Lead from the Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century
by Mark C. Crowley
Prevailing management practices have become “a destructive influence, both to workers and to organizational effectiveness.” Continue reading “Lead from the Heart”
An interview with Kitty Wooley
co-author of Boundary Spanning in Practice and
Unfettered: Mission-Aligned Boundary Spanning
October 5, 2020 – 47 minutes – Book Review
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”
Thinking in Systems
by Donella H. Meadows (1941-2001)
Systems thinking helps to understand how things work in so many contexts, including ecological, economic, and social. This book explains the elements and dynamics of systems and points out some of the common traps in trying to manage them. Continue reading “Thinking in Systems”
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”
After posting more than 250 book reviews, I decided to try something new: an author interview on YouTube. I am grateful to Alastair Thomson for graciously sharing his wisdom on managing small and medium-sized businesses. Alastair has an accounting background, but this conversation is not about debits and credits. It’s about improving your business from the perspective of an experienced CEO and CFO. We cover cash flow, profit, customer experience, metrics, business ethics, marketing, quality, continuous improvement, front-line employees, growth, margins, inventory, and receivables.
An interview with Alastair Thomson, author of Cash Flow Surge
July 16, 2020 – 1 hour – Book Review – Amazon
Transcript
Continue reading “An interview with Alastair Thomson author of Cash Flow Surge”
Cash Flow Surge: 101 No-Cost and Low-Cost Fast-Action Strategies to Boost Your Cash Flow
by Alastair Thomson (interview)
In college I took a course called Small Business Finance. The main thing I remember from this course is the emphasis on “cash flow, cash flow, cash flow.” Alastair Thomson is an accountant who has been a CFO and CEO of several businesses in the U.K., across variety of industries. He wrote this book for owners of small and medium-size businesses. While cash flow and profit are not the same thing, many of the ideas in the book can improve both.
The 101 chapters cover suppliers and expenses, customers and revenue, staffing and procedures, communication, insurance, logistics, contracts, and technology. Here are some snippets: Continue reading “Cash Flow Surge: 101 No-Cost and Low-Cost Fast-Action Strategies to Boost Your Cash Flow”
Shtick to Business: What the masters of comedy can teach you about breaking rules, being fearless, and building a serious career
by Peter McGraw (interview)
This book is about applying the wisdom of successful comedians to business management. Topics include targeting your audience and differentiating your brand, the creative process, innovation, diversity, teamwork, and writing skills. Peter McGraw is a behavioral economist, professor, and director of the Humor Research Lab (HuRL). Continue reading “Shtick to Business”
Agility: How to Navigate the Unknown and Seize Opportunity in a World of Disruption
by Leo M. Tilman and Gen. Charles Jacoby (Ret.)
“The need for agility in business, government and warfare arises precisely from the uncertainty and complexity of the competitive environment.”
I imagine both co-authors of Agility have some battle scars—Tilman from Bear Stearns during the 2008 financial industry crisis and Jacoby from his career in the U.S. Army where he achieved the rank of 4-star general. Kidding aside, this book goes beyond military metaphors and presents a fusion of military and business thinking about risk intelligence and uncertainty as well as a leadership approach that emphasizes truth (as opposed to assumptions), trust, clear communication, and executional dexterity throughout the organization.
Complex adaptive systems “are constantly changing and evolving. They lack centralized control. They are inhabited by a multitude of stakeholders driven by distinct objectives, risk tolerances and modes of operation. These players interact in dynamic tension with one another, alternating between the urge to recoil from and engage in risk-taking and aggression. Their actions and adaptations lead to entirely unpredictable patterns and outcomes.” Continue reading “Agility: How to Navigate the Unknown and Seize Opportunity in a World of Disruption”
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”
