The festive holidays are fast approaching, which means a well-earned break from the office for many. If you are lucky enough to find yourself with some downtime during this period, why not invest in your board career with a good book to help positively shape your board mindset for the coming year.
Here are some top reads recommended by our NED Community Members:
How To Become A World Class NED (The Essential Guide) by Jo Haigh
This book provides personal insights into the world of a Non-Executive Director – what a NED is, how to find opportunities, how to behave in and out of the boardroom and how to protect yourself in an increasingly litigious environment.
Recommended by…
John Kerner, NExT Director, NHS England
“Five years after first reading this, it’s still one of my most read books. It really is an essential guide.
Rather than being a book of knowledge, it’s a ready-reference guide based on Jo’s experience of over 40 NED roles spanning 30 years in privately owned and private equity backed companies.
How has this book helped me? It helped frame my ambitions and expectations, launched my NEDucation and still remains relevant today.
What I most like about it, is that it reflects Jo’ roots in an often enjoyable and relevant way. She even goes as far as listing Yorkshire as a language on her example NED CV!”
On Leadership
A compilation of best-selling articles on leadership from the Harvard Business Review designed to take you from being a good manager to an extraordinary leader.
Recommended by…
Michael Turner, Non-Executive Director, Progress Together
“Through my own Executive career, I’ve noticed for a long time that the concept of leadership is poorly understood. People often talk about leadership tasks when they really are talking about management. The concept of a leader is often viewed as a Churchillian orator, but leadership comes in all shapes and sizes. We talk about EQ, but do we really understand it? I’ve found that this book provides clear insight into this often poorly understood area.
If there are two pieces I constantly recommend in it, then it is Kotter’s “what leaders really do” and Collins “Level 5 leadership” – purely as they constantly remind me of the difference between management, governance and leadership. I’ve often referred to these (and others) in both my Exec and Non-Exec career, when faced with challenges on how to move an organisation forwards. As the book says ‘most organisations are over managed and under led’.
Boards: A Practical Perspective by Patrick Dunne
Winner of the HR & Management Category in the 2020 Business Books Awards, ‘Boards: A Practical Perspective’ provides a useful guide to life as a board member. The 2021 version has been updated with new content covering the pandemic and its impact on boards and how they operate, diversity and inclusion, culture, stakeholder management, board reviews, smaller listed companies as well as the increased use of technology.
Recommended by…
Olanike Jagun, Non-Executive Director, Basildon Academy, Descasio Limited and Emergency Response Africa
“‘This was one of the books recommended to me whilst I was a board aspirant by a mentor. It consists of specific advice on sector’s boards, but most notable it’s the author’s reflections as a seasoned NED. It has been, and still is, my reference guide as it’s full of rich resources for Board Members of any sector.
It has useful practical examples of how to tackle just about every board dilemma imaginable and gives a series of valuable real life case studies, explaining with clarity the roles and requirements of all board members, and how to manage the behaviours that help and hinder effective working.”
Ensuring General Wisdom by J A Sutherland
‘Ensuring General Wisdom’ offers practical advice to NEDs and Trustees on how to get the best out of the Exec team covering leadership, culture, business models and conduct of business.
Recommended by…
Nemone Wynn-Evans, Outgoing Chair at Shepherds Friendly Society, current Chair at Hinckley and Rugby Building Society, Committee Chair roles at the Income and Growth VCT plc and Good Energy Group plc
“I found this book very thought provoking, helped by its engaging, readable style. The author comes from a banking and financial services regulatory background and the first half is only really of interest to people with an interest in banks and insurers, and how they fail. The second half has a much broader perspective and looks at the causes of board and organisational failure across banks, insurers, hospitals and charities. It is an entertaining blend of well-researched theory and practice. Reading it prompted me to reflect deeply on my own behaviour as a NED and Chair. John Sutherland is also worth following on LinkedIn for his insightful analysis. Highly recommend it.”
Rebel Ideas: The Power of Thinking Differently by Matthew Syed
Celebrates the notion that great minds don’t think alike, highlighting the importance of creative-thinking in problem solving. It is an examination of the power of ‘cognitive diversity’ – the ability to think differently about the world around us. The real-life examples can be applied to help strengthen any team or organisation but there are dozens of individual applications too.
