INTHEBLACK November 2021 - Magazine - Page 14
GET SMART
// R E V I E W S
REVIEWS DEREK PARKER
GOOD
READS
THE SECURE
BOARD
Anna Leibel and
Claire Pales
eBook Alchemy
Anna Leibel and Claire Pales, specialists
in cybersecurity, provide a wealth of data
showing the trends around computer-based
attacks on companies, and the news is
worrying. Even more concerning, however,
is that the boards of many companies –
with a few notable exceptions – have been
slow to respond. Too often, board members
see cybersecurity as a matter for tech
specialists rather than company leaders.
Wrong, say Leibel and Pales. Inaction raises
crucial questions of director liability as well
as for the bottom line.
The book is designed for board members
without deep IT expertise. It explains the
problems in plain language and provides a
framework for action, including strategies
for protection, mitigation and response.
Leibel and Pales conclude each section with
advice on how to ask the right questions
of specialists and how to understand the
answers. Cybersecurity is an ongoing task,
a constant race between the company
guardians and those who would do harm.
The issue should be assessed in business
risk and governance terms, with an
appropriate level of resources provided
and high-level leadership, as well as a
plan for public statements. Be ready with
a response package, because an attack
is more likely to happen than not, the
authors warn.
14 ITB November 2021
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CPA Library
LEADING POSITIVE
ORGANIZATIONAL
CHANGE
POWER TEAMS
BEYOND BORDERS
Bart Tkaczyk
Peter Ivanov
This short but pithy book would be valuable
for company leaders who see the need for
change within their organisation, but do
not know where to start. Bart Tkaczyk is
a consultant and coach who has worked
with a wide range of companies on
transformation, and he uses his experience
to draw up a useful roadmap.
The first half of the book deals with
working out where you want to go and
how to get there, a model called Energise/
Redesign/Gel. Tkaczyk notes that a
readiness to change has to be a process
embedded in the company culture (the
“Gel” component) rather than a fixed
outcome.
This is important material, but the real
value of the book is in the second half,
which provides 30 tools and frameworks
for change. There are handouts, activities
and diagnostic tests, extending down to
the team level. The tools could be used for
one-day meetings or longer retreats, and
there are questions to assist individual
self-reflection as well. The idea is to mix
and match tools to construct a custom
package. Tkaczyk also suggests metrics to
assess progress and identify weak spots.
His emphasis is on practical applications,
and the result is a good guide to a difficult
but necessary undertaking.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed
the idea of virtual teams to the fore.
Managing such a team is challenging;
managing across borders, languages
and time zones multiplies the problems.
Peter Ivanov has led multinational
high-level teams across several projects,
and he knows the strategies to get it
right – and how easily things can go
wrong. He uses an extended anecdotal
case study to illustrate his points,
starting with exercises to build trust and
methods to assess the skills that each
member brings to the team. In most
cases, the members will be managers
or technical specialists, so it is crucial to
ensure that the goals are agreed upon
and the meeting processes are clear.
It can be a good investment to have a
person dedicated to technical meeting
coordination, including sorting out
translation services and platform issues.
The team leader has to understand
the environmental pressures on each
member, as well as cultural differences,
and must avoid the temptation to
micromanage. Ivanov breaks the
processes into clear steps, including
how to reach a conclusion that satisfies
everyone.
Taylor and Francis
Wiley