Hotline Directors’ Reading List
(last updated 2014 August 27)
At NASCOD 2013, lots of us shared our recommendations for reading/watching/ruminating. It occurred to me that we could use an ongoing public resource that collects and curates things hotline directors find valuable; here’s my effort in that direction.
I will update this page as people send in more ideas; please leave a comment if you have suggestions! It’s my intention for this to become a “greatest hits” kind of document, not merely a collection of titles having something to do with a topic. Think of the books you’d say “you’ve GOT to read this!” to a colleague at a conference. Let’s make this a collection of really great resources!
I encourage you to buy these books from your local independent bookstore–let’s help keep them alive! For those without good local stores, I’ve included links to Amazon. If you buy books after clicking my link, I’ll get paid a little bit.
Avoiding Burnout and Learning to Thrive
- Daring Greatly
(book) by Brené Brown. Learning to welcome vulnerability and dare great things. (from Jennifer Battle).
- The Four Agreements
(book) by Don Miguel Ruiz. Presents a framework for changing how we live in the world for greater happiness, success, and trust. (from Hollis Easter).
- Madly Chasing Peace: How I Went From Hell to Happy in Nine Minutes a Day
(book) by Dina Proctor. A journey through depression and addiction using mindfulness and meditation. Includes a three-minute guideline for practice. (from Meryl Cassidy). - Mindset: The New Psychology of Success
(book) by Carol Dweck. Cultivating a growth mindset vs. sticking with a fixed mindset can make a big difference. (from Jasmine Walker).
- Positivity
(book) by Barbara Fredrickson. Research on the effect of positive psychology, with many tools for integrating it into daily life. (from Hollis Easter).
- Ten Zen Seconds
(book) by Eric Maisel. Short mindfulness exercises (< 1 minute) to relieve stress and recover equilibrium. (from Hollis Easter).
- Trauma Stewardship: An Everyday Guide to Caring for Self While Caring for Others
(book) by Laura van Dernoot Lipsky with Connie Burk. Wise thoughts about taking care of ourselves and each other while helping hotline callers. (from Karen Butler Easter).
- Why Good Things Happen to Good People
(book) by Stephen Post. Neuroscience that backs up the simple idea that doing good and being good is good for your health: physical, psychological, emotional, and spiritual health. (from Meryl Cassidy).
Management
- Change Your Questions, Change Your Life
(book) by Marilee Adams. Learn to ask better questions and empower people. (from Jennifer Battle).
- Crucial Accountability
(book) by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Guide to thinking about accountability and integrating it in a deep way. (from Karen Butler Easter).
- Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us
(book) by Daniel Pink. Looks at motivation from various angles and talks about how we can support it. Also available as a ten-minute animated video discussing Pink’s findings about motivation. (from Jennifer Battle and Hollis Easter).
- Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity
(book) by David Allen. A structured approach for managing time that leads to task focus and simple but effective procedures. (from Hollis Easter).
- The Lean Startup (book and audiobook) by Eric Ries. Really excellent thoughts about how we build new programs, assess what we’re learning, and make organizational change. It’s a book about entrepreneurship that applies well to hotline work. (from Hollis Easter).
- The Napkin, The Melon & The Monkey: How to Be Happy and Successful by Simply Changing Your Mind
(book) by Barbara Burke. Lessons for improving outcomes and strengthening relationships, presented as a series of parables. (from Jennifer Battle).
- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking
(book) by Susan Cain. A look at the strengths of introverts and ways to support them in a world that mostly values extroverted behaviors. (from Hollis Easter).
Non-Profit Organizations
- Accounting for Non-Accountants
(book) by Wayne A. Label. A great introduction to accounting, financial practices, and reporting. (from Hollis Easter).
- Starting & Building a Nonprofit: A Practical Guide
(book) by Peri Pakroo. A NOLO Press book on what’s needed for starting, building, or working for a nonprofit. (from Karen Butler Easter).
Training and Performance Improvement
- The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures
(book) by Dan Roam. Introduction to thinking visually and using drawing to frame and solve problems. Does not require artistic ability! (from Hollis Easter).
- Best Practices for Teaching with Emerging Technologies
(book) by Michelle Pacansky-Brock. Practical examples of using low-cost and free technologies in training, with attention to generational preferences. (from Hollis Easter).
- Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance
(book) and The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
(book), by Atul Gawande. Excellent books on performance and performance support tools, with strong parallels for crisis centers. (from Bart Andrews and Hollis Easter).
- Change Anything: The New Science of Personal Success
(book) by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. Avoid the “willpower trap” and look at what makes changes stick–and what prevents them from lasting. (from Hollis Easter).
- Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
(book) by Chip & Allen Heath. Pop psychology/education book on what makes things memorable for humans, and how we can use that. (from Hollis Easter).
- Presentation Zen
and Presentation Zen Design
(books) by Garr Reynolds. Deliver better presentations by simplifying your materials and making them visually appealing. (from Hollis Easter).
- Rapid Instructional Design: Learning ID Fast and Right
(book) by George Piskurich. Iterative instructional design, with lots of tools included to make it easier. (from Hollis Easter).
- Training Ain’t Performance
(book) by Harold Stolovitch and Erica Keeps. Fantastic introduction to the field of performance improvement, with lots of tools. See also Telling Ain’t Training
(from Hollis Easter).
Want to help? Please leave a comment on this post saying what you’d like to add, and why. You’ll make my life even easier if you write it this way:
Title Words (format) by Author’s Name. One or two sentences describing the resource and why it’s valuable. Include a second sentence if you need it. (from Your Name).
Thanks!
Hollis
You might also enjoy reading:
Madly Chasing Peace, by Dina Proctor is a book I would recommend – and I know the author so know how genuine she is. It’s about her journey overcoming addiction and depression through mindfulness and meditation. She has a 3 minute 3 times a day practice that is very accessible. I also love Dr. Stephen Post who wrote Why Good Things Happen to Good People. That’s my two cents for today-Meryl Cassidy
Thanks, Meryl! Would you tell me a little bit about Why Good Things Happen to Good People? I’ve added Madly Chasing Peace.
Sure-Dr. Post is an interesting guy. He is professor of preventive medicine and director of the Center for Medical Humanities, Compassionate Care, and Bioethics at Stony Brook University. He is a leader in the study of altruism, compassion and love and in this book is interested in the neuro-science that backs up the simple idea that doing good and being good is good for your health-physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual health.
Just added Quiet to my ‘to read’ list. I think about this a lot, not necessarily in the context of introvert vs extrovert, but just the idea that people don’t give themselves time to sit and be bored for a minute or let their mind wander – they are quick to jump on their phone or computer. I encourage my students to give their minds time to daydream – this is where creativity can thrive. 🙂