Winter 2019-2020
Start the new year with new knowledge
Business Adventures
By John Brooks
Recommended by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. According to Fast Company, “when the two billionaires first met back in 1991, Gates asked Buffett to recommend his favorite business book. Without missing a beat, the Berkshire Hathaway CEO answered Business Adventures. Bill Gates has said after more than two decades, it remains the best business book he’s ever read.” Read more about this book and a list of the basic life lessons it contains.
Managing Stress at Work
Mental Toughness
From Harvard Business Review
This Harvard Business Review digital collection covers topics such as managing emotions like anger, fear and sadness at work, conquering stress instead of letting it get in your way, and responding more effectively to the feelings of others.
Pivot Disrupt Transform – How Leaders Beat the Odds and Survive
By Marcia Daszko
Described as an innovative business how-to leadership expert, the author draws on her expertise to guide leaders at any level through a three-step process (“stop, start, transform”) to make sure their business succeeds where many other businesses fail.
Couples that Work – How Dual Career Couples Can Survive in Love and Work
By Jennifer Petriglieri
Based on five years of studying couples from all over the world, the author — an Assistant Professor of Organisational Behaviour at INSEAD — highlights three distinct yet predictable developmental stages that all couples go through and offers practical guidance couples can use to overcome the most pressing challenges they face.
Seeing Around Corners – How to Spot Inflection Points in Business Before They Happen
By Rita McGrath
This book is based on the premise that “New ventures call for a company to envision what is unknown, uncertain, and not yet obvious to the competition.” It examines the role of leaders in ambiguous and uncertain environments and offers examples of how to get beyond the command-and-control mindset.
End of Summer 2019
Some books to help you shake-up and stretch your perspective before autumn arrives.
Breathe To Succeed: Increase Workplace Productivity, Creativity, and Clarity through the Power of Mindfulness
by Sandy Abrams
In Breathe To Succeed, the author offers fast, simple, and effective breathing techniques to reach enhanced productivity, become more mindful, engaged, and calm, and breathe your way through challenges.
Leader Shift – The 11 Essential Changes Every Leader Must Embrace
by John C. Maxwell
The author has been called the most influential leadership expert in the world by both Business Insider and Inc. He said in an interview in Forbes that he wrote this book because things are moving and changing so quickly.
Reboot – Leadership and the Art of Growing Up
by Jerry Colonna
Once called the “CEO Whisperer,” executive coach Jerry Colonna writes about why radical self-inquiry is critical to professional success and healthy relationships in all realms of life.
The Anomaly Mindset – How I Transformed My Life by Standing Out Instead of Fitting In
by Sandi Krakowski
The author is a social media influencer and a successful start-up executive who believes in bringing her whole self to work – and not leaving out any personal or spiritual part.
More books for Summer 2019
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
by Angela Duckworth
Dr. Angela Duckworth is a 2013 MacArthur Fellow and an associate professor of psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. An expert in non-IQ competencies, including grit and self-control, she believes that while inborn talent is important, what really sets high achievers apart is passion and perseverance.
Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done
by John Acuff
Already well known as the author of Do Over, Start, and Quitter, John Acuff now tackles the reality that most people have a tough time completing what they start. He writes about what makes us set goals and then sabotage them – and how we can change our ways.
Raise Your Game: High Performance Secrets From the Best of the Best
by Alan Stein Jr. and Jon Sternfeld
Applying lessons he learned over the course of 15 years coaching NBA players, Alan Stein and co-author Jon Sternfeld propose strategies they say work just as well in the business world to improve employee productivity, focus and performance.
The Secret Thoughts of Successful Women: Why Capable People Suffer from the Impostor Syndrome and How to Thrive in Spite of It
by Valerie Young
This book explores the complicated relationship many women have with success and promises to help you learn to take ownership of your success, overcome self-doubt, and banish the thought patterns that undermine your ability to feel—and act—as bright and capable as others already know you.
To Pre-order for the Fall:
On Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World
By Pat Mitchell
Described as “an intimate and inspiring memoir and call to action from Pat Mitchell — groundbreaking media icon, global advocate for women’s rights, and co-founder and curator of TEDWomen.” Pat gave an Out in Front talk at the 2017 AWESOME Symposium.
Books About Mentoring
The Mentoring Manual: Your Step by Step Guide to Being a Better Mentor
by Julie Starr
Recognizing that mentors must be many things — role model, expert, advocate, cheerleader, enforcer and friend – the author describes methods developed and proven in business.
The Mentor’s Guide: Facilitating Effective Learning Relationships, 2nd Edition
by Lois J. Zachary
This book explores the process of mentoring and presents practical tools and hands-on exercises for facilitating the experience from beginning to end.
Mentor 101
By John Maxwell
This book covers what mentoring is and how it can be done most effectively.
