Books

A Whole New Mind by Daniel Pink. I love this book because it explains the path that I've been traveling for the better part of 10 years--from strictly living in a left-brained analytical world as an engineer to using both the logical mind and the creative, intuitive right brain. Pink makes a great argument for why the world is shifting emphasis to and rewarding use of the right-brain faculties--Asia, Abundance, and Automation. I won't spoil the book for those who want to read it. Trust that it's well-thought out and provocative if you haven't considered this point of view before.

The author outlines "six senses" needed to thrive in the new Conceptual Age: Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. I've seen my growth mushroom with the integration of each of these elements into my work and life--meaning and story are why and how I write, empathy and play are cornerstones of my coaching, design has meant everything in starting a business, and symphony is what I am continually using to monitor and assess my life.

This book is such a good roadmap for travelers in the new world that I may make it mandatory reading for all my clients.

Take away: Pay attention to three questions posed by Pink to stay ahead of the curve in your work:

• Can someone overseas do it cheaper?
• Can a computer do it faster?
• Am I offering something that satisfies the nonmaterial, transcendant desire of an abundant age?

The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron. This is a classic for helping people develop their creative side. Lots of great exercises for self-discovery. Take away: Take myself on a date to find what really gives me joy. This was a great way to learn what it means to spend time with myself and love every minute of it. My favorite dates with myself-hiking, scavenger hunts to the Salvation Army, writing on the backyard patio.

The Art of the Start by Guy Kawasaki. This book is for anyone who has ever thought about starting their own business. It is especially suited to people who have been in the corporate world for a long time, used to staying at 4-star hotels, being on expense account, and having an admin assistant. Guy hits you in the face with reality quickly, even before he gets to the chapter called, "The Art of Bootstrapping." His writing style is conversational and pithy, like a best friend who is known for wit and candor and common sense. Some of the best stuff is in the FAQ (Frequently Avoided Questions) at the end of each chapter. An excerpt:

Q:  How do you know if it's time to give up rather than continuing to pursue a doomed venture?

A:  The old platitude is that good entrepreneurs never give up. This is the fine for books and speeches, but not for the real world. If three close friends tell you to give up, you should listen. As the saying goes, when three people tell you you're drunk, you should take a cab home. It's okay to fail as long as you try again.

The book covers a wide range of areas for entrepreneurs-from recruiting people (hint: don't go for credentials) to how to pick a name for the company (go for early in the alphabet) to raising capital to branding (create evangelists).Take away: Forget about what you've heard is the right way to start a business from people who haven't done it. Seek out advice from people who have successfully started businesses and have enough humility to be irreverent about what they know.

The Art of Possibility by Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander. I recently re-read this book and I'm so glad I did. This book was especially enjoyable to read again because the concepts relate so closely to my experience as a coach. But even if I wasn't a coach, I would love this book because it's a great guidebook to living well. Full of personal stories, the authors give insight into the best of human nature. Take away: Change your mind, change your world. We have the ability to create different outcomes by shifting perspectives.

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell. I saw it in a bookstore, started reading the jacket cover and couldn't put the book down. A quick read with concepts that have wide application. If you ever wondered how instinct matches with experience, you'll love this book. Take-away: I am taking in a lot more information than I am conscious of. Knowing this, I trust my gut even more.

The Creative Habit by Twyla Tharp. This book reminds me of another book, Yoga, The Poetry of the Body by Rodney Yee. Both books give solid instruction on their respective topics. And both books are a pleasure to read-a way of writing that makes you feel like you are sitting at a friend's kitchen table. The author shares her experiences and stories to illustrate how creativity is supported and nurtured by structure. Yes, that's right, structure. Structures like rituals and boxes and file folders and exercises. The book is filled with easy to do exercises that will make creativity a constant companion in your life. One of the more interesting exercises: a set of questions to understand your creative DNA, fleshing out your creative autobiography. One of the best quotes from the book: "You do your best work after your biggest disasters." Take away:Creativity is neither free form chaos or planned execution. It is a combination of both. Play and structure bring the two together, so that creativity can emerge.

