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.
The first 10 registrants will receive a free hard copy of the book, so don’t miss out!
Stay tuned for the next event, coming soon in April!
Previous books
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.