One-Minute Mentoring: How to Find and Work with a Mentor – And Why You’ll Benefit from Being One
By Ken Blanchard and Claire Diaz Ortiz
The author of The One-Minute Manager and a former Twitter executive have created a guide to creating powerful mentoring relationships.
The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More + Change the Way You Lead Forever
By Michael Bungay Stanier
The author recommends seven essential questions that can get to the heart of any interpersonal exchange.
Recommended at the Symposium
She Wins, You Win: The Most Powerful Rule Every Businesswoman Needs To Know
The Most Important Strategies for Making Women More Powerful
(Recommended by 2019 ALL Award honoree, Michelle Livingstone)
By Gail Evans
The author, the first female EVP at CNN, believes it isn’t enough for women to understand and learn men’s rules-they must create their own. And the path to success begins with this single most important rule: Evey time a woman succeeds in business, every other woman’s chance of succeeding in business increases.
(Un)Skirting the Issues: A Guide for the Well-Intentioned Man in Today’s Workplace
By Bonnie Fetch, Moderator of the Symposium Panel on Engaging Men as Advocates of Change
Finding My Voice: My Journey to the West Wing and the Path Forward
(Recommended by Roz Brewer, Symposium speaker)
By Valerie Jarrett
Expect to Win and Strategize to Win
By Carla Harris, Symposium Speaker
Breaking Away: How Great Leaders Create Innovation that Drives Sustainable Growth – and Why Others Fail
By Jane Stevenson, Symposium Speaker, and Bilal Kaafarani
Women CEOs Speak – downloadable report and podcast series
Report of study by Korn Ferry Institute and Jane Stevenson, Symposium speaker
Spring/Summer 2019
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding You Back from Your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job
By Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
AWESOME Advisors heard author and leadership expert Sally Helgesen speak at an IWF (International Women’s Forum) event and were inspired by her energetic approach to women’s advancement. Her newest book starts from her conviction that some of the practices that help women early in their career hold them back as they advance.
Brave, Not Perfect: Fear Less, Fail More, and Live Bolder
By Reshma Sanjani
The author, who is the founder and CEO of Girls Who Code, encourages women and girls to choose bravery over perfection. By doing so, she says, we find the power to claim our voice, to leave behind what makes us unhappy, and go for the things we genuinely, passionately want.
Atomic Habits: Tiny Changes, Remarkable Results
By James Clear
James Clear, who has spent years studying the science of habits, reveals how minuscule changes can grow into life-altering outcomes. He uses examples of Olympic gold medalists, leading CEOs, and distinguished scientists who have used the science of tiny habits to stay productive, motivated, and happy.
An Economist Walks into a Brothel – And Other Unexpected Places to Understand Risk
By Allison Schragel
The author is an economist, journalist at Quartz, and co-founder of LifeCycle Finance Partners, LLC, a risk advisory firm. She applies the principles of risk management to the decisions people face in their life and career, applying wisdom from risk-takers such as a professional poker player and a war general.
Bring Your Human to Work: 10 Surefire Ways to Design a Workplace That Is Good for People, Great for Business, and Just Might Change the World
By Erica Keswin
To build the case that the most successful teams and companies are those that form strong relationships with their employees based on authenticity and open-ness, the author uses case studies from companies such as Starbucks & SoulCycle.
Ninja Future: Secrets to Success in the New World of Innovation
By Gary Shapiro
Described as “an essential read for businesses and individuals striving to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving world,” this book, by the president and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, charts how innovative technologies will transform business and society.
The Genius Habit: How One Habit Can Radically Change Your Work and Your Life
By Laura Garnett
Combining research on productivity and performance with her own experience guiding clients to success, the author tells how to launch your career to a new level, bring fresh energy to your work, and stop equating achievements with happiness.
A Human’s Guide to Machine Intelligence: How Algorithms Are Shaping Our Lives and How We Can Stay in Control
By Kartik Hosanagar
The author, a Wharton professor and tech entrepreneur, guides readers through the nature of algorithms, including its history, psychology, and science. If you’re wondering what life will be like with artificial intelligence all around us, this book may help.
From the Ground Up: A Journey to Reimagine the Promise of America
By Howard Schultz
The longtime CEO and Chairman of Starbucks describes the experiences in his life that led him to create his business philosophy and laid the foundation for efforts he has peioneered to have a positive impact on society.
First: Sandra Day O’Connor: An Intimate Portrait of the First Woman Supreme Court Justice
by Evan Thomas
The author, whose previous projects include books about Robert Kennedy, Richard Nixon and John Paul Jones, used exclusive interviews and access to archives to write the biography of the first female Supreme Court Justice. The publisher says, “Sandra Day O’Connor’s story is that of a woman who repeatedly shattered glass ceilings—doing so with a blend of grace, wisdom, humor, understatement, and cowgirl toughness.”
