Management-Business – Page 7 – Scott J. Pearson’s Book Review

Power Listening: Mastering the Most Critical Business Skill of All

By Scott J. Pearson | December 18, 2023December 18, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Learning from colleagues’ and direct reports’ assessments is a deceptively difficult task. Unlike with medical professionals where listening to patients is rigorously taught, most business education comparatively neglects this topic. Yet the simple act of listening can have a dramatic impact on one’s workplace effectiveness – and one’s career trajectory. This brief book seeks to teach those skills. As the conclusion admits, though, the proof is in the day-to-day practice of how a job is…

Playing to Win: How Strategy Really Works

By Scott J. Pearson | November 30, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

This book is known as a classics on strategic planning and the role of strategy in business. It speaks from the point of view of leadership over Procter & Gamble’s (P&G) numerous businesses. The company identified its organization to be weak in understanding strategy, and it sought to inculcate strategic thinking into its leadership. Although this book references a few other corporations, it consists largely of case studies around how P&G succeeded using strategy. The…

Leadership Management-Business Mentoring

The Coaching Habit: Say Less, Ask More & Change the Way You Lead Forever

By Scott J. Pearson | October 24, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

When approached with an issue, most of us instinctively respond with doling out advice. We assume that people want to use our expertise. However, many of the best leaders have a different response: curiosity about the other person. They ask questions to empower the people around them to make better decisions. After all, the question-askers are the ones closest to the issues, not the one being questioned. In this book, Michael Bungay Stanier seeks to…

Management-Business Software-Technology

Inspired: How to Create Tech Products Customers Love

By Scott J. Pearson | October 15, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

Since computers and digital technology have become so ubiquitous in contemporary life, creating good software and technology products has become an important business function. Many (exceeding 50%) technology products fail, despite significant design, engineering, and financial efforts. How can we make this process more efficient and profitable? That’s the job of a relatively new job title: the product manager. In this book, Marty Cagan discusses how to fulfill this role in an organization so that…

Management-Business Psychology

The Motivation to Work by Frederick Herzberg

By Scott J. Pearson | October 14, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

This classic study from 1959 describes, better than everyone else why modern men work beyond economic subsistence. Because it focuses only on men, it’s limited in a gender-diverse workplace, but because it studies two diverse occupations – accountants and engineers – it remains fairly generalizable. It concludes that the main reason people dislike their workplace is mismanaged environmental factors. But it also concludes that managing environmental factors properly does not positively motivate people to work.…

Management-Business Psychology

A Theory of Human Motivation

By Scott J. Pearson | October 11, 2023October 12, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

This foundational 1943 paper about human motivation and work deserves to be read in its original form, accessible here. Many textbooks provide a good summary of AH Maslow’s theory of human motivation around needs, but Maslow’s original work describes a more complex picture. For example, he does not describe a linear progression as lower needs become met. Instead, he paints a picture where multiple motivations often play off each other, where higher motives mingle with…

Biography-Memoir Management-Business Psychology Research-Education

Connecting with the Autism Spectrum: How to Talk, How to Listen & Why You Shouldn’t Call It High-Functioning

By Scott J. Pearson | October 10, 2023October 20, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

In recent years, a new genre of book has emerged from those with autism. These books explain to the general public how to deal with autistic folk, specifically themselves, better. After decades of mistreatment, this group seeks to raise their voice for better social conditions. I’m not exactly sure how to classify these books because they’re half-memoir, half-psychology. They aren’t exactly rigorous science, but they are very reality-based. To this list, Casey “Remrov” Vormer adds…

Leadership Management-Business Psychology

You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing & Why It Matters

By Scott J. Pearson | October 7, 2023September 24, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

Listening is an often-overlooked skill in today’s society heavily geared around marketing and self-expression. It involves asking probing questions and interpreting each word, expression, and pause that a speaker makes. It’s critical for jobs in journalism, intelligence, leadership, and social work. In this book, journalist Kate Murphy explores how listening works and how you can make better use of its science. For source material, Murphy interviewed hundreds of people from all walks of life along…

Cybersecurity Management-Business Software-Technology

The Smartest Person in the Room: The Root Cause & New Solution for Cybersecurity

By Scott J. Pearson | October 1, 2023November 23, 2024 by Scott J. Pearson

A career in technology requires acumen in a specific domain. However, as one’s career builds, people skills (so-called “soft skills”) come more to the fore. Suddenly, being the “smartest person in the room” is of limited benefit. Indeed, it can be a handicap because that means that you don’t have anyone to counterbalance your ideas and to collaborate with. Cybersecurity CEO Christian Espinosa tries to guide those in technology how to transition from someone proficient…

Management-Business

Managing Up: How to Move Up, Win at Work & Succeed with Any Type of Boss

By Scott J. Pearson | September 29, 2023September 29, 2023 by Scott J. Pearson

A pipe dream in college students is that your boss will always agree with your professional direction as you free yourself from teachers. The realities of the workplace often shatter this puerile dream. A boss’s personality quirks can sometimes drive their direct reports crazy. Mary Abbajay seeks to identify these personality traits and suggest adjustment strategies so that workers can get on with succeeding at their careers. I fully support the concept of managing up.…