Due to the increasing volume of books usurping me from my living space I made a pledge in January not to buy anymore hardbacks this year. Instead I was going to stick to downloading ebooks onto a Kindle.
But my will weakened at the airport recently and I bought Gary Hamel's new, 'hardback' book 'What Matters Now'.
The trouble started when I was walking around WH Smiths and noticed the bright orange cover with the bold white text. The headline was almost audible. WHAT MATTERS NOW! I had enjoyed reading Gary Hamel's previous offering-The Future of Management- so was curious to read the back cover. I then read the inside flap, picked out a couple of chapters and was hooked.
Cut to shot - Me speedily heading towards the checkout, clutching a heavy hardback book that would eventually contribute to reducing my living space to a small section in the bottom shelf of a large overloaded book case.
I bought the book because I was struck by the fact that the values, ideas and beliefs he espouses are almost in perfect alignment with the intentions, motivation and mission behind our company 4D Human Being. As he is considered to be ranked the #1 most influential business thinker today it gave me a sense of comfort and even more certainty about what we have been trying to do with our work. And that feeling alone was worth the price of the book.
From the Inside Flap
"This is not a book about one thing.It′s not a 300–page dissertation on leadership, teams, or motivation.Instead, it′s a multi–faceted agendafor building organizations that can win in world of relentless change, ferocious competition, andunstoppable innovation."
What Matters Now is Gary Hamel′s impassioned plea to rethink the fundamental assumptions we have about management, the meaning of work, and organizational life. He asks, "What are the fundamental, make–or–break issues that will determine whether your organization thrives or dives in the years ahead?" The answer is found in five paramount issues: values, innovation, adaptability, passion, and ideology.
Values: With trust in large organizations at an all time low, there is an urgent need to rebuild the ethical foundations of capitalism. What′s required is nothing less than a moral renaissance in business.
Innovation: Innovation is the only defense against margin–crushing competition, and the only way to outgrow a dismal economy. In too many companies, innovation is still a buzzword, rather than the responsibility of every single individual. This must change.
Adaptability: In a world of accelerating change, every company must build an evolutionary advantage. The forces of inertia must be vanquished. The ultimate prize: an organization that is as nimble as change itself.
Passion: In business as in life, the difference between "insipid" and "inspired" is passion. With mediocrity fast becoming a competitive liability, success depends on finding new ways to rouse the human spirit at work.
Ideology: Today, businesses need more than better practices; they need better principles. Bureaucracy and control have had their day. It′s time for a new ideology based on freedom and self–determination.
If you can, grab a copy, grasp a coffee, grope around for some spare time and have a read.
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