Recommended by…
Sarah Pierman, CEO of Dynamic Boards and Non-Executive Director, Chair of Governance (RemCo, NomCo) and Vice-Chair, Mutual Vision
“Whilst much of the rhetoric around ‘diversity’ has focused on gender and ethnicity, Syed’s book focuses on a more holistic definition. He recognises the benefit of having people with radically different career experiences, like bringing a tech entrepreneur, an administrator, an educationalist, a rugby coach, and a military commander in to advise Gareth Southgate’s England football team! It’s refreshing to hear someone known for their business and psychology books launch into the ‘diversity’ conversation with a compelling and commercial argument.”
Be Board Ready by Betsy Atkins
Focuses on how Non-Executive Directors can create their own personal brand, cultivate it to gain a board seat, become a better Board Member as well as educating on the issues boards are faced with today.
Recommended by…
Tracey Inverary, Board Member & Vice Chair, Sir George Monoux College and Board of Trustees Member, Chartered Institute of Educational Assessors
“The book provides a broad knowledge of boardroom culture and approach to challenging diverse subjects. Despite being written before the pandemic and based on American boardroom experiences, the lessons and advice within the book are diverse, relevant and extend to committees. Betsy Atkins lends expertise on subjects such as diversity on boards, environmental, social governance, cyber security, managing resilience when managing matters linked to ransomware and discusses committees. The book considers boardroom subject-matter from case studies and provides practical tips, like strategy for social media and setting up committees, for example. Also the potential for blind spots on boards and the importance of having an awareness of a member’s capabilities that comes with their experience like analytical insights and being proactive in maintaining expert relevance. These actions support a board to ‘fulfil…governance mandate’.”
Behind Closed Doors by Simon Laffin
Shines a light on the hidden workings of company boards, describing issues that Simon Laffin himself has experienced during his 30+ years of board experience. He provides over 150 tips, including how better decisions could be taken and how board directors can better join in those debates.
Recommended by…
Kyley Winfield, Trustee & Safeguarding Trustee at Phosphoros Theatre and Training Committee, RADA Council: Anti-Racism Council Group
“Behind Closed Doors is both practical and accessible, with Simon Laffin drawing from his long career to break down boardroom complexities. The use of diagrams is especially helpful for me as a visual learner, and the clear formatting of top tips makes it easy to absorb key lessons. I came across the book after seeing it recommended by a NED recruiter on LinkedIn, which gave me added confidence in its quality. It’s a must-read for anyone looking to enhance their boardroom effectiveness at all stages of their board career.”
It’s a Battle on the Board – Directory of Social Change by Debra Allcock-Tyler
If you like Abba and good governance, then you’ll love ‘It’s A Battle On The Board’. It offers Trustees a mix of leadership theory with practical advice to the tune of a different ABBA song for the theme for each chapter. Topics covered include understanding the Trustee role, working with fellow Trustees and the CEO, compliance and regulation, dealing with information and understanding the money, the psychology of decision-making and managing risk and handling crisis.
London charities with an income under £1M per year can get a free digital copy by clicking here.
Recommended by…
Peter Brown, Governor (Trustee) at The Seckford Foundation and a former Chair of the South Kilburn Trust.
“This is a clear and accessible book that was pointed out to me when I became chair of a Charity board. I’m glad I was aware of it when I took on that role and “Battle on the Board” quickly became my go-to source of advice and guidance: a kind of mentor but in book form.
It provides a practical manual for Trustees as well as astutely covering the human dynamics of being on a Charity Board. The book is useful for Trustees of all kinds whether new or established, and is likely also useful to other types of Non-Executive role too. Debra Allcock Tyler successfully marries leadership theory with practical examples and covers much of what a Trustee should be thinking about and which could come up as issues to manage. And so Trustees can be more confident and effective in their thinking and in their interactions with others, supporting their charity to achieve impact and be well-governed.
Bonus points for chapters named after Abba song titles. Plus extra Christmas-feel-good that profits from sales go back into supporting the charitable sector.”
What book has most helped shape you as a Non-Executive Director? We’d love to know. Drop us an email at hello@dynamicboards.co.uk
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