Society of Consulting Psychology

I liked how it focused on solid preparation for challenges and sound meaningful thinking and decision making even under stress. Also involved meaningful goal setting and pursuing goals. A book of many good adventures.

This is a book about seeing. The author, a cognitive scientist, shows us how much there is to see if we would really look.  It is a funny and readable book because she makes her points by taking us on 11 walks - mainly in her Manhattan neighborhood - with such companions as an urban sociologist, an artist, a geologist, a dog, a sound designer, a physician, and a 19-month-old child.

Recommended by  Brian Underhill 

Starting with Henry Kissinger in the 60’s and examining the work of diplomats over the next 50 years, Stuart Eizenstat shares the inside story of international negotiators and how they served our country, shaped global agreements, and impacted the world around us.

What I learned from Gestalt Psychology is what helped me the most in shifting from the nomothetic paradigm (statistical analysis and prediction / norms / etc.) - to the idiographic paradigm — working 1:1 with an individual in leader/exec coaching (accepting as ‘valid data’ what an individual says (their data as they are thinking presently — versus I-O training (statistical analysis) ...

The most impactful in the practice of organizational effectiveness / big org change consultation - x  — as well as 1:1 coaching 

Timothy Egan, who writes history as engagingly as if it were fiction, tackled an under-reported and shameful era of our country in this account of the second wave of the Ku Klux Klan and the man who was its leader.

Recommended by Stewart Cooper

Rumelt is not a well-known strategist (a good thing). His book should haunt every consultant. It struck me that we've all enabled bad strategy - sitting silently while clients confuse "customer-centric value creation" with actual thinking, or watching executives produce 47-point "strategic plans" that commit to nothing.

Since the 1980s, I have been working in environments where understanding the psychology of emerging technology has been critical, both in my roles as a managerial leader and as an embedded consultant.

This is a book about seeing. The author, a cognitive scientist, shows us how much there is to see if we would really look. 

The notion of overdelivering didn’t start with Will Guidara but he reinforced the notion of putting the client first in all situations - doing more than they expect. This has become a guiding light for the firm as well as me personally. 

I had this book on my “to read” list for years, recommended by creative entrepreneurs who felt it helped them connect better to their creativity. I finally picked it up as a book to read on our December holiday trip and quickly became immersed and inspired.

Sometimes children's books illustrate powerful stories that are as useful for our own lives as those of our clients.  My favorite story is called "The List" and is part of a 1972 classic by Arnold Lobel, featuring five stories about the friendship between Frog and Toad, exploring their relationship, discovering joy in their activities, and overcoming fears.

The Madness of the Crowds by Louise Penny is book 17 of 20 in the series featuring Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of homicide for Quebec police.