Book Review: Leadership and Culture – John and Katie McCann
For high performing or aspirational readers who are about to undergo the appraisal and objective-setting season at work, today’s book may just be of interest! In today’s review, I share my thoughts on the practical guide, Leadership and Culture by John and Katie McCann.
Are you looking to develop yourselves or your career in 2024?
I downloaded and read Leadership and Culture after seeing the book available on Netgalley. I am not at a managerial level at work, but I would like to give myself the skillset to be considered in future. Even if you’re not – consider this. Leadership comes from a select few, but workplace culture is a collective environment and contributed to by everyone. We all have the power to change culture. For that reason, I think this book has value to all.
Shall we take a look in more detail?
Leadership and Culture – John and Katie McCann
Genre: Non-fiction
Pages: 210
Audience: Adult
Publisher: 27 Sept 2022
Publication Date:
Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟
Goodreads – Leadership and Culture
Every team has a manager… But not every team is lucky enough to have a true leader. Get ready to break the mold!
Did you know that 82% of employees would consider quitting their job because of a bad boss?
And it isn’t just that you don’t want to be a bad boss… You don’t want to be a boss at all – you want to be a leader. A boss commands … A leader inspires and influences – and that’s the route to happy employees, a dedicated workforce, and an organization that achieves its goals .
Whether you’re a new manager, an aspiring one, or an experienced manager or business owner, there’s always more to learn… and there’s always room to develop your leadership skills so that you can be sure you’re an inspirational and empathetic leader … and not a disconnected boss.
It all starts with the workplace culture you cultivate… one that is positive, inclusive, and authentic … one that motivates your team to go above and beyond… and to do so happily.
Any successful organization has, at its core, a team that trusts and respects its leaders and is willing to do what it takes to help the company reach its goals… and behind every team like this, there’s a leader who knows just what to do to steer the ship.
You can be that leader.
And with this comprehensive guide by your side, you’ll have something to refer to every time you flounder. Inside, you’ll And much more.
Every company has a boss… but the most successful ones have a leader. And if you have any doubt in your mind as to whether you can be one, it’s time to silence that inner critic for good.
If you’re passionate about leading your team to success, you have everything you need to be the driving force behind an outstanding team… All you need now is the manual…
My Thoughts
Structure
The book is broken down into five key skills, and then further into related chapters with subtopics on each skill. From building trust to inspiring motivation, Leadership and Culture starts from the ground up.
The length of the book makes it approachable to pick up. At 210 pages in its entirety, it concisely covers the skills, examples and action points to succinctly set you on the path for success.
Although I read the book in chronological order, I would argue that it would be possible to go back to any of these sections at any point and revisit the content. To an extent there are references to early chapters and content as a foundation, but this wouldn’t stop anyone from being able to read a section standalone.
On a practical level, it means the book can be picked up countless times and never lose its value, regardless of how many times you pick it up again. I can see myself picking this up and revisiting the book, especially if there are certain skills I want to brush up on, or scenarios where I am inexperienced in handling them!
Ideas
The content of the book would be especially great for either aspiring or first time managers, or as a refresher of fundamentals for the more experienced. The book’s content is both approachable and relatable, whilst demonstrating the extensive research that asks up each idea. Throughout, I was able to visualise the examples in the practical terms of my own experience at work.
Not only do the scenarios in the book ring true, but then the author’s have outlined practical action points for managers to adopt to resolve conflict or pressure in a way that promotes positivity. It’s as much a practical guide as it is a compilation of case studies of what can happen when things go wrong.
I think this also has value for all employees. As I mention in the introduction, culture isn’t strictly created by the few at the top. It’s about the whole workplace. Sure, managers and senior staff will have a lot of influence over it, but not entirely.
Leadership and Culture has value in helping us understand where workplace culture isn’t working and raise awareness. Often, we can recognise that something isn’t quite right but are unable to identify a problem exactly. The topics and downfalls explored in this book are ones that I can see happening in every workplace at some point in time. Even in big name companies! Many of the examples within are names we know.
Summary
Leadership and Culture is all about positive change. If you are looking to make positive change in your life in 2024, or would like to start making improvements in your workplace, this book is a great place to start!
Are you looking to develop yourselves or your career in 2024?
