A Growth Mindset is the simple belief that your basic qualities are things you can cultivate through your efforts, your strategies, and with help from others.

Thought Starter: Are there times when other people outdid you? Maybe you just assumed they were smarter and more talented. How about this? Consider that they just used better strategies, taught themselves more, practiced harder, worked through obstacles, and made growth important enough. Now. What can you do?

Strecher contends that “purpose” is different than “meaning.” Meaning, according to the author, asks the question, “Why am I here?” Purpose, on the other hand, is concerned with whether we’re living for what matters most. Subtle but truly different.

Finding purpose can transform your quality of life, according to the book’s research. Really.

People live longer when they live with purpose—27 percent reduction in heart attacks; 22 percent reduction in stroke. And a 12 percent reduced risk of…dying. So we got that going for us, which is nice.

Thought Starter: So what matters most to you? What is your purpose? A good place to start is identifying your values. Think about (and watch) how you spend your time. That will point to your values. From there, think about what you want to be known for (your epitaph). How do people describe you when you’re at your best? Knowing your values and your “best self” serve as a terrific starting point for purpose discovery.

Ugh. Another business book by a retired CEO. Ugh. Yet, it got my attention with this: “Corporations are not soulless entities, but human organizations with people at their center, working together in support of that purpose.” You had me at “purpose.”

The book makes an impassioned plea for organizations to pursue a noble purpose, which is defined as “the positive impact it is seeking to make on people's lives and by extension its contribution to the common good.”

Thought Starter: Considering profit as the sole purpose of an organization is wrong because 1) Profit is not a good measure of economic performance 2) An exclusive focus is dangerous 3) This singular focus antagonizes customers and employees 4) It is not good for the soul. So…What is good for your organization’s soul?

We got it backwards. Success does not create happiness. Happiness creates success. This short but powerful read provides loads of fire power next time you encounter someone who says, “eh, optimism is just a nice to have.” Sling this at them: optimistic sales people outsell pessimistic ones by 56%.

Thought Starter: Research supports that our beliefs can impact our efforts and directly change concrete results. So, what do you believe in and what can that create?

A terrific diagnosis of how trust is created (and destroyed). The book delivers insights on how building trust is not just a nice thing (which it is) but builds high-performing organizations.

Thought Starter: Trust is equal parts competence (results and capability) and character (integrity and intent). In which of these have you experienced lost trust?

Guess: How many weeks in the average lifetime? Hint: The title. Really? That’s it? You probably now feel like you have even less time to get it all done. Well that truth is, according to Burkeman, you can’t. And that’s good news. Because once you realize that life is finite, you become free to choose what matters. Says Burkeman, “Once you stop believing that it might be possible to avoid hard choices about time it becomes easier to make better ones.”

Thought Starter: The book offers a powerful perspective on developing (choosing) a life that is more fulfilling; one that rids your day of the stress created by what you “didn’t get done.” Among its poignant questions are: Are you holding yourself to, and judging yourself by, standards of productivity or performance that are impossible to meet? What would you do differently today if you realized getting it all done will never happen?

This book was one of the inspirations that led to Forty-Two Consulting. It reinforced the concept that a successful economic model exists for those who seek to fold the things they love into their careers. A cynic might claim this is merely confirmation bias—I was searching for a valid argument about passion-based companies. I say who cares. I’m here now doing this thing (and you’re reading about it).

The highlight of the book is the “rules of the passion economy, one of which—#5: Passion is a Story—I work to communicate every day.

Thought Starter: Rule #2 is: Only create value that can’t be easily copied. What value does your organization create that is uniquely yours? Or how can you make it so?

An absolute must read for those seeking to build team alignment toward the organization’s mission. The “why” is certainly the beginning, but don’t stop there. The “What” and “How” are also necessary elements for success.

As the title implies, just because it’s worked in the past doesn’t mean it will work in the future. In fact, it likely won’t. The book identifies twenty habits to avoid, with actionable approaches to getting you from here to there.

Thought Starter: Have you read it? Really read it? Some books take a couple reads before they sink in. Maybe it’s timing; maybe we weren’t ready the first time. If you’ve read the book and are struggling to remember the tips, it’s time to read it again.

A tour of purpose, meaning, personal growth. For a little preview check out the author’s TED talk.

If you’re wondering why “Forty-Two” in Forty-Two Consulting. It’s all about asking great questions.

The book that launched the approach. Get the full story in the data-driven, ground-breaking book on leading with emotion and empathy.

In this best-selling management book, Lencioni uses storytelling to illustrate his take on team dysfunction—identifying five key failures: absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. It’s a terrific lesson on teamwork and team(not)work.

Thought Starter: Avoidance of accountability (dysfunction #4) is where many goals go to die. A good way to hold team members accountable is to clarify publicly what the team needs to achieve—and when and how. In other words: the enemy of accountability is ambiguity.

What is your team doing to keep goals (and who owns them, and the status) visible?

A fantastic, tightly written guide to asking powerful questions (seven of them, in fact) and creating better outcomes. The premise is that giving a little less advice and asking a few more questions is surprisingly difficult, yet (not surprisingly) effective.

Thought Starter: Wondering how to become a more impactful leader? Find opportunities to ask these three questions: 1) What's on your mind? 2) Is there anything else on your mind 3) What's the real challenge here for you?

A thoughtful (obviously) read. Insights on when to rethink old approaches, problems, or processes. Terrific data and anecdotes.

Thought Starter: Asking "how" something works will activate the rethinking cycle.

Packed with research and insight on why we behave the way we do and how to change unwanted behaviors. Duhigg points to studies that show roughly 40 percent of our actions are habitual. Therefore, he argues, a key to changing a habit is awareness—of the behavior, the trigger, and the reward. The book outlines practical steps to intervene in this habit loop of cue, routine, and reward.

