Further Reading
A selection of books from the ‘Further Reading’ section of Leading With Presence. These are the ones that I return to time and time again so if you’re not sure where to start, any of the below are a great choice.
Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World
by Mark Williams & Danny Penman,D
I first came across this book by Mark & Danny when I was at the National College for School Leadership, and it felt like I had met two old friends who knew exactly how it felt to be leading and living in this frantic world of education.
I bought it for a number of colleagues at the NCSL who I was coaching and we regularly shared the insights and the practices. Much of the book is based on a classic eight week course, which for many people is their first introduction to mindfulness and serves as a great foundation to the practices. It's highly accessible and comes with downloadable practices.
Mindfulness, Ancient Wisdom meets Modern Psychology
by Professor Willem Kuyken & Christina Feldman
Willem was one of my tutors when I was studying to be a mindfulness teacher at the Oxford Mindfulness Centre. I loved the way he would blend ancient contemplative practices, especially Buddhism, with a deep knowledge of modern psychology and neuro science and apply it to our day to day lives.
He has worked with Christine, to bring their shared insights to this really comprehensive book. I have read and re-read it and there is now hardly a paragraph that hasn't got some underlining or comment in the margins. If you want to get a real understanding of the roots of mindfulness - both ancient and modern - this book is for you.
Resonant Leadership, Renewing Yourself and Connecting with Others Through Mindfulness, Hope and Compassion
by Richard Boyatsiz and Annie McKee
Richard and Annie really capture the spirit of leadership for our times with their exploration of resonant leadership. They know that leadership is fundamentally the art of cultivating meaningful relationships, being in tune with our emotions and being fully aligned in body, mind and heart. In other words, truly present and 'resonant'.
Even before I was a regular mindfulness practitioner and now teacher, it was one of my 'go to' leadership books. For many leaders, including myself, their exploration of how we can so easily fall into the cycle of sacrifice and how we can balance this through practicing the cycle of renewal has been a life saver.
Relational Mindfulness, A Handbook for Deepening Our Connections with Ourselves, Each Other, and the Planet.
byDeborah Eden Tull
I came upon this book relatively recently and I loved it. Deborah Eden Tull’s exploration of mindfulness and how it helps us relate more authentically to ourselves and others is described with great clarity, backed up with stories, reflective questions and practices.
It's based on the simple understanding that the most subtle form of love is attention - for ourselves and for others - and for leaders, this is the greatest gift we can offer. It explores how you can become more in tune with your inner world, and therefore show up more authentically in your outer world, aware of the limiting beliefs about ourselves and others that can hold us back. This book is not one to keep on the shelf, but a handbook for living and leading.
Do Pause; You are not a To Do List
BY Robert Poynton
This is book I have bought for many of the leaders I have worked with and coached. Time and time again, in the workshops I facilitate, the theme that seems to resonate most strongly with school leaders is the exploration of how we can 'unhook' from the tyranny of the 'to-do' list and still be effective and get things done.
This little book is a gift from Robert, showing us how easy it is to get swept up in the cult of 'busyness' and how our coping mechanisms such as weekend breaks and holidays are not always sufficient. To thrive we need a more sustainable approach - the practice of regular pausing. If you feel the need to re-set and regenerate your leadership then this book is for you. It's small, it's short and it's full of wisdom.