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Internal Masterminds: How Smart Talent Leaders Create Engagement and Pivot Organizational Culture
When groups come together, great things happen! For visionary talent leaders and C-suite teams who truly believe that their people are their greatest assets. To thrive as an agile organization in a constantly changing economic and technological environment, leaders need strategies and tools to simultaneously engage five generations of employees. Skills such as critical thinking, communication, and leadership are taught through professional development initiatives. Yet opportunities are needed for sustained practice and proficiency so that competencies become habits. A new culture emerges when employees contribute to innovation and workplace pivots for the future that is already here today. In this book you will discover how - Engage your staff as contributing stakeholders and make your talent development outcomes stick - Develop strong leaders who are instrumental in solidifying organizational culture - Break down corporate silos so that employees communicate in a collaborate way As a result, your people will stay longer so that you retain more institutional knowledge and therefore contribute more-substantially to your bottom line. When everyone in your organization lives the culture more-deeply, they communicate better with each other, and better represent to your clients what it is you stand for. Sylvia Henderson and Josh Silverstone are the founders of MindTeam Solutions, Inc. and the Idea MindTeam™ group platform. They bring their combined corporate training, management, sales, and entrepreneurial experience to leaders who want to create engagement and pivot culture so that their organization thrives.
162 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 14, 2018
5 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 25, 2018
If you own or manage a business – be it small, mid-size or large – and are concerned about how to grow your business and make it more efficient and profitable, to strategically engage your workforce so as to promote innovation and retention, and to position your business so it is able to pivot and be in front of the curve regarding rapidly changing market trends and ever-evolving client/customer needs, then this book is a MUST READ!
From the authors’ initial explanation of why the book was published in landscape format – a book “pivoted, disrupted and trans- formed” to physically manifest taking a different approach to organizational structure and employee engagement (“Introduction”) – to the concept that 1 + 1 = 3, i.e., “two [or more] people identify solutions or bring clarity to situations as if a third person appeared outside of each of them separately to form a third mind” Ch 3, p.21 (“Power of the ‘Third Mind’”) – to the establishment of high performance peer groups that transcend company projects, involve employee participation, invite ideas and taking risks, and become the “third mind” throughout the business entity (Ch.8, “Intentional, Collaborative Peer Groups”), the authors successfully lay out their argument in Chapters 1, 5 – 7 (“In Pursuit of Connection”, “Single Solutions Are a Mixed Bag: Why Training – And Other Short-Term Solutions – Are Not Enough”, “A Vision for Transformation – The Future of Your Workplace is Here Today” and “It’s About Culture”) that, for any current or future business to achieve long-term success and profitability, it must look beyond employing the continued use of industrial-era, top-down hierarchical business models and instead pivot to a holistic solution that integrates employee talent development “with a means of allowing employees to practice their skills, increase competencies, communicate across departments, live organizational credos and core values, develop leadership skills, take initiative, think critically, make informed decisions, and treat their roles and responsibilities like entrepreneur owners of their slices of the business.” Ch. 5, p. 52.
The authors suggest that, for smart businesses and talent leaders to accomplish this pivot from dated business models to a holistic solution, they must first recognize that (a) the nature of the workforce is shifting to one whose defining characteristics include the need to feel valued, to contribute to the greater good and to have work-life balance while retaining advancement opportunities, (b) top-level leadership must create a strong foundation built on a vision and mission that translates into core values that permeate throughout an organization, and (c) investment in the right type of training leads to talent retention, a stable leadership infrastructure, and confidence and growth in front-line employees (Ch.4, “Challenges Facing Organizations: Developing Talented Leaders”). In chapters 9 and 10 (“Introducing the Idea MindTeam ™ Platform” and “How Idea MindTeam ™ Groups Operate”) the authors offer their roadmap to how smart businesses and talent leaders can implement a holistic solution through formation of an Idea MindTeam™ group (or groups) whose “purpose is to serve as a safe forum for its members to solve problems, get clarity on and work through issues with which they struggle, and put their ideas into the open to receive feedback and hear different points of view”; i.e., “[m]embers engage in critical thinking processes, listen to their peers, ask questions that dig deeper into situations than initially presented, and freely share creative approaches to solutions.” Ch. 9, p. 93.
At the end of each chapter appears a “Journal”. The authors use the “Journal” as a means to highlight each chapter’s content by presenting questions that challenge the reader to consider (a) how said content may, or may not, apply to them or their business; (b) what action(s) did they take, if any, to address issues raised; and (c) what degree of success was achieved by actions taken.
