This is Now Your Company- By Mike Rognlien

 

This is now your company by Mike Rognlien

Mike Rognlien has derived from his 15 years of experience of working with people at Facebook and other companies in the Silicon Valley and has shared practical knowledge on developing a better employee-employer relationship that results in the coveted growth trajectory of the individual career as well as the organisation as a whole.

He shares information on what all constitutes a company's culture. It is indeed the sum total of each of its employees behaviour. For example, Facebook as a company leverages the individual uniqueness of each of its employees. The radical thought of being the owner of your company, as the title of the book suggests, implies owning complete responsibility of the impact of one's behavior on the organisation's culture and overall growth.

Some of the radical yet useful ideas presented in the book are as follows. Neutrality or just living under the radar, without raising your voice for or against a certain practice that needs attention in the company, is not acceptable. We need to question ourselves why are we hired in the first place - that's to be a part of a movement, a motto that the company runs by. To take action and get things done. There's no scope for being neutral.

Honesty is power. If we hated certain things in our previous organizations, remaining silent about them, is giving our approval. Our passivity is an endorsement. So we need to have courage and sense to call things out.

Gratitude and entitlement are infectious. We need to be good at giving and receiving feedbacks. Unambiguous feedback. Ask for feedback when its not given, and have clarity of the expectations from us. Find our strengths and opportunities to grow and develop. Discuss a role change, or shift, when the current one isn't fulfilling our goals anymore. 

We need also to stop trying to build a brand, build a reputation instead. We humans shouldn't be packaged into one box, of a single size, that doesn't do anything to enhance our individual uniqueness. We need to bring our unique authentic self to work. Not just be what the market demands. Say what you mean. Not the fake small talk. And have a genuine interest in what others have to share- that brings forth common interests, is ground for ideas and thoughts. Authenticity is contagious. But again, as Brene Brown says, authenticity is not an excuse to overshare.

Play to your strengths. Own what you excel at. Talk openly about what drives you, and what demotivates and drains you. Analyse your fears. Expose yourself to them in small doses, over time gradually increasing, exert your power over the emotional responses, thus slowly overcoming your fear.

Find your biases, and consciously work to get over them. Everyone is biased, it's human, but being aware of those and actively trying to remove them is needed. The unconscious mind makes us be partial in our decision making.

Prioritize your life's events, personal as well as work. Have conversations with management, on major life problems that affect work. Work and personal life are interlinked. Conversations solve a majority of things. And avoid victim mentality. Life doesn't happen to you, you create your life with your actions. And when time comes to leave the organization, leave well- forging work relationships for future.

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Well as straight forward and preachy it sounds above, the book is not so at all. It has scenarios where it lets the reader reflect on self, on similar probable work or life situations he might have encountered, and come to a decision or conclusion. The narrative style is very conversational, informal even, so it would connect well with people from all rungs of the corporate ladder. Be it your first job or your tenth, there is something of value for you in this book. 

And at 195 pages (in the Kindle edition) it is a light and easy read. Chapters are well separated, and you can go back and forth to reflect on the Mirror Moments at the end of each chapter. The questions are legit and thought provoking. I would say reading this book would be a good time investment.


Similar Book Reviews:

1. The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

2. Remnants of a Separation by Aanchal Malhotra


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Comments

  1. This definitely seems to be a very interesting book on corporate culture and the dynamics of employee behavior affects a company's overall growth. Will give it a read.

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  2. Looks like a great read. Will add it to my bucket list.

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  3. Sounds like an interesting read. Will be useful for a few people I know ;)

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  4. This seems an interesting book. Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Seems like a very interesting and motivating book.

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  6. This sounds like an interesting read. Thanks for sharing this.

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  7. I love reading about the companies, corporate lives and people who make such companies. Would love to thus dig my hands in this book for sure.

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  8. Seems to be interesting read about the corporate culture and the companies, will definitely try out ! thanks for such detailed review.

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Queeristan by Parmesh Sahani

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  Queeristan (Amazon Link) Thanks to Audible Free Trial I listened to this amazing non-fiction on LGBTQ inclusion in Indian workplaces. Author Parmesh Sahani identifies as gay Indian, working closely with Godrej higher management and employees for years to create an inclusive workplace, both legally and in spirit. This book is a result of those years of experience, research, collaboration with individuals from difference spectrum of the society and organizations who has successfully transitioned into a queer friendly one.   Indian history is inclusive. From the Khajuraho temple architectures, to Konark to the Rig Veda, there is existing proofs even 2000 years ago of Indian inclusiveness of queer. It’s the draconian British law that criminalised it, which was scraped in 2009, came into effect once again following a sad judgement in 2013 and eventually was scraped off for good in 2018. I am in awe of the lawyers who fought this legal battle- colleagues and partners – Arundhati Katju

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