“Crisis: Global Case Primer”, Jason Miklian and John Katos
If timeliness is an important criterion for choosing a business title, then “A book on how to become a true leader when things fall apart, and more importantly, for a world that doesn’t return to normal” should be a must-read.
Miklian and Professor Katos use their experience working with leaders who manage through the crisis to gather practical guides for leadership in times of uncertainty and a collection of compact case studies for workshops and classroom discussions.
Even if the author goes too far with novel retelling of the story, the cases are brilliantly broad and global. Some are well-known, including yogurt maker Chobani’s rebels against the policy of hiring refugees and Paul Polman’s attempts to turn the crisis into an opportunity at Unilever. However, the book addresses less familiar examples such as how Starbucks defended sustainability in Sumatra, what the Montauk Brewing Company did when it faced boycott after showing solidarity with the Black Life Matter movement.
Miklian and Katos write that effective leadership in polylysis should be based on authentic retaining values, deep community relationships, purpose-tuned systems and clear communication. Their modeling practice is much easier than they say, but this primer is a useful starting point. Andrew Hill
“System Leader: Learning Cross Pressure to Create or Break a Company Today,” Robert E. Siegel
Success in business is not only about hitting the hockey stick curve of rapid growth, but also avoiding facial smacks from garden rabies. A Silicon Valley MBA alumni, administrative instructor and tech investor, Robert Siegel has created a book to help founders and CEOs navigate the more common snake and ladder challenges of business leadership. “Even great companies face mutual pressure,” Siegel wrote.
This can be seen as a textbook for students where Siegel is Ground Zero of Palo Alto’s lush startups and Siegel teaches management practices at Stanford Graduate School. It includes insights from numerous meat case studies, including those written from personal experiences, as well as interviews with the CEO, who Siegel describes as a “systems leader,” navigates the outcomes of both your own decisions and external forces. The author selects five major repetitive mutual pressures, such as priorities, person, range of influence, geography, and purpose, and gives his perspective on how to deal with them.
His core argument is that running a business today is more difficult than ever, but getting closer to leadership in the right way means that the job is still rewarding and worth the effort. Jonathan Moose
“Dark Pattern: The Hidden Dynamics of Corporate Scandals,” by Guido Palazzo and Ulrich Hoffrage
From Enron’s explosion to Wells Fargo’s corruption, the author of the dark pattern argues that corporate disasters are not the work of lonely villains or bad apples. Instead, they offer an uneasy central paper: “When something bad happens, people like us usually do it.”
The problem is systematic and shaped by incentives, organizational context, and “ethical blindness.” When people make decisions that deviate from their worth, and take them by saying “on a moral cliff.”
Palazzo and Hoffrage’s research, supported by accounts from company insiders, shows how unspoken people can be morally freed and normalized misconduct using a variety of mechanisms. We socialize unethical behavior (e.g. torture to obtain the information needed to protect others), engage in e-tracous labeling (describe military action in “surgical strikes”), and make our own harmful behavior a better light by comparing ourselves to others and minimizing harmful consequences.
Fear, vanity, and self-doubt are familiar emotions. But in a toxic workplace, we create “recipes for moral and legal disasters.” The author condemned a “culture of extreme individualism” and stated that he was often raised in business schools and detached leaders from the consequences of their actions.
The so-called “dark patterns” in books refer to hidden dynamics like ambiguous ethical codes, distorted incentives, or manipulation languages that open the way for disastrous consequences.
The book also looks at what managers should do “after the fall” to prevent ethical revocation. It requires a deeper consideration of how we structure our organization, delegate responsibility, and define accountability. Anjli Raval
“When we’re in charge: A Guide to the Next Generation of Leadership,” Amanda Littman
What will leadership look like in 10 or 20 years? When many people work from home and traditional civic spaces are declining, what does it mean to be a good leader now? Should you be in Blueski? If these questions keep you in the night, Amanda Littman has the answer.
When we are in charge, Millennial co-founder Run for Simple supports young progressives running for US political offices and takes on the challenge of redefine the leadership of a new generation. The result is an ambitious, refreshing and practical study of millennials deep and sometimes painful modern management in its outlook and prose.
Written primarily for executives and executives aged 20-40, the book reflects how leadership has changed, and is a call to action, told through the author’s trial and false steps. Litman argues that traditional leadership playbooks are not equipped to guide the workforce, where economic instability, institutional failure, and the digital age shaped childhood. The next generation of leaders are changing the appearance, feel and function of power, she says, and old rules no longer apply.
Instead, she offers a framework for success based on fair inclusion, digital immersion, and ambitions beyond work. Litman outlines familiar concepts such as breaks and work-life balance, as well as new ideas such as “strategic reliability.” Still, when we are in charge, it stands out with a combination of original values and modern practicality.
Even moments of tension can feel necessary, indicating how leadership demands both emotional intelligence and operational fields. Litmann not only asks leaders to be revolutionary, but also shows that it is possible with a practical roadmap for governance in the 21st century. cordu krubally-n’diaye
