As usual, the year has been full of the joy of discovery through new books from around the world. Here, in no particular order, are my top reads for 2023. Enjoy.
1. The Power of Dao
by Max Landsberg, LID publishing
Max brings the ancient Chinese wisdom to life, with frequent stories to illustrate the philosophical concepts and how they originated. He also offers practical insight into how to apply the concepts to modern dilemmas in the workplace.
2. Team coaching for Organisational Development
by Helen Zink, Routledge, 2023
What it’s like to be an internal coach embedded in a top team – valuable lessons for all internal coaches, external coaches, HR professionals, change managers and leaders. (See more below).
3. Confident Career Conversations
by Antoinette Oglethorpe, Rethink Press, 2023
Most managers struggle to have meaningful conversations with their direct reports when it comes to career progress beyond the current job. This is a straightforward guide that could be given to any manager.
4. Coaching in Government
by Theodora Fitzsimmons, Marinate Behan Dougherty et al. Routledge, 2023
Sector-specific coaching is an emerging theme and an important contribution to diversity of coaching approach.
5. TomorrowMind: Thrive at work with resilience, creativity and connection, now and in an uncertain future
by Gabriella Rosen Kellerman and Martin Seligman. Nicholas Brealey, 2023
The new world of work needs new ways of thinking and being. I particularly liked the sections on creating meaning at work.
6. Mentoring Entrepreneurs – The insider’s guiding to shaping success
by The Human EdgeThe Human Edge used to be called Mowgli.
The book summarises 20 years of practical experience of mentoring programmes aimed at entrepreneurs, especially in the Arab world and in East Africa.
7. Solution Focused Team Coaching: 2nd Edition
by Kirsten Dierolf, Cristina Muhl, Carlo Perfetto, Rafal Szaniawski. Routledge, 2023
Brings up to date thinking on how to apply solution focused approaches to teams.
8. The Human behind the coach: How great coaches transform themselves first
by Claire Pedrick and Lucia Baldelli. Rutledge, 2023
There’s a growing realisation that coaching is far more about being than about doing. This is a well-timed book that explores how to leave competencies and rote practice behind.
9. How migration really works: A factful guide to the most divisive issues in politics
by Hein de Haas. Penguin, 2023
Challenges prevailing wisdom about the “problem” of migration – helped me maintain my quota of regularly having my assumptions challenged.
10. The Handbook of Climate Change Leadership in Organisations: Developing leadership for the age of sustainability
by Doug Mackie. Routledge, 2023
A tour de force of both theoretical and practical perspectives on how leaders can lead on sustainability. Aimed at leaders, and especially business leaders, it contains valuable guidance coaches and mentors can use on, for example, climate aware goal setting.
11. The Coming Wave
by Mustafa Suleyman. Bodley Head, London, 2023
At once scary and hope-inspiring, a look at the near-future world of AI and biotechnology.
12. The Naked Neanderthal
by Ludovic Slimak. Allen Lane, 2023
Just my kind of book – busts many of the common assumptions about Neanderthals by weighing them against the science. Most of what we think we know is no more than anthropomorphism!