First, Break All the Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curtis Coffman. If I had to recommend one book that has most influenced my work with companies, this would be it. The Gallup Organization has developed 12 questions to gauge employee engagement. How a group of employees answers the twelve questions is statistically correlated to key business metrics like retention, customer satisfaction and productivity. Based on decades of research, Gallup provides actionable concepts that all managers should know to be effective with their staff. After reading this book in 2000, I decided to make the leap from engineering work to organization development work. Take away: People don't leave companies, they leave managers.

Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni. A quick read in fable form. I like this book because it has a simple, understandable model of what teams need in order to be successful. And it explains some of my failures in working with teams over the years. Take away: First things first. Work on building trust in a team before attempting anything else. Otherwise, I'm just wasting my time.

The Heart Aroused by David Whyte. I remember getting this book from Amazon and reading three quarters of it in one night. Finally, I had found a book that spoke to what I was experiencing in the workplace and what my soul was yearning for-more connection, more humanity, more understanding of what people are faced with when they try to bring all of themselves to companies. Beautifully written, Whyte used his poet's aesthetics to strike the emotional chord and move me into action. This book was an inspiration to me when I was transitioning from working on the "hard" stuff as an engineer to working on the "soft stuff" as an organization development consultant. Take away: There is an important place for our souls at the table, especially when the meal is our work and the room is our workplace.

The Living Company by Arie De Geus. De Geus was a pioneer in scenario planning at Royal Dutch Shell. He looks at companies that have survived 100 years or more to understand the sustainability of organizations. This book gave me the empirical data to continue championing for a more human workplace when I was working in large companies. Take away: The longest surviving companies are those whose primary reason for existing was creating a community of people, not making a buck.

Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton. If you want to understand what you are naturally wired to do, this is the book for you. Buying the book provides access to an on-line assessment of your top five "Themes of Talent." (NOTE: A code that comes with each book can only be used once for the on-line assessement. So buy a NEW book, not a used one.) After finding out my top five are Arranger, Achiever, Input, Focus, and Learner, I became keenly aware of when I was using a talent, and when I was climbing uphill and needed a partner (e.g., I'm terrible at seeing the consequences of my actions, several steps down the road and it's really easy for me to collect knowledge for later unknown uses, like this book list). I've used this book extensively with coaching clients as well as teams to help uncover where to focus their energy. Take away: Focus on my strengths, work on my weaknesses only if they get in the way of excellence.

Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. This is one of those books that takes some work to read because the concepts are so simple yet profound. I think I only absorbed 25% of it and probably would add another 10% each time I read it. Tolle is an odd fellow who has gone through some transformative experiences and writes about what he knows in a Zen-like manner. I read this book at a time when I was going through some personal turmoil and it gave me the perspective that I only needed to concentrate on the moment in front of me and nothing more. I remember driving to a haircut appointment on a Saturday morning, full of angst about stuff that had nothing to do with getting my hair cut, and then realizing that there was nothing to worry about. Take away: I'm best able to influence the present moment. Worrying about the past or future is like trying to empty a bathtub with a teaspoon. It can tire me out without much overall impact.

Primal Leadership by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee. Goleman is the man who made Emotional Intelligence a hot topic. This book applies the concepts of Emotional Intelligence to leaders and their impact on organizations. Lots of great data as well as illustrative stories. I have Post-It notes all over this book with key passages underlined (which I wish I had revisited when I was making the pitch for executive coaching on my website!) I like this book because it makes the case for working on the right-brain stuff in order to be effective in a left-brain world. It gives me confidence that I'm on the right track, personally and professionally. Take away: 1) Emotions can spread through a group from just one person. 2) Based on the make-up of the brain, changes in behavior require repetition and practice over time. The neo-cortex part of the brain, where analytical thinking occurs, can learn new skills with just one exposure. Behavioral changes rely on the limbic part of the brain, which governs feelings, impulses, and drives and which learns best through repetition and feedback.

