Brainy Books
Author Lisa Sansom
It seems like the latest trend in books these days are catchy titles and then a longer, more serious,
subtitle. So what’s the truth? The quick burst of the title, or the slow burn of the subtitle? We leave that
to your mindful opinion. These thoughtful books all deal with heady topics.
There is a
fascinating amount of research currently put into decision making. Initially, this research was largely
created due to marketing psychology, but it has now made its way into a number of other genres of business
books, and so Think Again is a corporate leadership take on the matter. What we do know is that we’re
painfully bad at predicting the outcomes and impacts of our decisions. Our judgement is extremely flawed and
can be easily distorted. The authors take a brief look at some of the research, but this book is mostly
predicated on case studies and lessons about how to do better than the failed decisions that are highlighted
here. Becoming aware of the four sources of error, and the four types of safeguard will sincerely help, but I
think the basis is being mindful and conscientious. Often, we make decisions, and sometimes very important
decisions, without really thinking about it. With more knowledge about what’s going on for you when you make
a decision, and the traps you might fall into, hopefully more red flags will fly up, helping you slow down
and make better decisions. As with all HBP books, this is a serious, thoughtful book, on a serious and
thought-provoking topic.
Published by:
Harvard Business Press, 2008 | 236 pages | ISBN 978-1-4221-2612-7
Keohane ends her
book with these words: “May your dreams be blessed for loving this book.” This sort of begs the question,
what if I didn’t love the book? When Keohane talks about dreams, she means the dreams that you have at
night-time when you are sleeping, not your hopes and dreams for the future. I’m the sort of person who
doesn’t put a lot of stake into my night-time dreams, but I’m also not a creative, and Keohane certainly is.
Her PhD is in Creative Arts/Depth Psychology. She lectures on the topic of art inspired from dreams. What I
do appreciate about this book is that Keohane encourages you to be personal; this is not a dream symbol
dictionary where if I dream about angels, it means exactly the same thing as when you dream about angels.
This is a call to be inspired, and that inspiration means something different for each individual. If you are
looking for some inner inspiration, this book may be worth a try. The exercises are practical and the
instructions are clear. Who knows where this might lead?
Published by:
CreateSpace/Oneirica, 2009 | 139 pages | ISBN 978-1441137776
This isn’t the
sort of book that you read cover to cover, and hopefully your workplace isn’t so toxic that you would need to
read every page. Yet the book is filled with little gems and practical tips for coping with a day that’s
filled with lies, craziness, random rules and failing companies. Embedded in the tips is some real MBA-style
strategy (Theory X of motivation versus Theory Y, for example), so this book is not a light-weight. And while
the title is humorous, the content mostly is not. Part 5 of the book is about “useful workplace skills”, such
as how to fake a positive attitude and how to ask for a raise, which are skills that anyone can benefit from.
But if you have serious problems, like a coworker who is depressed (survival scenario #22), or there is toxic
gossip (#51), or your boss is a bully (#18), then this is a great, easy-to-read reference book.
Published by:
McGraw-Hill, 2009 | 291 pages | ISBN 978-0-07-160872-5
Actually, there
are several “other kinds of smart”, since Howard Gardner first posited his theory of multiple intelligences
somewhere around 1983. But I’ll accept that emotional intelligence (EI) is typically the one that first
springs to mind, especially in a corporate or business context, notably since Daniel Goleman’s Emotional
Intelligence in 1996. Have you had enough of EI or do you want more? This book is more—but it’s not
necessarily new or unique if you’re already familiar with the field. Deutschendorf takes several different EI
strengths—characteristics that you might already have and want to grow, or aspects of your personality that
you’d like to work on—and isolates them with examples, explanations and exercises. Want to be more assertive?
There’s good information for you on page 42. Would you like to be more adaptable? That breaks down into three
different skills in Part IV. This feels more like a self-help book—you aren’t going to get the information
here on how to transform others. But real lasting change starts from within anyhow, right?
Published by:
Amacom, 2009 | 218 pages | ISBN 978-0-8144-1405-7
"Clevers”, Goffee
and Jones’ new term for clever people who work in your organization, apparently require special care and
handling by managers. And so the authors clearly define who is a Clever, and what managers could be doing to
help Clevers stay and perform within an organization. Their definition is compelling: we aren’t just talking
about creative types like musicians and artists. This is about “highly talented individuals with the
potential to create disproportionate amounts of value from the resources that the organization makes
available to them.” This is the sort of person you want to keep! And it may even be you! But what comes
across is entitlement, protection and fawning. I am a believer in individualization—as a manager, you need to
find out who is working for you and be able to manage each of them fairly and equitably, but differently. One
size does not fit all. So if you have a Clever in your team, this book may help, but if you are a sensitive
and thoughtful manager, you should be managing people like this anyway. If your organization is bleeding
Clevers, this may be a band-aid, but I suspect the problems run much deeper and systemically, and reading one
book won’t help much.
Published by:
Harvard Business Press, 2009 | 182 pages | ISBN 978-1-4221-2296-9
Article originally published in Your Workplace issue 11-6
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