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RECOMMENDED READING: FEATURED BOOK

Each month we will feature a different book that can have a tremendous impact on your own growth and enable you to positively affect others. Previously featured books can be found in the "Recommended" section. In honor of the official launch of Dianna's book, this month we're featuring her new book, Aha! Moments: When Intellect & Intuition Collide.

Dianna Amorde Aha!Moments: When Intellect & Intuition Collide Inspired Leap Press, 2009. Aha! Moments: When Intellect and Intuition Collide uses inspiring stories and examples to bring the power of Aha! Moments to life. Dianna Amorde shows you how to generate more of these sublime experiences and how to use them to make better decisions to confidently move toward your dreams. Have you ever wondered what makes Aha! Moments so powerful, where they come from, or how to get more of them? Do you need some clarity about the right timing and right next steps for making your dreams a reality? Or, perhaps you know you're ready for change, but you just don't know what that change is supposed to be. Wherever you are on your journey toward leading the life you desire, Aha! Moments: When Intellect and Intuition Collide can help you reach your goal. In Aha! Moments: When Intellect and Intuition Collide, you will: - Learn why Aha! Moments are powerful, reliable guidance that you can use to make better decisions. - Be inspired by the true stories of men and women who used their Aha! experiences to make smart decisions and big changes in their lives. - Learn how to use your Energetic Guidance System to cultivate more Aha! Moments. - Experience a step-by-step process you can use any time you need to make a decision. - Find tools for accessing your intuitive wisdom and moving beyond your current point-of-view. - Be inspired to move beyond your fears and indecision to confidently take an inspired leap toward your dreams. "Inspiring, life-changing, and thought-provoking. These words all describe the power of this book. It has already given me many aha! moments that I can put into action today." - Steve Harper author of The Ripple Effect: Maximizing the Power of Relationships For Your Life and Business.

RECOMMENDATIONS:
On Intuition and the Power of Your Right Brain:

