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Insights

Books

We love sharing the things we’ve learned, discovered and created. You’ll find podcasts, blogs and articles elsewhere on this site, but if you want to fully immerse yourself, check out the books below – each of which comes with extra resources.

ARC Leadership

In a world that’s increasingly complex and interconnected, where trust is no longer a given, we need leaders that are more Authentic, Responsible and Courageous.

This “practical, thought-provoking, highly-researched and eminently readable” book walks with you, not judging you. It accepts that these three ‘ARC qualities’ can be hard to live up to, and it helps you and your people get a whole lot better at doing so. 

Exclusive Resources Sample Chapters
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“One of the most thought-provoking books I’ve ever read. It touched numerous nerves with me and shone a light beautifully on my own leadership, my years at the BBC, ITV and Disney and the way we lead at Nickelodeon. It’s a book shareholders will be waving at CEOs, expecting Authentic, Responsible, Courageous leadership as key to providing a competitive edge. A must-read for any ambitious CEO and for management teams – whether their focus is the bottom line, thriving in the face of 21st-century challenges, or leaving their own personal legacy in the organisation.”
– Tim Patterson, Vice President, Director of Programming, Nickelodeon

Upgrade: building your capacity for complexity

What if the ways you think about yourself, the world and everyone in it were the human equivalent of your own internal ‘operating system’?

What if you could upgrade that operating system, evolving it as radically now as you did as a child? Upgrade gives you the tools to do just that. It’ll help you achieve better outcomes with a lot less effort; thrive in the face of fiendishly complex problems; navigate stakeholders’ diverse, evolving needs; take relationships to a whole new level; resolve dilemmas and reduce polarization; adapt and evolve as quickly as the world is changing around you. Not only that: it’ll help you help others develop, as well.

Exclusive Resources Sample Chapters
Buy at amazon.com Buy at amazon.co.uk Discounted at blackwells Buy at foyles
“This book really worked for me and would be a great entry point for even the most cynical of people. The practices are excellent: just the right level of intellectual and personal challenge. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to understand their current skill levels and how to develop them to deal with issues thrown up by career progression, organisational change and the impact of technology on their operating environment. It gives you the tools to manage and survive in an uncertain world by learning how to anticipate and control events, rather than being controlled by them.”
– Caroline Britton, Non-Executive Director at Revolut following 18 years as a partner at Deloitte

The Boss Factor: 10 lessons in managing up for mutual gain

Whether you’ve just one boss or multiple senior stakeholders, you’ll find this book full of tips, tools and challenging questions to help you get the most from what is one of the most important relationships in your working life.

Featured in The Financial Times, The Telegraph and Sloan Magazine, and on BBC Radio – and in HR Magazine’s “Best of HR”. It’s a book that’ll also get you thinking differently about your own approach to leadership, so you might want to grab a few extras to give to your team.

Exclusive Resources Sample Chapters
Buy at amazon.com Buy at amazon.co.uk Discounted at blackwells Buy at foyles
“Richard Boston has nailed it. If only I’d known this earlier in my career, I’d have saved myself a lot of grief, done a much better job, and had a happier boss! With so many books for leaders and so few for those they lead, this will be invaluable for anyone in their first or second job, as well as for those in middle management looking to enhance their relationships upwards.”
– Peter Young, Director and executive coach at Bladon Leadership
The Practitioner’s Handbook of Team Coaching

The Practitioner’s Handbook of Team Coaching

We’re honoured to be featured twice in this goldmine of contributions from leading lights in the field of team coaching.

In one chapter, you’ll find further insights into our work with the leadership team at Southampton Football Club, going beyond what we’ve shared here on our website. In our second chapter, we share a tool we developed to help coaches take a more systemic approach to their work. If you’re finding the world of ‘systems thinking’ too abstract and esoteric, then we reckon you’ll find it as helpful as we do.

Buy at amazon.co.uk Buy at Amazon.com Buy at Blackwells Buy at foyles