3 Impactful Books I Read in 2024
Building this blog has gotten me in the habit of taking note of those “lightbulb” moments in my professional life. But it has also encouraged me to stay accountable in my professional development and read more books!
To celebrate my twelfth blog post, I decided to break the rules of The ID Multitool and share, in no particular order, three key takeaways from my professional development reading in 2024.
The Book: The Startup of You by Redi Hoffman and Ben Casnocha
My Takeaways: Think of networking not in terms of what you can get, but in terms of what you can give. As someone who was previously uncomfortable with the concept of professional networking, this shift in mindset has created the opportunity for me to meet some incredible professionals in my field and grow my community of practice.
The Book: Design for How People Learn by Julie Dirksen (a must-read for anyone interested in learning design - this was probably my third time reading this book, it is that good)
My Takeaways: If you don’t design breaks in your learning, your learners will find a way to take them. In my last role, breaks were a key component of instructor-led training design. I often found myself pushing back when subject matter experts wanted to shorten breaks from my design, or remove them altogether. But re-reading this clear, evidence-based take on learning design reminded me to stick to this fundamental principle of learning design - it is there for a reason!
The Book: The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni
My Takeaways: Fostering Trust, Embracing Conflict, Gaining Commitment, Encouraging Accountability, and Focusing on Results are all ways of a leader to create a high-performing, cohesive team. My biggest takeaway from this book was not just these points, but the way the book was written - as a realistic “fable” of leadership development. This reinforced my commitment to the storytelling aspect of instructional design, as well as reminded me what kind of leader I want to be for my next team.
As I continue to build my skills in 2025, here are three books on my shelf I am excited to read:
Millennials, Goldfish, and Other Training Misconceptions by Clark N. Quinn
Design is Storytelling by Ellen Lupton
Graphic Design for Everyone edited by Cath Cladwell