Mona Lisa Schulz, M.D., PH.D., Awakening Intuition, Harmony Books, New York, 1998 Dr. Schulz focuses much of her book on insights she's gained as a medical intuitive; however, I've found her opening chapters to be excellent in explaining how the brain works and the power of intuition. I turn to them again and again for insight into how our fascinating brains work. Here's an excerpt from p. 79: The right hemisphere is thought to be the intuitive receiver, but we may actually be able to pinpoint a specific area of the brain through which intuition is powerfully transmitted. The temporal lobe serves as the heart of the intuition network and sends us intuitive thoughts and feelings through its connection to other centers in the brain and the body.	<
Gary Klein, Ph.D., The Power of Intuition, (formerly titled Intuition at Work) Random House, New York, 2003 This book takes an in-depth look at the decision-making process and how intuition plays a vital role in making effective decisions. While I do not agree with Klein that intuition is only 'the way we translate our experiences into judgments and decisions,' I do believe he does a brilliant job of articulating the powerful ability of our minds to recognize patterns, the importance of tapping into this wisdom, and how to train ourselves to build the reservoir of experiences that create this knowledge. Here's an excerpt from p. 24: Because pattern matching can take place in an instant, and without conscious thought, we're not aware of how we arrived at an intuitive judgment. That's why it often seems mysterious to us.	<
Guy Claxton, Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind, HarperCollins, New York, 1997 This book is full of research and puzzles that help explain why we are often better off giving our 'undermind' (nonconscious) a chance to work. As Claxton, a British psychologist, notes, in this fast-paced world we live in, most of us can't stand existing in ambiguity or paradox, or 'sleeping on a problem.' However, the information he shares will give you the confidence to pause when you are tempted to quickly deduct the answer to a problem and move on. Here's an excerpt from p. 75: Someone who cannot abide uncertainty is therefore unable to provide the womb that creative intuition needs. Milton Rokeach, having, as we saw in Chapter 4, showed that creativity is enhanced when people are forced to slow down, concludes that differences between people characterized as rigid, and other characterized as less rigid, may be attributable - to personality differences in time availability [i.e.the willingness to think slowly] makes possible broader cognitions, more abstract thinking - and consequently greater flexibility.	<
Zelma Barinov, Ph.D., How to Make Instant Decisions and Remain Happy and Sane, Access Press, Bala Cynwyd, 1998 Dr. Barinov explains the need to check in with all of our ways of knowing and provides examples of how to do that. She also shows how we have all of the information we need in order to take the next step for any decision. Here's an excerpt from p. 14: We live in unpredictable times. Unpredictable means that when making a decision, you may suddenly find yourself stripped of all the props you took for granted. You may have no access to data, nobody to advise you, no means to get emergency help. Is there anything at all that cannot be stripped away? Yes, there is. One single thing that can never be stripped away is your own being. It is the only decision-making 'equipment' you can count on.	<
Daniel H. Pink, A Whole New Mind, Riverhead Books, New York, 2005 This is an excellent book on articulating the changes in the world around us and the implications for how we develop and use our minds. It provides great insight into the power of the right hemisphere of the brain and why developing our right brain capabilities is so critical for our future. One area to be developed is our designer or inner artist [p. 69]: The wealth of nations and the well-being of individuals now depend on having artists in the room. In a world enriched by abundance but disrupted by the automation and outsourcing of white-collar work, everyone, regardless of profession, must cultivate an artistic sensibility. We may not all be Dali or Degas. But today we must all be designers.	<
Malcolm Gladwell, Blink, Little, Brown and Company, New York, 2005. In his follow up to The Tipping Point, Gladwell focuses on the power of our nonconscious (or subconscious) minds to process information and recognize patterns in order to make predominantly correct decisions in the 'blink of an eye.' While Gladwell never mentions the word intuition, some scientists believe intuition is solely sourced from stored memories that our nonconscious mind accesses: the stronger the pattern, the stronger the intuitive 'hit.' The book delves into a variety of research and historical topics to help us understand the amazing power of our minds and to find out why those instinctive decisions or evaluations are sometimes wrong. For example, Gladwell talks about how what we see with our eyes impacts what we hear and how that affected women musicians in the world of classical music. An unconscious prejudice that women were not as powerful as men influenced the hearing and evaluations of conductors when they auditioned potential members of an orchestra. Consequently, few women were part of any top orchestras. When conductors finally understood what was happening, they instituted a blind evalution process which had potential members of an orchestra tryout behind a screen. Since then, the number of women in orchestras has increased dramatically. The excerpt from the book discusses the implications [p. 252]: There is a powerful lesson in classical music's revolution. Why, for so many years, were conductors so oblivious to the corruption of their snap judgments? Because we are often careless with our powers of rapid cognition. We don't know where our first impressions come from or precisely what they mean so we don't always appreciate their fragility. Taking our powers of rapid cognition seriously means we have to acknowledge the subtle influences that can alter or undermine or bias the products of our unconscious.
Roy H. Williams, Free the Beagle: A Journey to Destinae, Bard Press, Atlanta, 2002 With a Beagle named 'Intuition' and her puppies, 'Hope' and 'Faith,' a lawyer takes an important journey in self-discovery. Williams uses a fun tale in the tradition of The Wizard of Oz, thoughtful quotes, and a roundtable discussion after the story, to help us understand the importance of using intuition, moving through fear, and following our own north star (being true to our self). There are many 'pearls of wisdom' to be found within the tale, so I highly recommend picking up a copy of the book and reading through it more than once. With simple examples, Williams creates great pictures of the power of following your intuition and of the pitfalls many of us face on our own daily journey toward creating a successful life. In the excerpt below, we get a taste of the value of paying attention to your intuition (or beagle!). [p.29] Holding his briefcase over his head like an umbrella, the lawyer stepped out of the cave and stretched out his hand to take hold of the leash. But the beagle backed away once more, barking wildly. 'I'm not playing with you!' screamed the lawyer. 'Get back into that cave, you stupid beagle!' Furious, he made a mad dash to grab the end of the leash. And the hillside came roaring down behind him. The cave where moments ago the lawyer had been sleeping was now sealed off from sunlight forever. The lawyer was very happy to be standing in the rain.

On Creativity:

Michael Ray and Rochelle Myers, Creativity in Business, Broadway Books, New York, 1986. While this is not a 'hot,' new book, it is a valuable resource for developing or strengthening your creativity in the business world. The authors share inspiring anecdotes from guest speakers to the Stanford Business School class that this book is based on as well as practical suggestions for getting in touch with the creative spark we all have. If you need some encouragement on your quest for creativity or some specific ideas, this is the book for you. They emphasize the damage our internal voice of judgment (VOJ) has on our ability to get creative ideas out of our heads and hearts and into the light of day. Here's an excerpt from the chapter, Destroy Judgment, Create Curiosity [p. 40]: If you lack the confidence to create, you are undoubtedly tuned in to the Voice of Judgment that all of us have within. You might think that the inhibiting pronouncements come from your associates, or the mores of your business environment, or society as a whole, but if you allow them to stop you, it's your own internal broadcast you are listening to.
Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1992. Don't be misled by the title and assume it's only for those in traditional creative careers (artists, writers, musicians, etc.). If you let it, this book will have a profound effect on all aspects of your life and will lead you to your creative source and 'hobby' (if you're not destined to be a full-time artist). She walks you through a twelve-week program that is well worth the time invested. Having been through it thousands of times with students, Ms. Cameron knows exactly when you'll hit a wall, what your weak points are likely to be, and when you'll be 'high' on the program. She'll address every situation to keep you motivated to stick with it and reach the point where your intuition kicks in and tells you what you need to know to open up to your creative potential.
Michele Cassou, Point Zero: Creativity Without Limits, Jeremy P. Tarcher/Putnam, New York, 2001. While this book might appear even less appropriate than The Artist's Way for non-painters, please check it out. Ms. Cassou has come up with a valuable technique for getting our heads out of the way so our intuition can be heard. She focuses on asking yourself the right question to unblock your creativity so an image flashes in your mind that gets you painting again. It's not a huge leap to see how this can be adapted to help you ask yourself and your coworkers the right questions to hear what intuition tells you is the right answer or right idea to move forward on a project or solve a problem.

