Historically, diverse workplaces – for various reasons – have out-competed workplaces with less complex cultures. Especially after the social movementHistorically, diverse workplaces – for various reasons – have out-competed workplaces with less complex cultures. Especially after the social movements surrounding the untimely death of George Floyd in 2020, American employees have increasingly demanded their employers to take diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) into its management practices. As the American workforce becomes more diverse, it’s hard not to believe that these trends represent the future. However, many business attempts to address these issues only consist of more trainings that do little to fix underlying cultural issues. To this mix, Owyoung offers ideas from a long span of experiences, ideas that not only help to alleviate the problems but also advance the business.
This book is directed at those who aspire to do serious work in DEIB, whether as an existing business leader or as an interested and engaged employee. Its goal is not to persuade the reader that these issues are important; it takes that for granted. Instead, it focuses on effective ways to transform the work culture, filled with stories and practical examples. Owyoung aims to change business culture so that the business can deliver better results over time. She facilitates not quick fixes but long-term commitments.
Owyoung’s methods involve the latest business practices, like using data-driven metrics to gauge success, how to recruit an inclusive workforce, or how to expand the interest of senior leadership. Her book is one of the most practical – dare I say, business-minded – approaches that I’ve encountered on this topic. Instead of offering an emotional plea, she speaks the language of business to make her point. For her, DEIB is becoming inevitably intertwined with core business practices to the point that those who do not adapt will be left behind. The younger parts of the workforce are demanding that values for all – not just a privileged majority – be represented in company cultures.
I read this book to educate myself on current DEIB practices for my workplace. I am not a senior leader there but deal with data and interpretation related to employees. Disability is my personal angle into DEIB, but my workplace is undertaking an enterprise-wide initiative towards better institutional DEIB. My learning here seeks to work with these efforts better. At just over 200 pages, this book offered a quick but extensive view of the field. It packed a power punch enough that I had to take occasional breaks to process my reading. It helped me achieve my personal goals of knowledge while refining my business acumen. I definitely recommend it for those seeking an improved DEIB culture in their workplace.
Merged review:
Historically, diverse workplaces – for various reasons – have out-competed workplaces with less complex cultures. Especially after the social movements surrounding the untimely death of George Floyd in 2020, American employees have increasingly demanded their employers to take diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) into its management practices. As the American workforce becomes more diverse, it’s hard not to believe that these trends represent the future. However, many business attempts to address these issues only consist of more trainings that do little to fix underlying cultural issues. To this mix, Owyoung offers ideas from a long span of experiences, ideas that not only help to alleviate the problems but also advance the business.
This book is directed at those who aspire to do serious work in DEIB, whether as an existing business leader or as an interested and engaged employee. Its goal is not to persuade the reader that these issues are important; it takes that for granted. Instead, it focuses on effective ways to transform the work culture, filled with stories and practical examples. Owyoung aims to change business culture so that the business can deliver better results over time. She facilitates not quick fixes but long-term commitments.
Owyoung’s methods involve the latest business practices, like using data-driven metrics to gauge success, how to recruit an inclusive workforce, or how to expand the interest of senior leadership. Her book is one of the most practical – dare I say, business-minded – approaches that I’ve encountered on this topic. Instead of offering an emotional plea, she speaks the language of business to make her point. For her, DEIB is becoming inevitably intertwined with core business practices to the point that those who do not adapt will be left behind. The younger parts of the workforce are demanding that values for all – not just a privileged majority – be represented in company cultures.
I read this book to educate myself on current DEIB practices for my workplace. I am not a senior leader there but deal with data and interpretation related to employees. Disability is my personal angle into DEIB, but my workplace is undertaking an enterprise-wide initiative towards better institutional DEIB. My learning here seeks to work with these efforts better. At just over 200 pages, this book offered a quick but extensive view of the field. It packed a power punch enough that I had to take occasional breaks to process my reading. It helped me achieve my personal goals of knowledge while refining my business acumen. I definitely recommend it for those seeking an improved DEIB culture in their workplace....more
Organizational life in America has grown much flatter and more mobile in recent decades. A lifetime career with one company is now the exception ratheOrganizational life in America has grown much flatter and more mobile in recent decades. A lifetime career with one company is now the exception rather than the norm. As such, an individual’s ability to contribute quickly to a team has become more important than their upward mobility. However, much literature about leadership and cultural practices remain fixed on the idea of one all-powerful person at the top commanding legions of followers. To counter this narrative, these five university scholars present their approach towards leading by doing in complex networks. They provide a framework for a paradigm shift in the way leaders conduct themselves.
