Beyond Great: Nine Strategies for Thriving in an Era of Social Tension, Economic Nationalism, and Technological Revolution

Arindam Bhattacharya, Nikolaus Lang, and Jim Hemerling

PublicAffairs, 288 pp., $28

This resource offers a look at practices and strategies organizations can adopt as they navigate times of disruption and seek to create go-forward strategies for the future. In examining best practices at play in leading-edge organizations, the authors offer nine strategies for organizational leaders to thrive while confronting daunting challenges. The strategies are designed with the notion that it is possible to become better as a result of disruption. While Beyond Great would not be out of place on a CEO's bookshelf, learning leaders may find parts of the book intriguing and immensely valuable, particularly when the authors address talent management and development.

The Phoenix Encounter Method: Lead Like Your Business Is on Fire!

Ian C. Woodward, V. "Paddy" Padmanabhan, Sameer Hasija, and Ram Charan

McGraw-Hill Education, 352 pp., $28

In this book, the authors propose a way of thinking to help leaders prepare for organizational firestorms. "Disruption can come from any direction at any time," they write. And through the book's three parts, they present "the phoenix attitude," a strategic thinking mindset that prizes proactivity. On this journey from groundwork to breakthrough, the authors challenge readers to see fires before they start and work out recovery strategies beforehand. The authors maintain that by adopting the phoenix attitude and having the phoenix encounter, leaders can position their organizations in a place of greater resiliency for when the real fire comes.