On the Power of Emotions and Hidden Thoughts:

Dr. Joseph Murphy, The Power of Your Subconscious Mind, Bantam Books, New York, 2000. This is an outstanding book that was originally published in 1963 (Ian McMahan, Ph.D. updated this version) and read by me roughly ten years ago. A new friend recently reminded me of the power of 'the little blue book,' and told me how it made a tremendous difference in his life and the lives of his employees who kept asking him what caused the remarkable, positive change in his outlook. The basic premise of Dr. Murphy's book is simply that our thoughts create our reality. Whatever thoughts dominate or capture your imagination and sink into your subconscious mind, you bring into your life. For example, the more time you spend worrying about and visualizing the worst-case scenario of a presentation, the more your subconscious works to deliver that image into reality! When I first read this, I had a hard time believing it. However, now that I've done a lot more studying of what's happening in the world of science and have seen the synchronicities that come from focusing attention on something, I am a true believer. One note of caution: Dr. Murphy frequently refers to God and passages in the Bible. If you do not feel comfortable with his approach, please do not let that deter you from absorbing the important messages in the book. Substitute 'Higher Self' whenever God is mentioned, or find references from science or your favorite spiritual texts to support or confirm what Dr. Murphy says. Excerpt from the book [p. 77]: The most fundamental and the most far-reaching activity in life is that which you build into your mentality every waking hour. Your word is silent and invisible; nevertheless, it is real
Daniel Goleman, Emotional Intelligence, Bantam Books, New York, 1995. This is an outstanding book that provides scientific data combined with powerful examples of how our brains work and how important understanding and adapting our emotional awareness can be to our success in life. If you aspire to be a true leader in your career, you cannot afford to ignore the insights of this book. It truly is a must read. Concepts from this book are used throughout all Inspired Leap programs. Excerpt from the book (pg. 28): The emotions, then matter for rationality. In the dance of feeling and thought the emotional faculty guides our moment-to-moment decisions, working hand-in-hand with the rational mind, enabling 'or disabling' thought itself. Likewise, the thinking brain plays an executive role in our emotions - except in those moments when emotions surge out of control and the emotional brain runs rampant.
Gary Zukav and Linda Francis, The Heart of the Soul: Emotional Awareness, Simon & Schuster Source, New York, 2001. This is the third book in a series from Gary Zukav (The Seat of the Soul and Soul Stories) about our souls and their purpose on Earth, with this one also authored by his partner, Linda Francis. You don't have to believe all that they share so clearly and concisely to obtain tremendous value from this book. Many of the ideas and facts expressed in Emotional Intelligence and Margaret Wheatley's Leadership and the New Science (see below) are conveyed here in a unique way to make you much more aware of the power of your emotions and the need to work with them to grow. Knowing exactly what emotions you are feeling at any time, then learning from, understanding, and releasing your emotions, is critical to being a strong, successful leader. Zukav and Francis show you why it's good for your soul's growth too.
Debbie Ford, The Dark Side of the Light Chasers, Riverhead Books, New York, 1998. Ms. Ford packs a lot into this easy-to-read yet powerful, guide to the impact all of the hiding, burying, ignoring, and avoiding of our 'dark' side has on our life. She gives great examples from her life and her clients' lives to show the tremendous growth and positive changes that will occur once we all look into the mirror and accept every part of ourselves. The energy freed up from removing the mask from ourselves and letting others see who we really are will have a profound impact on productivity and integrity in the workplace. Here is an excerpt from the book (p. 55): Within each of us lies a solid gold treasure. This golden essence is our spirit, pure and magnificent, open and glowing. But this gold has been covered up by a hard shell of clay. The clay comes from our fear. It is our social mask: the face we show the world. Unconcealing your shadow reveals your mask. We must look at this mask with love and compassion for there is great value in understanding what we hide behind

