20 Best Books For It Professionals (2023 Update)

'in a world beset by burnout, greg mckeown's work is essential' — daniel h. it all starts with a simple principle: not everything has to be so hard. the intricacy of modern life has created a false dichotomy between things that are 'hard and important,' and those that are 'easy and trivial.' everything has become so much harder than it ought to be. but, greg mckeown, bestselling author of essentialism, says, there is a third alternative. in effortless, he offers practical tools for making the most essential activities the easiest ones, so you can achieve the results you want, without burning out. honed over the better part of a decade, these strategies include: ·turning tedious tasks into enjoyable rituals ·preventing frustration by solving problems before they arise ·setting a sustainable pace instead of powering through ·making one-time choices that eliminate many future decisions ·making relationships easier to maintain and manage ·and much more mckeown's philosophy of essentialism has helped thousands to recognise that the effortless way isn't the lazy way. it's the smart way. effortless will show you how.

#1 new york times bestseller “significant… the book is both instructive and surprisingly moving.” —the new york times ray dalio, one of the world’s most successful investors and entrepreneurs, shares the unconventional principles that he’s developed, refined, and used over the past forty years to create unique results in both life and business—and which any person or organization can adopt to help achieve their goals.in 1975, ray dalio founded an investment firm, bridgewater associates, out of his two-bedroom apartment in new york city. forty years later, bridgewater has made more money for its clients than any other hedge fund in history and grown into the fifth most important private company in the united states, according to fortune magazine. dalio himself has been named to time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world. along the way, dalio discovered a set of unique principles that have led to bridgewater’s exceptionally effective culture, which he describes as “an idea meritocracy that strives to achieve meaningful work and meaningful relationships through radical transparency.” it is these principles, and not anything special about dalio—who grew up an ordinary kid in a middle-class long island neighborhood—that he believes are the reason behind his success. in principles, dalio shares what he’s learned over the course of his remarkable career. he argues that life, management, economics, and investing can all be systemized into rules and understood like machines. the book’s hundreds of practical lessons, which are built around his cornerstones of “radical truth” and “radical transparency,” include dalio laying out the most effective ways for individuals and organizations to make decisions, approach challenges, and build strong teams. he also describes the innovative tools the firm uses to bring an idea meritocracy to life, such as creating “baseball cards” for all employees that distill their strengths and weaknesses, and employing computerized decision-making systems to make believability-weighted decisions. while the book brims with novel ideas for organizations and institutions, principles also offers a clear, straightforward approach to decision-making that dalio believes anyone can apply, no matter what they’re seeking to achieve. here, from a man who has been called both “the steve jobs of investing” and “the philosopher king of the financial universe” (cio magazine), is a rare opportunity to gain proven advice unlike anything you’ll find in the conventional business press.

The ultimate guide to relationships, influence and persuasion in 21st century business. what is most important to your success as a sales or business professional? is it education, experience, product knowledge, job title, territory, or business dress? is it testimonials, the latest forbes write up, or brand awareness? is it the investment in the latest crm software, business 2.0 tools, or social media strategy? you could hire a fancy consulting firm, make the list longer, add some bullet points, put it into a powerpoint presentation, and go through the whole dog and pony show. but at the end of the day there will be only one conclusion… none of the above! you see, the most important competitive edge for today's business professionals cannot be found on this list, your resume, or in any of your company's marketing brochures. that's right, it's you. do these other things matter? your ability to build lasting business relationships that allow you to close more deals, retain clients, increase your income, and advance your career to rise the top of your company or industry, depends on your skills for getting other people to like you, trust you, and buy you. this break-through book pushes past the typical focus on mechanics and stale processes found in so many of today's sales and business books, and goes right to the heart of what matters most in 21st century business. few books have tackled the subject of interpersonal relationships in the business world in such a practical and down-to-earth manner, breaking what many perceive as a complex and frustrating process into easy, actionable steps that anyone can follow.