Find your Way: Unleash Your Power and Highest Potential
By Carly Fiorina
Drawing from her journey, beginning as a secretary, the woman who was the first CEO of a Fortune 50 company (Hewlett Packard) writes about choosing a path over a plan, using problems as opportunities for progress, and overcoming fear and procrastination.
The Sun Is a Compass: A 4,000-Mile Journey into the Alaskan Wilds
By Caroline Van Hemert
A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, this book tells the story of a scientist who felt mired down in details and who — to regain her passion for science — journeyed into the wilderness.
Winter 2018-2019
Here are suggestions for books that make good holiday gifts – or help you start your own New Year with inspiration and fresh ideas.
Gender Physics: Unlock the Energy You Never Knew You Had to Get the Results You Want
by Betty-Ann Heggie
This book demonstrates how Masculine and Feminine Energies are present in every one of us and how those who adopt Gender Physics will let go of established stereotypes, play to their strengths, and unlock energy they never knew they had. The author is a former senior vice president with PotashCorp (now Nutrien).
The Culture Code – The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
by Daniel Coyle
The author goes inside some of the world’s most successful organizations to demystify the culture-building process. He identifies three key skills that generate cohesion and cooperation, and explains how diverse groups learn to function with a single mind.
Standing at the Crossroads – Next Steps for High-Achieving Women
by Marian Ruderman and Patricia Ohlott
The authors debunk the common myth that women must give up life’s other roles to be successful professionally, and offer research conducted by the Center for Creative Leadership in conjunction with participants in The Women’s Leadership Program to show that multiple roles in fact benefit and enhance women’s managerial performance.
Everything You Need to Know about Social Media (Without Having to Call a Kid)
by Greta Van Susteren
The former anchor on MSNBC, CNN and Fox News gives her take on mastering the major social media sites, including how to protect your privacy and how to create a better LinkedIn profile.
The Beauty of Discomfort: How What We Avoid is What We Need
by Amanda Lang
Based on the premise that truly successful people don’t merely tolerate discomfort—they embrace it and seek it out again and again, this book tells how to withstand change instead of being blindsided by it. The author is a business journalist who is an anchor at BNN Bloomberg, and for six years was CBC’s senior business correspondent.
Questions Are the Answer: A Breakthrough Approach to Your Most Vexing Problems at Work and in Life
by Hal Gregersen
The author, Executive Director of the MIT Leadership Center, describes a process of brainstorming that focuses on questions instead of answers. Read our short summary of the process according to an article in Harvard Business Review.
A little out of the ordinary…
Run, Don’t Walk: The Curious and Chaotic Life of a Physical Therapist Inside Walter Reed Army Medical Center
by Adele Levine
If you enjoy reading about and perhaps learning from the experiences of other women, this book will give you an inside look at a rarely-seen world where the author has helped rehabilitate injured soldiers, work that was intense and consuming but also filled with camaraderie and humor.
The Art of Communicating
by Thich Nhat Hanh
In this precise and practical guide, Zen master and Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh reveals how to listen mindfully and express your fullest and most authentic self.
Fast Company asked a group of top female executives to name books that had influenced them to become the leaders and women they are. Here are several of their choices.
Blackberry Winter
by Margaret Mead
Marsha Firestone, the president and founder of the Women Presidents Organization recommended this book to Fast Company as a book that, for her, held important insights about navigating family and career.
The Firestarter Sessions
by Danielle LaPorte
This book was named by Joanna Lord, chief marketing officer at ClassPass, because it helped her reframe “the goals swirling around in my heart…and helped me focus deeply on the life I want to live instead of the boxes I want to check.” She says she’s not only read and reread this book, but she’s gifted it to dozens of her employees
Read more selections on the Fast Company list
Another book list from Fast Company that might interest you is “Five Books Bill Gates Says to Read”
Autumn 2018
The autumn 2018 additions to AWESOME’s running book list highlight books on topics that include teamwork, ambition, risk-taking, making the best use of time when you aren’t at work, and developing leadership skills needed for the current business environment. We especially look for books written by women on topics that particularly touch on women’s lives and leadership.
Dare to Lead – Brave Work. Tough Conversations. Whole Hearts
by Brene Brown
This is a “practical playbook” based on research with 150 global C-suite executives. The author, a research professor at the University of Houston known for her previous bestseller Braving the Wilderness – the Quest for True Belonging and The Courage to Stand Alone and her popular TEDTalks, started by asking what people should do differently to lead during our modern times, when “we’re faced with seemingly intractable challenges and an insatiable demand for innovation.”
Dream Teams: Working Together Without Falling Apart
by Shane Snow
This book explores what separates groups that simply get by together from those that get better together, using insights from history, neuroscience, psychology, and business.
Dark Horse – Achieving Success through the Pursuit of Fulfillment
By Todd Rose and Ogi Ogas
The authors studied men and women who achieved impressive success even though no one expected them to. They have identified four elements of a dark horse mindset that leads to making choices that fit your unique interests, abilities, and circumstances and and help you find your own path to financial security and fulfillment.
