Review of Certainty (Mears)
The MSI Press managing editor recently wrote a review of our affiliated book, Certainty:
Certainty: How Great Bosses Can Change Minds and Drive
Innovation deserves reading—more than once. Here, Mike Mears, a highly
experienced leader and leader-trainer with a unique and fascinating background,
presents a clever, very well written, highly readable, and engaging mix of an
imagined story of a prehistoric man along with anecdotes about real people from
real life to deconstruct firmly held myths about how leadership works and what
leaders should do—myths resulting in
practices that achieve the opposite of what they purport. The expansive diapason
against which Mike sets his myth-busting suggestions (that really do work)
ranges from years BC until years past today. Mike paints his picture with
cartoons—simple, to the point, and eliciting a smile or ah-hah; tables and
charts—clear and helpful; and appendices—useful for application to any leader’s
work environment. What one discovers on a first reading is a story, almost a
novel, full of insight and wisdom, that is hard to put down.
That leads to the second reading, this time for grasping the
“devil in the details” and Mike’s suggestions for just what to do with that
devil (see especially Part III). An understanding of human nature at the primal/rational
and individual/social intersections reveals to the reader much more than any
other leadership book I have read. The surface story becomes background as the
reader is drawn down into the depths of research in the fields of psychology,
cognition, and neuroscience applied to unraveling the intertwined layers of
human behavior and the emotions behind them that a leader will happen upon and
must deal with in the workplace. Resistance to change—why does it occur? Why
does the sandwich approach to feedback, the mantra taught in leadership
courses, not work? Why and how do so many workplaces produce distrusting organizational
cultures? These and many more such questions are asked, with plausible,
supported, and generally new, science-based explanations, along with a set of
suggestions (prompts) for moving organizations and their cultures to trust,
based on the principle of certainty, which quells fear and builds confidence
and involvement.
Who should read this book? Obviously, any leader who would
like a more harmonious, change-receptive workplace. Obviously, as well, any
professor of leadership studies or any consultant/workshop leader for current
and future leaders. Not so obvious, but recommended, employees for an
eye-opening (and perhaps comfort-enabling) way of looking at their own workplace—their
leaders, their coworkers, and themselves—in a new light.
Five stars from a generally critical reader!
This review can be found on Amazon and Barnes & Noble.
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