Wellington City Libraries’ Business Blog

The caterpillar’s edge : evolve, evolve again, and thrive in business / Sid Mohasseb.
“The secret code to growing a successful business is adjusting your strategy every single day. Business leaders, large and small, need to learn a new game with very different rules. They must accept an ever-changing and uncertain landscape, but a landscape that can be constantly leveraged for greater profitability. They must believe that their companies are caterpillars with the potential to become butterflies. The Caterpillar’s Edge shows why we must embrace a future of flux. It exposes the addictions that chain us to our past and the truths that influence our behaviors. And, it shows just how to seize breakthrough advantages by pushing through all the noise around “Big Data.” Within its DNA, the caterpillar aspires and pushes for more, and it gets just that, evolving gracefully from one entity into another, always building a competitive edge in the process. Break free from accepted archaic business practices by cracking that secret code which demands evolving your business always.” (Syndetics summary)

Building the agile business through digital transformation / Neil Perkin, Peter Abraham.
” Building the Agile Business through Digital Transformation is a guide for organizational development professionals and change managers needing to better understand, implement and lead digital transformation in the workplace. It sets aside traditional thinking and outdated strategies to explain what steps need to be taken for an organization to become truly agile. It addresses how to build organizational velocity and establish iterative working, remove unnecessary process, embed innovation, map strategy to motivation and develop talent to succeed. Building the Agile Business through Digital Transformation provides guidance on how to set the pace and frequency for change and shows how to break old habits and reform the behaviours of a workforce to embed digital transformation, achieve organizational agility and ensure high performance. Full of practical advice, examples and real-life insights from organizational development professionals at the leading edge of digital transformation, this book is an essential guide to building an agile business.” (Syndetics summary)

Fit for growth : a guide to strategic cost cutting, restructuring, and renewal / Vinay Couto, John Plansky, Deniz Caglar.
” A practical approach to business transformation Fit for Growth * is a unique approach to business transformation that explicitly connects growth strategy with cost management and organization restructuring. Drawing on 70-plus years of strategy consulting experience and in-depth research, the experts at PwC’s Strategy& lay out a winning framework that helps CEOs and senior executives transform their organizations for sustainable, profitable growth. This approach gives structure to strategy while promoting lasting change. Examples from Strategy&’s hundreds of clients illustrate successful transformation on the ground, and illuminate how senior and middle managers are able to take ownership and even thrive during difficult periods of transition. Throughout the Fit for Growth process, the focus is on maintaining consistent high-value performance while enabling fundamental change. Strategy& has helped major clients around the globe achieve significant and sustained results with its research-backed approach to restructuring and cost reduction. This book provides practical guidance for leveraging that expertise to make the choices that allow companies to: Achieve growth while reducing costs; Manage transformation and transition productively; Create lasting competitive advantage; Deliver reliable, high-value performance. Sustainable success is founded on efficiency and high performance. Companies are always looking to do more with less, but their efforts often work against them in the long run. Total business transformation requires total buy-in, and it entails a series of decisions that must not be made lightly. The Fit for Growth approach provides a clear strategy and practical framework for growth-oriented change, with expert guidance on getting it right. * Fit for Growth is a registered service mark of PwC Strategy& Inc. in the United States” (Syndetics summary)

Multipliers : how the best leaders make everyone smarter / Liz Wiseman.
We’ve all had experience with two dramatically different types of leaders. The first type drains intelligence, energy, and capability from the people around them and always needs to be the smartest person in the room. These are the idea killers, the energy sappers, the diminishers of talent and commitment. On the other side of the spectrum are leaders who use their intelligence to amplify the smarts and capabilities of the people around them. When these leaders walk into a room, light bulbs go off over people’s heads; ideas flow, and problems get solved. These are the leaders who inspire employees to stretch themselves to deliver results that surpass expectations. These are the Multipliers. And the world needs more of them, especially now when leaders are expected to do more with less. Leadership expert Liz Wiseman explores these two leadership styles, showing how Multipliers can have a resoundingly positive and profitable effect on organizations — getting more done with fewer resources, developing and attracting talent, and cultivating new ideas and energy to drive organizational change and innovation. In analyzing data from more than 150 leaders, Wiseman has identified five disciplines that distinguish Multipliers from Diminishers. These five disciplines are not based on innate talent; indeed, they are skills and practices that everyone can learn to use, even lifelong and recalcitrant Diminishers. Real-world case studies and practical tips and techniques bring to life each of these principles, showing you how to become a Multiplier too, whether you are a new or an experienced manager. This updated edition includes new examples of Multipliers as well as two new chapters: one on accidental Diminishers, and one on how to deal with Diminishers.

One minute mentoring : how to find and work with a mentor–and why you’ll benefit from being one / Ken Blanchard and Claire Diaz-Ortiz.
” The bestselling co-author of the legendary The One Minute Manager#65533; and a former Twitter executive join forces to create the ultimate guide to creating powerful mentoring relationships. The past decade has seen the dramatic rise of a word now well known in corporate hallways: mentoring. But a new awareness about mentoring hasn’t necessarily meant an increased understanding of how to implement the practice. While most people agree that having a mentor is a good thing, they don’t know how to find one or use one. And despite widespread approval for the idea of being a mentor, most people don’t think they have the time or skills to do so. Positive mentoring relationships can change the way we lead and help us succeed. In One Minute Mentoring, legendary management guru Ken Blanchard and Claire Diaz-Ortiz, a former Twitter executive and early employee, combine their knowledge to provide a systematic approach to intergenerational mentoring, giving readers great insight into the power and influence of mentoring and encouraging them to pursue their own mentoring relationships. Using his classic parable format, Blanchard explains why developing effective communication and relationships across generations can be a tremendous opportunity for companies and individuals alike. One Minute Mentoring is the go-to source for learning why mentoring is the secret ingredient to professional and personal success.” (Syndetics summary)

People with purpose : how great leaders use purpose to build thriving organizations / Kevin Murray.
This book brings together a wide range of research on how having a clearly defined purpose as part of one’s business strategy is a vital element in business success and longevity. Leaders who communicate a defined corporate mission alongside clear and genuine corporate values allow their employees to find purpose in their day to day roles and embody their company’s vision. This in turn, facilitates employee engagement, loyalty and work satisfaction. Illustrated with more than 30 case studies unearthed from exclusive interviews with top CEOs from a wide range of industries, Kevin Murray explores how leaders who have powerfully articulated purpose statements have brought companies back from the brink of collapse or continue to rapidly grow their businesses into resilient successful companies, which attract and retain top talent, keep employees engaged and deliver top financial results.