Off the Clock – Feel Less Busy While Getting More Done
by Laura Vanderkam
Time management expert Laura Vamderkam focuses on the hours people aren’t working and how it’s possible to use that time to feel happier and more fulfilled. Her core message is that you have more time than you think you do, and you can feel less stressed while getting more done.
The Ambition Decisions – What Women Know about Work, Family, and the Path to Building a Life
by Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace
The two authors tracked down women who were their college classmates to find out what turns their lives had taken, gathering and mapping data about real women’s lives that has been missing from conversations about women and the workplace.
Imperfect Courage – Live a Life of Purpose by Leaving Comfort and Going Scared
by Jessica Honegger
The author, founderof Noonday Collections, named by Inc. Magazine in 2015 as one of the fastest growing companies in America, weaves together her own story with those of other women in the U.S. and around the world focusing on the theme of embracing risk.
Brotopia – Breaking Up the Boys Club of Silicon Valley
by Emily Chang
Chang draws from interviews with tech’s foremost women, including Facebook’s COO Sheryl Sandberg, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki, and former Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, to illustrate how women risked their careers to pave the way for others, and sheds light on how the tech field has a long way to go in terms of treating women as equals.
Principles
by Ray Dalio
Known for his concepts of “radical truth” and “radical transparency” in business, the author describes the philosophy that guided his leadership of Bridgewater Associates, the largest hedge fund in the world.
My Morning Routine – How Successful People Start Every Day Inspired
by Benjamin Spall and Michael Xander
Based on the concept that how people lead their lives affects how successful they can be, this book focuses on the morning routines of well-known leaders.
Summer 2018
The 2018 AWESOME Summer Reading List starts with two books highlighted at the Symposium – and continues with books we’ve selected from recommendations made by Inc., Entrepreneur, Forbes and Business Insider. You’ll find insights about optimizing your leadership skills, maximizing your success and satisfaction, increasing diversity in your organization, and navigating through a rapidly changing future.
Our list pays special attention to include good books by women. (50% of these authors are women.)
WHY WOMEN – The Business imperative to Advancing Women and Engaging Men
by Jeffery Tobias Halter
(Speaker and Moderator at 2018 AWESOME Symposium)
Given to all participants of the 2018 AWESOME Symposium — where the author presented findings of his extensive research and led a panel on the topic of advancing women — this book focuses on engaging men, who still hold 85% of all leadership positions. WHY WOMEN is filled with stories, exercises and templates to help organizations drive meaningful change for women.
Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
by Carol Dweck
(Mentioned by Girish Rishi, CEO of JDA Software, Host Partner of 2018 Symposium)
After decades of research, Stanford University psychologist Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., discovered a simple but groundbreaking idea: the power of mindset. In this book, she shows how success in almost every area of human endeavor can be dramatically influenced by how we think about our talents and abilities. People with a fixed mindset—those who believe that abilities are fixed—are less likely to flourish than those with a growth mindset—those who believe that abilities can be developed.
The CEO Next Door: The 4 Behaviors That Transform Ordinary People into World-Class Leaders
by Elena Botelho and Kim Powell
The authors offer conclusions about what makes a great CEO (being decisive and reliable, delivering what they promise, adapting to changing conditions, and engaging stakeholders), drawing from extensive data.
The Right — and Wrong — Stuff
by Carter Cast
A professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, the author explores what factors lead some employees to rise to the top while equally talented employees “derail.” He lands on five career archetypes that cut across gender, industry, and experience level, and he’s highlighted the strengths and weaknesses of each.
Your Best Year Ever: A Five Step Plan for Achieving your Most Important Goals
by Michael Hyatt
This book by CEO, entrepreneur, and successful author Hyatt is about goal setting and achieving, at home and at work.
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss without Losing Your Humanity
by Kim Scott
For anyone with a team to lead, this book puts the leader’s role into serious perspective, especially for those who run virtual teams and don’t often see the talent. Scott provides examples related to experience leading teams at Google and Apple in order to illustrate how to care deeply for employees, offer better feedback, and challenge team members directly.
Superconnector: Stop Networking and Start Building Business Relationships That Matter
by Scott Gerber and Ryan Paugh
The authors describe a new breed of professionals born out of the social media era who understand the power of relationship-building and who problem-solve by connecting the dots at high levels.
Leading Through the Turn: How a Journey Mindset Can Help Leaders Find Success and Significance
by Elise Mitchell
Author Mitchell provides direction on how to become what she terms a “destination leader with a journey mindset.” To show you how to develop that mindset, she shares numerous lessons, stories, and interviews with successful leaders.
What Works for Women at Work: Four Patterns Working Women Need to Know
by Joan Dempsey, Rachel Dempsey, and Anne-Marie Slaughter
This book is a practical ‘how-to’ manual for women trying to figure out what concretely to do when they realize that something is wrong in their careers, that they are not advancing as fast as the men around them or have been turned down for a promotion they wanted.
