Have you ever wondered what sits atop your boss's nightstand?

At Meet, we're bringing the inside scoop to the public with our new monthly blog series! Chatting all things books, we'll be introducing you to Meet's leaders, letting you in on their top reads, and finding out how these books have impacted them and their leadership approach.

As a bookworm myself, I find books to be a thing of beauty. Why? Because their musty scent is the smell of knowledge, comfort, and adventure.

Sometimes, reading transports us to faraway lands where our own worries don't exist. Other times, it allows us to view the world from a totally different perspective as we're introduced to people, places, mindsets, and experiences that we might not come across in our own lives.

Everyone has a story, and a great storyteller delights and challenges us with tales and truths. They have the capacity to make us laugh, cry and think. They educate us and empower us, and here at Meet, our leaders only ever want to continue developing themselves so they can best support their teams.

As any book lover knows, every so often, we recognise ourselves in complicated characters, and on many occasions, we're provided a lens that helps us understand multiple sides of a situation. Of course, it can be uncomfortable at times as it works as a catalyst for personal growth. Other times, words can fill you up like a warm cup of coffee as we grasp that our complex emotions are human and valid.

No matter who you are or where you come from, when navigating challenging and complicated periods in our lives, it can feel like no one understands what we're going through. Books are always there and can provide solace when you need a rest from the outside world. That's why we want to welcome you to our version of Book Club.

As Anton Round puts it, “leaders are readers”, and luckily for us, our leadership team has kindly agreed for us to take a peek at their bookshelves, letting us know why these reads are important and how they've impacted their lives and leadership approach…

Anton Round, Chief Commercial Officer on Rehumanizing Leadership: Putting Purpose Back into Business by Sudhanshu Palsule and Michael Chavez

A Bit About Anton:

If you ask anyone here at Meet, the first thing they'll say you notice about Anton is his huge smile. Secondly, his zest for life and connecting with people. But what led Anton here?

It was actually a friend who recommended Anton shift his focus to the recruitment space after he was preparing for a career in the British Armed Forces.

Throughout his career, Anton's drawn on skills he learnt from his time in the TA – discipline, problem-solving, and the ability to create his own path. Still, that didn't mean recruiting all came naturally…

Anton found his first six months in the business to be particularly challenging. Then, like magic, something shifted, and he was able to refocus by listening to his clients and candidates and understanding what their motivations were – something he continues to do for all of us at Meet.

Since then, Anton's worked all over the globe, building and developing teams both within other organisations and his own business. After selling his shares in the company he created, he became a certified coach and advised businesses to ensure their targets were achieved.

It was then that he was introduced to Meet. Initially a consultant, Anton permanently joined the Meet family in 2020. His key focuses are driving business growth and performance throughout our five global offices and developing and supporting our senior leadership team.

He says, "I want every single person at Meet to have access to opportunity. Together, we bring brilliant people together to create life-improving medicines, technology and education – it's extremely gratifying and I feel tremendously lucky to work alongside such bright individuals and to support an industry as brilliant as Life Sciences."

Head over to his bio to learn more about Anton's incredible career and mindset.

A Synopsis of Anton's Chosen Book:

Rehumanizing Leadership addresses one of the most pressing issues in the current business world – bringing humanity back into leadership. Authors, Michael Chavez and Sudhanshu Palsule, put their heads together to create the antidote to linear and fragmented leadership models that emerged in the industrial age over 200 years ago!

Split into three parts, with great writing, insight, and research, the book takes into account the evolutionary aspects of leadership (why we are the way we are), examines why changing the structure is completely possible, and entices you to look at purpose, empathy, and human worth as strategic driving forces for business growth and vitality in this complex modern world.

As the content unfolds in this in-depth read, a structure for creating a more human organisation emerges, acting as a guidebook for a journey of reflection, discovery, and change. After all, being human is not a trend, so to remain relevant in an ever-changing world, demonstrating humanity is at the core.

 
Anton's Thoughts on Rehumanizing Leadership:

"This book is a must-read for anyone in a leadership position, supported by a compelling narrative for the need to reintroduce humanity to what we do if we want long-term success. It distils complex ideas and challenges conventional concepts of power and human nature by reimagining the purpose of organisations. 
 
At Meet, we pride ourselves on being a people-focused business and providing our teams with the tools to become the very best versions of themselves. Still, we appreciate that we don't 'know it all'. As the business grows, this book has helped me reflect on what it means to be a great leader and what I can personally do to lift our people up to help them understand their value, not only in the workplace but in the world at large.
 
With the workforce demographic shifting, the working world will look drastically different in the next decade. As leaders, it's imperative we listen, appreciate, and ask questions to those around us instead of dictating from a position of wants. Meaning, purpose, and empathy really are the key ingredients to success."

