March 2026 Reading Round-Up: Leadership, Family, and Growing to the Next Level
This month’s reading list took me in a few different directions. I explored family dynamics and what it means to be a daughter in two books, Daughtering and Mother Mary Comes to Me. Both were powerful accounts of what it means to be a daughter and how relationships with parents and family evolve and change over time.
Leadership was the next theme, including leading others in a multi-generational workforce as in Gentelligence, leading in a sales environment using The Challenger Sale, leading and growing a coaching practice through Coach Builder, and using AI to lead innovation, strategic thinking, and find alternatives described by Geoff Woods.
One tiny little book I read brought me so much joy, and that was Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by Hwang Bo-Reum, translated by Shanna Tan. Right now, I am sure you are asking, “Really, Annette, a book about reading was your favorite?” YES. It was.
Hwang was amazing at sharing so many cool ideas for helping me go deeper and wider with books. She gives 53 ideas to explore books more in your life, some of which I already do. What really resonated with me is how she talks about collecting her favorite quotes from what she is reading. SAME. My goal is to find that nugget and share it with you every single month.
This book was small and only took me about 2 hours to listen to. If you want to connect more with what you read or expand your reading habit, I strongly recommend this book to you.
Books I Read in March 2026
Gentelligence: The Revolutionary Approach to Leading an Intergenerational Workforce
by Megan Gerhardt, PhD, Josephine Nachemson-Ekwall, and Brandon Fogel
“Culture is the most potent catalyst for every other aspect of our organizations. It is the critical factor in whether strategies help our vision become a reality.”
Good Daughtering by Allison M Allford, PhD
“Daughterting is a multidimensional concept, which includes doing, feeling, thinking, and being labors. Fully understanding the labors of daughtering shed light on the multiplicity of effort that it takes to keep a family together.”
Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by Hwang Bo-Reum, Shanna Tan (Translator)
“We read because we want to be understood. We read to understand others.”
Mother Mary Comes to Me by Arundhati Roy
“The more I wrote, the more it puzzled me. It behaved as though it had a volition of its own. There was a rhythm to it, a sort of back beat, a formal architecture that I could sense, but for a long time, couldn’t put my finger on. I had to trust it. Sometimes it felt as though it were writing itself and that I just happened to be around…it felt as though I were sculpting smoke.”
The Challenger Sale: Taking Control of the Customer Conversation by Matthew Dixon and Brent Adamson
“Being different sounds risky, but it is better than being forgettable.”
Coach Builder
by Donald Miller
“Here is the truth, if you play on a team that is advancing a great cause, you will go much further in your life and career than you will working alone.”
The AI-Driven Leader: Harnessing AI to Make Faster, Smarter Decisions by Geoff Woods
“Remember, you are the thought leader, guiding AI as your thought partner. Stay in the driver’s seat.”
Reading is my primary personal and professional practice
I read to explore ideas I have heard about but not yet learned about. I read to go deeper into a topic I am already familiar with, and want to know even more. I read to escape. To step into someone else’s reality.
If reading is not your thing, that is okay, we can still be friends.
I explore other ideas for you to grow and invest in your development in my book Own Your Career: Take Control + Accelerate Your Professional Growth. Check it out below.
I would love to hear what you are reading right now. Drop a comment or send me a DM on LinkedIn and share what is playing on your Libby app or getting dog-eared in your backpack.
Recommended Books for Professional Development
If you are looking for books to support your career growth, leadership development, and professional thinking, this month’s list includes:
Leadership across generations
Sales and communication strategy
Building a coaching business
Using AI for strategic thinking
Navigating family roles and identity
These books offer practical insights and perspectives for professionals who want to grow intentionally.
For more reading recommendations, look at my February and January Reading Round-Ups.
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