Late-night Professional Dilemmas and Struggles…Had Any Lately?

I was chatting with a colleague the other day at a meeting. She described her struggles with a variety of issues she was facing in her district. Issues that, of course, kept her up at night. She purchased the book The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy by Jon Gordon and could not put it down. She stayed up late to read it as it provided her some much-needed support and comfort around her issues. In fact, Gordon’s work helped her create an action plan for herself. In a review about the book, the reviewer writes: “The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment—at work and at home.”

After having this conversation with my colleague about her struggles, I was reminded of a middle of the night moment several years ago when I was frustrated professionally. I had heard about Ryan and Robert Quinn’s Lift: Becoming a Positive Force in Any Situation,  downloaded it to my Kindle (thank goodness for immediate gratification), and stayed up until 3 AM reading!  Their perspective on challenges—turning them into positive forces—gave me the wherewithal to muddle through my professional challenges that night and come out on the other side! A reviewer writes about the book: “In Lift, Ryan and Robert Quinn combine cutting-edge social science and real-world examples to describe four mindsets that will help you become aware of the unconscious ways you're holding yourself and others back. They offer tested, practical guidelines and practices for exerting positive influence in any situation.”

Have you had books that have influenced you professionally in this way? I’d love some suggestions for the next late night I feel like I am muddling through!