January 21, 2025

Finding the right book at the right time can transform your life or your organization. We help you discover your next great read by showcasing four recently released titles each week.

The books are chosen by Porchlight's Managing Director, Sally Haldorson, and the marketing team: Dylan Schleicher, Gabbi Cisneros, and Jasmine Gonzalez. (Book descriptions are provided by the publisher unless otherwise noted.)

Here are our choices:

Sally’s pick: Reset: How to Change What's Not Working by Dan Heath, Avid Reader Press/Simon & Schuster

Changing how we work can feel overwhelming. Like trying to budge an enormous boulder. We’re stifled by the gravity of the way we’ve always done things. And we spend so much time fighting fires—and fighting colleagues—that we lack the energy to shift direction.

But with the right strategy, we can move the boulder. In Reset, Heath explores a framework for getting unstuck and making the changes that matter. The secret is to find “leverage points”: places where a little bit of effort can yield a disproportionate return. Then, we can thoughtfully rearrange our resources to push on those points.

Heath weaves together fascinating examples, ranging from a freakishly effective fast-food drive-thru to a simple trick from couples therapy to an inspirational campaign that saved a million cats.

In Reset, you’ll learn: 

• Why the feeling of progress can be your secret weapon in accelerating change 
• How leaders can uncover and stop wasteful activities 
• Why your team’s motivation is often squandered—and how to avoid that mistake 
• How you can jumpstart your change efforts by beginning with a “burst”

The book investigates mysteries: Why the middle is the roughest part of a change effort. Why inefficiency can sometimes accelerate progress. Why getting “buy-in” is the wrong way to think about change.

What if we could unlock forward movement—achieving progress on what matters most—without the need for more resources? The same people, the same assets…but dramatically better results. Yesterday, we were stuck. Today, we reset.

Dylan’s pick: Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves by Alison Wood Brooks, Crown

All of us can struggle with difficult conversations, but we’re often not very good at the easy ones either. Though we do it all the time, Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks argues that conversation is one of the most complex, demanding, and delicate of all human tasks, rife with possibilities for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. And yet conversations can also be a source of great joy, each one offering an opportunity to express who we are and learn who others are—to feel connected, loved, and alive.

In Talk, Brooks shows why conversing a little more effectively can make a big difference in the quality of our close personal relationships as well as our professional success. Drawing on the new science of conversation, Brooks distills lessons that show how we can better understand, learn from, and delight each other. The key is her TALK Maxims:

Topics: Choose topics and manage them well 
Asking: Ask more questions 
Levity: Use humor to keep conversations fizzy 
Kindness: Prioritize their partners conversational needs

Through experiments ranging across the conversational spectrum—from speed daters who ask too few questions (or too many), to future business leaders averse to topic forethought, to traffic stops that reveal the essence of kind language—Brooks takes us inside the world of conversation, giving us the confidence and the advice to approach any interaction with more creativity and compassion.

Addressing our face-to-face conversations as well as those we have by phone, email, text, and social media, Talk is a thoughtful guide for anyone seeking to better establish and sustain their relationships. From managing our emotions and sparking creativity to navigating conflict and being more inclusive, the right conversation skills just might be the key to leading a more purposeful life.

Jasmine’s pick: Why Are We Here?: Creating a Work Culture Everyone Wants by Jennifer Moss, Harvard Business Review Press

Work has recently undergone profound changes, not all for the better.

AI's acceleration has led to worker fears and uncertainties around job security. DEI initiatives are underfunded or canceled. The debate over remote, hybrid, and in-person work is growing more heated. And study after study confirms a widespread sense of employee unhappiness in the workplace.

Workers are left to reexamine their relationship with work, asking themselves, Why are we here?

Workplace expert Jennifer Moss, author of The Burnout Epidemic, takes readers to the front lines of this historic shift. Through extensive interviews, she uncovers why work has changed and highlights the leaders and organizations who have managed to build cultures that everyone really wants.

Packed with fresh insights, new research, and compelling stories, Why Are We Here? illuminates this turbulent time and offers inspiration and practical guidance for leaders navigating our complex, ever-changing world.

Gabbi’s pick: Your Hidden Genius: The Science-Backed Strategy to Uncovering and Harnessing Your Innate Talents by Betsy Willis and Alex Ellison, Harvest

We are all hardwired to think and work differently: no two minds or people are alike.

Do you love brainstorming sessions and juggling multiple assignments or are you happiest when you are given space to concentrate on a single mission? Are you a three-dimensional thinker who enjoys tangible projects or are you more at home solving abstract puzzles? Would you say you are a social butterfly who talks to everyone, or someone who prefers a quiet, focused group to large crowds?

We are all different, but we all have some hidden genius within us—it’s time to find yours.

Your Hidden Genius provides a custom-made road map to what makes you special and brilliant, revealing your distinct combination of natural talents, interests, and personality traits—a mix as unique to you as your fingerprint. With the instant appeal of Enneagrams and Strengthsfinder, Your Hidden Genius offers a key difference by focusing on scientific testing rather than self-reported answers as a means to unlock your potential. Included in the book is access to the groundbreaking YouScience aptitude assessment, a series of gamelike exercises that distill the science of aptitude measurement into a ninety-minute online experience, then pairs your results with its robust and proprietary career database. You’ll uncover new opportunities for work and leisure that suit both your interests and your talents.

Betsy Wills, cofounder of YouScience and a pioneer in aptitude awareness, and expert career coach Alex Ellison joined forces to write this essential life and career guide based on this cutting-edge assessment. In these pages, they offer a deep dive into different aptitude profiles and in-depth context for how to interpret your results, along with dozens of personal stories and first-person interviews with professionals across a diverse range of fields. Their research explores the rich and varied ways careers can unfold to both inform and inspire your own journey. Whether you’re just starting out or pivoting mid-career, Your Hidden Genius will guide you through today’s complex and shifting professional landscape and be your indispensable resource through every twist and turn of the road.

With science-backed results, real-life stories, and rare insight into you, Your Hidden Genius explains why self-awareness is the most important step toward a fulfilling and meaningful life. Once you understand your aptitudes, you can discover the career and life path you were meant to pursue.

It’s time to discover your hidden genius—and embrace your life’s work.