Always Be Curious: Science-backed books to boost your business development mindset.
I’m too busy for business development.
I don’t know where to start.
I don’t like self-promotion.
Networking is cringey.
I’m not a rainmaker.
I’m too introverted.
It’s no surprise these are still the common objections we hear from lawyers about business development. The problem is, these kinds of limiting beliefs can sabotage your behavior. By tapping into a growth mindset, you can be differently motivated to build a practice you love. As your personal CMO (chief mindset officer), I’m here to coach you toward the outcomes and behavior shifts you want for yourself.
What is this list?
Below are a handful of resources that have inspired me and have become recommended reading to my coaching clients. The book titles are hyperlinked to Amazon. In some cases, I’ve included bonus teaser links to podcasts, videos and other posts.
How to Change: The Science of Getting from Where You Are to Where You Want to Be
By Katy Milkman
“I think there’s an overemphasis on big goals. It’s not that goals aren’t useful. There’s tons of research showing that having a certain kind of goal—a clear, concrete, achievable goal, or a stretch goal—really is valuable. But it’s not solving a problem. It’s just articulating where you’re trying to get and giving you a clearer deliverable. And then there are all these barriers that get in the way. You still have to deal with the challenges of procrastination, temptation, forgetting, self-efficacy, and whether or not your peers are supporting you—all things I write about in the book.”
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones
By James Clear
“You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.”
“Every action you take is a vote for the person you want to become.”
“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.”
You Have More Influence Than You Think: How We Underestimate Our Power of Persuasion, and Why It Matters
By Vanessa Bohns
- A Face-to-Face Request Is 34 Times More Successful Than an Email
- Author Talks: Vanessa Bohns on our hidden potential to persuade
Social Chemistry: Decoding the Patterns of Human Connection
by Marissa King
Showing Up: A Comprehensive Guide To Comfort & Connection
by Jen Marr
Summary: How do we “show up” for coworkers, friends, classmates, family, acquaintances, and even strangers when we are all struggling? Experts in the mental health field are recognizing that we do indeed need each other. We can’t self-care our way out of this. It takes intentional connection – the reciprocal relationships within our homes, workplaces, schools, neighborhoods, and communities — to ultimately bring about our emotional resilience.
Showing Up breaks it all down. It uncovers the behaviors that get us off track and outlines the science of how human care works. It equips individuals, leaders, and organizations to break through the Awkward Zone™ so that people in your life know that you care. Filled with evidence-based tools and strategies, as well as touching stories, this book is a guide to bringing strength and hope to others and ourselves.
The Upside of Stress: Why Stress Is Good for You, and How to Get Good at It
by Kelly McGonigal
“Go after what it is that creates meaning in your life and then trust yourself to handle the stress that follows.”
We Need to Talk: How to Have Conversations That Matter
by Celeste Headlee
Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success
By Adam Grant
On Dormant Ties: It’s much easier to rekindle an old relationship than to start a new one from scratch… activate some of the hidden power in your network.