Most Downloaded 2023
1 Number one is not a surprise because you may hardly remember an annual top list that was not headed by the 7 Habits. Its decades of popularity sometimes make you wonder: Is anyone left on the planet who doesn’t know (or at least downloaded) the summary? If so – here’s the link.
(Yes, we copypasted this part 1:1 from last year’s article. However, from now on, there will only be fresh content, we promise.)
2 In 2023, more people than ever struggled to understand why they can’t advance in their careers. They work hard while hoping that their managers will notice and reward their efforts, but, more often than not, they wind up burned out and resentful. According to career expert Tessa White, this happens because they spend their working hours on the wrong things. In The Unspoken Truths for Career Success, White breaks down the workplace falsehoods that may hinder your career and explains how to refocus your efforts to create value for your organization.
3 Whether it’s about your work performance, happiness, or general quality of life, getting your relationships right is imperative. In How to Work with (Almost) Anyone, author Michael Bungay Stanier offers the solution to building the best possible relationships: the Keystone Conversation. Learn to ask the right questions and navigate difficult discussions with empathy and grace. Not convinced yet? Read our short interview with Michael to gain more first-hand insights.
4 If it’s not your superiors or your relationships at work and in your private life, then what is it? Well, maybe it has to do with yourself that you are not achieving what you would like to achieve: How you dress, talk, walk or react tells others who you are and what to expect. If you don’t like where you are now, the way people treat you, or feel stuck, it’s time to take control. In Sell Yourself, branding coach Dr. Cindy McGovern offers an intriguing overview of the concept of, yes, selling yourself. From creating a brand, living that brand and promoting it, she offers a step-by-step guide to how to sell with success.
5 Do you lack the confidence to “sell” yourself? That’s not atypical for 2023 either, but luckily, there’s leadership consultant and best-selling author Selena Rezvani. In Quick Confidence, she offers an array of easily implementable, actionable tips to boost your confidence. Gathered from coaching sessions with thousands of professionals at Microsoft, HP, the World Bank, the US Treasury Department, and many more, these learnable skills fall into three categories: mind-set, embodiment and interpersonal.
6 At this point, you may ask yourself: What about me as a leader? Did nobody care about professional leadership development in 2023? Of course, someone did. Rose M. Patten, a prominent Canadian businesswoman and Chancellor of the University of Toronto, for example! She set out to explore how leadership evolves under challenging circumstances and to pinpoint essential leadership abilities. Her resulting framework, the “Big 8,” was the subject of 25 one-week sessions of discussion and debate in Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and the BMO Executive Leadership Programs. In Intentional Leadership, Patten condensed her findings and now encourages leaders to make the most of self-awareness, feedback, intention, adaptability, and good character.
7 In 2023, many companies decided whether to return staff to the office, go fully remote or create hybrid workplaces. No wonder Peter Cappelli’s The Future of the Office was so popular: It warns that their decision requires considering significant variables that could affect retention, productivity, and corporate culture. He cites baseline and current research and explains the trade-offs of various models. The baseline? Today, every firm and employee can determine whether remote or onsite works best for them. Cappelli outlines options, risks and rewards in this robust look at the issues you must ponder to determine where your workforce – or you – should work.
8 Some corporate leaders initially believed people would return to in-office work, resuming their pre-pandemic routines. According to consultant Gustavo Razzetti’s Remote Not Distant, they were terribly wrong because the mindsets of their workers shifted dramatically over the last years: Before the pandemic, about 25% of employed Americans worked from home at least part of the time. Despite that, remote work had a negative connotation. Now, results prove that remote work boosts productivity, and the whole nature of professional collaboration has changed. Razzetti explains how to make the most of this new world in arguably the best hybrid work playbook currently available.
9 But how do we keep our people up to speed regarding learning in hybrid setups? We heard this question frequently last year and pointed to learning tech expert Nelson Sivalingam time and time again because he argues organizations must put aside traditional, plodding approaches to developing learning content and adopt Lean and Agile principles instead. By creating “minimum valuable learning” content and iterating toward a fully viable product in sprints, professionals can develop relevant learning linked to business outcomes – at more incredible speed. In Learning at Speed, Sivalingam offers a convincing case for bringing Lean and Agile to L&D, and in our interview, he even gives you a glimpse into the near future of AI-powered learning.
Are you curious about the most recent findings and work of Sivalingam? Read our interview:
Let us now guide you, 10, ‘back to the office’ one final time! What, you are fed up with rigid, hostile workplace structures? Well, then, you might be curious what a workplace adapted to the opportunities and challenges of the new world of work might look like! In Unworking, Jeremy Myerson and Philip Ross analyze the shifting role of the office since the early 20th century and speculate on its ongoing evolution. This part-historical, part-exploratory study will appeal to anyone preparing for the future of the workplace, either as a user or provider of the office as a service.
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