RUTH’S PICKS
There are certain books that completely transform your thinking and elevate your results in business and life. Here are a few that have captured my interest this month. I’ll be refreshing this page to include any new additions to my ‘library’, so be sure to check back regularly.
SUPERCOMMUNICATORS - CHARLES DUHIGG
Finally, a book that explains that there are in fact three kinds of conversation mindsets and the importance of knowing which one you’re in so you can authentically connect for better outcomes. Great research, storytelling, and tips explored to help us all navigate conversations more effectively.
HIDDEN POTENTIAL - ADAM GRANT
Another gem from Adam Grant that provides storytelling, ground-breaking evidence, and some surprising insights that help us understand that reaching our potential is not about the genius we possess but instead the character we choose to develop. He helps us build the character skills of proactivity, discipline, and determination and offers ways to design the needed systems that create opportunities to achieve great things. I was pleased to see the ways our Human Performance Coaching™ framework is aligned to what Grant’s cited research confirms.
EMOTIONAL AGILITY - SUSAN DAVID, PHD
We’ve been misled to “leave emotions out of business” but emotional intelligence research has shown us how the brain is designed to give emotions the upper hand. Emotional Agility is your ability to stay in the inconvenience of emotions that you have been conditioned to avoid and stay curious and be mindful about what the “signals” of those emotions are nudging you to focus on so you can make values-driven, productive decisions for greater alignment and full potential.
ROCKET FUEL - GINO WICKMAN & MARK C. WINTERS
Small business owners that range in size from 10 to 250 people will benefit greatly from this book. It provides a superb framework you can leverage to organize your business and create efficiencies based on the strengths of being a “Visionary” or“Integrator”. Assessments to determine if you are a Visionary or Integrator are included as well as suggested systems like accountability charts, “same page meetings”, and “scorecard templates”.
CORE ELEMENTS
THE 4 STAGES OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY - TIMOTHY CLARK
I could not put this book down. What a comprehensive, well-researched, humanistic approach that imparts a path to inclusion, innovation, and high performing teams. Not one word in this book is wasted. If creating a flourishing culture, designing fulfilling, meaningful work experiences are priorities for you, read this book.
THE CULTURE CODE - DANIEL COYLE
This book challenges everything you thought you knew about how to create high performing teams and gets back to the basics of how human beings organize themselves. Coyle reminds us how modern society is a recent phenomenon and how we used ‘signals’ long before we used language. Our unconscious brains are wired to notice certain types of “belonging cues” - behaviours that create safe connection in groups - because they increase the likelihood of survival or success.
THINK AGAIN - ADAM GRANT
Adam Grant is one of the few thought-leaders of our time who could nudge us towards being enthusiastic about being wrong. His evidence-based approach shows us how through chosen mindset and skillset, great leaders are willing to rethink their stances and the positive impact this has on innovation and more productive teams.
THE THIN BOOK OF TRUST (2ND EDITION) - CHARLES FETLMAN
If trust is something you are interested in improving at work and in life, read this book. Feltman explains why having the trust of those you work with is too important not to be intentional about building and maintaining it. He also breaks out four distinctions of trust you need to know about to earn and keep the trust of the people you work and live with.
ATLAS OF THE HEART - BRENÉ BROWN
This book is beautifully laid out and so robust. In it, Brown explores 87 emotions and experiences to provide us all with a language to create more meaningful connections. She explains how language does more than communicate what we’re feeling - it shapes what we’re feeling. The more accurately we can identify, recognize, and label emotions (emotion granularity), the more effective we are at having mastery over them and moving through them more effectively.
THE FEARLESS ORGANIZATION - AMY C. EDMONDSON
If you want critical thinking, innovation, creativity, and the ability to adapt to change, Psychological Safety is non-negotiable. Edmondson explains how to create a team culture that will not suppress, silence, ridicule, or intimidate and instead embraces constant learning, safe tension, vulnerability, and candour.
THE HAPPINESS ADVANTAGE - SHAWN ACHOR
Shawn Achor does a superb job substantiating how we have the formula for success backwards: we think if we’re successful we’ll be happy, and his research has been able to demonstrate how every business and life outcome improves when our brains are in a positive state. Our brains perform better when in a positive state compared to when in a negative, neutral, or stressed state. When we’re happy or positive, our brains cognitively perform better so we get better results which leads to sustained fulfillment.