This book’s subtitle reports its topic as “agile leadership.” This term “agile” is borrowed from the world of software development. A top-down design approach used to direct software development and specified complex code all at once. Then teams would build the software, often over years. By the time the team completed development, the software would often be obsolete, and thus, large investments would be lost. Instead, agile software development sought to flatten software organization so that groups can achieve quick results through many iterations of continual feedback and improvement. It has revolutionized the world of software engineering.
The authors seek a similar agile revolution for leadership. Instead of one small group of leaders defining five- and ten-year plans of strategic thinking on their own from on high, the authors suggest that organizations learn about their direction as they go through doing and iterative feedback. Thus, the creative energies of an entire organization can be unlocked instead of just a select few. This framework then places a premium on teamwork and communication. The authors do not leave this direction as mere inspiration; rather, they provide ten concrete practices for individuals to enact this vision within their local contexts. Leadership thus becomes everyone’s business.
Though this book is geared for the general public, not just academics, the authors have grounded their analysis in evidence-based research. They have implemented its ideas widely through workshops and in classrooms. Therefore, the reader can trust the practical effectiveness of their work rather than just pondering whether ethereal concepts would work in reality.
Clearly, the authors aim to bring the insights of their academic discipline to a wide array of organizations. Anyone working in a team can benefit from understanding how agile principles can be applied to their setting. I’ve worked with agile software development for over ten years, but I appreciate how the authors extended this helpful approach towards organizational life. They have put words on social practices that I have sought to adopt in my work context. I only hope others follow suit so that we all can benefit....more
Throughout history, many leaders have approached their task with the desire to hold power over others. Ancient roman rulers epitomized this approach, Throughout history, many leaders have approached their task with the desire to hold power over others. Ancient roman rulers epitomized this approach, and literature indicates that other great empires shared this mindset. However, history’s nuances also contain a subtler narrative of empowering others to fulfill their individual aspirations. Aristotle’s phrase of “human flourishing” comes to mind. This book’s authors harken to this humanistic tradition to describe their empowering view on leadership: “Leading through.” Leading through others contrasts with the classic approach of “power over” others. Leading through is not based in altruism but unlocks unique skills and talents in a diverse organization.
As this book’s subtitle suggests, “leading through” appeals holistically to the entire human person – soul, heart, and mind. In contrast to business strategies focused solely on material gain, the authors seek combine material prosperity with self-realization. The authors’ message resembles what might be heard in spiritual circles that dwell in the periphery of the commercial world. Lest someone think that these three don’t know how hard business works, they are all acclaimed business leaders, educators, and consultants.
As a scientist that respects spirituality, I found this book had two main shortcomings. First, the authors at time became entrapped within pretty words to describe idealistic concepts, but they didn’t always flesh out those concepts with concrete examples. This pattern did not show up everywhere in the book, but some sections did fall into this quagmire. I found that my eyes glazed over a bit because of the lack of specifics. Second, I wish the authors would have grounded their message in a bit of rigorous economic analysis. If a holistic approach to business is better, shouldn’t we be able to see it in the numbers? Instead, the authors just described an ideal without any critical appeal to hard data.
