What's On My Business Reading List For 2020
One of my big goals in 2020 is to read 12 books. Reading 12 books has been a goal of mine for a while. Every year it seems to fall by the wayside. I know it’s my fault for not prioritizing reading like I should. My goal this year is to combat that and get back into a regular reading schedule. One chapter a day, every day. Simple yet challenging. As I prepare for the year ahead, I wanted to share some of the books I’ve been looking at. I will likely read a mixture of business books and fiction books, but this is my business reading list for 2020.
1) The Thought Leadership Manual: How To Grab Your Clients’ Attention With Powerful Ideas
I love creating thought leadership pieces, but I confess that I could be better at writing them. I want to learn more about the power of thought leadership and how I can use my words to move potential clients and their customers. I know that I have opinions that I can express well, but I know that thought leadership is more than just the words you speak. It’s about connecting with an audience, sharing something worth sharing, and creating expertise for the company posting the article. I want to delve deeper into my knowledge of thought leadership so I can write better content for all of my clients.
2) They Ask, You Answer: A Revolutionary Approach To Inbound Sales, Content Marketing, And Today’s Digital Consumer
As much as I love content marketing, I am always trying to be better at it. Like thought leadership, there is always something I can learn. I am trying to get better at understanding the kind of content my client’s customers need. I would love to take on some smaller clients in 2020 who need more hands-on content work. I love working with clients who have their content marketing strategy set in stone, but I also enjoy working with clients who need a bit more help. If I’m going to feel more comfortable reaching out to smaller companies, I need to know more about content marketing and how it relates to sales and leads. I think reading a book like this will help me understand more about how to use content marketing for good.
3) Belonging At Work: Everyday Actions You Can Take To Cultivate An Inclusive Organization
Working with Greenhouse Software on several blog posts this year, has gotten me more interested in DE&I as a writer. I want to delve deeper into this world in 2020, and learn more about diversity and inclusion. While I know a lot about diversity from my own existence and my Master’s in Sociology, I’d love to learn more about how diversity impacts work. I’d love to connect with more organizations like Greenhouse, who are working to make the workplace more inclusive, so staying educated on inclusivity at work seems like a great place to start.
4) Work Rules!: Insights From Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live And Lead
Over my years creating HR tech content, I’ve heard a lot about the company culture at Google. Google seems to be an example that is brought up time and time again on various articles, and I’ve even linked to a few of their tools in articles I’ve written for clients. I’d love to learn more about their company culture, and this book has been on my radar for a couple of years.
5) Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well
Another thing I want to value more in 2020 is feedback. I take feedback better than I did when I first started freelancing. I understand that companies want content that they feel will push their company forward. I know I need to do a better job of gleaning insight from feedback instead of being on the defensive when I receive it. The hardest part about receiving freelance feedback is that it’s not rooted in anything complex. When I received feedback from teachers in school, I’d gotten to know my professors, and it felt like the feedback came from wanting me to be a better writer. Client feedback can feel off-putting because I work with so many of my clients on a one-off basis still, and I don’t know them or their tone as well. I am learning and growing, which is why I want to read this book in 2020.
Conclusion
I want reading to be a regular part of my days in 2020. It’s not going to be easy to put more focus on reading in the new year, but I am hopeful that I’ll be able to get more books read in 2020 than years past. I’d love to know: what’s on your reading list for 2020?