LEADERS WHO LEARN... Where do executives and small business owners alike turn to stay tuned into the latest trends and cultivate inspiration? We asked a few of our contributors for their top picks in print and podcasts.
PRO READS From Strength to Strength:
A person I greatly respect suggested this book for my to-beread pile after some deep conversations and an understanding of my current place in life – newly 57, a lifelong self-directed, overachieving creative who just wasn’t feeling it anymore. What this person didn’t know was that more than a decade ago I pledged to never read another self-help, success-driven, you-can-do-it book again. But my drive had slammed into park and I thought I was OK with that … until I wasn’t. Despite Brooks holding the No. 1 slot on the New York Times Best-Seller List and Oprah apparently cooing over the book on her podcast, I had never heard of it. But, because I’m a sucker for a good homework assignment, I got myself a copy and read it in two days. Much to my surprise, this 58-year-old social scientist and Harvard professor’s personal story paralleled some of my own life and professional journeys and his words tapped into my mini-existential crisis to reframe things in a way that I’d not even considered. Brooks talks about concepts such as the Striver’s Curse and Success Curves (fluid intelligence, crystallized intelligence) and how it’s necessary to move successfully from one to the next in order to strongly transition to the next stage of our lives and careers. He masterfully weaves stories of his own journey with others going through the experience of being an over-achieving, success addict struggling to find an updated map for their second half of life.
This book had me feeling seen and oddly understood. I also found inspiration, hope and a new sense of joy to help me work through managing the combination of a meaningful work, family, and spiritual life while setting strong intentions for the future. Let’s just say “Strength to Strength” was the unexpected guide I needed to make adjustments and to get my internal transmission back into a new-and-improved version of DRIVE! – by Melissa Howes-Vitek
10 Frederick Business Quarterly
Winter 2024
istockphoto.com / Jacob Wackerhausen
Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life by Arthur C. Brooks