I certainly appreciate the authors’ central message in this book. In a prosperous country and world, personal satisfaction – a spiritual value – plays the dominant role for most workers over just maximizing economic gain. That’s Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, no? The benefits of unlocking others’ personal potential are vast, and this book points a way to mentor others while achieving ambitious business goals. Too many become trapped in a paradigm of “power over” which quenches the embers of human creativity instead of stoking them. For those looking for a way out of contagious burnout and unsatisfying power, this book offers a path towards renewal through developing others’ innate leadership talents....more
The field of workplace management has moved, in recent decades, from just being about organizing people for financial profits to also incorporating soThe field of workplace management has moved, in recent decades, from just being about organizing people for financial profits to also incorporating social and even spiritual values into employees’ career development. Today, good employees demand not just a paycheck but a place where they can grow and develop in some way. How are managers to avoid being caught flat-footed to these changing circumstances? Most managers lead by how they’ve been managed in the past, and most managers still don’t lead through feedback. In response, John Whitmore has developed this guide to teaching people how to coach, which starts by learning how to be coached.
Coaching as a practice involves not just a workplace but the whole of one’s life – that is, one’s personality, family relationships, and social approach. It’s a transcendent skill, not locked into any one profession, and encompasses more than just teaching. In this book’s beginning, Whitmore distinguishes between coaching and mentoring, but I honestly don’t see a ton of daylight between the two. They both involve growth in handing situations that engage one’s inner character. This book handles that field with a thoroughness not seen in most other publications.
Good, contemporary leadership is intimately involved with the practice of coaching. So is working with interdisciplinary teams where no one person can be considered a master of all work. Effective communication and self-awareness must drive interactions in these domains. Whitmore provides a guide about how to gain these skills. Interested readers are also given opportunities to engage with his company for further trainings to better implement these concepts into their daily lives.
This book’s main audience consists of employees who seek to enhance their leadership and coaching skills. Although this book is focused on applications in the workplace, I see a lot of crossover into any mentoring relationship. I guide individuals – both adults at church and youth – about self-improvement and can apply many lessons from this book directly into those activities. The art of asking good questions is one that almost everyone can benefit from; this book certainly can serve as a sharpening tool for that confounding skill. I’ve read few guides about mentoring or coaching as comprehensive as this one, and I hope many others benefit from its seasoned wisdom....more
As Gordon Torr shares, creativity is a driving force of modern economies and of civilization. While productivity remains important, only innovation caAs Gordon Torr shares, creativity is a driving force of modern economies and of civilization. While productivity remains important, only innovation can give a company or a society a let up on the other. Unfortunately, few people are highly creative – a trait that requires both talent and nurturing. Managing talent in a way that leads to productive results is its own challenge with its own nuance. Torr shares some thoughts that can advance good ideas into reality.
Torr’s demographics should be noted: He’s in industry, he’s a Brit, and he’s from an advertising background. I work in academics (medical research), I’m an American, and I work in technology. Thus, managing creativity looks very different for us. Nonetheless, I found a few suggestions that I could take from this book.
He compares managing creatives to the job that patrons did for creatives centuries ago. They covered the cost of living, commissioned open but directed work, and then rewarded noteworthy results. By doing so, they nurtured a promising person’s creativity. He also highlights that such people deserve recognition on their own right because without them, the creative genius would not be expressed.
To be honest, the first half of the book did not hit my sweet spot. Torr discusses the virtues of creative people – a topic I do not need convincing of. He then describes how people need to accommodate creatives’ personal foibles, like a self-interested nature or social oddity. While I’m always a fan of more tolerance, I’m likewise concerned that creatives don’t become rude and ill-mannered, too. Torr needs more balance and moderation on that point. I’m concerned that this book, like society at large, can become a bit of “us vs. them.”
Overall, this book provides an interesting read about the position of creatives in the business world. In the sciences in universities, I feel that many of these concerns are thankfully better managed that Torr describes. I appreciate his attention to the need for creatives to drive organizations and society along. I wish more people would collaborate with creatives – and more creatives would collaborate with business – so that we can advance society together....more
Typically, technical education prepares students for individual positions that require a lot of self-motivated thinking. They don’t usually prepare thTypically, technical education prepares students for individual positions that require a lot of self-motivated thinking. They don’t usually prepare them for leading teams. Yet some new employees might find that they want to move beyond being an individual contributor (IC) into a leadership role. Getting an MBA would be an obvious educational direction, but that expensive route might not prepare a student for the exact kind of leadership role she/he desires. In this book, Andrew Swerdlow offers a practical alternative. He teaches readers how to change their mindset and career trajectory to that of a leader.