What does it take to be a great cto? leadership – expertise – innovation – teamwork – relationships – passion in the 21st century, every company that is going to be a leader in its industry needs an executive who is focused on identifying, tracking, developing, and profiting from new and emerging technologies. google, facebook, amazon, general electric, intel, microsoft and hundreds of other major firms bring technology awareness into the executive ranks and the strategic decision making process. modern business cannot be performed without leveraging the new technologies that are being created around the globe. this book describes the role and responsibilities of the chief technology officer and executives with similar titles. it provides a framework for understanding the many unique flavors the position; identifies key responsibilities that go with the job; and provides vignettes of successful cto's in large and small companies. this book is the first to take a disciplined look at this important executive position and to describe the best practices necessary to excel. every prospective technology leader must read this book and apply its ideas in their organizations.

Praise for the cio playbook "the most trusted advisors chief information officers have are other cios, and nicholas colisto capitalizes beautifully on that fact in the cio playbook. this highly readable guide to succeeding in one of the toughest jobs in the c-suite features a step-by-step framework that is practical, focused, and quite specific. the strategies nicholas describes come to life through anecdotes and straightforward advice from many of the industry's most respected cios who share their advice on everything from partnering with business colleagues to innovating and delivering results." —maryfran johnson, editor in chief, cio magazine and events "the cio playbook is a must-read for technology management executives in all industries. it provides concrete solutions for reshaping the partnership between information systems organizations and the business to enable growth through innovation. it is a practical guide to navigating risks in an environment where technology is evolving continuously and the economic landscape is transforming routinely. nicholas colisto managed to weave strategy and tactics in a book that is both thought provoking and applicable." —gabrielle wolfson, chief information officer, panasonic corporation of north america "the cio playbook is a no-fluff, high-value read. nicholas has done a great job in leveraging collective intelligence to first identify the real and pressing issues that it leaders struggle with, and then offer pragmatic strategies to address them. a very well-structured treasure chest of knowledge and insights that every current and aspiring it leader must own and refer to." —sanjog aul, host, cio talk radio "from strategic project selection to optimizing alignment so that it best benefits the business, the cio playbook is written to help cios improve their effectiveness." —ron v. this book is a valuable tool that every it executive should have in their tool belt." —larry bonfante, cio, usta; author of lessons in it transformation "a refreshing, innovative approach to educating and influencing us through pragmatic to breakthrough advice in the form of quotes from a carefully selected who's who in the industry who advise what they learned from meeting head-on and conquering the toughest challenges in technology management." —frank kovacs, lead, cloud computing – cio services, ernst & young

Is this blue book more valuable than a business degree? most people enter their professional careers not understanding how to grow a business. at times, this makes them feel lost, or worse, like a fraud pretending to know what theyre doing. its hard to be successful without a clear understanding of how business works. these 60 daily readings are crucial for any professional or business owner who wants to take their career to the next level.

New york times bestseller – from the author of the power of habit comes a fascinating book that explores the science of productivity, and why managing how you think is more important than what you think–with an appendix of real-world lessons to apply to your life. at the core of smarter faster better are eight key productivity concepts–from motivation and goal setting to focus and decision making–that explain why some people and companies get so much done. drawing on the latest findings in neuroscience, psychology, and behavioral economics–as well as the experiences of ceos, educational reformers, four-star generals, fbi agents, airplane pilots, and broadway songwriters–this painstakingly researched book explains that the most productive people, companies, and organizations don't merely act differently. they view the world, and their choices, in profoundly different ways. a young woman drops out of a phd program and starts playing poker. by training herself to envision contradictory futures, she learns to anticipate her opponents' missteps–and becomes one of the most successful players in the world. a group of data scientists at google embark on a four-year study of how the best teams function, and find that how a group interacts is more important than who is in the group–a principle, it turns out, that also helps explain why saturday night live became a hit. a marine corps general, faced with low morale among recruits, reimagines boot camp–and discovers that instilling a "bias toward action" can turn even the most directionless teenagers into self-motivating achievers. the filmmakers behind disney's frozen are nearly out of time and on the brink of catastrophe–until they shake up their team in just the right way, spurring a creative breakthrough that leads to one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. what do these people have in common? they know that productivity relies on making certain choices.

