Bookclub
I am a passionate and enthusiastic reader and want to share the lessons I have learned from some of the great leadership books of our time. Interesting and useful concepts and strategies are then included in my training and speaking programmes.
Updated fortnightly with new reflections and recommendations.
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” - Joseph Addison
101 Days to Make a Change by Roy Leighton, Emma Kilbey and Kristina Bill
“Are you truly living the life you want to live?”
3 Main Messages:
Take time to reflect through journaling, meditation, mood boarding and questioning
Practice the small steps like gratitude, looking after you body and breathing deeply
Find your tribe and build relationships
Drive by Daniel Pink
“Intrinsic motivation is conducive to creativity; controlling extrinsic motivation is detrimental to creativity.”
3 Main Messages:
Control leads to compliance, autonomy leads to engagement
Most people are motivated by purpose more than money
People want to feel trusted and respected more than rewarded
Changing on the Job by Jennifer Garvey Berger
“Asking questions to understand someone’s sense making has helped me become a better listener, a more thoughtful questioner, and a more compassionate person.”
3 Main messages:
We need to as different questions in order to take multiple perspectives and see the whole system
Learning is different to growing
It is the coach’s role to find the growth edge and ask questions which expand thinking
Start with Why by Simon Sinek
“The role of a leader is not to come up with all the great ideas. The role of a leader is to create an environment in which great ideas can happen.”
3 Main Messages:
Make sure you communicate your ‘why’ in your everyday actions
We are drawn to leaders and communications that are good at communicating what they believe
Every ‘why’ person needs and ‘how’ partner
Dare to Lead by Brené Brown
“If you choose courage, you will absolutely know failure, disappointment, setback, even heartbreak. That’s why we call it courage. That’s why it’s so rare.”
3 Main Messages:
We need to serve the people we lead with empathy
Learn how to be curious by asking “say more.”
Unclear is unkind
Five Steps to a Winning Mindset by Damian Hughes
“Great coaches don’t amass such a record by spending their time talking. They spend most of their time watching and listening”
3 Main Messages:
Make your messages simple, memorable and effective
It’s all about relationships - what can you do to help nurture connections and create a culture?
Train your players to think differently
Atomic Habits by James Clear
“Ultimately, it is your commitment to the process that will determine your progress.”
3 Main Messages:
Success is the product of daily habits, not once in a lifetime transformations
Design your environment for success
Fix the inputs and the outputs fix themselves
Impact Players by Liz Wiseman
“When we change our lens from threat to opportunity we can turn risky situations into rewarding experiences.”
3 Main Messages:
Demonstrate growth mindset and ask for feedback
Wear opportunity goggles
Do the job that needs to be done