Swerdlow certainly possesses the resume and ethos to write this book. With two masters degrees, he has worked at some of the IT industry’s best companies. However, I found much of the underlying logic of the material lacking. This book contains no new research findings that challenge standard practice. It is marketed as being geared for “tech,” and Swerdlow’s professional experience certainly veers in that direction. However, most of his advice could be directed at a general audience interested in leadership skills. Aspects devoted to understanding the human side of technological problems is minimally discussed, unfortunately, yet these humanistic aspects convey what tech leaders most need.
Swerdlow, without a doubt, serves as a great business mentor to those aspiring to lead others. This book offers a good route of growth for those who might lack such mentorship in their personal relationships. It also might benefit those engineers new to the domain of leadership. However, as someone already well-read in leadership principles, this book came off as a bit vanilla for my tastes. I needed and expected more provocation and more scientific substance than just inspiring stories. Lamentably, this book left me lacking....more
American business culture is built around heroes that “save the day.” Perhaps bigger heroes, however, are those unheralded ones who quietly prevent prAmerican business culture is built around heroes that “save the day.” Perhaps bigger heroes, however, are those unheralded ones who quietly prevent problems from happening in the first place. To do so does not just require seeing a problem and a solution; it requires identifying the root cause and a solution to that root cause. It demands going “upstream” to deal with the issues that cause downstream issues. Dan Heath contends that few organizations and few individuals engage in this behavior enough.
This book suggests that more people should devote more time towards understanding a system’s behavior. Solutions are not found by “tunneling” – that is, developing “tunnel vision” by focusing on one’s work. Rather, lasting solutions are found by zooming out and looking at the big picture in order to craft an ultimate solution. Heath provides examples of this phenomenon from dozens of industries. For example, he details how simulations predicted Hurricane Katrina and how ensuing interventions lessened its horrific impact.
Many business workers, across many industries, only focus on doing their job well. That aspect is important, but it forms only a part of the picture. Integrating with the wider team and enterprise is also a crucial step that few take. We have to lurch out of our silos and into others’ work. This book can show us the specifics of how. Preventing problems, though it wins less popular points, can improve the long-term prospects of an organization and a society. To implement change, he discusses how to overcome common obstacles that individuals encounter after identifying the systemic problem.
This book contributes to a growing literature involved in systems thinking. It is written with a general audience in mind and is most geared towards those involved in business work. Its potential audience also encompasses individuals looking to better the format of their lives. Some fields, like medicine with preventative care, have already awakened to dealing with systemic issues. Nonetheless, they require organizational reforms at the macro level to enact lasting solutions. This book can show them what that looks like....more
Encoding software is a highly technical task, but effective leadership is often anything but technical. Combining the two thus can be supremely difficEncoding software is a highly technical task, but effective leadership is often anything but technical. Combining the two thus can be supremely difficult, but this pair of skills is necessary to fill roles like Chief Information Officer (CIO) or Chief Technology Officer (CTO). Unfortunately, advice is hard to come by in the literature since only a few extended books in this space. To better fill these gaps, Will Larson, known for his deep looks at engineering business practices, offers this guide.
As the title suggests, this book’s intended audience is for aspiring engineering executives. It seeks to mentor the next generation of technical leaders. It does that fairly well by providing many actionable pointers and lessons from others’ experiences. Getting this information at the beginning of one’s new station can prevent impactful mistakes.
I’m a researcher, not an executive, and don’t aspire to such a business role. Therefore, this book doesn’t apply directly to my life situation. I don’t feel able to critique its contents adequately. Nonetheless, I appreciate that many of those I communicate with regularly do fit into this camp. Understanding their professional situations is in my best interest. Larson certainly helped me dive deeper into the problems that they seek to solve regularly with their work....more
Iliked this book a lot. It’s labeled as a part of a “CIO Series,” but that’s really a mislabel. It’s for anyone working with software developers who hIliked this book a lot. It’s labeled as a part of a “CIO Series,” but that’s really a mislabel. It’s for anyone working with software developers who has to navigate a distinct company culture. It’s especially geared for those who want to mold that culture for good. Software development is a tricky industry. Good people are hard to find, and they often don’t have a stereotypical personality – especially if they’re really talented. Yet as we all know, emotional intelligence remains invaluable in the workplace.
