INTHEBLACK February 2025 - Magazine - Page 12
FAST FOCUS
Latest reads
Our top reads for accountants and finance professionals
Detox Your Culture:
Deliver results, retain staff,
and strengthen your
organization’s reputation
Colin D. Ellis
Bloomsbury Publishing
Toxic workplace cultures
are bad news for businesses
and employees alike. In addition
to increasing rates of worker
burnout and attrition, they have
the potential to damage an organisation’s reputation
and results. This book aims to help leaders understand how
toxic cultures form and the warning signs to watch out for.
Moreover, it imparts advice for overcoming toxicity — or,
better yet, preventing it. Workplace culture expert
Colin Ellis shares case studies from companies including
Uber and SpaceX, alongside actions leaders can take
to create positive work environments.
Busy Idiots: Learn the Brain
Science and Productivity
Hacks to Get Ahead without
the Stress
Brad Marshall and Joff Outlaw
Wiley
With technology giving rise
to an always-on culture, many
people are busier — yet less
productive — than ever.
Busy Idiots explores how this
occurs, and outlines strategies
to help readers take control
of their time. Key lessons include how to find the right
combination of remote work, hybrid work and teamwork,
as well as how to balance a career and personal life.
Featuring insights from psychology and neuroscience
around the impacts of technology, this book provides
recommendations for cutting back on tech. The topics
covered will no doubt resonate with readers who feel
trapped in a never-ending cycle of busy hustle.
12 INTHEBLACK February 2025
Through Shifts and Shocks:
Lessons from the Front Line
of Technology and Change
Steve Vamos
Wiley
Former Xero CEO Steve Vamos
has written a practical guide
for leading people and teams
through the challenges and
disruption caused by technology
and other change. Drawing upon
his experience at leading tech
organisations, he offers advice around developing
the right mindset for change. He also discusses the
importance of making difficult choices and establishing
workplace cultures that are conducive to innovation and
growth. Paired with real-life examples, Vamos’s wisdom
is valuable for leaders in the current business environment,
where uncertainty is rife and change is constant.
Crypto Confidential: Winning
and Losing Millions in the
New Frontier of Finance
Nathaniel Eliason
Penguin Random House
For anyone still unsure about how
cryptocurrency works, this book
pulls back the curtain, recounting
the author’s own foray into the
world of blockchain.
Nathaniel Eliason reveals how
he made millions writing code, only to be hacked. He also
discloses other challenges he encountered in his pursuit
of crypto wealth, illustrating the pitfalls of the marketplace
that he says must be weighed against its benefits.
Though Eliason writes that this largely unregulated,
highly speculative financial system still offers plentiful
opportunities, he warns readers of its many risks. His insights
are easy to follow, entertaining and educational — forming
a valuable resource for would-be crypto investors.
