Shortform Books

Ronald A. Heifetz: Preparing for an Adaptive Change

What exactly is an adaptive change? Have you ever introduced a fundamental change to your organization’s processes? How did you communicate it to your team? According to change theorist Ronald A. Heifetz, an adaptive change is a change instituted in response to an “adaptive challenge”—an organizational problem that has no known solutions. Part of your job as an adaptive leader is to prepare people for the change, and the first step to this is to make sure that everyone has an accurate understanding of what the challenge entails and what change is about to come. In this article, we’ll look

How to Initiate Change and Get People Onboard

What can the fable Our Iceberg Is Melting teach you about initiating change? Why do so many people resist change? How can you kickstart change in your organization? In their fable about change, Kotter and Rathgeber discuss the difficulties of initiating change in a company. They discuss the difficulties of convincing others that major change is necessary and what to do when you encounter resistance. Keep reading for advice on how to initiate change in your company or personal life.

The Confidence Gap: Why Men Have More Self-Esteem

Why do women tend to be less confident than men? Can the confidence gap between genders be explained by genetic differences between males and females? While there are no genetic differences between men and women—the confidence-related gene variants are evenly distributed between genders—the sexes do have physiological differences in their brains, think in different ways, and have different amounts of relevant hormones. Some of these differences may explain the confidence gap between men and women. Here is what neuroscience has to say about the confidence gap between men and women.

The Humble Life of George Catlett Marshall

Who was George Catlett Marshall? How did Marshall’s humbleness and humility allow him to rise up the ranks? In his book The Road to Character, author David Brooks highlights George C. Marshall’s life because he displayed humbleness and self-sacrificing behaviors that are rarely seen today. Marshall advocated for others rather than himself and eventually ended up winning a Nobel Peace Prize. Continue below for a brief overview of George C. Marshall’s life.

Worship as a Lifestyle: The 4 Elements of Worship

What are the elements of worship that should be present whenever and however you worship God? How can you practice worship as a lifestyle? Worship is bringing pleasure to God and connecting with him relationally. Since we are to worship God at all times, worship can’t just be singing or showing up at a church service. Those are acts of worship. It’s important to understand the elements of worship that should be present in all acts of worship. Read more to learn about the four elements of worship.

The 5 Purposes in the Purpose-Driven Life

What are the five purposes in The Purpose-Driven Life? How do you keep them all in balance? The purpose-driven life is what God planned for you. When you live out his five purposes, you experience the abundant life he promised. Once you identify how you can live out each purpose, you must learn how to keep all of them in balance throughout your life. Keep reading to learn more about The Purpose-Driven Life.

Overcoming Victim Mentality as a Christian

What do you need to know about overcoming victim mentality as a Christian? How will letting go of a victim mindset improve your well-being? According to Jennie Allen, the author of Get Out of Your Head, one of the biggest mental obstacles facing Christians is a victim mentality. Overcoming victim mentality can be achieved by choosing gratitude over self-pity. Keep reading for tips about overcoming victim mentality as a Christian.

Get Out of Your Head: Book Overview and Key Ideas

Are you looking for a Get Out of Your Head book overview? What are the key ideas from the book? In her book Get Out of Your Head, Jennie Allen uncovers Satan’s master plan for trapping you in a life of defeat by poisoning your mind with toxic thoughts. She draws on the Bible, personal examples, and the findings of modern brain science to teach you how to “put on the mind of Christ” by literally reprogramming your brain, resulting in a victorious life that fulfills God’s plan for you. Keep reading for our Get Out of Your Head book

8 Keys to Concrete Communication

Why is concrete communication important? How can presenting information in concrete terms make it resonate better? Many ideas fail to stick because they are presented in abstract rather than concrete terms. They are unconnected to specific things that people easily grasp. You need to use concrete communication if you want your message to resonate. Keep reading to learn eight keys to concrete communication.

Getting Through Organizational Conflict: The 8 Steps

Have you ever dealt with conflict at an organizational level? How did it manifest? What was the underlying issue? Surfacing organizational conflict is a sign of unarticulated and unacknowledged differences in values and points of view. It won’t be possible to function effectively until this information comes to light and people understand the conflict’s underlying issues. In this article, we’ll look at eight steps for getting through organizational conflict: how to bring it to light and how to resolve it constructively.