What are a worker and an employer to do? How are we to deal with co-workers – especially leaders – who put up roadblocks of negativity? How can we ensure that a division’s culture promotes effective knowledge work? Frank Wander explores how these human factors affect productivity. He forcefully argues that software development is unlike factory work. Its workplace cannot be modeled as a system of replaceable cogs. Instead, it’s inherently driven by creative forces and intellect unleashed through workplace happiness. Keeping workers’ loyalty pays huge dividends for a business because knowledge workers retain the expertise and efficiencies that can’t be easily replaced.
I’m not a CIO and don’t really aspire to that professional title. I write software and desire to be a better employee to those around me. I read this book to make the people around me better. This book gave me more confidence that I can contribute through the all-too-human values I appreciate, regardless of what people around me say. Despite usually being done alone in front of a screen, software development is, at its root, a social activity. Making use of those effects can bring life to a division and help them outperform in the marketplace. Reading this book can help an employee identify the little things to make her/his own work of writing software better. By unleashing productive creativity, it can build software – and a company – one human interaction at a time....more
As technological development has increasingly driven the world economy, many observe that it causes a disruptive economic effect. New technology can hAs technological development has increasingly driven the world economy, many observe that it causes a disruptive economic effect. New technology can humble big players and lift new players to leading positions. These effects often happen despite managers doing all the “right things.”
We now have enough data to begin to analyze how technological disruptions happen across many industries. More importantly, we have data about how to manage innovation’s turbulence. In this classic text, Clayton Christensen helps us understand this phenomenon in depth and then teaches us how to milk it to our advantage and our survival.
I work in software development for biomedical research, so in my career, I have observed firsthand how creative disruptions can reorient fields and industries many times. I’ve even done it some myself. I certainly understand how managers could fear it, and reading books like Christensen’s can demystify it significantly. In fact, if someone truly wants to understand how to strategically plan for disruptive technologies, this book is essential reading. Why? It defined the approach back in the 1990s.
In typical erudite fashion, Christensen uses the stories of various industries to tell his story. He especially relies upon the disk-drive industry in early computing to define his terms. This industry had a quick pace of innovation while also having lots of market information available. Each change from large disk drives to smaller models, or from more expensive models to cheaper models, disrupted the trajectory of the entire industry. New winners and losers came out in the fallout. Such well-documented details allow for easy construction of theoretical models.
Then Christensen tests these theoretical lens on different industries that don’t have all the speedy development of modern computing. He describes disruptive technologies in the context of mechanical construction equipment, for instance. Though the turnover rate is slower here, the patterns still hold.
Finally, he suggests ways to enhance the successful development and deployment of disruptive technologies. He suggests that most larger companies continue to focus on refining existing technologies while they christen smaller companies with the task of finding emerging markets for their survival.
I innovate in academic environments that seek broad implementation. Administratively, we organize ourselves in small groups that takes risk to create big changes at times. So Christensen’s paradigm certainly makes sense me. It also correlates well with how actual technological change has taken place since I first started paying attention to it in the 1990s.
Because modern technology affects just about every industry today, leading managers need to pay attention to the concepts of creative disruptions and disruptive technology. Technologists like myself can also benefit from learning to speak their business colleagues’ language to enhance their work’s effect. There’s no better place to accomplish either of these tasks than from the work that first defined the concept....more
Entrepreneurship draws people who aren’t afraid of taking risks and who are willing to put in the work. However, this field also has its share of pitfEntrepreneurship draws people who aren’t afraid of taking risks and who are willing to put in the work. However, this field also has its share of pitfalls… like not being able to transform work requests into work for others. Leaders often get to their positions by getting things done. The practice of leadership, however, often means letting others get things done. The handoff process is called delegation. In this book, Emily Morgan dissects this topic from psychological, technical, emotional, financial, and economic angles.
