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Career Survival with Sgt. Betsy Brantner Smith

Tip: Use your capacity to multitask to your advantage

At the end of every class I teach, I encourage students to email me for my recommended reading list. The other day, a student asked me “Do you actually read all of the books you recommend? How do you find the time?” That’s when I finally admitted my “secret;” my iPod is only about 30 percent music, and the rest of my playlists are actually audio books. If a new book intrigues me, I buy the audio version and listen to it while I workout or travel. I like the option of being able to re-wind and take notes when I hear a particularly interesting point. If the book is a volume I intend to refer to often in training or in an article, I’ll purchase the hard copy to highlight, quote, and share.

Utilizing audio books (a trick I learned from my husband) allows me to multi-task (something women are biologically hard-wired to do well according to Dr. Louann Brizendine, MD, author of both The Female Brain and The Male Brain) as well as learn new concepts more quickly, and save space on my bookshelves.

Here’s my top five favorite titles right now, check them out either on tape or in your favorite bookstore, they are all worth the read!

• Lie Spotting — Pamela Meyer
• Five Dysfunctions of a Team — Patrick Lencioni
• The Resiliency Advantage — Al Siebert, PhD
• Leadership & the Sexes — Gurian and Annis
• The Law of the Garbage Truck — David J. Pollay