The PATH Assessment® has four modes — Purpose, Approach, Thinking, and Habits — which identify our go-to problem-solving processes. Everyone accesses all the modes at different times, but we only have one dominant mode. We’ve put together the PATH Picks list to help you learn more about each of the modes and how to maximize them in different ways.
Whatever gets you out of bed in the morning – that’s your purpose. Often we feel like something that motivates ourselves will motivate others too. When you’re using purpose as a tool at work, you’ll likely encourage your colleagues in the way you like to be motivated. Check out the books that have helped us grow our Purpose traits:
1. Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance
Sometimes we fail, and that’s totally okay. But it’s how we learn from it and adjust moving forward that really determines our success — both personally and in our careers. This excerpt from Goodreads says it best:
“In this must-read book for anyone striving to succeed, pioneering psychologist Angela Duckworth shows parents, educators, students, and business people both seasoned and new that the secret to outstanding achievement is not talent but a focused persistence called grit.
Why do some people succeed and others fail? Sharing new insights from her landmark research on grit, Angela Duckworth explains why talent is hardly a guarantor of success. Rather, other factors can be even more crucial such as identifying our passions and following through on our commitments.”
2. The Lean Startup
We all want to accomplish more in less time. The Lean Startup shows us exactly how to do it and do it well.
“The Lean Startup approach fosters companies that are both more capital efficient and that leverage human creativity more effectively. Inspired by lessons from lean manufacturing, it relies on ‘validated learning,’ rapid scientific experimentation, as well as a number of counter-intuitive practices that shorten product development cycles, measure actual progress without resorting to vanity metrics, and learn what customers really want. It enables a company to shift directions with agility, altering plans inch by inch, minute by minute.
Rather than wasting time creating elaborate business plans, The Lean Startup offers entrepreneurs – in companies of all sizes – a way to test their vision continuously, to adapt and adjust before it’s too late. Ries provides a scientific approach to creating and managing successful startups in an age when companies need to innovate more than ever.” – Goodreads
3. Dare to Lead
Maybe you don’t consider yourself a leader, but the truth is, at one point or another we all are put in situations where we have to lead. Brené Brown teaches us how to take the reins with confidence.
“Leadership is not about titles, status and power over people. Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and developing that potential. This is a book for everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead
When we dare to lead, we don’t pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don’t see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it and work to align authority and accountability. We don’t avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into the vulnerability that’s necessary to do good work.” – Goodreads
4. Untamed
Sometimes all we need is a little encouragement from someone who has been there and come out the other side. Glennon Doyle helps us see situations from new perspectives.
“Soulful and uproarious, forceful and tender, Untamed is both an intimate memoir and a galvanizing wake-up call. It is the story of how one woman learned that a responsible mother is not one who slowly dies for her children, but one who shows them how to fully live. It is the story of navigating divorce, forming a new blended family, and discovering that the brokenness or wholeness of a family depends not on its structure but on each member’s ability to bring her full self to the table. And it is the story of how each of us can begin to trust ourselves enough to set boundaries, make peace with our bodies, honor our anger and heartbreak, and unleash our truest, wildest instincts so that we become women who can finally look at ourselves and say: There She Is.”
“We hope all this striving will make us feel alive. Instead, it leaves us feeling weary, stuck, overwhelmed, and underwhelmed. We look at our lives and wonder: Wasn’t it all supposed to be more beautiful than this? We quickly silence that question, telling ourselves to be grateful, hiding our discontent—even from ourselves…Untamed shows us how to be brave. As Glennon insists: The braver we are, the luckier we get.” – Goodreads
5. Sprint
Sprint helps us break down big ideas into smaller chunks to more easily accomplish our goals, often called a Most Viable Product (MVP). We loved reading about real companies and how they were able to grow and solve problems quickly.
“While working at Google, designer Jake Knapp created a unique problem-solving method that he coined a ‘design sprint’—a five-day process to help companies answer crucial questions. His ‘sprints’ were used on everything from Google Search to Chrome to Google X. When he moved to Google Ventures, he joined Braden Kowitz and John Zeratsky, both designers and partners there who worked on products like YouTube and Gmail. Together Knapp, Zeratsky, and Kowitz have run over 100 sprints with their portfolio companies. They’ve seen firsthand how sprints can overcome challenges in all kinds of companies: healthcare, fitness, finance, retailers, and more.
A practical guide to answering business questions, Sprint is a book for groups of any size, from small startups to Fortune 100s, from teachers to non-profits. It’s for anyone with a big opportunity, problem, or idea who needs to get answers today.” – Goodreads
Check out our Approach, Thinking, and Habits picks!