As for strengths, this book provides a thorough but brief analysis of delegation. Morgan has clearly contemplated and mastered this topic from many perspectives. Beyond mere inspiration, this book offers actionable advice to overcoming common roadblocks towards getting others working. For example, she encourages leaders to set an hourly rate for themselves and continually ask themselves, “Is this task worth my hourly rate?” She centers leaders to think of impact first, not the safety and security of what’s comfortable.
The main shortcoming of this book lies with its size. It’s incredibly short. I liked its fast pace, but I wanted to learn more when no more material was to be had. Further, this book needs to present more material about delegating to technological tools. Technology is a huge force multiplier in the modern workplace, and its use promises only to increase with coming artificial intelligence. Delegating work to these tools through skilled workers is a complex subject, though, that deserves careful treatment. Making these tools itself is an entrepreneurial focus. I would have liked to have read more about this relevant topic.
Overall, this book provides a solid foundation for learning how to get others involved in doing the work instead of hoarding it all to yourself. As Morgan admonishes, even delegating 80% of a task to someone while leaving the remaining 20% for yourself can result in significant scalability. Short pearls like this fill the book and provide business readers the opportunity to improve their own work performance – and their team’s work performance. Leadership is about enabling others to enact meaningful change. This book equips readers to lean into this principle more deeply by freeing their teams to join in the fun....more
When approached with an issue, most of us instinctively respond with doling out advice. We assume that people want to use our expertise. However, manyWhen approached with an issue, most of us instinctively respond with doling out advice. We assume that people want to use our expertise. However, many of the best leaders have a different response: curiosity about the other person. They ask questions to empower the people around them to make better decisions. After all, the question-askers are the ones closest to the issues, not the one being questioned. In this book, Michael Bungay Stanier seeks to reorient leaders towards this approach of empowerment so that they can lead more effectively.
Asking questions develops the human component of the situation better instead of merely providing a “quick fix.” This approach doesn’t fit every situation, but it does help most of them. He explores how to change habits and then specific questions that can approach problems with this attitude of curiosity. These questions are not merely imagined but are practically based on seminars that he leads. The questions are frankly good and worth meditating on. I use some of them already, but others – like “What did you learn from this?” – are ones that I hope to adopt in my life soon. They apply not only to business situations, but also to life more generally.
The main limitation of this book is its brevity. It identifies key questions well, and it contains some deeper digressions into empirical research behind their effectiveness. Those are interesting and good, but I wanted still more depth, whether in the form of anecdotes, more research, or something else. I’m not sure where I’d suggest that the author go, but each question needed more fleshing out in my judgment. I’d cut some of the marketing hype in the text and expand it with better expansion of the ideas.
This book addresses primarily leaders in the workplace, but these questions also apply to those who want to improve the quality of interpersonal interactions in their personal life. Effective listening is an art disappearing in American life. We can broadcast and market ourselves all the time, but it takes skill to use others’ broadcasting to achieve important goals. Reading books like these to bring out others’ best effort can distinguish the next generation of leaders. It can even give them a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
This foundational 1943 paper about human motivation and work deserves to be read in its original form, accessible here. Many textbooks provide a good This foundational 1943 paper about human motivation and work deserves to be read in its original form, accessible here. Many textbooks provide a good summary of AH Maslow’s theory of human motivation around needs, but Maslow’s original work describes a more complex picture than the original. For example, he does not describe a linear progression as lower needs become met. Instead, he paints a picture where multiple motivations often play off each other, where higher motives mingle with lower motives.
This book is a short reprint of the original, seminal journal publication. Unfortunately, it has not been reformatted in any way, and the text is small. It really should be re-typed (or perhaps, scanned and edited) if the publishing contract would allow. The words are worth reading, and the original text should remain accessible for students in generations to come. I just wish the reading process of the physical product was more pleasurable.
Those in the working world – particularly those who teach or train, supervise, or aspire to supervise – can benefit from reading Maslow firsthand. It will provide concise understanding into human behavior, particularly around work, to a degree that few other texts can. That insight, in turn, can lead to wiser decisions and a more productive cadre of workers. This short text frankly contains worth far more value than any more accessible popular books on the same topic. All it takes is about one hour to read, but a lifetime to ponder.
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