03-03-2025
I love a good leadership book, the kind that makes you think differently, sparks great conversation, or gives you something genuinely useful to take into your work and life. Books are a window into powerful ideas, fresh perspectives, and practical tools that make us better leaders. As a professor of Leadership for a Changing World and a researcher studying work, life, and how it all comes together, I spend a lot of time exploring how people lead, collaborate, and thrive. Since I’m always sharing book recommendations with students, colleagues, and friends, I figured it was time to bring those conversations here.
This series is an invitation to read along with me, diving in together on some of the most fascinating, research-backed, and worthwhile books on leadership, the ones that challenge assumptions, offer fresh insights, and (hopefully) make us all better at what we do. Each month, I will share a new read, covering who should read it, what you’ll take away from it, and why it’s worth a look.
Think of it as your curated leadership reading list, with a bit of my take along the way. If you love learning from great thinkers and big ideas, I hope you’ll read along with me. Or at least find your next favorite leadership book!
Let’s get started. My March selection is Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working by Dan Heath.
If you, your team, or your organization feel stuck, Reset offers a practical guide to getting “unstuck.” Heath breaks down how to recognize ineffective patterns, whether in daily habits, relationships, or big organizational roadblocks, and identify leverage points for meaningful change. From small shifts in personal routines to rethinking large-scale processes, this book provides a systematic approach to making better use of your time, energy, and resources.
I recently took a “walk and talk” with a Daniels School student who loves what she’s doing but is burning herself out. She’s juggling clubs, coursework, case studies, and community involvement—everything that makes student life rich and fulfilling. But she was exhausted, on the verge of burnout. What she needed was a reset.
I shared a piece of advice from Reset: “Go and see the work.” I encouraged her to step back and really examine her day, where she was getting stuck and what needed to change. We also focused on what was working, a concept Heath calls “study the bright spots.” Often, the best way to fix what’s not working is to learn from what is. This advice is transferable to so many of our leadership challenges, really look at what’s going on, identify what’s working, target what’s not working, and map out how to make meaningful change.
The book then shifts to a key challenge in both leadership and management: how to manage resources effectively. Organizational scholars understand that both individuals and organizations have finite resources, making it essential to recognize what generates energy, what drains it, and whether resources are aligned with goals.
Heath’s arguments are grounded in Stevan Hobfoll’s Conservation of Resources Theory, a classic management hypothesis that explains how people strive to protect and build resources while avoiding unnecessary depletion. But rather than a dense academic take, Reset presents these ideas in a practical, accessible way. Heath emphasizes that success isn’t about just doing more; it’s about doing less and more. Growth and progress don’t come from endlessly adding new tasks, expectations, or processes. They come from freeing up resources to focus on what truly matters.
Reset ends with an emphasis on autonomy, the ability to make choices and have control over one’s own work, and learning, the ongoing process of developing new skills, adapting to change, and refining how we approach challenges. Heath brings the focus back to individuals, highlighting the importance of personal experiences and intrinsic motivation in making meaningful change.
For me, it was a great reminder to keep honing my skills, evaluating my processes, and empowering others to take ownership of their work and lives. I feel confident in recommending this book. There’s something here for all Boilermakers, whether it’s a fresh perspective, a practical strategy, a compelling story (the examples and narratives he shares are true gems), or simply the reminder that a well-timed reset can make all the difference.
Kate Zipay is an assistant professor of management in organizational behavior and human resources at Purdue’s Mitch Daniels School of Business. Her research examines the influence of life outside of work on employee emotions, attitudes, and contemporary issues of justice on employee outcomes. In 2021, she was selected as a “Top 40 Undergraduate Business Professor” by Poets & Quants.
