Business Books Read and Recommended by ProAssurance Staff
ProAssurance’s The Big Read was established in 2023 by Steve Dapkus, SVP, Marketing & Risk Management. The goal was to facilitate professional development and collaboration by encouraging team members to submit business books as candidates for a Big Read book discussion. In its first iteration, all books were shared for a community vote to select the book all participants would read and discuss. Later on, team members were given the opportunity to recommend a book and lead a session to encourage a larger variety of options for participants.
The Big Read provided a great opportunity for engagement and relationship development across the company as staff gathered together for book discussions. And, as a bonus, we now have a list of business and personal development books to recommend.
Atomic Habits by James Clear
No matter your goals, Atomic Habits offers a proven framework for improving—every day. James Clear, one of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, reveals practical strategies that will teach you exactly how to form good habits, break bad ones, and master the tiny behaviors that lead to remarkable results.
If you’re having trouble changing your habits, the problem isn’t you. The problem is your system. Bad habits repeat themselves again and again not because you don’t want to change, but because you have the wrong system for change. You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems. Here, you’ll get a proven system that can take you to new heights.
Get Out of Your Own Way by Mark Goulston and Philip Goldberg
Self-defeating behavior is the No. 1 reason that people seek psychotherapy. Whether it’s envy, compulsion, inaction, holding a grudge, or not moving on, so many of our biggest stumbling blocks are self-imposed, preventing us from achieving the happiness, love, and success we all want in our lives. The good news: We can do better.
Get Out of Your Own Way explains why we sabotage ourselves and offers proven steps of action to transform behavior from self-defeating to life-enhancing. With anecdotes and usable insights drawn from decades of clinical practice, Goulston shares ideas that have helped thousands of patients overcome pain, fear, and frustration to approach life’s challenges with dignity, courage, and even humor.
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don’t by Jim Collins
The creation of this book was the product of an extensive study project in which Collins and his colleagues examined a number of outstanding businesses to determine the elements that enabled them to attain and maintain extraordinary levels of performance.
Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least 15 years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in 15 years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world’s greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck.
How Women Rise by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
How Women Rise identifies and tackles 12 habits that often hold women leaders back. Leadership expert Sally Helgesen and bestselling leadership coach Marshall Goldsmith have trained thousands of high achievers—men and women—to reach even greater heights. Again and again, they see that women face specific and different roadblocks from men as they advance in the workplace. In fact, the very habits that helped them early in their careers can hinder them as they move up. This is the companion piece to the ever-popular What Got You Here Won’t Get You There.
The One Thing: The Surprisingly Simple Truth Behind Extraordinary Results by Gary Keller and Jay Papasan
Companies are helping their employees be more productive with study groups, training, and coaching. Sales teams are boosting sales. Churches are conducting classes and recommending them for their members.
By focusing their energy on one thing at a time, people are living more rewarding lives by building their careers, strengthening their finances, losing weight and getting in shape, deepening their faith, and nurturing stronger marriages and personal relationships.
Dual Transformation: How to Reposition Today’s Business While Creating the Future by Scott D. Anthony, Clark G. Gilbert, Mark W. Johnson
Dual Transformation shows you how your company can come out of a market shift stronger and more profitable, because the threat of disruption is also the greatest opportunity a leadership team will ever face. Disruptive change opens a window of opportunity to create massive new markets. It is the moment when a market also-ran can become a market leader. It is the moment when business legacies are created.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success by Carol S. Dweck
After decades of research, world-renowned Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, PhD, discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this brilliant book, she shows how success in school, work, sports, the arts, and almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed. Mindset reveals how great parents, teachers, managers, and athletes can put this idea to use to foster outstanding accomplishment.
How Medicine Is Being Reinvented
The practice of medicine is undergoing a fundamental shift. Artifical intelligence, advanced sensors, and digital health technologies are transforming how physicians diagnose and treat patients. This year’s complimentary book offer aims to keep our insureds informed about the innovations that matter most to their clinical future.
Future Care: Sensors, Artificial Intelligence, and the Reinvention of Medicine by Dr. Jag Singh explores the digital transformation of healthcare and its implications for both patient care and medical practice, examining the rise of virtual care, the expanding role of sensors, and the growing impact of AI.
About the Author
Jag Singh is a Harvard Medical School professor and cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital whose clinical research sits at the intersection of implantable devices, AI, and remote patient monitoring. Written for a broad audience—patients, clinicians, policymakers, and anyone curious about where medicine is headed—Future Care makes the case that healthcare’s next chapter will be defined by sensors, virtual care, and machine intelligence. The foreword is written by Siddhartha Mukherjee, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Emperor of All Maladies and The Laws of Medicine.
Here is a brief overview of what you’ll find inside of Future Care.
Singh’s book is an essential read for those who want to stay ahead of the curve. If you would like to receive a complimentary copy of Future Care, please email AskMarketing@ProAssurance.com and provide your mailing address.
As always, if you come across something worth sharing with the broader group, please send it to AskMarketing@ProAssurance.com. We’ll be sure to include it in a future roundup.
