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"You can't do good
work if you're not excited."
Jerry Seinfeld
"Go
into life and work
thinking, 'hit
the ball to me!'"
Bruce Larson
"Keep dreaming."
Glen Burgin
81 years old
“Sometimes
change
is glacial! That is, big, cold and slow!
But
Patty, your coaching is helping. I’ll still
be grateful when I’m seventy!"
From a great client
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Hold Me Tight: Seven Conversations
for a Lifetime of Love.
Dr. Sue Johnson. I
simply think this is the definitive book about the healing and creative
power of adult love. When you're tackling life, having a secure
relationship in which your partner is available and responsive to you
makes all the difference. I suggest reading this one with your significant other.
What Got You Here Won't Get You
There.
Marshall Goldsmith. Seems
like
every gifted and accomplished leader has skills and habits that have
gotten them this far but now prevent them from going further. This
great coach details twenty career-damaging interpersonal habits that
hold leaders back. Then he gives direction about how to get honest
feedback from wary colleagues, and then make specific changes.
The 4-Hour Workweek. Timothy Ferris. This book is a
great thought-provoker about both the daily and long-term living of
your life and calling. He's got me thinking not about, "What
makes me happy?" but "What am I excited about?" Ferris' goal is to
avoid becoming "the fat man in the red BMW convertible who's thinking,
'I'll work until I have X dollars and then do what I want.'"
The Way of Transition. William Bridges. My
favorite writer on the subject recaps his theory in his most poignant
book yet. A great and supportive read for life's toughest--and most
unchosen--changes.
Three Cups of Tea. Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. A
true adventure story about an ordinary man on a quest. Greg Mortenson
has built fifty-five schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and
Afghanistan, providing both both boys and girls with a balanced,
non-extremist education. The subtitle is, "One Man's Mission to Fight
Terrorism and Build Nations . . . One School at a Time." Go Greg! Click
here to read a brief report in Parade Magazine.
Creating You & Co.: Learn to Think Like the CEO of Your Own
Career. William Bridges. This is the latest from my
favorite teacher on the subject of transition and career change. I'm
using it a lot
with clients these days.
Changing for Good. James
Prochaska. A great way of thinking about creating and
sustaining change (and overcoming addictions and bad habits). For my
summary, click here.
Working
Identity:
Unconventional Stategies for Reinventing Your Career.
Herminia Ibarra. "Career transition is not a straight
path toward some predetermined identity, but a crooked journey along
which we try on the 'possible selves' we might become." Good stories.
Blink: The Power of Thinking
Without Thinking.
Malcolm
Gladwell. This book,
from the author of The
Tipping Point, is about neuroscience and decision-making. You
know when your intuition, a first impression, a snap judgment or a
hunch kicks in and the resulting decision is amazingly on target?
That's what this book is about. How do we tend to extract the most
important info first? How do we create the conditions for successful
spontaneity? Does a longer process bring increased accuracy or just
increased confidence? And when does a longer process pay off?
Good to Great. Jim Collins. A great read for individuals
and organizations who are
finding their niche of greatest relevance, contribution and
satisfaction. Click
here for a three-minute audio preview.
The
Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life. Twyla Tharp. The
great
dancer
and
choreographer talks about the life habits that create the conditions
for her amazing creativity. You'll like this one!
Hard-to-put-down, and inspiring works of fiction:
The Secret Life
of Bees.
Sue Monk Kidd.
Peace Like a
River.
Leif Enger
The
Introvert
Advantage: How to Thrive in an Extrovert World.
Marti Olsen Laney, PsyD.
Whether you are a member of the introvert minority, or just love
someone who is, this is a very readable guide. It's practical, humorous
and very helpful--even to us extroverts!
Who
Moved My
Cheese? Spencer Johnson, MD. A very readable
little parable about individual and team change. You'll appreciate it
whether change is before you, around you, or in your rear-view mirror.
Dance
of Anger. Harriet Lerner, PhD.
This is a great resource in the work of learning how to be
clear, compassionate and connected in the midst of interpersonal
conflict.
Another
Land: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders. Mary Pipher,
PhD. From the author of Reviving Ophelia
(about supporting adolescent girls), comes this book about loving,
supporting and continuing to learn with our "young-old and old-old"
elders. A terrific resource for boomers and their parents.
How
to Survive the Loss of a Love.
Colgrove, Bloomfield et.al. Sooner or later most
of us experience brokenness in the face of great loss and heartbreak.
This little book has been helpful to many of my clients and friends.
Transitions.
William Bridges. Sooner or later everyone
experiences a major transition too! Whether good, bad, chosen or not,
transitions are stressful and this book is a great help in living the
process.
Writing
Down the Bones. Natalie
Goldberg. There's an old saying, "Thoughts
unscramble themselves over the lips and through the finger tips."
Many of my clients begin to journal in the process of examining
their lives. I think of this book as a light-hearted reminder that you
don't have to write perfectly when you're unscrambling your life.
Keeping
the Sabbath Wholly. Marva Dawn. Finding time
for the rest and restoration that is essential to our lives--by God's
design--can be a challenge in this culture. This great little book
describes the promise of regularly "ceasing from striving."
A
Grace Disguised.
Gerald Sittser. A personal story by a Whitworth
College professor about spiritually "living in and being enlarged
by loss."
Your
Sexual Self. Fran Ferder and
John Heagle. One of the best little books about
human sexuality I've ever found. Interestingly, it was written by a
priest and a nun. Turns out they know a lot.
Please
Understand Me. David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates. A
good review of the character and temperament types pioneered by Carl
Jung. Includes a copy of the 60 question inventory
I frequently use with my clients. Check out the link to the "Further
information on the 16 temperament types (Meiers Briggs/Keirsey Bates)" under Links
I Like.
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From a note
following a
recent leadership workshop
"An
awesome boost
for our teams--great confirmation and support for me
having Patty facilitate training, meet key staff and observe my
leadership."
From this team's
awesome CEO
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