As we turn another page on our calendars, it’s not uncommon to squirm a bit at how fast the months seem to come and go, especially if you set specific goals for the year. But you don’t have to throw in the towel. Even if it feels like the year is flying by, there’s always time to grow.
We caught up with a few of Arkansas’ executives and entrepreneurs to find out what’s on their bookshelves and what they regularly recommend based on your target objective.
Kristi Dannelley
Founder/Principal, GreenPoint CFO
“If you are struggling with burnout or having difficulty making a big decision, read ‘The Big Leap’ by Gay Hendricks. I’ve referred back to this book many times over the years when facing career or personal struggles, and it always helps shift my perspective.”
Lauren Dickey
Principal/Director of Interiors, WER Architects
“I feel like I am constantly overwhelmed with life, work, family… and no matter what I take off the to-do list, I am still scrambling day-to-day. ‘Essentialism’ by Greg McKeown breaks down removing mental clutter in your life and putting into perspective what is important to you and your growth. It challenges you to stop doing things that further others’ careers at the expense of your own career and happiness.
“‘Grit’ by Angela Duckworth was great to read after ‘Essentialism.’ Instead of flailing around trying to figure out how to climb the ‘ladder’ and jumping from one thing to the other in an attempt to further your career or goals, ‘Grit’ discusses how we need to prioritize and focus on our end goal.
Tamika S. Edwards
Director of Human Resources & Employee Engagement, Southwest Power Pool
“If your goal was to become a courageous leader who is willing to do brave work, have tough conversations and show up with your whole heart, then read ‘Dare to Lead’ by Brené Brown. This book explores the various behavioral and cultural issues that impede courageous leadership and gives the reader research-backed ways to address those issues. ‘Dare to Lead’ shifted my perspective professionally and personally. Although I read the book years ago, I come back to it year after year to stay grounded and focused.”
Shunqetta Cunningham
CEO/Lead Strategist, KHARIS Group Consulting | Founder/Director, Over a Cup Initiative
“If your goal is to grow in success capacity and belief, then read ‘The Circle Maker’ by Mark Batterson. ‘The Circle Maker’ is a powerful book that challenges you to think boldly and embrace the power of prayer in every area of life. It’s one of those books you can return to annually, each time discovering new lessons and insights. I was really pushed to dare to dream big, pray with faith and trust that there are no impossibilities.”
Sarah Catherine Gutierrez
CEO, Aptus Financial
“If your goal is to figure out how to get more time in your day to do deep work, or work that can bring more value to your business or organization, then I recommend reading ‘A World Without Email’ by Cal Newport. This is not a book about better email management. It’s about fundamentally changing the way you use (or get used by) emails. For me, it meant getting hours of my day back that would have been spent tediously responding to emails. Internal emails with lots of people cc’d and long chains were a huge problem, so we shifted to short meetings where issues and ideas could be quickly brought to the group and solved. When I speak to other organization leaders, email is a pain point that feels impossible to solve. This book got me closest to getting it under control to free me up to run and grow the business.”
Debbie Davis
Director of Marketing, Baptist Health
“If your goal is to make your gatherings more purposeful and increase the outcomes of your meetings, read ‘The Art of Gathering’ by Priya Parker. This book will make you reimagine how you plan your professional and non-professional gatherings. It will encourage you to be intentional about your plan and your outcomes.”
JoBeth McElhanon
Founder/Chief Celebrations Officer, Lilias & Olive
“If your goal is to navigate the highly emotional and relational climate of today’s family, business, church or politics, ‘A Failure of Nerve’ by Edwin Friedman will help you become a responsive leader versus a reactive voice in our anxiety-driven culture. Written nearly 30 years ago, it’s a book with timeless principles that guides the reader to rise above toxic environments and avoid the quick fix.”
Tammie Davis
Division President, Cadence Bank
“If your goal is to grow in making the most of your knowledge skills, then read ‘Deep Work’ by Cal Newport. It reminded me of the benefits we can receive from setting aside time to focus on the most important items that are likely on our project list that require concentration with less distractions and interruptions. We are all doing our best to multitask juggling many different roles, but much of the value that we can add to our work requires pulling away from (or delegating where possible) low-level tasks and planning and prioritizing what often requires much more focus.”
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