David Waller and Rupert Younger (Oneworld, 2017)
We live in an age of fast connections and far-reaching social networks that make it possible for business people, entrepreneurs, politicians and celebrities to build and telegraph their personal brands far and wide.
We also know this world to be fickle and real life to be subject to all manner of mishaps, all of which means we witness the frequent spectacle of formerly strong figures having their reputations and ambitions demolished seemingly overnight.
From the Mafia to BP and from Jay-Z to Rolls-Royce, Waller and Younger work through different aspects of reputation and explain what it takes to make or break them.
Reputations based on capability, they explain, are remarkably sticky. Once a person has established a reputation for a particular talent, they will have to work hard or be remarkably unlucky to lose it. Character reputations are relatively fragile.
The authors argue that your reputation is your most valuable commodity, and that learning to protect that commodity is a skill that pays dividends.
Daniel H Pink (Canongate Books, 2018)
For a working world increasingly preoccupied with productivity, Daniel H Pink – author of such momentum-fuelled titles as Drive and To Sell is Human – offers a beguiling treatise on timing – and builds the case that it is a science and not an art.
Having trawled through more than 700 academic studies on timing from economists, anthropologists and biologists, Pink distils data to reveal how the right breaks can dramatically improve student performance in tests; why singing in time with others is as beneficial as exercise; and why investor calls are less belligerent and defensive when conducted in the morning.
He investigates such questions as why beginnings matter so much; how we can make a fresh start with projects; and why reaching the midway point in an endeavour or relationship can motivate us or, alternatively, cause us to stall.
Engagingly written, Pink’s arguments set their face against the search for hour-by-hour consistent achievement in favour of a more forgiving and intuitive approach to time management.
Jo Owen (Kogan Page, 2017)
There are many titles about becoming the best version of yourself and taking up the leadership mantle.
This one carries some weight in that it is research-based – Jo Owen has scrutinised and interviewed business leaders around the world for 17 years – and because it provides a structured set of tools aimed at changing the way we think and perform.
Owen’s central tenet is that leaders never rely on received wisdom, which means they aren’t afraid to disrupt the status quo in pursuit of their aims.
Perhaps his most persuasive point, however, is that mindset is not fixed. The flexibility, tenacity and ambition that leaders exhibit can be practised and developed.
Skills, he argues, are in plentiful supply and not a good indicator of performance. The right mindset, on the other hand, is a rare commodity that is greatly valued.
Looking beyond mere good management and pointing out that mindset has to evolve alongside a career, he sets out the mindset difference – the lifetime advantage that leaders exhibit.
David Pilling (Bloomsbury, 2018)
As re-examinations of established ideas go, David Pilling’s The Growth Delusion is pretty far-reaching. Pointing out that gross domestic product (GDP) is a far-from-inevitable or neutral measure, Pilling, the Financial Times’ Africa editor, argues that GDP’s special status as a short hand for economic growth is undeserved.
GDP is a construct and an artificial one at that: “like candyfloss or car insurance or double entry bookkeeping”. It also has “terrible table manners”, Pilling says.
It likes to tally up the cost of wars and post-war reconstruction, but it takes no account of volunteer work or housework, leading to a $3.8 trillion underestimation of the US economy.
To make matters worse, it is bad at measuring progress – precisely the task habitually assigned to it.
The book moves beyond GDP’s shortcomings, however, to look at public policy measures that look beyond the relentless pursuit of growth, and lifts the lid on a measure that may be poorly suited to an evolving world.
This article was taken from the August/September 2018 issue of The Treasurer magazine. For more great insights, log in to view the full issue or sign up for eAffiliate membership