book reviews OFF THE SHELF
By Alyson Nyiri, CHRP
THE GOOD STRUGGLE:
RESPONSIBLE
LEADERSHIP IN AN
UNFORGIVING WORLD
Joseph Badaracco
Harvard Business Review Press,
2013
With constant shifts in the
marketplace, leadership can
be a struggle. Navigating this
precise struggle is critical
to leading responsibly
and effectively demanding
the best efforts of leaders.
Exploring the answers to
five enduring questions –
Am I really grappling with
the fundamentals? Do I know
what I am really accountable
for? How do I make critical
decisions? Do we have the right
core values? Why have I chosen
this life? – and anchoring
those answers in today’s
context, gives leaders new
ways to thrive.
Talking Point
Badaracco argues leaders pay
a “hefty price for the abundant
opportunities for creativity,
invention, entrepreneurship
and self-determination.”
HANDBOOK OF
RESEARCH ON
PROMOTING
WOMEN’S CAREERS
Eds. Susan Vinnicombe, Ronald
Burke, Stacy Blake-Beard and
Lynda Moore
Edward Elgar, 2013
Much has been written
in mainstream literature
about women’s careers. This
collection offers an academic
view on the latest research
on the topic, reviewing issues
such as gender stereotypes,
occupational motivation,
structural and interpersonal
dynamics, management
competencies, coaching and
best practices. It is a solid
contribution to current or
future career development
pathways for those looking
to attract and retain strong
women performers.
Talking Point
Did you know women’s
decisions to leave traditionally
masculine occupations are
the result of poor identity-fit
rather than lack of career
motivation?
Talking Point
Deficit-based thinking has
been the primary model
in business, psychology,
healthcare and leadership. Do
things really get better when
we focus on what is going
wrong?
Talking Point
Should companies restrict the
talent they hire from taking
their ideas elsewhere? What is
the cost of this protectionist
mentality to human
capital? ■
LEAD POSITIVE: WHAT
HIGHLY EFFECTIVE
LEADERS SEE, SAY,
AND DO
Kathryn Cramer
Jossey-Bass, 2014
Positive psychology has
strongly influenced the
practice of leadership.
Creating the Asset-Based
Thinking (ABT) advantage,
Cramer prompts leaders to
focus on what is working and
what strengths already exist.
While this concept is not new,
the strategies and practical
advice offered here go a long
way to help leaders implement
ABT.
TALENT WANTS TO
BE FREE: WHY WE
SHOULD LEARN TO
LOVE LEAKS, RAIDS,
AND FREE RIDING
Orly Lobel
Yale University Press, 2013
In the drive to hire and
keep the best talent, we
have created a culture of
restriction, the result of
which stifles creativity
and innovation. Citing the
rivalry between Facebook
and Google, Lobel argues
that current laws to restrict
the movement of talent
are archaic. By bringing
experimental and behavioural
insights together with
experimental studies, a new
model was developed, one
that fosters freedom, flow,
free riding and collaborative
innovation.
HRPATODAY.CA ❚ MARCH/APRIL 2014 ❚ 53