Two years ago I wrote about the books that I give to our department to read for professional development. Each semester our directors read a book together and then take a long lunch near the end of the semester for a discussion, and during the summer our entire staff reads a book for our annual retreat.
The end of our departmental mission statement reads that we are “recognized nationally as a leader for excellence and innovation in university advancement.” But what exactly does “excellence” mean? I like the Tom Peters’ philosophy that it’s a matter of constant improvement and constant change, and our “book club” is one way that we try to foster that type of environment.
Here’s what we have been reading over the last few years:
- Spring 2012 – Rework by Jason Fried and David Heinemeier Hansson
- Summer 2012 (retreat) – Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service by Ken Blanchard
- Fall 2012 – Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable by Seth Godin
- Spring 2013 – Daring Greatly: How the Courage to Be Vulnerable Transforms the Way We Live, Love, Parent, and Lead by Brené Brown
- Summer 2013 (retreat) – Thinkertoys: A Handbook of Creative-Thinking Techniques by Michael Michalko
- Fall 2013 – Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing by Harry Beckwith
One of these days (or months or years), I will churn out several book reviews!
Any book recommendations for 2014?
