THIS MONTH'S PAGE-TURNERS ON BUSINESS AND BEYOND

The table isn’t set, the potatoes are burning, and guests are arriving—early. The holiday season is rife with moments of stress, so three current and former McKinsey experts are sharing the practices they use to remain calm through crisis. In this edition of Readers & Leaders, check out the newly released book Deliberate Calm, a guide to navigating an increasingly complex world from Jacqueline Brassey, Aaron De Smet, and Michiel Kruyt. Earlier this month, The Titanium Economy became a national bestseller, former poker pro and bestselling strategist Annie Duke dispelled the myth that “winners never quit,” and much more. Catch the rest of this month’s conversations from Author Talks and new reads from NPD BookScan, prepared exclusively for McKinsey. Itching for more? Visit McKinsey on Books for the latest, and to get Readers & Leaders in your inbox monthly, click here to subscribe.

IT BEARS REPEATING

“In order to play the game of poker or play the game of life well, you have to quit in some situations, particularly those situations where other people might not. Poker players find it very hard to quit games when they’re losing. You have to be willing to do that so you can get yourself in a better position later. People don’t want to quit projects for the same reason. You, as leadership, have to remind them that it’s one long game.”

—Annie Duke, decision-making strategist, former professional poker player, and bestselling author of Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away (Penguin Random House, September 2022), in a recent edition of Author Talks.

OUT NEXT WEEK

When crisis hits, having a practice of self-awareness and emotional regulation will empower you to face down challenges proactively, not reactively. Combining cognitive science, consciousness exercises, and 50-plus total years of boardroom experience, McKinsey senior knowledge expert Jacqueline Brassey, senior partner Aaron De Smet, and former partner Michiel Kruyt offer Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World. In a recent edition of Author Talks, the authors explain how anyone can confront external uncertainty by first connecting with the inner self.

“Occasionally—for example, if you step off of a curb and a bus is coming at you—you will benefit from just jumping without thinking, but those situations are rare. Most of the time, the crises we are facing benefit from you saying, ‘Let me take a deep breath, let me think, let me pause, let me take stock.’ This is where dual awareness comes in. I take stock of the situation and of myself, and I link those two.” –Aaron De Smet, McKinsey senior partner, in a recent edition of Author Talks. Preorder Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World (Harper Collins, November 29, 2022). 

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Tech policy scholar Orly Lobel sees a path toward equity, leveraged by technology: “It’s only when we have skin in the game and a constructive stance on envisioning the best possible future that we can get a brighter future and an equality machine.” Watch the full interview.

Organizational consultant Dr. Tina Opie breaks down the obstacles standing in the way of workplace equity: “I think being ‘color-blind’ is well-intentioned, but it’s a misinformed approach because it prevents us from ever being able to actually unpack what is happening, why racioethnicity matters, and why it has been devalued in the workplace in the past.” Watch the full interview.

PepsiCo chief design officer Mauro Porcini shares how to bring more meaning to design: “The starting point, the cultural level in every company, needs to be the needs and wants of human beings and, therefore, the needs of our planet, our society, and of everything else that [matters to us] as human beings.” Watch the full interview.

Columbia Business School professor Bruce Usher has sustainable tips for the conscious investor: “We have three decades to completely rebuild this entire global economy that we spent the last 300 years creating. That’s going to require an extraordinary amount of investment capital.” Watch the full interview.

COMING UP

Michelin-star restaurateur Will Guidara urges business leaders to reprioritize hospitality: “I believe we’re becoming a hospitality economy, especially after the couple years that we’ve just had. . . . Making good products is no longer enough and serving them efficiently is no longer enough. It’s how people are made to feel that’s starting to matter most of all.” Watch the full interview next week.

BUSINESS BESTSELLERS TOP

Skipped out on Black Friday shopping this year? This month’s business bestsellers, prepared exclusively for McKinsey by NPD BookScan, are great gifts for the readers in your life—and not just because they’re easy to wrap. Explore the full lists on McKinsey on Books.

BUSINESS OVERALL

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Penguin Group USA)

BUSINESS HARDCOVER

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Penguin Group USA)

DECISION MAKING

Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke (Penguin Group USA)

ECONOMICS

MegaThreats: Ten Dangerous Trends That Imperil Our Future, and How to Survive Them by Nouriel Roubini (Hachette Book Group)

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Penguin Group USA)

WORKPLACE CULTURE

The Brain-Friendly Workplace: Why Talented People Quit and How to Get Them to Stay by Friederike Fabritius (Rowman & Littlefield Publishing)

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Random House)

SUSTAINABILITY

Beloved Economies: Transforming How We Work by Jess Rimington and Joanna L. Cea (Macmillan)

If you’d like to propose a book or author for #McKAuthorTalks, please email us at Author_Talks@McKinsey.com. Given the high volume of requests, we will respond only to those being considered.

—Edited by Molly Liebergall, an editor in McKinsey’s New York office

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