MINDSET - THE NEW PSYCHOLOGY OF SUCCESS - carol dweck
Stanford University psychologist Carol Dweck has explored the power of our mindset on our beliefs (especially around challenge). We can either have a Fixed Mindset where we let failure (or even success) define who we are, or a Growth Mindset where we see setbacks as opportunities to grow and improve ourselves. Just like how we learned how to walk...there are many stumbles along the way, but to reach our potential and get the results we desire, it takes the right mindset, practice and perseverance. We always have a choice about which view we adopt, and it’s never too late to change.
emotional intelligence - daniel goleman
Humans are wired to give emotion the upper hand. Everything we see, smell, taste, touch experience, travels through the brain in the form of electrical signals that enter at the base of the spine and travel to the limbic part of the brain before they go to the neocortex where rational, logical thought happens, Therefore, your first reaction to an experience will likely be an emotional one. The great news is that emotional intelligence is not fixed - it’s a skill that can be improved with intention and focus.
ATOMIC HABITS - JAMES CLEAR
Clear’s work is grounded in behavioural psychology which aims to understand why we behave the way we do and then builds on these learnings to predict likely patterns in our actions and behaviours. Through this understanding, Clear has developed a model to help us all build better personal habits that can also translate to our ability to create higher engagement for teams by focusing on developing better systems.
MAN’S SEARCH FOR MEANING - VIKTOR E. FRANKL
When we are suffering, a sense of hopelessness can surface. The spiritual lessons shared here help us CHOOSE to find meaning and or purpose, even in the worst conditions. Be prepared for heartbreak and inspiration.
START WITH WHY - SIMON SINEK
In studying the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world, Simon Sinek discovered what he calls The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be lead, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.
TRILLION DOLLAR COACH - BILL CAMPBELL
Just loved this read. Schmidt, Rosenberg and Eagle have “codified” Bill Campbell’s wisdom which helped to build Silicon Valley’s greatest companies - Google, Apple, Intuit - for over a trillion dollars in market value. Trust, personal growth, courage, organizational excellence and even love are the management lessons explored here.
DARE TO LEAD - BRENé BROWN
How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders? And, how do you embed the value of courage in your culture? Dare to Lead answers these questions and provides actionable strategies and real examples from Brené Brown’s research-based, courage-building program.
BREATH - JAMES NESTOR
This book completely blew my mind. I had no idea how important breathing “properly” (through your nose) is and James Nestor’s research challenged everything I thought I knew about this most basic biological function. Even small adjustments to the way we inhale, exhale can enhance athletic performance, protect internal organs, eliminate snoring, and halt autoimmune disease. You may never breathe the same way again and that would be a good thing.
THE RIDE OF A LIFETIME - ROBERT IGER
If you’re looking for superb leadership immersion, get this book. Great storytelling and awesome exposure to Iger’s playbook for how to prioritize strategic initiatives, innovate, drive change, handle horrific crises, and influence a world-class culture. All our program tenets are mentioned in this book: positivity, growth mindset, core values, emotional intelligence, empathy, active listening, vulnerability, authenticity, executive presence, personal branding, and living legacy.
Fear Less - Dr. Pippa Grange
What a timely masterpiece. Dr. Pippa Grange is one of the world’s top performance psychologists and she shares her proven framework for overcoming the primary obstacle to success: FEAR. She has been credited with helping the English Football Association develop psychological resilience of the English national team players. If you are a leader, coach, "corporate athlete” or “elite athlete", please read this book.
BEATING BURNOUT AT WORK - PAULA DAVIS
This is a great resource for anyone looking for an evidence-based approach to understanding what burnout is, it’s causes, and how the entry point to preventing it is through high-performance teams.
THE HAPPINESS TRAP - RUSS HARRIS
What a compelling read. Russ Harris helps us see the ways we are manipulated into trying to find happiness which can lead to stress, anxiety, and depression. The book presents the insights and techniques of ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) a psychotherapy based on behavioural psychology developments. Harris identifies that by understanding your core values, practicing mindfulness, and operating with a growth mindset you can avoid the ‘happiness trap’ and optimize for fulfillment and psychological flourishing.
AWE - DACHER KELTNER
I don’t know about you, but in this world that feels more divided than ever before and imperilled by crises, I could always use a bit more joy! This book reminds us of the eight wonders that are accessible to us all the time and the science behind each of them: Moral Beauty, Collective Effervescence, Nature, Music, Visual Design, Spiritual/Religious Awe, Life & Death, Epiphanies. I was deeply moved and impressed by how beautifully written, well researched, and how personal this book is as the author vulnerably explores awe after the death of his brother and the mysterious emotions he uncovered that may hold the key to a more fulfilling life for us all.
