A Few of My Favourite Books, Websites & Articles I’ve Found to be Motivating and Instructive

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Learning About Positive Psychology

• Authentic Happiness (website)

  • Authentic Happiness is the homepage of Dr. Martin Seligman, Director of the Positive Psychology Center at the University of Pennsylvania and founder of positive psychology, a branch of psychology that focuses on the empirical study of positive emotions, strengths-based character, and healthy institutions.

    • With a staggering 1,975,000 users worldwide, the Authentic Happiness website offers a unique opportunity for the public to access a wealth of free resources.

    • Plus! Find your key strengths and learn how to leverage them to be successful with this FREE VIA Survey of Character Strengths. (Must be signed in.)

• Authentic Happiness by Martin E.p. Seligman (book)

  • Drawing on the foundations of Positive Psychology scientific research, Seligman illustrates how anyone can achieve lasting happiness. Practical exercises and brief self-assessments throughout the book help you achieve lasting fulfillment.

Fostering Resilience & Sustainability

• TOMORROWMIND BY GABRIELLA ROSEN KELLERMAN AND MARTIN SELIGMAN

  • Discover how to thrive in your career with this guide designed to help you succeed in a world of workplace challenges. Written by workplace mental health expert Gabriella Kellerman and psychologist Martin Seligman, the book offers actionable advice on resilience, innovation, social connections, and more.

• LEADERSHIP AGILITY BY BILL JOINER

  • The book outlines five levels of agility that leaders progress through, highlighting that only 10% have mastered the necessary level for consistent effectiveness in the current era of global competition. The book offers practical advice and examples to help managers and leadership development professionals enhance their agility in everyday initiatives.

• MINDFUL LEADERSHIP BY MARIA GONZALEZ

  • An excellent guide on how to become a more effective leader through mindfulness. The book introduces meditation exercises as a means to achieve focus, reduce stress, and improve decision-making. It emphasizes the integration of mindfulness into all aspects of life and work, offering essential skills for leadership and personal development.

• GRIT BY ANGELA DUCKWORTH

  • An exploration into the power of grit—an amalgamation of passion and perseverance—and its functionality in achieving success. The book outlines the concept of grit and provides practical advice on how readers can cultivate it within themselves, equipping them for personal and professional success.

• RADICAL ACCEPTANCE BY TARA BRACH

  • The book offers a mindfulness-based approach to self-acceptance and healing from past traumas. Brach blends Buddhist teachings, meditation practices, and personal anecdotes to help readers overcome shame and fear and find inner peace. The book encourages individuals to embrace their experiences and live fully in each moment.

• PRESENCE BY AMY CUDDY

  • Offers science-backed techniques to project confidence in high-pressure situations. The book emphasizes the power of body language, self-narrative, and mindfulness to improve presence. Cuddy's research reveals that minor adjustments to body language and mindset can help liberate us from fear in high-pressure moments and empower others. The book shares inspiring stories of individuals who have confidently overcome their biggest challenges.

• HBR'S 10 MUST-READS ON EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE

  • If you want to enhance your emotional skills and professional success, consider reading 10 selected articles from the Harvard Business Review archive. This material aims to help you monitor and manage emotions, make empathetic decisions, handle team conflicts, and respond resiliently to challenging situations. It can also assist you in understanding your strengths, weaknesses, needs, values, and goals and develop emotional agility.

• AWARE BY DANIEL J. SIEGEL

  • Explores self-awareness and meditation, providing practical guidance on strengthening attention, improving emotional regulation, and enhancing overall well-being. The book also delves into the science underlying meditation's effectiveness and teaches readers how to use the wheel of awareness to develop a healthier brain and reduce fear, anxiety, and stress.

• MINDSIGHT BY DANIEL J. SIEGEL

  • The book explores the concept of "mindsight," which refers to the ability to perceive one's own and others' minds. The book delves into how this skill can be developed to enhance emotional and social intelligence. Mindsight can help individuals regulate their emotions effectively, strengthen their connections with others, and reach their highest capabilities.

• THE MINDSIGHT INSTITUTE (WEBSITE)

  • The Mindsight Institute provides courses and resources on mindfulness, brain science, and mental health. Founded by Dr. Dan J. Siegel and Caroline S. Welch, the programs focus on developing mindsight through online learning and workshops. The institute uniquely integrates the mind, brain, and relationships into one perspective, offering a scientifically woven foundation for understanding psychological change.

• PERMISSION TO FEEL by MARC BRACKETT

  • A transformative 5-step strategy for improving emotional well-being in both adults and children. The book emphasizes the transformative power of emotions and provides innovative techniques for developing emotional intelligence. Brackett draws from personal experiences and childhood to highlight the importance of recognizing and understanding emotions to achieve success and well-being.

• HOW WE FEEL (app)

  • A free app for you to journal for your well-being created by scientists, designers, engineers, and psychologists. The App now has an expanded Mood Meter with 144 words. It helps you better understand and manage your emotions, offering research-based strategies and a reporting feature to track your emotional patterns over time. There's also a mini-course on emotions included.

• SELF-COMPASSION BY KRISTEN NEFF

  • Discover how to cultivate self-compassion and achieve lasting happiness with guidance from leading psychologist Dr. Kristin Neff. Through personal stories, practical exercises, and solid research, this book provides the tools to break free from self-criticism and embrace kindness towards yourself.

• THE MINDFUL SELF-COMPASSION WORKBOOK By KRISTIN NEFF & CHRISTOPHER GERMER (Workbook)

  • Numerous research studies support the power of self-compassion as a tool for improving emotional well-being. Based on the authors' Mindful Self-Compassion program, this workbook provides a step-by-step approach to overcoming self-judgment and unrealistic standards. With guided meditations, exercises, and real-life examples, it helps readers develop skills for personal growth through self-care.

