Leaders Are Readers: Q4 Reading List

The end of the year is always a time of reflection for me. I suppose somewhere between, "Oh, I love the energy of the holidays" and "Wait, I put the wrong year on something again?" there is space for a pause.

My favorite modes of reflection are conversations, questions, and books that push me to challenge my knowledge and beliefs. How often do people stop and wonder, "Why do I think that?" or "Where did that belief come from?" Leaders should ask reflective questions like these regularly because, as Adam Grant pointed out, "In a turbulent world, there's another set of cognitive skills that might matter more [than intelligence]: the ability to rethink and relearn."^Footnote1

I invite you to take a journey of reflection as the year ends. I'll kick things off by modeling an "I used to think X, but now I think Y" rethinking framework to discuss my thoughts about each of my Q4 reading selections.^Footnote2

Thinking Fast and Slow

By Daniel Kahneman

I used to think I could be very confident when making decisions, but now I think I should be careful with that assumption.

I place Thinking Fast and Slow among the titans of nonfiction books.^Footnote3 I hesitated to feature it because so many people have heard of it. Yet, I've read it twice and find myself returning to it often. That's enough to give it a nudge.

Daniel Kahneman won the Nobel Prize in Economics for his work on decision-making. For practical purposes, Kahneman—and this book co-authored by Amos Tversky—is the authority on decision-making (and the many cognitive biases that make us bad at doing so).

The central thesis is the dichotomy between two modes of thinking. System 1 thinking is fast, intuitive, and emotional. The patterns that emerge from System 1 thinking help people make routine decisions and live their lives. System 2 thinking is slower, deliberate, and logical, allowing people time to consider things deeply. These two modes of thinking work together to keep people alive and thriving, but it can be easy to use System 1 thinking to make decisions that need System 2 thinking and vice versa.

Kahneman covers extensive ground in his book—from when to trust intuition to how to decide to take a risk. Here are a few examples of rethinking opportunities:

• The focusing illusion implies that "nothing is as important as you think it is when you are thinking about it."^Footnote4 Things that may seem life-changing at the time—a budget decision, negative press coverage, or missing out on a promotion—are likely less important than you think.
• In a world where rare events are made into week-long news stories, people overestimate the probabilities of unlikely events and attach too much significance to those events in their decisions. For example, some leaders might overestimate the possibility of another global pandemic and, as a result, fail to provide their teams with resources to innovate.^Footnote5
• The planning fallacy describes plans and strategies that are "unrealistically close to a best-case scenario and could be improved by consulting statistics."^Footnote6 For example, a 2002 survey of Americans who remodeled their kitchens found that, on average, people expected to pay $18,658, but the actual average cost was $38,769. Yikes. I wonder if that sounds familiar in contexts like ERP migrations, data-storage solutions, new campus buildings, etc.

The leadership implications of Thinking Fast and Slow are nearly limitless. While this book is a dense read, Kahneman's conclusion—if nothing else—is worth pondering: "Our comforting conviction that the world makes sense rests on a secure foundation: our almost unlimited ability to ignore our ignorance."^Footnote7

Selfless: The Social Creation of "You"

By Brian Lowery

I used to think "self" was only about me, but now I think my "self" and my leadership are deeply integrated.

Selfless: The Social Creation of "You" is an excellent book for when you're hungry for philosophy but aren't ready to curl up by the fire with Socrates' greatest works. Brian Lowery, a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University, magically weaves the concept of "self" and everyday interactions in Selfless. He argues that the concept of self is "created in relationships" and "the only way to see your self is through social interactions" (emphasis added).^Footnote8 Put another way, your relationships and social interactions craft who you are as a leader and otherwise. You aren't a leader because you call yourself one. You are a leader because others perceive you as someone to follow.

To be honest, I picked up Selfless because I thought I would disagree with it, and in some ways, I do. Yet, it also deepened my exploration of complex social ideas such as freedom, equity, tribalism, echo chambers, and needs.

Lowery's work will undoubtedly push fresh thinking for leaders. Take, for example, his assessment of the often-referenced hierarchy of human needs. "The idea that people only care about meaning after 'lower level' needs are fulfilled," he points out, "assumes that meaning is a luxury as opposed to something that almost all humans strive for."^Footnote9 Translation: All team members care about the meaning they bring to the team and the broader community.^Footnote10 Or, consider the importance of ensuring team members understand how their decisions and work impact others because "if you don't think the consequences [of choices] matter, what difference does it make what you choose? Choices that don't matter in the future are weightless."^Footnote11

At its core, Selfless is about having deep value for humanity. Consider what leadership would look like if leaders took Lowery's words to heart: "When you deny others the easy connection of a 'Good morning!' or a simple smile of recognition, it affects both you and them. In those interactions you, for just a moment, deny them recognition of their humanity, and you lose the opportunity to have yours affirmed as well."^Footnote12

Never forget the tremendous responsibility of leadership. Honor the "selves" that walk the hallways, sit in the cubicles, or check in on Zoom every day.

