Category Archives: Reading list

Every Sunday, I share a list of inspiring books that I’m reading this week.

Here’s what I’m reading this week:

Don’t be such a scientist: Talking Substance in an Age of Style | Randy Olson [Science, Communication]

Randy Olson was a marine biologist with a Harvard PhD and a tenured professor at the University of New Hampshire. Then he quit to become a filmmaker. In Don’t Be Such a Scientist, Olson shares his story about leaving academics for the lure of Hollywood. It’s a quirky and amusing story… but the real reason I love this book, is that I think we might be kindred spirits. OK, he’s bolder than me and is way more comfortable cursing to make his point (he must not have kids under 10 listening in…), but we both believe in the power of story and the need for scientists to become better communicators. We do compelling work and too often, that work never reaches anyone outside of academia. He argues that this is our own fault. The onus is not on the general public to learn to ‘speak geek’ but is on us – the scientists – to get out of our own heads. We need to use “straight talk” that speaks to the heart, the gut and even ‘the lower organs”. This is not easy for scientists, who are more comfortable speaking to the head. We are trained to be skeptical, question assumptions and demand evidence. And because this is how we think, this is how we talk about our work, our ideas. But this doesn’t resonate. It falls on deaf ears. To really reach our audience, to grab their attention, we need to tell stories, because everyone likes a good story (even nerdy scientists) – and if they become interested, they’re more likely to listen, engage, and remember what you said.

Favourite Takeaway:

“Last week I sat through a day of environmental talks. You know what I remember from that entire day? Only one thing – the story a guy told about how he was sitting on an airplane and the lady next to him asked for cream for her coffee, but when they brought her the small plastic containers of cream, she said, “No thanks; the plastic isn’t biodegradable.” And he thought to himself, “I can hardly hear her over the jet engines that are burning up fifty gazillion barrels of fuel a minute, and she’s worried about a thimble-sized piece of plastic?” That’s all I remember from that day. Why is that? It’s the power of a well-told story that is also very specific. Stories that are full of vague generalizations are weak. Specifics give them strength.” ~ Randy Olson.

Grit to Great: How Perseverance, Passion, and Pluck Take You from Ordinary to Extraordinary | Linda Kaplan Thaler & Robin Koval [Self-help, Leadership]

Filled with inspiriting stories and the latest research, this is a fantastic self-help book that sheds light on what the authors describe as the ‘secret to success in your career’ – finding your GRIT. It is a quick read, but one I’ll keep in active rotation to remind myself of the power of Guts, Resilience, Industriousness and Tenacity. One of the most interesting sections of this book was on rejection and how learning to be comfortable with rejection can build success. As a scientist, I deal with lots of rejection – especially when seeking funding, sharing ideas, and publishing my findings. Rejection doesn’t have to be personal. And when you separate the emotion from rejection, there are powerful lessons to take away – including that rejection is just an “opinion” not a “truth”. It says more about the rejector than it does about you. By being ‘gritty’, and developing a ‘stick-to-it-tiveness’ mindset, suddenly obstacles and challenges seem to virtually disappear in front of you.

Favourite Takeaway:

GRIT is “Guts, Resilience, Industriousness and Tenacity“. GRIT is the ability to focus, stay determined, stay optimistic in the face of a challenge, and simply work harder than the next guy or gal.

And that’s what I’m reading this week. What are you reading to find your spark?

Kim

Every Sunday, I share a list of inspiring books that I’m reading this week.

If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.

Haruki Murakami

Here’s what I’m reading this week:

Happy Money: The Science of Smarter Spending | Elizabeth Dunn, Michael Norton [Psychology, Finance]

Can money buy happiness? Much has been studied on this topic. On whether wealth greater than $75,000/yr yields greater happiness. According to two scientists, who share their fascinating research in behavioural science in this book, it turns out money can buy happiness—if you are spending it right.

Favourite takeaway:
The five key principles of happy money are:

1. Buy experiences
2. Make it a treat
3. Buy time
4. Pay now, consume later
5. Invest in others

Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action | Simon Sinek [Leadership]

Simon Sinek explores how leaders can inspire cooperation, trust and change. He explains how this works using a concept he calls “the golden circle”.  It looks like a bulls-eye, with the outer ring labeled “what”, the middle ring “how” and the centre ring “why”. He argues that when it comes to influence, most people and workplaces work from the outside in. They can explain what they’re doing, and some even can explain how they do it. But very few can describe ‘why’ they do what they do. According to Sinek, this is backwards. Those who start with WHY never manipulate, they inspire. And the people who follow them don’t do so because they have to; they follow because they want to.

Favourite takeaway:
“There are only two ways to influence human behaviour: you can manipulate it or you can inspire it.”

