My First Advice Column

Your Brain At Work by David Rock. I love how this book breaks down both the neuroscience behind what’s really going on in leadership interactions and communications in a way that’s both engaging and memorable. I use a lot of the concepts in this book when working with my clients and explaining what might be going on for them, as well as others that they work with. (He also has a great article on his SCARF model of how people react to organizational change and how to manage that more effectively by paying attention to the neuroscience behind change.)

5 Dysfunctions of A Team by Patrick Lencioni. This is super readable and very enjoyable, yet really gives a lot of insights into what makes, and breaks teams. It explains a lot of the dynamics behind all those “tips” articles you can read about how to create an effective team. I think the book captures the basics really well so that you can start to see how these dysfunctions are seeping into your own teams. It’s the team model I come back to again and again. People not only understand it logically, but intuitively it fits with what you’ve already noticed at work.

Changing On The Job by Jennifer Garvey Berger. This is a cutting edge look at what we know about how adults develop and what that means for how they work with others and lead at work. I’m fascinated by the science of adult development and this is one of the most readable books I’ve found about what this developing science means in the world of work and leadership development. It’s also a great way to challenge yourself to think about
YOUR own development as well as that of those that work around you/report to you.

Crucial Conversations by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Oldie but goodie. I use this one with my executive MBA class because I think it’s one of the best primers on how to how to have a difficult conversations, how to listen for others trying to have them with you, and how to hear beyond what you usually listen for – which for most of us is “who’s right, who’s wrong and how do we fix it?” There’s so much wisdom here that even remembering 1/10th of it will hold you in good stead.

I have a bunch of articles on Dropbox that are a mix of classics and really good foundational leadership articles. These are the articles I’ve shared with my exec MBA students.

Ok sad truth. I don’t listen to many honestly. I’m too busy reading or listening to books.

I do love the Hidden Brain podcast and my new guilty pleasure is Esther Perel’s new audible original podcast Where Should We Begin which listens in to live couples therapy sessions.