"Debunking 5 Myths About Young Professionals"

By Kate Hash, Monica Rosen, Sarah Buszka, and Wes Johnson

I used to think young professionals needed to lean into more action and less talk, but now I think talking can be part of the action, and I know the community is in great hands.

Okay, this is a podcast episode, so it's not technically meant to be read. Still, you could read the transcript if that's your thing! Either way, leaders need to consider the young professionals on their teams and those they hire. After all, young professionals are the future C-suite leaders of institutions. Some leaders complain about young professionals and denote them as lazy, unreliable, or whatever trope is being used at the time. There's nothing new about that. Every generation groans about the next.

However, more aware leaders don't groan, judge, or condemn. They teach, mentor, and learn from the young professionals around them. This podcast episode can help leaders, regardless of generation, rethink how young professionals can be mentors and mentees, appreciate the energy they offer, and understand why many young people stay in or leave an organization. (Is laziness really the problem?) This episode is fantastic for those looking to build their leadership skills—even if they don't have leadership titles.^Footnote13

Rethinking the myths about young professionals can help organizations step into the future. It's easy to get bogged down in the past or become hyper-focused on the present because the demands of any given day are real. And yet every leader is accountable for building the future, and young professionals are that future.

Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

By David Epstein

I used to think I needed to specialize to succeed, but now I don't.

In my first year of high school, I was set to play football and baseball. I loved both sports and had worked hard at them. Then, my baseball coach told me I couldn't play for him unless I picked baseball only. Just like that, football was out. I was okay with the decision then, but now I know I shouldn't have been forced to choose.

David Epstein illustrates how our obsession with extreme specialists—like Tiger Woods, who started playing golf as a toddler and became one of the greatest golfers of all time—has become a red herring for understanding success. Epstein asserts that "as technology spins the world into vaster webs of interconnected systems in which each individual only sees a small part," we need more "people who start broad and embrace diverse experiences and perspectives while they progress. People with range."^Footnote14

Amid the many lessons in Range that I wish my high school baseball coach had learned, a few seem especially apt for higher education leaders.

First, Epstein notes that "thriving ecosystems had porous boundaries between teams" where "individuals moved easily among teams."^Footnote15 Leaders must ensure that teams and people cross the organizational boundaries that can stifle creativity and collaboration. Such boundary crossing is challenging because it goes against the grain in higher education, but it is worth it.

Second, he explains that the most effective leaders in any discipline are usually "extremely curious, and don't merely consider contrary ideas . . . they proactively cross disciplines looking for them."^Footnote16 Leaders must actively learn from across areas of interest and beyond their preferences. I may be biased because I wrote an article on dismantling echo chambers last year, but I believe leaders in echo chambers are often the ones in history books for all the wrong reasons.^Footnote17

Finally, Epstein pushes leaders to let go of the beloved ten-year strategic plan. For example, Nike co-founder Phil Knight had no long-term vision. Instead, he "made one short-term pivot after another, applying the lessons as he went."^Footnote18 Leaders with range fail fast and learn faster; higher education could use some of that!

Range also pushes leaders to rethink their hiring practices (hint: you don't always have to hire the person with the deepest specialization), team development, personal goal setting, and planning. Look up, look out, and get some range!

Stories that Stick: How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business

By Kindra Hall

I know, I know. The title has the "B" word in it: business. But hear me out. Kindra Hall's book is relevant to higher education leadership, too. Storytelling is an essential skill for leaders in higher education and other professions, and Hall makes storytelling an accessible skill for anyone.

She highlights four types of stories that help captivate people and enhance experiences: value stories, founder stories, purpose stories, and customer stories. Each story type has four components: identifiable characters, authentic emotion, a significant moment, and specific details.^Footnote19 This storytelling roadmap is crucial for leaders because, as Howard Gardner said, "Stories constitute the single most powerful weapon in a leader's arsenal."^Footnote20

What stuck out to me the most was the role storytelling plays in two major problems in higher education: (1) the recruitment and retention of talented people, and (2) resistance to change.

The key to recruitment and retention isn't ping pong in the office, hybrid work schedules, or even tuition breaks—it's purpose. The purpose story can "unite entire teams of people and reconnect them to the deeper meaning of their work."^Footnote21 People join a team and stay on it when they know they are contributing to a higher purpose.

To address reluctance to change, technology leaders often beat their heads against the proverbial wall with data, big numbers, and fancy presentations. Hall argues that leaders should shift their focus "from features and benefits to stories." Not only do stories allow people to see, feel, and experience change (or the downsides of stagnation), they are also cognitively easier to handle (yep, Hall brings in Thinking Fast and Slow to argue for the value of stories). Stories can remove the barriers that often get in the way of change.^Footnote22 Tell the story, and make the change.

The end of the year is a great time to step back and think about how to become a better storyteller. Start by reading Stories That Stick and I assure you the results will speak for themselves in 2024.

Honorable Mentions: A Theme of Living into What Matters

I used to think being busy was a badge of honor, but now I think being busy is a terrible way to live.

