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A review by amygo
Flex: The New Playbook for Managing Across Differences by Audrey S. Lee, Jane Hyun
2.0
A friend of mine and I have recently taken on more leadership roles in our careers, so we thought we would give this book a try. However, this is not a book geared towards anyone in the education field. There is one teacher mentioned, Rafe Esquith, who is already highly publicized, and it seemed out of place. This is definitely more for people who work in places where CEOs are involved. Still, there was some food for thought.
I liked the chapter on Culture and Communication: Flexing Across Styles.In this part of the book, a series of spectrums are described and you have to think about where you tend to fall on it. Spectrums include: The Direct vs. Indirect Spectrum, The Expressive vs. Restrained Spectrum, and The Task vs. Relationship Spectrum. The authors describe how different cultures generally approach each spectrum too. It made me think about how my tendency to be one way, say task oriented, may not take into account how important it is for others to focus more on relationships on the job. While I may want to just get started on the meeting agenda and connect to people while accomplishing tasks, other people need to have those team building ice breakers first in order to work well, and both are valid. The emphasis on acknowledging differences is always a good reminder.
I liked the chapter on Culture and Communication: Flexing Across Styles.In this part of the book, a series of spectrums are described and you have to think about where you tend to fall on it. Spectrums include: The Direct vs. Indirect Spectrum, The Expressive vs. Restrained Spectrum, and The Task vs. Relationship Spectrum. The authors describe how different cultures generally approach each spectrum too. It made me think about how my tendency to be one way, say task oriented, may not take into account how important it is for others to focus more on relationships on the job. While I may want to just get started on the meeting agenda and connect to people while accomplishing tasks, other people need to have those team building ice breakers first in order to work well, and both are valid. The emphasis on acknowledging differences is always a good reminder.