I think that success is ultimately about the dual experiences of both mattering and fulfillment. The bottom line--I think the question that determines if I'm successful in life or not or successful in any endeavor is “was I used well”? Were we used well? “Used well” is a criteria that assess both did I matter as well am I fulfilled as a consequence of what I’ve done. So being used well is what we track for. Success is sustainable in the sense that it happens when I am in the process of continuously starting over in service of answering the question was I (or were we) used well by whatever endeavor we were involved with.
Ideal Books
Stewart Emery and Robert Brunner: Do You Matter? How Great Design Will Make People Love Your Company
A must read if you are an executive that wants your organization to remain relevant. The key? Design a "customer experience" chain.Richard Strozzi-Heckler: The Leadership Dojo: Build Your Foundation as an Exemplary Leader
Profound and practical don't often go together and with this book Richard Strozzi-Heckler has managed to accomplish this rare feat. This book is one of the best treatments I've read on a topic as old as humankind. With humor, storytelling and a grasp of leadership that is truly masterful the author "leads" the reader on a journey exploring both what it means and what it takes to be an exceptional leader. It's a journey that culminates in viewing "leader" and "leadership" in a way that shatters stereotypes and makes the art of leadership accessible to any that are required to be leaders in their lives. Highly recommended!Pam Bartlett: Women Connected - A Session-by-Session Coaching Guide for Women's Groups
An extraordinary and practical guide to sustaining ideals in motion. Author Marianne Williamson says "Women Connected paves the way, by bringing us closer to each other and to the truth within ourselves."Arbinger Institute: The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict (BK Life)
"...is a brilliantly written, stimulating read with a rare clarity that awakens reflection and compels action. I recommend it without hesitation to anyone interested in finding solutions to conflicts ranging from the personal to the global." ~ Gilead Sher, former Chief of Staff of the Prime Minister of Israel and chief negotiator with the PalestiniansJerry Porras, Stewart Emery, Mark Thompson: Success Built to Last: Creating a Life that Matters
From one of the authors of Built to Last and one of my good friends, this book expertly draws on hundereds of conversations with remarkable people from around the world to explore why successful people stay successful and what you can do to have a life that is "built to last".Daniel Quinn: Ishmael
Fascinating book that places the reader in a position to view our culture as humans through the eyes of an outsider. Free of prejudice and beliefs, the outsider's view is provacative. In reading this book you will come to question "truths" that, for many of us, are sorely in need of examination.Geshe Michael Roach: Diamond Cutter
Some great tools and insights for keeping myself and my ideals in motion.The Arbinger Institute: Leadership and Self-Deception
Learning how the process of self-deception works - and how to avoid it and stay in touch with our innate sense of what's right - what's ideal - is at the heart of this book.Peter Senge: Presence
This is not a typical business book. It offers powerful tools and ideas for changing the mindset of leaders and unlocking the latent potential necessary to keep our ideals in motion.
February 2010
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