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person | Shonda Rhimes [Memoir, Self-help]

Shonda Rhimes is by all accounts a hugely successful woman. She “owns” Thursday night and is considered the Queen of TV with her three wildly successful shows: Greys Anatomy, Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder and her previous hit Private Practice. Her production studio is called ShondaLand – I mean, she works and creates award winning shows in a world that is named after her. How awesome is that? But something was missing. At Thanksgiving dinner, her sister complained to her: “You never say YES to anything!” And those words stung Rhimes because they were true. Rhimes realized that she had lost herself. And she argued it had happened one “NO” at a time. So at the start of the new year – as a personal New Year’s resolution, Rhimes decided to tackle her ‘no’ demons – both her growing social anxiety and her unhappiness with her weight – by saying YES to every opportunity, come what may, for an entire year. In this part memoir, part self discovery book, Rhimes shares her year of YESes. Along the way Shonda sheds her fears and her excess weight. She also finds her voice and her strength. And she will inspire you to take action: to dance it out, stand in the sun and be your own person too.

Favourite takeaway:
“Who you are today . . . that’s who you are. Be brave. Be amazing. Be worthy. And every single time you get the chance? Stand up in front of people. Let them see you. Speak. Be heard. Go ahead and have the dry mouth. Let your heart beat so, so fast. Watch everything move in slow motion. So what. You what? You pass out, you die, you poop? No. (And this is really the only lesson you’ll ever need to know.) You take it in. You breathe this rare air. You feel alive. You are yourself. You are truly finally always yourself. Thank you. Good luck.”

And that’s what I’m reading this week. What are you reading to find your spark?

Kim

Every Sunday, I share a list of inspiring books that I’m reading this week.

Whenever you read a good book, somewhere in the world a door opens to allow in more light.

Vera Nazarian

Here’s what I’m reading this week:

Turn the Ship Around!: A True Story of Turning Followers into Leaders | L. David Marquet [Leadership]

Former US Navy Commander David Marquet believes people are healthier and happier, when everyone is a leader. Marquet took command of a seriously underperforming submarine and its crew and with his experimental approach to leadership, literally turned the ship’s performance around. In arguably one of the most challenging environments, a US Navy nuclear submarine, Marquet gave his crew the ultimate prize – the ability to become leaders. I know what you’re thinking… ‘with so many cooks, there’s no way this could work’. But you’d be wrong. This is an excellent and easy to read resource for inspiring leaders everywhere.

Favourite takeaway:
Build leaders by giving control to all levels of your organization. Support this by increasing staff competence (their ability to make good decisions) and clarity (their understanding of the ‘why’).

Mad Genius: A Manifesto for Entrepreneurs | Randy Gage [Entrepreneurship]

Mad Genius is a brilliant offering from Randy Gage that challenges you to change the way you think. He encourages you to break free from the herd and to stop using conventional approaches in order to be more innovative. This book is a call to action – to inspire its readers to reject mediocracy and demand more from themselves. And it does so in a highly entertaining way. If you feel compelled to stand apart, to challenge the status quo, then this book is a must read for you.

Favourite takeaway:
“Find your inner mastermind: NO is never the answer. Never accept defeat as anything but a temporary setback, a growing experience and an opportunity to learn and modify.”

StrengthsFinder 2.0 | Tom Rath [Self-help]

The premise behind this book and its accompanying website is to maximize your potential by focusing your attention on your natural talents. Tom Rath argues that you can achieve more success by developing your strengths, and focusing on what you do best everyday. This self-help book flips the process of self-improvement on its head – instead of focusing on fixing your shortcomings, this book helps you discover your strengths and offers hundreds of strategies for applying your strengths to change the way you look at yourself — and the world around you — forever.

Favourite takeaway:
My top five strengths are: Achiever, Competition, Focus, Futuristic, and Relator. Here’s what Rath says that means about me – I am truly amazed how well this describes what makes me tick!

Achievers have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive. Instinctively, you naturally expend mental energy thinking about data and measurements. You aim to understand what the numbers really mean. You dislike missing deadlines and arriving at meetings after they have started. You naturally resist being held back, restrained, or controlled by people or events. You much prefer to be in charge. Waiting for someone else to issue orders or level judgments is definitely not your forte. You are motivated to get things done.

Competitors measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests. It’s very likely that your drive to be the very best motivates you to read a lot about certain subjects to gather information and collect insights. Chances are good that you occasionally choose to work with a group rather than by yourself. You might be motivated to help your team be the very best or win the top prize.

Focusers can find a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track. They prioritize, then act. You devote more time than most people do to exploring topics, problems, prospects, opportunities, or techniques that pique your interest. When something has to be completed, you are eager to acquire the necessary knowledge or skills to meet the challenge.

Futuristic folks are inspired by the future and what could be. They inspire others with their visions of the future. You gravitate to projects that promise to shape the future. You enjoy talking about possibilities that exist only in your imagination. You prefer to be a pioneer and an inventor. By nature, you are a visionary thinker. Your vivid mental images of the coming months, years, or decades often impel you to move into action.

Relators enjoy close relationships with others. They find deep satisfaction in working hard with friends to achieve a goal. Chances are good that you are usually open and honest about who you are, what you have done, what you can do, and what you cannot do. Your straightforward explanations and stories help listeners see you as you see yourself. You might reveal your strengths and limitations. You might choose to be forthright and plainspoken. This partially explains why various people seek your company and want to work with you. Perhaps your words and examples move them to action.

And that’s what I’m reading this week. What are you reading to find your spark?

Kim