by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow 

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Randy Pausch was a professor of a Computer science, Human Computer interaction and Design at Carnegie Mellon University.

Pausch learned that he had pancreatic cancer in September 2006, and in August 2007, he was given a terminal diagnosis.

He delivered “The Last Lecture” as a way of passing his knowledge and experience to his children which became a popular video on YouTube and a New York Best Seller.
The text is both inspiring and powerful. Randy talks about achieving his childhood dreams and how he goes about it from a very young age- attributing to him winning the parent lottery(letting him use his imagination and draw and paint on walls of his room) and coach Graham for pushing him hard.

Randy admits to being arrogant and self possessed and how people around him
Who really cared about him helped him realise this so that it doesn’t limit his achievements.

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Randy goes on to talk about his adventure and lessons learned and enabling the dreams of others.
He tells life stories that illustrate such themes as dreaming big, hard work, perseverance, sacrifice, self-confidence, modesty, courage, a positive outlook, and dealing with adversity. Randy talks about the importance of Brick Walls in our life

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The brick walls are there for a reason. The brick walls are not there to keep us out; the brick walls are there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something. The brick walls are there to stop the people who don’t want it badly enough. They are there to stop the other people!

The book is filled with humour, bite sizes great pieces of advice which resonated a lot with what I have heard from the leaders during the Next Generation programme.

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The video of his speech is available on https://www.cmu.edu/randyslecture/

Give it a watch- there’s a clip of him doing push ups in front of the audience to prove how healthy he feels in himself!!

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This is the second time I’m reading this book and for the life of me I couldn’t remember who recommended this book. 

So I’m making a pact with myself today on the 2 year anniversary of NextGeneration GP 
I’m going to write the name of the person who recommended it on the inside cover( I still love the feel of hard copies) so that when I open the book it doesn’t just remind me how great the book is but instantly connects me to the person who recommended it and makes me reach out to
Them with gratitude…

Why don’t you try it as well!!

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Sonali Kinra, Next Gen GP Nottingam

by John Kotter and Holger Rathgeber

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I love this book as it’s a quick, charming fable (reading time average is under an hour) from the Harvard Business School leadership and change management guru, John Kotter. It is a book that I have read and gone back to lots of times:

Being involved in change, and leading it, can be challenging: however Kotter uses this fable about a penguin colony living in Antarctica to help us. It brings his 8 step process for leading change theory to life.

I find this book useful as a way to help me reflect on where I need to concentrate my efforts and to reassure myself that the personalities that play out in different teams are all normal human behaviour- it brings me reassurance, humour and guidance every time I read it. Each time I can find myself thinking which penguin I am/which penguin others are…in this week when the NHS Long Term Plan is out it may be useful – as we know lots of change needs to happen and the direction is good – but the implementation feels tough – this book brings some leadership theory to help!

“Fables can be fun…but the power of the penguin story lies in helping you act smarter”

​Which penguin can you relate to?

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Hannah Morgan, Next Gen GP Wessex

by Michelle Obama

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So it turns out there’s a reason why this is the best selling book of 2018 despite only being released last month, and that is that it’s awesome!

Obama has a way of writing that makes her message clear, insightful and life-affirming all at once. I love the tripartite way in which she sections the book so that you understand how she first became who she is, then a wife and now a public figure. Like her husband in ‘Dreams of my father’ which I’ve also read, she is able to cogently explain how race and gender colours every action, so that she felt she was held to a different (higher) standard.

​For anyone who has ever wondered if s/he is enough – read this.

Parting fact: Michelle has now been voted the most admired woman in the world (yet still manages to suffer from imposter syndrome)!

Devon Kennard, Next Gen GP London

by Valerie Young

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“It’s only because they like me. I was in the right place at the right time. I just work harder than the others. I don’t deserve this. It’s just a matter of time before I am found out. Someone must have made a terrible mistake.”

Chances are this internal monologue sounds all too familiar. And you’re not alone.

​Although I’ve been aware of the impostor syndrome for years, after reading this I not only understand the history and context of it so much better, but believe this book could inspire fellow sufferers to take some action. Just the act of reading it has already helped me, and it has some practical exercises and questions that I think I can use going forwards. I found myself highlighting so many pages in agreement…I highly recommend it for any women who ever find themselves feeling like a fraud. And men too!

“Everyone loses when you play small,” she writes. “There are people out there this very minute who want and deserve to benefit from your full range of knowledge, abilities, and skills.”

Nish Manek, Next Gen GP Cambridgeshire