THE NO ASSHOLE RULE - ROBERT I. SUTTON, PHD
If you want to avoid being an asshole or figure out how to cope with working with one, get this book and go to page 121 for the assessment. The book explores the impact assholes have on business and offers insights for how to create an “asshole-free” work environment.
DARING GREATLY - BRENé BROWN
In Daring Greatly, Brené Brown challenges everything we think we know about vulnerability. Based on twelve years of research, she argues that vulnerability is not weakness, but rather the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.
RISING STRONG - BRENé BROWN
After writing Daring Greatly, Brené Brown had readers reach out to let her know they had done what she prescribed - they said, “I love you” first and got dumped. They spoke up at work and lost their job. Brown realized that when you dare greatly, you’re going to get your butt kicked but few resources exist to tell you how to deal with the struggle of disappointment, failure, and heartbreak. This book provides empowering details on how to get back up and rise strong for deeper meaning and greater fulfillment.
THE 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE PEOPLE - STEPHEN COVEY
This classic provides a model for the 7 habits successful people consistently engage in for optimal results. My favourite is Habit 2: “Begin With the End in Mind.”
JOYFUL - INGRID FETELL LEE
In her book Joyful, designer Ingrid Fetell Lee explores how the seemingly mundane spaces and objects we interact with every day have surprising and powerful effects on our mood. Drawing on insights from neuroscience and psychology, she reveals how we can harness the power of our surroundings to live fuller, healthier, and truly joyful lives.
the four agreements - don miguel ruiz
In The Four Agreements, don Miguel Ruiz reveals the source of self-limiting beliefs that rob us of joy and create needless suffering. Based on ancient Toltec wisdom, the Four Agreements offer a powerful code of conduct that can rapidly transform our lives to a new experience of freedom, true happiness, and love. The Four Agreements are: Be Impeccable With Your Word, Don't Take Anything Personally, Don't Make Assumptions, Always Do Your Best.
THE INFINITE GAME - SIMON SINEK
Truly a thought leader of our time, Sinek challenges the way leaders are playing in the infinite game of business with a finite mindset, offering a framework for stronger, more innovative and more inspiring organizations. I was surprised by how many popular leaders he calls out in this book.
CHATTER - ETHAN KROSS
An award-winning psychologist reveals the hidden power of our inner voice and shows how to harness it to combat anxiety, improve physical and mental health, and deepen our relationships with others.
WHY WE SLEEP - MATTHEW WALKER, PHD
I had no idea sleep was so critically important for every aspect of life: improved learning, mood, cognitive performance, energy levels, hormone regulation, cancer prevention, Alzheimer’s and diabetes prevention, slowing down the aging process, AND increasing longevity. Walker also provides practical tips for how to get a better quality sleep every night. Make sure you get the 2nd edition where the author corrects the controversial facts from the first publication.
GREAT READS
THE TOOLS - PHIL STUTZ & BARRY MICHELS
This book provides a powerful framework that moves away from the traditional approach to therapy where you focus on the past and instead provides five tools to help you use your adversity to move forward. Jonah Hill did a documentary in 2022 that explores the 5 Tools that I highly recommend. The scene with 5:25 remaining where Hill explains why he made the movie and Stutz tells Hill, “I love you” gets me every single time.
THE RIGHT CALL - SALLY JENKINS
This is such a great read. Based on years of interviewing, observing, and studying elite coaches and players like Peyton Manning, Bill Belichick, Michael Phelps, sportswriter Jenkins shares the inner qualities talented sports icons seem to share: Conditioning, Practice, Discipline, Candour, Culture, Resilience, Intention, and we can apply these same principles to reach goals that are important to us.
THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED - M. SCOTT PECK
I read this book in 1990 while going through a very challenging time and found it extremely empowering because it helped me accept that life comes with challenges and that adversity, when used to learn and grow, can be rich and fulfilling. The opening line of the book says it all - “Life is difficult. Once we accept this truth, we transcend it, and life no longer feels as difficult.”
EDUCATED - TARA WESTOVER
I could not put this book down. Recommended by a client, this memoir recounts Tara Westover’s journey from her extreme childhood experiences at the hands of her father’s fundamentalism and paranoia, to her exploration of mainstream society and high academic achievements. At the heart of this story is what an education is and what it offers: critical thinking, a new perspective, and the courage to move away from that which is no longer serving you – as painful as that might be.
