ARTICLE | December 03, 2024
December 2024, Volume 1, Issue 9
Bake’s Takes: A KHA Recommended Reads by Jonny Baker, Partner at KHA.
Hot Take: "Some books leave us free and some books make us free." – Ralph Waldo Emerson
As a leader you need exposure to varying perspectives, insights, and ideas.
This month’s Top 3:
1. Harnessing the Science of Persuasion, Robert B. Cialdini
- Article that reviews the six fundamental principles of persuasion:
- Liking, Reciprocity, Social Proof, Consistency, Authority, and Scarcity
- Using some combination of these items depending on the situation makes persuasion more likely.
2. Networking Doesn’t Have to be Self-Serving, Rosabeth Moss-Kanter
- Rosabeth is the famed author of “Think Outside the Building” and “The Change Wheel”. Her work has stood the test of time.
- In this article she provides examples as to how some prominent philanthropists got started and gained momentum.
- For the principles she shares: Show Up, Knock on Many Doors, Help Your Way into Inner Circles, Ask to be Taught, Plant Seeds and Pre-Sell, and Demonstrate and Deliver.
- If you can do these principles well, your network will build itself with hard work and consistency.
3. Learn to Love Networking, Gino, Kouchaki, Casciaro
- Article that attacks the primary responses to networking negativity
- Key areas of encouragement to those leery to network:
- Focus on Learning-See networking as an opportunity and not an obligation.
- Identify Common Interests-If you can find people beneficial to connect with that are also friend material, you will not view networking as a challenging endeavor.
- Think Broadly About What You Can Give-A mentor of mine always says leave every networking meeting with a headache from thinking so hard about how to help the person in front of you. If we go into networking expecting to get, you won’t; if you don’t, you will.
- Find a Higher Purpose-Networking to network is pointless, networking to achieve a greater calling or help find ways to benefit your team grows legs. For others, like me, networking is a way to tell others about Hope in the marketplace.
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.