This page contains links to the books I’ve read or in the process of reading. Have a suggestion, leave me a comment. Thanks for sharing with me!

One B1G Thing – Phil Cooke

One B1G Thing – Phil Cooke

This book outlines how each of us has a specific purpose. Whatever we want to call it, “nothing can change the fact that you have a unique reason for being here.” p. 9.

The book outlines how each of us has one thing that each of us is uniquely created to do. And many people don’t ever really find out what that is, giving up before they figure out what that one thing might be. Cooke outlines through the book the idea that each person has a unique set of talents, skills, values that point us toward something fulfills us as a person. Many people end up using these skills and talents in the work they do but it doesn’t fulfill them as a person. Throughout the book, Cooke gives examples of different people who used their talents, skills, values but it isn’t fulfilling their purpose. In the final chapter, It’s Not About You – Living out the potential of your one Big Thing Cooke goes on to explain that when people are fulfilling their purpose, it ends up not being about them – their purpose provides them the avenue to help others. It is through finding The One B1G Thing that people are able to step fully into who they are, conneting to others, and helping others in ways they hadn’t thought of before.

The book is easy to follow and gives a lot of food for thought. Being someone who has been on a journey to find my own One B1G Thing, I understand much of Cooke is saying. Being willing to let go of something I was doing and step away was difficult but has led to opportunities to share and connect that I wouldn’t have experienced had I continued to follow the path I was on. I agree with Cooke’s suggestions for starting out on your own path of One B1G Thing that he outlines in chapter 12.

I would recommend this book for anyone who works with other people, especially educators. Many educators have found their One B1G Thing and you can see this in they way they approach what they do – it’s not work – it’s their calling. Helping others to connect and find their own One B1G Thing is something teachers do and this is a good reminder of the importance of encouraging students to not be afraid to explore or, if they feel drawn to something, to dive in to explore it more deeply.

If you have a moment, watch the video below as Cooke gives a brief outline of One B1G Thing.

The Power of Habit – Why you do what you do in life and business

Charles Duhigg

As I make life-changes, this book has helped me to reconsider what I do from a different perspective and given me insight into make changes that are long-lasting. Will power alone isn’t enough to make life-changes – you need to know how habits either support your changes or are derailing your best efforts. This also applies to organizations, like schools. All leaders should read this if they are serious about making lasting organizational changes.

The Accidental Creative

Todd Henry

We all have the ability to be creative but often don’t understand how to cultivate and nurture the creative process. Educators are some of the most creative people I know, making decisions about design, interactions, content and other important creative elements daily. Educators don’t often see themselves as Creative Professionals yet they are creating all the time, sometimes at a moments notice. This is definitely a book all educators should read. Excellent ideas, routines, and processes for developing and maintaining creativity.

Die Empty – Unleash Your Best Work Every Day

Todd Henry

This book asks the question “How do you set in motion a course of action that will allow you to unleash your best, most valuable work while you still can?” Todd Henry

Educators are striving to improve but, sometimes, the grind and weight of the ‘requirements’ slowly squash the passion and desire to do the work that really matters. The book outlines how to develop routines and habits that will allow you to unleash your best work every day.

Originals – How Non-Conformists Move the World

Adam Grant

Grant explores how to recognize a good idea, speak up without getting silenced, build a coalition of allies, choose the right time to act, and manage fear and doubt; how parents and teachers can nurture originality in children; and how leaders can build cultures that welcome dissent. – Goodreads

Do Over – Rescue Monday, Reinvent Your Work, and Never Get Stuck

Jon Acuff

Day one of our new adventure behind us, we are shocked to learn the hardest lesson of chasing a dream. When you go for it, you don’t escape fear, you land in it. Fear is not a dragon to be slain once, it’s an ocean to be swum daily. – Jon Acuff

Build Your Dream Network

j. kelly hoeyd

Build Your Dream Network will help you:

• Determine the most effective ways to connect with others so you don’t clutter your calendar with dead-end coffee dates and informational interviews.
• Synchronize IRL networking efforts with your digital outreach
• Turn “closed door” conversations into strong personal relationships and business opportunities
• Eliminate FOMO by keeping your networking efforts focused

Contagious – Why Things Catch On

– Jonah Berger –

Contagious combines groundbreaking research with powerful stories. Learn how a luxury steakhouse found popularity through the lowly cheese-steak, why anti-drug commercials might have actually increased drug use, and why more than 200 million consumers shared a video about one of the seemingly most boring products there is: a blender. If you’ve wondered why certain stories get shared, e-mails get forwarded, or videos go viral, Contagious explains why, and shows how to leverage these concepts to craft contagious content.

Wired to Create – Unraveling the Mysteries of the Creative Mind

Scott Barry Kaufman & Carolyn Gregoire

Wired to Create offers a glimpse inside the “messy minds” of highly creative people. Revealing the latest findings in neuroscience and psychology, along with engaging examples of artists and innovators throughout history, the book shines a light on the practices and habits of mind that promote creative thinking.

Louder Than Words – Harness the power of your authentic voice

There has never been a better time to build an audience for your idea or product. But with so many people clamoring for attention online and offline, it’s also more challenging than ever to do work that deeply resonates and creates true and lasting effect.

How do you set yourself apart in such a noisy, crowded world? How do you do work that is truly remarkable?

The key is to develop your authentic voice. Whether you’re an entrepreneur, a writer, a designer, or a manager building a brand, the more clear and compelling your voice, the more your message will hit home with your audience. The result will be more impact, and greater personal satisfaction with your work.

Louder Than Words offers a strategy for uncovering, developing, and bravely using your authentic voice to create a body of work you are proud of and that resonates deeply with others.

A great book with practical ideas for developing your own voice and do what you were meant to do. Todd Henry shows you how to find your own authentic voice with practical ways to apply this to in everyday ways.

The New Social Learning

Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner

Tony Bingham and Marcia Conner explain why social media is the ideal solution to some of the most pressing educational challenges organizations face today, such as a widely dispersed workforce and striking differences in learning styles, particularly across genera-tions. They definitively answer common objections to using social media as a training tool and show how to win over even the most resistant employees. Then, using examples from a wide range of organizations—including Deloitte & Touche, IBM, TELUS, and even the CIA—Bingham and Conner help readers sort through the dizzying array of technological options available and decide when and how to use each one to achieve key strategic goals.

Social media technologies—everything from 140-character “microsharing” messages to media-rich online communities to complete virtual environments and more—enable people to connect, collaborate, and innovate on levels never before dreamed of. They make learning dramatically more dynamic, stimulating, enjoyable, and effective. This greatly anticipated book helps organizations create a contemporary learning strategy that is as timely as it is transformative.