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Archive for the ‘Book reviews’ Category

Upending Conventional Wisdom

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
November 16th, 2008 | No Comments »

A few years ago, my good friend David Stanley died. Prior to his death, David had been a Director at Caret and it was a real joy (if challenging!) to work with him.  One of his favourite pastimes was to identify and challenge orthodoxies in a team, business, or industry.

Recently, I thought of David as I read Mark Stevens’ book Your Management Sucks. In it he says:

 “The overriding message of this chapter is to challenge conventional wisdom. Look closely, and you’ll see that what is often deemed to be the smart thing is actually stale thinking masquerading as the truth. It is a set of assumptions that have gone unchallenged by creative minds for years and gather a presumption of absolute/time-tested/unassailable truth; precisely because they have worked their way into so many minds they are deemed to be fact.  But all they really demonstrated is staying power”

So, what is it in your organisation or in your individual ways of working that could benefit from the David Stanley Treatment?

Met your brain yet?

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
November 14th, 2008 | No Comments »

I am enjoying reading Daniel Pink’s book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future

A Whole New Mind: Why Right –Brainers Will Rule The Future

In the early parts of the book Pink says:

“I have lived with my brain for forty years now, but I’ve never actually seen it.  I’ve looked at drawings and images of other people’s brains.  But I don’t have a clue as to what my own brain looks like or how it works.  Now’s my chance”.

For some senior managers Pink’s words would be true of their unique strengths and talents as well as their mind.  If you have not already come across Pink’s book, I would urge you to get a copy.

Flipping Marvellous!!

Posted by Lesley Griffiths
May 20th, 2008 | 1 Comment »

“Invent best practice.”  ”Let action precede strategy.”  “Throw a whole lot of mud at the wall aFlip: How to Succeed by Turning Everything You Know on Its Headnd see how much of it sticks.”

This is the advice of Peter Sheahan, the globally renowned expert in workplace change with a client list that reads like a prime time ad break (and all at the tender age of 28!). His book ‘Flip: How to Succeed by Turning Everything You Know on its Head’ flies refreshingly in the face of conventional thinking by highlighting the powers of counter-intuitive business strategies. ’Flip’ includes lessons on embracing change and succeeding in an ideas economy from ‘flipstars’ such as Richard Branson, Google and Nintendo.  

There are some intriguing concepts here, such as:

  • Powerlessness, not power, corrupts
  • Style is substance
  • To get control, give it up
  • Fashion is function
  • Feelings are the most important facts
  • The soft stuff is the hardest stuff, and the hardest to get right

But the overriding message is clear: “The only way you won’t be relevant in the future is if you keep doing exactly the same thing as you’ve done up until today.”

Sticky Ideas: Making Your Communication More Effective

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
October 19th, 2007 | 1 Comment »

For business leaders, communication is really important. It can also be hideously difficult to Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Take Hold and Others Come Unstuckget right. It was for this reason that the Heath brothers’ book, Made to Stick, piqued my interest.

 

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Leadership isn’t rocket science. Or, is it?

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
August 28th, 2007 | No Comments »

The book Boss Talk comprises a series of interviews with twenty of the world’s top CEO. It’s a compilation put together by the editors of the Wall Street Journal.

 

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Mind the Gap (posted by Nick Booth)

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
May 30th, 2007 | 2 Comments »

“When there’s a gap between someone doing her job and doing the right thing, then management has failed”.

Seth Godin

“The No Asshole Rule”

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
February 26th, 2007 | No Comments »

No I am not swearing. Honest! “The No Asshole Rule” is actually the title of a new wonderful book by someone I really rate. The person is Robert Sutton who is a professor of management science at Stanford University where he collaborates with Dave Ulrich.

 

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Moving From Good to Great as a Leader? (posted by Oliver Nyumbu)

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
February 12th, 2007 | No Comments »

John Zenger and Joseph Folkman’s research into leadership is really exciting stuff. They have looked into what it takes for a leader to move from being a good leader to a great or extraordinary one. Their conclusions in The Extraordinary Leader draws on data from over 200,000 individuals who have rated over 25,000 leaders to show how leaders can go from being good to being great, from being average to being extraordinary.

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Leading Beyond Authority (posted by Oliver Nyumbu)

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
February 11th, 2007 | No Comments »

Beyond Authority is the title my friend Julia Middleton has given to her book which is just hot off the press. (Julia is Chief Executive of Common Purpose www.commonpurpose.org.uk) Along with some others, Julia invited me to contribute to the book and this is something I was only too happy to do. More importantly, Julia argues that the work of leadership requires that we operate beyond given authority.

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Leading With Questions (posted by Oliver Nyumbu)

Posted by Oliver Nyumbu
February 7th, 2007 | No Comments »

This is the title of a book I think any leader will find very useful. It is also an exhortation to not always need to have something to say. Indeed, as the book very ably points out, increasingly skilful use of questions can yield several benefits:

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