Incite Your Month: December 2021
At CTQ, we kick each month off with a collection of ideas & recos from the team’s recent curiosity diet. It helps us ‘incite’ the rest of the month. Here’s this month’s edition.
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One insightful book
“The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing” by Al Ries and Jack Trout
What: A timeless classic on Marketing by Al Ries and Jack Trout. Originally written in 1994, the book examines marketing campaigns that have failed and what laws of marketing they break.
One takeaway: Many of the laws listed in this book will get shot down by corporate egos!
Check it out if:... you are interested in learning about why good ideas fail in the market.
One intriguing article
“The Great Attrition: Wanting the best, Keeping the worst” by McKinsey & Co
What: How should companies relook at their talent strategy in the wake of the post-pandemic trend of high churn? This article suggests a four-pronged approach to address burnout, focus on health, build skills, and an imaginative approach to talent management.
One takeaway: Women have faced a higher brunt since 2020: 42% of women report feeling burnout, compared to 35% of men.
Check it out if: ...you are thinking about how to deal with the issues and opportunities arising out of talent churn
One incisive book summary
“Long Life Learning” by Michelle R Weise
What: Given how the world is changing, the author argues that we should prepare for not only lifelong learning but also learning for long life. We need learning programs that help people integrate learning and working.
One takeaway: The Body Shop has started open-hiring at one of its distribution centres. Anyone who meets a certain set of physical criteria is hired. The time saved in hiring is used in providing other forms of employee support.
Check it out if:...you like to learn about how companies should prepare for the future of work.
One inspiring smartcast
How to be future-relevant in a shape-shifting world with Abhijit Bhaduri
What: Author Abhijit Bhaduri is well known as a futurist and has written about the five shifts in the hybrid world of work. In this CTQ Smartcast, Abhijit talks about how employers and individuals should think about navigating this hybrid world of work and the role of media in building a company's culture.
One takeaway: For a dreamer (start-up) to become a unicorn, they not only need to build their business but also build their organization.
Check it out if: ... you are curious about the future of work and how the better prepared companies are navigating this world.
One interesting podcast
Infinite Loops - Curation in the Age of Information Abundance
What: Tom Morgan is a well-known knowledge curator, working as Director of Content at a Wealth Management company. In this episode, Morgan chats with Jim O’Shaughnessy on how to become a Curiosity Sherpa.
One takeaway: Don’t dismiss things too early. Learn to pay attention even to the little things, to spot potential opportunities.
Check it out if:... you are curious about curation.
One Habit Tip from CTQ
The end of the year makes us contemplative about our habits and routines. A vacation is a great time to test-drive a new habit, so put your vacation to good use.