Strong Enough: Choosing Courage, Resilience, and Triumph
by Anne Grady
Grady shares a formula, including questions, assignments, and self-assessments, for cultivating courage and building resilience that can help overcome any obstacle or setback.
Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have all the Facts
by Annie Duke
What can business leaders learn from a champion poker player? She offers practical advice on risk assessment and emotional control.
Reset: My Fight for Inclusion and Lasting Change
by Ellen Pao
A graduate of Princeton, Harvard, Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, as well as a tech investor and former CEO of Reddit, Pao became known in 2012, for filing a gender discrimination suit against former employer Kleiner Perkins. She has since founded the diversity consulting non-profit organization Project Include.
What To Do When Machines Do Everything: How to Get Ahead in a World of AI, Algorithms, Bots, and Big Data
by Malcolm Frank, Paul Roehrig, and Ben Pring.
If you’re interested in AI and machine learning and what it means for your role in the future of business, you may benefit from reading what these tech experts think is the next generation of the digital economy. This book moves past all the media “doom and gloom” about machines, AI, and robots and outlines tactical recommendations for strategic business models and pathways to get the most from the new technology.
Winter 2017-2018
Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom & Responsibility
by Patty McCord, former Chief Talent Officer at Netflix
The author advocates for a “radically honest” workplace.
When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing
by Daniel H. Pink
How to increase the impact of decisions by getting the timing right.
The Motivation Myth: How High Achievers Really Set Themselves Up to Win
by Jeff Haden, Inc. Magazine columnist
The author identifies processes people can use to maximize their drive to succeed.
Treating People Well: The Extraordinary Power of Civility at Work and in Life
by Lean Berman and Jeremy Bernard
Advice from two former White House secretaries on how to navigate the social aspects of work
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
by Daniel Coyle
This book explores traits of organizations and teams that outperform others.
The holidays are a great time for giving – and getting – new reading material. We searched the recommendations of such sources as Forbes, Amazon, CNBC, Inc. Magazine and put together an AWESOME reading list on topics such as women’s accomplishments, leadership, success, innovation, teambuilding, and more. The list also includes some selections for young girls.
The Glass Universe: How the Ladies of the Harvard Observatory Took the Measure of the Stars
By Dava Sobel
This book features the women “computers” whose calculations helped shape observational astronomy.
Everybody Lies
By Seth Stephens-Davidowitx
The author, a Harvard-trained economist and former Google data scientist, explored the myriad use of Big Data and how the very definition of “data” is constantly expanding.
Insight
by Tasha Eurich
As an organizational psychologist, the author helps people overcome obstacles to professional success — and a big one is being oblivious to their flaws and mistakes. In “Insight,” she dives deep into the topic of self-awareness, and why it’s crucial to success at work — especially if you’re a leader.
Psyched Up
by Daniel McGinn
All about the science of mental preparation for challenging moments, this book consists of the author’s interviews with successful people in a range of fields — from athletes, to comedians, to military leaders — as well as relevant psychological research.
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
by Angela Duckworth
Pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows anyone striving to succeed—be it parents, students, educators, athletes, or business people—that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a special blend of passion and persistence she calls “grit.”
Lead and Disrupt: How to Solve the Innovator’s Dilemma
by Professor Charles O’Reilly and Michael Tushman
Blockbuster, Kodak, and RadioShack: all huge companies that ultimately failed. The authors here argue that to be truly resilient, companies must develop what they call ambidexterity–the ability to win new domains while staying true to your core competencies.
The Captain Class: The Hidden Force That Creates the World’s Greatest Teams
by Sam Walker
The deputy editor for enterprise at the Wall Street Journal and a former sports columnist, Walker identified the preeminent sports teams throughout history and determined they all had an influential captain at the time they reigned supreme. He goes on to analyze the seven commonalities of those captains as exceptional leaders.
The Career Code: Must-Know Rules for a Strategic, Stylish, and Self-Made Career
By Hillary Kerr and Katherine Power
The authors are co-founders and co-CEOs of a media group and a successful clothing line at Target. Their rules are intended to help women navigate the corporate ladder.
Permission to Screw Up: How I Learned to Lead by Doing (Almost) Everything Wrong
By Kristen Hadeed
Kristen Hadeed is the founder and CEO of Student Maid, a cleaning company that hires students. This book tells the story of how she went from being an almost comically inept leader to a sought-after CEO who teaches others how to lead.
Give Work: Reversing Poverty One Job at a Time
By Leila Janah
Leila Janah is the founder and CEO of Samasource and LXMI, both ventures focused on using new sourcing techniques to reduce poverty. A Harvard-educated former management consultant, she shows how it’s possible to build a successful business that lifts people out of poverty—not by giving them money but by giving them work.