Synchronicity by Joseph Jaworski. This book validated what I have experienced on my own spiritual path-things happen for a reason that isn't always visible at first, intention and purpose have great impact on outcome. Sidenote: Jaworski is the son of Watergate prosecutor, Leon Jaworski. He makes reference to his famous father in an opening story. Take away: Crisis provides clarity and calls me to action to take a stand for what matters. Jaworski recounts being mugged on a city street. Realizing that his purpose in life had not been fulfilled, he physically and mentally rose to the occasion to overtake his attacker.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell is a compelling writer that takes everyday situations and explains the social behavior behind them. He explains the roots of viral marketing before it became popular-how epidemics as well as fads are spread in populations. This book got the creative juices flowing in me. Take away: There is a pattern to how knowledge and behavior spreads in groups, much like how a drop of dye spreads in a clear glass of water. I use the key influencers of pattern that Gladwell talks about (e.g., maven) to think about how to spread my own business ideas.

Turning to One Another by Margaret Wheatley. I love this book because it covers a topic that rarely gets written about-having deep, meaningful conversations with others through powerful questions. Questions like: What am I willing to notice in my world? What is my faith in the future? What do I believe about others? When my friend, John, an artist, educator and scientist, told me about this book, I knew that it would be different in the same way that he is-with simple depth. This is a book that feels precious to read. Take away: The conversations that I have with others matter. If I want to have meaningful conversations, I need to ask the questions that lead to more mystery instead of more answers.

Working Identity by Herminia Ibarra. Since I finished this book a few weeks ago, I've recommended it to at least 6 people. This book gives a realistic view of what it takes to carve out new careers. It's a book for our times, when the half-life of a career keeps getting shorter.

The author was on the faculty of Harvard Business School for many years and in her research on how young professionals advance or don't advance in up-or-out firms (e.g., consulting firms), she noticed another population. One that was actively seeking to move to new careers. In her study, she realized that new careers are closely linked to new identities. Hence, the title of the book.

What's even more interesting is the way people went about successfully changing careers with small experiments--trying out a possible new self, creating a new network of supporters, and staying in action. Contrary to common belief, the successful career changers weren't people who thought it all through with a battery of assessments and detailed analysis of past jobs. They were the ones who moved into action and learned from what I like to call "field trips." It was this process of testing out that led to the emergence of a new working identity. The author uses over 30 case studies to illustrate this process. Take away: Finding that next thing in your work life is a process-one that requires you to be an active participant, not a third party observer. Be willing to try out new parts of yourself, make new connections, and step into foreign worlds.

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. Operating Instructions by Anne Lamott. Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott. I put these three books all together because I read them one after another at rapid pace over the course of about 10 days during a Christmas break. No matter what Lamott is writing about (in the case of the books mentioned here-writing, the first year of her son's life, and her journey with faith), she is funny, genuine, and engaging. What I love so much about her writing is that she says what everyone is thinking with words that my funniest friends would use. Her writing is honest to the core and gives me the confidence to write about anything and everything that feels true.

My Grandfather's Blessing by Rachel Naomi Remen and Kitchen Table Wisdom by Rachel Naomi Remen. I received this two book set for my birthday one year and devoured both in no time. Remen writes about her experiences as a physician who addresses not just the body but the soul. She gives credibility to her words by talking about her own struggles with long-term illness (Crohn's disease). Her stories inspire me and nourish the part of me that relishes the mystery of being human.

Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg. This book has a lot of great exercises to loosen up the writing muscles and start to play with words (instead of agonize over them.) Using these exercises, I expanded the range of topics I write about and discovered the joy of exploring different parts of my life.

Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg. Thanks to my biking buddy, Evelyn, I found this book just as I was exploring writing as part of my work. This book gave me insight on how to write from the purest part of myself. And as a budding writer, Goldberg's words reassured me that the key to good writing is to keep writing and not think too hard.