By Beth Wallace and Alexandra Johnson

Invisible Trillions: How Financial Secrecy Is Imperiling Capitalism and Democracy – and the Way to Renew Our Broken System

By Raymond W Baker, (Berrett-Koehler), ebook and audiobook. Run time: 10 hrs 41 mins

When almost 82% of global wealth belongs to the richest 10% of the population it’s clear something needs to change, proposes Raymond Baker, a long-time authority on financial crime and the founding president of US think-tank Global Financial Integrity.

Baker explores the financial secrecy system that has infiltrated many nations since the 1950s – a system that generates, moves and shelters hundreds of billions of dollars each year through a tangled web of mechanisms such as offshore tax havens, disguised corporations and trade manipulations. He uses myriad case studies to illustrate just how prevalent secrecy has become, naming and shaming major corporations, financial institutions and governments that have been caught out in illicit dealings (which many see as simply a cost of doing business on the way to making huge profits).

Not only do such practices amplify wealth inequality, Baker contends they also incentivise kleptocracy and authoritarianism, with economic inequality the main driver of political dissatisfaction. The premise of his book is, in order to safeguard democracy, measures must be taken to instil transparency and accountability in financial systems.

How do you change a system that so many powerful players benefit from? To answer this conundrum, Baker dedicates the final chapters of his book to strategies he believes should be enforced in the US, as the world’s primary proponent of democratic capitalism, as well as the role international institutions must play to secure economic wellbeing and personal freedom for all.

To the Top: How Women in Corporate Leadership Are Rewriting the Rules for Success

By Jenna C Fisher, (Wiley), ebook and audiobook. Run time: 6 hrs

Just as WWII propelled women into the workforce, COVID-19 has handed aspiring women leaders the tools needed to achieve parity with men. This viewpoint lies at the heart of To the Top, in which leadership adviser Jenna Fisher urges organisations to embrace the post-pandemic workplace and implement changes that will rectify gender disparity at the upper levels of business.

According to Fisher, we are at a critical turning point and decision-makers have the power to clear obstacles for the next generation of female leaders. The normalisation of remote work, for example, has made work–life balance more accessible, removing one of the major barriers to career advancement. Similarly, digital tools such as Zoom and Slack have become ‘corporate democratisers’ – giving women greater visibility, not to mention credit for their work.

Sharing insights from female leaders at companies including Nike, Walmart and IBM, as well as her own experiences, Fisher delves into the attributes that recommend women for leadership roles. She concludes each chapter with a ‘Your Path to the Top Checklist’, listing practical strategies for fixing a broken workplace system that was never designed for women.

It’s important to note that Fisher places the onus for change on organisations, rather than individuals. It’s their employers that she calls upon to introduce shifts in outlooks and practices, so that more women may reach the highest echelons of business – sooner, rather than later.

The Leadership Accelerator: The Playbook for Transitioning Into Your New Executive Role

By Ajit Kambil, (McGraw Hill), ebook and audiobook. Run time: 6 hrs 21 mins

As global director for research at Deloitte’s CFO program and creator of the company’s Executive Transition Lab, Dr Ajit Kambil has witnessed the traps executives fall into when navigating their transition into a new C-suite role. Given that it’s these early days that set the tone for their tenure, not to mention the likelihood of their success, he has written this guidebook to help executives lay the foundations for efficient and effective leadership.

Kambil focuses on four key areas: managing time, developing talent, building relationships and driving transformational change. He outlines what executives should aim to take on in the first six months in their role (a more realistic timeline than the 90 to 120 days often used). In each category he offers practical advice, often accompanied by examples, with an emphasis on incoming chief financial officers. He breaks down, for example, how new leaders should allocate their time to different tasks, as well as what key priorities should be.

Each chapter has takeaways for executives to define and action key priorities, including valuable research from Kambil (and others), as well as reflections from Deloitte executives saying what they wish they had known during their transition.

The Leadership Accelerator is an informative and instructive read for anyone aspiring to enter senior management.

Also recommended

Data Visualization in Excel: A Guide for Beginners, Intermediates, and Wonks

By Jonathan Schwabish, (CRC Press), ebook

Jonathan Schwabish reports that despite the plethora of data visualisation tools available, Excel remains king for many. Regardless of your prowess, he provides a step-by-step guide to create more advanced and effective data visualisations in Excel.

The Creative Act: A Way of Being

By Rick Rubin, (Wiley), ebook

Celebrated music producer Rick Rubin discusses the art of creation and how ‘to be’. He examines where creativity comes from and where it doesn’t; how to transcend self-imposed expectations and limitations to reconnect with a state of innocence – from which the surprising becomes inevitable.

How to Grow Your Small Business: A 6-Step Plan to Help Your Business Take Off

By Donald Miller, (HarperCollins Leadership), ebook and audiobook. Run time: 5 hrs 4 mins

Business owners and entrepreneurs can be stressed, discouraged and lack confidence in their plan for growth. Donald Miller describes how to expand a business with predictable results.

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Six Fundamentals of Not-For-Profit Governance

Pictured: (clockwise from left) Louise Baxter, Brett Herkt, Phil Butler and Ronni Kahn.

By BoardPro and Company Director magazine, video. Run time: 6 x 20 mins

This video roundtable series is designed to help not-for-profits (NFPs) turn governance best practice into reality. Across six discussions, NFP experts share their real-world experience across small and large organisations for you to learn from. Hosted by Phil Butler GAICD, NFP sector lead from the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

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