As a faculty member and program evaluator, I’ve spent over two decades exploring questions around cross-cultural dynamics, empowerment, and human flourishing. I care deeply about vulnerable people and the misuse of power, and I find joy in conducting research that can improve people’s lives. I recognize that my early work as a counselor brings a unique perspective to my work, as does my childhood, which was partially spent in the Peruvian rainforest.
I wrote
Strong Together: Building Partnerships Across Cultures in an Age of Distrust
Using the Myers Briggs Type Indicator as the framework, this book offers deep insights into why we think, feel, and function the way we do.
I first read this book years ago and still find myself referring back to it on a regular basis when new issues come up in my life, such as a potential career change. This book truly does help me to understand myself better as well as to understand significant others in my life.
How I’m wired affects how I work, the work I’m drawn to, and how I interact with others. This insight, I have found, is crucial if I am to help make the world a better place.
If you want to understand the importance of cultural differences across countries and within our own communities, this is a phenomenal book!
I appreciate the tables and charts throughout the book that give me quick access to concrete ways in which people differ culturally. These differences affect our work environments, male/female relationships, and even our life goals, but we are too often oblivious because we don’t know to look for them.
I’ve used this book for years, and I’m a strong believer that we can’t contribute to positive change around the world unless we understand more about the many ways that we all differ culturally.
"An important, sophisticated and complex monograph . . . Both the theoretical analysis and the empirical findings constitute major contributions to cross-cultural value analysis and the cross-cultural study of work motivations and organizational dynamics. This book is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in a historical or anthropological approach to cross-cultural comparisons." --PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY
--PERSONNEL PSYCHOLOGY
The Second Edition of this classic work, first published in 1981 and an international best seller, explores the differences in thinking and social action that exist among members of more than 50 modern nations. Geert Hofstede argues that people carry "mental programs" which…
This is a quick read that gives me fascinating insights into the American culture. The authors wrote it for international students who come to the U.S. and find the cultural differences confusing at best.
Reading this book, I feel like I’m observing conversations between Americans and catching insights that I would otherwise miss simply because it’s all so natural and comfortable to me as an American.
Understanding how Americans operate and what we most value is crucial if we are to effectively function in another culture and help to improve vulnerable people’s lives.
For the international student, businessman, immigrant or ESL student, this is an easily readable introduction to American culture. Based on 100 common American sayings, clustered around key cultural values. Sixty "Ask an American" questions as discussion starters. Twelve blank pages for notes. Footnote definitions for ESL students.
This short book explores the potential for individual and community empowerment through impact investing. It explores the drawbacks of foreign aid and offers a powerful alternative by providing numerous examples of the potential of social enterprise to truly make a difference in people’s lives.
I know the first author, Kim Tan, and have the utmost respect for his knowledge, his humility, and his passion to change the world for the better. I also value his perspective as Malaysian-born rather than Western-born. We, as Americans and Westerners, tend to be quite isolated from other perspectives about the problems in our world and how to solve them.
In recent years, we have seen the growth of a new breed of social investors using a social impact investment approach to design innovative businesses that tackle poverty and its related social issues. The authors describe the growth of this new investment sector.
David Brooks thinks deeply and writes thoughtfully. He challenges me through this book to be a better person and to live a more courageous, authentic life.
As I conducted interviews with scores of social entrepreneurs and development leaders for my book, several commented on the toxic hero culture that exists in this space.
People want to change the world for a variety of reasons–and some of these reasons have more to do with what success would do for them rather than for the people they are trying to serve. This book shines a light on this problem, and I appreciate David’s courage in writing what he did.
David Brooks challenges us to rebalance the scales between the focus on external success - “résumé virtues” - and our core principles.
Named one of the best books of the year by The Economist
With the wisdom, humor, curiosity, and sharp insights that have brought millions of readers to his New York Times column and his previous best sellers, David Brooks has consistently illuminated our daily lives in surprising and original ways. In The Social Animal, he explored the neuroscience of human connection and how we can flourish together. Now, in The Road to…
This book is based on my belief that building a sustainable social enterprise or development program requires more than an innovative idea and a solid strategy. It requires a deeper understanding of those we hope to help—and of ourselves.
To write this book, I interviewed 90 Majority World and American leaders who work in the development realm. I have given Majority World voices center stage to help Westerners explore sources of common friction that often occur in international development programs. These leaders also offer fascinating examples of highly successful initiatives that truly have changed the world. I conclude the book by synthesizing my data to identify common traits and approaches that define these successful initiatives.
I’ve always been fascinated by group dynamics, large and small. Why things functioned well, why they didn’t. It’s possible my ability to empathize and use humor as a consensus-builder is the reason I was elected president of a homeowners association, a music production association, and even an agricultural group. Books were not particularly involved in this fascination! But in recent years, experiencing the breakdown of civility and trust in our political and cultural discourse, I’ve taken a more analytical view of the dynamics. These books, in their very different ways, have taught me lessons about life, understanding those with different beliefs, and finding ways to connect and move forward.
We’ve all experienced the overwhelming level of political and social divisiveness in our country. This invisible “virus” of negativity is, in part, the result of the name-calling and heated rhetoric that has become commonplace among commentators and elected leaders alike.
My book provides a clear perspective on the historical and modern-day causes of our nation's divisive state. It then proposes easy-to-understand solutions—an action plan for our elected leaders and citizens as well. Rather than a scholarly treatment of a complex topic, the book challenges us to take the obvious steps required of those living in a free democracy. And it…
Uniting the States of America: A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation
Lyle Greenfield's "Uniting the States of America―A Self-Care Plan for a Wounded Nation" is a work of nonfiction and opinion. Incorporating the lessons of history and the ideas and wisdom of many, it is intended as both an educational resource and a call-to-action for citizens concerned about the politically and culturally divided state of our Union. A situation that has raised alarm for the very future of our democracy.
First, the book clearly identifies the causes of what has become a national crisis of belief in and love for our country. How the divisiveness and hostility rampant in our political…
