Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity
£10.80£11.40 (-5%)
Author and consultant Jennifer Garvey Berger has worked with all types of leaders―from top executives at Google to nonprofit directors who are trying to make a dent in social change. She hears a version of the same plea from every client in nearly every sector around the world: “I know that complexity and uncertainty are testing my instincts, but I don’t know which to trust. Is there some way to know what to do when I can’t know what’s next?”
Her newest work is an answer to this plea. Using her background in adult development, complexity theories, and leadership consultancy, Garvey Berger discerns five pernicious and pervasive “mind traps” to frame the book. These are: the desire for simple stories, our sense that we are right, our desire to get along with others in our group, our fixation with control, and our constant quest to protect and defend our egos. In addition to understanding why these natural impulses steer us wrong in a fast-moving world, leaders will get powerful questions and approaches that help them escape these patterns.
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Additional information
| Publisher | 1st edition (29 Jan. 2019), Stanford Briefs |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 88 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 1503609014 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1503609013 |
| Dimensions | 12.7 x 1.07 x 20.32 cm |
by Robbie
In this book Jennifer Garvey Berger delivers a real gem: a leadership book which is not only incredibly insightful, but also incredibly manageable to absorb and use. In it she distills decades of research into how people make meaning of the world – known in the field as ‘adult development’ – into six mindtraps which will resonate with anyone and everyone (at least anyone who is human). What makes this a book which I have already recommended to many clients and friends is that it takes the incredibly complex and nuanced wisdom of Garvey Berger’s work, and makes it absorb-able and manageable to anyone: this is a short, practical and easy-to-read book, full of thought exercises and practices which will help you grow, so that although the mindtraps will still get you sometimes (as long as you are human), you will be equipped to get out of them much more quickly.
I recently undertook a training for coaches where Garvey Berger was part of the faculty, and the training convinced me more than ever that the complexity we – and particularly leaders – face in the modern world is unprecedented. This makes it harder for us to succeed, and also harder for us to know when we succeed. The practices in this book will help any reader adjust their ways of being so that they are more able and ready to cope with the challenges of a complex world. That, combined with the practical nature of the book, has taken this straight to the top of the list of books I would recommend to leaders.
by Niki
I work with chief executives and their teams, who are trying to find what leadership looks like in complex situations, where they are in charge but not in control, and where the skills that worked for them in the past are no longer enough.
There are many books out there now that describe leadership in academic ways, and give interesting theories. But very few of them give practical advice about what to do on a Monday morning when facing a complex situation. This book fills that gap, and is now the first book that I recommend to my clients (at least, those of them that like books!).
I particularly like the way the reader follows the story of Mark, Leroy and Alison as they get to grips with the five mindtraps. The characters are relatable, and this way of introducing the mindtraps grounds them in everyday experiences.
by S Reid
I have been studying complexity theory and complexity leadership theory for the last five years both academically and practically. My quest has took me to places I never thought I would go, both mentally and physically and introduced me to some amazing research and researchers across many inter-related fields. Jenifer Garvey-Berger has managed to bring together so much of this research and untangle the academic language. In Unlocking Leadership Mindtraps: How to Thrive in Complexity Jenifer presents a number of practical tools to help leaders in the 21st century to better operate in complex environments. She navigates the subject really well and the short stories she weaves really help to underpin the theories and concepts and cement them in real world contexts.
I would highly recommend this book, thanks Jenifer.
by Amazon Customer
As a NeuroCoach I find Garvey Becker’s ‘voice’ in this book engaging and insightful.
She explores our experiences through an internal lens, and then humanizes recent neuroscience findings into an easily accessible form so we can easily own them.
These insights are followed by tools and processes that can help us to avoid these natural Mindtraps and she leave us hopeful and more aware of the way we can navigate the future with grace and wisdom.
by L PASQUIER
Great insights into adult learning and next generation leadership
by Penny
A little treasure of a book – short which is quite a treat these days- and full of wonderful questions to ask ourselves. For anybody who feels life has become a bit of an auto-pilot, this book is a good way to wake us up.
by Dee
I really enjoyed this book. It’s a fantastic way at looking at the traps we all face and fall into regularly, while helping you to think through solutions. I think the key for me was how easy to read this was, not like a text book at all, with really engaging examples. I did find myself thinking “that’s me” quite a few times and it has helped me notice these patterns in myself and others. Great book, I would highly recommend.
by Niki
There are pages missing in this book. From page 68 to page 81.
How do I file a complaint?