“It’s about the importance of employee culture and the entrepreneurial spirit in solving complex problems. And it’s a really good read around how to think about how you get commitment from your organization to tackle problems that you have no idea what the solution is, but you’ve got to solve the problem. “

“His longevity through various political cycles, and you know, over a career that spanned more than 50 years, really did have a lot of influence on the development of the U.S. over the last century. It’s a really heavy biography, but it’s actually a really interesting one.” 

“It tells the story of the electric utilities in California and their experience with wildfires and other disasters that have happened in California over the last 100 years.There are so many lessons to be learned there not only for utilities, but also for governments, for regulators and for policymakers”. 

“I managed to listen to the whole book walking around, just getting out in the fresh air during the pandemic. And it’s actually a fantastic book, Francis, he’s done a really good job of breaking down all areas of, greenhouse gas emissions, from transportation, right through the food, the electricity industry, manufacturing, and so on. And, he has a real technology eye to him.”

“We just talked about the enormity of the infrastructure projects ahead of us and it’s all distilled into four things. The first is just understanding your odds. And if you don’t know them, you’re not going to be successful. This the second one they talk about is think slow, but act fast. Third, and I love this one is find your Lego, big is bet best built small. And then the fourth, they talk about it, no surprises think right to left, start with your goal and plan backwards”.

“I like to really lean into leadership models and understand how other people think. So that’s Indra Nooyi’s book  ‘My Life in Full’. She really anchors on the value that she delivered as the head of PepsiCo, from a strong strategy and pursuit of excellence. And she was  the CEO of that organization for I think, 12 years. That’s a long runway for a public company in the United States and to be continually successful.”

“What is really interesting about this, is that Cassidy takes a sort of anthropologists view of how technological developments came about, and in part, how they impacted human evolution and societal change. And I’m not going to spoil the story, but the whole notion of how fire allowed us to advance our evolution was really quite important.  There’s a direct link between the technologies and the way that we’ve developed them”. 

“That one I find really interesting because it explains to regular folks, how many car manufacturers have been resisting change and regulation, ever since the 1950s. And to me, I think this is a lesson to learn”.  

“I think it’s an extraordinary account of World War Two, and obviously a very extraordinary event through the lens of a very extraordinary man. It’s really a fascinating read.” 

“It talks about the importance of being disruptors to embrace changes, innovation, how you play a role even gives you very easy step by step approaches to very simple things in life, to make yourself more comfortable, more confident about the future.”

“It is a fascinating story about two communities in Manitoba, a First Nations community, and the other one just across the river community largely have actually Ukrainian refugees, who came to Canada in the 20th century. And it tells the tale of how these communities interacted over the last 100 years or so.  It weaves in a lot of the incredible hardships and challenges that First Nations communities have faced in Canada, whether it be the Residential Schools or the inability to leave their reserves without permission, some of the discrimination they faced… But it also tells the tale of how individuals in these communities found ways to bridge the divide across their communities in recent years.” 

“It was a book that was originally introduced to me when I was at the Robbins School of Business by a professor named Glenn White, who taught negotiations. But it’s an interesting book, because it talks about the theoretical aspect of psychology, but then also brings in psychological experimentation, but then narrates the book with examples that you and I could relate to.”

“It’s a treat. I’ve been having trouble putting it down.”

“There’s so much experience around the world, very pragmatic experience, about how we do big projects and how we do big change, and the experience, provides us with a lot of guidance on how to get it wrong. And similarly, on how to get it right. This book, is a fantastic resource for people who want to learn the lessons of the past and not repeat them, or at least not repeat the bad ones.”

“One of my favorite management books that I’ve ever read, it’s called, ‘It’s Your Ship’. It was a 36-year-old commander that took over a US naval vessel as it’s Captain, he was a young first timer. And that ship had the worst morale scores in the US Navy. And it was everything he did to turn it around. Some of it was self-evident, you know, sit down with the enlisted crew during dinner and other others you would not necessarily think about. But, we’re in a period of change and change management and bringing everyone along with us is going to be important.” 

“It’s all about how the United States advanced their infrastructure and their interstate. Infrastructure is a really a warlike effort in that country... But that’s ultimately what we need here. We need a warlike effort that Indigenous folks are a part of in the new economy – the clean energy economy and all the transitions that are happening.” 