For young readers:
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
By Rachel Ignotofsky
A good book for any young girl interested in STEM, it is an illustrated collection of short biographies detailing the lives of 50 notable women in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
She Persisted: 13 American Women Who Changed The World
By Chelsea Clinton
This book celebrates the lives of women through history who helped shape America through their tenacity, including Harriet Tubman, Helen Keller, Clara Lemlich, Nellie Bly, Virginia Apgar, Maria Tallchief, Claudette Colvin, Ruby Bridges, Margaret Chase Smith, Sally Ride, and others.
I Am Malala: How One Girl Stood Up for Education and Changed the World (Young Readers Edition)
By Malala Yousafzai
A memoir by the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.
GoodNight
Stories for Rebel Girls
By Elena Favilli and Francesca Cavallo
This is a collection of illustrated stories that celebrate extraordinary women, past and present, who have achieved incredible results, despite all odds.
Life in Motion: An Unlikely Ballerina (Young Readers Edition)
By Misty Copeland
Misty Copeland tells the story of her journey to become the first African-American principal ballerina at the prestigious American Ballet Theatre.
Stand Tall, Molly Lou Melon
Written by Patty Lovell and Illustrated by David Catrow
This illustrated book — about a little girl who transforms her flaws into talents — aims to help other little girls embrace their flaws as characteristics that set us apart and make us who we are.
Summer 2017
Image Scrimmage – 9 Ways Women Win With Body Language
By Dr. Donna Van Natten
This book is about harnessing the power of non-verbal communications in business. A review of the book on Inc.com focuses in on “4 Powerful Body Language Habits of Confident People.”
How to Be a Power Connector
By Judy Robinett
A new book by the author of The 5+50+50 Rule (published in 2014) offers practical strategies for meeting the people you need to know and bonding with them fast to further your goals and theirs.
Leaders Eat Last: Why some teams pull, together and others don’t
by Simon Sinek
The author uses a concept employed in the military to help leaders build teams with members that trust each other, give their best effort, and gain satisfaction from their work. Sinek also has written Start with Why and Together is Better and has a popular video about Millenials in the Workplace.
Peak Performance: Elevate Your Game, Avoid Burnout, and Thrive with the New Science of Success
by Brad Stulberg and Steve Magness
Written by a former McKinsey consultant and an Olympic coach, this book proposes that the qualities needed to succeed and achieve top performance are the same in any field. The authors include scientific insights into the cognitive and neurochemical factors that drive performance in all domains.
Popular: The Power of Likability in a Status-Obsessed World
by Mitch Prinstein
As the issue of like ability is often raised for women leaders, this book examines the topic from psychological and scientific perspectives. “It’s not always the conventionally popular people who fare the best, for the simple reason that there is more than one type of popularity—and many of us still long for the wrong one. As children, we strive to be likable, which can offer real benefits not only on the playground but throughout our lives. In adolescence, though, a new form of popularity emerges, and we suddenly begin to care about status, power, influence, and notoriety—research indicates that this type of popularity hurts us more than we realize.”
Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy
by Sheryl Sandberg and Adam Grant
Sheryl Sandberg fans may enjoy reading this book covering her life after losing her husband and offering insights on building resilience and moving forward after life’s inevitable setbacks.
In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs
by Grace Bonney
When women reflect on their aspirations, experiences and lessons, they often seem to have much in common, whatever their specific profession or enterprise.
Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World
by Rachel Ignotofsky
More inspiration from women – in this book, women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics.
Fall/Winter 2016
Discovering Hidden Profit: Advanced Supply-Chain Decision Making
by co-authors Robert Martichenko and Peter Marks
AWESOME’s Director of Member Engagement and Sponsorships, Heather Sheehan, is one of the supply chain experts contributing to this book focusing on implementation of operating principles and management methods to connect the core processes of business strategy, product life-cycle management, sales and marketing, and supply chain operations.
Mistakes I Made at Work
edited by Jessica Bacal
This book contains profiles of 25 “influential women” — entrepreneurs, writers, management consultants, professors, not-for-profit executives and others – offering candid reflections on “What They Got Out of Getting it Wrong.”
In the Company of Women: Inspiration and Advice from over 100 Makers, Artists, and Entrepreneurs
by Grace Bonney
100 women who’ve achieved success in a wide range of fields offer practical advice based on their own career experiences.
Superbosses: How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent
by Sidney Finkelstein
A good complement to books giving lessons in reaching the top, this book helps bosses make sure they’re effective in their role as a company leader.
Sprint: How to Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days
by Jake Knapp, John Zeratsky, and Braden Kowitz
The authors, all with experience as members and leaders of design teams at companies such as Google and YouTube, offer a formula for testing ideas that can be applied at a start-up or a large organization.
