Business Growth and Leadership Lessons: The EER Book Club

They say, “you learn a new thing every day”; well at EER we couldn’t agree more. One of the guiding principles of our organisation, through rough times and good, is that everyone can develop further.  From entry level to senior management, the opportunity for growth should never be ignored.  You never know where the next great idea will come from or which new approach could transform the way we work for the better. We also believe in setting an example from the top, which is why one of our quarterly board goals is for each member to sit down with a good book.

Everyone Talks about Book Club

Yes you read that right; we actively encourage our board to spending time reading things other than monthly reports. The whole senior management team choose a selection of books to read every quarter and then they share key lessons, useful insights and fresh ideas that they might have picked up. Not only does this help our individual professional development, it often generates concepts that can be applied in the EER office and that improve our overall performance. Our robust business continuity plan that recently proved so vital included inspiration from some of the texts we had encountered. Since this practice has shaped much of who we are as an organisation, we wanted to invite you into our board’s ‘book club’. In this series each individual will share two books that particularly spoke to them and what key elements they are keen to apply in real life office scenarios. First up, our Head of Business Operations, Aideen Hopkins who settled on two very different books with very interesting lessons; one on battleground leadership and the other on facilitating gazelle-level growth…..

“Simple But Not Easy”

Aideen’s first book succinctly sums up its over-arching concept that the key to successful leadership isn’t hard to grasp, but it is difficult to embody.  Extreme Ownership by Jocko Willink and Leif Babin shares the wisdom of two former Navy SEALs and how great leaders are able to own their team’s “mistakes and failures — without blame or excuses — and objectively assess what works and what doesn’t in order to constantly improve.”Told in a unique way, its compelling narrative and real world applications is an illuminating journey for those looking to hone their leadership skills. There are twelve principles they focus on, with each chapter explain its core elements, how effective it was on the battlefield and finally how it applies to the workplace.

Whilst leaders in the office environment rarely deal with life or death situations, it is their responsibility to guide the well-being of their employees and their business in the same way as it is for military commanders in the field. Our tendency to over-complicate can often create unnecessary roadblocks that impact morale and productivity. Extreme Ownership strips away the ego and the fuss to reveal the factors that matter most. Their ‘Laws of Combat’ concept essentially advocates for inclusion, communication, strategic vision and delegation; aspects that would be undeniably valuable in any leader.  As Aideen says, “this idea of examining the most fundamental parts of good leadership is particularly useful during challenging situations or unforeseen events.  If you have managed to maintain command of the (for want of a better word) ‘basic’ structures, the framework of your company should be able to withstand anything that comes your way.” 

Scaling New Heights

The second book that spoke to Aideen was ‘Scaling Up: How a Few Companies Make It…and Why the Rest Don’t’ by Verne Harnish.  By breaking down the habits of revered business mogul Rockefeller Harnish aims to share the key principles that will help companies grow efficiently, effectively and with lasting stability.  Few businesses start without some idea of how they wish to grow, but expansion comes with its own challenges and without the right structure in place, can be more fatal than fantastic.

According to Aideen, “one of the particularly appealing aspects of Scaling Up is how its guidance could easily be applied to specific organisations, no matter their industry or market.”  It is a detailed guidebook that can be very useful when evolving the strategy and processes of a company in order to build for the future.  The four foundations it deems essential to transform the horizons of your business are people, strategy, execution and money.  You have to “attract and retain the right people internally/externally, develop a differentiated strategy that sets you apart from competitors, execute perfectly through 3 habits, and have enough cash to survive the storms”.  Their focus on identifying your ‘big hairy audacious goals’ underlines the need to properly motivate your team and create an environment where obstacles can be overcome.  Its advice to companies over not ignoring elements such as marketing and communication in difficult times was something Aideen pushed to incorporate at EER.  “Ensuring you can speak to your audience and invest in changes that will improve efficiency have already proved valuable when it comes to weathering storms, particularly in 2020”.  Overall, the book is filled with numerous tools and techniques that can be refined and incorporated to your bespoke structure and drive profitability across the board.

Traditionally leaders were viewed as those with all the answers, but in these uncertain types it is leaders who aren’t afraid to learn that are performing and will perform better.  When senior managers embrace the potential for growth in themselves, the potential for growth in the company is even greater.  That is one of the reasons we are so committed to developing at EER.  We want the entire team, at every level, to take every chance to evolve positively.  The more engaged and inspired we are, the more we can accomplish for ourselves and for our clients.  Isn’t that worth it?

Make sure you stay tuned for more of the #EER book club by following us on one of our social media channels, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.