It’s time to start thinking about preparing for the fall semester. And whether you’ve spent the summer relaxing or hard at work, there is still time to get through a good book or two before the school year begins.
We’ve rounded up our picks for the reads that can help make a big impact on how you think about leadership, teamwork, and management in your private-independent school.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen Covey. First published in 1990, Covey’s groundbreaking work provides new insights every time you read it. These seven simple and foundational behaviors represent the bedrock of leadership in any context. In fact, you can hear the echo of many of these habits in nearly all books on organizational leadership today. These habits can also translate to finding happiness and fulfilment in your personal life.
Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain. Private-independent school administrators encounter both introverts and extroverts throughout their careers. This book examines the role of the introvert—how they tick and how a leader can best work with them. Cain argues that many positive contributions from introverts could be missed if a leader doesn’t give them the space they need to function at their highest level. This book is very important, particularly for charismatic extrovert leaders, to help tap into the power of introverts.
First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman. Based on over 20 years of data and observations, many believe this is a must-read for frontline managers. The book observes how different managers with different leading styles have attracted and retained talented employees. It also covers how successful managers recognize and use employee strengths to produce the best performance and results.
Flourish: A Visionary New Understanding of Happiness and Well-being by Martin E. P. Seligman. High performers struggling to maintain happiness and well-being in a fast-paced, high-stress culture would do well to pick this book up. Seligman asks his readers to question what enables them to cultivate their talents, build relationships, and contribute meaningfully to the world, and uses Positive Psychology to help them zero in on their answers. This book can also help administrators think about their schools' mission and how to set students up for lifetime fulfillment.
Did you pick up a good book this summer? Let us know what you thought below.
Additional ISM resources:
The Source for Advancement Vol. 15 No. 8 2017 Summer Reading Recommendations for Admissions and Development Directors
The Source for Business and Operations Vol. 15 No. 6 2017 Summer Reading Recommendations for Business Managers
The Source for Private School News Vol. 15 No. 6 2016 Summer Reading List for Private-Independent School Administrators
The Source for Private School News Vol. 16 No. 3 Print Books Are Not Dinosaurs … Yet