I recently revisited two books that, put together, were very impactful in helping me rethink how I approach my time and energy. If you feel like you are in a constant state of busyness and want to find ways to slow down, here are two books that can help:

Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

By Greg McKeown

Have you ever felt like everything on your to-do list is equally urgent and needs to be completed at the same time? I have, too. So has Greg McKeown. He wrote Essentialism when he realized the price of the busy badge of honor was his health, relationships, and integrity. In his book, McKeown provides a framework to determine which activities and efforts make the "highest level of contribution to the life you want" and "create a process that makes getting the essential things done as effortlessly as possible."^Footnote23 It's hard to argue with benefits like that!

The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

By John Mark Comer

When asked, "What do I need to do to become the me I want to be?" theologian and modern philosopher Dallas Willard once said, "You must ruthlessly eliminate hurry from your life."^Footnote24 That advice alone is enough to help you become a more compassionate and effective leader. Hurried movement, hurried thoughts, and hurried meetings make people feel less than human—like cogs in some giant machine. That's not great for leadership.

John Mark Comer offers a roadmap to eliminating hurry through silence and solitude, sabbath, simplicity, and slowing down. Comer is trained as a Christian pastor, so the faith-based arguments are central to his book. However, his suggestions are not bound to one religion only. Similar teachings come from nearly every major world religion and philosophy.

If the faith lens doesn't appeal to you, I encourage you to consider the broader implications of eliminating hurry from your life, finding mental and physical stillness, and taking a few breaths now and then. You'll feel better if you do.

There you go. Quarter four is in the books (pun intended). I hope one of these pieces provides a few strategies to help you reflect and learn. Thank you for engaging in this experiment with me this year. Knowing that I can share my curiosity with incredible people like you means the world to me, and I can't wait to continue in 2024!

Be curious. Be well.

Notes

1. Adam Grant, Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don't Know (New York: Viking, 2021), 2. Jump back to footnote 1 in the text.↩
2. Ron Ritchhart, Mark Church, and Karin Morrison, Making Thinking Visible: How to Promote Engagement, Understanding, and Independence for All Learners, (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass), 2011. I used to be a middle and high school teacher and spent half a decade educating future teachers. Visible thinking strategies can get people out of their heads and into the world for metacognition and sharing. Leaders and their teams could benefit from more visible thinking. Jump back to footnote 2 in the text.↩
3. Daniel Kahneman, Thinking Fast and Slow, (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2011). Jump back to footnote 3 in the text.↩
4. Ibid., 402. Jump back to footnote 4 in the text.↩
5. Ibid., 324. Jump back to footnote 5 in the text.↩
6. Ibid., 250. Jump back to footnote 6 in the text.↩
7. Ibid., 201. Jump back to footnote 7 in the text.↩
8. Brian Lowery, Selfless: The Social Creation of "You" (New York: HarperCollins), 5, 194. Jump back to footnote 8 in the text.↩
9. Ibid., 194. Jump back to footnote 9 in the text.↩
10. Maslow, the original creator of the hierarchy of needs, published multiple pieces later in his life that argued against the strict interpretation that self-actualization occurs only after the basic needs are met. He later argued that self-actualization and the focus on others it requires is, in fact, the driving force for all the other needs. Jump back to footnote 10 in the text.↩
11. Ibid., 205 Jump back to footnote 11 in the text.↩
12. Ibid., 227. Jump back to footnote 12 in the text.↩
13. Kate Hash, Monica Rosen, Sarah Buszka, and Wes Johnson, "Debunking 5 Myths About Young Professionals," October 26, 2023, in EDUCAUSE Rising Voices, produced by Gerry Bayne, podcast, MP3 audio, 41:02. Jump back to footnote 13 in the text.↩
14. David Epstein, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World, (New York: Riverhead Books), 14. Jump back to footnote 14 in the text.↩
15. Ibid., 280 Jump back to footnote 15 in the text.↩
16. Ibid., 228 Jump back to footnote 16 in the text.↩
17. Ryan MacTaggart, "Dismantling Leadership Echo Chambers," EDUCAUSE Review, March 16, 2022. Jump back to footnote 17 in the text.↩
18. Ibid., 155. Jump back to footnote 18 in the text.↩
19. Kindra Hall, Stories that Stick: How Storytelling Can Captivate Customers, Influence Audiences, and Transform Your Business, (New York: HarperCollins Leadership), 41. Jump back to footnote 19 in the text.↩
20. Ibid., 109. Jump back to footnote 20 in the text.↩
21. Ibid., 119. Jump back to footnote 21 in the text.↩
22. Ibid., 54, 58. Jump back to footnote 22 in the text.↩
23. Greg McKeown, Essentialism: The Disciplines Pursuit of Less, (New York: Crown Business), 18. Jump back to footnote 23 in the text.↩
24. John Mark Comer, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, (Colorado Springs: WaterBrook), 18–19. Jump back to footnote 24 in the text.↩

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Ryan MacTaggart is Associate Director, Professional Learning, at EDUCAUSE.