3 books that will change your career in 2017

Ange Connor

The end of the year is synonymous with new years resolutions and reflecting on our career. What have we achieved professionally (and personally) during the year, where are we at in our career, where do we want to be and what are our goals for the new year ahead? Whether you are packing your suitcase to jet set off on a relaxing holiday; are gathering the essentials to spend some time lazing at the beach or simply kicking back on the couch and having some rest and relax time, here are three books that you must have on your holiday reading list.

For me a great self-development book changes the way I think and work. If I have highlighted sections, underlined key words, folded over particular pages as reference to certain info and regularly go back and re-read a particular section or chapter it’s a pretty good sign the book has positively impacted me. These three books have all hit the mark for me and I hope you get as much out of them as what I have. They are all full of tips and information that you can apply to your life and to help you develop your career. They’re not traditional career self-help books but if you apply even one piece of advice from each book I’m confident that change will help you step your career forward. Enjoy!

The Game of Inches – Nigel Collin

Don’t be deterred by thinking this book is for business and entrepreneurs. While that is certainly Nigel’s target audience the words of wisdom, advice and concepts can be easily applied and adapted to individuals and your own career journey. Nigel has gathered information from some of the most successful people around Australia and don’t expect to read about famous people you know by name, many of his stories come from every day Australians who have achieved great success in what they do through finding a gap, taking action, testing and measuring, deleting or improving. From a gap perspective, don’t just think of gaps in the market think of gaps in your career, your skill set, your area of technical expertise, gaps in service delivery for the customers your serve. And if you ever get the opportunity to hear Nigel speak, jump on it, he is brilliant!

The A – Z of Service Excellence – Cate Schreck

I had the opportunity to connect with Cate a few months back and she is one inspiring woman. The Director of Lightbulb Training Solutions, Cate delivers training across a range of areas including customer service. Cate’s book takes a refreshing look at customer service and covers the A to Z of being a true customer service professional. In a world where no matter what your job title and function is, every single one of us has customers. You might not sit at the reception desk or answer the phone but no matter what you do you will have a customer. As a recruiter I love this book because for me it is all about the “soft skills” that are often lacking and are holding many people back from taking that next step in their career even though they have all the technical skills. The book breaks down every element of customer service, it’s an easy read and the techniques, tips and advice are easy actions that are easily implemented in to the way we do things. I also love the lightbulb tips which make it so easy to flick back through this book for a quick dose of customer service inspiration.

Leading on the Edge – Rachael Robertson

Who better to take leadership advice from than the first female and one of the youngest people to ever lead an Antarctic expedition. As Rachael states on the back cover of her book, “Whether you lead or aspire to lead, this book is your guide to becoming an authentic, resilient, innovative leader who gets the best out of your team. You don’t have to be a manager to lead, this book has brilliant advice for anyone who works with people. The “what I learned” sections at the end of each chapter summarise Rachael’s key learnings/take homes really well. And as a die-hard recruiter I quite enjoyed reading about the recruitment process she went through and her approach to it is also pretty interesting!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and feedback on these books and how they have change your life. Happy reading!

This is our last blog for 2016 as the Inspire HQ will be taking a well earned break over the Christmas and New Year period. We sincerely thank you for being part of our community in 2016 and hope you have enjoyed our blogs throughout the year. Thank you to those of you who have shared your thoughts and experiences, questioned our opinions and challenged us think differently, for us this is what it is all about. The Inspire HQ team wishes you a Merry Christmas and a safe, happy and prosperous New Year.

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About The Author
Ange Connor

Ange is the Founder and Director of Inspire HQ, one of regional Victoria’s leading recruitment, human resource (HR) and careers agencies. Ange is an ‘ideas’ person and a ‘big picture’ thinker. She loves to challenge the status quo – in fact, that’s how Inspire HQ began.

Ange has supported hundreds of businesses across Ballarat and regional Victoria to attract, engage, motivate, develop and retain their greatest assets; their people. Ange’s unyielding passion and invaluable knowledge of the recruitment and HR industry ensures she delivers the best solutions for her clients.

Ange has held various board positions and regularly volunteers her time to share her industry and market knowledge. She was recently a Councillor for the Victoria and Tasmania region of the Recruitment Consulting and Staffing Association (RCSA) of Australia and New Zealand, and she is a current Board Director of the Committee for Ballarat.

For more useful information, follow Ange on LinkedIn.

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