Book Review

What do you get when you mix together a compelling idea, numerous engaging stories, a clear structure, and a firm research grounding? You get a book that is made to stick and useful from the moment you read it. This is a book I’ll keep close by to help me plan for moments that matter. I’ve thought of at least 3 opportunities to use the ideas this week.

In her abundant, practical, and well-researched book about confidence, Louisa Jewell weaves together the science of positive psychology, self-efficacy, self-determination theory, and neuropsychology in an engaging and accessible manner.

Getting Grit is like getting a coach between book covers. It is a clear, application-oriented book full of reflection questions, activities, and exercises for people who want to build authentic grit that will make a difference not just for themselves, but also for the communities around them.

I wasn’t sure about reading this book, but I’m ever so glad that I did. I want to read it again with my highlighter firmly in hand and note all the wisdom again. this book This book has definitely equipped me to be more compassionate when someone close to me is suffering from a tragic loss. I feel that I know better what to say, what to do, and how to be a meaningful support with less fear and trepidation, and more confidence.

Andy Molinsky lays out a comprehensive system of problems and corresponding solutions clearly and smoothly. Many people will find in his book the means to make the hard climb into a better, wider world.

Joanna Thompson recently published A to Z: Your Navigator to Success, a clear, readable guide to actions leading to greater well-being and career success. For each letter of the alphabet, there is a topic that she has seen work either in her successful career working in financial markets or in her work with people in talent development and coaching. As she told me in our interview, “My book is essentially a distillation of tips I wish I had known earlier. In this sense it offers some short cuts to the top.”

It’s time to break the silence about suffering at work. Suffering happens everywhere. From page 11 in this book, “Without compassion, workplaces can become powerful amplifiers of human suffering.” Read on to explore the alternative, where organizations and the people in them awaken compassion at work.

If you are eager to make sense of life’s inevitable adversities, read this book. Akhtar reminds us that our future can be bright perhaps not in spite of the adversity we face, but because of it.

What should you write in an email if you want a response within minutes?

Why is it a good strategy to get your negotiation counterpart to say “No”?

I’ve shared some takeaways from the first half of Caroline Webb’s new book. I hope you can see the value that she is imparting to her readers. She goes on to talk about how to be “your smartest, wisest, most creative self” and how to have impact and influence in what you say and do.

This is a very welcome, informative, and practical book, an excellent overview of the landscape of keys to happier living, which is for all of us a life-long work in progress.

Every little bit helps to understand what’s really going on and how your perspective, thoughts, words, and emotions can change, for better or for worse, the final outcome of negotiation with regards to both value and relationship.

At first, I was really enthusiastic about reviewing Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World, but then I figured that to write a really good review, it should be, well, original!

So I procrastinated, because apparently that can make you more original and creative, and then I thought..

Where do you find the inspiration to live a fulfilling life and the courage to navigate heartache and disappointment? One place I turn to is the writing of poet, lawyer, and positive psychology expert, John Sean Doyle.

At some point or another we all wrestle with questions around why we are here and how to find purpose in life. Being Called is a great introduction to what we can glean from these experiences in the modern world. Sometimes it is a powerful vision of a possible future that pulls us along, pushing us in a new direction, with no regard whatsoever for how we got where we are.

We all strive to be brave. If we are brave enough for long enough, we will sometimes fail. How do we cultivate the resilience to get back up and be brave again?

What do seventeen of the top Positive Psychology leaders in the world have in common? They all enthusiastically endorse Character Strengths Matter. It’s that good, and it’s that important. Now I want to add my own endorsement.

I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did, but I found myself thinking about some of the stories long after I read them. I especially enjoyed the stories by individuals who personally experienced mental health disorders. They described the essential features of their recoveries, some of which are completely unexpected. Each story, whether by a therapist or a patient, is well-written from a personal perspective and reads like a mini-novel.

Love Sense is indeed about romantic love as popularly defined. More specifically the book targets prospects for “happy ever after.” According to Johnson’s clinical experience, despite inevitable conflicts or setbacks, true long range love is no fairy tale. This book is also about the many other forms of strong attachment because the author believes the roots of all human affection are essentially the same.

I first encountered Fredrike Bannink when she was leading a conference. workshop on techniques for positive supervision. I was impressed by her gentleness, her realism, her practicality, and her humor. She had seen and handled all the problems that people raised. I thought, “I would love to learn from this woman. She knows how to stimulate outstanding performance.”

Now I have the chance with this wonderful resource.