Time, Talent, Energy: Overcome Organizational Drag and Unleash Your Team’s Productive Power

Time, Talent, Energy by Michael C. Mankins; Eric Garton is an inspiring as well as informative read.
It starts with the idea that in today's funding rich world, an organisation needs to take a good look at how its time is spent and how to gain it back from the bottomless meetings that drain it. How to rely on A player teams when it comes to business critical projects that will pave way for you organisation's jump to the next level. How engagement is very important, so your employees bring their best self to the organization and feel empowered.
I found the talent chapter most inspiring with how a new model of Boeing was done within 5 years, how an A team in the race car world can slash the pit time down to half.
there's a reference to another book Founder's Mentality - which I liked and the usual formula of supporting your arguments with studies, graphs and good visual aids of what are good leadership traits.

Beyond the Label: Women, Leadership, and Success on Our Own Terms

When I picked this book, I didnt know much about Chanel, but I was curious about how one gets to be a CEO of Chanel. Maureen Chiquet's 'Beyond the label' echoes each time she made a bold move for the better.
I like how Chiquet shared lessons learned at each place - L'Oreal, Gap, Old Navy and finally Chanel and the things she pioneered there - Palazzo pants. The author shows how no job is too small to learn lessons and understand the business. Against convention, a career advice goes not to harp on titles but what the role entails. This chimes with the author's upending the label and its expectations ethos. She also stresses on the importance of listening skills in becoming a better leader.
I found it interesting that passionate salespeople on the floor can know a lot about the fabrics they sell.
A great read for those who love arts and design and the impact it can have.

1/17/2022

Having finished MBA, after reading this book, it comes full circle with Leadership through hard conversations.

Reach by Andy Molinsky

"Warren Buffet lamented that in college he limited himself by only signing up for classes where he wouldnt have to put himself out on a limb and speak in public. And whenever he did have to speak in public, especially in the early days, the results werent pretty: "I would throw up," Buffett remarked. "In fact, I aranged my life so that I never had to get up in front of anybody." - Andy Molinsky.

Networking outside

How to network outside your company
How leaders create and use networks

What is your Apron?

In 'A is for Apron' introduction, Nathalie Mornu says "When I put on an apron, I feel transformed. the apron seems to channel everyone who's ever worn one before. I'm suddenly more efficient, more in charge, and totally up to the task before me .."

Ideas for product

What  hurts?
holding your tablet with both hands

The head of a tripod

Did you know that the tripod
has a head
which wills to be corked
by any right sized
mount opening

The Other "F" Word: How Smart Leaders, Teams, and Entrepreneurs Put Failure to Work

"Bad companies are destroyed by crisis; good companies survive them; great companies are improved by them." - Andy Grove.

In "The Other "F" Word: How Smart Leaders, Teams, and Entrepreneurs Put Failure to Work" by John Danner and Mark Coopersmith, you get to see what the crises can be and how your company size will change your reaction to it, what you can learn from it and how you can remember that to learn from failure as an individual and team.
With Edison and WD-40, we have learnt how taking more risks, we increase our chance of success. But to keep on going ahead like King Bruce, we have to know that we are not going to build that web the first time, learn and improvise from each attempt.
The Failure Value Cycle is about how to mine gold from your crash and burns. With its 7 step process, you create an environment where you accept the ubiquity of failure in a venture, prepare for it, be on the lookout for it, respond, avert and get back on track.
The authors have referred to the latest security debacles of great companies. After each chapter, there is a summary of what are the keypoints. There are questionnaires about how failure is treated in our organisation. There is an encouragement to show off not just your laurels but your albatrosses too.
The best I like are the 3 Rules of learning - from others, by play and thinking and by doing, 'What has to be true' exercise.

You are your worst competitor

Leverage

1. employing experts. Steve jobs about hiring smart people
2. Integration instead of reinventing the wheel.

Performance Breakthrough: The FOUR Secrets of Passionate Organizations

'Performance Breakthrough: The FOUR Secrets of Passionate Organizations' by Mike Goldman is narrated as fiction but speaks to a company with disengaged employees trying to get back on its feet. The first time I read a book fictionalized in business is 'Revenue and the CMO: How Marketing Will Impact Revenue through Big Data and Social Selling' by Glenn Gow.
In the recent times, I have read the concepts of knowing your 'employee culture' in 'Under the Hood' by Stan Slap and playing ignorance in 'The Ignorant Maestro'. Knowing your employees and building trust among them is covered in detail in the former, empowering your employees and trusting them to do a good job, giving them the needed freedom is covered in the latter.
So the concepts have all been there. But this book acts as a quick reminder to get the train onto the track. The format has two layers of fiction. One is the personal life of the narrator which feeds directions into his office life.

Fresh air of Innovation

'Make your Mark: The Creative's Guide to Building a Business with Impact" introduces readers to never before heard of companies, the folks behind them and their secrets to success. Sugru with their innovative product, Warby Parker with their buy a pair, give a pair, Bonobos with their guideshops that a newspaper called 'that dont sell anything", DODOcase that robes your tablet in an elegant journal look. All those interviewed are very excited about innovation, letting the customers speak for the product and making the product an experience.
Its a good move from the well touted examples of past years.

Make your Mark

Finding your purpose

The Right Who

The topics brought up in the book about successful 'whos' are relevant in any industry. You will find yourself reviewing different examples from scenarios at your workplace. How do you find the best people? What to ask the references? How many people to interview for a position? What is the mark when you are done knowing the pool and decide already. Holding interviewers responsible.
With many examples from interesting studies, the author will load you up on technqiues to find the right people and keep them.
I am motivated to do an anonymous 360.

Egon Zehnder
Join a board
Unconventional resumes