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HOW WE LEARN: THE
SURPRISING TRUTH
ABOUT WHEN, WHERE
AND WHY IT HAPPENS
By Benedict Carey
Penguin Random House, 2014
The science of learning is
complex and constantly
evolving. Rather than
focusing on the learning
styles of individuals, Carey
demonstrates there are
different strategies of
learning, each uniquely suited
to capturing a particular
type of information. He
traces the basic theory of
learning and investigates the
findings that have held up to
scrutiny, demonstrating how
remembering, forgetting and
learning are related. Drawing
on decades of learning theory,
he presents various retention
tools.
reviews
By Alyson Nyiri, CHRL
STANDOUT 2.0: ASSESS
YOUR STRENGTHS.
FIND YOUR EDGE. WIN
AT WORK
By Marcus Buckingham
Harvard Business Review Press,
2015
The strengths-based approach
to management is, according
to Buckingham, conventional
wisdom. But the forms and
systems used for people remain
remedial, separating management
theory from management
practice.
StandOut 2.0 assesses talent,
the innate patterns of
thought, feeling and behaviour
measuring nine strength roles.
Each role is described in detail
with tips on how to describe
yourself, make an immediate
impact, take your performance
to the next level and what to
watch out for.
Talking point
StandOut 2.0 builds on
Buckingham’s previous work
in StrengthsFinder. Knowing
your strengths is important,
but you need to learn how to
translate them into action.
COLLABORATIVE
INTELLIGENCE:
THINKING WITH
PEOPLE WHO THINK
DIFFERENTLY
By Dawna Markova and Angie
McArthur
Penguin Random House, 2015
The biggest challenge for leaders
today is people. There is a
range of differences in the way
people think, often leading to
misunderstanding and conflict.
Collaboration is a crucial component
of business acumen.
Our collaborative intelligence
quotient (CQ) is a measure of
our ability to think with others
on behalf of what matters
to us all. The CQ program outlines
four thinking strategies
and breakthrough strategies to
help leaders experience curiosity
in place of conflict. CQ is an
exciting addition to the field of
pedagogy offering an innovative
approach to building stronger
and more connected workplaces.
Talking point
The challenges faced by leaders
today are vastly different
than their predecessors, who
were trained to solve procedural
problems requiring
rational solutions. Today, leaders
are being asked to think
with others in ways that are
innovative and relational.
HIRING FOR KEEPS:
HOW TO HIRE
OUTSTANDING
EMPLOYEES WHO FIT,
STAY AND ADD TO THE
BOTTOM LINE
By Janet Webb
JW Associates International, 2015
Organizations engage executive
search companies for various
reasons: cost effectiveness, access
to their database of candidates,
to fill C-suite positions. With
the proliferation of networking
sites, many companies can reach
more candidates themselves.
According to Webb, instead of
delivering information, search
firms deliver judgment. Using
her unique Trait Alignment
Protocol (TAP), Webb outlines
how identify and maintain fit
over the long term. TAP enables
both hiring managers and candidates
to understand the soft
skills required for the position.
Talking point
The TAP method is especially
helpful when recruiting for
senior leadership roles. It prevents
recruiters from making
assumptions about key traits
from the candidate’s level of
seniority and forces screening
for each trait regardless of executive
level. n
Talking point
Distraction is not a bad thing.
Unless you are attending a
seminar, taking short breaks to
check in on Facebook, respond
to a few emails or check sports
scores is the most effective
technique learning scientists
know of to help you get
unstuck with a problem.