I’ve been in leadership roles for over a decade and have had to find books for the adults to read regularly. The great thing about having book discussions with a group is you can pick a book that deals with challenges you are having. Through the book discussion, your group can work together to gain insight on the best way to deal with it. It could be fiction or non-fiction. It is just the message that is important. And there could be several messages in one book! There are so many out there, but here are five that I can suggest:
7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey. This classic helps with personal development as well as group development. The first few habits are labeled as “private victory.” They include “Being Proactive,” “Beginning with the End in Mind,” and “Putting First Things First.” The next three are part of the “public victory.” These are habits that help you work with other people effectively. They build on the first three. Habit 4 is “Think Win-Win”; Habit 5 is “Seek First to Understand, Then to be Understood,”; and Habit 6 is “Synergize.” All of these mean nothing if you don’t take the time to care for yourself, so the last habit is “Sharpening the Saw.” This is a great book to create a shared vocabulary for a group. You can continue talking about it all year long!
The Traveler’s Gift: Seven Decisions that Determine Personal Success by Andy Andrews. This was a very impactful book for me. It is an easy read because it is told in story form, but you can go really deep with it. If you read it as a group, you can use it all year long to encourage good decision making. One idea is to focus on a decision a month and meet to discuss it.
Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute. If you are in a group that is having challenges with people getting along, this would be a great book to have your group read. The lessons are told in a story format, so it is easy to read, but it has a lot of meat to it.
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when Stakes are High by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. If you are looking for a more direct message, this would be an excellent book for your group. It clearly communicates the techniques used and would be a great foundation to keep groups talking in a healthy way.
The Heart Led Leader: How Living and Leading from the Heart Will Change Your Organization and Your Life by Tommy Spaulding. Don’t be fooled by this book. It looks like it is more of a business book at first. And if you have a business – please read it! You will get so much out of it! But it is so much more. It has stories of leaders in education, the prison system, and families. A book I remember crying over. He has terrific examples to illustrate the points that he shares.
Do you have any books that you have read that worked great in groups? Please share them! Thanks!