Reflections: Favorite Reads of 2024
It is hard to narrow it down, but here are six of our favorite reads of 2024. ENJOY!
How to Know a Person: The Art of Seeing Others Deeply and Being Deeply Seen
by David Brooks
Deeply introspective, humble, and thoughtful, this book is equal parts storytelling and communication skill-building. It is a plea to the world to recommit to empathy and remember the joy of discovering the complexity and nuance of other people’s experiences and perspectives.
If you apply even a fraction of the tactics in this book, you will improve your relationships and ignite your internal curiosity.
“In every crowd, there are Diminishers, and there are Illuminators. Diminishers make people feel small and unseen. They see other people as things to be used, not as persons to be befriended. They stereotype and ignore. They are so involved with themselves that other people are just not on their radar screen. Illuminators, on the other hand, have a persistent curiosity about other people. They have been trained or have trained themselves in the craft of understanding others. They know what to look for and how to ask the right questions at the right time.” - David Brooks
BUY HERE
Think Twice: Harnessing the Power of Counterintuition
by Michael J. Mauboussin
Michael Mauboussin hails from the world of finance and capital management, but at his core, he is a lifelong student of complex, dynamic systems. His published work predominantly centers on uncovering business wisdom and strategy by studying seemingly unrelated fields.
In Think Twice, Mauboussin distills some of the most interesting and well-studied behavioral psychology concepts and walks us through how to identify and avoid some of the most common and counterintuitive logical and behavioral mental missteps.
If you are a behavioral psychology nerd (like us), this book gives distilled business applications to many of the concepts covered by the brilliant Nobel Prize-winning Daniel Kahneman in Thinking Fast and Slow, which we also highly recommend but is a much larger investment of time.
“However, once you realize the answer to most questions is, “It depends,” you are ready to embark on the quest to figure out what it depends on.” - Michael J. Mauboussin
BUY HERE
When Women Lead: What They Achieve, How They Succeed, What We Can Learn from Them
by Julia Boorstin
Julia Boorstin uses her vast skill set and experience as a journalist and news correspondent to bring us this anthology of stories and wisdom from women (over 60 female CEOs) who have beaten the odds.
This book is not just for women! It is for anyone interested in broadening the scope of their contextual lens, improving their leadership skills, and maximizing the success of their organization, team, and life.
“Though there is plenty of deeply discouraging research about double standards and lack of representation, writing this book gave me an overwhelming feeling of hope. I’m optimistic that these women and others like them—along with the data about the value of their leadership qualities—will make the business world a more equitable place.” - Julia Boorstin
BUY HERE
Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents―and What They Mean for America's Future
by Jean M. Twenge, PhD
One of the topics that comes up in our work ALL. THE. TIME. is navigating the challenges of a multi-generational workforce. We live at a time when almost every industry has a FOUR-generation workforce (Baby Boomers, GenX, Millennials, and GenZ).
Unsurprisingly, the wide range of lived experiences, values, communication styles, and work culture expectations and preferences creates a lot of room for conflict and misunderstanding.
Historically, generational study has been anchored around major world events (ex: wars, depressions, etc.). Jean Twenge expands on this foundation by overlaying the contextual lens of technology, both its speed and prevalence. Supported by the enormous amount of data collected via smartphones and social media in the last couple of decades, Twenge gives fascinating context and perspective that would benefit any human interacting with other humans of various ages. Guess what? That is all of us. :)
“Along with the direct impacts of technology, individualism, and a slower life trajectory are the key trends that define the generations of the 20th and 21st centuries.” - Jean M. Twenge, PhD
BUY HERE
Briefly Perfectly Human: Making an Authentic Life by Getting Real About the End
by Alua Arthur
Perhaps the most universal of human experiences is death, and yet, we live in a culture that is deeply resistant to facing the uncomfortable topics of death and grief.
Alua Arthur is a Ghanaian-American death doula, self-proclaimed recovering lawyer, and the founder of Going with Grace, a death doula training and end-of-life planning organization. She is also HILARIOUS, deeply relatable, wildly charismatic (watch her TED Talk HERE), and has much to teach about LIFE, humanity, empathy, communication, and human connection.
“It’s important not to conflate others’ experience with your own because then we give them what we would want for ourselves rather than what they need.” - Alua Arthur
BUY HERE
The Life Brief: A Playbook for No-Regrets Living
by Bonnie Wan
At The Human Solution, we are all about action and implementation. We love creativity and ideating, but also…
…how do you actually DO THE THING?
The Life Brief starts with the question, “What do you really really want?” and then takes you on a self-reflective journey of getting that idea to an actionable place.
Created by globally renowned brand strategist Bonnie Wan, The Life Brief takes the form and function of a creative brief (a document that defines and outlines the strategy and requirements for a creative project) and gives you step-by-step instructions on how to apply it to your life.
“Plans are usually based on facts we already know or can see from where we’re standing, opinions we already hold. But life is peppered with surprise and serendipity that are impossible to plan for or around.” - Bonnie Wan
BUY HERE