“We talked about the pleasure that we get by working in a sector that is very complex, but I think the reality is that this book is all about the power of positivity, and what that does from a professional perspective. So if you come to a challenge, with love positive mindset, the outcome is much better. And they actually have scientific research that shows that. And it actually has changed the way that I approach a lot of my team and also my clients when I’m engaging with them”. 

“It’s a tour de force in terms of just the math of all that we’ve been talking about. And he brings a realism to this from a scientific perspective. The the climate challenge is complex, it’s also nuanced. While the math is daunting, there’s also pathways to getting it done.”

“It’s really a fascinating history of both the personal but also the business history of obviously, these three tight ends of the early, early days of electricity.”

“It is a collection of essays from women at the forefront of the climate movement and they are unbelievably uplifting. Some of them are funny, some of them are really moving… But overall, I find them incredibly reassuring because these women are scientists or journalists, they work in finance, they’re teachers. They come from all different walks of life, and they’re all chipping away at this problem from the from the chair that they are in.”

“It is a look at New York state and city power and just what it takes to get things done in places and and build coalitions, which is really interesting.”

“Oh, it is a great book. If you’re a political junkie, it’s a great book, if you’re a journalist, it’s a great book. And even if you’re just a passive consumer of politics, it’s a great book.”

“It is about an Indigenous woman and the experiences her Indigenous community went through when there was the movement to try to erase their culture. It is on one hand horrifying to read what they went through and what is amazing is the resiliency of the kids that were forced from their communities and sent to schools that were very far away.”

“Just a really, really interesting story. And when you think about, women and education and skills, trades, executive roles, board roles… And yeah, it was just it was an interesting read.” 

“I got a really good illustration of the importance of infrastructure and, and understanding your infrastructure and maintaining it. So fascinating story all the way around for anybody in the utility world.”

“So, Who Will Pay Will Pay is a book written back around 2003 by a World Bank economist, Peter Heller, was written almost 20 years ago, and everything that we’re seeing today, he wrote about it. He was able to identify then, as an economist, that climate change would cost more and more.”

“What the author does is that he takes the annual letters sent to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders by Warren Buffett, and then he organizes his thoughts by subject into chapters. So it’s interesting, and it’s just a great treat. So that’s something I would recommend to anyone that’s in management, in any company or anywhere.”

“It’s a quick read, but it looks at the cultural and social history of humans interactions with raccoons, where we get the name, because of where they fit in culture historically with Indigenous Peoples. And then of course, in the modern world, how it basically evolved at times into some pretty racialized characters and more.”

“So here we are in Egypt, and one of the great mysteries for years was how did they build the pyramids? They did that by actually building up sand as they went… And then, of course, removing the sand after taking, in some cases over 100 years to do it. The book I read, and I still have it, is called Ancient Engineers.”

“I was an English major. So, I really need English literature and I go to that when I want to then use my imagination and creativity. So right now, I’m reading a book called Mexican Gothic. I would say for people that are familiar with like Emily Bronte and Wuthering Heights, it resembles those old classics quite a bit.”

“I’m currently reading a book called At the Bridge, done by Wendy Wickwire, that talks about James Tiet and the early days of colonization in British Columbia, and how he was able to assist Indigenous people in having a voice in Ottawa and elsewhere on those concerns. Some of what happened back in those days, is still very much relevant to the challenges that our members face today.”

“It’s a very, very interesting view through the lens of a guy who has studied the world, through his broadcast journalist eyes, literally for about a 50 year period. And in this book, again, he’s got little snippets and whatnot. There’s some very serious stuff, some major world things going on. And then there’s some very light and humorous stuff at the same time. So, it gives us a snapshot of kind of like 1970 to 2020-ish timeline of some of the major breaking stories from behind the scenes, and I found it very, very entertaining and educational at the same time.”

“It is a very wide ranging exploration of the geopolitical world that we live in right now. But, with a particular focus on how elements of geography and whether that’s rivers or mountains or oceans, or harbors, or climate, for that matter, have fundamentally shaped the geopolitical world that we live in. Or in some cases, it’s been overcome by technology. But for the most part, it has shaped that world and will shape it in many ways into the future.”

