On the Coffee Table: Casey Reason

Title: Leading a Learning Organization: The Science of Working with Others
Author: Casey Reason

via Amazon

This was another book I picked up for my master's program.  Fortunately for my own purposes, the book expands the idea of leadership beyond the principal's role.  Having been in my job for quite a while and having earned a fair amount of trust and respect from my colleagues (the damn fools) I have found myself in a lot more leadership roles in recent years, both official and otherwise.  Especially when our professional community is struggling, which it seems to be more often than not, I find it difficult not to take on the stress and worries of others.  Listening to people complain all the time is brutally draining.  I am always eager to find ways to turn those same complaints into a plan for action.  Reason's book offers a path.

Basically, he recommends leading others in a collective inquiry process.  As much as I appreciate the positive and constructive thinking, I may need to rethink approaching books about work as pleasure reading.  I read a bit, then start to ruminate upon unpleasant things.  I still want to read such books and may indeed try to implement some of his ideas, but maybe not the most relaxing material at bedtime.