Spark by Chris Mettler and Jon Yarian

SPARK by Chris Mettler and Jon Yarian Offers “24 Concepts to Ignite, Unstick or Supercharge Your Work Life.”  With numerous short chapters, it is written in a relatively informal way “in everyday language and offers examples that real people can relate to.” Overall, this seems like a text which would be especially interesting to younger and mid-career workers, with advice like, “I learned to ask dumb questions, risk embarrassment, and embrace failure for the gift of knowledge it offers.” Both authors have extensive start-up business experience. Mettler has founded several companies and is currently Founder and Chairman of Sovereign, a marketing technology company; Yarian, described as a writer, speaker, serial entrepreneur, and performance coach, is Sovereign’s Senior Vice President of Operations and Strategy. They encourage readers to put aside preconceived notions and to be open to new ways of thinking and acting. For example, they define leadership as “the relinquishment of the illusion of control.” That, in turn allows people to see “your commitment to them and your vision for what is possible for you to accomplish together.” Isn’t that a terrific description of the best boss(es) you have had? SPARK is “a (mostly) modular book” with three main sections: the first involves concepts to work on within yourself, the second focuses on partnerships, teams, and interpersonal skills, and the third section looks more broadly across entire organizations and company culture. A final section suggests combinations and sequences. This relatively short (about 200 pages) but powerful book would be a fascinating text to read and discuss as a group.