A few words of wisdom can be just what you need to aim for that next career goal, or achieve a personal best. But where can a young professional find excellent advice on demand?

Books!

In honor of March Madness, we put together a bracket of the top professional/personal development books as recommended by YNPN board members and members of the YNPN-EPIP Leadership Institute.

We need your help to pick our champion, so take a look at our bracket (and read below for more detail.) Then leave us a comment here with your picks, take it to social media to let others know, and add a comment of which books we left out by mistake! 

Our Books
(listed alphabetically by title)

Daring Greatly: How the courage to be vulnerable transforms the way we live, love, parent and lead

Brene Brown
Great for young professionals who: want to feel more confident taking risks, change their office culture, want to bring more authenticity to their work or home life. 

The Defining Decade: Why your twenties matter – and how to make the most of them now

Meg Jay
Great for young professionals who: are feeling directionless in their early careers, are struggling with a quarter-life crisis, are tackling life, love and relationships.

First, Break All the Rules: What the worlds greatest managers do differently

Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman
Great for young professionals who: are looking to develop leadership and management skills, want hard facts on the bets ways to manage employees, want to be a better leader regardless of their job title.

Getting to Yes: Negotiating agreement without giving in

William Ury, Roger Fisher and Bruce Patton
Great for young professionals who: want advice on navigating confrontation productively, want tips for managing difficult relationships with supervisors or coworkers, are prepping for major life moments like raises, promotions or buying a house.

Lean In: Women, work, and the will to lead

Sheryl Sandberg
Great for young professionals who: want to develop leadership skills as woman in any workplace, want to learn more about the experience of women in leadership positions, want practical advice on confidence and leadership 

Presence: Bringing your boldest self to your biggest challenges

Amy Cuddy
Great for young professionals who: are fascinated by scientific evidence of the brain-body connection, looking for quick tips on feeling more confident in interviews, presentations or meetings, want to grow more bold in their career or personal lives.

So Good They Can’t Ignore You: Why skills trump passion in the quest for work you love

Cal Newport
Great for young professionals who: may be struggling to identify one defining “passion” in the life, are looking for ways to feed their entrepreneurial urges.

StrengthsFinder 2.0

Tom Rath
Great for young professionals who: are curious about uncovering their strengths and how to leverage these in their jobs and lives, curious about the strengths of their coworkers or supervisor and want tips on working together more effectively.

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