Management gemsFind here some gems from our monitoring of the best publications on leadership and management

The Western world — and even more so the business world — strongly value behaviors associated to extraversion. Feeling at ease in a group, moving rapidly into action, knowing how to speak publicly and whipping up the crowds are considered as virtues. To the extent that many people with an introvert nature learn, from the youngest age, that their natural way of being is not the right one and that they should rapidly learn how to behave “as they should”.

Susan Cain reminds us that solitude is necessary for creativity, for maturing ideas, for deep thinking work. Some great and particularly influential leaders, such as Rosa Parks and Gandhi, were actually introverts. And this is no coincidence: it is noticeable that discreet people spontaneously have better listening skills and seek less to impose their own ideas. Susan Cain thus encourages us to have more balanced work modes: securing individual working time whilst resisting to the “all together” trend, and taking into account everyone’s preference instead of expecting that all abide by the dominating extravert model.

To watch: The power of introverts, Susan Cain, TED.com, March 2012.

Towards the end of her life, Edith Piaf was singing: “No, no regrets. No, I will have no regrets…” Like her, many have raised the fact of always looking forward and of knowing how to detach from the past as a life philosophy. Butis it really a good idea?

In this fascinating book, both simple and knowledgeable, Daniel Pink reinstates regrets. Indeed, they are universal. They are part of our natural range of emotions and feelings. Like every negative emotion, they hold a function. If we regret to have let a conflict go sour or to not have had the courage to take a risk that could have been rewarding, it is likely that confronting this regret, and learning its lessons, will help us make better choices later. More so, our strongest and most persistent regrets are rich in learnings. It is sometimes difficult to determine what our fundamental values are — beyond an obvious catalogue of nice principles to which everyone can only adhere. Listening to our regrets reveals what we attach a great importance to. An invitation to a promising introspection effort.

To read: The Power of Regret, Daniel H. Pink, Penguin Publishing Group, 2022.

Consulting firm Korn Ferry draws the lessons from the impact of two years of pandemic on the relations between companies and their personnel. This report deserves an attentive read. Indeed, we already know the trends, but their implications go further than a simple crisis to manage. With, as corner stone, a new balance to find after a clear change in the balances of power.

Amongst the points to remember, let’s note that the time at which we only had to suffer the ongoing revolutions is over: it is time to get ready to manage “disruptive” changes. Because we discover that the shortage of talents, at all levels, is indeed here. We talked about it for years but took little action. (Qualified) workers are now in a demand market and think in a more individualistic manner. Burn-out is also widespread and cannot be ignored. The horse has bolted, too many workers are distressed for the situation to be sustainable. The concerns for the environment and these for inclusion are a given and become essential criteria to choose one’s employer.

A strong call to thoroughly redefine our strategy around a human resource that has become scarce.

To read: The 7 areas dominating future of work trends in 2022, Korn Ferry, November 2021.

Did you know? The gaps in salaries and bonuses between men and women are fourteen times more important than the gaps between their performance evaluations. In other words, a high-performance man is considerably more rewarded than a high-performance woman. Companies have however ramped up their efforts in terms of inclusion and training to sensitize their staff to these inequalities. And the thinking patterns are evolving. The blocking point now lies within the organizations’ functioning systems.

It is on insidious micro-discriminations, at each step of the company life, that one must work on  — starting with a detailed and quantified auditof its recruitment, rewarding, promotion or affectation processes, as we would audit a failing operational functioning. Why do you have so few women or persons from minority groups being candidates for management positions whilst the breakdown of your “juniors” is more balanced? Review the whole process to identify where inequalities have emerged. As for quality approaches, it is the systematic tracking of biases and bugs, even tiny ones, which will make the difference.

This book is a fascinating guide to start this indispensable approach in a world where the talents’war is raging.

To read: Bias Interrupted, Joan C. Williams, Harvard Business Review Press, 2021.

We often say that emotional intelligence is a much better predictive sign of professional success than intellect—and, with it, our capacity to build trusting relationships with our counterparts. Yet, we are quick to move into defensiveness—if only through what is called the negativity bias. Remember this evaluation meeting during which you were lauded for 12 qualities or achievements, and your manager underlined one point for improvement…And what did you keep in mind? Brooding over this imperfection most likely.

Brené Brown studied for 10 years this notion of vulnerability. She schematically identified two categories of persons: those who really believe in their value (and think that they deserve to be appreciated), and those who question their value, and wonder whether they really deserve to be appreciated. The latter find interpersonal relationships more difficult, of course. How can you switch to the first category? The key consists in having the courage to accept being imperfect. And even to transform our vulnerabilities in a distinctive characteristic, if not an asset.

A nice invitation to let go of our utopic quest for perfection.

To watch: The power of vulnerability, Brené Brown, TEDxHouston, TED.com, December 2010.