On Companies and New Ways of Organizing or Perceiving Them:

Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander, The Art of Possibility, Harvard Business School Press, Boston, 2002. Uplifting, inspiring, and thought provoking book filled with practices to change the way you communicate with coworkers. Especially enjoyable are the anecdotes of how these practices are used by Benjamin Zander in his role as conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Orchestra and teacher of music students. It's a fun glimpse into a world most of us know little about with the added benefit of 'seeing' new ways of viewing situations at work. Some of the most profound teachings come from letters written by Ben's students. While some of the chapters are not as clear and compelling as others, you will definitely find a few tools here to help you break up a log jam at work or in your personal life. Here is an excerpt regarding one of the most powerful tools-giving an A (p. 43): When we give an A we can be open to a perspective different from our own. For after all, it is only to a person to whom you have granted an A that you will really listen, and it is in that rare instance when you have ears for another person that you can truly appreciate a fresh point of view. In the measured context of our everyday lives, the grades we hand out often rise and fall with our moods and opinions. We may disagree with someone on one issue, lower their grade, and never quite hear what they have to say again. Each time the grade is altered, the new assessment, like a box, defines the limits of what is possible between us.
Ian I. Mitroff and Elizabeth A. Denton, A Spiritual Audit of Corporate America, Jossey-Bass Inc., San Francisco, 1999. This is a fascinating look, as scientifically as possible, at the awareness or incorporation of spirituality or religion in the workplace. They show a range of 'models' from extreme religious focus to principle-based companies. The most interesting and telling information was in the definitions executives gave for spirituality. It was clear these people did not confuse religion with spirituality.
Don Edward Beck and Christopher C. Cowan, Spiral Dynamics, Blackwell Publishers Ltd., Oxford, UK, 1996. This book is packed with powerful concepts about how we all 'spiral' through different biopsychosocial systems based on years of research with thousands of people. Each level of the spiral corresponds to different ways of interacting with others and participating in an organization. It clearly explains why turmoil and change happen within organizations over time, as the needs and ways of working within the organization change. While at times it is difficult to absorb the vast amount of information, there is powerful information here to help leaders step back and see what is happening within their organizations and what kind of leaders are needed to steer the company into the future.
Margaret J. Wheatley, Leadership and the New Science, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., San Francisco, 1994. This book raises awareness and curiosity about what quantum physics and biology can tell us about energy and the 'unseen' world. It gives us language to discuss such slippery concepts as consciousness and the 'energy' of thoughts and feelings. While not proving the existence of a supreme or divine intelligence, the 'new' science certainly makes one think twice about not believing in an intelligent universe. Ms. Wheatley brings these concepts into the business world and suggests how they might play a role in our understanding of how corporations can be most effective. Highly recommended. Here is an excerpt from the book (pp. 51-52):" Whether it's a field of energy, or a quality of form, they [employees] will have to interact with it to have their behavior made manifest. Space is not empty. Unseen energies influence how we manifest. The question becomes: What are the fields in organizations?

On Transforming Your Life:

Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton, Now, Discover Your Strengths, Free Press, New York, 2001. At a recent workshop I led, I was reminded of the challenge many of us have determining and acknowledging our strengths. One of the attendees mentioned that this book had helped her. I picked it up and was immediately impressed with the authors' use of examples, Gallup research, and stories to strongly encourage each of us to focus on our strengths and spend time enhancing them, while paying little attention to weaknesses. Importantly, this book provides details regarding 34 strengths or themes, as the authors' note how little attention has been placed on defining strengths, while our vocabulary and human resource tools are rich with words and descriptions to define our weaknesses. As a powerful bonus, readers are given a code to go to a website to take the StrengthsFinder Profile in order to find out 'where you have the greatest potential for a strength.' This book is rich with tools and information to help you turn your attention toward your strengths and talents. It can help you see yourself through new eyes, as well as look at any employees or peers differently. Here is an excerpt describing one of the tools and its purpose (pp. 31-32): The second revolutionary tool is a system to identify your dominant talents. There is one sure way to identify your greatest potential for strength: Step back and watch yourself for awhile. Try an activity and see how quickly you pick it up, how quickly you skip steps in the learning and add twists and kinks you haven't been taught yet. See whether you become absorbed in the activity to such an extent that you lose track of time. StrengthsFinder's purpose is designed to reveal your five strongest themes of talent. These themes may not be strengths yet. They are areas of greatest potential, areas in which you have the best possible chance to cultivate a world-class strength. StrengthsFinder will shine a spotlight on them. It will be up to you to perform.
Richard Restak, M.D. Mozart's Brain and the Fighter Pilot, Three Rivers Press, New York, 2001 The New York Times calls Dr. Restak's book, 'A personal trainer for your brain.' That description highlights the value of the content and its emphasis on exercising or working out many areas of the brain. However, I want to also point out that this book is easy to read and broken up into small, quick chapters. Dr. Restak, author of twelve books with a full-time practice in neurology and neuropsychiatry, shares some powerful information that can help you make the most of what's certainly one of the most important parts of your body. There continues to be more and more data to support the notion that our thoughts create our reality. Assuming our thoughts and our minds at least have a very significant role in creating our lives, it behooves each of us to do what we can to strengthen our mental muscles. Here is an excerpt from a section that focuses on having us switch from left or right brain activities to the opposite in order to reduce mental fatigue. But first, Dr. Restak shares the key differences between the two sides of our brain [p. 87]: The left hemisphere tends to break things into their component parts, and it attends to distinguishing rather than common features. It processes the world in a linear, sequential manner. In contrast, the right hemisphere relies less on words and language; it's better at perceiving the 'whole picture' by synthesizing and attending to general configurations. It engages in parallel processing, which involves many operations going on at the same time.
T. Harv Eker, Secrets of the Millionaire Mind, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., New York, 2005. This highly recommended book can help you finally understand why you struggle with making, saving, investing, or spending money. Eker 'a multi-millionaire and successful trainer and entrepreneur' explains the power of hidden beliefs and attitudes that begin in our childhood and that are running our financial lives. He shares how to release and change old, negative belief patterns and gives specific recommendations for creating a millionaire mind. Eker outlines simple steps to take to begin to create the saving and wealth-generating programs that will get even the most troubled money manager on the road to financial health. Don't let your old beliefs about money or how much money you can handle affect your success in your career. Change your money mind and watch the positive changes that unfold for you in your career. In the excerpt below [p. 109], you'll find an example of the wisdom offered: Think of yourself as your container for wealth. If your container is small and your money is big, what's going to happen? You will lose it. Your container will overflow and the excess money will spill out all over the place. You simply cannot have more money than the container. Therefore you must grow to be a big container so you cannot only hold more wealth but also attract more wealth. The universe abhors a vacuum and if you have a very large money container, it will rush in to fill the space.
Thom Rutledge, Embracing Fear, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., New York, 2002. Most of us find at some point in our careers that we have sabotaged our potential success or next promotion. Perhaps we've been a perfectionist one too many times, or have let our tempers get the best of us in a stressful situation. Lurking behind many self-sabotaging behaviors is the real culprit: neurotic fears. In his book, Embracing Fear, author Thom Rutledge provides a clear understanding of the difference between healthy fears and neurotic fears and a road map for neutralizing the effect of the neurotic ones. This is an excellent book to read whenever you find yourself avoiding making positive changes or frustrated about self-sabotaging behaviors. Rutledge will offer sound advice and practical steps to find out what the fears are behind your behavior and how to stop them from running your life. He gives real-life examples from clients and from his own life. I particularly loved his advice about how to say, 'I'm willing to risk it,' whenever your neurotic fears start trying to keep you from making a positive change. Excerpt from the book [p. 82]: The most powerful stance any one of us can take when we stand at the threshold of something new and previously unexplored is best characterized as follows: gather the confidence you have in yourself, along with the confidence ('I believe in you' reassurance) expressed by others, and plant your feet firmly in the doorway of what is yet to come. Invite your fear to speak. Do not hide from it; call it out. Look directly at the fear, listen to what it is saying, what it is threatening you with, and then take a deep breath and say, 'I'm willing to risk it.'
