Contributors to the January 2023 issue of TD magazine offer their book recommendations.
Phoenix R. Cavalier
The Happiness Advantage: How a Positive Brain Fuels Success in Work and Life
by Shawn Achor
This book brings into focus data that validates the importance of happiness at work from the lens of positive psychology. What makes it so compelling is how it bases the importance of emotion with robust data to back up what could otherwise seem like an obvious opinion that happiness is important. The author explores and unpacks how and why people are often focusing on the wrong things in relation to employee relations.
Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box
By The Arbinger Institute
I love this book because it literally improved a working relationship with a peer. My peer and I had trouble communicating, and she suggested this book because she thought it might help us. It absolutely did! We moved from low communication and assumption to robust dialog and trust. This book is filled with strong guidance on how to stop making the same mistakes caused by a lack of personal accountability and start building real and meaningful connections between partners and peers.
Angela Sample
The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact
by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
This book provides a fresh perspective on how even the most ordinary moments can become memorable moments—both good and bad. In L&D, this information is powerful because educators can help make those memorable moments during learning experiences. I have used this book to help me better understand how I can impact learners and apply techniques to ensure a positive, memorable experience for them.
Read People Like a Book: How to Analyze, Understand, and Predict People’s Emotions, Thoughts, Intentions, and Behaviors (How to be More Likable and Charismatic)
By Patrick King
This book is a staple on my shelf because it delves into the psychology of empathy, which has helped me understand the “why” behind certain reactions and feelings. An example is motivation. Part of empathetic design is understanding what motivates learners, so the book has helped me understand tactics to gather that information from my learners. Additionally, the author provides some tips for increasing emotional intelligence and connection, which I have used when communicating with my learner population and clients. Those techniques are especially useful when I am asking questions and gathering data.
Laura Middlesworth
Leading Without Authority: How the New Power of Co-Elevation Can Break Down Silos, Transform Teams, and Reinvent Collaboration
by Keith Ferrazzi and Noel Weyrich
The authors encourage us to identify our true partners and teammates—people critical to us achieving our goals—outside of formal arrangements and hierarchies in addition to within those. We are better positioned to achieve our goals through collaborative relationships by focusing on the shared mission and committing to elevate one another.
