Work is called “work” for a reason – it’s not meant to be a walk in the park. Yes, those of us who run our own businesses or “do what we love” generally like what we do, but that doesn’t mean that it’s all sunshine, gummy bears and Katy Perry tracks.
Office politics can easily get you down, and it can be difficult at times to make your voice heard, your needs met, and stress levels even. However, what you must keep in mind is that dealing with people, even your boss and gossipy co-worker, can be made a lot easier with just a bit more perspective and becoming somewhat of a Psychology Ninja.
FBI profiler you may not be, but understanding more about yourself and the psychology of people can help you out in business more than just running on dreams and ambition alone. Dealing with other people will no doubt be one of your biggest challenges in the workplace, so here are a few books that have some fantastic pointers.
Emotional Intelligence
David Goleman, £6.04 on Amazon
If you’ve never read a popular psychology book before, this may be a bit of a heavy place to start. However, if you know basic psychology and aren’t put off by a bit of science, you’ll know doubt love this book. Emotional intelligence is such an important thing to be aware of, and if you feel like you got a lot out of this book, make sure to give Social Intelligence a try!
How to Make Anyone Like You
Leil Lowndes, £5.48 on Amazon
While a lot of Leil Lowndes books have quite elementary titles, her books are fantastic. This one in particular is quite useful for business, because it gives some seemingly basic pointers into how to deal with people, and make people warm up to you. We all want people to like us, and this is particularly helpful on how to handle yourself in various situations.
The Psychology of Success
Judith Leary-Joyce, £7.14 on Amazon
This book is perfect for entrepreneurs, people who work for themselves, and all of those serial achievers out there. Not only does it help you delve into your history as an achiever, but helps you identify goals, what parts of achieving you get satisfaction from. It takes a bit of time to get through as there are various exercises and tests to go through, but all in all, this book is superb.
How to Talk to Anyone
Leil Lowndes, £4.49, Amazon
Walking into a crowd full of people you don’t know is never easy. Neither is networking. Or dealing with a nosey acquaintance who asks inappropriate questions. However, in How to Talk to Anyone, Lowndes once again gives brilliant advice on, well, how to talk to anyone. If you’re a psychology buff, a lot of the tips in this book may seem obvious, but trust me, they come in handy. (Even if you think you are the best networker on the planet.)
Blink
Malcom Gladwell, £5.17 on Amazon
Blink is essentially about the power to think without thinking – aka trusting your gut. Listening to your gut instincts is incredibly important in the business world, and Gladwell breaks downs exactly why this is. Blink is a fascinating read, and something I think everyone should read, regardless of your line of work.