If you want to expand your skills, get ahead in your tech career, or are looking for an entertaining read, look no further. This is the first of a three-part blog series that shares a helpful curated collection of books, videos, and podcasts that are personally recommended by talented senior technology leaders active in the Women of Sitecore community.
Last year, I was fortunate to speak on an all-female panel of Sitecore Most Valuable Professionals (MVPs) at the annual Sitecore Symposium conference, covering a topic I’m very passionate about – Empowering Women in Technology. I discussed how to overcome the barriers in the tech industry, like ‘imposter syndrome,’ by having a ‘growth mindset’. The term Growth Mindset was coined by Dr. Carol Dweck from Stanford University; essentially, it is the belief that the ability to learn is not fixed, and can change with effort.
I personally enjoy listening to audiobooks while I run, and I watch TED talks or other interesting videos on my commute to and from work. This year, I’m training for the Chicago half marathon series races, and I’ve been having trouble finding my next book or podcast to listen to while I run. To continue the conversation and promote continuous learning, I thought it would be valuable to share a list of the top books and videos that women and people new to the tech industry can check out to help develop their careers. To create the list, I reached out to the Sitecore community and partnered with many talented women Sitecore MVPs, as well as women in Sitecore leadership, to crowdsource the top recommendations for content that we have personally found useful.
[Photo Credit: The Morton Arboretum]
The result is a thoughtfully curated collection filled with helpful tips and resources to sharpen your career skills, strengthen your leadership skills, and gain inspiration from the stories of successful people.
Needless to say, I no longer have trouble finding my next thing to read or listen to!
Short on time? Here are pro-tips:
- Blinkist App – Una Verhoeven recommends using the Blinkist app. It has a set of audio and text books from all areas, with special focus on management. It has also broken down a few key sections into 15-minute audio parts, which is very handy when you are doing a short commute.
- Increase Playback Speed – Margaret Wise recommends listening to podcasts at 1.5 speed, which your brain can easily process. I also use this tip listening to audio books or watching videos at a faster speed to maximize my time.
Top Books and Videos on Professional Development
Books
1. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth
- Recommended by: Ethel Crosby
- Why Ethel recommends it: This is an inspiring book on confidence, illustrating how everyone can push themselves to be stronger than they think they are by putting in the effort to reach their goals.
2. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
- Recommended by: Ishraq Fataftah
- Why Ishraq recommends it: I wouldn’t be exaggerating if I said Brené Brown influenced a lot of who I am today. Her TED Talks and books helped me realize my potential and helped me to never be afraid of being seen by others. Embracing my fears and vulnerabilities helped me stand up and contribute in both my personal and my work life, and I’m sure it will help you too!
3. Resonate: Present Visual Stories That Transform Audiences by Nancy Duarte
- Recommended by: Amanda Shiga
- Why Amanda recommends it: This is my go-to guide when I prepare for a speaking engagement. Nancy’s structure for great presentations and the power of storytelling helps every time.
4. The Power of Story by Jim Loehr
- Recommended by: Margaret Wise
- Why Margaret recommends it: This book peels back the layers of what really drives you and helps you articulate your own story. It helped me crystallize my own personal mission of helping connect women to share their experiences with each other.
5. You Are a Badass: How to Stop Doubting Your Greatness and Start Living an Awesome Life by Jen Sincero
- Recommended by: Stephanie Allen
- Why Stephanie recommends it: An empowering and relatively quick read on how to trust yourself and realize the greatness that you possess. A perfect book to keep handy for those days when you feel knocked down and could use a confidence boost.
6. Presence by Amy Cuddy
- Recommended by: Ethel Crosby
- Why Ethel recommends it: This is a helpful guide on overcoming stressful times by rethinking your approach, being true and authentic to yourself, and stop worrying about what others think.
7. The Confidence Code by Katty Kay & Claire Shipman
- Recommended by: Allison Simpkins
- Why Allison recommends it: An informative and practical guide to understanding the importance of confidence and learning how to achieve it.
8. Brave Not Perfect by Reshma Saujani
- Recommended by: Allison Simpkins
- Why Allison recommends it: Inspired by her TED Talk, this book has powerful insights and practices to help all of us let go of our need to achieve perfection and make bravery a lifelong habit.
9. Constructive Living by David Reynolds
- Recommended by: Amanda Shiga
- Why Amanda recommends it: A great read on self-mastery and focusing on what the moment demands, instead of rumination. The author also talks about feelings following behavior, which is a helpful and refreshing reminder.