Thought Starter: Adding a habit can be easier when it is tied to something you already do or enjoy (often referred to as “temptation bundling”). Want to create a habit of exercising more? If you enjoy podcasts, only allow yourself to listen during exercise.

A extraordinary practical guide to teams and teamwork. Focuses on the power of good choices in creating alignment and organizational success.

The main focus of this classic book is the Objectives and Key Results (OKR) philosophy, an approach to creating goals and sustaining alignment. Let’s be honest: there are innumerable approaches to goal-setting and goal-tracking. This book outlines one terrific method. Just remember: The biggest variable to success? Picking an approach and sticking to it.

Thought Starter: Goals create alignment, clarity, and results… if they are shared. How do you share your goals and goal progress? What method can you create to make goal-setting and goal-progressing part of your personal (and corporate) culture? Are you asking those around you, “How can I help you achieve your goals?”

A must read for those who think people are motivated by more than dollars. Packed full of data and useful approaches to tap into our intrinsic motivations.

It’s all about relationships. That’s the lesson in this terrific, easy-to-read yet revealing book on leadership. To be a truly impactful and effective leader we must move past transactional relationships and move to personal, cooperative, and trusting relationships—what the authors term Level 2 relationships. The Scheins state it no better than this: Leadership brilliance is expressed more in “we together” cooperation than in an “I alone” delusion.

Thought Starter: The idea of “personization” outlined in the book is defined as the process of mutually building a working relationship with a fellow employee, teammate, boss, etc. based on trying to see that person as a whole. Where have you had a breakdown with an individual because you only acknowledged the failure and not the person? Can you revisit that with a different approach—one that asks thoughtful and open questions such as, “Tell me more about what you’re thinking on this.”

This handy and easy read is a terrific companion to Stanier’s earlier work, The Coaching Habit. This concise read provides candid advice (I know the irony) on being less advisory and more curious.

Thought Starter: Stanier highlights our tendency as leaders to want to “tell it,” “save it,” or “control it.” Where can you be less about seizing control and more about creating trust.

Author Daniel Coyle takes the approach that culture can be created through a specific set of skills. Skills that tap into the power of our social brains—built early in life. He details three necessary skills to a strong culture: 1) Build safety: how signals of connection generate bonds of belonging; 2) Share vulnerability: how habits of mutual risk drive trust and 3) Establish purpose: how narratives create shared goals and values.

Thought Starter: Coyle highlights research that shows that expressing vulnerability increases team cooperation. Further, he says that when it comes to creating cooperation, vulnerability is not a risk but a psychological requirement; one that precedes trust, not follows it.

How is your team providing safe opportunities for all voices? What best practices do you have in place that allow each team member to say “I messed up” or “I don’t know” without judgment?

This is a must-read for anyone who will ever have a critical conversation—which is pretty much everyone. Our tendency, according to the authors, is to avoid these conversations because we believe we cannot be both honest and respectful—what they call the fool’s choice. Yet, those skilled at dialogue can achieve both.

Thought Starter: When have you avoided a conversation because you believed you could not be honest and respectful? Try approaching that conversation by first building a shared sense of meaning through open and caring dialogue.

Clear’s philosophy is that small changes in behaviors (habits) can create significant long-term gain. He calculates that being one percent better each day leads to being 37 times better by the end of the year. The problem for most people, though, is they approach the behavior without first determining who they want to be and aligning behavior with that “person.”

Thought Starter: Clear says that it is one thing to say that I am the type of person who wants this. It is something very different to say I am the person who is this.

The approach Clear advocates for habit change is 1) Decide the type of person you want to be 2) Prove it to yourself with small wins. What is your #1 and what can be your #2 today?

There was once a time when we viewed each day not as something to endure but as a marvelous gift to explore and savor (called “childhood”). Let’s try to discover that again, says O’Leary. Being in awe of life’s so-called ordinary moments is a gift.

Thought Starter: Awe turns us away from self-absorption; it attunes us to others; it reminds us of our place in the world. What took your breathe away? What has excited your sense of wonder? Makes you wonder, doesn’t it?

First published in 1959, this classic chronicling Frankl’s experiences as a prisoner in Nazi concentration camps during World War II remains remarkably relevant. Its premise is that any person can, under any circumstances, decide what shall become of themselves.

Thought Starter: Frankl states: “The meaning of life differs from man to man, from day to day. One should not search for an abstract meaning of life. Everyone has his own specific vocation in life to carry out.” Essentially, we are responsible to live with meaning as best we can each day. How are you choosing to do that today?

The philosopher Thomas Hobbes is known for saying, “Life is nasty, brutish, and short.” A pretty brutal assessment. In his more uplifting analysis, Rutger Bregman makes this counterargument case: people are good—or at least try to be. Bregman’s advice: when in doubt, assume the best.

Thought Starter: There’s lots of terrific research and perspectives in this book. One that sticks out is this: if you treat employees as if they are responsible and reliable, they will be. How do you accomplish that?

The First Rule of Mastery reveals that letting go of the fear of other people's opinions (FOPO) unleashes your potential by promoting a shift towards values and purpose. Purpose--rather than approval-- becomes the filter through which we make decisions.

Thought Starter: Our number 1 regret: people wish they had the courage to live a life true to themselves, rather than what others expected. What values comprise your purpose? How are you living them?

This book is a very, very good one (not perfect). Michael Schur (writer for The Good Place, Parks and Recreation, and The Office) pens a humorous, thoughtful, and useful guide to the philosophies of ethics and good decision making—one that I wish I had as assigned reading for Humanities 101.

Thought Starter: Schur says, “When we’re trying to become better people, we should remember how powerful the simple act of conversation can be, to help us navigate these choppy waters.” True that.