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10 GOOD READS EXPAND YOUR SKILLS, GAIN INSIGHT, AND GET INSPIRED WITH THESE TOP PICKS. The Rule of Nobody: Saving America from Dead Laws and Broken Government By: Philip K. Howard e problems in Washington are deeper than most people think– the American governing system is broken, which has led to rising debt, failing schools, economic hardship, expensive healthcare, and much more. In e Rule of Nobody, Howard asserts that rules have replaced leadership and that our hands are tied by bureaucracy, regulation, and outmoded law. Instead of asking what is the right thing to do, people are asking what the rule book says. In order to fix the problem, Howard says we need to simplify the operating system and return to the framers' version of public law that includes setting goals and boundaries rather than dictating daily choices and relying on rules to accomplish our goals. Our Kids: The American Dream in Crisis By: Robert D. Putnam e American dream is to get a good education, work hard, buy a house, and prosper and succeed. Americans have always believed in equality of opportunity and the idea that all kids should have a decent chance to succeed regardless of their background. But in the last 25 years, an "opportunity gap" has emerged. Our Kids examines the growing inequality gap and why fewer Americans today have the opportunity for upward mobility. Putnam reports that most of his own high school class in Ohio in 1959 went on to have better lives than their parents—yet the prospects are diminishing for the children and grandchildren of that generation. Putnam's "disturbing" study of what is happening to the American dream should precipitate a deep examination of the country's future. Leadership: Power and Consequences By: Sy Ogulnick Leaders are people who hold true power; the buck stops with them. Leadership: Power and Consequences examines the influences leaders have with people who are closest and most important to them. In order to find where problems in relationships exist, one must find where the power is located—who the true leader is, what their expectations are, and how well they communicate with those they lead. Using personal experience, Ogulnick confronts the problem of poor communication from leaders to those they lead by describing a path that leaders can take to personally grow, understand themselves better, and contribute to the growth of those they lead by fostering trust, safety, and respect. Unlock Congress: Reform the Rules ~ Restore the System By: Michael Golden In 2014, public approval of the U.S. Congress reached a 40-year low, even lower than during the Watergate years and the BP oil spill. e nation's problems are festering while Congress is producing legislation at a historically anemic rate. Golden argues that Congress has breached a contract established 225 years ago when the Constitutions charged them with various powers and obligations to "promote the general welfare." He says we can do something about it, however—the American people must push to reform the rules. Instead of blaming individual politicians or the partisan divide, the author methodically diagnoses the underlying causes behind the breakdown, identifies obsolete rules that resulted in major defects in the system, and lays out a platform of solutions.

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