Recommended Resources for Expanding Perspective
Photo by Austin Distel on Unsplash.
I listen, read and connect to various resources all year long. I stretch to choose materials that expand my appreciation of experiences and points of view that are different from mine.
Here are my top recommendations from 2024 for resources I will keep returning to for inspiration:
Books
Into the Uncut Grass by Trevor Noah (Author), Sabina Hahn (Illustrator) (October 2024)
While written for children and parents it’s perspective on responsibilities, obligations and consequences is familiar to all leaders. The remarkable story and beautiful illustrations offer a lovely way to take a break and reconsider your options.
The Belonging Playbook created by Storycraft Lab In Partnership with Google (Experience Institute (Xi) (October 2024)
https://belongingplaybook.com/
The creative and beautifully designed roadmap has hundreds of ideas that amplify “I feel like I belong when…”. I especially the transition from story-telling to story-sharing. This book is for every leader who is passionate about creating inclusive and engaging experiences for diverse audiences. My contribution to the book appears on page 56.
Brave New Words: How AI Will Revolutionize Education (and Why That's a Good Thing by Salman Kahn (May 2024)
These days, I am curious about everything related to generative AI. This book tells the story of Kahn Academy's investment in embracing generative AI as an invaluable educational tool. For other nonprofit leaders it offers a powerful example of embracing change with an opportunity mindset.
Inclusive Intelligence: AI for People With Disabilities by Maya Jordan (2024)
As a strategic planner, I always looking for the essential trends that nonprofit organizations must consider to stay fresh and relevant. When a leader tells me they don’t like a particular trend or that they would never allow the trend to impact their organization, my antenna goes up, and I need to know more about that. This book is a terrific introduction to thinking about the many different ways generative AI is beginning to support people with disabilities and improve their life quality. For nonprofit leaders it stretches our vision for what new technology can make possible if we are willing to explore it.
Shy by Design by Michael Thompson, 2024
New author Michael Thompson shares his deeply personal story of turning his shyness into his unique and greatest asset, and offers “12 timeless principles to Quietly Stand Out.” While the whole book hit a homerun, I especially love Principle 3: Treat Your Curiosity as Your Primary Responsibility. Michael explores how curiosity is an alternative to negative judgment. I couldn't agree more! And in our work, it continues to be the antidote to turning any struggle into an opening. For nonprofit leaders whose superpower is introversion, this is a must read!
The Score That Matters by Ryan Hawk and Brook Cupps, 2024
This is a guide for leaders who want to grow excellence in themselves and the people they. One thing I especially enjoyed is the dialogue between the two authors, one a former college athlete, sales person and current speaker and podcaster on leadership, and an accomplished high basketball coach. The other thing I enjoyed are the wide ranging deceptively simple exercises at the end of each chapter. Deceptively simple means they are easy to do but they are not simple in the learning that flows from them.
Leading with Question by Michael J. Marquardt and Bob Tiede, 3rd Edition, 2023
The first edition, which I read while working as a nonprofit organization leader in graduate school, revolutionized my thoughts on questions. Then I went to coaching school and made asking questions a professional asset. This book helps leaders understand that when we ask questions in an engaging way, they are a window to open communication.
Courses
Creating Cultures of Belonging Learning Journey – February 6-May 8, 2025
This program is designed for leaders supporting or working with racially and ethnically diverse women on their team or leaders who themselves are racially and ethnically diverse women in their organizations.
Overcome Anxiety On-Demand Course
This course offered by coach Nicholas Harvey is designed to help manage stress and anxiety, finding peace amidst the chaos, especially in uncertain times.
https://welcoming-workplace.com/overcome-anxiety-page
Podcasts
Code Switch
Honoring my enslaved ancestors: Episode 1
In part one of two episodes, B.A. Parker meets people who, like her, are grappling with how to honor their enslaved ancestors. She asks herself: what kind of descendant does she want to be?
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/code-switch/id1112190608?i=1000661584664
Honoring my enslaved ancestors: Episode 2
Every summer B.A. Parker returns to Creswell, North Carolina, where her family still has a farm. But she's mostly avoided actually going to the nearby site where her ancestors were enslaved. In this episode, Parker and her mom decide to go back to the plantation.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/code-switch/id1112190608?i=1000662421640
We Can Do Hard Things
Episode 348: How to Quiet Your Inner Critic with Dr. Kristin Neff
I am a “We Can Do Hard Things” devotee and find great value in every edition. This episode stands out for getting to the heart of what sustains exemplary leadership and a meaningful life. Stepping into a leadership role includes accepting responsibility for bringing energy that helps everyone in your sphere thrive. That level of energy flows from engaging a sage mindset and quieting inner critics. Because of the ways our brains are wired, this skill and habit that requires a life-long commitment to cultivate and sustain.
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/we-can-do-hard-things/id1564530722?i=1000670480614