How did the team that designed and delivered the US’s first ever fighter jet (P-80 Shooting Star) do it in less 143 days? In their book ‘Team Genius’ Rich and Michael suggest that there are five things contribute to team effectiveness. Stay as small as possible, and stick to optimum group sizes. That is 7±2, […]
January
17
What you could learn from ‘Team Genius’ by Rich Kalgaard and Michael Malone (2015, 250 pages)
posted by Max
January
15
Leadership hack 018 – direction is more important than speed
posted by Max
As a leader, you have limited resources. Your time and energy are finite, and so you must put these scarce resources into what really matters. It is very easy not to look up, not to step back and see the wider picture, or what Heifetz call’s ‘getting onto the balcony‘. ‘Getting onto the balcony’ […]
January
15
Leadership hack 018 – direction is more important than speed
posted by Max
As a leader, you have limited resources. Your time and energy are finite, and so you must put these scarce resources into what really matters. It is very easy not to look up, not to step back and see the wider picture, or what Heifetz call’s ‘getting onto the balcony‘. ‘Getting onto the balcony’ […]
January
07
What could you learn from ‘Difficult Conversations’ by Douglas Stone (2016, 234 pages)
posted by Max
There is no magic wand to get people to bend to your will. While I have explored persuasion in previous books reviews (Pre-suasion) and in my blog (here), there are elements I missed. In ‘Difficult Conversations’ Douglas Stone presents a compelling framework and set of tools that can help you understand the perspective of others and use […]
January
07
Leadership hack 019 – The one thing you can do to make the most of 2017
posted by Max
2016 was a tough year for most of us. How was it for you? More importantly, what can you learn from it? I try to take two weeks off at Christmas. This time off allows me to decompress and remind my wife and daughter what I look like, and also see my wider family. I also […]
December
09
What could you learn from ‘Pre-suasion’ by Robert Cialdini (2016, 233 pages)?
posted by Max
To be successful, you need to sell. You may not be in sales or even interact with customers, but you will need to sell yourself. You will need to convince people that you are the person to hire, that you are the person to trust with work and that you are the person that can […]
November
29
What you can learn from ‘Innovation’ by Richard Foster (1986, 267 pages)
posted by Max
‘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 […]
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
18
Leadership hack 017 – you can only fix what you can see
posted by Max
The amount work expected of leaders keep growing, increasing the chance that important tasks are missed. As companies adopt a flatter, agiler, structure leaders get more responsibility and more people to work with. It is now very easy for one of your many spinning plates to drop crashing to the ground. The way we manage tasks […]
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
11
Leadership hack 016 – what 80/20 actually means
posted by Max
5There is much advice out there ‘don’t boil the ocean‘ or be ‘80/20‘. A lot of people think that this means just do 80% of the work. Few understand its true meaning that you should only focus on the very small, but very significant 20% of the work which creates 80% of the impact. Understanding that […]
November
06
Leadership hack 015 – there are three ways to get people to do something
posted by Max
When you want somebody to do something, you have three choices: Rely on altruism by appealing to their better nature Threaten adverse consequences if they don’t do it Re-frame the request to highlight mutual benefit Each of these approaches has advantages and drawbacks, and the effectiveness of each will differ with context. Altruism is incredibly powerful, but you need a […]
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