Your next read
Book recommendations can be tricky business – do you want to learn something new, do you hope to take away some profound insight, or do you simply want to be entertained?
We asked some of our Faculty to recommend books that might just be your next great read.
Lee Ann Keple, Professor, Marketing & Strategy
Book: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Why You Should Read It: I was drawn back to this book as I contemplated the relative power of 140-character tweets in shaping public opinion. What makes messages memorable? Why do some important theories and opinions get little attention? The authors say to keep it simple, avoid complicated statistics…and enjoy reading the rest of this engaging book to find out more.
Dr. Linda Bramble, Professor, Leadership
Book: Willful Blindness: Why We Ignore the Obvious at Our Peril by Margaret Heffernan
Why you should read it: This is a must read for thoughtful leaders. Heffernan argues that we can often willfully ignore the right thing to do in favour of the most expedient. According to Heffernan, it usually happens “in the presence of information that we could know, and should know, but don’t know because it makes us feel better not to know.” She offers compelling suggestions on how to think more critically.
Dr. Gail Johnson Morris, Professor, Ethics & Applied Project Supervisor
Book: Building the Bridge as You Walk on it: A Guide for Leading Change by Robert E. Quinn
Why you should read it: Leadership is an inside game. Quinn unpacks the fundamental state of leadership – the state where we focus on ‘what do I want to create?’ The answer to this question invites us into a creative, energized, and generative state. Our movement towards positive creation invites the same kind of shift in those around us. We embody the leader we have been waiting for. How can it get any better?
Dr. Helen Lam, Professor, Human Resource Management
Book: Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In by Roger Fisher, William Ury & Bruce Patton
Why you should read it: People negotiate all the time, formally or informally. This popular business book introduces important principles for effective negotiation, including; separating the people from the problem or issue, focusing on interests and not positions, generating options for win-win outcomes, and using objective criteria.
