Books We Love
The Circle Way for Nursing Leadership: A Model for Conversation and Shared Leadership in the Workplace
by Pamela Austin Thompson and Christina Baldwin
This booklet was co-written by Christina Baldwin, who co-founded The Circle Way and has served as an inspiration and mentor in the creation of Healing Circles Langley and Healing Circles Global. It explores the need for nurse leaders to develop a culture of communication from the administrative level to direct-care nurses. Past editions have been used in trainings offered by the Association of Nurse Executives and by nursing schools. The Circle Way has been used in hospital and other healthcare settings throughout North America.
Through the generosity of The Circle Way, this booklet is available to download for free here.
The Art of Holding Space
by Heather Plett
Holding space is the practice of compassionately witnessing, accepting, and supporting someone without judgment, while retaining your boundaries and sense of self. Faced with global issues of climate change, political unrest, health crises, and recession, more of us are experiencing disconnection, grief, and a deep sense of loneliness. But, with the right tools, you and your circle can become part of the solution. In this profound book, facilitator and speaker Heather Plett empowers you with constructive, actionable practices for transforming conflict, building boundaries, and increasing sovereignty in your own life – and the lives of those closest to you.
The Four Pivots
by Shawn A. Ginwright, PhD
We need a fundamental shift in our values – a pivot in how we think, act, work, and connect.
The most critical mainspring of social change isn’t coalition building or problem analysis. It isn’t power building, narrative change, or even resource realignment. It’s healing: deep, whole, and systemic, inside and out.
The Four Pivots is grounded in cutting-edge research and Ginwright’s own wisdom, insight, and lived experience as an African American social scientist, leader, and movement builder. It also includes practical reflection prompts that invite us to uncover our biases, discover new lenses, and boldly assert our need for connection, transformation, trust, wholeness, and healing.
The Circle Way: A Leader in Every Chair
by Christina Baldwin & Ann Linnea
Collaboration and group cohesion are vital to any healthy enterprise. In collaborative environments, good ideas can come from everywhere. Today’s thoughtful leaders support interpersonal experiences that ensure clear speaking, open-minded listening, and well-grounded decision making. Reintroducing our most ancient social process, the circle, welcomes everyone to equal participation. Here, two international leaders of circle as a modern methodology offer a comprehensive guide to this foundational human interaction.