THIS MONTH'S PAGE-TURNERS ON BUSINESS AND BEYOND

Think you’re foolproof? You might have your guard up against the wrong people. In this edition of Readers & Leaders, find out why hypervigilance can sometimes set you up for failure, how healthy living depends on good relationships, and more. Catch up on new conversations from Author Talks, plus this month’s top bestselling business books, prepared exclusively for McKinsey by NPD. Itching for more? Preorder Power to the Middle: Why Managers Hold the Keys to the Future of Work by senior partner Bill Schaninger and partners Bryan Hancock and Emily Field.

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IT BEARS REPEATING

“The people who are super vigilant about getting exploited or taken advantage of are putting their money under their mattress. You can do that, but it means that you definitely won’t get the benefit of market upswings.”

— University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School professor Tess Wilkinson-Ryan in a recent edition of Author Talks.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Alex Jadad and Tamen Jadad-Garcia redefine what it means to be healthy: “Instead of the absence of disease, we advocate for a position that views health as an ability: the ability to adapt to the inevitable physical, psychological, or social challenges that we face throughout our lives.” Watch the full interview.

Harvard study director Robert Waldinger explains why people with good relationships live longer: “If you don’t have people to help you weather the inevitable stresses that come along, the body stays in a low-level fight-or-flight mode, with higher levels of circulating stress hormones and higher levels of inflammation, and we know that those things gradually wear away many different body systems.” Watch the full interview.

Entrepreneurs Colin Coggins and Garrett Brown share their mindset unlock for selling authentically: “They say sellers are known for asking great questions. What we found is that it wasn’t that they had great questions; it’s that they were thinking about the people that they were asking questions to differently.” Watch the full interview.

Leadership expert Sally Helgesen offers practical methods of workplace inclusion: “[In] the conversation about communicating against common barriers—gender, ethnicity, race, sexual identity, generation—what’s missing is the ‘how to do it,’ the specifics.” Watch the full interview.

LOOKING AHEAD

BUSINESS BESTSELLERS TOP

Sticking to your book goals? Find your next entertaining or enlightening read on this month’s list of business bestsellers in eight categories, prepared exclusively for McKinsey by NPD BookScan. Explore the full selection on McKinsey on Books.

BUSINESS OVERALL

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Avery Publishing Group)

BUSINESS HARDCOVER

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Avery Publishing Group)

DECISION MAKING

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell (Hachette Book Group)

ECONOMICS

Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything by Steven D. Levitt (HarperCollins Publishers)

ORGANIZATIONAL BEHAVIOR

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way To Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones by James Clear (Penguin Group USA)

WORKPLACE CULTURE

Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates by Karin Hurt (HarperCollins Focus)

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson (Random House)

SUSTAINABILITY

Net Positive: How Courageous Companies Thrive by Giving More Than They Take by Paul Polman (Two Rivers Distribution)

If you’d like to propose a book or author for #McKAuthorTalks, please email us at Author_Talks@McKinsey.com. Due to the high volume of requests, we will respond only to those being considered.

—Curated by Molly Liebergall, editor, New York

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