The resources below have been important tools in my efforts to help clients and students develop their leadership and interpersonal skills, but they can be applied by any leader or manager seeking to support their employees and colleagues.
1. Alain de Botton's The Consolations of Philosophy, Status Anxiety and The Pleasures and Sorrows of Work
De Botton is best described as a "pop philosopher"--he addresses important issues in a readily accessible style, and I find the the three books above particularly useful.
2. Brené Brown on vulnerability
Brown is a professor at the University of Houston's Graduate College of Social Work, and her research addresses such topics as vulnerability, authenticity, courage, empathy and shame. This 20-minute TEDx talk shot in Houston in 2010 is one of the most-viewed ever--I've seen it many times and continue to find it useful.
3. Building the Emotional Intelligence of Groups
In this 2001 HBR article Vanessa Druskat and Steven Wolff make a compelling case that a group's effectiveness is based on norms that help its members deepen emotional awareness and exercise emotion regulation.
4. Carol Dweck's concept of fixed and growth mindsets
Stanford psychologist Dweck has found that we tend toward one of two "mindsets"--in a fixed mindset we view our abilities as inherent, and we view mistakes as character flaws, while in a growth mindset we believe our abilities can be developed through persistent effort, and we view mistakes as learning opportunities.
5. Coaching with the Brain in Mind
Written by executive coach David Rock and Linda Page, this wide-ranging book explores a series of bedrock concepts (from ontology to management theory) that support "coaching pillars," which in turn underpin a "neuroscience platform."
6. Dan Oestreich's blog
Oestreich is a coach and consultant based near Seattle, and I've found his writing to be a great source of learning and inspiration. He's one of the most heartfelt and personal writers on this list, and he illustrates his blog with an assortment of stunning nature photographs--usually taken on hikes in the Pacific Northwest. (I was honored to be interviewed for his newsletter in 2012.)
7. David Foster Wallace's "This Is Water"
In 2005 author Wallace delivered the commencement address at Kenyon College, after his suicide it was published in The Wall Street Journal. An original audio-recording is available on YouTube, and I've adapted both sources into an integrated version. It's worth noting that Wallace had a history of violence and abuse, and even his close friend Jonathan Franzen has made clear that Wallace shouldn't be viewed as some sort of "great and gentle soul." But the failings of the messenger don't eliminate the value of the message, and I've learned much from Wallace's message here.
8. David Rock's SCARF model
Rock, a coach based in New York, studies current neuroscience research and discusses its implications for leaders and managers. One of his most compelling findings is this model that helps to explain the types of interpersonal situations likely to trigger a threat response.
This absurdly simple site is still the primary tool I recommend to clients to track daily activities.
10. The HBR Guide to Coaching Your Employees
I'm one of the co-authors, so I'm hardly an objective reviewer--but I still think this book is a great coaching and teaching resource, and I'm proud to be associated with the other contributors.
11. Helping: How to Give, Offer and Receive Help
Edgar Schein's 2009 book is the single best resource I know on how to initiate and sustain successful helping relationships, and while it's had a substantial influence on my approach to coaching and teaching, I also believe its message is relevant to any leader.
12. How to Have a Good Day: Harness the Power of Behavioral Science to Transform Your Working Life
This 2016 book by coach and consultant Caroline Webb is one of my favorites. Webb explores a trove of research findings from social psychology, neuroscience and related fields and translates them into actionable guidance for professionals.
13. The Life Cycle of Learning Design
A post based on my own experience as a teacher and curriculum developer.
14. The Neuroscience of Joyful Education
Judy Willis is a former neurologist who obtained her teaching credential after a 15-year career in medicine and now teaches at Santa Barbara Middle School. Willis also writes about how to apply what we're learning from neuroscience research in educational settings, and this 2007 paper has had a significant impact on my own approach to teaching.
15. Managing Oneself
I came across Peter Drucker's Harvard Business Review essay, first published in 1998, while I was in business school, and it continues to influence my work with clients and students today.
This 2002 book by psychologists Karen Reivich and Andrew Shatté explores their theory that resilience is comprised of seven specific practices, each of which we can pursue more deliberately as we seek to build our capacity to persist through difficulties, overcome obstacles and deal with setbacks. It's been on my syllabus in The Art of Self-Coaching ever since I launched the class at Stanford in 2015.
17. Self-Science: The Subject Is Me
This out-of-print book from 1978 by educators Karen Stone and Harold Dillehunt provides a curriculum for elementary school teachers, and yet I've found it a great source of inspiration in my teaching and coaching. Stone and Dillehunt taught at the Nueva Learning Center--now known as the Nueva School--and were among the pioneers of social-emotional learning.
18. Syllabus: Notes from an Accidental Professor
This 2014 book by cartoonist Lynda Barry had a profoundly liberating effect on my work with groups, not only with students in a classroom, but also in any facilitation process.
19. What Should I Do With My Life?
For this 2003 book Po Bronson interviewed some 900 people who were struggling with this question, and just over 50 of their stories made it into print. It doesn't quite rise to the level of Studs Terkel's majestic oral histories, but with its focus on people struggling to find a sense of meaning and purpose it's a uniquely valuable resource that I highly recommend.
20. Why Should Anyone Be Led By You?
In 2006 UK-based coaches Rob Goffee and Gareth Jones expanded their Harvard Business Review article into a full-length book, drawing upon experiences with their clients to illustrate their core concepts. It's one of my favorite readings in any field.
Updated February 2022. Several of the resources that were originally included here are no longer available or seemed less relevant, so I replaced them in order to keep 20 items on the list (a number chosen at random when I first published this post in response to a request from a friend.)
Photo by Ron Matson.
