Accel5®’s Business Book Summaries of the Month: October 2022

Add these summarized business books from Accel5 to your reading list.

This month’s collection covers a variety of essentials, including leadership, management, marketing and more, all briefed to be enjoyed in minutes.

HBR at 100
Harvard Business Review

Summary: Throughout the last century, Harvard Business Review has been a consistent source of thought leadership for business leaders worldwide. HBR at 100 offers a curated selection of 30 articles that showcases the best and most enduring ideas that the magazine has published.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Business Acumen
• Strategic Thinking
• Leadership Essentials
• Management Essentials
• Diversity

Decoding Greatness
Ron Friedman

Summary: No matter your career or field of expertise, competition is rising. As a result, professionals must find an effective methodology to develop new skills. In Decoding Greatness, Ron Friedman discusses reverse engineering and shares how you can use this concept to grow and evolve in new ways.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Continuous Learning

Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership
Susan MacKenty Brady, Janet Foutty, and Lynn Perry Wooten

Summary: In today’s business world, more and more women are breaking through the glass ceiling and earning leadership positions with greater responsibilities. In these roles, appearing vulnerable can be riskier than in less senior positions. In Arrive and Thrive, Susan MacKenty Brady, Janet Foutty, and Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten offer seven practices that women leaders can use to guide their professional journeys.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Diversity
• Leadership Essentials

Competing in the New World of Work
Keith Ferrazzi, Kian Gohar, and Noel Weyrich

Summary: The world has changed. People are working in new ways and for new purposes. Your employees and colleagues need more from you and expect you to deliver time and again. Your customers continue to call for simple, effective wins that can be repeatedly replicated, even while you face disruptions. In Competing in the New World of Work, Keith Ferrazzi, Kian Gohar, and Noel Weyrich explain that you won’t succeed in this new context by adhering to your old practices. They share the new leadership competencies you must adopt to operate at peak performance, and they illustrate how you can build a radically adaptable team.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Leadership Essentials
• Managing Teams
• Resilience
• Vision & Mission

Compassionate Leadership
Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter

Summary: Leaders shoulder enormous responsibility and regularly oversee decisions that affect hundreds of people, requiring the mental fortitude to deal with uncomfortable duties. However, building this tolerance can impact leaders’ ability to empathize with others and lead effectively. In Compassionate Leadership, Rasmus Hougaard and Jacqueline Carter draw on hard data and interviews with industry leaders to outline a practical guide for developing effective leadership based on compassion and guided by wisdom.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Leadership Essentials

Hire with Your Head, Fourth Edition
Lou Adler

Summary: Many companies’ current hiring dilemmas derive from three big challenges: filling a large number of positions quickly without making mistakes; recruiting diverse, innovative candidates to strengthen internal talent assets; and ensuring that those in leadership positions reflect the values and advantages that will generate momentum for the long haul. In the fourth edition of Hire with Your Head, Lou Adler argues that a better approach to recruiting and hiring would be if companies apply techniques similar to those they use to make informed strategy decisions. In other words, they need to adopt a performance-based hiring process.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Hiring & Dismissing

Leading Wisely
Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries

Summary: Today’s complex world requires wise leaders who know themselves and their constituents and can create better lives for everyone. In Leading Wisely, Manfred F. R. Kets de Vries draws upon years of exploring case studies with organizational leaders while developing the wisdom equation. Wisdom doesn’t emerge solely from intelligence or knowledge but from empathy, compassion, and humility. We need leaders of character who are committed to the common good and whose values guide their judgments. Leaders who learn through their experiences and listen to the experiences of others can go beyond superficial solutions to significantly improve their own lives and the lives of others.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Leadership Essentials

Sway
Christina Del Villar

Summary: Too often, marketing professionals fail to keep executives in the loop about the role marketing plays in executing business strategies and achieving company goals. As a result, marketing budgets and marketing positions tend to be first on the chopping block when companies enter periods of disruption and uncertainty—times when the strength of an organization’s marketing team can be more decisive than ever. In Sway, Christina Del Villar offers marketing professionals a framework for enhancing and communicating the value they create.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Marketing Essentials

The Revelation Conversation
Steve Curtin

Summary: Managers are tasked with reducing costs by motivating unengaged or actively disengaged employees.  Revelation conversations can help provide a framework for informal regular one-on-one conversations with employees that assist them in connecting their job functions to a higher purpose or aspirational goal. These collaborative and intentional conversations translate into purposeful actions and behaviors that can be observed and measured as they positively influence the company’s key performance indicators. In The Revelation Conversation, Steve Curtin provides detailed guidance complete with proven consulting exercises and questions to empower managers to easily facilitate these conversations.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Communicating Effectively
• Management Essentials

The Digital Marketing Handbook
Simon Kingsnorth

Summary: The Digital Marketing Handbook by Simon Kingsnorth is a practical guide for marketers explaining the processes, tools, and strategies you need to succeed in the digital sphere. Digital marketing is always evolving, but by developing a great website and social media presence, knowing your audience, and using analytics, you can hone your skills to deliver excellent results for your company.

For those looking to improve upon these competencies:

• Marketing Essentials