What I’ve Been Reading

Schön, D.A. (1983) The reflective practitioner: How professionals think in action. Donald Schön’s book is the key text on reflective practice. First published in 1983, it led to a real commitment to reflective practice being introduced into many professional disciplines, including conflict resolution. The book begins by explaining the difference between competence and artistry, showing […]

If you are serious about becoming a conflict resolution practitioner who is more than just a basically competent practitioner, then this book by Michael Lang is essential reading. This book introduces the concept of reflective practice and how to apply it in your work as a conflict resolution practitioner. It comes with guides for reflection,

Wait, What? And Life’s other Essential Questions, by James E. Ryan. If you’ve been following me for a while, you know I’m rather obsessed by questioning! It’s an essential part of my work as a conflict management coach and conflict specialist. It’s also a fundamental life skill. This book is an extended version of a

Jay Shetty’s book is subtitled “Train your mind for peace and purpose every day”. Shetty first met a monk when he was eighteen years old and attending business school in London. This meeting led to him joining an ashram after he graduated from college, and living there for three years. He subsequently left the ashram

The Righteous Mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion – by Jonathan Haidt This book was written in 2012, but I recently re-read it and found that it still applies beautifully to the current political drama playing out in the US at the moment and the challenges of COVID. Haidt explores why

Warren Berger, the author of The Book Of Beautiful Questions, describes himself as a “questionologist”. His background as a journalist sparked his interest in questions as a tool for gathering information for a story, but he realised that questioning was also useful for solving problems, being creative and developing connections. Research has shown that children

This book, by the founder of Pixar Animation, is not directly about managing conflict. It is an inspiring lesson about leadership and creativity. But these things are always related. Catmull acknowledges that any organisation will always have problems (conflict is one) and that many of them are hidden from view. He explains that leaders have

Wow! On the cover Brené Brown says this book “shakes you by the shoulders” but for me it was more like a slap in the face! It’s a very personal, at times disjointed, collection of Glennon Doyle’s personal reflections on her life and experiences. True to form, she doesn’t write it to please the reader.

What I’ve been reading: Boundaries for Leaders, by Dr Henry Cloud. This book is a must-read for anyone who manages conflict in the workplace. Boundaries are an essential part of good conflict management and leadership. In this book, Dr Henry Cloud explains that boundaries help leaders manage themselves and lead others. They support and enhance