This book is for senior executives who are on a mission to jack up the performance of their information-technology (it) project portfolios, and who are no longer satisfied with the usual mix of "best-practice" approaches. if you seek a carefully designed set of proven, practical, and harmoniously integrated techniques engineered to deliver significantly higher performance thresholds–without the usual zealotry found in most it project portfolio management (ppm) guidebooks–this book is for you.

Begin your javascript journey with this comprehensive, hands-on guide. you'll learn everything there is to know about professional javascript programming, from core language concepts to essential client-side tasks. build dynamic web applications with step-by-step instructions and expand your knowledge by exploring server-side development and mobile development. work with advanced language features, write clean and efficient code, and much more!

Bring a new level of effectiveness to your software projects remember when creating software was fun? it could be again, if you use the methods in this book to help you plan and manage your project. in this new edition of the software project manager’s handbook, expert dwayne phillips outlines the fundamental principles that project managers and software practitioners can use to help them succeed on any project. success on software projects has more to do with how people think individually and in groups than with programming, asserts phillips. in clear and concise steps, he shows software project managers and their team members how to manage projects effectively by paying attention to four basic principles: balancing people, process, and product making ideas visible applying configuration management properly using standards the book describes the requirements, planning, and risk management stages of the development cycle and examines the middle and late stages of development including design, test and integration, and maintenance. finally, the author examines past projects in detail–demonstrating why some projects were successful and why others failed. phillips helps you apply these lessons with a "cookbook" formula that walks you step-by-step through a waterfall, an evolutionary, and a spiral project. new material added to each chapter covers current issues including the role of process in software projects and the agile methods. the software project manager’s handbook, second edition is the most innovative and up-to-date guide to making every software project a complete and painless success.

The new york times, wall street journal, and usa today bestseller! before you ask, "why aren't my employees working harder?" . . . ask yourself, "why are my employees working?" praise for the why of work: “this book may well be held up as a game-changer in the world of work.” — edge magazine/international leadership and management "will help managers create a sense of purpose among employees, motivating them and inspiring them to break out to do more." — publishers weekly "principled, timely, and engaging, the why of work teaches that building a culture of abundance and common purpose is essential to organizational success." — stephen r. covey, bestselling author of 7 habits of highly effective people "will have a major impact on how individuals shape their attitude to work, how organizations create abundant cultures, and how leaders turn personal meaning into public good." — jigmi y. thinley, prime minister of bhutan "the why of work shows a better, different way to build and lead organizations. "this is a must read for anyone who works, leads others at work, or works to build a supportive environment." — beverly kaye, founder/ceo, career systems international, and coauthor of love 'em or lose 'em: getting good people to stay "breaks new ground . . . . going beyond competence and commitment to create abundance at work could be the next frontier for leaders." — paul humphries, evp human resources, flextronics "the why of work opens the door to significant employee engagement. larson, chief hr officer, invesys "blackstone has proved that finding superior leaders produces superior results. dave ulrich has brought this thinking to a new level at blackstone. it's meaning. digging down to the meaning of work taps our resilience in hard times and our passion in good times. that's the simple but profound premise behind this groundbreaking book by renowned management expert dave ulrich and psychologist wendy ulrich. using the model of the "abundant organization," they provide you with the "how" to create meaning and value in your own workplace. employees who find meaning in their work are more competent, committed, and eager to contribute—and their contribution will result in increased customer commitment, which delivers a winning performance on the bottom line. the why of work includes targeted checklists, questionnaires, and other useful tools to help you turn aspirations into action. dave ulrich, ph.d., is a professor of business at the ross school of business, university of michigan, and cofounder of the rbl group. he has written 23 books that cover topics in hr, leadership, and organization; he serves on the board of directors for herman miller and the board of trustees of southern virginia university; and he is a fellow of the national academy of human resources. wendy ulrich, ph.d., m.b.a., has been a practicing psychologist for over 20 years. she is the founder of sixteen stones center for growth, which offers seminar-retreats on creating abundance and meaning, and she has authored two books on personal change.

