BOOK REVIEW
Book Title: The Business of WE: The proven 3-step process for closing the gap between us & them in your workplace
Author: Laura Kriska
Publisher: HarperCollins Leadership
List Price: USD $19.99
Format: soft cover, 290 pages
Publication Date: 2021
ISBN: 978-1-400-21680-2
Reviewer: Krystal Blackwell, MBA, PMP
Review Date: June 2021
Introduction
In The Business of WE: the proven 3-step process for closing the gap between us & them in your workplace, Laura provides a simple and easy to follow action plan for business leaders and individuals to easily create an inclusive environment for your team members and people you encounter everyday. Her WE building steps are:
- Foster Awareness
- Self Assess
- How to Take Action
Using this process in both your organization and personal life will help you as a people leader to be authentic, build trust, and provide a feeling of safety and belonging to your team. As we emerge from the pandemic, Laura teaches people leaders and individuals how to approach diversity and cultural differences. She provides numerous examples and details on how inclusion will increase productivity, and prevent misinterpretations that can have a detrimental effect on the organization.
Overview of Book’s Structure
Section I: Framing The Organizational Challenge
- Chapter 1: Diversity Can be Divisive: A Growing Problem in a Culturally Varied Organization
- Chapter 2: The Synergy of Cross-Cultural Compatibility: The Benefits of Bringing People Together
- Chapter 3: Conventional Wisdom versus Practical Knowledge: The Need to Close Deep Gaps (Rather Than Create Superficial Bridges)
Section II: The Process
- Chapter 4: Foster Gap Awareness
- Chapter 5: Conduct an Us versus Them Assessment
- Chapter 6: Create a Gap-Closing Action Plan
Section III: Moving Forward
- Chapter 7: Overcoming Resistance and Apathy: The Obstacles to Achieving Cultural Intelligence
- Chapter 8: HomeTeam Advantage: Why the Traditional Majority Culture Must Take the Lead
- Chapter 9: On Beyond Diversity: The Need for Building Internal Infrastructure
Highlights
In the first three chapters, Laura provides numerous examples outlining issues that we face in our organizations. How the tiniest gestures, like simply pronouncing a person’s name correctly, can have a profound effect on a person. When a small gesture such as this is then paired with a meaningful action, a single moment can become a memorable moment. If WE develop a WE mindset, this creates positive outcomes, increases productivity, enhances engagement, and overall creates an inclusive and welcoming environment for our teams.
More…
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About the Reviewer
Krystal Blackwell
(With her family in photo)
Grapevine, Texas, USA
Krystal Blackwell is a proud wife of Michael for 10 years and mother of two children, Logan and MacKynzee. Krystal is a Project Manager in the telecommunications industry. She is a telecom kid, as her parents worked in telecom for 30 years, and now Krystal is following in their footsteps, with 12 years down, 18 to go! Krystal has an Associates of Arts Degree from Tarrant County College, as well as a Bachelors of Arts in English Literature with a minor in History from the University of Texas at Arlington. She also holds an MBA in Computer Information Systems from Ashford University. In March 2022, she earned her PMP Certification through PMI and is currently looking for her next learning opportunity.
Clifton Strengths: CONSISTENCY | CONTEXT | LEARNER | RESTORATIVE | ACHIEVER
Email address: krystal@blackwell.fun
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