INTHEBLACK June 2022 - Magazine - Page 14
GET SMART
// R E V I E W S
REVIEWS DEREK PARKER
GOOD
READS
THE HEALTHY
WORKFORCE
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CPA Library
LEADERSHIP IS A
RELATIONSHIP
By Stephen Bevan
and Cary Cooper
By Michael Erwin
and Willys DeVoll
The pandemic has thrown health issues into
stark relief, especially the connection between
employee wellbeing and organisational
productivity.
Stephen Bevan and Cary Cooper provide
interesting data to demonstrate the relationship
between wellbeing and productivity, focusing on
the particular role of line managers. The authors
note that the problem is most managers at this
level are not equipped to monitor and address
health issues, especially mental health.
Bevan and Cooper provide a series of useful
metrics while acknowledging that many line
managers are likely to need specialist training
and support from more senior executives when
it comes to monitoring mental health issues
within teams. Employee surveys can be useful
in assessing the corporate picture as well as
identifying personal issues, and input from health
professionals can be valuable.
Remote working raises special problems, with
some employees feeling isolated and pressured.
Managing in these circumstances requires empathy
and a light touch, as well as an understanding
of related concerns such as the tension between
work and parenting. The book provides a wealth
of practical advice, with relevant case studies. The
authors look mainly at the UK environment, but
there are universal lessons here. The core message
is that companies should be willing to invest in
the health of their people, treating it as of equal
importance to capital investment.
The premise of this book is that in
the Digital Age, many of us have
forgotten how to establish and maintain
relationships without the support of
technology. This is a major problem
for leaders, as good leadership
involves human contact and effective
communication. Michael Erwin and
Willys DeVoll have each founded and
run successful companies, and in this
book they draw on their own experience
and that of others from a range of fields
to provide lessons on how to build the
relationships that underpin healthy
professional relationships.
Erwin and DeVoll emphasise that
relationships require time to develop. The
stories provided by the interviewees deal
with the importance of honesty, loyalty
and stability. Along the way the authors
provide guidance on how to choose
appropriate language and how to create
focus. They emphasise that leaders
must be willing to share something of
themselves, even at the risk of revealing
vulnerabilities. Good leadership through
relationships also requires a calmness of
mind, which in turn requires confidence
and self-awareness. The authors explain
their points in straightforward terms, with
clear summaries of each step.
Emerald Publishing
14 ITB June 2022
Wiley
THE NEW
MEGATRENDS
By Marian Salzman
Crown
Trying to determine the shape of the
future is always a dangerous undertaking,
but Marian Salzman, a senior figure in the
consulting giant Philip Morris International,
gives it a determined try in this book.
Consciously following the model of John
Naisbitt’s popular Megatrends series,
Salzman looks at existing trends and
extrapolates from them, looking out to 2038.
She acknowledges that there is no single
answer, but instead there will be continuing
waves of economic and political disruption.
The impact of COVID-19 will linger,
entrenching the model of remote working
and giving priority to health issues.
Social media technology will continue to
evolve, giving rise to “virtual tribes” with
increasing segmentation and polarisation.
Countering this, there will be a movement
towards lives that are more natural, less
urban, deliberately disconnected and
slower. E-commerce will replace traditional
retail models to the point that shopping
malls will become, says Salzman, “extinct”.
Interesting food for thought, but the
problem is that it is often difficult to follow
Salzman’s thinking (which she admits is
based on “nonlinear leaps”). Nevertheless,
there is validity in her point that the
necessary talents to thrive in the future will
be resilience, adaptability and a willingness
to find opportunities in apparent chaos.