Who: Catherine Allen, Bay City News intern
Recommendation: “Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less” by Greg McKeown
Why it’s a good read: This book gave me practical tools for prioritizing properly and being able to distinguish between essential and nonessential work. If you’ve struggled with spreading yourself too thin by saying yes to too many obligations, “Essentialism” will help change the trajectory of your life and career — I especially recommend it for managers and leaders!
Check if the book is available to borrow from your local public library.
Who: Ryan Nakashima (Director of Product Management, Subscriptions, Hearst Newspapers)
Recommendation: “The 8th Habit: From Effectiveness to Greatness” by Stephen R. Covey
Why it’s a good read: This takes time-worn classic “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” and expands on it for the age of knowledge workers. While this turn-of-the-millenium book published in 2004 has anachronisms like references to videos in the enclosed DVD (which I skipped because I don’t have a DVD player anymore), this book guides the way to helping others find their voice, and convincingly demonstrates how empathic listening is one of the key traits of successful leadership. I blew through it, like a spiritual experience.
Check if the book is available to borrow from your local public library.
Who: Kevin Wilk (Walnut Creek city councilman)
Recommendation: “What Makes a Marriage Last” by Marlo Thomas and Phil Donahue
Why it’s a good read: It’s a series of 40 interviews with 40 famous couples on how their marriages have lasted decades. The couples are as diverse as Elton John & David Furnish and Jesse & Jacqueline Jackson. Each chapter is insightful and funny with a variety of ways that these couples have figured out what works for them, to keep things interesting and how they’ve overcome hurdles in their relationships, while being famous and still raising a family.
See a full list of contributors, from Lily Tomlin to Viola Davis, and find out how you can read the book at https://whatmakesamarriagelast.com.