Find out which ones made the cut and which ones missed the mark.
Your Invisible Network, How to Create, Maintain, and Leverage the Relationships That Will Transform Your Career by Michael Melcher
Reviewed by Gwen Mellor Romans
For many high-performing professionals, the mere words “network” and “networking” can feel daunting. Yet, creating, maintaining and leveraging relationships is at the very core of career success and stewardship.
In Your Invisible Network, seasoned executive coach Michael Melcher takes the often-intimidating topic of networking and makes it approachable, engaging and actionable. His down-to-earth guidance, paired with an irreverent sense of humor, makes this book a must-read—not just for job seekers or those contemplating career changes, but for anyone navigating their professional journey.
Melcher’s coaching expertise shines as he acknowledges the challenges people face with networking. Chapters like “How to Talk About Yourself Without Being Gross” combine practical advice with a touch of levity. He offers clear, actionable strategies and real-world examples, as well as scripts and weekly exercises to help readers put his guidance into practice. As close as a book can come to providing a personal accountability partner, Your Invisible Network delivers.
Whether you’re looking to strengthen your professional relationships, position yourself for promotion or simply demystify the art of networking, this book is an invaluable companion. It’s an insightful and enjoyable read that belongs on every professional’s bookshelf.
How to Retire by Christine Benz
Reviewed by Marty Speight
My coaching work for ACS often focuses on helping late career alumni find meaningful work in retirement, and I’ve come to understand being well-informed in all areas of the retirement puzzle truly helps in tackling that topic. For anyone in mid-to-late career contemplating the various notions of “retirement,” I highly recommend How to Retire by Christine Benz, Director of Personal Finance and Retirement Planning at Morningstar.
The book offers a wealth of insights through twenty interviews with leading experts on a wide range of retirement topics—including investing/finances, housing, eldercare, legacy planning, and most importantly, how to spend your time. Benz’s interviews highlight the interconnected nature of these areas, providing practical advice, fresh perspectives and many additional resources for diving deeper in each topic area.
For MBA alumni who thrive on informed decision-making, this book is an invaluable resource for building peace of mind that comes from understanding and addressing the full spectrum of retirement considerations.
Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most by Adam Alter
Reviewed by Jen Coleman
I saw this book on McKinsey’s 2024 annual book recommendations and was intrigued. As a career coach, I routinely work with people who feel stuck—either stuck in a job they don’t like or stuck in a search that isn’t yielding results. Unfortunately, I didn’t find this book to be an antidote for either scenario.
Anatomy of a Breakthrough is a rambling compilation of anecdotes, many from the author’s own—and dare I say limited—experience, that for me did not amount to actionable advice. The book ends with a list of “100 ways to get unstuck” that are an equally rambling summary of the previous 234 pages. A reviewer of this book might suggest the reader simply skip to this list; I suggest just skip the read.
Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI edited by John Brockman
Reviewed by Sheila McQuade
During a professional development course last fall, my colleagues and I debated the ethics of AI and its impact on humanity. With Pandora’s Box clearly open for business, I wanted to continue exploring both sides of the issue. Possible Minds: 25 Ways of Looking at AI, edited by John Brockman, offers a broad range of perspectives from today’s most influential scientific scholars and industry leaders.
The collection features varied viewpoints on AI, with some thought-provoking pieces and others failing to engage this reader. Of particular interest, Steven Pinker offers an optimistic take, emphasizing AI’s potential to solve big challenges and improve lives. On the other hand, Sherry Turkle examines how AI might alter our human relationships, raising concerns that reliance on machines could undermine genuine human intimacy. Jaron Lanier takes a critical stance, warning that AI, particularly in its current form, could deepen social inequalities and harm personal freedoms.
You should read this book if you’re also grappling with the potential consequences, both positive and negative, of AI. While some essays feel overly academic or bogged down in Norbert Wiener’s cybernetics critique from 1948, it’s a solid read for those wanting to understand the complex, ongoing debate around AI.