Jim Loehr and Tony Schwartz, The Power of Full Engagement, Free Press, New York, 2003. Immediately useful as a tool to help you bring balance to your life. The authors make the point that managing energy is far more important to success in life than managing time, and they use numerous examples to inspire you to transform bad habits into new, empowering rituals. They tap into the latest learning about how we learn and get you to focus on your deepest values and mission statement to give you the motivation to stay with new rituals. Their description of business people as Corporate Athletes will provide the encouragement to put more time into training and rest, something very few people do these days. If you think you're using up more precious energy than you're able to put back into your body, then this is for you. At the end of each chapter, the authors provide a summary section called 'Bear in Mind' to help reinforce critical concepts. Here is an excerpt from the first chapter's 'Bear in Mind' section (p. 18): Principle 1: Full engagement requires drawing on four separate but related sources of energy: physical, emotional, mental and spiritual. Principle 2: Because energy diminishes both with overuse and with underuse, we must balance energy expenditure with intermittent energy renewal. Principle 3: To build capacity we must push beyond our normal limits, training in the same systematic way that elite athletes do. Principle 4: Positive energy rituals 'highly specific routines for managing energy' are the key to full engagement and sustained high performance.
Eckhart Tolle, The Power of Now, New World Library, Novato, 1999. This profound book can be difficult to read or absorb at times, but is well worth the effort. Again and again, Eckhart Tolle brings us back to the power of staying in the present moment and knowing that we are not our minds. He makes a compelling case for focusing all of our energy on what is happening right now. While advice on how to stay in the present moment is given out by many secular and spiritual leaders, the author's focus on this one point when answering every question asked (most of the book is written in a Q & A format) makes it difficult not to begin to absorb the teachings and practice of living in the now. Highly recommended. Here's an inspiring excerpt from the book on freeing the real you from your mind (p. 15): The good news is that you can free yourself from your mind. This is the only true liberation. You can take the first step right now. Start listening to the voice in your head as often as you can. Pay particular attention to any repetitive thought patterns, those old gramophone records that have been playing in your head perhaps for many years. This is what I mean by 'watching the thinker,' which is another way of saying: listen to the voice in your head, be there as the witnessing presence.
Gay Hendricks, The Corporate Mystic, Bantam Books, New York, 1996. The author spent many years working with top CEO of corporations and found many of them to have similar characteristics and practices to mystics! He offers highly valuable and easily understood concepts and tips to simultaneously strengthen your leadership skills and your soul. It gives you hope that there are plenty of business leaders who truly value people and integrity. Highly inspirational. Also of note: the audio tape of this book is excellent!
David R. Hawkins, MD, PhD Power Versus Force, Veritas Publishing, Sedona, 1998. Dr. Hawkins pulls from many spiritual traditions and uses science to theorize and verify (with hundreds of quantifiable tests) that: 1) working on raising your own level of consciousness is the single most important thing you can do to positively affect those around you and the world; and 2) you can tap into your inner wisdom, Divine guidance, or the collective unconscious (as Jung defined it) by use of a kinesiology, or muscle, test! Basically, you can discern the truth or accuracy of a declarative statement, depending upon whether or not your arm (held out to your side) goes weak or stays strong when someone presses lightly on it after repeating the statement. Sounds crazy, but this brilliant man makes a strong case to prove it. If nothing else, it will stretch your mind and make you question and explore things you cannot see. He provides some interesting applications for business.
Wayne W. Dyer, There's A Spiritual Solution To Every Problem, HarperCollins Publishers Inc., New York, 2001. Outstanding book if you are open to being challenged in your beliefs about what a 'real' problem is and how to access spiritual energy. Using a variety of scientific studies combined with numerous spiritual teachings, Dr. Dyer makes a compelling argument for being very careful what you think about and what you state as your intentions. Dyer shows how your energy affects those around you-useful information to contemplate for managers. While the focus is on the individual, the implications for improving life at work are clear. Also of note: the audio tape of this book is just as, if not more, inspiring. Both are highly recommended. Here is an excerpt from the book (p. 208):" Refuse to dwell on thoughts about the problems in your life. Make an effort to refuse to keep any problem in your thoughts for more than a few moments. Once you have become aware that you are languishing in a problem, consider the various alternatives, and then silently go to God and literally turn it over to this higher spiritual energy.