Summer 2016
Drift and Hum: The Great Canadian-American Novel
by Robert Martichenko, CEO of LeanCor and 2015 CSCMP Distinguished Service Award recipient
Joining his already impressive list of business books, Martichenko‘s first novel tells the story of Sam, a 50-year-old South Carolina man who reflects from the present day back to his Canadian childhood to make sense of “the kite ride of life” and dealing with all of the challenges along the way. Other books written by Martichenko include Everything I Know About Lean I Learned in First Grade; Building a Lean Fullfillment Stream: Rethinking Your Supply Chain and Logistics to Create Maximum Value at Minimum Total Cost; PEOPLE: A leader’s day-to-day guide to building, managing and sustaining lean organizations; Lean Six Sigma Logistics: Strategic Development to Operational Success; and Success in 60 Seconds.
Shoe Dog
by Phil Knight
In this memoir, Nike founder and board chairman Phil Knight shares the inside story of the company’s early days as an intrepid start-up and its evolution into one of the world’s most iconic, game-changing, and profitable brands. NIKE, Inc. was AWESOME’s 2016 Symposium Host Partner.
Right from the Start: Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role
by Dan Ciampa and Michael Watkins
Recommended during the panel discussion “Beyond Supply Chain: Taking it to the Next Level” at the 2016 AWESOME Symposium, “Right from the Start” lays out an action-oriented framework to follow during the early months of a transition.
Girl Code: Unlocking the Secrets to Success, Sanity, and Happiness for the Female Entrepreneur
By Alwill Lebya Cara
GIRL CODE is a roadmap for female entrepreneurs, professional women, “side hustlers” (those with a day job who are building a business on the side), and anyone in between who wants to become a better woman. It advises how to build confidence, eradicate jealousy, and learn the power of connection.
Thinking, Fast and Slow
by Daniel Kahneman
The author, a renowned psychologist and winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, explains the two systems that drive the way we think. System 1 is fast, intuitive, and emotional; System 2 is slower, more deliberative, and more logical. He describes how the two systems shape our thinking on everything from developing corporate strategies to predicting what will make us happy in the future to playing the stock market to planning a vacation.
Relentless: From Good to Great to Unstoppable
by Tim S. Grover
In Relentless, Grover takes his experience as personal trainer to Michael Jordan and other sports greats and details the essential traits shared by the most intense competitors and achievers in sports, business, and all walks of life.
Good to be Grand
by Cheryl Harbour
A departure from subjects covered by most books on AWESOME’s recommended reading, this book is written by AWESOME’s chief communications advisor, Cheryl Harbour. For grandparents or grandparents-to-be, the book, with a foreword by Hillary Clinton, provides information and insights for making the most of the experience.
Helpful Holiday Reading
Presence: Bringing Your Boldest Self to Your Biggest Challenges
Dr. Amy Cuddy
The author, a professor and researcher at Harvard Business School, writes about how having the right body language can increase confidence and personal power in challenging situations.
Read more about Cuddy
Recommended books — Fall/Winter 2015
Mindfulness for Creativity
by Dr. Danny Penman
Simple mindfulness techniques at the heart of Mindfulness for Creativity dissolve anxiety and stress and have been proven to enhance creativity, problem solving and decision making – skills that are needed not only by ‘creatives’ but by anyone who want to optimize their work, life and overall wellbeing.
A Higher Standard
by retired General Ann Dunwoody
The first female four-star general chronicles her life, service and the leadership strategies she learned along the way. A quote: “I’ve watched doors open my entire career. Some are opened for you, some you have to kick down.”
Read article in Army Times
Unfinished Business
by Anne-Marie Slaughter
As a successor to her well-known article in The Atlantic – “Why Women Can’t Have it All” – the author, a successful professional explores why the ideal worker is still imagined as either a single person or someone with a spouse at home to take care of all family matters and how that impacts women’s careers. She urges readers to see caregiving and paid work as two kinds of vital human activities that can be done by either men or women and presents a wish list of public policy changes.
Female Vision: Women’s Real Power at Work
by Sally Helgesen and Julie Johnson
Recommended by AWESOME Founder Ann Drake this book makes the case that “the female vision” – what women notice, what they value, how they connect the dots – constitutes women’s most powerful asset in the workplace. Another book worth reading is Helgesen’s previous book The Female Advantage: Women’s Ways of Leadership.
Twitter is not a Strategy: Remastering the Art of Brand Marketing
by Tom Doctoroff
The author contends that Twitter is just one way to execute a strategy that should be built on creativity and positioning.
Intelligent Leadership: What you need to know to unlock your full potential
by John Mattone
This book focuses on helping people identify their predominant leadership trait as well as the traits of people around them.
Know Yourself Like Your Success Depends on It (Six Simple Steps to Success Book 2)
by Michael Stawicki
The author presents a simple process of self-analysis he says will help you understand your strengths and vices and create a smother, simpler path to success.
