Without even being aware of it, many of us operate from an inward mindset, a single-minded focus on our own goals and objectives. The Outward Mindset: Seeing Beyond Ourselves (©2016, Berrett-Koehler) by the Arbinger Institute, points out the many ways, some quite subtle and deceptive, that this mindset invites tension and conflict. Incredible things happen when people switch to an outward mindset. They intuitively understand what coworkers, colleagues, family, and friends need to be successful and happy. Their organizations thrive, and astonishingly, by focusing on others they become happier and more successful themselves. This new mindset brings about deep and far-reaching changes. The book presents true stories to illustrate the gaps that individuals and organizations typically experience between their actual inward mindsets and their needed outward mindsets, and it provides simple ways to bridge this gap.
The world of work is at a crossroads, shifting into a whole new culture of transparency, support, and collaboration. Yet many old methods are still in use, including performance reviews. Six percent of Fortune 500 companies did away with performance rankings as of last year and more are following, while 89% of respondents in the 2015 Deloitte Human Capital survey were already planning to replace their performance review system in the next 18 months. Even if it's business as usual for now, employees can prevail over traditional performance reviews. And managers understand it's time to flip the script. How Performance Management Is Killing Performance-and What to Do About It (©2016, Berrett-Koehler Publishers), by M. Tamra Chandler, offers alternatives to the typical performance review and suggests how to create a performance management process that staff will actually embrace rather than avoid. The goal is to meet the three objectives of great performance management: developing your people; rewarding them equitably; and driving your organization’s performance. The book presents specific performance management redesign solutions in five phases with examples and tools for each phase:
- Mobilize: Plan and invite participants to get started;
- Sketch: Align on how to move forward;
- Configure: Prepare a performance solution;
- Build: Adapt the solution; and
- Implement: Plan, change, and act on the ideas.
Research shows that flexible work practices actually increase productivity, but it still takes a convincing argument to persuade a boss to approve them. You have a better chance of selling your proposal to a skeptical executive director or board by employing time-tested negotiation tactics: a compelling argument, tenacity, and flexibility on your own end. Negotiating the Impossible: How To Break Deadlocks and Resolve Ugly Conflicts (Without Money Or Muscle) (©2016, Berrett-Koehler), by Deepak Malhotra, shows how to defuse even the most potentially explosive situations and to find success when things seem impossible. The book illustrates key lessons using behind-the-scenes stories of fascinating real-life negotiations, including drafting the US Constitution, resolving the Cuban Missile Crisis, bringing peace to Northern Ireland, ending bitter disputes in the NFL and NHL, and beating the odds in complex business situations. But he also shows how these same principles and tactics can be applied in everyday life as well, from making corporate deals, negotiating job offers, and resolving business disputes to tackling obstacles in personal relationships and even negotiating with children. The author focuses on three items that negotiators often ignore, underestimate, or mismanage: the power of framing; the power of process; and the power of empathy.