INTHEBLACK June 2025 - Magazine - Page 12
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Latest reads
Our top reads for accountants and finance professionals
The Shortest History of AI
Toby Walsh
Black Inc.
The Power of Care: Your Path
to Compassionate and
Impactful Leadership
Dr Siew-Fang Law and
Hannes van Rensburg
Publish Central
Artificial intelligence may seem
to have emerged from nowhere,
but it has been a work in progress
for some time. In The Shortest History
of AI, Toby Walsh, a professor of AI
at the University of New South Wales,
explores the six fundamental ideas driving this technology.
He also looks at important milestones in its history, from Ada
Lovelace’s early work
to the rise of ChatGPT. With AI rapidly changing the nature
of work, this book explains its evolution — helping readers
understand how it functions and the role it could play
in the future.
In today’s fast-paced world,
leaders often feel overwhelmed
and out of balance, which are
common precursors to burnout.
This, in turn, can impact personal
wellbeing and team morale — not to mention performance.
In The Power of Care, leadership coaches Dr Siew-Fang Law
and Hannes van Rensburg share their “Bento Box of Care”
methodology. Leaders can use this framework to restore
balance, enhance leadership skills and create positive work
environments. The authors discuss how essential qualities
such as empathy, communication and connection can
facilitate wellbeing and a culture of care in the workplace.
Blindspotting: How to See
What Others Miss
How Countries Go Broke:
The Big Cycle
Kirstin Ferguson
Penguin Random House
Ray Dalio
Simon & Schuster
Leadership expert
Dr Kirstin Ferguson AM believes
the most effective leaders
are those who can acknowledge
that they do not have all
the answers. In this book,
she introduces the concept of blindspotting, developed
through her research, as a way for leaders to practise
intellectual humility, curiosity and cognitive flexibility. She
outlines three key mindsets for leaders to adopt: “Be Honest.
Be Curious. Be Flexible.” Her book serves as a practical guide
to self-awareness, offering tools to help leaders view
themselves through a fresh lens, navigate uncertainty,
strengthen teams and foster innovation.
The US national debt, currently
around US$35 trillion, is a
significant issue that requires
careful management. In
How Countries Go Broke, global
macro investor Ray Dalio shines
a spotlight on rising government
debt. He asks whether there are limits to debt growth
and if the US, as a key reserve currency nation, could go
broke. Dalio examines the concept of a “Big Debt Cycle”,
analysing past debt crises to predict and prepare for the
future. His goal is to draw attention to the debt risks facing
the US and other countries, and recommend solutions
to avoid disaster.
12 INTHEBLACK June 2025
