‘Innovation – The Attacker’s Advantage‘ is an old book. Written in 1986, the author talks about the rise of compact disks and the new science of biotechnology. However, there is much to be learned from this book. One of the main points that this book makes, is that all technology has its natural limits and […]
Category Archives: Book reviews
November
22
What you can learn from ‘Talent is Overated’ by Geoff Colvin (2016, 206 pages)
posted by Max
What separates the truly exceptional from the rest of us? Is it talent or is it hard work? In ‘Talent is Overrated’ Geoff argues that while there are some qualities that make us more predisposed to certain achievements, it only when people spend a lot of time (10,000+ hours) in deliberate practice that they can become world […]
November
13
What you can learn from ‘Turn the Ship Around!’ by David Marquet (2012, 216 pages)
posted by Max
How do you truly empower your team? A lot has been said about empowerment and engagement (see three books I reviewed recently Team of Teams, Followership, and The Heart of Change). What is different about David’s ‘Turn the Ship Around’ is that David uses his highly compelling personal story, turning around one of the worst performing submarines in […]
November
04
What you could learn from ‘The Strategy Book’ by Max McKeown (2012, 226 pages)
posted by Max
“Strategy is about moving from where you are to where you want to be. Smart strategy is the shortest route to desirable ends with available means.” Max McKeown Strategy, historically a Greek military term (see below), is now used very loosely to describe any plan of action to achieve a long term aim (see here). In […]
October
31
What could you learn from ‘Ambidextrous Leadership Driving Strategic Innovation’ by Maria Potoroczyn (2013, 100 pages)
posted by Max
Balancing exploitation and exploration is a critical for business (see here). Maria argues that Ambidextrous leadership is needed to balance the requirements of exploitation and exploration. In her dissertation, Maria exposes the conflict present in many organisations – the need to drive innovation initiatives, as well as maintain the profitability of core business. She goes […]
October
24
What you could learn from ‘The Innovation Book’ by Max McKeown (2014, 245 pages)
posted by Max
What is innovation? How do you and your company become more innovative? How do you lead and manage creative people? How to you turn your companies best ideas into reality? All of these questions are challenging for leaders in large organisations. Max McKeown’s ‘The Innovation Book’ is an excellent resource to help you answer these […]
October
14
Leadership hack 013 – be the fox and not the hedgehog
posted by Max
‘The fox knows many things, but the hedgehog knows one big thing’. Isaiah Berlin Are you someone who sees the world very clearly? Do you have firmly held views one subject? Or do you operate in shades of grey, where there are no right answers? The rise of popularism in politics is clear. The US […]
October
11
What you could learn from ‘On Innovation’ from HBR (2013, 171 pages)
posted by Max
If you do not update your business model and your products the market will conspire to erode your profitability as your products will descend down the life-cycle to their demise. This decline can be stopped. By renewing both your product and your business model, you can ensure that you remain competitive (see below). Therefore, this act […]
October
05
What you could learn from ‘Ego is the Enemy’ by Ryan Holiday (2016, 217 pages)
posted by Max
How do you stay on a true course? How do you deal with life’s successes and failure? Philosophy has a few answers, and so does Ryan Holiday. In ‘Ego is the Enemy’ Ryan charts the three phases in his life – before success, success and failure. Ryan draws on his experience, the experience of other to make […]
September
28
What you could learn from ‘Leading Quietly’ by Joseph Badaracco (2002,181 pages)
posted by Max
How do you change an organisation from within? Some would propose heroics, battling hard to bring about the change needed. Others suggest that success lies in a quieter form of influence. Joseph is part of a growing body of academics and practitioner that suggest that leaders should avoid the ‘hero’ option, and seek to change people […]
September
27
What could you learn from ‘Followership’ by Barbra Kellerman (2008, 261 pages)
posted by Max
“A leader is someone who has followers” Peter Drucker I am sure that you have done far more leadership training, than training on being a follower. While teamwork, collaboration and cooperation are often key criteria in job descriptions and company mission statements, there seems to be little evidence that businesses are investing in building followers. In ‘Followership’ Barbra explores what […]
September
27
What you could learn from ‘Leadership BS’ by Jerry Pfeffer (2015, 220 pages)
posted by Max
While leadership is difficult to define (see here), good leadership is hard to miss. Like beauty, good leadership is subjective, depending as much on the observer and context, as much as it depends on the leader. In the book, Jeffrey takes on the five pillars of current leadership: modesty, authenticity, telling the truth, trust and […]
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