Guest Editor

Biography

I am a Chartered Management Accountant and a Fellow of CMI, who has worked in central government, local government, housing, and the commercial sector. I am currently a director at McGregor Bailey Associates which provides consultancy, training, and interim management services. I am a Management Accountant, so am as interested in people, systems, and the whole organisation's success, as I am in the finances themselves. The most successful organisations I have worked in, or with, have had inspirational leaders and employees who felt valued, and who understood the organisation's objectives and their role in delivering the products, services or outcomes.

I have a library of management books, oddly more on organisations, management and people than text books on finance, although I like to think that is part of the traits that enable me to be a leader rather than an 'accountant' in an organisation.

Book Selections

It took me some time to decide which of the many books I have read over the last decades were truly the most influential. The ones I have selected have won over from those of such greats as Tom Peters, Charles Handy, and Phillip Crosby, as well as books on finance, an old and trusted friend and tome from Dury, and the inspirational stories of messrs Branson and Dyson.

Who says elephants can't dance? by Louis V. Gerstner Jr.

I read this book many years ago and still have it on my shelf. It was at a time I was involved in a project to convert the MoD from annual cash accounting to proper commercial/accurals accounting. This book helped me understand how large corporations can change culture and direction and that they must evolve or risk extinction. The principles may still be useful to many organisations today in the current climate. Interestingly at the time, the issue for IBM was all about the move from large computers to PCs, yet now we appear to be making a transition back in some ways with dumb terminals and centralised servers, or laptops accessing data via the cloud. I'm sure IT professionals will maintain it is not the same as the old days, but sit at a desk with a small CITRIX (or other brand) box and it feels similar to old mainframe computers and dumb terminals - when the link goes down, work stops ...

Who moved my cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson

Most definitely a 'Marmite' book! Some people seem to almost despise it, claiming it's child-like and over simple. But I would argue that when moving into massive change that will affect all staff, organisations just do not seem to do the preparatory work. If a book that takes around an hour to read can help prepare the majority of readers for the reality of change, get them talking and asking questions about what might be and how they might help or contribute, then it's worth the money it costs to purchase and distribute. Yes, it must be followed up by other media, training discussions, etc., but it can be a great catalyst and starter. For those that like it, I hope you've also read the other titles the author has produced in a similar format, and that you always keep your training shoes to hand!

The 7 habits of highly effective people by Stephen R. Covey

I make no apologies for listing Stephen R. Covey's book, even though it was mentioned by another Guest Editor (Judy Craske) only a few months ago. I received my copy from a great friend and colleague, during a time when I was most definitely finding it difficult to get an appropriate work/life balance and suffering real frustrations at work. Reading this helped me understand that actually balance is important, that sometimes you have to step back and look at the bigger picture, and that frantic working is not always productive. I became a calmer manager, better team player and probably more productive after reading this and am indebted to Mr Les Hale for the gift.

Thinking of ... people-centric process management? Ask the smart questions by Andrew Spanyi, Mark McGregor, & Ian Gotts

In some ways this is the most inspirational book for me on two levels. Firstly, its great message that people play the most important role in any entity's success. The format asks questions rather than provides answers, which although unusual, works well. It also helps people like me (who do tend to concentrate on cost reduction, profit increase and technical solutions), to remember that people are the critical success factor for processes to work effectively. But the true personal inspiration for me is that it is co-written by my brother, and is the latest in a number of books he has been involved in. Which makes me wonder whether one day I shall discover there is a management book inside me, waiting to get out!

The goal: a process of ongoing improvement by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox

At the time I read this book, the phrase was systems thinking rather than the popular 'Lean' used today. Apart from the very useful example of how systems thinking can help an organisation improve quality, performance, and efficiency, it also demonstrated the principles of coaching in that the person being coached must investigate and discover their own solutions, rather than being told all the answers. I particularly enjoyed the fact it was written more in the style of a novel than a standard management book format, which made it more interesting to read and I think helped the principles to sink in (I suspect many of us remember more from a good novel/story than we do from the last standard management book we read).

Freedom from command and control: a better way to make the work work by John Seddon

Following on from The goal, I would say that Mr Seddon's are the next best in understanding Lean; they are certainly challenging of the status quo and have helped a number of public sector organisations improve their performance, particularly in the customer-focused services sector. I like the examples and the blatant throwing down of gauntlets to challenge the systems of measuring and reporting everything, which has in truth distracted many from delivering the original outcomes of the service and organisation. This book was subsequently followed by Systems thinking in the public sector.

Have you read any of Stuart's recommended titles? If so, share your views with our online community by clicking on the icon.