Recommended books — Summer 2015
Forget a Mentor, Find a Sponsor: The New Way to Fast-Track Your Career
by Sylvia Ann Hewlett
Recommended during the Symposium discussion about sponsorships (men’ panel: Collaboration in Action), this book reveals the “two-way street” that makes sponsorship such a strong and mutually beneficial alliance.
Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World’s Top Minds
By Carmine Gallo
Ted Talks have transformed the way people speak about their passionate interests. After analyzing the elements that make Ted Talks so successful, the author gives advice about making any presentation more compelling.
The Zen of Social Media Marketing
by Shama Kabani
This book outlines the most popular social media tools and defines best practices for using them.
Three Simple Steps
by Trevor Blake
The author has studied the habits of highly successful women and men and condensed their winning ways into three basic rules.
I Know How She Does It
by Laura Vanderkam
Answering the question of how women with high-powered jobs navigate around the double-glass ceiling issue (family and career challenges), the author says the solution is ”outsourcing the grunt work.”
Networking is a Contact Sport: How Staying Connected and Serving Others Will Help You Grow Your Business, Expand Your Influence — or Even Land Your Next Job
by Joe Sweeney with Mike Yorkey
Continuing to explore the parallel between success in business and sports, (as Susan Packard does in “New Rules of the Game,”) this book is written by a highly successful business owner, sports agent and executive and investment banking consultant and has a special section on networking for women.
Move: Putting America’s Infrastructure Back in the Lead
by Rosabeth Moss Kanter
This book, by the Harvard Professor who was described at the AWESOME Symposium as “one of the world’s most advanced thinkers, writers, teachers, and change agents in leadership and diversity, is a straight-talking, no nonsense look at America’s crumbling infrastructure and when needs to be done to fix the problems.
New Rules of the Game: 10 Strategies for Women in the Workplace
by Susan Packard
The co-founder and former COO, HGTV, spoke at the AWESOME Symposium about how women can cultivate “gamesmanship” and apply that to their business challenges. She also moderated a panel of c-suite executives discussing their career paths and experiences.
Mindset
by Carol Dweck
Carol Dweck, a Stanford psychologist who has spent many years studying achievement and success, compares a “fixed mindset” with a “growth mindset.” In a fixed mindset, people believe their basic qualities, like their intelligence or talent, are fixed traits. In a growth mindset, people believe that their most basic abilities can be developed through dedication and hard work—brains and talent are just the starting point. According to Dweck, “This view creates a love of learning and a resilience that is essential for great accomplishment.”
Switch: How to change things when change is hard
by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
The authors draw from research in psychology, sociology, and other fields to shed new light on how individuals and companies can effect transformative change.
The Exhaustion Breakthrough: Unmask the Hidden Reasons You’re Tired and Beat Fatigue for Good
by Dr. Holly Phillips
Dr. Phillips is a board-certified internist and a medical contributor to CBS News. She examines the reasons many people are chronically exhausted from demands of their jobs and other aspects of their lives, and describes steps to address them.
Supply Chain
Essentials of Supply Chain Management
by Michael Hugos
Supply Chain Transformation: Practical Roadmap to Best Practice Results
by Rich Sherman
Supply Chain Management: Process, Partnerships, Performance
by Douglas Lambert
Lean RFS (Repetitive Flexible Supply}: Putting the Pieces Together
by Ian Fraser Glenday and Rick Sather
Leadership Skills and Women’s Leadership
The Advantage: Why Organizational Health Trumps Everything Else in Business
by Patrick Lencioni
Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap. And Others Don’t
by Jim Collins
Invent, Reinvent, Thrive: The Keys to Success for any Start-up, Entrepreneur or Family Business
by Lloyd Shefsky
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every Level
by Noel Tichy
The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership Powered Company
by Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, and James Noel
Why Women Mean Business: Understanding the Emergence of our Next Economic Revolution
by Avivah Wittenberg-Cox and Alison Maitland
Cracking the Highest Glass Ceiling: Comparison of Women’s Campaigns for Executive Office
by Rainbow Murray
Hardball for Women: Winning at the Game of Business
by Pat Hei
The Confidence Code
by Katty Kay and Claire Shipman
Managing Teams and Collaborating
Work With Me: The 8 Blind Spots Between Men and Women in Business
by Barbara Annis and John Gray
The Go-Giver: A Little Story About a Powerful Business Idea
by Bob Burg and John David Mann
Creative Conspiracy: The New Rules of Breakthrough Collaboration
by Leigh Thompson
Let’s Stop Meeting Like This: Tools to Save Time and Get More Done
by Dick Axelrod
Personal Efficiency and Productivity
The Zen Master’s Guide to Tackling Your Email & Work
by Charles Hudson
Work Smarter, Rule Your Email
by Alexandra Samuel
Never Check Email in the Morning
by Julia Morgenstern
Other Topics of Interest
The Metropolitan Revolution: How Cities and Metros Are Fixing Our Broken Politics and Fragile Economy
by Bruce Katz