Suggested Reading
Done well, aquatic science is collaborative, interdisciplinary, and global. It is a field that highly prizes the roles of facilitator, organizer, and leader. However, these skills are often overlooked aspects of ocean science training. Research and teaching skills are developed in academic settings, while stakeholder engagement and partnership-building skills are most commonly gained in government and non-governmental organization positions. How do you bring it all together to become an effective leader in aquatic science? What skills do you need? What characteristics might suggest you would be a good leader? How can you try out this pathway? Bob Chen, Claudia Benitez-Nelson, John Downing, and Deborah Bronk developed the resources list below for a workshop at the 2023 Aquatic Sciences Meeting. All have held leadership positions in ASLO.
Allen, D. and J. Fallows. 2015. Getting things done: the art of stress-free productivity. Penguin Books. (How to keep from drowning now that you’ve taken this on)
Bridges, W. 2009. Managing transitions: making the most of change. De Capo Press. (on dealing with the inevitable change that comes with new leadership)
Christensen, C.M. 2012. How will you measure your life? Harper Collins. (on leadership and work-life balance- written by an old friend of CSSP)
Coerver, H. and M. Byers. 2011. Race for relevance: 5 radical changes for associations. ASAE (directed toward making societies work better)
Coerver, H. and M. Byers. 2013. Road to relevance: 5 strategies for competitive associations. ASAE (directed toward ensuring the success of societies and associations- and other non-profits)
Coleman, D. 2005. Emotional intelligence: why it matters more than IQ. Bantam (Working better with people)
Collins, J. 2001. Why some companies make the leap….and others don’t. Harper Collins. (Innovating in your presidency and keeping your society alive)
Elsner, R. and B. Farrands. 2012. Leadership transitions: how business leaders take charge in new roles. Kogan Page. (about taking on a new leadership role in an organization and making it work)
Gleeson, B. Taking point: a navy SEAL’s 10 fail-safe principles for leading through change. Touchstone. (about leading through periods of change)
Heath, C. and D. Heath. 2010. Switch: how to change things when change is hard. Random House (countering “it’s always been done like this”)
Heath, D. and C. Heath. 2008. Made to stick: why some ideas survive and others die. Random House (promotion and branding)
Willink, J. and L. Babin. 2017. Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win. St. Martin’s. (rules of engagement and other combat metaphors)