Scott J. Pearson

Behind the Book: Eleven Authors on Their Path to Publication

By Scott J. Pearson | June 15, 2024June 15, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Publishing a book is a big deal. I’ve never done it, but I’ve read enough to appreciate each author’s contribution. Getting to that point is tough, getting through that point is tough, and after that point is tough. Then getting on to the next one is tough. Nonetheless, ways exist to expedite the process. Chris Mackenzie Jones has himself published this book to guide authors how to navigate successfully through this process. He uses the…

Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep & Dreams

By Scott J. Pearson | June 10, 2024June 10, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Along with the brain, sleep remains as one of the frontiers of biomedical science. Over a century ago, Sigmund Freud attempted to explore the nature of dreams, but his first attempts seem generally off mark to modern science. Current work has much more evidence to inform it, but few have the time to learn about it. Fortunately, Matthew Walker, a research scientist (notably not a physician), presents a summary of contemporary scientific insights about sleep.…

Leadership Management-Business

Managing Creative People: Lessons in Leadership for the Ideas Economy

By Scott J. Pearson | June 9, 2024September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

As Gordon Torr shares, creativity is a driving force of modern economies and of civilization. While productivity remains important, only innovation can give a company or a society a let up on the other. Unfortunately, few people are highly creative – a trait that requires both talent and nurturing. Managing talent in a way that leads to productive results is its own challenge with its own nuance. Torr shares some thoughts that can advance good…

Leadership Management-Business

Managing Conflict with Your Boss

By Scott J. Pearson | June 7, 2024September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

This short, 30-page guide orients readers towards healthily managing conflict with someone in authority over you. Such conflicts can appear daunting, even overwhelming. The authors teach the basics of conflict management while balancing the precarious nature of being someone’s direct report. The teaching aims not to win the argument but to continue to go forward productively. Personally, I found it helpful that the book provided specific ways that conflict with a boss can arise. For…

Biography-Memoir Leadership Religion-Philosophy

Reading Through Rachel Held Evans’ Last Book Published in Her Lifetime

By Scott J. Pearson | June 3, 2024September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Setting: The 1925 Scopes Trial in East Tennessee Ninety-nine years ago in 1925, the famous Scopes trial occurred in Dayton, Tennessee, in the state’s eastern part, halfway between Chattanooga and Knoxville. The state legislature had recently made it illegal to teach human evolution in public schools. The rediscovery of Gregor Mendel’s genetic mechanism for evolution had brought these concepts to the front of the American mind. At the ACLU’s encouragement, one teacher John Scopes deliberately…

Leadership Software-Technology

The Software Engineer’s Guidebook: Navigating Senior, Tech Lead & Staff Engineer Positions at Tech Companies & Startups

By Scott J. Pearson | June 1, 2024September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Writing software promises a career full of intellectual challenges, never-ending learning, and collaborative projects. Yet sometimes, the career path can seem arduous and hidden, especially for those not on the management track. How can engineers lead when they’re not managing a team? In this book, Gergely Orosz shows how engineers can establish a career, progress to senior level and tech lead, and then move onto principal or staff engineering roles. None of these roles involves…

Management-Business

Managing Your Boss

By Scott J. Pearson | May 29, 2024May 29, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

“Managing up” has become a part of work culture over the past 20-or-so years, but that scenario hasn’t always been the case. This article, originally published in Harvard Business Review (HBR) in 1993 and 2005, represents some of the first voices to discuss this topic at length. Thus, the HBR Press has compiled this article into a brief book for sale. Had I known of its prior distribution, I would not have purchased the book…

Management-Business Psychology

Working for You Isn’t Working for Me: The Ultimate Guide to Managing Your Boss

By Scott J. Pearson | May 27, 2024May 27, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Although I write a lot of book reviews, I usually don’t review psychology-related books because their value is so subjective. The things that are most valuable to me as a worker in a non-psychological enterprise aren’t necessarily valuable to everyone else. Thus, I have a hard time ascertaining a psychology-related book’s general worth. However, this book is an exception. Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster offer workplace advice that pertains to almost everyone. They investigate dealing…

Writing-Communication

The Sound on the Page: Great Writers Talk about Style & Voice in Writing

By Scott J. Pearson | May 26, 2024May 26, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Books about writing offer varied advice and often contradict themselves. Should everyone write like Hemingway? Is it ok to diverge from Strunk and White’s style? How can I inject personality into writing without putting off my audience (or my editor)? These are common issues for writers, especially new or aspiring ones, and Ben Yagoda has decided to address them. He has interviewed and compiled results on acclaimed writers from many fields, genres, and styles. He…

Leadership Management-Business Software-Technology

Mastering Collaboration: Make Working Together Less Painful & More Productive

By Scott J. Pearson | May 19, 2024September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Many modern problems must be solved in teams, so healthy organizations must prioritize social issues to the fore. Yet sometimes, it seems that modern culture has done worse, not better, at limiting stress and anxiety. These problems are heightened in technical fields where workers often address scientific issues, rather than people issues. To answer these troubling questions, Gretchen Anderson, a Harvard-educated Silicon Valley executive, lends her voice from decades of experience leading teams to develop…