| | THIS MONTH’S PAGE-TURNERS ON BUSINESS AND BEYOND
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| You have a hunch that your store’s fourth-quarter sales are down because of online shopping. You complete an analysis of shoppers who purchased online more often this quarter than last. The solution is simple: You need an online store, right? Wrong. You may have just solved a problem that didn’t exist; something else could be amiss. All too often, many engage in confirmation bias—making assumptions based on preexisting beliefs. Bias could affect important business and personal decisions. It could also lead to costly mistakes and missed opportunities. To gain a more balanced perspective, take a few steps back. Start with an empty canvas, or even better, that blank first page of a book.
This edition of Readers & Leaders sheds light on the foibles of decision making. Rockefeller International chairman Ruchir Sharma discusses why government’s predetermined solution to economic disaster won’t avert a crisis but contributes to one. Elspeth Kirman, Nesta’s chief program officer, highlights the impact of bias on constructive decision making and explains why the worst form of bias is inactivity. American University professor Aram Sinnreich shares why solely exploring data that support an argument rather than letting data drive discovery could be a recipe for failure. Read on to see how a more neutral viewpoint could help avert bias and improve outcomes.
Want early access to interviews? Download the McKinsey Insights app to read the latest Author Talks now.
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| | | | | | Catch up on the latest and greatest reads for the month. Explore May’s business bestsellers, prepared exclusively for McKinsey by Circana. Check out the full selection on McKinsey on Books. | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
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The Journey of Leadership (Portfolio/Penguin Group), McKinsey’s next major book, will publish in the United States and the United Kingdom on September 10. The book, by senior partners Dana Maor, Kurt Strovink, Ramesh Srinivasan, and senior partner emeritus Hans-Werner Kaas, is the first-ever explanation of McKinsey’s step-by-step approach to transforming leaders both professionally and personally—including revealing lessons from its legendary CEO leadership program, the “Bower Forum,” which has counseled more than 500 global CEOs over the past decade. It’s a journey that helps leaders hone the psychological, emotional, and, ultimately, human attributes that result in success in today’s most demanding top job.
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Preorder now
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Coming soon
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Curious about the books that global leaders are reading? Stay tuned for our annual reading guide, which launches in July. Discover which selections executives have on their shelves and why.
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| —Edited by Emily Adeyanju, editor, Carolinas
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