Positive Psychology Books on Leadership

	Phenomenal. Outstanding on leadership, but, as the stories in the book suggest, perhaps even more important to being a parent, friend, spouse, community member. Dr. Quinn's approach and thinking are so different that executives come up after his programs and say, "I only wish I'd learned this when my children were young!" And, Dr. Quinn finds his insights to be applicable to parenting, also. He shares, with their permission, an experience with both his son and his daughter in the book, and what they wrote about those experiences. The experience with his daughter came as she dealt with a breakup with a boyfriend, and from it she found purpose in her life, increased peace, poise, and success at work and in relationships! Also, if you'd like to know why the superintendent of almost any major school system in this country is NOT a "change agent", read the story of the executive that attended one of Dr. Quinn's week-long workshops that is in Chapter Nine on "Authentic Engagement." (The story of the Mom with a daughter who didn't like homework that opens that chapter is powerful, also!) Kindle version: Building the Bridge As You Walk On It: A Guide for Leading Change
	This books builds on the strengths research underlying Gallup's other books with lots of new research specifically applicable to leadership.  Like the other books, it includes an access code to take the online Strengthsfinder 2.0 instrument, but in a version that comes with a report that focuses on leadership.  The book describes how the 34 strengths themes group into four domains of leadership: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, and Strategic Thinking.  These are illustrated with stories of four significant leaders, each working out of a set of strengths in one of the four domains.  Finally, the authors report on Gallup's research into the four basic needs of followers:  Trust (honesty, integrity, respect); Compassion (caring, friendship, happiness, love); Stability (security, strength, support, peace), and Hope (direction, faith, guidance).  Highly useful and original.
	Professor Cameron is a colleague of Robert Quinn's at the University of Michigan's phenomenal Center for Positive Organizational Studies. This book is short, to the point, and the best summation of how the findings of positive psychology apply to organizations. To me, this book didn't carry the emotioanl wallop of Building the Bridge as You Walk on It, but it certainly can help clarify the constructs and how they fit in the world of business and organizations.
	Do you learn best from stories? Well, this book want give you all the content of the previous two, but it will give you a story of how they play out when put into action. This is the story of how the same workers who were operating the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant -- with lots of union grievances -- managed to close and cleanup that facility in 1/10th the estimated time, at 1/6th the estimate cost, and to standards 13 times greater than federal requirements. Plus you get a real introduction to key areas of Dr. Cameron's work. Excellent, and inspiring!
	Jane Dutton's a terrific lecturer, and she's done a great job with this book. She gives both the research on the importance of relationships at work -- she calls the "high quality connections -- and specific approaches to making and sustaining such connections, and helping those you lead to do the same. We are not talking deep intimacy here, just the quick, human-to-human link that lets emotional and cognitive information flow freely.

Comments

[Matt_solis]

It’s easier to work towards your own interests than working together as a group to solve a problem. It's even harder to unite other countries with different global agendas towards a common goal.

There's a lot of thought provoking video clips regarding complexity and how global problems become almost impossible to solve on a Facebook community page
http://www.facebook.com/thewatchmansrattle

Why do we have a tendency to fight one another when we know sharing results in the most optimum outcome for everyone? Why does our biology cause us to hurt the ones we love, hoard resources and compete with one another?

Heres the link to the video
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1493017207106

[Matt_solis]

The individual is smart and insightful.

Humans in groups are dumb, act under peer pressure and towards social conformity.

Without great leadership, people in groups are stupid, violent, competitive and selfish. And only if those groups of people are listening to good advice from their leaders or role models.