“A great book that I read a few months ago, is The World for Sale, which is a story about traders and those people that are making money.”

“It describes how, if you’re serious about climate change, these kinds of voluntary bottom-up things that we’ve been encouraged to do for a long time – I don’t want to minimize their importance. But that is not going to be enough. In the aggregate, what we really need is policy change.”

“It has extraordinary insights into the science and technology of the Russian nuclear program. And also, extraordinary insights in the politics of Russia. I think it’ll be eye opening for anybody, interested in electricity, but also anyone watching what’s going on in the world right now. It is a fascinating book, incredibly well researched.”

“I’m about a quarter of the way through, and it’s just fascinating, and it just talks about how energy has been absolutely central to civilization, and to our progress, to our continued progress. I think it’s actually a great read in the context of the 2050 conversation.”

“It’s about understanding why we behave the way we do, and the impact that that behaviour has on others. Why that’s important to me, is, I think, frankly, it’s extremely timely. As the President and CEO of Elexicon Energy, everything that I do, is going to have an impact on my team and the people around me. Reading the book has forced me to step back and understand why I behave the way that I do, which takes time and effort.”

“The book itself is a Canadian book and it examines 10 key characteristics of winning leaders. And what it does is it looks at a lens through 70 Canadian women, and they share their stories and their experiences about leadership. And so, it’s a great book for women who are looking to get advice on how they can move up through their organizations, how they can really grow as leaders while remaining true to themselves and for many of us, true to our families and those commitments that we have”.

“The reason I’m reading the book and why I really liked her is because she has found a niche in a male dominated industry. I think her story is neat, and of course, she’s a controversial figure, so that’s always nice to read about. But we hear this on a daily basis when we’re talking to our members that this is a male dominated industry, the energy sector. And so, it’s really interesting to hear how Marie Henein has found this niche in law in a male dominated industry and I find that I’m able to relate that back to conversations that I’m having with members.”

“I can’t recommend it highly enough. It’s set in the future, in the United States. There has been another civil war over the administration’s decision to prohibit the use of fossil fuels. This is like 100 years in the future type of thing. And you’ve got a very divided and polarized United States and there are elements to that book that sort of ring true to some of the issues we see these days around polarization. I think it’s a very important kind of cautionary tale and also extraordinarily well written.”

“It’s a little bit of espionage. It’s a little bit of generational, father-son kind of interaction. And it’s interesting, because the book kind of has a piece of what’s going on today.”

“It’s about the relationship between non natives versus natives, and the history of it, its perceptions. And it certainly sheds some light on how we can do things differently in the future. So that would be my recommendation, although I’ve not finished reading it.”

“If you have a passion for U.S. politics and for the life of you can’t understand the rise of tribalism and Donald Trump and what’s gone on down South of the border, this book tells you the story of how that came to be. It’s pretty alarming and it’s a great read.”

“I think it really shows what’s possible with vision and what’s possible with tremendous entrepreneurial conviction. It is possible for massive disruption through the sheer force of will.”

“I’ve read his other three books and I’ve always been interested in space travel and as a kid an astronaut was the thing I was going to be, but now of course that didn’t happen.”

“It’s all about integration of indigenous knowledge and traditional science on biodiversity and I think it’s been really illuminating for me on different teachings and learnings that we can take forward. I would highly recommend everyone reading it and learning more about the values in traditional knowledge that guides climate science today sometimes”.

“It’s a historical perspective on the origins of al-Qaida and then what sort of lead to the attacks on 9/11. It’s a really fascinating read.”

“An updated version of it came out in the early 2000s that brought in a bunch of really important advances in social psychology. On one side of the book is their original write up (1981) which is very plain language, short, tight book and on the other side is what we now know about the psychology of how opinions form and change. It’s an interesting mix of behavioral economics and social psychology.”

“This book is ideal to read right now. It’s about the events of the 1988 election campaign but it’s also about how opinion moves and changes. I first read it when I did not know many of the things I know today, and it opened my eyes to the reality of opinion as something dynamic but that moves in predictable ways.”