BUY YOURSELF THE F*CKING LILIES - TARA SCHUSTER
What a refreshing, candid, hilarious guide to transform your mind, body, and relationships with uncomplicated daily rituals. Examples include gratitude, kindness, limiting beliefs work, how to start your day that help you iterate towards your potential. No nonsense, no “fromage” – just candid best practices from the Emmy Award winning Vice President of talent and development at Comedy Central.
THE POWER OF REGRET - DANIEL H. PINK
I am a big Daniel Pink fan (saw him speak at Rotman) and his research reclaims regret as an indispensable emotion. Of interest, it’s our failures of action that cause the most painful regrets. This book helps unpack this most misunderstood emotion exploring how “regret makes use human. Regret makes us better. Regret gives us hope.”
THE SECOND MOUNTAIN - DAVID BROOKS
This book challenges our society's obsession with independence and freedom and makes the case for how to create a more fulfilling life through creating deep meaningful connections by being of service to a greater cause. He shares very compelling stories from people who have embraced the necessity of connection/dependence and the joy and deeper meaning that ensued.
THE ARTIST’S WAY - JULIA CAMERON
Creativity does not need to be elusive. Highly praised by Martin Scorsese, Julia Cameron has discovered daily practices available to us all that will foster creativity and deepen your innovation: Morning Pages, Artist’s Date, Asking for Guidance, Walks. Experiment with each of them and measure the impact to your innovative problem-solving, inspiration, and creativity.
GOOD TO GREAT - JIM COLLINS
This book opens with the well-known quote. “Good is the enemy of great.” Jim Collins explores how the everyday good or even mediocre company that is not born with great “business DNA” can become great and experience sustained business success.
BUILT TO LAST - JIM COLLINS
This is a must-read book for business owners who would like to understand what they need to be doing now for their business to thrive and endure well beyond their existence.
STEVE JOBS - WALTER ISAACSON
A riveting read about a complicated man whose pursuit of perfection for some greater good left me conflicted and in awe. I felt conflicted because he could be so cruel and thoughtless and in awe because of the dent he put in the universe with his obsessions, drive, innovation, and how he “married” technology and design.
BECOMING - MICHELLE OBAMA
I did not want this book to end. It was fascinating to read how, when faced with this strong, independent first African American First Lady, she was labelled, “The angry black woman” by many Americans. Her candour about what it’s like to be a woman in a male-dominated world and how she used her platform to advocate for women and girls in the U.S. and around the world inspires.
brave enough - cheryl strayed
This book makes a great graduation gift. You can open it to any page and be reminded of something you’ve always known was important and true but may have lost sight of.
FIERCE CONVERSATIONS - SUSAN SCOTT
Human connectivity occurs or fails one conversation at a time. Susan Scott offers insights on how to fiercely and courageously cut through the clutter and noise of conversations and own your results.
WHO - GEOFF SMART & RANDY STREET
The single biggest problem in business today is unsuccessful hiring. Geoff Smart and Randy Street provide a simple, practical, and effective solution they call “The A Method” which stresses fundamental elements that anyone can implement - and it has a 90 % success rate.
QUIET - SUSAN CAIN
Susan Cain does a superb job substantiating how our society dramatically undervalues introverts and how we lose out on acknowledging the extraordinary talents and abilities they bring to the world. Rosa Parks, Chopin, Dr. Seuss, Steve Wozniak are just a few examples of introverts Cain reminds us have made great contributions to advancing society. Whether you're an introvert yourself or an extrovert who loves or works with one, you will benefit greatly from reading this book.
RADICAL CANDOR - KIM SCOTT
Every organization that has sustained business success practices Radical Candor. Read about Kim Scott’s model to learn how to provide guidance that's kind and clear, specific and sincere by showing how you “care personally” and “challenge directly”.
THINKING IN BETS - ANNIE DUKE
Former World Series of Poker champion Annie Duke shares tools anyone can use to embrace uncertainty and make better decisions. By shifting your thinking from a need for certainty to a goal of accurately assessing what you know and what you don't, Duke helps you check your "logic path" and any cognitive biases or motivated reasoning that could cause you to succumb to destructive decision-making habits.
FEEL BETTER IN 5 - DR. RANGAN CHATTERJEE
If thinking you need more time is holding you back from creating optimal body, mind, and deep meaningful connections, you are going to love this book. I couldn’t put it down. It’s beautifully laid out with science-backed tips for a healthier mind
(5 minutes/day), body (5 minutes/day), and heart (5 minutes/day) five times a week.
