Book Review #13: The Audacity of Hope

The book The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream written by Barack Obama in 2006 was recommended to me during a session at the College Student Alliance's Transition Conference in 2009. I purchased the book immediately following the conference, put it in my desk drawer, and completely forgot about it, until last week.

I found this book extremely refreshing, especially when considering it was written when Obama was a US Senator, not one of the most powerful men in the world. Obama writes this book partly as a memoir of his own personal experiences, as well as several suggestions for improving quality of life not only in the US, but around the world.  Reading it now, as Obama begins his second term in the White House, one can truly appreciate the fact that he has remained true to his own principles, and taken steps to meet some of the challenges he himself set out to American politicians.

Book Review #5: Five Seconds at a Time

I mentioned in my last post that I have recently joined the #sareads group through Goodreads (which, by the way is an awesome way to track readings and receive recommendations for new books). The first book for this group is Five Seconds at a Time, written by Denis Shackel (with Tara Bradacs) in 2010.

Shackel begins this book with a tragic personal experience, and how he survived almost insurmountable odds by breaking the challenge down into manageable bites, five seconds at a time. The author then continues by applying the techniques which helped him survive to a basic leadership model.

The Five Seconds at a Time Technique:

Breathe and pause to reflect on the goal, how you feel and whether you are still headed in the right direction. 

Prioritize what's most important

Break down top priorities into manageable intervals or tasks with specific timelines assigned to each

Acknowledge when tasks along the way have been accomplished and reward yourself when they have

A nice part of this book is that at the end of every section, Shackel encourages readers to 'take five seconds' with points to ponder, quotes to remember, and questions to consider.

All in all, the tools and techniques outlined in this book are simple enough for anyone to begin incorporating into their daily life. The only complaint I have is that much of the narrative is faith-based, and although I respect that faith played an enormous role in allowing the author to survive his ordeal, I'm not convinced that every element of leadership also directly linked to a reader's faith.

 

 

Book Review #4 - Motivating the Middle

You know how they say 'good things come in small packages'? Well the book Motivating the Middle: Fighting Apathy in College Student Organizations, written by T.J. Sullivan in 2012 definitely fits that description!

This is an extremely quick read (6o-ish pages which can be read in under 30 minutes), but offers some real gems for anyone working with student organizations.

The target audience for this book is the top third of all student organizations, those over-involved, crazy over the top students who want to be everything to everyone and put the needs of their organizations over their academics and most everything else in their lives (I was definitely guilty of this as a student). Rather than focus on the bottom third of the organization, those bare-minimum, often complaining and unreliable members of the group, Sullivan emphasizes the need to work at connecting with the mid-range group. These individuals may not be as completely devoted as the top tier, but are still much more committed and willing to participate than the bottom tier. 

Sullivan offers a list of thirteen strategies for the superstars of the group to better engage the 'middle', thus strengthening the group as a whole:

1. Ask their opinion, but don't ask them to do anything else
2. Ask "what one thing do you think we could be doing that we aren't that would make this group stronger?
3. Start and end your meetings on time
4. Invite the significant others
5. Give them more choices and the ability to skip the things they don't enjoy
6. Minimize the conflict in your group to the greatest extent possible
7. Let the middle member lead on the thing he likes most
8. Thank them for participating
9. Offer to assist with other stressful areas
10. Give them a meaningful supporting role
11. Ask for help on one specific, limited-time task
12. Take some personal time with them
13. Slow down on the decisions 

In reading the given descriptions, I found a few errors that I myself make with the groups I advise, and am looking forward to applying some of these ideas. I am also strongly considering purchasing a few extra copies of the book to hand out to my Senior Resident Assistants and Residence Council President in hopes that it will help them in their work with student leaders.