“There have been lots of positive recommendations online. It’s about energy, it’s about climate and politics worldwide.”

“My summer read, kind of predictable, but fun to read.”

“Harry Potter meets the Hunger Games.”

“It’s a brilliant, brilliant read. And during the summer, it’s a real simple read. You could read it in a week while you’re on vacation.”

“Recounts the first month of World War One and talks about the lead up to that war, and just the poor fog of decision-making inadvertent mistakes.”

“I think it was a book that John Kennedy actually loved and actually imposed on most of the people in his administration.”

“It’s a book really about the disruption and rapid pace of change in our economy and in our society and the impacts of a lot of services in the economy.”

“Phenomenal in regard to how you know you hear about Churchill. How great of a man he was and leading a nation through such a troubling time.”

“Basically, it looks at the challenge of surviving in a changing environment in Hudson Bay in the Arctic. I’d call it an up close and intimate view of the life of Nanou, a polar bear, and her family and how they’re surviving with a shorter hunting season up North.”

“The whole point of it is really about reducing drama in the workplace.”

“It talks about innovation, and reinvention.”

“It’s a nice little going back in time at a summer cottage. So, it’s a fantastic summer read.”

“I think it’s a must read for anybody that deals with regulation, governments and strategy.”

“That’s one you read on a rainy Saturday.”

“It’s more of a flavourful Newfoundland-ish type recount of the history and offers some observations and opinions and speculation as to why and who landed here when they did.”

“He does a remarkable job of demonstrating through well-articulated fact, through the course of history, things are actually getting better in the world on just about every front.”

“It talks a lot about safety culture and how you take luck out of the safety equation.”

“It’s basically a book about what women of colour need to do to ensure a seat at the table.”

“The underlying message was about sportsmanship and teamwork on and off the field.”

“What it really does a good job of is highlighting the many different ways that individuals can contribute to protecting the health of the forest and ultimately the health of the planet.”

“I would highly recommend it not only for women but for men, there are some fantastic lessons in there.”

“It’s a series of short stories all held together by the characters connection with trees in different ways.”

“I keep copies in my office, and I give it to some of our young executives. And the reason I do that is, Mr. Southern (ATCO founder) gave me my first copy of that book.”

“It is science fiction book about a pandemic. But it bounces back and forth between the pandemic that happens around now and twenty years later.”

“It provides a historical look on how gender has influenced global affairs.”

“That’s the thing about a good book. It makes you think”.

“It’s about how this company went from zero to a billion and then down to zero again.”

“I just find these stories about these flawed business characters just fascinating in terms of the way they hoodwink everyone including themselves.”

“I found it to be one of the best books I’ve ever read.”

“It really looks at energy and how its transformed different sectors in society – water, food, transportation, cities, security and how prevalent energy is and how energy is used by society.”

“When I do have a chance to read a book, I have two favourite authors David McCullogh and Stephen Ambrose because I like military history.”

“You and I, I’m sure are so focused on some of the challenges we face here in Canada and the challenges that are being faced from around the world and it’s nice to just disconnect from that for a little bit and move into a magical world”.

“I love fiction. I love exploring those ideas through storytelling.”

“Funny enough, I turn on the weather channel first of all. You never know what’s happening.”

“[outages happen] more often than not, because of the weather.”

“First thing, is the weather.”

“I think there’s a lot of value in history and thinking about history and thinking about how it applies to the problems that we face today”.

“I primarily read histories, biographies and political books”.

“A really gripping, quite terrifying story about how it can be difficult to transition but, she made a real success of her life”.

“Two things I do, one I have an app on my phone and on my iPad that allows me to put in about 45-50 topics that I am interested in, and it’s everything from personal health and well-being to renewable energy, new technology, Canada, Alberta… My topic range is quite large.”

“I spend a lot of time trolling through what I think of as the top tier management consulting firms, McKinsey and Company, Boston Consulting Group. I subscribe to their energy practices, and I find that they have not immediately actionable but very thought-provoking things about how the world could be.”

“I’m actually a huge Twitter fan. I almost never tweet but I consume an awful lot because of news sources.
I follow any and every news source from local CBC, to CNN, to New York Times, to Washington Post – all of these things”.

“I thought it was excellent”.