The Death of Common Sense. This best seller describes how bureaucrats and politicians sometimes produce laws and regulations that undermine civil society. It's hard to legislate common sense. The lawyer/author has created an organization called "Common Good" www.cgood.org, that is trying to return us to sanity.

The Tipping Point. A quick and fun read, this NY Times best seller explains how ideas can change cultures. Learn how to create social maps of organizations, or even your own family. Learn how to identify "connecters", "mavens" and other influencers. This is a must read for every business or social entrepreneur.

Leading Minds. A fascinating collection of brief histories of some of the most successful leaders in modern times...in business, politics, science, education, military, religion, etc. The skills of successful leaders in one area and time don't necessarily translate to other areas and times. The author is a Harvard psychologist and father of "the theory of multiple intelligences".

Blink. Another quick and fun read by the author of The Tipping Point. He explains how intuition, instant judgment, what he calls "thin slicing" can sometimes be more accurate than lengthy detailed analysis. This is useful for organization builders and leaders everywhere.

Ship in the Balloon. This is the story of Boston Scientific, the company I started in the late 1960's, and the evolution/revolution of less invasive medicine. Although I'm not the official author, I was responsible for most of the organization, pictures and all of the editing. Not too many people have the opportunity to build a company from 0 to $6 billion U.S, or develop and supply alternatives to surgery around the world, or grow from 1 employee to 18,000. It has been a great privilege and responsibility and incredible learning experience.

Wisdom of Crowds. We all know the title of this book is an oxymoron. But, surprisingly, sometimes crowds are wiser than the brightest in those crowds. Understanding how and why can be extraordinarily valuable if you are leading a group, or convening a meeting. It is part of what Kingbridge is all about.

Freakonomics. This is an in-your-fact title for a fascinating book. The author is a highly respected economist, but economics is about a lot more than money and numbers. This is about behavioral economics and the book explains many behaviors in society and why they occur…sometimes for very surprising reasons. This is useful reading for anybody who makes decisions (everybody).

Good to Great. Jim Collins’ book is a classic about what makes great organizations great. If you haven’t read it yet, put it on your list.

The World is Flat. Another title for this book might be “The World is Upside Down”. Friedman is a humble but profound observer of the techno-social revolution going on around s and the implications for our society and the world. Not many people understand what globalization means, whether it is good or bad or whether it can be legislated out of existence. Every leader should make this book required reading for her or his staff. What are the implications (challenges or opportunities) for you?

Links:

The Masie Center and the Elliott Masie Learning Consortium: http://www.masie.com/masie/default.cfm?page=default