Contributors to the April 2019 issue of TD magazine offer their book recommendations.
Anthonie Wurth
Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by David Allen
When I read this book, it changed my life forever. Together with this book, I implemented the five steps of Allen's GTD methodology and changed my behavior. Everybody who reads it will recognize the examples and challenges we face in our daily life. My passion for lasting behavior change was satisfied on every page.
Amy Bladen Shatto
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle
Coyle may be a journalist, but he hobnobs with the best researchers in the industry. Based on studies by MIT and Harvard researchers, he makes the case that belonging, safety, and vulnerability increase the effectiveness and outcomes of teams by upwards of 700 percent or more. Coyle gives readers specific examples of how to build each of these key qualities into the group or as the team leader.
Mastering Your Inner Critic and 7 Other High Hurdles to Advancement by Susan MacKenty Brady
Women’s leadership researcher Susan MacKenty Brady offers first-hand hard-won advice for scaling the hurdles that prevent women from controlling that little critical, demanding, and demeaning voice inside. Susan’s book helps women learn to conquer self-doubt and clarify their goals—building confidence from the inside out. This book is filled with inspiring anecdotes from accomplished women at various stages in their careers, as well as proven strategies to use in the workplace. This unique and self-motivating guide challenges women to confront their inner critic, face hurdles head-on, and achieve the goals that really matter.
Power: Why Some People Have It and Others Don’t by Jeffrey Pfeffer
Contrary to the sound of the subtitle, Power is not a book that contends that you are out of the game if you don’t currently have or wield power. In fact, Pfeffer provides concrete, actionable tools and tips on how to amass power within the organizational setting. A professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, Pfeffer has studied the dynamics of power and how people build and use it. His tips range from the obligatory stance and vocal inflections to some strategic moves in building your brand and reputation internally and externally and how to leverage social networks. Though at times Pfeffer borders on sounding a bit Machiavellian, his methods are sound, and his strategies pack a lot of punch. This one is well worth the read especially for those still holding on to the fairy tale that great performance will get you ahead.
Galen Midford
Level Up! The Guide to Great Video Game Design by Scott Rogers
A book that doesn't take itself too seriously, this is a more fun look at the game design process that also provides some direct examples when they are relevant, helping to drive some of its lessons home.
Games, Design and Play: A Detailed Approach to Iterative Game Design by Colleen Macklin and John Sharp
This is a great resource that helps to outline and break down the design process behind video games, making it easier to draw parallels between that and the development process behind e-learning.
