November 2014 Recommended Resources
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps
Everything Else In Business
by Patrick Lencioni
“Organizational health will one day surpass all other disciplines in business as the greatest opportunity for improvement and competitive advantage.” Lencioni makes the case that there is no better way to achieve profound improvement in an organization than by attacking the root causes of dysfunction, politics, and confusion. Instead of searching for advantage in areas like marketing, strategy, and technology, He asserts that leaders and organizations need to shift their focus to becoming healthier, allowing them to tap into the more-than-sufficient intelligence and expertise they already have.
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High Second Edition
by Kerry Patterson and Joseph Grenny
This wise and witty guide gives you the tools you need to step up to life’s most difficult and important conversations, say what’s on your mind, and achieve positive outcomes that will amaze you. Whether they take place at work or at home, with your neighbors or your spouse, crucial conversations can have a profound impact on your career, your happiness, and your future. With the skills you learn in this book, you’ll never have to worry about the outcome of a crucial conversation again.
Necessary Endings: The Employees, Businesses, and Relationships That All of Us Have to Give Up in Order to Move Forward
by Henry Cloud
In this insightful and deeply empathetic book, Dr. Cloud demonstrates that, when executed well, necessary endings allow us to proactively correct the bad and the broken in our lives in order to make room for the professional and personal growth we seek. Knowing when and how to let go when something isn’t working is essential for happiness and success. Necessary Endings gives readers the tools they need to say good-bye and move on.
Playing God: Redeeming the Gift of Power
by Andy Crouch
Wielding power need not distort us or others, but rather can be stewarded well. Andy Crouch unpacks the dynamics of power that either can make human flourishing possible. While the effects of power are often very evident, he uncovers why power is frequently hidden. He considers not just its personal side but the important ways power develops and resides in institutions. This is an essential book for all who would influence their world for good.
Leaders of Their Own Learning: Transforming Schools Through Student-Engaged Assessment
by Ron Berger
Ignite the capacity of students to take responsibility for their own learning, building the independence, critical thinking skills, perseverance, and self-reflective understanding they need to meet the demands of the Common Core, reach higher levels of achievement, and succeed in college, careers, and life. This book offers a clear, detailed blueprint for implementing Student-Engaged Assessment, including a wealth of videos that demonstrate core practices in action.