A Personal Reflection on Extreme Ownership
My first exposure to Extreme Ownership occurred during a company meeting shortly after the announcement that ProAssurance would be acquired by The Doctor’s Company. At a time marked by uncertainty and transition, I chose to read the book in advance of any formal discussions or book clubs to better understand the leadership philosophy and culture I would soon have the opportunity to experience. While not every concept fully resonated with me, several principles aligned closely with behaviors I had observed—and practiced—throughout my career, even if I had not previously articulated them in this way.
One concept that particularly resonated was the principle of “prioritize and execute.” Throughout my professional career, both as an attorney and now as a leader in risk management, I have placed significant emphasis on not only identifying priorities but also effectively executing them. The authors reinforce this approach noting that when faced with competing demands it is essential to step back, identify the highest priority, and focus efforts accordingly. The guidance to “detach, assess, and execute” provides a clear and actionable framework for navigating complex problems.
Over the course of my tenure at ProAssurance, I have progressed through multiple roles within the Risk Management department, from an entry-level consultant to my current position as department leader. Each transition has required a more refined approach to managing both projects and people. While I have always been highly task-oriented and inclined toward detailed planning, I was given early career advice that challenged my instincts: avoid multitasking. Although counterintuitive at the time, I came to understand that what is often perceived as multitasking is, in reality, rapid task-switching, which can reduce efficiency due to the cognitive “switch cost” required to refocus between activities.
I’ve intentionally shifted to a more “mono-tasking” approach using time blocking to carve out focused, uninterrupted time for individual projects or tasks. I still rely on structured lists to stay organized, but now I pair them with deliberate scheduling to better prioritize and follow through. This approach has improved my productivity and helped reduce feeling overwhelmed, allowing me to stay fully focused on one initiative at a time rather than splitting my attention across competing demands.
Overall, applying “prioritize and execute” has enabled me to focus on what matters most, take decisive action, and consistently deliver results with greater clarity and efficiency.
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Selling Through the Season of 'Let’s Circle Back'
I’ve written previously in ProVisions about how the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays were an annual business stressor—not because I don’t enjoy family time or the celebrations, but because those weeks disrupted sales momentum. Many HCPs and support staff avoided business discussions until after the New Year.
And then there’s summer.
Same problem. Different weather.
Summer is vacation season. Once a physician or department head mentally checks out, everything optional waits. Unlike the holidays, which involve just about everyone for five concentrated weeks, summer is a rotating cast of clients and prospects who respond to business efforts with, “I’m going on vacation shortly. Call my office next month” (or some version of “after summer’s over”).
Like every other sales rep who didn’t want to shoot themselves in the wallet, I’d swallow what I was actually thinking and say something polite: “Wonderful. Have a great time. We’ll reconnect when you get back.” It feels professional. It also quietly kills momentum, and after enough summers, it made me question why I didn’t just take these months off.
Then I found something that worked better.
When someone tried to postpone me into the next season, I’d have some fun with them (while still being accommodating, of course) and toss out some verbal clickbait they couldn’t resist.
“Perfect. I’ll be in touch then. I hope I remember to tell you the story of what happened to an orthopedic surgeon who, I believe, uses the same approach you do—and what it ended up costing them. Remind me to tell you, in case I forget ... what happened was completely avoidable. I’d really like your take. …”
Is it a little dramatic? Yes.
That’s why it works.
Because what happens next (more often than not) is curiosity kicks in. And suddenly, the person who “can’t meet until September” finds themselves asking:
“Wait … what happened?”
Now if you’re reading this and thinking this is unethical in some way, allow me a moment to defend my actions. First, I never make up a story. Throughout my career, I have collected stories at every opportunity because I learned that while data can be ignored, people have a hard time ignoring a story—especially when it’s about someone like them.
The second reason I felt justified is because of the irony of the situation. Maybe they’re delaying business decisions, but they’re still practicing medicine. The risks they face are just as real before vacation as they’ll be when they’re back.
Out of politeness, it’s natural to signal that what we’re offering is optional—something to consider when the timing is right. The problem is, if it sounds optional, it gets treated as optional. But if it sounds like something that could prevent a financial hit, a compliance issue, or one of those painful “How did we miss this?” conversations …
… now you have their attention. You’ve just moved from another MPL agent to someone who’s looking out for their best interests.
So the next time you hear, “I’m slammed,” or “Let’s circle back after vacation,” don’t fight the timing. Respect their position, but when possible, offer a “coming attraction” of what you’re planning to discuss. Let them decide if they still want to wait.
Because while schedules are seasonal … consequences are not.
And if they still want to wait? No problem—schedule the follow-up.
Just don’t be surprised when they lean in and ask:
“So … what happened to the colleague?”
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Written by Mace Horoff of Medical Sales Performance. Mace Horoff is a representative of Sales Pilot. He helps sales teams and individual representatives who sell medical devices, pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, healthcare services, and other healthcare-related products to sell more and earn more by employing a specialized healthcare system. Have a topic you’d like to see covered? Email your suggestions to AskMarketing@ProAssurance.com. |
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