On Communication:

Henriette Anne Klauser, Ph.D., Write It Down, Make It Happen, Fireside, New York, 2000. This easy-to-read book is sure to inspire you to begin using writing to listen to your intuition and bring about change in your life. It gives new life and meaning to the idea of writing down objectives, goals, and mission statements! While her focus is primarily on individuals, Ms. Klauser offers many ideas and anecdotes of how powerful writing can be. The book will give you some great ideas for using writing to handle the fears and worries that come up over challenges at work and how to develop written goals to get you the position of your dreams.
Barbara and Allan Pease, Why Men Don't Listen And Women Can't Read Maps, Broadway Books, New York, 2000. This hilarious book does a brilliant job of helping men and women understand each other. With the use of humor that pokes fun at men and women, scientific data, and real examples, this book will provide answers to why we sometimes seem to be speaking a different language. Barbara and Allan Pease provide valuable and practical information for anyone trying to improve communication with men or women. Besides that, it''s just plain fun!

On Leadership:

Blair Singer, The ABC's of Building a Business Team That Wins, Warner Books, New York, 2004 In his easy-to-read book, Blair Singer, author, sales expert, and member of the Rich Dad Advisory Board (Robert Kiyosaki, author of the New York Times bestseller Rich Dad Poor Dad, wrote the forward for this book) talks about the importance of creating a code of honor in order to have any team at work, home, or play succeed no matter what kind of pressure it's put under. Singer gives compelling examples of the power of having employees and leaders refer back to this code of honor again and again. Those who live by it and practice it will be able to keep producing at the highest levels in times of difficulty. At the end of each chapter, Singer provides specific steps and tips for effectively creating and implementing a code of honor. Singer also talks about the leadership skills needed to create great teams, as well as the value of 'standing in the heat' in order to grow. In fact, he offers data from the world of science to explain how critical it is that we keep pushing the edge of the envelope. It is in those moments of intense pressure when we feel ready to explode that we are growing and taking ourselves to the next level in our performance and personal growth. Here is an excerpt from that section of the book [p. 117]: The reason for a code is to hold everyone together under pressure, to ensure that everyone will be disciplined enough to stay committed and strong when the challenge arises. Every great team, great person or great family that I have ever seen became that way because of pressure. It's like John F. Kennedy said: 'We choose to go to the moon . . . not because it's easy but because it's hard!' True transformation happens only under pressure and challenge. There is a certain physics to it. A weird predictability. Most of all it brings out the best in us if we hold together 'in the heat.'
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Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, Good Business, Viking Penguin, New York, 2003 This book takes an in-depth look at how top business or visionary leaders (successful as business people and as community or social leaders) do their jobs and expands on his previous work in Finding Flow, on how to obtain the highest levels of flow (or being in the zone), for maximum productivity and success. The extensive use of quotes from business leaders provides real life examples to bring Csikszentmihalyi's data and insights to life (he is a Professor at the School of Management at Claremont University). Csikszentmihalyi makes a strong case for successful, happy leaders being those who strive to make a difference in the world as well as a big profit: 'In our interviews with exemplary business leaders these same themes kept reappearing: To be successful you have to enjoy doing your best while at the same time contributing to something beyond yourself.' [p. 29] To understand the difference business people can make in the world and be inspired to do so, this is a highly recommended read. Excerpt from the introductory chapter [p. 5]: Today business leaders are among the most influential members of society. While they are all trained to generate profits, many of them are oblivious to the other responsibilities that their new societal leadership entails. In this book, visionary leaders will explain what they consider to be their duties and how they go about fulfilling them. In the process of examining their philosophies and their practical applications, we will focus especially on how leaders and managers and even the concerned employees of any organization can learn to contribute to the sum of human happiness, to the development of an enjoyable life that provides meaning, and to a society that is just and evolving.
Joseph Jaworski, Synchronicity: the Inner Path to Leadership, Berrett-Koehler Publishers, San Francisco, 1998. This book had such a profound effect on me that I highly recommend it whenever I'm asked about transformational books, and I continue to go back to it again and again. Synchronicity details Jaworski's personal experience of the way the universe works to help you become the leader you're meant to become, as well as a call to take the necessary first steps to get you on your way. Jaworski makes a compelling case for the need for all of us to 'step up to the plate' to become true leaders in whatever way is right for us. His journey starts with watching his father, Leon Jaworski, deal with the nightmare of Watergate. As special prosecutor for the Watergate affair, Leon Jaworski was privy to information that the President and others were guilty of criminal offenses, yet had to endure hearing and seeing President Nixon and others lie to the public. The truth eventually came out, but the events of that time had a life-changing effect on father and son. Watergate planted the seeds that led Joseph Jaworski on a quest to find out how good leaders are made and to contribute to the creation of more of them. It wasn't easy though. Jaworski had to struggle with many 'inner demons' that we all face before moving in the direction of our dreams. May the excerpt below give you the comfort that you're not alone in your fears and the courage to move forward anyway [p. 74]: I realize now that for at least a couple of years I had been growing more and more apart from the world of my life before my journey began, and nearer and nearer to this different person who was on a journey. Part of this was wrestling with my fearfulness and denial of my capacity to make a real difference in the world the 'Who, me?' syndrome. I had found so many ways over the years in London to rationalize how important my busy life was. I'm up to my eyeballs in building the law firm. Anyway, how could I ever get my arms around building better leadership for the country? I kept denying my destiny because of my insecurity, my dread of ostracism, my anxiety, and my lack of courage to risk myself. I was yielding to the pressure I felt within myself to conform to my peer group. Somewhere, deep down, I knew that to cooperate with destiny would bring great responsibility, and I was too fearful to accept that responsibility.
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Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, Annie McKee, Primal Leadership, Harvard Business School Publishing, Boston, 2002. This book builds on the breakthrough discussion of the power of our emotions that Goleman's book, Emotional Intelligence, covered and emphasizes the role it plays in creating superior leaders in the business world. Primal Leadership does an excellent job of combining scientific data, extensive business research on organizations and their leaders, and anecdotal evidence to convince you of the need to develop your emotional intelligence to be a strong leader. Goleman, Boyatzis, and McKee outline the key leadership styles and their strengths and weaknesses. Thankfully, the authors make it clear that we all have the ability to build our emotional intelligence 'muscle,' and they explain the optimal way to do this. Here's an excerpt that might make you think twice about ignoring the 'touchy-feely' aspects of work (pp. 17-18): The factors deciding which companies prove most fit in any given quarter are notoriously complex. But or analyses suggest that, overall, the climate 'how people feel about working at a company' can account for 20 to 30 percent of business performance. Getting the best out of people pays off in hard results. If climate drives business results, what drives climate? Roughly 50 to 70 percent of how employees perceive their organization's climate can be traced to the actions of one person: the leader. [emphasis added]
Robin Gerber, Leadership the Eleanor Roosevelt Way, Prentice Hall Press, New York, 2002. Eleanor Roosevelt was an inspiring leader. Her words of wisdom and life experiences can give you the courage to move forward to find or start work on your life's passion. Ms. Gerber does an excellent job of weaving in Mrs. Roosevelt's life story into key elements of being an effective leader. While the bouncing back and forth between the life story of Eleanor Roosevelt and present day examples of women business leaders can be a bit confusing, the overall picture painted is one of inspiration for anyone (man or woman) to take charge of their life and become the leader they are meant to be. The excerpt below might be a powerful reminder to you that your growth as a leader or time for finding your passion can start at any age. Eleanor Roosevelt was in her forties before she even began to think for herself, let alone find her mission in life, so no more excuses. Get going on being the leader you were meant to be!! From pp. 88-89: The first step in finding your leadership passion is thinking about what you value most. Your values have taken time to develop. They're based on your family background, religion, relationships, and experiences and they are a part of you. But unless your values have been tested they may not be apparent to you. Eleanor felt, during Franklin's first campaign in 1910, that she 'had no sense of values whatsoever.' She had spent too many years judging what she wanted by what others-such as her grandmother, Franklin's mother, Franklin-told her to want or wanted for her. It took until the 1920's when she was entering her forties, for Eleanor to feel that she was 'drifting far afield from the old influences . . . thinking things out for myself and becoming an individual.'

