marquet

This book takes lessons from the final hours of a crew doomed at sea and explores how command-and-control leadership failed them all. It uses those lessons to inspire modern leaders to examine their own approaches to leadership through the lens of language, providing specific language recommendations for any kind of leader to embrace and improve decision making and execution with their team.

The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business

by Erin Meyer

This book takes an analytical approach to understanding how cultural differences impact business interactions. It provides helpful specifics for modifying communication and interacting respectfully across cultures whether a person works at a global company, with a diverse set of coworkers, or in a client-facing role.

John Osborne

The Brand You 50: Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself From an 'Employee' Into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!

by Tom Peters

It's quirky but very insightful and practical about how to approach one's career as a branding and marketing exercise.

Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization

by Robert Kegan, Lisa Laskow Lahey

I found that this helped me to understand how to unblock necessary change in my personal life as well as at work and for the business. It’s the only business book I’ve reread three times.

Lisa Spinelli

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates

by Wes Moore

This book really stuck with me for years. It makes you contemplate the circumstances of your life, the luck of the draw, and how easily all of it can change. It enables a kind of empathy and perspective that can only be created with nonfiction stories of struggle.

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

by David Epstein

Having gone to school with Epstein, I have to tell you he’s always been brilliant, and his latest book really shows the kind of deep dive his mind does when researching such important topics like learning and specialization. To be an elite athlete, an expert in your field, or focused and satisfied with your work is all about being well-rounded and diverse and being in diverse teams with people who don’t think like you. Well researched, well written, and completely engaging, this book will change the way you learn and even educate your kids.

Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

by Malcolm Gladwell

I always name this book as one of my favorites, even though Gladwell has written many books thereafter and is an excellent author. This book is so very relevant to the times because it discusses the ebb and flow of trends, fads, and epidemics, which is relevant to all of us, especially now. What has struck me most about this book and kept with me over the years is that small changes or key people in an era can shift the trajectory of a whole generation or era. It reminds that life can change in an instant.