With evangelicals attempting a hold on political power in the name of morality, this book is as relevant today as it was when it was first penned around 100 years ago. Personally, I’m a devout Christian and coordinate a Sunday School class. I’m also a lover of truth and, like Sinclair Lewis, find the evangelical movement’s unwillingness to accept uncomfortable truths troublesome. This book scandalized the American public in 1927, and its study of humans’…
The young field of science communication has developed to address the gap between academic science and local communities. Scientific knowledge has explained most natural process, but some mastered processes remain unexplained to individuals in the community. Instead of just relying on overcommitted professors, scientists with interests in communications have begun careers specifically to fill the gap. In this book, Faith Kearns describes this emerging field’s evolution, challenges, and speculative future. One common misconception contends that…
Unlike with men, women’s places in society have long been under debate. Many women face pressure to quiet their voices and opinions merely because of their gender. When that happens, though, society loses the individual contribution of women’s minds and spirits. Instead of growing forward together, we lose someone’s unique gifts. In this book, voice coach Veronica Rueckert attempts to liberate women’s voices from these oppressive patterns so that they can give back better. As…
I learned to develop software in the 1990s and started full-time work in the 2000s. I took time off to study other fields and returned to the practice in 2012, about the time this book came out. In the last 13-or-so years, I’ve noticed that the art of testing software has changed significantly. Twenty-five years ago, I started to code in an academic lab where we did our own testing out of necessity. In industry,…
“What’s past is prologue; what’s to come, in yours and my discharge,” wrote Shakespeare centuries ago in The Tempest. For the most part, women have been excluded from the enterprise of biomedical research throughout history. However, that practice has been changing in recent decades, and the trend will likely continue in coming decades. The challenge is mostly obvious: How can a woman balance a career demanding high performance with a fulfilling personal life, often with…
Leadership is a tricky task. No amount of technical excellence makes a good leader. The Arbinger Institute, a leadership research group, suggests that a heart at peace internally is the most important component for individuals to lead effectively. They contend this assertion applies to almost every realm of leadership, from parenting and organizations to world politics. And they show exactly how in this leadership fable. This story tells about a group that resolves family conflicts…
Organizational leadership is well-studied because it has such a wide impact. Many professionals spend time perusing books and other materials to glean actionable insights. However, many of those same people don’t spend any time learning how their families work. To reply, leadership author Patrick Lencioni points out that families are just another sort of organization. Yes, family dynamics are different than those of businesses; they deserve a different approach. As with organizations, the skill of…
As young people leave the classroom and enter the workplace, they are immediately struck by how central dealing with people issues becomes. Even the most technically gifted employee has to deal with others’ innumerable quirks. Then, when someone enters management, they may have power, but their job is based on motivating subordinates to produce. Yet few of us have academic expertise in dealing with people. Roy Lubit does. He holds an MD in psychiatry, which…
Many blindly go into leadership roles to achieve a level of social prestige and power over others. However, that attitude does not last long as the spoils of ego satisfaction fade away quickly. To contrast, the Arbinger Institute offers a better way: service to one’s fellow human beings, centered around getting results for the company. When an organizational catches on to this purpose, its effectiveness can skyrocket. This fictional story illustrates how such a mindset…
A lot of people live under the rubric that life conditions us and forms us by teaching us fixed truths about ourselves. However, recent scientific discoveries have taught us that the brain continues to adapt (i.e., learn and re-form) throughout one’s entire life – a property called neuroplasticity. Therefore, our spiritual lives and self-image can grow so long as we live. Author Teri Brown and her new husband Bruce discovered this life principle as they…