Category Archives: Management
The Advice Trap
The Advice Trap: Be Humble, Stay Curious & Change the Way You Lead Forever could easily be boiled down to three or four PowerPoint slides. In fact, I suspect the book originated as three or four PowerPoint slides that were … Continue reading
Think Again
I’m a big fan of Adam Grant’s WorkLife podcast. I even blogged about one of his episodes last year. Think Again: The Power of Knowing What You Don’t Know is his latest book and the first one I’ve read. It’s … Continue reading
Measure What Matters
Do you make New Year’s resolutions? It’s only mid-January 2021 so there’s still time. On the other hand, it’s mid-January and plenty of people have already abandoned theirs. Maybe New Year’s resolutions are broken so often because they’re so vague, … Continue reading
20/20 Foresight
20/20 Foresight: Crafting Strategy in An Uncertain World By Hugh Courtney Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, 2001 What better way to start 2020 than a book called 20/20 Foresight? There’s an old Danish proverb that says, “It is difficult to … Continue reading
High Output Management
High Output Management is one of the most disappointing books I’ve ever read, and in some places it flat out pissed me off. The focus is always on output. Everyone and every team produces output. A manager’s job is … Continue reading
Radical Candor
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your HumanityBy Kim ScottSt. Martin’s Press, New York, 2017 Search the web for “top 10 reasons people quit their jobs” and you’ll find “bad boss”, “terrible boss”, or “relationship with boss” at … Continue reading
Dare to Lead
Brené Brown’s latest book, Dare to Lead: Brave Work, Tough Conversations, Whole Hearts, is about courage. The book is pitched towards managers and executives to help them build the courage they need to lead their organizations. But I think the book could just as easily have been titled Dare to Live because it applies to many aspects of our lives. Continue reading
Informal Leadership: Leading Without Authority
During a lunchroom conversation at work the other day, a colleague asked how you can lead without authority. How can you be an effective leader without having the formal or positional authority of a VP, director or manger? It’s a … Continue reading
Crucial Conversations
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High (2nd Edition) By Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler McGraw-Hill, New York, 2012 Have you ever had a conversation with someone and they suddenly got defensive? Maybe you were … Continue reading
Principles
Principles by Ray Dalio Simon & Schuster, New York, 2017 I don’t often read books by celebrity CEOs. They can be jejune; more a testament to the author’s ego and less about providing any real insight or substance. Principles by … Continue reading
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