Managing Oneself and What Makes an Effective Executive
by Peter F. Drucker (1909-2005)
Peter Drucker is often referred to as the leading management thinker of the 20th century. His seminal works include Concept of the Corporation (1946) and The Practice of Management (1954). This short volume includes two of Drucker’s articles: “Managing Oneself” and “What Makes an Effective Executive.” Here are some highlights.
Continue reading “Managing Oneself and What Makes an Effective Executive”
Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World
by Marcus Buckingham and Ashley Goodall
Conventional management practices are based on a mindset of conformity and control. The authors, in contrast, argue the key to optimum performance is encouraging individuals make the most of their idiosyncratic strengths. The authors study team performance and employee engagement for ADP Research Institute and Cisco respectively.
Continue reading “Nine Lies About Work: A Freethinking Leader’s Guide to the Real World”
Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World
by David Epstein
“The response, in every field, to a ballooning library of human knowledge and an interconnected world has been to exalt increasingly narrow focus… Both training and professional incentives are aligning to accelerate specialization, creating intellectual archipelagos.”
In Range, David Epstein examines the advantages of having a range of experiences, a broader perspective, an interdisciplinary approach, and the value of flexible thinking and reasoning in a world full complexity and uncertainty where precise, deterministic solutions are unknowable.
Continue reading “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World”An interview with Peter McGraw
author of Shtick to Business: What the masters of comedy can teach you
about breaking rules, being fearless, and building a serious career.
October 15, 2020 — 38 minutes — Book Review — Amazon
Transcript Continue reading “An interview with Peter McGraw author of Shtick to Business”
Boundary Spanning in Practice and
Unfettered: Mission-Aligned Boundary Spanning
by Kitty Wooley et al. (interview)
Senior Fellows and Friends is a group of current and former U.S. government employees. Spearheaded by Kitty Wooley, members of the group have published two compilations of articles about breaking through the silo mentality. They encourage inter-agency collaboration throughout the hierarchy to achieve greater institutional learning, more motivated staff, and greater effectiveness in executing organizational missions. While their context is government, the topics also apply to large businesses and nonprofit organizations.
Continue reading “Unfettered: Mission-Aligned Boundary Spanning”
The Art of Being Indispensable at Work
by Bruce Tulgan
Becoming a go-to person is the key to real influence at work. But it presents challenges like the risk of overcommitment, endless meetings, and trying to get things done across ambiguous lines of authority. When do you say yes? How do you say no? Bruce Tulgan breaks it down.
Continue reading “The Art of Being Indispensable at Work”
Life Is Tremendous
by Charlie “Tremendous” Jones
The Corona virus shutdown has been mentally taxing. Daily news reports chronicle the number of new cases and deaths. Many sectors of the economy have come to a screeching halt. 30 million people have applied for unemployment benefits. In that context I wanted to read something light and positive. This 100-page booklet was published in 1968 and has sold more than a million copies.
Continue reading “Life Is Tremendous”
The Road to Character
by David Brooks
New York Times columnist David Brooks frames character as eulogy virtues as opposed to résumé virtues. “Most of us have clearer strategies for how to achieve career success than we do for how to develop a profound character.”
Continue reading “The Road to Character”
Humans are Underrated: What High Achievers Know that Brilliant Machines Never Will
by Geoff Colvin
“The number of people who wrongly believed they could never be replaced by a computer keeps growing.” So what are the skills in which humans can maintain a competitive advantage over machines?
“Skills of interaction are becoming the key to success… Now, as technology drives forward more powerfully every year, the transition to the newly valuable skills of empathizing, collaborating, creating, leading, and building relationships is happening faster than corporations, governments, education systems, or most human psyches can keep up with.”
Continue reading “Humans are Underrated: What High Achievers Know that Brilliant Machines Never Will”
Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future
by Dorie Clark
This book is about making a career change. It starts with understanding your transferable skills, identifying how you are different as a competitive advantage, then establishing a narrative to make sense of your transition.
Continue reading “Reinventing You: Define Your Brand, Imagine Your Future”
The Key Point 