Contributors to the March 2018 issue of TD magazine offer their book recommendations.
Mike Kallet
Six Thinking Hats by Edward de Bono
I suggest people pick up just about any book related to thinking, problem solving, or decision making. As you read, you might just pick up one little thing that can change your whole perspective on thinking. Also, when reading a book related to thought, you’ll be out of your automatic mode and actually doing what you’re reading about. Same with leadership. You just start thinking more about it and pick up one or two tidbits, which is a great start.
Loubna Noureddin
Successful Onboarding: Strategies to Unlock Hidden Value Within Your Organization by Mark Stein and Lilith Christiansen
I like the fact that throughout the book, the authors offer a systematic approach to onboarding and retaining new employees. It is about creating programs that do not only meet new employee development; rather, they focus on winning the new employee over time. It is a very easy book to follow and apply.
The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Updated and Expanded by Michael D. Watkins.
This provides leaders and executives with specific tips to help them make an impact in the first 90 days on the job. I particularly like the fact it sets guidelines on how to communicate with your boss and how to take incremental steps to create your path to success.
Kate Nelson
Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard by Chip and Dan Heath
This book helps explain a lot about why people react the way they do during change. I love its analogy about “the rider and the elephant.”
Your Brain at Work: Strategies for Overcoming Distraction, Regaining Focus, and Working Smarter All Day Long by David Rock
I love all the neuroscience research that has been going on, and David Rock knows it all.
Patty Gaul
Listening Below the Noise: The Transformative Power of Silence by Anne D. LeClaire
I’ve read this book three times. My mind is not good at being still, and this book reminds me of the importance of being so. Her days without speaking, LeClaire writes, allow her time to slow down, listen, and nourish her creative self. During these days, LeClaire spends much of her time either in nature or writing. The Cape Cod locale is not a bad aspect either.
Vital Signs: The Nature and Nurture of Passion by Gregg Levoy
This is the book currently on my bookshelf—or rather, in my bag. I don’t think it’s any accident that both LeClaire and Levoy are former reporters. Levoy’s writing is incredibly evocative and, like LeClaire, nature is a frequent theme. But as Levoy encourages us to embrace our wild nature, our passion, our authentic self—as with LeClaire and her writing of silence—he acknowledges the danger and risk. After all, there’s a rawness to nature.