On the night stand

T+D, May, 2003 by John Buschiazzo

I should begin by saying that don't have any books on my nightstand. The reason is that my wife has custody of the nightstand (and the alarm clock, thank goodness). But I do have a short stack of books lying around that I'm reading.

Currently I'm enthralled by Patrick Lencioni's The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable. I'm usually put off by books that assign numeric values to subjective concepts, but I find myself caring deeply about this fictitious team. Rather than offer a mundane list with a clinical examination of the impact on teams, Lencioni gets at the essence of why teams struggle. The vivid portrayal of a team and organization in crisis allows him to allude to a model for building a cohesive team.

What do Mikhail Gorbachev and Norman Lear have in common? Both are featured in Working Together: Diversity as Opportunity, edited by Angeles Arrien. Diversity is embraced as an advantage, not a challenge to overcome. When utilized fully, it can create vast possibilities in all facets of our lives.

I also find myself drawn to Johnston and Smith's Life Is Not Work, Work Is Not Life. Simple Reminders for Finding Balance in a 24/7 World. This collection of short essays helps me to stay grounded by reminding me that balance between work and life is an achievable reality.

John Buschiazzo is a learning and development leader for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals R&D in Wilmington. Delaware: john.buschiazzo@astrazeneca.com.

John Buschiazzo, who wrote this month's Nightstand, says his claim to fame is being a contestant on Wheel of Fortune.