Global management consultancy McKinsey and Company offers a regular online series called Author Talks in which they present interviews with authors of newly published business books.
Through these interviews readers are able to gain more insight into the author’s experiences and knowledge on their topics.
In today’s blog we continue our series of linking some of these interviews with the books available in the Wellington City Libraries collection.
Click on these links to access earlier blogs : Author talks (1) and Author talks (2)
The inclusive organization : real solutions, impactful change, and meaningful diversity / Jenkins, Netta
“DEI is an 8-billion dollar industry that is not yet accessing its full potential through real solutions and results. However, through a powerful formula of policies and practices that motivate employees to be more socially and self-aware, The Inclusive Organization provides a revolutionary yet practical resource for individuals at any stage of their career. Employees across all levels and organizations are looking to drive actionable impact, but unfortunately lack the knowledge and support in doing so. This book will help any organization improve their DEI initiatives and create the sustainable and scalable change employees want to see within their workplace. Readers will be able to utilize worksheet examples and toolkits out of this book to build their own customized DEI roadmap. The Inclusive Organization is a must-read for any workplace committed to real and lasting change.”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)
Author Talks: Is there a seat at the table?
Aerodei CEO Netta Jenkins explains why shortfalls in inclusion efforts can impact your company’s bottom line, and what you can do to create a more inclusive workplace.
Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You’re Put on the Spot / Abrahams, Matt
“Stanford lecturer and host of the #1 business podcast Think Fast, Talk Smart, Matt Abrahams, reveals the secrets to finding the right words when it counts. Communication is crucial to success in life and business. However, it is not just big speeches that matter: it is also those critical, spur-of-the-moment situations for which we cannot prepare.” (Catalogue) Also available as Ebook Libby
Read more : Author Talks: How to speak confidently when you’re put on the spot
If you dread public speaking, small talk, or delivering feedback, you’re not alone. Matt Abrahams shares tips for mastering communication in spontaneous situations.
The case for good jobs : how great companies bring dignity, pay & meaning to everyone’s work / Ton, Zeynep
“Imagine you are a leader in a large company, and you volunteer at a local soup kitchen, helping the needy who can’t afford warm meals. On your way out, the director stops you and says, “I just need you to know that many of the people visiting our services are actually your employees.” This really happened. The leader was shocked. He assumed that because the company paid market rate, the company was doing right by its employees. But market rate isn’t a living wage. Market rate doesn’t make good jobs. Many leaders want to provide good jobs. They want to pay more, provide dignity and meaning in people’s work, and give them opportunities for growth. But they don’t know how to start, or they don’t think it can be done without hurting the bottom line. Most want to win with customers but are hobbled by a host of service and operational problems largely driven by high employee turnover–and that is partly driven by the low pay. It is indeed a vicious cycle, and Zeynep Ton is here to show the way out: why good jobs combined with strong operations always lead to good outcomes for the business. And why, more than ever in a post-pandemic world, failing to provide good jobs will catch up with you and threaten your business. Ton, the preeminent voice of the good jobs strategy, lays out plainly what most companies and leaders are doing wrong–and how to get it right. She shows that by choosing good jobs, companies are positioning themselves for future success. Practical, prescriptive, and often provocative, Leading with Good Jobs is essential reading for leaders of any company that wants to-needs to-choose excellence”– Provided by publisher.” (Catalogue)
Read more: Author Talks: Empower employees, reduce turnover
Zeynep Ton, professor at MIT Sloan, highlights an operating model that improves customer and employee retention, fosters resilience, and drives purpose.
Scaling people : tactics for management and company building / Johnson, Claire Hughes
“A leader at both Google and Stripe from their early days, Claire Hughes Johnson has worked with founders and company builders to try to replicate their success. The most common questions she’s asked are not about business strategy—they’re about how to scale the operating structures and people systems of a rapidly growing startup. Scaling People is a practical and empathetic guide to being an effective leader and manager in a high-growth environment. The tactical information it puts forward—including guidance on crafting foundational documents, strategic and financial planning, hiring and team development, and feedback and performance mechanisms—can be applied to companies of any size, in any industry. Scaling People includes dozens of pages of worksheets, templates, exercises, and example documents to help founders, leaders, and company builders create scalable operating systems and lightweight processes that really work. Implementing effective leadership and management practices takes effort and discipline, but the reward is a sustainable, scalable company that’s set up for long-term success. Scaling People is a detailed roadmap for company builders to put the right operating systems and structures in place to scale the most important resource a company has: its people.” (Adapted from Catalogue)
Read more: Author Talks: Scale your people, not just your company
A corporate officer explains the role that self-awareness and partnership play in driving performance.
Next! : the power of reinvention in life and work / Lipman, Joanne
“The profound disruptions of recent years have sparked a collective reckoning. We reprioritized our lives, and reordered how we envisioned the future. Businesses were forced to pivot, while leaders scrambled to rethink their roles. There has been an unprecedented global reset. But in truth, almost everyone goes through this kind of reappraisal at least once in their life—and probably more often than that. Whatever the catalyst, it prompts in us the urgent need to pivot, to ask the question: What’s next—and how do I get there? In Next!, bestselling author and journalist Joanne Lipman distills hundreds of personal interviews along with the latest scientific research to answer just this question. Through irresistible storytelling, she takes us inside successful career reinventions (ad executive to bestselling novelist; stay-at-home mom to CEO) and astonishing business transformations (wait until you hear what Play-Doh and Viagra have in common). From the laboratories of neuroscientists to the boardrooms of Fortune 500 companies, to the frontlines of the social justice movement, Lipman explores how and why these transformations succeed. At its heart, Next! offers a thrilling argument: by harnessing the science and understanding the process, we can better understand how to reinvent that new career, change the direction of our lives, or inspire innovation in our organizations. This book provides a toolkit that shows how to make meaningful transitions—large or small—and to figure out for ourselves what’s Next!” (Catalogue)
Available as EBook Libby and EAudiobook Libby
Read more: Author Talks: Create your ‘reinvention road map’ in four easy steps
In her latest book, Joanne Lipman dispels the myth of abrupt transformations and outlines a concrete path to reinvention.
The Art of Explanation: How To Communicate With Clarity And Confidence / Atkins, Ros
“Whether at work, school, university or home, we all benefit from being able to articulate ourselves clearly. Filled with practical examples, The Art of Explanation is a must-read for anyone who wants to sharpen their communication skills.” (Catalogue)
Read more: Author Talks: Am I making myself clear?
Feeling misunderstood? A BBC journalist shares the communication blunders that keep you from getting your point across and what you can do to avoid them.
If you would like further information please contact the Prosearch team at the library. We can help you find information across a range of perspectives and resources. All enquiries are treated in confidence.
