8 Books That Will Boost Your Career (In Community Management and any other role)
These 8 books will sharpen your thinking, grow your confidence, and help you lead with impact, whether you're in community management or just want to level up your career.
When I first started working in community, I didn’t feel strategic.
I was doing the work, replying to messages, but deep down, I felt like I was guessing. I didn’t have a clear framework, and I definitely didn’t feel like the kind of person companies listen to or invest in.
I knew community mattered.
But I couldn’t explain why or how it helped the business.
And then something shifted.
I Started Reading Books (mainly business books)
Business and marketing books.
I started to realise that if I wanted to be respected inside a company, I needed to understand how to connect what I do to the businesses side of things.
And I needed to speak their language.
Once I started thinking of community as a growth engine, not a “nice-to-have”, I finally felt like I was doing strategic work.
That’s when people started listening. That’s when my confidence grew.
And that’s when I stopped feeling like an underpaid intern and started getting treated like someone whose work mattered.
Here Are the Books That Changed My Thinking
These aren’t dry textbooks. These are books that helped me connect the dots between what I was doing and why it mattered, not just to members, but to the business.
🔹 Feel-Good Productivity by Ali Abdaal
The gateway book. Helped me stop beating myself up for not being “productive enough” and start working in a way that felt good and got results.
🔹 Atomic Habits by James Clear
Taught me how habits really form. Helped me design community challenges, engagement loops, and onboarding systems that actually stick.
🔹 The Millionaire Fastlane by MJ DeMarco
Blew my mind. Made me realise how easily we fall into the “trading time for money” trap. Changed how I think about scaling impact with systems.
🔹 Million Dollar Weekend by Noah Kagan
Helped me stop waiting for permission. I started launching things faster, member programs, resources, experiments, and learning as I go.
🔹 So Good They Can’t Ignore You by Cal Newport
Made me realise I didn’t always have to feel be passionate. I just needed to get better at what I do. Respect comes from value.
But the Biggest Shift? Came From These Marketing Books
📘 Purple Cow by Seth Godin
Taught me how to stand out. Helped me see how communities can become part of what makes a product remarkable, not just functional.
📘 The 1-Page Marketing Plan by Allan Dib
Helped me design onboarding as a journey, not a dump of links. Gave me language to explain what I was doing in marketing terms.
📘 Lean Marketing by Allan Dib
Taught me the importance of value driven content. Value breeds conversions and success.
Why This Matters (Especially Early in Your Career)
When you’re early in your career, it’s easy to feel stuck doing surface level stuff:
- Replying to posts
- Shouting out announcements into the void
- Feeling like you’re “just keeping the lights on”
But once you start thinking like a strategist, not just a doer, everything changes.
You go from hoping people show up → to building spaces they want to come back to.
You go from being overlooked → to being someone the company relies on.
That’s the shift I want for every community manager.
You Don’t Even Have to Sit Down and Read
I didn’t.
I listened to these books on audiobook while walking my dog every day.
You don’t need a 6 month plan. Just pick the book you want to consume.
Pick one book. Listen to it on your commute, during lunch, while cleaning. Let it rewire how you think.
Because once you understand the business side of community?
You’ll feel confident, clear, and so much more in control of your career.
Get the 30-Day To Your Community Management Role, a free step-by-step guide to help you grow your career starting this month.
AND free training!
💬 And if you want personalized support, feedback, or help applying these steps to your situation, book a free personal guidence chat