Daniel Robin & Associates
Making Workplaces Work Better
Haig Halbantain, Richard Guzzo, Dave Kieffer, and Jay Doherty, Play
to Your Strengths: Managing Your Internal Labor Markets for Lasting
Competitive Advantage, 272 pages, hardcover, McGraw-Hill
Trade (Sept. 12, 2003).
Synopsis:
Organizations that select, develop, deploy, manage, and motivate their
people to produce outstanding business results have an extraordinary competitive
advantage that others can't copy. Backed by Mercer's nine-year, $10 million
study of leading companies around the world, Play to Your Strengths shows
how to leverage a company's "human capital" strategy into business
results that are measurable and profitable and that will create exceptional,
enduring competitive advantages.
Though not every company needs to justify their HR decisions with the latest science, this book will certainly provide enough insight and tools to involve top management in seeing "human resources" at an asset to be developed, not as an expense to be minimized. This shift alone is worth it's weight in gold to guide workforce decision-making. This is also the first book we've seen that gives a practical (though somewhat elaborate) scientific approach to developing "human capital." The concept has been around for awhile, but now it can be understood and implemented with expert guidance.
This book gives managers, senior executives, and consultants the theory, tools, and processes they need to:
We highly recommend this book to CFOs, HR directors, and others who wish to understand the systems and scientific basis for much of the workforce strategy being discussed these days. The statistical modeling section may seem a bit intimidating, but there are still lots of tools and potential "Aha's!" to be gained from these materials.
Bill George, Authentic
Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value,
240 pages, paperback (also in hardcover ), Jossey-Bass; 1st edition (July
2003).
Synopsis:
George, a former Medtronic CEO, sets the tone early in
his book: "Somewhere along the way we lost sight of the imperative of
selecting leaders that create healthy corporations for the long term."
George's call for "authentic leadership" -- finding a leader who doesn't try to emulate the
greats, because such copycatting will never result in authenticity or honest
leadership -- pulls from his trail-blazing experience at Medtronic (BusinessWeek
recognized him as a top-25 manager in 1998). Although George's company seems a good
example of what he's talking about (he once made headlines by boldly declaring
"Shareholders come third," after customers and employees), there's not
a rigorous enough attempt here to make that example universally applicable.
Though superbly moral and inspiring, this volume is not likely to grab attention
as it would if it spoke to the principles that drove his decisions, and the
results he obtained because of them. Still, it is a useful and fascinating
look at one CEO's experiences and the beliefs that guided his successful efforts
at pushing his company toward a more humane workplace that balances the demands
for fiscal performance with the interests of the workforce, customers, and
greater society.
Halpern, Belle Linda & Lubar, Kathy, Leadership
Presence: Dramatic Techniques to Reach Out, Motivate, and Inspire;
288 pages, hardcover, Gotham Books (October 9, 2003).Synopsis:
Authors Belle Linda Halpern and Kathy Lubar, cofounders of The Ariel Group, bring their considerable experience in theater to help executives become more present, engaging, and effective in this important social dimension of leadership.
The book will show you how to* express yourself dynamically to motivate for results
* build relationships to enhance collaboration and business development
* handle tough situations with heightened confidence and flexibility
* integrate personal values into leadership communication to inspire those you
lead
There is a certain charisma to those leaders that inspire others.
A "commanding presence" is also a quality of actors and others who manage to get people's attention and earn their respect without having to constantly be the center of attention. This is what this book is all about.The authors define presence as "the ability to connect authentically with the thoughts and feelings of others". While business has generally ignored this sense of presence and assumed that people will be led simply because they are employees and want to get along, the acting profession must earn this respect. As businesses struggle to create loyal employees who think for themselves and have a sense of being a part of a larger community, leaders that can inspire such loyalty and innovation are in great demand.
The author's approach goes beyond techniques and gets to the soul of leadership; you cannot teach what you don't know, and people won't follow where you won't go. To reach people where they are, and get them to feel something, leaders must genuinely feel their own "motivation" (as they say in the acting profession). Thus, to make an emotional connection with others, start by first connecting deeply with yourself and where you feel most passionate This, in turn, will translate into a solid connection with others.
Coming Soon for 2005:
What Matters Most, by Jeffery Hollender
Ideas are Free, by Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder
The Inclusion Breakthrough. by Frederick Miller and Judith Katz
ARCHIVES: July - Dec. 2003 Hot Books
January - March 2003 Hot Books
See also: All 2002 Hot Books in Review
Three recommended books about applying "new science" at work
For the comprehensive list of books by category, in USA | UK | Germany
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