Maciej Piwowarczyk's Top 3 Book Recommendations for GBS Leaders

Maciej “Magic” Piwowarczyk the former Global VP of GBS at Discovery Inc. and senior BPO Leader at Accenture. Currently, Maciej acts as Senior Interim GBS Leader or Advisor to GBS organizations across the globe whilst remaining a dedicated GAB member here at SSON already for more than 6 years.  He also runs a little Career Mentoring practice helping GBS associates and leaders to grow in a conscious and most optimal way.   

We as GBS Leaders are often tasked with complex transformation programs – expected to contribute greatly to the top and bottom line of the enterprise at the same time creating value and keeping our teams engaged and capable of tackling the unknown. Sounds like mission impossible, doesn’t it? However, I am sure it resonates well with my peers. Confident but Emphatic, Inspiring but having a solid track of Excellent Delivery, Embracing the Unknown but very Knowledgeable of the GBS world … these are the key characteristics of the best GBS Leaders I have met. No doubt, books have been the source and the fuel for GBS Leader’s engines to lead the way. Here are my top recommendations.

Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Published in 2011

Concept: This is one of the toughest business books to read. Daniel Kahneman was a guru in Economics as well as Psychology. He was also a Nobel award-winner. This book is a combination of facts & figures and the psychological aspects of how we operate as human beings. For me, it was a game changer for Decision-Making processes.

Application for GBS Leaders:

• We tend to say “Data is the King” but still we often make decisions without data. This book will reveal the true power of data for organizations including the steer for changes and decisions.
• GBS Leadership role is about leading People. This book will equip you with psychological & science-based aspects to manage your teams in a more effective and predictable way.

First, Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do Differently by Marcus Buckingham, Curt Coffman. Published in 1999.

Concept: We operate in the era of the greatest unknown. People, i.e. our teams, are key to embracing the future and transforming our GBS organisms to the next level. We operate globally. Every person on our team is different in terms of their motivating factors, capabilities, cultures, or communication styles. This book will give you insights into how to lead, by really putting people first. If you’re not familiar yet with Buckingham’s Simple Strengths approach – it will revolutionize your People Management approach.

Application for GBS Leaders:

• If you still use traditional Job Descriptions instead of Business Outcome Role Description where your GBS associates deliverables & contributions are greatly correlated with their real time performance assessments and renumerations – it is time to wake up!
• There is no one magical way to lead people. Every person on your team requires a customized approach. This book will equip you with tools and will give you insights into the “how”.
• New workforce generations are already shaping the market. This book – whilst issued in 1999 – is key as a response to quiet quitting, low engagement and high attrition in your teams across the globe.

No Rules Rules by Hastings Reed Meyer Erin. Published in 2020

Concept: Last but least, let me suggest a book written by a former CEO of Netflix. Reed Hasting revolutionized the media industry … the industry that operated with very fat margins, the industry which seemed to be so hermetic, the industry that was and still is full of the biggest leadership egos in the planet. He made the impossible possible – delivering one of the biggest business success stories ever. In this book, Reed together with Meyer – a great multicultural global expert – reveals his magical way to make it all happen.

Application for GBS Leaders:

• GBS results are expected now. We don’t have the luxury anymore to work on a 5-year Business Case. A leapfrogging approach seems to be the new norme. mobilizing your GBS organism and / or taking existing operations to the ultimate level with a great Technology Adoption enabled by Next Generation Talents. Leapfrogging means a. skipping the old school phases of centralizing and standardizing and optimizing and adopting it on the fly, b. moving to a business outcome model directly vs. SLAs only approach, c. setting up an organism 150% integrated with top-line territory to begin with, d. creating a model which is global, relevant and on time with its solutions. No doubt, Netflix success story will be a great inspiration with tips and tricks for your Leapfrogging journey.
• Easy to work with is an ambition of every GBS organization. It begins with the tech environment we set up for our customers & users, the quality & reliability of the services we deliver, and it ends with overall experience our people create for our stakeholders and customers. Breaking the rules is no doubt a step one on this journey.