Contributors to the January 2021 issue of TD magazine offer their book recommendations.
Julie Donahue
The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth by Amy C. Edmondson
This book gets at some of the root causes of why companies hire great talent but don't always create a climate for that talent to thrive. The book looks at the psychology behind what causes teams to be open, trusting, and high performing and have a learning and performance culture.
Philipp Ramin
Create the Future: Tactics for Disruptive Thinking by Jeremy Gutsche
Digitalization or not, in the end it's all about innovation. Few companies really succeed in doing something new. Disruptive thinking is, therefore, still a major challenge, for which this book provides plenty of inspiration.
Competing in the Age of AI: Strategy and Leadership When Algorithms and Networks Run the World by Marco Iansiti and Karim R. Lakhani
This is an exciting and helpful read about the growing power of artificial intelligence technologies with refreshingly provocative reflections.
Vincent Han
The Great Crash, 1929 by John Kenneth Galbraith
With as wacky of a year that 2020 was, there are many lessons throughout history to help us make sense of the present. This book provides insight on how herd mentality and greed brought down a thriving economy that eventually led the US into the Great Depression.
Angela Vale-Feigl
What Color Is Your Sky? by Hervé Da Costa
This book is ideal if you are looking for a hands-on workbook on situational leadership, accountability, and transformation for yourself, your team, or your training or coaching activities. Tapping into two decades of coaching experience, this book is as engaging as it is impactful.
IKIGAI for Leaders and Organisations: The Way to Individual and Collective Purpose and Meaning by Frank Brueck
The IKIGAI principle is as simple as it is powerful. This book enables readers to take this model and apply it to their own personal story and situation to reinvent themselves or their career. It works across cultures and history and is equally useful as a personal workbook as well as basis to draft an organizational change strategy.
Elizabeth Moore
Simply Said: Communicating Better at Work and Beyond by Jay Sullivan
This is a solid book with practical advice for anyone at any stage of their career. It’s also highly relevant in the current climate, where communication often seems less about crafting a compelling message and more about character count.
Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear
There’s a lot of fluff out there on cultivating better habits and achieving goals, but I found this book to be full of grounded guidance on how to focus on small, achievable changes and filter out what’s holding you back.
Four Friends by Robyn Carr
This is a great novel about the bonds of friendship between women. It’s a leisurely read but will still make you laugh, cry, and feel good afterwards.
