Leadership • Equity • Culture

 More Books for January 2023

4-minute read

Best Books in:

Leadership: 

• 6 Types of Working Genius and nine others

Equity:

• The Third Reconstruction and three others

Culture:

• The Burnout Epidemic and two others

Bonus: 

• The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams … and others

Leadership:

The 6 Types of Working Genius: A Better Way to Understand Your Gifts, Your Frustrations, and Your Team by Patrick M. Lencioni  | Sep 27, 2022

Successful projects require ALL SIX types of working genius. And each of us has only two! Buy this for everyone on your leadership team—one of our vital signs for success.  

Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership by Susan MacKenty Brady, Janet Foutty, et al. | Apr 12, 2022

A five-star read. Treasures of learning on every page are enhanced with rich stories.  

Leadership: In Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin  | Sep 18, 2018

A perfect book for our times. Shows how four presidents – Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, F.D.R., and Lyndon Johnson – navigated the most turbulent times. Lots of takeaways for today.  

The Governance Core: School Boards, Superintendents, and Schools Working Together by Davis W. Campbell and Michael Fullan | Apr 23, 2019

Two great authors show how we can accomplish so much for kids by agreeing on a governance core of ideas to shape student learning. Perfect for our vital signs theme.

The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership (J-B Warren Bennis Series Book 1) by Steven B. Sample and Warren Bennis | May 18, 2009

An older book packed with solid wisdom by the former president of the U.S.C. Short, concise, and thought-provoking.

Lead from Where You Are: Building Intention, Connection and Direction in Our Schools by Joe Sanfelippo | Jan 22, 2022

A.A.S.A. National Superintendent of the year tells his story of district transformation with passion. Lots of takeaways in this short read.

The 3 Ships: Relationships, Leadership, and Partnerships by Randy Russell  | Aug 31, 2020

Veteran superintendent offers lessons learned to survive and thrive—great ideas to improve our relationships, leadership, and partnerships.  

The Messy Middle: Finding Your Way Through the Hardest and Most Crucial Part of Any Bold Venture by Scott Belsky  | Oct 2, 2018

A slog but worth it. I kept wanting to give up on it and then found one more keeper. 

The Power of One More: The Ultimate Guide to Happiness and Success by Ed Mylett  | Jun 2, 2022

Rehash of tried and true motivational ideas. The basic idea is to keep going. One more relationship. One more goal. One more effort. 

Master Mentors: 30 Transformative Insights from Our Greatest Minds by Scott Jeffrey Miller  | Sep 7, 2021

Another slog. Good ideas are lost in a sea of self-adulation.  

Equity:

The Third Reconstruction: How a Moral Movement Is Overcoming the Politics of Division and Fear by Rev Dr. William J. Barber II  | Jan 12, 2016

It tells the story of a decades-long struggle to restore voting rights in North Carolina. It is filled with the wisdom of patience and fortitude.  

The Inclusion Revolution Is Now: An Innovative Framework for Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace by Maura G. Robinson M.P.A. | Oct 21, 2013

The author has held H.R. positions fighting for equity in many of our largest corporations—a voice for urgency, agency, and action.  

The Girl with the Louding Voice: A Novel by Abi Daré  | Feb 4, 2020

Tells the story of a young Nigerian woman fighting to become a teacher against long odds.  

The Book Woman’s Daughter: A Novel Book 2 of 2: Book Woman of Troublesome Creek  | by Kim Michele Richardson  | 

This historical novel tells of delivering library books through the Appalachians amid prejudice of race and class in the 1950s.

Culture 

The Burnout Epidemic: The Rise of Chronic Stress and How We Can Fix It by Jennifer Moss  | Sep 28, 2021

I’ll reread this one. Well-being increases productivity. Proven principles and action steps. H.E.R.O. work includes Hope, Empathy, Resilience, Optimism, and more. Advocates cognitive hope theory: rewiring our brains for positivity.  

The Power of Moments: Why Certain Experiences Have Extraordinary Impact by Chip Heath and Dan Heath  | Oct 3, 2017

Make stand-out memories. Three months after leaving a Disney venue, we remember the fantastic rides and forget the long lines. Chock-full of ideas on how to make lasting memories.  

The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business by Erin Meyer  | May 27, 2014

American author, living in France, does corporate training for working cross-culturally. Offers insights and research on world cultures based on eight criteria for working together. Lots of tools for assessing working relationships to make them as clear and productive as possible.

Other

The Last Unicorn  Part of The Last Unicorn (2 books)  | by Peter S. Beagle and Patrick Rothfuss | Jul 26, 2022

A kids’ book fairy tale that I missed when it came out. A quest by the last unicorn to find and free all the missing unicorns.

A Burning in My Bones: The Authorized Biography of Eugene H. Peterson, Translator of The Message by Winn Collier  | Mar 23, 2021

Eugene Peterson authored The Message, a modern-day English vernacular translation of the Bible. His life story is richly told.  

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams by Stacy Schiff  | Oct 25, 2022

According to the author, Sam Adams was the revolutionary behind the ones we know best. He wrote constantly, networked everywhere, and kept the fires of liberty burning. Lots of lessons in how change happens through what we call network hubs in education work.  

On my “to read” shelf

Entry Planning for Equity-Focused Leaders: Empowering Schools and Communities by Jennifer Perry Cheatham, Rodney Thomas, et al. | Oct 25, 2022

Equity-Based Leadership: Leveraging Complexity to Transform School Systems by Joshua P. Starr  | May 17, 2022 

Resilient: Restoring Your Weary Soul in These Turbulent Times by John Eldredge  | Jun 7, 2022