From start to finish, Internal MASTERMINDS – How Smart Talent Leaders Create Engagement and Pivot Organizational Culture exudes the concept that “a positive, respectful, and collaborative company culture is essential to the growth and sustainability of any organization” (Ch.2, p.34 “Sharing Our Passion With You: Our Stories”) – a business ethic that plays a defining role in the development of each author’s business acumen and their desire to pivot, disrupt and transform current business culture into one that successfully and profitably meets the challenges of tomorrow.
From the authors’ initial explanation of why the book was published in landscape format – a book “pivoted, disrupted and trans- formed” to physically manifest taking a different approach to organizational structure and employee engagement (“Introduction”) – to the concept that 1 + 1 = 3, i.e., “two [or more] people identify solutions or bring clarity to situations as if a third person appeared outside of each of them separately to form a third mind” Ch 3, p.21 (“Power of the ‘Third Mind’”) – to the establishment of high performance peer groups that transcend company projects, involve employee participation, invite ideas and taking risks, and become the “third mind” throughout the business entity (Ch.8, “Intentional, Collaborative Peer Groups”), the authors successfully lay out their argument in Chapters 1, 5 – 7 (“In Pursuit of Connection”, “Single Solutions Are a Mixed Bag: Why Training – And Other Short-Term Solutions – Are Not Enough”, “A Vision for Transformation – The Future of Your Workplace is Here Today” and “It’s About Culture”) that, for any current or future business to achieve long-term success and profitability, it must look beyond employing the continued use of industrial-era, top-down hierarchical business models and instead pivot to a holistic solution that integrates employee talent development “with a means of allowing employees to practice their skills, increase competencies, communicate across departments, live organizational credos and core values, develop leadership skills, take initiative, think critically, make informed decisions, and treat their roles and responsibilities like entrepreneur owners of their slices of the business.” Ch. 5, p. 52.
The authors suggest that, for smart businesses and talent leaders to accomplish this pivot from dated business models to a holistic solution, they must first recognize that (a) the nature of the workforce is shifting to one whose defining characteristics include the need to feel valued, to contribute to the greater good and to have work-life balance while retaining advancement opportunities, (b) top-level leadership must create a strong foundation built on a vision and mission that translates into core values that permeate throughout an organization, and (c) investment in the right type of training leads to talent retention, a stable leadership infrastructure, and confidence and growth in front-line employees (Ch.4, “Challenges Facing Organizations: Developing Talented Leaders”). In chapters 9 and 10 (“Introducing the Idea MindTeam ™ Platform” and “How Idea MindTeam ™ Groups Operate”) the authors offer their roadmap to how smart businesses and talent leaders can implement a holistic solution through formation of an Idea MindTeam™ group (or groups) whose “purpose is to serve as a safe forum for its members to solve problems, get clarity on and work through issues with which they struggle, and put their ideas into the open to receive feedback and hear different points of view”; i.e., “[m]embers engage in critical thinking processes, listen to their peers, ask questions that dig deeper into situations than initially presented, and freely share creative approaches to solutions.” Ch. 9, p. 93.
At the end of each chapter appears a “Journal”. The authors use the “Journal” as a means to highlight each chapter’s content by presenting questions that challenge the reader to consider (a) how said content may, or may not, apply to them or their business; (b) what action(s) did they take, if any, to address issues raised; and (c) what degree of success was achieved by actions taken.
From start to finish, Internal MASTERMINDS – How Smart Talent Leaders Create Engagement and Pivot Organizational Culture exudes the concept that “a positive, respectful, and collaborative company culture is essential to the growth and sustainability of any organization” (Ch.2, p.34 “Sharing Our Passion With You: Our Stories”) – a business ethic that plays a defining role in the development of each author’s business acumen and their desire to pivot, disrupt and transform current business culture into one that successfully and profitably meets the challenges of tomorrow.
November 1, 2018
What a fascinating and insightful read! I particularly enjoyed learning about how to embrace the power of "The Third Mind" within various peer groups. I feel this has broad applications for organizations of all shapes and sizes. Authors Sylvia and Josh are ahead of the curve when it comes to understanding organizational culture, and I could not recommend this book more strongly.
December 9, 2018
This is a must read for anyone who is working in a volunteer or career position. It does not matter where you work. You will find ideas that resonate. It makes you energized and wanting to elevate to the next level. Easy to follow and a quick read makes it a winner.
October 21, 2018
This book is a compellingly fast read, giving real solutions for making workplace culture more engaging and productive!
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October 29, 2018We're the co-authors. Of course we've read the book!
Sylvia Henderson
Josh Silverstone
Sylvia Henderson
Josh Silverstone
November 3, 2018
It is crazy how much this book relates to my personal experience at work right now. The environment at my work is set up so that everyone works on an “island.” This book is exactly what every management team should read!
December 7, 2018
Great read! Really insightful and practical information for business leaders and managers. Would recommend it to anyone looking for ways to improve their organization.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews