Booklist #1: Books for Changemakers
#Changemakers love books.
I love to read, and I believe in the power of books to inspire us, spark our imaginations, and nudge us toward meaningful change.
To that end, I’ve been filmining The #changemakers Book Club, an open conversation series to delve into aspects of change with a variety of authors who write about change, past present and future. I’m also filming a series of short videos called The Future In Five where I ask innovators about what inspires them and the trends we’re all riding into the future.
Here are highlights of the book conversations we’ve had so far in 2017:
Wonderland, by Steven Johnson
Steven is one of the best writers on the subject of innovation. In Wonderland he dissects the power of play as a critical element of an innovative mind and team.
from Wonderland: “Because play is often about breaking rules and experimenting with new conventions, it turns out to be the seedbed for many innovations that ultimately develop into much sturdier and more significant forms.”
Whiplash, by Joi Ito
The innovating leader of the MIT Media Lab is always on the edge of what’s next. Whiplash looks at the keep forces contributing to the acceleration of change and how we deal with it.
from Whiplash: “What seems increasingly evident is that the primary condition of the network era is not just rapid change, but constant change.”
Emotional Agility by Susan David
In our bookclub conversations, people keep surfacing questions about how we get our minds (and those of people we work with) ready to navigate change. As a Harvard psychologist and business consultant, Susan outlines a spectrum of mindset shifts to help us be more change ready.
From Emotional Agility: “Often what we view as a values conflict is really an issue of goal conflict (and, importantly, values are not goals), or of time management, or of the difficulty in committing to a plan or a course of action.”
The Distracted Mind by Dr. Adam Gazalley
As a leading researcher on the impact of technology and our brains, Dr. Gazzalley tells us that we sadly, can’t multi task. But there are ways we can focus more in the midst of distraction.
From The Distracted Mind: “We are exposing our brains to an environment and asking them to do things we weren’t necessarily evolved to do. We know already there are consequences.”
Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization by Parag Khanna
Part of getting ready for change is being able to see patterns and identify trends and then make them relevant to our current situation. Parag Khanna is a master of that skill, at a global scale.
From Connectography “Cities are mankind’s most enduring and stable mode of social organization, outlasting all empires and nations over which they have presided.”
Third Wave by Steve Case
Internet entrepreneur Steve Case outlines the ways that work is changing in the age of connected things and artificial intelligence.
From Third Wave: “The entrepreneurs of this era are going to challenge the biggest industries in the world, and those that most affect our daily lives.”
Upcoming in Changemakers Bookclub and The Future in Five:
Start with Why with Simon Sinek
Quiet with Susan Cain
Present Shock with Douglas Rushkoff
Catch future episodes of The Future in Five and The Changemakers Bookclub on my Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ElizabethComstock/
And be on the lookout for my next Booklist here on Medium. Next up are books on mindset — how to change your mindset and what it means to have the right one.
