What Our Consultants Are Reading This August
During the waning days of summer, these are the beach books that our experts recommend.
Around one in six Americans read from a book daily, according to data from the American Time Use Study—and we’re pretty sure they all work at Korn Ferry. Our experts are incurable readers, the sort who treat a delayed plane flight as extra reading time and pack a hardcover next to sunscreen. It’s in our bones: Our CEO, Gary Burnison, is the author of a dozen books, including The Leadership Journey and I Need a Job! It turns out that advising leaders to achieve greater clarity requires a certain hunger for other people’s ideas.
As the summer season winds down and out-of-office replies pile up, we asked our consultants what they’re jazzed about reading during summer's final stretch. Their picks offer a little strategy, a little history, and … a tactical guide to foreign intelligence.
The Checklist Manifesto: How to Get Things Right
by Atul Gawande
“A deceptively simple idea: As work becomes more complex, even experts need tools and disciplines to help them avoid preventable mistakes and focus their attention where judgment matters most. It’s an easy, engaging read for August, but it’s particularly relevant when we’re once again asking which parts of work can be systematized and which require distinctly human judgment. It ultimately leaves you thinking about how to design work so that people can perform at their best.”
—Mark Royal, senior client partner at Korn Ferry
Tales of the City
by Armistead Maupin
“It’s a warm and funny portrait of a group whose lives become intertwined in 1970s San Francisco. Beneath the wit and outrageous characters, it’s really about friendship, chosen family, identity, and finding somewhere—and someone with whom—you belong. Its themes are relevant today, though it captures San Francisco history beautifully. It’ll make you laugh, occasionally shock you, and remind you how informative it can be to find your people.”
-Mitul Modi, senior client partner at Korn Ferry
The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business
by Erin Meyer
“This book offers practical insights for working across global teams. Meyer maps cultures over eight dimensions: communicating, evaluating, persuading, leading, decision-making, trusting, disagreeing, and scheduling. In an increasingly connected world, understanding and adapting to different perspectives is a critical leadership skill.”
—Anya Weaver, principal consultant at Korn Ferry
The Ultimate Guide to CIA Skills, Tactics, and Techniques
by John Kiriakou
“This is a book seemingly written by Jason Bourne and James Bond. The author is a former CIA analyst and officer who led a raid in Pakistan that captured a top Al Qaeda leader, and what better way to cap off a summer than by learning about the workaday life of someone for whom a bad day at the office is much worse than most of us can imagine? It puts business-world issues in context, with an underlying theme about honesty, integrity, and authenticity.”
—David Vied, global sector leader for medical devices and diagnostics
Culpability
by Bruch Holsinger
“It’s a fictional family drama that will make you think about autonomous vehicles and chatbots gone wrong—and how they can affect your personal life. In this story, something is always watching and listening, and the family members using the technology matter just as much as the technology they use. It's a gripping read. ”
—Denise Kramp, senior client partner at Korn Ferry
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