10. What If I Really Am the Best Person? By Shari Graydon
- Recommended by: Amanda Shiga
- Why Amanda recommends it: Shari advocates for women’s voices to be better represented in the media and public discourse. She encourages women to speak up and not doubt the validity of their perspective. I was lucky to do a workshop with her and the message was empowering! A good read for a boost of confidence and inspiration.
Videos and Podcasts
1. The power of vulnerability – Brené Brown – TED Talk
- Recommended by: Isabel Tinoco
- Why Isabel recommends it: This talk is so real! We all need connection and we all face vulnerability. Brené discusses how embracing and acknowledging our imperfections, being authentic, taking risks and practicing gratitude can make a big difference in our lives. Everything is a choice. My favorite part: “We are all worthy of love and belonging”.
2. Teach girls bravery, not perfection – Reshma Saujani – TED Talk
- Recommended by: Christina Hauge Engel
- Why Christina recommends it: To me, this is an extremely inspiring talk discussing how we are raising our girls to be perfect, and we’re raising our boys to be brave. The talk opened my eyes and has made me extremely aware of how I can inspire children to be comfortable with imperfection and what impact this will have for them in their future.
We must teach young girls to take risks and learn to program just like we do with young boys – two skills they need to move society forward. To truly innovate, we cannot leave behind half of our population. A moving talk.
- Recommended by: Allison Simpkins
- Why Allison recommends it: A fantastic TED Talk on the importance of teaching.
3. Grit: The power of passion and perseverance – Angela Duckworth – TED Talk
- Recommended by: Ethel Crosby
- Why Ethel recommends it: A shortened TED talk video version of Angela’s Grit book. Great quick watch when you need a confidence boost.
4. The Call to Courage – Brené Brown – Netflix Original
- Recommended by: Jacqueline Baxter
- Why Jackie recommends it: “True belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are” – this is one of those documentaries that left me feeling simultaneously very seen and challenged to be better, do better, go farther and trust.
5. Your body language may shape who you are – Amy Cuddy – TED Talk
- Recommended by: Ethel Crosby
- Why Ethel recommends it: Great quick watch on the “power posing” concept; how physical body language influences how you act and how others perceive you. Good to watch in preparation for an important in-person work meeting or presentation.
6. Speaking Your Brand – Carol Cox
- Recommended by: Alison Sainsbury
- Why Alison recommends it: I came across Carol’s podcast when I was asked to moderate a panel, and I’ve been a fan ever since. Really practical tips & interesting interviews with women who are putting themselves up on stage and out in the world. How to really move people whether on stage or in person, such an important growth area for many women and something even the great ones can continue to improve.
7. Indian Girls Code – Aditi Prasad – TEDxChennai
- Recommended by: Hetal Dave
- Why Hetal recommends it: TEDx talk on cultural divides and challenges girls face in India.
Special thanks to all the women that shared their recommendations:
- Stephanie Allen – Senior Digital Strategist, Enablement & Optimization Lead, Velir
- Francine Anthony – Head of Global Partner Marketing, Sitecore
- Jacqueline Baxter – Digital Strategist, Hedgehog
- Ethel Crosby – Director of Technology Operations and Offerings, One North
- Hetal Dave – Technical Lead, Verndale
- Ishraq Fataftah – Founder and Chief Technology Officer, ApplezTech
- Jill Grozalsky – Director of Digital Strategy, Brainjocks
- Christina Hauge Engel – Digital Strategist, Pentia
- Deepthi Katta – Technical Architect, Verndale
- Paige O’Neill – Chief Marketing Officer, Sitecore
- Alison Sainsbury – Senior Marketing Consultant, SBOS, Sitecore
- Allison Simpkins – Senior Vice President, North America, Valtech
- Amanda Shiga – Product Strategy, Sitecore
- Isabel Tinoco – Director of Alliances, Coveo
- Una Verhoeven – Solution Architect and Founder, AmpleEdge
- Margaret Wise – Chief Revenue Officer, Arke
As I mentioned on the panel last year, I’m a strong believer in adopting a growth mindset. I believe that both women and men become successful if they care about what they do, work really damn hard at it, and have grit. It’s okay if you don’t know something or get uncomfortable at times. Read as much as you can to truly understand the concepts, ask questions, and get your hands dirty by digging into the details.
Stay tuned for future posts on the rest of the collection of books, videos, and podcasts on Leadership and Inspirational Journeys.
Update: Missed the other posts of this series? See the following: