Books that influenced my thinking in 2018

I have been an avid reader since childhood. What I didn’t know then, that I know now, is that not only does reading make you smarter, it can also make you healthy and happy. I have also learned over the years, that I not only love reading, I love reading books.

Yes, in this digital age, I still love the feel of a physical book. There’s a physicality to reading and an emotional connection that I make with print books, that somehow gets lost on the screen. Though like most of you, I read both print books and e-books, and here are a few that have influenced my thinking as a leader and learner in 2018.


  1. Learning to Improve: How America’s Schools Can Get Better at Getting Better by Anthony S. Bryk, Louis M. Gomez, Alicia Grunow, and Paul G. LeMahieu
  2. Leading with Questions: How Leaders Find the Right Solutions By Knowing What To Ask by Michael Marquardt
  3. BreakThrough Principals by Jean Desravines, Jaime Aquino, and Benjamin Fenton
  4. Creating Cultures of Thinking by Ron Ritchhart
  5. Leadership Coaching for Educators by Karla Reis
  6. Immunity to Change: How to Overcome It and Unlock the Potential in Yourself and Your Organization by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey
  7. Your Faith Walk: Wisdom and Affirmations on the Path to Personal Power from the editors of ESSENCE
  8. When: The Scientific Thinking of Perfect Timing by Daniel Pink
  9. Becoming by Michelle Obama