What We’re Reading: October 7 Edition
If you followed us previously, you’re familiar with our weekly Friday series, What We’re Reading. Raines International’s Raines Intel will continue curating news and opinion pieces on leadership, business and hiring. Check out our October 7 installment below, and send any suggestions for inclusion to research@rainesinternational.com or @rainesintl.
1. In light of recent news stories and the McKinsey/LeanIn study, we argued the talent is available but companies need to do a better job recruiting women into leadership roles.
“It’s no secret that female leadership, or even representation, is severely lacking when it comes to the tech space. Diversity at the senior-most levels is top of mind for us and our clients, and we partner with organizations to ensure they have a talented, diverse leadership team to promote this approach to the rest of the organization,” says Alison Hunter, Vice President of Raines International. “It’s an issue that needs to be attacked from both the top and the bottom, and there is a lot of work left to do.” Read “Gender Parity in C-Suite shouldn’t take 100 years. The talent is there and companies need to lead.”
2. Harvard Business Review looked at what skills and actions help CEOs become more effective. “The best CEOs focus primarily on four things: communication, communication, communication, and overseeing resource allocation to ensure that the priorities they’re communicating are actually the ones getting funded,” HBR’s James Allen wrote
Allen recommended CEOs “ruthlessly protect your time,” avoid getting caught up in office politics and over-managing, boil strategy down to a few key points that everyone in the company knows, and praise those who are executing the CEOs strategy. Read “How the Best CEOs get the Important Work Done.”
3. The Wall Street Journal’s Joann S. Lublin pointed to the significant career gains many executives see after signing on to work on or with a nonprofit board. “Nonprofit board experience can help senior managers strengthen their leadership skills and connections with high-powered players,” she explains. While many positions are unpaid, if executives put in time and effort to their role, they may see new job opportunities and connections. Read “Nonprofit Boards Offer Career Boosts for Executives.”
4. And of course, in the travel business world, the completion of the merger of Starwood and Marriott chains has earned a lot of attention. The Economist looked at some of the strategic issues that come with the merger, including a lack of competition and the changes to loyalty programs, which affects customer retention. Read “Marriott’s Takeover of Starwood might be bad news for business travelers.”
Send ideas and feedback to research@rainesinternational.com and @rainesintl.