THE CHOICE - DR. EDITH EVA EGER
This book is a reminder of the choice we all have in how we respond to life’s big, small, and gruesome challenges. It’s both heartbreaking and inspiring to read what this woman has done with her healing and mindset to not just survive the atrocities of concentration camps, but to be of such service and thrive.
UNTAMED - GLENNON DOYLE
Glennon Doyle has this knack for taking tricky emotions like pain and shame and helping you to see it’s not just you, “it doesn’t need to be this way”, and if you’re paying attention, you’ll experience pain AND you can work through it. She challenges the status quo with exquisite, humourous and substantial stories about motherhood, divorce, addiction, and having the audacity to bring your full self to everything you do.
YOU ARE A BADASS - JEN SINCERO
I really enjoyed this book! It’s hilarious, irreverent, and edgy and helps you make serious changes to your self-sabotaging beliefs and behaviours that can act as obstacles to making money, setting big goals, AND reaching them.
SIMPLE ABUNDANCE - Sarah Ban Breathnach
Back in 1999 I was reading this book and I think it changed my life. It was the start of my gratitude practice and I’ve kept the practice ever since. It was a cozy, daily reminder of the simple abundances I had lost sight of and was completely taking for granted.
drive - daniel h. pink
Autonomy, mastery, and purpose. Those are the three elements of motivation (or Drive) according to Daniel Pink. He does a great job reminding us of the gap between what science tells us and what business does and offers techniques to help change how we think and how we can positively transform every aspect of our lives.
the happiness project - gretchen ruben
Gretchen Rubin decided to focus on the things that really matter in this life, so she test-drives happiness research for one-year to see what really contributes to sustained happiness. My biggest takeaway was money can buy happiness when spent wisely.
the book of awesome - Neil Pasricha
With all the doom-and-gloom in this world, this book was a smile-inducing reminder that awesome things are all around us when we are paying attention.
even happier - tal ben-shahar
This is a great resource for anyone interested in the groundbreaking principles of positive psychology to iterate towards being happier. Ben-Shahar offers a series of tools and techniques to find more pleasure and meaning in life.
daily rituals - franz kafka
I found this to be a fascinating read because it offered insights into the rituals popular artists engaged in to get the work they loved doing, DONE. Whether it was drinking vast amounts of coffee, going for 4-hour walks, or waking up early or staying up late, I found it all amazing to read of their maneuvering to eliminate mental blocks and the genius that ensued. 162 inspiring minds are explored - novelists, poets, playwrights, painters, philosophers, scientists, and mathematicians.
search inside yourself - chade-meng tan
I attended this course at Rotman School of Management, and it was superb. Chade-Meng Tan is one of Google’s earliest engineers and personal growth pioneers and he shares a proven method for enhancing mindfulness and emotional intelligence in life and work.
THE POWER OF NOW - eckhart tolle
Another foundational read for anyone who does not want to be at the whim of their thoughts, feelings, and ruminations. Tolle helps remind us of the importance of operating in the present moment and how futile ruminating about what happened in the past or worrying about what might happen in the future is.
a new earth - eckhart tolle
This book helped me be the conscious awareness of my ego-based reactions so I found myself reacting less, suffering less and succeeding more.
THE LOVE PRESCRIPTION - DR. JOHN GOTTMAN & DR. JULIE SCHWARTZ GOTTMAN
Through studying 40,000 diverse couples, the Gottmans provide an evidence-based strategy for a healthier, more fulfilling relationship.
Viewing love as an ongoing practice, the Gottmans teach partners how to adjust their relationship habits by focusing on one positive behaviour each day for seven days.
A HAPPY POCKET FULL OF MONEY - DAVID CAMERON GIKANDI
I read this book over 10 years ago and attribute it to my mindset shift and updating my relationship with money. David Cameron Gikandi provides a framework of “wealth consciousness” that focuses on gratitude, a focus on abundance, and the ability to focus on joy. Themes explored: How to be more conscious and deliberate about your thoughts and intentions, how to decide, define, and set goals aligned to your potential, and how to overcome limiting beliefs related to worth. There’s a brilliant mantra repeated in the book that I still use every day.
THE CULTURE PLAYBOOK - DANIEL COYLE
I really enjoyed The Culture Code and in this follow-up book, Daniel Coyle distills sixty actionable tips and exercises that will help your team build a psychologically safe, trusting, cohesive, purposeful, and positive culture.