Physician Know Thy Shelf
The Department of Pediatrics' book club for members with a leadership role or who are aspiring leaders
A Leadership Book Club
For current and aspiring physician leaders in the Department of Pediatrics. Our aim is the creation of an environment that fosters peer mentoring and sharing of leadership experiences anchored in a facilitated discussion about a high value book that highlights an important aspect of leadership skill development.
For each installment of Physician Know Thy Shelf, a new book will be selected from a curated list approximately 2 months before the meeting and advertised in the Department of Pediatrics Weekly Bulletin.
Upcoming Event
Date: October 26, 2026
Time: 5:00 - 7:00 PM
Location: ACH Physicians' Lounge
Book: Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It by Chris Voss
The first 10 registrants will receive a free copy of the book!
If you have any questions, please reach out to kristie.chow@albertahealthservices.ca
Registration
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Never Split the Difference: Negotiating As If Your Life Depended On It
Chris Voss
A former FBI hostage negotiator offers a new, field-tested approach to negotiating – effective in any situation.
After a stint policing the rough streets of Kansas City, Missouri, Chris Voss joined the FBI, where his career as a kidnapping negotiator brought him face-to-face with bank robbers, gang leaders, and terrorists. Never Split the Difference takes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most – when people’s lives were at stake.
Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Difference will give you the competitive edge in any discussion.
Previous Books Covered
The Leadership Challenge
James Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner
Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner started developing the idea for The Leadership Challenge when they were planning to present about leadership at a two-day conference. Academics at Santa Clara University, Kouzes and Posner were set to speak after Tom Peters, who was presenting about successful companies. Kouzes and Posner decided to focus on individual leadership skills. The name for the book came from the concept of the challenges that take place to "make extraordinary things happen", according to Kouzes in 2012.
Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know
Adam Grant
Adam Grant’s Think Again argues that effective leaders adopt a scientist mindset—approaching beliefs with humility, curiosity, and a willingness to change course when new evidence emerges—rather than defaulting to the roles of preacher, prosecutor, or politician.
For physician leaders, the book explains how expertise can unintentionally fuel confirmation bias and overconfidence. It offers practical tools to counter this through humble curiosity, influential listening, and motivational interviewing.
Grant highlights that psychological safety paired with productive disagreement, accountability, and focus on sound decision processes are essential for high-performing teams. He encourages leaders to hold opinions lightly, seek common ground, and treat careers and strategies as evolving experiments rather than fixed identities.
Overall, the consensus from the book club was that this book is a valuable use of time for medical leaders seeking skills to navigate complex decisions, foster learning cultures, and to guide teams through continual clinical and organizational change.