May Reads

I dug much deeper into two books this month that I included earlier in the year. I am getting so much out of this process of reading and re-reading several times over the course of a year. I am building a more reflective reading practice and it’s giving me much more opportunity to apply the learning from some key texts.

Prof. of Organisational Psychology Michael A West’s Compassionate Leadership has resonated deeply. His discussion of how collective leadership requires the same components as compassion has given me a much deeper understanding of how we can move forward in healthcare. He writes that if leadership is not inclusive it is not compassionate. West notes that being inclusive requires that we not only listen, understand and empathize but that we help. For instance, allies need to remove obstacles so that minority groups are at the table. I have truly appreciated his clarity in thinking and writing about collective, compassionate leadership. I loved this sentence especially:

“The most important skill we bring to the team is our knowledge and practice of how to work collaboratively” (not our technical knowledge or proficiency) p70

Clear Leadership: Sustaining real collaboration and partnership at work by Canadian professor of Leadership and Organisation Development Gervase R. Bushe is a very natural companion to West’s book. Already I have been utilizing the tools from this book in my coaching work with obvious impact. If we are to challenge the social norms in healthcare we will need to improve our communication. I am hugely encouraged by what I am learning from Bushe.

Who Makes a Leader by Robert Andersson is a refreshing take on Self Leadership underscoring that who we are is more important than what we are. Andersson’s tools of self-discovery are simple, guiding the reader through an inventory that allows for new thinking. His experience as a mentor and coach was evident, I learned some new things about myself in a short time that have led to clarity and renewed focus. We already shared a commitment to designing our own lives, I loved his phrase “be an active choice architect in your life”.

The Wounded Healer by Libyian-born US Psychiatrist Omar Reda is the book most aligned to my own book in that he too is imploring caregivers to take care of themselves first, highlighting the importance of family and loved ones in our lives. Reda’s compassion and experience of trauma (his own and others) are evident on every page. An important book for everyone working in the helping profession and one I will reread many times.

Finally, my girlfriends and I read a heavy book this month in our book club. I can’t say it was fun but Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Infidel, my life was a very important book for me to read. I am so grateful to her for the work she has done to educate me more about the life of Muslim women, immigrants, refugees, and so much more. My values are not the same as others and reading real stories like hers is crucial to my participating effectively and openly in the world. Curiosity is paramount in collaboration and in learning.