Summertime usually offers a little more time for reading and reflection ... a little more opportunity to recharge and recenter ourselves for the challenges ahead. Consider the following for your reading enjoyment.

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap...and Others Don't
by Jim Collins
HarperBusiness, 2001
http://www.harpercollins.com

After sorting through the 1,435 companies that have ever been part of the Fortune 500, Collins and his team determined that 11 of them had climbed from good to great. Each of these 11 was then compared to sets of similar companies that did not make the same ascent. The team ascertained and named some leadership principles that contribute to a company's transformation: level 5 Leaders; the Hedgehog Concept; a Culture of Discipline; and the Flywheel and the Doom Loop.

Leading Change
by John P. Kotter
Harvard Business School Press, 1996
http://harvardbusinessonline.hbsp.harvard.edu

Leading Change examines how companies can take their change strategies from concepts to actual changes in behavior. Kotter offers eight steps that leaders can use to make lasting changes within their companies. Leaders are encouraged to create a working environment that allows little room for complacency; to put together a group responsible for leading change; to devise vision and strategy; to convey vision and expectations to employees; to give opportunities to others to effect changes; to achieve and recognize smaller as well as larger victories; to use victories to build momentum for confronting more challenges; and to make successful change initiatives part of the company's culture.

Getting Things Done When You Are Not in Charge
by Geoffrey M. Bellman
Berrett-Koehler, 2nd edition, 2001
http://www.berrettkoehler.com

Bellman turns the perception of a supporting job role on its head, showing that a position defined by support for others also allows plenty of room for self-support and involvement in the company at large. He shows readers how to explore their own ideas and effect their own changes while also supporting the work of others.

Leadership Challenge
by James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
Jossey-Bass, 3rd edition, 2003
http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA

The authors determine that there are five behaviors essential to an individual's development into a remarkable leader. They emphasize that while, as the saying goes, times have changed, the traits that define leaders have not. Moreover, these traits are present and can be cultivated in all people. As identified by the authors, there are five critical elements to leadership that involve leading by example, building shared enthusiasm in a vision, challenging the way things are done, empowering people to make changes, and "encouraging the heart."

Beyond Winning: Negotiating to Create Value in Deals and Disputes
by Robert H. Mnookin, Scott R. Peppet, and Andrew S. Tulumello
Harvard University Press, 2000
http://www.hup.harvard.edu

The authors argue that deal-making and conflict resolution are attainable despite the "adversarial nature of our judicial system." Successful negotiations are those motivated by parties' mutual interests in problem-solving rather than by divisive desires of achieving perceived victories. The authors outline a conflict resolution process that adds value to the concerns of both parties rather than emphasizing the victory of one over the other.

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change
by William Bridges
Perseus Publishing, revised edition, 2003
http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com

Bridges explains that physical changes in the workplace must be accompanied by a transition period during which employees can psychologically and emotionally adjust to them. He points out that employees are the agents of change, and that they need time to understand and process changes in order to effectively implement them.

The Rise of the Creative Class and How It's Transforming Work, Leisure, Community and Everyday Life
by Richard Florida
Basic Books, 2002
http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com

The author examines the explosive growth in numbers of people whose work involves the generation of new ideas. During a time in which new ideas and creative approaches distinguish a company as being competitive, the "creative class" has garnered ever-growing interest within the corporate world. Author Florida shows how idea people, such as scientists, artists, and educators, are wielding more and more influence socioeconomically and culturally, and how they can further direct this influence for the good of society.

Leadership
by James MacGregor Burns
HarperCollins, 1982
http://www.harpercollins.com

Burns's classic volume offers a comprehensive historical study of the multifaceted and multicultural perspectives of power.

Hesselbein on Leadership
by Frances Hesselbein
Jossey-Bass, 2002
http://www.josseybass.com

In this classic compilation, Frances Hesselbein, Chair of the Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management and former CEO of the Girl Scouts of America, shares her definition and principles of leadership. Ninteen essays describe her experiences, offer advice, and inspire excellence and innovation.

The Soul of a Chef
by Michael Ruhlman
Penguin USA, 2001
http://penguinputnam.com

The Soul of a Chef describes a journey to discover the motivating forces in a chef's pursuit of excellence. Ruhlman offers three segments of observations: the 1997 Certified Master Chef exam at the Culinary Institute of America, the work of Michael Symon at Lola, and the career of the French Laundry's Thomas Keller.

If you have thoughts of you own to share with us on books you have found valuable for their information or inspiration, please send an e-mail to KeyNotes@soi.org.