THIS MONTH'S PAGE-TURNERS ON BUSINESS AND BEYOND

Crisis can often trigger reactive behavior, and for good reason: when we’re scared, we stick to what we know. In this edition of Readers & Leaders, take a first glance at the upcoming book Deliberate Calm, a guide to navigating an increasingly complex—and sometimes frightening—world. The right solutions require leaders to practice self-awareness and adaptive decision making, say authors Jacqueline Brassey, Aaron De Smet, and Michiel Kruyt. This week, The Titanium Economy, McKinsey’s new book on the burgeoning industrial sector, hit bookshelves. Earlier this month, CNBC’s Julia Boorstin explained why cultural hurdles have made woman leaders inherently exceptional. Catch more conversations from Author Talks, as well as new reads from this month’s bestselling business books, prepared exclusively for McKinsey by NPD BookScan. Itching for more? Visit McKinsey on Books for the latest, and to get Readers & Leaders in your inbox monthly, click here to subscribe.

AUTHOR TALKS

When circumstances get complicated, having a practice of calm and consciousness can help empower leaders to face challenges proactively, not reactively. Combining cognitive science, consciousness exercises, and more than 50 years of collective 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 an upcoming edition of Author Talks, the authors explain how people can confront external uncertainty by first connecting with their inner self.

“Whether there is a particular thing that matters to you or you want to change a particular behavior or you want to learn something new or you want to engage in something difficult that you never did before . . . it’s about having a growth mindset, self-compassion, and kindness. I practice those. One of the things that I personally do is watch my sleep. I work on reframing that and on exercise, mindfulness, and meditation, as well. Be kind. You will make mistakes, and that is an important part of deliberate calm, as well. You have to make mistakes to learn.” 

—Jacqueline Brassey, McKinsey senior knowledge expert, in an upcoming edition of Author Talks. Preorder Deliberate Calm: How to Learn and Lead in a Volatile World (Harper Collins, November 2022). 

IT BEARS REPEATING

“When looking at the risks of recession, the fact that we’re facing record inflation, and the uncertainty in the business world right now, I think about the challenges that women have always faced and the way they’ve coped with them: having to do more with less, having to be scrappy, and having to bring in perspectives from across organizations. The approaches that women have either been forced to take or have had the impulse to take are going to be incredibly valuable right now in navigating these uncertain times.”

—Julia Boorstin, CNBC senior media and tech correspondent, creator of the Disruptor 50 franchise, and author of When Women Lead: What They Achieve, Why They Succeed, and How We Can Learn from Them (Simon & Schuster, October 2022), in a recent edition of Author Talks.

OUT NOW

Industrial-technology companies are leading the American economy into a new era of sustainable, inclusive growth. In The Titanium Economy: How Industrial Technology Can Create a Better, Faster, Stronger America (Public Affairs, October 2022), Asutosh Padhi, managing partner for McKinsey in North America, and coauthors Gaurav Batra and Nick Santhanam reveal how this underrecognized sector—which is responsible for B2B products such as recycled lumber and color enamels—is driving long-term gains in innovation and employment. Order your copy.

“Titanium economy companies have been going about doing what they’re actually good at, which is delivering great returns for their shareholders, taking care of customers, taking care of employees, doing the job around communities, and cleaning the environment—but they have never really found an opportunity to pull it all together and tell the story.” —Asutosh Padhi, managing partner for McKinsey in North America, in a recent edition of Author Talks.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

How to turn your work enemies into allies: “You do want to validate part of their perspective—maybe there’s part that you agree with—and then try to get them to contribute in a more constructive way.” Watch the full interview with Amy Gallo.

13 hacks for speeding up bureaucratic slowdowns in work and life: “Bureaucracies don’t have feelings, they have frameworks. You have to find out what forms you need to fill out and what rules you need to follow to make your change happen and do it.” Watch the full interview with Marina Nitze.

What will happen when the era of globalized business ends? “I think that we’ve reached the end of pure economic globalization. Countries are going to have to decide if they share each other’s values. If we don’t, it’s going to become more and more problematic to form trade and business alliances.” Watch the full interview with Rana Foroohar.

How to avoid panicked decision making by remaining focused on the future: “In the current global scenario, it’s really important that we shift away from short-termism to a long-term focus. Making short-term decisions is the equivalent of hitting a rough ice patch in the road and slamming on the brakes.” Watch the full interview with Ari Wallach.

BUSINESS BESTSELLERS TOP

Don’t you wish there was trick-or-treating for books? We do too. Get your favorite candy (or some fruit) and check out this month’s top business bestsellers in eight categories, prepared exclusively for McKinsey by NPD BookScan. 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 (Avery Publishing Group)

BUSINESS HARDCOVER

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

DECISION MAKING

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (Hachette Book Group)

ECONOMICS

Blind Spot: The Global Rise of Unhappiness and How Leaders Missed It by Jon Clifton (Simon & Schuster)

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

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

WORKPLACE CULTURE

Who Moved My Cheese? An A-Mazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life by Spencer Johnson (Penguin Group USA)

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)

BOOKMARK THIS

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, a digital editor in McKinsey’s New York office

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