Books!

October 2007

On my desk and credenza are several stacks of books.  These are the result of my love of books and the knowledge that they hold, and the fact that Amazon.com has made my book-buying habit so easy (at least until the credit card bill arrives).  My problem is that my eyes are bigger than my stomach (as my grandfather used to say, as I piled my Luby’s cafeteria tray high with food I could not ever finish).  Carving time out of my workweek to read is tough.  But my intentions are honorable, and I cannot resist buying books that promise to expand my mind and give me new perspective and understanding.

This month, I thought I would share some of my business reading list.  The list reveals some of the topics near and dear to me: communication, creativity, and executive presence.  With the cooler weather and earlier sunsets, you may find more time to be curled up inside with a good book. Here are a few current favorites:

Language and the Pursuit of Happiness, by Chalmers Brothers.  How language shapes our world and our understanding of ourselves and others.  As a lover of language, this is one of my favorite books on the subject of language as generative and creative.

Fierce Conversations, by Susan Scott.  Seven principles that help us to make every conversation count, and be more real, clear, and compassionate.  Entertaining and edgy.

Cracking Creativity: The Secrets of Creative Genius, by Michael Michalko.  Chock full of creative-thinking strategies that will revolutionize how you see things, and open up a world of innovation solutions by changing the way you think.  Fascinating.

Thinkertoys (2nd Edition), by Michael Michalko.  This will change and expand how you perceive your own creativity and contains dozens of techniques to generate ideas.  A fun read that is helping me to reframe how I see myself as a creative person.

The Next Level: What Insiders Know about Executive Success, by Scott Eblin.  Nine sets of key behaviors and beliefs that rising executives must pick up and let go of to succeed at the next level.  I saw Scott speak recently, and he has great insights and advice.

That’s all I have room to list.  I hope that if you have books that you would recommend, you will share those with me.  Have a great month, and happy reading.

Sharon
Sharon Keys Seal

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