As the end of the year approaches and the holidays draw near, you begin to envision a version of yourself outside of the workplace-off the clock-disconnected from the day to day trials and tribulations of work, school, commuting…
So what are you doing in this vision? Surely there will be Christmas parties, those you’ve been looking forward to for months and those that you would rather get out of…quality moments with your family that you wish would last forever, and others when you start to wonder when school will start again…
In all of this, when and how do you regenerate yourself and give yourself the tools to start the New Year with a fresh outlook on life and business?
While the above allows you to re-calibrate your work life-balance, what can you do to re-ignite your passion and drive in your work? To make you re-connect with the big ‘Why’ questions?
Sort of crossing the Atlantic as several of us at Esprit de Corps have done, which provides you with a lot of time to contemplate…or a short jaunt to Mt Washington,NH in winter- nothing puts things into perspective like facing 100mph winds…
We thought we would suggest the next best thing, a list of books you may want to pick up while you’re Christmas shopping or ask for in you stocking:
1. Leadership sous O, by Dennis R.T. Perkins
Our first pick, we recommend you read it warmly tucked in a blanket or better yet next to the fireplace…It’s a tale of lessons learned from the infamous adventures of Shackleton in Antarctica. An obvious pick from us, given the adventurous nature of the leader, his accomplishments speak for themselves. Learn how this story of adversity and moreover courage can inspire you to get your team to follow you to the ends of the earth.
2. Women, Work and the Will to lead, by Sheryl Sandberg
Our second pick would be for all the women out there that are tired of being told or considering all of the things they can’t do and want to focus on what they can do. This book is a mix of personal stories and research that shines a light on gender differences and offers practical advice for women to reach their goals.
3. The Motivation Manifesto- 9 Declarations to claim your personal power, by Brendon Burchard
Discover what all the hype is about- why is this guy one of the top 100 most followed people on facebook as well as having the most watched self-help show on youtube and on his podcast, The charged life.
4. Pensouillard le hamster : petit traité de la décroissance personelle, by Dr Serge Marquis
For all of those of you that would like to scratch self-help books off the list, this one is a gem, written by local talent. Well written, this book teaches us about how to put our ego aside and be authentic.
5. Blue Ocean Strategy, by W. Chan Kim et Renée Mauborgne.
Last but not least, this book, unlike its title suggests is not about another ocean adventure but simply a leadership model that focuses on how to convert disengaged employees into engaged ones. Wouldn’t that be a nice Christmas gift?
Enjoy !
To discover all the solutions offered by Esprit de Corps, see the experiences lived by other organizations.