💡Big Ideas 💬 Best Quotes ✅ Toby's Takeaway 🛒 Buy on Amazon
📚 Should You Read This?
Toby's Rating: 8/10
One Last Thing by Wendy Mitchell is an insightful and deeply personal exploration of life, resilience, and leadership through the lens of someone living with dementia. Leaders will find this book profoundly moving and thought-provoking as it offers a unique perspective on overcoming challenges, adapting to change, and maintaining a positive outlook. Wendy Mitchell's story is inspirational and provides practical lessons on empathy, patience, and the power of community support, making it a valuable read for any leader seeking to enhance their emotional intelligence and resilience in the workplace.
✅ Toby's Top Takeaway From One Last Thing by Wendy Mitchell
This week, I decided to read a different book. It was not the usual leadership development book, but surprisingly, it had many lessons on leadership.
After her diagnosis of young-onset dementia in 2014, all of Wendy's old fears melted away. What more was there to be afraid of when she faced her worst fear: losing her own mind?
In One Last Thing, Wendy embarks on a journey to explore all angles of death, including how we talk about it with our loved ones.
I’ve been dedicated to developing better conversational skills for years, mostly at work.
However, One Last Thing was a stark reminder that some of the most important conversations happen with our loved ones at home.
Wendy’s book shares statistics highlighting the challenge of difficult conversations at home and work.
In a 2021 report on public attitudes to death, 70 per cent of people said they felt comfortable discussing the topic of death with loved ones.
Yet, only 14 per cent reported having these difficult conversations with loved ones.
Research has shown the common reasons we don't talk about death include fear of the unknown, experiencing distress and becoming a burden to the family.
This dissonance to death conversations applies to other hard conversations, too.
We feel certain conversations are important, yet we don't have them.
Wendy’s story will inspire you to talk more with loved ones and colleagues about the things that really matter in life.
👉 What conversation do you need to have today before it’s too late?
Wendy Mitchell died shortly after releasing this book. She spent 10 years campaigning for dementia awareness and was an advocate for assisted dying.
💡 3 Big Ideas from One Last Thing by Wendy Mitchell
Adaptability and Resilience: Wendy Mitchell’s journey with dementia highlights the importance of adaptability and resilience. Leaders can learn from her ability to find new ways to manage her condition and continue living a fulfilling life. This teaches the value of flexibility in the face of adversity, encouraging leaders to embrace change and develop innovative solutions to overcome obstacles.
The Power of Community: Throughout the book, Mitchell emphasises the significance of a strong support network. Leaders can draw parallels to the workplace, understanding that building a supportive team and fostering a sense of community can significantly enhance morale and productivity. Collaboration and mutual support are key to navigating challenges and achieving collective goals.
Empathy and Understanding: Mitchell’s experiences underscore the necessity of empathy and understanding in leadership. Her story encourages leaders to develop a deeper awareness of their team members' struggles and approach each situation compassionately. This empathetic approach can lead to stronger relationships, increased trust, and a more cohesive and motivated team.
💬 Best Quotes from One Last Thing by Wendy Mitchell
Talking about sex won't make you pregnant, and talking about death won't kill you.
When it is time to release that hard grasp on life, when it is time to open your fingers a little, to feel more insistently the sands of time running through them, then there is no fear because you feel more deeply that what will be will be, for all of us; you know more intuitively that control is - and always was - nothing more than an illusion, and it is then that you can get on with the business of living.
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