
reviews
OFF THE SHELF
WHY MOTIVATING
PEOPLE DOESN’T
WORK…AND WHAT
DOES: THE NEW
SCIENCE OF LEADING,
ENERGIZING, AND
ENGAGING
Susan Fowler
Berrett-Koehler, 2014
Fowler introduces the
Spectrum of Motivation,
a new model for fostering
motivation within individuals.
Shaping the workplace
to allow employees to fulfill
their three core psychological
needs of autonomy, relatedness
and competence enables
employees to shift themselves
toward heightened motivation
and productivity. Using
the Spectrum, Fowler presents
real-world examples of how
the model works and can be
adopted by organizations.
Talking point
Terminology such as driving
for results or incentivizing behaviour
are quickly becoming
out-dated because they miss the
mark; they fail to capture the
people’s energy, creativity and
well-being, which we now know
is critical for people to flourish.
By Alyson Nyiri, CHRP
THE DISCOMFORT
ZONE: HOW LEADERS
TURN DIFFICULT
CONVERSATIONS INTO
BREAKTHROUGHS
Marcia Reynolds
Berrett-Koehler, 2014
There are plenty of books
about difficult conversations.
While other books focus on
the speaker, offering guidance
on how best to deliver the
message, this book focuses on
the receiver – the person you
are speaking with. Drawing on
the fields of neuroscience and
psychology, Reynolds shows
leaders how to become a “thinking
partner” with employees by
building trust and rapport but
also challenging assumptions
and raising uncomfortable
questions. The essential difference
is that the speaker has
no message to deliver; instead,
the aim is for the receiver to expand
his awareness to see the
situation differently.
Talking point
Reynolds writes that effective
leaders help others think
more broadly for themselves.
Further, when the focus of
a conversation is on what
the leader wants, a breakthrough
in perception won’t
be achieved.
MEETINGS MATTER: 8
POWERFUL STRATEGIES
FOR REMARKABLE
CONVERSATIONS
Paul Axtell
Jackson Creek Press, 2015
Meetings can be reframed.
They can be opportunities for
thoughtful, respectful conversation
about things that matter
to people who care. Axtell offers
eight ways to accomplish this,
including the importance of
designing the conversation, limiting
participants, being vigilant
about what gets on the agenda
and participating to have an
impact. Each of the eight strategies
is presented in clear, easy to
use chapters and various assessments
in the appendix.
Talking point
Love them or hate them, meetings
are a mainstay in our
workplace culture with many
of us feeling that if we aren’t in
a meeting, then we aren’t being
productive. How often do
you have meaningful conversations
and develop relationships
in your meetings?
DRIVEN TO
DISTRACTION AT
WORK: HOW TO
FOCUS AND BE MORE
PRODUCTIVE
Edward Hallowell
Harvard Business Review Press, 2014
When it comes to distraction,
Hallowell knows his business.
Here, he identifies the six most
common distractions at work
and how to overcome them:
screen sucking; multitasking;
idea hopping; worrying; playing
the hero; and dropping the
ball. Hallowell carefully defines
attention deficit trait (ADT)
as not ADD or ADHD.
ADT originates externally,
and is brought on by incessant
demands, temptations and
opportunities that derail our focus
and create mental noise. By
carefully training your attention,
you can overcome these
distractions and regain your
ability to focus on what is important
and do your best work.
Talking point
Neuroscience has proven that
the human mind cannot multitask
and attempts to do so
only sabotage our productivity.
So why do we continue to
prize multitasking as a laudable
ability? n
54 ❚ JANUARY 2015 ❚ HR PROFESSIONAL