Destined To Lead: Executive Coaching and Lessons for Leadership Development by Karol M. Wasylyshyn, Psy.D.This is the best book I’ve ever read on Leadership and CEO coaching. The author, a friend and mentor, Karol M. Wasylyshyn, is the best Executive Coach I’ve ever met (and perhaps in the world- no kidding). Karol facilitates powerful behavioral results with her Clients at their Sponsoring organizations. The book is a couple of years old, but it’s certainly not dated. If you want a glimpse into what great leadership coaching looks like, Karol has opened her case file here. She details eight disguised cases. Click here to read the review I wrote on Amazon.
The Culture Code – the secrets of highly successful groups by Daniel Coyle
This book is an excellent exploration of key ingredients of organizational culture. Coyle starts by asking the question:
“why do certain groups add up to be greater than the sum of their parts, while others add up to less?”
Culture is important, we all know, because as Peter Drucker was supposed to have said, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” [Actually, what Drucker wrote was that “Culture trumps strategy.” But the breakfast part makes it a more appetizing quote.]
Coyle quotes a Harvard study of 200 companies that documents that organizations with strong cultures were proven to increase net income by 765% over the course of ten years.
He goes on to describe three key skills involved in building culture: 1. Safety, 2. Vulnerability and 3. Purpose.
His book describes organizational cultures of Navy Seals Team Six, the San Antonio Spurs and IDEO. He also writes about Zappos, and a comedy troupe called the Upright Citizens Brigade.
My work is coaching CEOs and other key leaders. Because of this- I find this book an invaluable commentary on culture. It is well-written and very enjoyable to read. Coyle’s cases depicting how vulnerability helps create both belonging and bonding among team members hit me right in the heart- my favorite place to be hit reading a book or watching a movie.