On Organizing:

Julie Morgenstern, Organizing from the Inside Out, Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1998. After glancing at it many times in bookstores, I finally found the courage to pick up this book. It only took a few moments for me to realize I'd found the perfect book on organizing for me, since Julie Morgenstern speaks about the need to go within to listen to your intuition as to why you have problems with organizing in the first place and to design the system that will work best for you. At the same time, once you have done the inner work to be ready to organize, she offers many ideas and tips for ways to organize (including containers to use) a variety of spaces including different types of office space and rooms within your home. I found her advice to be easy to read and very helpful, as I've already implemented some of her suggestions and, more importantly, stuck with them! Highly recommended for anyone in need of help getting and staying organized. Here's an excerpt that explains her philosophy (p. 13): Successful organizing forces you to look at the big picture, not one small section of the frame, so that the system you design will be complete. It is a nurturing process that helps you focus on discovering what is important to you and making it more accessible, rather than haranguing you to throw out as much as you can and organizing what's left over.

On Change:

Spencer Johnson, M.D., Who Moved My Cheese?, G.P. Putnam's Sons, New York, 1998 In this short, simple, power-packed tale, the co-author of The One Minute Manager conveys important knowledge and wisdom about dealing with change. Yes, it came out awhile ago, but even if you've already read this, consider reading it again. Managing change has always been a challenge for most of us and most companies; yet, with the concepts shared here, anyone can begin to see change in a new light and confidently take on changes to bring about more positive outcomes. Johnson uses two mice, two little men, a maze, and the desire for cheese to tell his story. With these characters, he paints a clear picture of how many of us attempt to deal with change and shares a much better way. In the excerpt below [p. 57], you'll find a taste of the insights offered: Haw realized he had been held captive by his own fear. Moving in a new direction had freed him. Now he felt the cool breeze that was blowing in this part of the maze and it was refreshing. He took in some deep breaths and felt invigorated by the movement. Once he had gotten past his fear, it turned out to be more enjoyable than he once believed it could be. Haw hadn't felt this way for a long time. He had almost forgotten how much fun it was to go for it.