Me: “So, have you read any good books lately?”
(long pause)
Co-worker: “Uhhh…. No.”
(equally long pause)
Me: “Yeah, me neither.”
Around the time that I had this short discussion with a co-worker, Greg Friese was issuing the 12 in ’12 Reading Challenge for EMS Professionals. I really liked the idea, and will be sharing a brief review of each EMS book I read this year.
January’s EMS book is The Non-Conformists’ Guide to EMS Success by Steve Whitehead. Steve is a great source of independent thinking in EMS practices, and you may have seen his new video series “Remember Two Things” featured on EMS1.com. At 48 pages, this could be considered a “light read.” However, Steve challenged many of my core beliefs about being an EMS professional, and I found myself re-reading sections and reflecting on what they meant to me. In his book he presents a compelling case for being a non-conformist in the workplace. He explains that non-conformists…- Think for themselves.
- Expect to have their values expressed in their work.
- Believe that their lives and work should stand for something.
- Desire to be a part of a community and a team and seek meaningful connections with others.
- Hold themselves to a higher standard than the status quo and rally against mediocrity and incompetence.
- Don’t expect their leaders to have the solutions to their problems, embody their values, provide their motivation or direct their career path.
- Fearlessly seek performance feedback and relish intelligent coaching and criticism.
There are a ton of reasons why I loved this book, but for the sake of brevity I’ll hit the top two. First, it holds the reader accountable to do something about their career and workplace. There are several passages in which Steve basically tells the reader to either take the book and his suggestions seriously, or put the book down and forget he or she ever heard of it. Second, Steve has made this e-book available for free. It is available for download by signing up for his newsletter from The EMT Spot. Don’t worry about getting spammed in return, either. He follows an email privacy policy, and I have yet to get any unwanted email after several months on his list. Get your copy of The Non-Conformists’ Guide to EMS Success by Steve Whitehead here.
No related posts.
Hey, thanks Brian. I loved writing this and I'm glad that people like you are still downloading it and still using the information. Welcome to blogging.
The Non-Con guide changed my whole perspective on EMS. We need more of them. Welcome to blogging and good luck!Bob Sullivanemspatientperspective.com
Just downloaded it! Another book I recommend is "People Care" by Thom Dick. Seems to be really hard to find now, my was loaned to an instructor and I haven't seen it since!
This shows real expertise. Thanks for the ansewr.
Thanks for the suggestion, Kyle. I just added that to my wishlist on Amazon. ISBN #0977074102 for anyone else interested.
in the month, fresh off an outstanding EMS World Expo, Dave Konig shraed the Ultimate Social Media Protocol by riffing off the ultimate EMS protocol written by Steve Whitehead. Speaking of social media I was