Not a typical book on myself, but I find myself often delivering executive education and thought this might get me some ideas. “Sprint: Solve Big Problems and Test New Ideas in Just Five Days” (2016) outlines a step-by-step process for how the authors (Knapp, Zeratsky, Kowitz) run their sessions. I run my sessions differently, but the audience is different. I typically work with governments and NGOs, while this book focuses on the private sector. Very easy read. Practical for those who are starting out with this kind of work. I appreciated the small group design and individual work design. I often work with larger groups but that pushes me to think about how to integrate more individual, focused work. Some notes:

“This book will help you run your own sprint so that you can answer your most important business questions. On Monday, you will discuss the problem and decide what you need to think about most. On Tuesday, you will start to think about different solutions to the problem. On Wednesday, you will make some difficult decisions. On Thursday, you will make a prototype. And, on Friday, you will test your prototype on real people.” (p. 11)

“We know that people who are working alone find better solutions than people who are working in groups and thinking aloud. When you work alone, you have the time to find information that you need. You also have time to really focus on the problem. Of course, working alone is not easy. If you have ever sat down to work and then started to look at the News Online, you will know how hard it is to work alone. In our sprints, we work alone, but we have some exercises to help people focus and move forward.” (p. 41-42)