You’ve Reached an Inflection Point in Your Career. What Now?

The authors note that "the key to navigating the unknown is to rethink our relationship with change and to recognize that what now? moments can be an invitation to inquiry and exploration rather than a threat. This means acknowledging that new circumstances may lead us to freeze or react without thinking, and that our first impulse is something we can temper with attention and practice...[We can] view points of inflection as opportunities to reflect on our commitments, examine our priorities, and course correct when necessary. Learning to do so is a professional and personal development imperative in times of uncertainty and change."

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Failure and Rescue

Failure and Rescue, by Atul Gawande, MD, is his commencement address to the 2012 graduating class of Williams College. Insightful and thought-provoking, Dr. Atul Gawande's perspective continues to resonate. As we aspire to professional goals, seize opportunities and propel our careers forward, we will make mistakes and fail. What we learn, how we adapt and the steps we take to further our development matter most. "...A failure often does not have to be a failure at all. However, you have to be ready for it—will you admit when things go wrong? Will you take steps to set them right?—because the difference between triumph and defeat, you’ll find, isn’t about willingness to take risks. It’s about mastery of rescue."

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Grant EmersonComment
What Motivates Lifelong Learners

John Hagel III, explores what he terms "the right kind of learning;" those who create new knowledge rather than just passing on existing knowledge and skills. "Cultivating the passion of the explorer enables innovative thinking in the organization at a whole new level. The institutions that restore our humanity in this way will unleash a much more powerful form of learning among all workers that will lead to exponentially expanding opportunities. But harnessing that opportunity requires us to move beyond fear and to find and cultivate the passion of the explorer that lies waiting to be discovered in all of us."

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The Extended Mind

“The Extended Mind outlines the research behind this exciting new vision of human ability, exploring the findings of neuroscientists, cognitive scientists, psychologists, and examining the practices of educators, managers, and leaders who are already reaping the benefits of thinking outside the brain. She excavates the untold history of how artists, scientists, and authors—from Jackson Pollock to Jonas Salk to Robert Caro—have used mental extensions to solve problems, make discoveries, and create new works. In the tradition of Howard Gardner’s Frames of Mind or Daniel Goleman’s Emotional IntelligenceThe Extended Mind offers a dramatic new view of how our minds work, full of practical advice on how we can all think better.”

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Master Your Next Move

"Master Your Next Move answers a distinct need, focusing on the most common types of transitions leaders face and the unique challenges posed by each. Based on years of research, and now with a new introduction, this indispensable book explores eight crucial transitions virtually everyone encounters during their career, including promotion, leading former peers, onboarding into a new company, making an international move, and turning around a business in crisis. With real-world examples and many practical models and tools, Master Your Next Move is your guide to surviving and thriving as you make your next move...and every one after that."

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It's Showtime! Richard Butterfield's Power of Persuasion

“The playbook for professionals who understand that effective communication is the key to success.
This third edition has been refreshed with new insights and best practices from Richard's recent client engagements. This indespensable guide combines Richard's dual experience as an actor and as the man behind the curtain for high-profile leaders across the globe. His tactics for the spoken word apply to every facet of the organization, from the ultra-concise elevator speech to the magnificent keynote address.”

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Atul Gawande What Matters in the End

“What does a good day look like?” That question — when asked of both terminally-ill and healthy people — has transformed Atul Gawande’s practice of medicine. A citizen physician and writer, Gawande is on the frontiers of human agency and meaning in light of what modern medicine makes possible. For the millions of people who have read his book Being Mortal, he’s also opened new conversations about the ancient human question of death and what it might have to do with life.

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On Being with Krista Tippett: “What does a good day look like?”

"That question — when asked of both terminally-ill and healthy people — has transformed Atul Gawande's practice of medicine. A citizen physician and writer, Gawande is on the frontiers of human agency and meaning in light of what modern medicine makes possible. For the millions of people who have read his book 'Being Mortal,' he’s also opened new conversations about the ancient human question of death and what it might have to do with life."

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Graduate Speaker Pete Davis | Harvard Commencement 2018

"Have you ever found yourself scrolling mindlessly through Netflix unsure of what to watch? While infinitely browsing, you stumble upon half-watched TV shows you were peer-pressured into trying and leftover documentaries you never got around to…This is what Harvard law student Pete Davis calls ‘the defining characteristic of our generation’. This inspiring speech will change the way you view life."

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Multipliers: How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter, by Liz Wiseman

"A revised and updated edition of the acclaimed Wall Street Journal bestseller that explores why some leaders drain capability and intelligence from their teams while others amplify it to produce better results...In this engaging and highly practical book, leadership expert Liz Wiseman explores these two leadership styles, persuasively showing how Multipliers can have a resoundingly positive and profitable effect on organizations—getting more done with fewer resources, developing and attracting talent, and cultivating new ideas and energy to drive organizational change and innovation."

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The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, by Michael Watkins

"In this updated and expanded version of the international bestseller The First 90 Days, Michael D. Watkins offers proven strategies for conquering the challenges of transitions—no matter where you are in your career. Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions and adviser to senior leaders in all types of organizations, also addresses today’s increasingly demanding professional landscape, where managers face not only more frequent transitions but also steeper expectations once they step into their new jobs."

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Choosing Leadership: A Workbook, by Linda Grinzel

"Choosing Leadership is a new take on executive development that gives everyone the tools to develop their leadership skills. In this workbook, Dr. Linda Ginzel, a clinical professor at the University of Chicago's Booth School of Business and a social psychologist, debunks common myths about leaders and encourages you to follow a personalized path to decide when to manage and when to lead. Thoughtful exercises and activities help you mine your own experiences, learn to recognize behavior patterns, and make better choices so that you can create better futures." [From her immensely pragmatic workbook to her considered and well-researched insights, I learned much that is informing my perspective on leadership and how we can and should approach it more thoughtfully.]

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The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Greene

"The Anthropocene is the current geological age, in which human activity has profoundly shaped the planet and its biodiversity. In this remarkable symphony of essays adapted and expanded from his ground-breaking, critically acclaimed podcast, John Green reviews different facets of the human-centered planet - from the QWERTY keyboard and Halley's Comet to Penguins of Madagascar - on a five-star scale."

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Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain.

“In Quiet, Susan Cain argues that we dramatically undervalue introverts and shows how much we lose in doing so. She charts the rise of the Extrovert Ideal throughout the twentieth century and explores how deeply it has come to permeate our culture. She also introduces us to successful introverts—from a witty, high-octane public speaker who recharges in solitude after his talks, to a record-breaking salesman who quietly taps into the power of questions. Passionately argued, superbly researched, and filled with indelible stories of real people, Quiet has the power to permanently change how we see introverts and, equally important, how they see themselves."

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