***business book awards – finalist 2021***discover how 25 powerful technology trends are transforming 21st century businesses how will the latest technologies transform your business? future tech trends in practice will give you the knowledge of today’s most important technology trends, and how to take full advantage of them to grow your business. the book presents25 real-world technology trends along with their potential contributions to organisational success. you’ll learn how to integrate existing advancements and plan for those that are on the way. in this book, best-selling author, strategic business advisor, and respected futurist bernard marr explains the role of technology in providing innovative businesses solutions for companies of varying sizes and across different industries. he covers wide-ranging trends and provides an overview of how companies are using these new and emerging technologies in practice. you, too, can prepare your company for the potential and power of trending technology by examining these and other areas of innovation described in future tech trends in practice: artificial intelligence, including machine and deep learning the internet of things and the rise of smart devices self-driving cars and autonomous drones 3d printing and additive manufacturing blockchain technology genomics and gene editing augmented, virtual and mixed reality when you understand the technology trends that are driving success, now and into the future, you’ll be better positioned to address and solve problems within your organisation.

Entrepreneur and journalist shane snow (wired, fast company, the new yorker, and cofounder of contently) analyzes the lives of people and companies that do incredible things in implausibly short time. – how do some startups go from zero to billions in mere months? how did alexander the great, you – tube tycoon michelle phan, and tonight show host jimmy fallon climb to the top in less time than it takes most of us to get a promotion? what do high-growth businesses, world-class heart surgeons, and underdog marketers do in common to beat the norm? one way or another, they do it like computer hackers. they employ what psychologists call "lateral thinking: to rethink convention and break "rules" that aren't rules. – these are not shortcuts, which produce often dubious short-term gains, but ethical "smartcuts" that eliminate unnecessary effort and yield sustainable momentum. in smartcuts, snow shatters common wisdom about success, revealing how conventions like "paying dues" prevent progress, why kids shouldn't learn times tables, and how, paradoxically, it's easier to build a huge business than a small one. – from space – x to the cuban revolution, from ferrari to skrillex, smartcuts is a narrative adventure that busts old myths about success and shows how innovators and icons do the incredible by working smarter—and how perhaps the rest of us can, too.

Take a behind-the-scenes look at the past, present, and future of it service management and set your organization on a path to world-class service desk and itsm! this guide contains 6 core and 12 world-class processes each of which is described in chapters that provide a logical view of the element itself and why it is important to the organization, along with a flexible process model that can be adapted to most businesses and how the process works in practice-plus proven and practical models and tips for success from high-performing organizations on implementing the process. the technical content takes a mid-level view to be useful to a broader group of readers and is complemented by other relevant chapters, including: -a brief history of it service management -understanding itil, cobit, and iso -the consumerization of it -making sense of cloud and on-premise -enterprise service management -a culture of excellence -an approach to leverage technology -the exploration of service automation the practical guide to world-class it service management also examines the future of it service management and where this exciting journey is likely to lead.

How non-it managers can turn it from an expensive liability into a cost-effective competitive tool.firms spend more on information technology (it) than on all other capital assets combined. and yet despite this significant cash outlay, businesses often end up with it that is uneconomical and strategically feeble. what is missing in many organizations' it strategy is the business acumen of managers from non-it departments. this book presents tools for non-it managers to turn it from an expensive liability into a cost-effective competitive tool. it equips readers with the concepts and analytical skills necessary to understand it needs and opportunities from both sides of the business–it divide.each chapter opens with a jargon decoder–nontechnical explanations of the key ideas in the chapter—and ends with a checklist summarizing non-it factors to consider in it decisions. chapters cover such topics as infusing competitive firepower into it strategy; amalgamating software and data for a hard-to-duplicate competitive advantage; making choices that meet today's business needs without handicapping future strategy; establishing who decides what about it strategies; sourcing it and its challenges; protecting it assets against disaster in ways that it professionals cannot; and recognizing the business potential of emerging technologies. examples are drawn from large corporations, small businesses, and nonprofits around the world.the book is suitable for use in the mba core it course, and is aimed especially at students in professional or executive mba programs. it will also be a valuable reference for managers.