• SELF-COMPASSION (Website)

  • Join Dr. Kristin Neff's Self-Compassion Community to discover more about the power of self-compassion and explore the benefits of practicing self-compassion together. The website has self-evaluation tests, helpful self-compassion exercises, and much more!

Helpful Change & Career Management Books

• What Next? by Barbara Moses

  • A great resource to find the work that is right for you. Offering several simple tools to determine who you are and what options will help you find your passion or get out of a career slump.

• Creating You and Co by William Bridges

  • An excellent resource for anyone navigating the evolving job market and looking to find fulfilling and secure work.

• The First 90 Days by Michael Watkins

  • A must-read for any leader taking on a new challenge or in a period of transition. The book explores strategies to help leaders & management professionals understand their new role, build working relationships quickly, and gain early momentum in an organization.

• The Essentials of Theory U by Otto Scharmer

  • The book aims to help leaders and organizations across different sectors enhance their awareness, connect with possibilities, and co-shape the future. It emphasizes the development of leadership capacity to address blind spots and underscores the concept of the intentional journey toward our highest future potential.

Useful Managing and Leading Books

• The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner

  • An excellent source for becoming an effective leader. The book explores the idea that leadership is a relationship that can be learned. The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership® are highlighted as key to a leader’s success.

• Good to Great by Jim Collins

  • It is a great book that deeply delves into understanding what makes companies go from ‘good’ to ‘great.’ It is perfect for leaders interested in understanding what drives organizational success.

• Five Temptations of a CEO by Patrick Lencioni

  • A simple yet practical guide with helpful self-assessments to enhance your leadership skills in today’s business world. It outlines the five crucial tasks for CEO success and warns against five temptations that lead to failure.

• High Five by Ken Blanchard and Sheldon Bowles

  • A fable that captures the power and vision of great teams. The book emphasizes the importance of collaboration and offers insights and practical techniques for building successful teams, making it a valuable read for leaders.

• Never Split the difference by chris voss

  • An invaluable resource for anyone looking to enhance their negotiation skills. Voss provides practical advice on using emotional intelligence, active listening, and calibrated questions to achieve successful outcomes in any negotiation scenario. The book offers nine practical principles for becoming more persuasive professionally and personally, making it a must-read for anyone looking to improve their communication skills.

• THE MIND OF THE LEADER BY RASMUS HOUGAARD AND JACQUELINE CARTER

  • Highlighting a global leadership crisis, The book emphasizes the need for leaders to prioritize employees' basic human needs for meaning, connection, and happiness. It suggests that organizations should develop mindful, selfless, and compassionate leaders to address the leadership crisis effectively and provide real-world examples and practical solutions for improving engagement and execution.

• THE COACHING HABIT BY MICHAEL BUNGAY STANIER

  • Offering practical coaching skills for busy managers, The Coaching Habit presents seven essential coaching questions. These questions, designed to teach managers to say less and ask more, are a powerful tool for unlocking their team's potential and achieving great results. Stanier, a leading coaching expert and founder of Box of Crayons, combines insider information with neuroscience and behavioural economics research to turn practical advice into practiced habits, equipping managers with the tools they need to succeed.

• THE TRUSTED ADVISOR BY DAVID H. MAISTER, ROBERT GALFORD, CHARLES GREEN

  • In today's competitive business environment, professionals need more than technical expertise to succeed. Building trust with clients is not just crucial. It's a necessity. The Trusted Advisor outlines a trust equation and five steps to create trust-based relationships: engage, listen, frame, envision, and commit. Through real-life examples and practical advice, the authors underscore the significance of trust in client relationships, making the book a must-read for novice and experienced professionals.

• THE SPEED OF TRUST BY STEVEN M.R COVEY

  • Emphasizing the vital role of trust in leadership and organizational success, the book explains that trust is often overlooked but is essential for personal and professional growth. It provides practical insights into how trust impacts every interaction and transaction, offering strategies to build trust and eliminate time-consuming bureaucratic processes intentionally.

Building Awareness of your values and strengths Books

• Now, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham

  • One of the many books by March Buckingham that shows you how to develop your unique talents and strengths. With the purchase of each book, there is a link to complete an online questionnaire.

• Go Put Your Strengths to Work by Marcus Buckingman

  • Provides a six-step program to help individuals identify and utilize their strengths in the workplace. The book offers practical advice on leveraging strengths, communicating with colleagues about them, and integrating them into daily work routines. Through structured exercises and real-life examples, readers can learn to take control of their careers and contribute to a more engaged and effective work environment.

• Find Your Strongest Life: What the Happiest and Most Successful Women Do Differently By Marcus Buckingham

  • Check out "Find Your Strongest Life" to discover how to embrace your strengths and achieve success and happiness. This book, by Marcus Buckingham, offers practical and life-changing advice based on decades of research at the Gallup Organization. It's a must-read for women seeking balance and fulfillment in their lives.

• StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath

  • To help uncover people's talents, Gallup introduces its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, which identifies your top five talents. Gallup's latest bestseller, StrengthsFinder 2.0, presents an improved assessment version and discusses 34 themes. Packed with strategies for applying your strengths, this book and its website will change how you see yourself and the world.

• Strengths-Based Leadership By Tom Rath & Barry Conchie

  • Three keys to effective leadership have been identified after conducting a 30-year research project on strengths and leadership. The book features firsthand accounts of successful leaders who discuss how their unique strengths contributed to their success. "Strengths Based Leadership" offers fresh research and practical ideas to guide leaders toward a better future.