Accel5®’s Business Book Summaries of the Month: July 2022This month’s collection covers a variety of topics, including professional growth, leadership, diversity and inclusion, innovation and more, all briefed to be enjoyed in minutes.
July 1, 2022
This month’s collection covers a variety of topics, including professional growth, leadership, diversity and inclusion, innovation and more, all briefed to be enjoyed in minutes.
Diversity and Inclusion Matters: Tactics and Tools to Inspire Equity and Game-Changing Performance
Jason R. Thompson
Summary:
Social consciousness is becoming a defining aspect of modern business, pushing many organizations to experiment with creating diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I) programs. In Diversity and Inclusion Matters, Jason R. Thompson presents practical steps for establishing an exceptional DE&I program and effectively managing common issues for new programs, guided by his 25 years of experience in building DE&I systems.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Diversity
Impact Networks: Create Connection, Spark Collaboration, and Catalyze Systemic Change
David Ehrlichman
Summary:
In Impact Networks, David Ehrlichman explains that the problems we face in the 21st century won’t be solved using the same methods we used in the past. Rather, the solutions to modern complex problems are impact networks. These structures create a place for sharing knowledge and developing a robust community that addresses issues in a strategic and compassionate way. By learning how to create impact networks, you’ll adopt a mindset that allows you to see the value of relationships, engage more openly with new ideas, and foster collaboration that leads to lasting change.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Network and Relationship Building
Leading Beyond Change: A Practical Guide to Evolving Business Agility
Michael K. Sahota and Audree Tara Sahota
Summary:
In Leading Beyond Change, Michael K. Sahota and Audree Tara Sahota explain that traditional change initiatives don’t help an organization become more agile because they don’t target the real causes of low performance. Instead, organizations must create a supportive culture where employees are motivated to perform at their highest level. The organization’s leaders must first transform themselves, moving from a traditional mindset to an attitude of leading through influence rather than power. As they evolve, leaders model desired behaviors and inspire others to change, improving productivity and performance.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Managing Change
· Leadership Essentials
Pivot for Success: Hone Your Vision, Shift Your Energy, Make Your Move
Amy S. Hilliard
Summary:
If there’s one thing we can be sure of in life, it’s that things will constantly change. If you don’t learn to change with it, you’ll miss out on many great opportunities. In Pivot for Success, entrepreneur Amy S. Hilliard details the process of honing your vision to focus on what’s important, shifting your energy to a new outlook, and making your move to the next step in your journey. Her 10 pivots will allow you to reinvent yourself, cultivate resilience, and resurrect your life.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Goals & Priorities
· Positive Outlook
Radical Product Thinking: The New Mindset for Innovating Smarter
R. Dutt
Summary:
Products become bloated, fragmented, and driven by irrelevant metrics when you innovate without a clear strategy. In Radical Product Thinking, entrepreneur and product leader R. Dutt lays out a repeatable model for building innovative products. In this comprehensive guide, readers will learn the five elements for translating vision into reality.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Innovation
· Vision & Mission
Rock the Boat: Embrace Change, Encourage Innovation, and Be a Successful Leader
Danelle Barrett
Summary:
Many people believe that exceptional leadership is the result of a complex formula. In Rock the Boat, retired Rear Admiral Danelle Barrett argues that being a great leader is so simple a monkey could do it. Through a collection of strategies, practices, and “Sea Stories” from her Navy career, Barrett provides a straightforward framework designed to improve both leaders’ and mentors’ performances. By adopting this framework, readers can give their organizations the competitive edge they need to thrive in today’s rapidly changing business landscape.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Leadership Essentials
· Managing Change
Smart Growth: How to Grow Your People
Whitney Johnson
Summary:
The most important funding mechanism for your company’s growth is the learning and growth of your people. But somehow jobs muffle people’s innate desire to learn –– they find themselves bored, stagnant, or wanting more at work. In Smart Growth, Whitney Johnson provides outlines the S Curve of Learning™, a model for smart growth. She answers questions like, why, despite the desire to grow, can it be so difficult to start? What does it take to gain and maintain momentum once people start? Why do people outgrow things so quickly? The answers to these questions not only demystify the process of personal growth, they also provide leaders with tools to decode talent development and succession planning. The more you understand what growth looks like, the more you can grow yourself, your people, and your organization.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Continuous Learning
· Leadership Essentials
The Act of Leadership: A Playbook for Leading with Humility, Clarity, and Purpose
Dan Haesler
Summary:
In The Act of Leadership, leadership and performance coach Dan Haesler shares effective coaching strategies to help you become a better leader. You’ll learn how to recognize your biases, create physiological safety, and reframe feedback conversations as well as develop new habits to help your employees reach their potential. The book goes beyond leadership theory to demonstrate the techniques you can employ to be a successful, mindful, and impactful leader.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Leadership Essentials
· Coaching & Mentoring
The Language of Leadership: How to Engage and Inspire Your Team
Joel Schwartzberg
Summary:
As a leader, how you communicate plays a significant role in how team members perceive and react to you. Teams want to see certain qualities in their leaders, such as confidence, empathy, and authenticity. You can convey those qualities through your communication style, from the words you select to how well you listen to others. In The Language of Leadership, Joel Schwartzberg examines the mindsets, tactics, and skills you can use to convey purpose, sell your ideas, and inspire your team.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Communicating Effectively
· Leadership Essentials
The Practical Negotiation Handbook: A Five-Step Approach to Lasting Partnerships
Melissa Davies
Summary:
In The Practical Negotiation Handbook, Melissa Davies shares effective methods to help successfully manage the negotiation process in person or virtually. Through specific strategies, tools, and examples, she describes a solution-focused, five-step process for negotiating lasting agreements with positive results for each party. This constructive book explains the importance of communication, goal setting, active listening, and nonverbal cues in the negotiation process. A practical approach takes you step by step from analysis to implementation, providing the necessary skills to build self-confidence and ensure you become a successful negotiator.
For those looking to improve upon these competencies:
· Negotiating