Information is traveling faster and being shared by more individuals than ever before. information technology project management, revised sixth edition offers the behind-the-scene aspect of technology. although project management has been an established field for many years, managing information technology requires ideas and information that go beyond standard project management. by weaving together theory and practice, this text presents an understandable, integrated view of the many concepts skills, tools, and techniques involved in project management. because the project management field and the technology industry change rapidly, you cannot assume that what worked even five years ago is still the best approach today. this text provides up-to-date information on how good project management and effective use of software can help you manage projects, especially information technology projects. information technology project management, revised sixth edition, is still the only textbook to apply all nine project management knowledge areas: project integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, risk, and procurement management. also all five process groups: initiating, planning, executing, monitoring and controlling, and closing to information technology projects. ms project 2010 cd comes with the revised 6e of schwalbe.important notice: media content referenced within the product description or the product text may not be available in the ebook version.

The real-world guide to selling your services and bringing in business how clients buy is the much-needed guide to selling your services. if you're one of the millions of people whose skills are the 'product,' you know that you cannot be successful unless you bring in clients. the problem is, you're trained to do your job—not sell it. no matter how great you may be at your actual role, you likely feel a bit lost, hesitant, or 'behind' when it comes to courting clients, an unfamiliar territory where you're never quite sure of the line between under- and over-selling. this book comes to the rescue with real, practical advice for selling what you do. you'll have to unlearn everything you know about sales, but then you'll learn new skills that will help you make connections, develop rapport, create interest, earn trust, and turn prospects into clients. business development is critical to your personal success, and your skills in this area will dictate the course of your career. this invaluable guide gives you a set of real-world best practices that can help you become the rainmaker you want to be. get the word out and make productive connections drop the fear of self-promotion and advertise your accomplishments earn potential clients' trust to build a lasting relationship scrap the sales pitch in favor of honesty, positivity, and value working in the consulting and professional services fields comes with difficulties not encountered by those who sell tangible products. services are often under-valued, and become among the first things to go when budgets get tight. it is now harder than ever to sell professional services, so your game must be on-point if you hope to out-compete the field. how clients buy shows you how to level up and start winning the client list of your dreams.

Trixie mattel and katya zamolodchikova took the world by storm with their guide to modern womanhood, a book of expert advice on beauty, homemaking, and relationships. now they’re tackling an even bigger challenge: finding success in the modern workplace. in working girls, trixie and katya dole out both savvy and satirical advice for every stage of working life, from choosing a career path to sailing into a blissful retirement, in step-by-step guides, quizzes, the world’s most bizarre aptitude test, and more. searching for the perfect interview outfit? agonizing over how to get that raise? suspicious that your colleague doesn’t really hope their email “finds you well”? trixie and katya have got you covered. they also share personal stories from their own remarkable careers and their philosophies on everything from mastering office lingo to getting fired with dignity, all alongside hilarious, gorgeous photos. witty, beautiful, and packed with wisdom, working girls is the ultimate guide for the working woman.

For use in schools and libraries only. it began, and ended, in 1958 when seven desperate children searched in the drains beneath derry for an evil creature. in 1985, mike hanlon, once one of those children, makes six phone calls and disinters an unremembered promise that sets off the ultimate terror.

For use in schools and libraries only. it began, and ended, in 1958 when seven desperate children searched in the drains beneath derry for an evil creature. in 1985, mike hanlon, once one of those children, makes six phone calls and disinters an unremembered promise that sets off the ultimate terror.