INNOVATION January-February 2017

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Taking the Next Career Step A Shortlist of Leadership Books

Karen Chan, P.Eng.

The start of a new year often prompts resolutions to develop skills and focus on career progression, but career development is a lifelong process of managing learning, work, and job-related transitions. In today’s competitive job market, leadership skills can play a significant role in sustaining an upward career trajectory. Well-rounded professionals often seek to supplement their core technical skills with people management and leadership essentials, decision-making and change-management skills. The following shortlist may help transform engineers and geoscientists into business leaders. The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive: A Leadership Fable Patrick M. Lencioni, 2000 An excellent book written by management consultant and aspiring screenwriter Patrick Lencioni. The story follows protagonist Rich O’Connor, a wise and effective CEO of a technology company, and a disgruntled employee, Jamie Bender, who sets out to destroy the company. What was written on Rich O’Connor’s mysterious “yellow sheet”? As the story of corporate intrigue unfolds, it reveals the four key disciplines that an extraordinary leader follows to create and sustain a healthy organisation: 1) Build a cohesive leadership team; 2) Create organisational clarity; 3) Over-communicate (repeat clear, uncomplicated messages); 4) Reinforce organisational clarity through hiring decisions, performance management, and reward structures. The 360 Degree Leader John C. Maxwell, 2005 A management must-read, The 360 Degree Leader remains as impactful in today’s organisational environment as in 2005. Leadership guru Maxwell explains that effective leaders do not require title or authority to lead. An effective 360 degree leader can learn to lead across, lead up, and lead down to influence people at every level of an enterprise. Maxwell recognises seven common challenges and pressures faced by mid-level leaders and provides insights and tools to help people develop effective leadership skills. Without overstepping their authority, good managers make things happen by empowering others to use their own judgment and take appropriate action. Mid-level leaders, who experience demands from the top and expectations from followers and clients, need to be comfortable with time management and, more importantly, priority management. Who Gets Promoted, Who Doesn’t, and Why (Second Edition) Donald Asher, 2007 After writing 12 books on topics of higher education and career management, Asher has formed contrarian ideas on career advancements. He observes that people get promoted not as a reward for their past contributions but because their bosses believe they will succeed in the next assignment. First published in 2007 and updated in 2014, this edition fine-tunes Asher’s way of understanding why timing is as essential as talent, and how corporations make promotion decisions. Two critical tips for career development: • Write well, speak well, present well – your ability to sell your skills and your potential determine how you are perceived and create your long-term success. • Create a succession plan – if you’re more valuable where you are, you won’t be promoted. Talent Is Over-Rated Geoffrey Colvin, 2008 Myth: some people seem to excel at what they do—Warren Buffett, Yo-Yo Ma, Chris Rock, Michael Jordan, Bill Gates—because they are talented and possess exceptional abilities. Malcolm Gladwell may have demystified high achievers as people who stand out because of obsessive amounts of practice (~10,000 hours), but Colvin reveals a more profound concept: great performance is built on deliberate practice—that is, practice with intention. Structured practice to improve your weakest skillsets makes perfect. If you struggle with managing people, being a mentor can provide you with opportunities for deliberate practice. Good mentoring is about telling things as they are and giving reality checks. A mentor acts as a mentee’s sounding board and offers suggestions, affirmation or support when needed.

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