In the dramatically titled Learn or Die, Edward Hess uses research and models to nudge our thinking on two topics: how we learn and how we can build organizations where learning is at the center of all we do. If you like analyzing topics such as self-efficacy, System 1 and System 2 thinking, and positive psychology’s impact on learning then Learn or Die will scratch those intellectual itches and more.

Are you interested in a philosophical linking of adversity to success? The Obstacle is the Way is a collection of historical examples where people found guidance, motivation, or meaning in various nadirs of life. It may be true that thinking more deeply about the struggles at your school or in your career will shine light on the best path ahead.

James Altucher gives us page after page of reframing how we operate in Skip the Line. Think you need 10,000 hours of “deliberate practice” to master something? What about a steady string of experiments to see what's possible? Think you need to network in person with business cards? What about sending four targeted texts every single day. No need to wait your turn, this book will show you how to create opportunity and then invite others to join you!

Have you ever wanted to start your own school? In Courage to Grow, Laura Sandefer takes the reader from the inception of the Acton Academy School model to scaling it internationally. The Sandefer family decided one day to open a new school model because they were unsatisfied with their children’s traditional schooling.

Think capturing market share, hiring employees, and growing rapidly are the signs of a successful business? In Company of One, Paul Jarvis is here to turn these preconceived notions on their head. Jarvis will convince you that new tech platforms and changes in access to labor have opened the door for companies of one to reach many people and make plenty of money while keeping control of the company in one person’s hands.

Think a positive culture is luck or charisma driven? Daniel Coyle is here to convince you that it is actually a series of intentional steps that anyone can do. The Culture Code lays out how comedy troupes, Navy SEALS, San Antonio Spurs and jewelry thieves all inadvertently use the same tactics and process to build culture.

Think Masters of Scale has nothing to do with school? If you are thinking about how school used to be, you may be right. If you are thinking about how we might educate all children more uniformly, then you may be quite wrong. What is working well at your school or in education that might be able to scale so that it benefits all?

Prepared could have just as accurately been titled, How Summit Public Schools Were Started. Diane Tavenner relays her journey to create a school (and then school system) where real-world problems, self-direction, reflection, and collaboration are the foundation of the learning experience.

After covering the chemicals in our bodies that drive us, Simon Sinek spends the last three-fourths of Leaders Eat Last explaining what great leadership looks like. Using examples from the Marines, Costco, GE and many others, he convinces the reader that giving of yourself is the most important trait a leader can have. Avoiding “destructive abundance” and focusing on treating others well is a core message in this book, and a valuable reminder to us all.

Have you seen progress at your school delayed because of conflict? Are there tension points that never seem to go away? Stone, Patton, and Sheen use Difficult Conversations as a guide to confronting and resolving all of that.

If you’ve ever thought that it would be easier to scrap the current system of education and start over… then Design Thinking for School Leaders was written for you. Gallager and Thordarson show how empathy combines with being an “opportunity seeker”, “experience architect”, “rule breaker”, “producer”, and “storyteller” to create a culture where designing change becomes the norm.

Ever wonder how your mind works on its own and/or with others? If you answered yes, boy are you in luck! Dawna Markova and Angie McArthur have written Collaborative Intelligence with you in mind. You will learn about the kinesthetic, visual and auditory patterns of thinking, how to put forth the best thinking for different situations, and understand the Inquiry Compass.

Written as sort of a group workbook, The Power of a Positive Team by Jon Gordon is 90% inspirational and 10% solid examples of ways to create positive teams. The reader travels from athletic fields to boardrooms while Gordon illustrates how positivity has made the difference for various team experiences.

Did you know the greatest potential for memorable moments at an event happens at the beginning, end, and a peak moment in between? In The Art of Gathering, Priya Parker unpacks each component of a gathering from invitation to intentional ending with the perfect combination of research and anecdotes.

Ask yourself these questions: Is your leadership team adaptive? Are you thinking that being more nimble might make you a better team? If you answered yes to either of these questions, then pick up The Practice of Adaptive Leadership and explore.

For those interested in the complexities of thought, a deep dive into Farsighted will bring much satisfaction, as it broaches the uncommon topic of how we make important decisions. Models, such as storytelling and scenario planning, combined with warnings of “fallacy of extrapolation” and “anchoring” keep the reader engaged from page to page.

David Geurin’s Future Driven reads like he's been paying close attention to the education reform movement for the past decade, written down what he's learned on scraps of paper, and then compiled them into a book.

Are you a Giver, Taker, or Matcher? In Give and Take, Adam Grant explains how our style of interacting with others shapes us and our organizations. One of his main claims is that Takers achieve short-term, individual success, but Givers are inherently better leaders.