Contributors to the August 2019 issue of TD magazine offer their book recommendations.

Kelli MacIver

Winning by Jack Welch

As a new manager, this book gave me the skills and confidence I needed to lead a team. Now, I continue to re-read it and learn something new about management and leadership every time.

How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie

I read this book every year. It’s a great guide to becoming the best version of yourself.

Tim Slade

slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte

Designing beautiful slides, whether for your next e-learning course or your next instructor-led course, can be a bit of a challenge. Duarte’s book is perfect for anyone looking to understand how to bring their content to life on the screen.

Brian Carlson

_Dare to Lead: Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts._by Brené Brown

Brown became a household name with her TED Talk on vulnerability. This book provides real-world examples of how to add her philosophy into your leadership team's management toolkit.

Brian Washburn

Leading at the Edge: Leadership Lessons from the Extraordinary Saga of Shackleton’s Antarctic Expedition by Dennis N. T. Perkins, Dennis Perkins, Margaret P. Holtman, and Paul R. Kessler

Getting my master’s in organizational development helped me realize that leadership books are a dime a dozen. I really couldn’t stomach another one until someone handed me this epic quest of survival against impossible odds while stranded in Antarctica for two years without any hope of rescue. The fact that the author was somehow able to connect the traits that helped save lives during this ill-fated expedition from over a century ago to my comparatively mundane and easy life has restored my faith in leadership development literature.

A Simple Act of Gratitude: How Learning to Say Thank You Changed My Life by John Kralik

I’m sure I’ve said thank you a million times, but I’m not sure I ever really meant it until I read this book and started thinking about it. Now I write thank you notes at random times because I sincerely want to share my appreciation for the impact people have had on me (and I make sure my children write thank you notes too). Maybe it’s karma, maybe it’s the universe, or maybe it’s merely a coincidence, but since reading this book, good things seem to happen when I take time out to share gratitude with others.