At a glance
The Habit Revolution
Dr Gina Cleo, Murdoch Books
Eating healthier, exercising more, being more productive at work, spending less time scrolling social media – millions of people resolve to swap their bad habits for better ones, and millions fail to achieve this again and again.
Habit researcher Dr Gina Cleo knows exactly why some behaviours are notoriously difficult to change, and she has a solution that does not rely on willpower or good intentions.
Cleo offers practical, science-based advice on how to achieve lasting change through curiosity and kindness. While explaining the theory behind motivation, she busts some pervasive myths and provides step-by-step activities and exercises to help personalise the goal-setting process.
Invention to Innovation: How Scientists Can Drive Our Economy
Dr Larry Marshall, CSIRO Publishing
Scientific inquiry has value that extends far beyond academia – it can make a real difference to growing the economy, argues Dr Larry Marshall, former CEO of Australia’s national science agency, CSIRO.
In his book, Marshall makes an interesting case for championing the “Scientist CEO” and illustrates how science-driven companies can turn Australia into a knowledge economy powerhouse.
Marshall draws on his two decades of experience of working with and investing into Silicon Valley’s deep-tech companies to offer real-world examples of the challenges facing science and business leaders, their failures and breakthroughs.
There are plenty of takeaways for scientists who want to turn their inventions into successful commercial ventures, as well as C-suite leaders and investors looking to extract value from cutting edge science and technology.
Move Fast & Fix Things: The Trusted Leader’s Guide to Solving Hard Problems
Frances Frei & Anne Morriss, Harvard Business Review Press
When Meta, formerly Facebook, famously made “move fast and break things” its informal corporate motto, the idea that destruction is the price of corporate progress seemed to take hold.
Not so, say Harvard Business School professor Frances Frei and leadership coach Anne Morriss.
In this book, as well as in their TED podcast Fixable, the pair make a compelling case for solving hard problems not only with fierce urgency, but also with great care and trust.
The book offers business leaders a one-week plan to identify and fix the real problems holding them back, tackling one step per day. Despite this exhilarating speed, the authors promise that their approach will preserve, and even improve, relationships with employees, customers and shareholders.
Stoic at Work: Ancient Wisdom to Make Your Job a Bit Less Annoying
Annie Lawson, Murdoch Books
What does Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius have to teach us about workplace culture? Turns out, quite a lot, says Annie Lawson, a former journalist and amateur scholar of ancient philosophy.
From “accept that people are annoying” and “use deodorant” to “pretend to be disciplined,” each of the 49 pieces of advice is anchored in the wisdom of the ancients.
This includes stoic philosophers Seneca and Epictetus, as well as Marcus Aurelius himself, whose magnum opus Mediations contains a wealth of observations on human behaviour that are as relevant today as nearly 2000 years ago.
The book’s goal, Lawson says, is to transform workplaces from a place of irritation to a place of joy (or, in the very least, make them more tolerable). Knowing that human behaviour hasn’t changed that much in the past two millennia is certainly a good start.
Elevate: Unlock Your Extraordinary Potential
Shannah Kennedy and Colleen Callander, Penguin Life
Life, leadership and longevity are the three pillars on which life coach Shannah Kennedy and former Sportsgirl CEO Colleen Callander have transformed their launchpad from mundane into extraordinary.
Their book aims to help readers identify and capitalise on their strengths, gain insights into their limitations and create an action plan to help elevate every aspect of their lives – career included.
Abundant checklists, matrices, tables and templates help turn the tome into an actionable workbook, and there is plenty of food for thought on topics such as personal brand, work habits, confidence and productivity.
Accounting Fundamentals: A Non-Finance Manager’s Guide to Finance and Accounting
Shihan Sheriff CPA, Self-published
Billionaire investor Warren Buffett has called accounting “the language of business”, one that anyone involved in the corporate world needs to speak as well as their native tongue.
This book, penned by Shihan Sheriff CPA, aims to help non-accountants close the “language gap” by explaining the ABCs of accounting in plain language.
The subject matter ranges from the most basic accounting concepts and terminology, to taxation, budgeting and forecasting, and business planning.
Each chapter ends with a short quiz and a concise summary of chapter takeaways, making it a useful primer for business owners, managers and anyone looking to improve their financial literacy.
Great Change: The Way to Get Big Strategy Done
Adam Bennett, Wiley
Change is inevitable, but it is often difficult to execute well, particularly on a department-wide or company-wide scale.
Few understand this better than Adam Bennett, former CEO and adjunct professor at the University of Technology Sydney.
His book offers a practical blueprint for successful business transformation that is in equal measure achievable and measurable.
Chapter by chapter, the book delves into different aspects of change, including mindsets and mechanics, culminating in a hands-on guide for planning and managing the first critical 90 days of transformative change.
There are plenty of real-life examples and practical tips to illustrate the key points and a lot of useful takeaways for leaders at all levels.
Principled: 10 Leadership Practices for Building Trust
Dr Paul Browning, University of Queensland Press
Trust is the most coveted leadership attribute. It can be the most difficult to achieve and, when lost, can have disastrous consequences.
The author, Dr Paul Browning, is an independent school principal with more than two decades of experience. In this book, Browning shares his personal experiences of trust lost and regained as he helped students and staff navigate the Royal Commission on Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Browning combines his confronting experiences with evidence-based research to offer lessons in trust that business leaders can implement to improve corporate culture and better navigate ethical dilemmas.
Writely or Wrongly: An unstuffy guide to language stuff
Joanne Anderson, Murdoch Books
Clear and concise written communication is more important than ever, but it is not easily achieved. Former journalist, editor and style guide author Joanne Anderson is here to help, with this decidedly unstuffy guide to written English.
More entertaining than prescriptive, the book ranges from plain language and punctuation to Americanisms, and devotes an entire chapter to “befuddling things” (is it “affect” or “effect”? “Bimonthly” or “biweekly”?).
The practical tips are bookended with jokes and distinctive illustrations by cartoonist Mat Golding, which help readers navigate the debate on whether data should be considered singular or plural, or whether one’s head can “literally” explode from working on a particularly challenging tax return.
