“The Problems of Change: And the Nature of Human Performance” by Ashley Goodall
He is a brave man who takes on the worship of change, and most corporate advisors and board-level clients around the world prefer to worship at his altar. But this stylishly written dissection of the worst corporate mismanagement of our time has some interesting cracks that shatter the cult’s false idols.
As Ashley Goodall points out, large-scale change “once triggered, it takes on a life of its own.” Established relationships and rituals that give value to work are destroyed, leaving people feeling dissatisfied and depressed.
While the late great Clayton Christensen has been mildly criticized for provoking corporate obsession with self-destruction, Goodall believes that the “model of improvement” that Christensen laid out in his book is important. I am aware of this. The innovator’s dilemma Instead of directly advocating for change, it metastasizes into a toxic obsession for change. Rampant consultants and self-serving micromanagers are taking on more responsibility.
Goodall finds a solution in human resources, one of the most adversely affected corporate functions. This also takes courage. He leverages his own human resources experience, particularly at Cisco, to develop innovative ways to measure employee engagement and drive performance. But many readers will likely snort at the idea that human resources departments can truly become “all-out advocates for employees and their interests.”
There’s a lot of well-expressed wisdom here about the futility of corporate life and how to counter it. Rather than “raising a little slideware balloon into a boardroom in the hope that something will happen,” Mr. Goodall said, “we need to learn more about how to understand and create the conditions for human flourishing, and…” It says that you should learn. . . Step back and let humans thrive. ” andrew hill
“Venture Mindset: How to Make Smarter Bets and Achieve Extraordinary Growth” by Ilya Streblaev and Alex Dunn
Should we all think more like venture capitalists? That’s the argument of Stanford University academic Ilya Streblaev and technology executive Alex Dunn, who believe that by embracing the “venture mind” of Silicon Valley investors, business leaders in other regions can He also argues that people can perceive risks and opportunities more vividly.
Their advice (part self-development, part executive coaching, articulated in extensive case studies) comes at the right time, as artificial intelligence shakes up a wide range of industries. It has been. They argue that executives should emulate the characteristics of the venture capitalists who helped create Google, Apple, Tesla, and Facebook. That includes building diverse networks and thinking long-term.
But like the venture capitalists themselves, the authors are full-on bigots. At the beginning of the book, they declare that VCs are the “masterminds” who “find and fund the future.” In analyzing the success of companies from Nintendo to Zoom, the authors highlight the benefits of entrepreneurship and the willingness of leaders to “pivot” and take risky bets into new lines of business.
These are common characteristics of the success stories told in the book. venture mindset. But these are also characteristics of the vast majority of unsuccessful VC-backed startups. Executives at more established companies may be reluctant to accept the author’s prescription for tolerating failure and encouraging internal dissent.
Streblaev and Dunn’s focus on investors is a departure from the typical founder-centric quest for startup success. But that excludes the countless failed investments, wrong bets, and blunders produced by the venture mind. VCs accept that 9 out of 10 bets may fail. That logic doesn’t apply everywhere. george hammond
“Become Good at Anything: 12 Sayings for Masters” by Scott H. Young
Learning is often mysterious. It can happen naturally or it can pose challenges. Whether our goal is ultimate mastery or simply getting better at something, it helps us understand how learning works.
Best-selling author and entrepreneur Scott H. Young delves into the basic principles researchers have discovered to explain this. He distills these principles into 12 memorable maxims that serve as a guiding framework in the pursuit of improvement.
According to Young, three important factors contribute to our learning process. First we learn from others (watching), then we practice consistently (doing). Finally, adjust and work to improve (feedback).
This book was written with two audiences in mind. When approached from a learner’s perspective, it provides strategies and techniques to adopt to achieve better results in everyday activities. Teachers, coaches, parents, and others responsible for shaping learning within their organizations can also benefit from tips on how to harness the power of continuous growth.
Each chapter includes real-world examples and exercises to help you, whether you’re studying for an exam, learning a new skill at work, or hoping to improve in a hobby or topic of interest. It is. Interestingly, Young argues that it is difficult to improve a wide range of abilities such as creativity and problem solving. But with practice, he says, you can improve your abilities in these areas. “Even if we can’t be the best, we can be a little better at the things that matter most to us,” Young reminds us. “A little bit better is often enough.” leo cremonesi
“Profiters: How Business Privatizes Profits and Socializes Costs” by Christopher Marquis
Most economics students will be familiar with the concept of externalities. As Christopher Marquis, a professor at Judge Business School, puts it, they are “the negative side effects of a company’s operations and practices that are not reflected in the income statement.” In this fascinating read, he brings to life how this rather dry term is actually expressed, and shows that while irresponsible corporations reap the rewards, the public and the environment It shows how you are paying your costs.
Examples range from industrial carbon emissions that cause climate change, flooding, and crop failure. Discriminatory practices that oppress marginalized people. Huge disparities in income and returns that entrench inequality. Mr. Marquis has a particular anger at greenwashing companies that wreak havoc on the planet while doing little to clean it up and pretending to be responsible.
He argues that the underlying principle is shareholder capitalism, in which companies “engage only in activities that increase their profits” and limit their liability for the damage they cause. But despite his systemic diagnosis, the book is not doom and gloom. It details many encouraging examples of change and is not limited to radical projects. Marquis argues that large investment portfolios, for example, are in a better position to consider externalities. This is because some companies in the portfolio are necessarily exposed to risks arising from the interests of other companies. Other examples include Adidas’ partnership with trainer makers Allbirds to create low-carbon shoes.
In his previous book on B Corps, Marquis discussed the transformative power of purpose-driven companies, suggesting we may be ripe for a paradigm shift. Not all readers will be convinced by his optimistic assertion that corporate and consumer activism and “commons first finance” are enough to truly bring about change. But this book makes a strong case that systemic change is possible and necessary. Bethan Staton
“The Whole Story: An Adventure in Love, Life, and Capitalism” by John Mackey
John Mackey’s hilarious memoir begins in 1975 with the would-be natural foods entrepreneur getting into a car in Texas. At the time, he never imagined he would co-found Whole Foods, a global company with 540 stores and $22 billion in annual sales. The account of how he got there is unlike a typical business book, with as many twists and turns as one would expect from a narrator to optimistically tell the story of McKee’s life.
It’s fun to read. McKee argues with similar sincerity for the benefits of stakeholder capitalism and the “bliss of total liberation” experienced when taking LSD. He is a likeable narrator and tells his adventures with his joy and charm.
But there’s something creepy about this naivety, especially when complex and controversial business decisions are talked about in the same tone. Recalling his clashes with unions, McKee appears to be pushing back against “hostile” worker organizing. That, he says, is antithetical to his vision of management and workers “working together openly as co-stakeholders.” . . joy and love. Although he later learns that some of his hopes were betrayed, his account of Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods in 2017 similarly piques his curiosity about the business’ less benevolent instincts. It’s stirring up. The debate about the “marriage” of grocery stores and tech conglomerates boils down to one question: “Do you think they like us too?”
The framework here is an intellectual journey into “conscious capitalism.” McKee’s personal account of the philosophy outlined in his 2013 book of the same name. McKee is a true believer. In his view, not just his “conscious” repetition, but the entire “capitalist game” is “built on the simple and beautiful principle of voluntary exchange for mutual benefit.” . His explanation of how he came to this understanding is fascinating and easy to read, and he makes a case for Mackie’s positive influence. But even a moderately cynical reader will take a frustratingly uninteresting and childlike delight in examples where such a rosy vision of the system does not apply. Bethan Staton
