Bake’s Takes Volume 1, Issue 2

ARTICLE | May 08, 2024

May 2024, Volume 1, Issue 2

Bake’s Takes: A KHA Management Consulting Recommended Reads by Jonny Baker, Strategic Consulting Partner.

Hot Take: All leaders are readers, but not all readers are leaders. As a leader you need exposure to varying perspectives, insights, and ideas.

This month’s Top 3:

1. What You Don’t Know About Making Decisions, Garvin and Roberto; HBR, Sep 2001
   1. 1. This article highlights the differences between being an advocate or an inquirer.
      2. The advocate seeks to win the argument and loses focus on collaboration or hearing other thought, this disallows the best decision to be reached.
      3. The inquirer has genuine curiosity, carefully considers a myriad of options, and works with others to find the best solutions.
2. The Difference Between Coaching Rookies and Veterans, Wiseman, HBR 2015
   1. 1. Wiseman, the famed author of Multipliers goes over distinct differences the coach should keep in mind when advising or counseling a rookie or veteran.
      2. Best quotes:
         • “Rookies need validation, veterans need calibration.”
         • “Rookies are all thrust and no vector. [Veterans]…can get stuck running the same old plays.”
3. Discovering Your Authentic Leadership, George, Sims, McLean, Mayer, HBR Feb 2007
   1. 1. George, former Medtronic CEO, is the lead author, in 2004 he authored a seminal work Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value.
      2. The study interviewed 125 prominent leaders and crystallized these truths:
         • Developing yourself requires commitment, crucible experiences vs. victim experiences, generating self-awareness and be willing to take critique, practicing your values and principles in all contexts of life, balancing internal and external motivators (with the importance of intrinsic motivators), building a support team, embracing your humanity (and others’), empowering people to lead.

Why Bake’s Takes: I have been accused by friends, colleagues, and clients of pelting people with articles and book recommendations. Some of my mentees have stacks of books they will never get through (some of my mentors too). As such, I have decided to curate a monthly summary that holds what I deem to be the 3 best articles or reads of the month (when I read them, not published that month). I do love Harvard Business Review and you will see much of it as my work is focused on equipping leaders for the tough tasks ahead of creating vision, alignment, and execution. I have yet to find a better resource for equipping that work well.

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