Taking Charge of Change and Choose Possibility

TAKING CHARGE OF CHANGE by Paul Shoemaker is all about “How Rebuilders Solve Hard Problems.”  A Microsoft alum, Shoemaker is currently a consultant and Founding President of Social Venture Partners International where he networks with others to increase the impact of social change. His book, part of the HarperCollins Leadership collection, is divided into five parts where he profiles over 30 young rebuilders, discusses why they matter, outlines key traits, provides case studies, and explores implications for the future.  I think our Business teachers - who already have a project about entrepreneurs and business leaders - will final some valuable discussion prompts here. In particular, they could invest time in reviewing Shoemaker’s comments regarding authenticity, complexity, the “generosity mindset,” importance of data, and cross-sector fluency. His "challenges to traits" connections also pairs nicely with ideas raised by The Moxie Institute’s short film The Adaptable Mind and complements Putnam’s and Romney Garrett’s thinking about an inflection point or reset moment in Upswing. While Shoemaker stresses that America is becoming increasingly unequal, fractured, and siloed, he takes a positive spin and argues that “the skill sets, qualities, and traits it takes to rebuild are different from what it takes to build.” What could be as important or inspirational to study with our future graduates? We will have a copy of TAKING CHARGE OF CHANGE on our shelves soon.

CHOOSE POSSIBILITY by Sukhinder Singh Cassidy focuses more on steps that individuals can take to help their own careers. Cassidy, a well-regarded Silicon Valley entrepreneur and investor with time at Google, Amazon, and StubHub, uses examples from her life experience to encourage readers to “Take Risks and Thrive (Even When You Fail).”  She presents the Myth of the Single Choice and says, “It’s time to free ourselves from our ‘all or nothing’ perception of risk-taking.” Cassidy names the first part of her book “Get Going” and she advocates considering possibility and acknowledging that action results when the fear of missing out is greater than the fear of failure. Subsequent parts, called “Get Smarter” and “Get Rewarded,” cover self-development and building “agility, flexibility, and resilience.” While the examples are sometimes too centered on Cassidy and are more relate-able for people already on a career path, there are some valuable insights here for our students, especially about being more open to learning from failure and setbacks. CHOOSE POSSIBILITY includes notes and an index; it was described as “an indispensable guide to decision-making and risk-taking for anyone who finds themselves afraid of making a wrong choice in their career” by the Next Big Idea Club.