What we are reading… in June.

What we're reading

1 Jun

As a team we absolutely love to read. Whether it be a latest release, an undiscovered treasure that has only just come across our radar, or dusting off an old favourite from the bookshelf.

As a team of Business Psychology practitioners, we also know how important it is to keep up-to-date on the latest research, thinking and industry trends. So for a bit of fun, but also in the spirit of ‘caring is sharing’ we thought it might be useful to share what we’re currently reading each month.

Here’s a snapshot of what the Psychology Work’s team have on their reading list for this month…

How to Lead for Daring New Leaders: The No-Nonsense Guide to Develop Basic Leadership Skills. Discover Your Power to Be In Charge,

How to Lead for Beginners is a practical guide that outlines the essential skills and strategies needed to become an effective leader. It is designed for anyone looking to advance their career, build a business, or enhance leadership abilities in personal or professional settings. The book emphasizes that leadership is a learned skill, not an innate trait, and provides a clear path to developing this ability through practice and perseverance. It addresses common challenges of leadership, such as overcoming self-doubt and taking responsibility for the success or failure of a team.

The content covers key topics such as setting goals, building and managing a team, and receiving feedback for continuous improvement. It also shares techniques used by successful leaders and offers straightforward steps to cultivate leadership habits. Whether for managers, business owners, or anyone seeking to improve their leadership skills, How to Lead for Beginners provides the tools and knowledge necessary to lead effectively. With its focus on practical strategies and real-world applications, the book serves as a comprehensive resource for mastering the fundamentals of leadership.

Right Kind of Wrong: How the Best Teams Use Failure to Succeed, Amy Edmondson.

Winner of the Financial Times Business Book of the Year Award, Amy Edmondson's book challenges conventional thinking about failure. Traditionally seen as something to avoid, and more recently as something to embrace without distinction, failure is often misunderstood. Edmondson, a leading organisational psychologist, argues that neither approach effectively separates valuable failures from detrimental ones, causing missed opportunities for growth and improvement.

Drawing on four decades of research into the world’s most effective teams, Edmondson introduces the three archetypes of failure: basic, complex, and intelligent. She explores how to harness the potential of "good" failures while eliminating the "bad," proposing that learning to fail correctly is essential for true success. The book offers a clearer understanding of how to stop avoiding failure and instead, take smarter risks, providing a roadmap for leveraging failure as a powerful tool for innovation and achievement.

How Big Things Get Done: The Surprising Factors Behind Every Successful Project, from Home Renovations to Space Exploration, Professor Bent Flyvbjerg and Dan Gardner.

In How Big Things Get Done, Professor Bent Flyvbjerg and bestselling author Dan Gardner provide insights into successfully planning and executing ambitious projects of any scale. The book contrasts inspiring success stories, such as Apple’s rapid launch of the iPod, with notable failures like the London Crossrail project, exploring why some projects succeed while others falter.

Drawing on extensive research, Flyvbjerg identifies common pitfalls and offers principles to enhance project success. Key strategies include understanding the odds, planning thoroughly before taking action, working backwards from goals, breaking large tasks into manageable components, and mastering unforeseen challenges. The book features vivid examples from iconic projects, including the Sydney Opera House and Pixar films, illustrating how to achieve major undertakings on time and within budget.