PIC No. 77:
• Title: The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business
• Author: Andrew C. M. Cooper
• Publisher: Wiley (Aug. 13, 2024, 256 pages)
• Management Bucket #1 of 20: The Results Bucket
Welcome to Issue No. 77 of PAILS IN COMPARISON, the value-added sidekick of John Pearson’s Buckets Blog. This blog features my “PICs”—shorter reviews of helpful books—with comparisons to other books in my 20 management buckets (core competencies) filing system.
Inspire Team Members to Be Gold Prospectors!
What’s your gut feel when you read a new book’s subtitle that admonishes, Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business?
Right. Me too.
Will this be a touchy-feely sermon—trying to convince you that conscience is more important than cash flow? Or…yet one more journey down the well-worn paths of ESG and/or DEI?
I have an idea. (Keep reading.)
Whenever I’m tempted to set aside a highly recommended book—perhaps because I’ll likely disagree with some of the author’s views—I’m reminded of this wisdom from Charlie Munger (1924-2023), quoted in my 2023 book-of-the-year, Clear Thinking:
“I never allow myself to have an opinion on anything
unless I know the other side’s argument better than they do.”
Here’s my idea. At your next staff meeting, inspire several team members to read the latest leadership/business books—and whether they appreciate the books or not—ask them to honestly search for “Best of…” snippets. Don’t ask them to be critics; inspire them to be gold prospectors.
Examples: Here are some of the GOLD treasures I discovered in The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business.
BEST METAPHOR. Andrew C.M. Cooper launches the book with the sad, but true, story of his 53-year-old cousin, Meme, perishing in a fire in her own home. “Officially, the death was an accident, but the truth is that Meme died from a maelstrom of failures.”
The metaphor: a conflagration. The author explains: “Millennials, like me, have come of age in a conflagration of crises—not unlike Meme. In this environment, profits and positive earnings raise more questions about how results were achieved, rather than the results themselves.” (Note: I tagged this to the Results Bucket, but it could also align with the Crisis Bucket.)
BEST GUT-CHECK. Oh, my. Chapter 5, “Good Habits and the Price of Renewal,” begins with the author’s moral wrestling match at the end of his very long shift at UPS during Peak Season (Thanksgiving through Valentine’s Day). Delivering packages in his own car, he finally made it home (30 miles away)—only to discover an undelivered package “next to the front passenger door wedged between the seat and the safety belt.” What did he do? What would you do?
By the way, in this chapter Cooper also notes the power of ethical habits from U.S. Navy Admiral William H. McRaven in a University of Texas graduation speech and pithy book, Make Your Bed. (See also Panera Bread’s founder on Know What Matters.)
BEST HOOK. In his book, 15 Minutes Including Q&A, Joey Asher (also an attorney like Cooper) urges speakers to start with a “hook” to grab the audience’s attention. Great books also begin with hooks—especially in the introductions.
On page two, Cooper describes his experience at his grandfather’s church at age nine. At his small Free Will Baptist Church that Sunday morning, a cousin was preaching, his father (also a pastor) sat on the rostrum with other clergy, and then his cousin Meme (see above) approached the pulpit and knelt down. What follows for the next hour is a memorable picture of the “emblematic failure” far too common in poor neighborhoods. With such a compelling “hook,” how could I not jump headfirst into this book (or maybe heart first)?
BEST PUSH-BACK. Don’t you appreciate an author who is unafraid to push back on conventional wisdom—and the go-to consulting gurus? I love contrarian authors! In Chapter 9, “Buckner’s Law,” Cooper explains “McKinsey’s theoretical power curve” and then says, “The McKinsey model is missing something. It doesn’t capture the myriad of ways an organization’s people need to level up to make strategic moves.”
The author cites his experiences as legal counsel at Fortune 500 companies like UPS and Meta, “and a large international law firm,” and notes that organizational cultures are unique. UPS is unlike Meta (Facebook)—and one size doesn’t fit all.
MANY MORE “BESTS.” If you like my idea, I won’t spoil your own prospecting for gold in this book, but you’ll find dozens of treasures, dozens of memorable anecdotes (real life stuff!), and helpful solutions and next steps. You may not agree with everything—but then (gut check!) name one person who agrees with everything you preach!
The Ethical Imperative is hopeful. I hope you and your team members will read and act on it.
PAILS IN COMPARISON: Reading this book reminded me of several other must-read books in the Results Bucket, plus other buckets/core competencies.
[ ] Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting Out of the Box, by The Arbinger Institute. (Read my review of the Second Edition.) Order the Fourth Edition from Amazon, coming Aug. 27, 2024.)
[ ] True North: Leading Authentically in Today's Workplace, Emerging Leader Edition, by Zach Clayton and Bill George. (Read my review.)
[ ] Clear Thinking: Turning Ordinary Moments into Extraordinary Results, by Shane Parrish. (Read my review. Note: I named this my 2023 book-of-the-year.)
[ ] CEO Excellence: The Six Mindsets That Distinguish the Best Leaders from the Rest, by Carolyn Dewar, Scott Keller, and Vikram Malhotra. (Read my review.)
To order from Amazon, click on the title for The Ethical Imperative: Leading with Conscience to Shape the Future of Business, by Andrew C. M. Cooper. Listen on Libro. For more reviews, visit John Pearson’s Buckets Blog and subscribe to Your Weekly Staff Meeting. And thanks to the publisher for sending me a review copy.
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