Paul Banks, Contract Division Director (New York) on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change by Stephen R. Covey

A Bit About Paul:

On a personal level (and the reason why he reigns as the longest-standing winner of 'Mr. Meet'), Paul embraces Meet's values and is an exceptionally charismatic and cherished member of the Meet family.

Professionally, some might say that Paul is a Meet veteran. That's because after graduating and joining the business in 2014, Paul settled into our London office and quickly demonstrated his unmatched drive, work ethic, and skill, which has only led him to continued success.

Being extremely leadership-focused and process-driven, his growth has been phenomenal. He began managing after just a year in the business, building out our Healthcare Communications function, both growing the team and leading the division.

Fast-forward a couple of years, Paul headed stateside to visit our second office in New York. Then, in 2018, while craving a new challenge, he made a move to the Big Apple and shifted his focus to launch our US-based Contract division.

Although he didn't have much experience in the business development side of Contract at the time, Paul jumped in headfirst and completely reimagined what it means to work alongside businesses and contractors within Life Sciences.

Today, our East Coast Contract division has grown to a strong 16, with Paul at the helm focusing on supporting the team and ensuring sustainable growth for our US Contract business.

To find out more about Paul's Meet career, head over to his bio.

A Synopsis of Paul's Chosen Book:

The bestselling 7 Habits of Highly Effective People caused quite a stir upon its release in 1988 – and it's stood the test of time! Through his writing, Stephen R. Covey has made people realise that their lives aren't heading in the direction they hoped for and that there are so many small and simple things they could do in order to reroute.

With life-changing wisdom, compassion, information, and ideas, Covey's model universally touches every aspect of the reader's life. His words will force you to meditate on your personality, character, principles, and ethics. He'll teach you to be a more compassionate, kind, and enjoyable human in all aspects – parent, spouse, friend, employee, and boss. What's more, he encourages you to have personal responsibility, both for yourself and for others.

Overall, this developmental, inspirational, and practical book serves as an education on how to live your life most effectively and move closer to the ideal of being a 'success'. Supplying us with the tools to express our goals, frame them into a workable context and make them possible by connecting with those around us – if every single person read this book, the world would no doubt be a better place!

Paul's Thoughts on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People:

"I'm a huge fan of this book! It really helps you understand what important habits you're in control of that ultimately help you gain the best outcomes in every aspect of your life. They're the type of habits you can practice daily, over many weeks, months, and even years. It's encouraged me to reflect on where I should bear responsibility and what's not worth my time or energy.

What I've taken from this book has impacted my leadership on the day-to-day. It helps me remain calm and focused on the things I can control and accept that there are many things out of my control that I need not worry about. In short, it's been great guidance on how to spend my time more effectively."

Georgia Cowderoy, Direct Hire Division Director (San Diego) on Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life by William Finnegan

A Bit About Georgia:

Whether surfing, travelling, or working, Georgia is an adventurer at heart (as you'll see by her book recommendation!) who loves to connect with the world and people around her.

After relocating from her native Australia for university, in 2018, Georgia was Meet's third hire in San Francisco. Along with her motivation, magnetism, and flair, she became an integral part of the overall success of the office.

Georgia's triumphs in San Francisco led her down the West Coast to launch our fifth office in San Diego, heading up our Direct Hire and Retained division for the SOCAL area. From day dot, Georgia has been a team player and a massive part of Meet's growth on the West Coast. So far, her Meet story is one for the ages, but she's only looking forward to how her team and the business will continue to evolve.

Nowadays, Georgia has 15 direct reports. As a self-confessed people person, her passion lies in coaching new team members to realise their full potential and the capacity they hold to change their own lives by supporting Life Sciences.

For more info on Georgia's professional life, head over to her bio.

A Synopsis of Georgia's Chosen Book:

Acclaimed New Yorker writer, William Finnegan, details his memoir with a complex enchantment to surfing. From the outside, surfing may look only like a sport, but for those in the waves, it is something else entirely…

Throughout Barbarian Days, Finnegan shares gritty stories of his life from the shores of Honolulu, where he was part-raised and struggled with acceptance, to the coasts of America, Australia, Asia, and Africa. Through the swell of infamous waves juxtaposed with chasing stories across war-torn countries, the reader is plunged into unfamiliar worlds and immersed in the brotherhood of close male friendships.

While this can be considered a vivid story of adventure, Finnegan's personal tales are embellished with social and political history, intellectual literacy, and a one-of-a-kind exploration of the mastery of the little-understood art that is surfing.

Georgia's Thoughts on Barbarian Days:

"In my opinion, Barbarian Days is a metaphor for life. To the author, surfing represents the thing to him that is ultimately his identity. Artistically, the book walks us through his adventures, challenges, and life journey through the lens of surfing. 

Although this isn't a typical leadership-led book, it completely broadened my understanding that everyone's motivations for their decisions are driven by different places and different passions for how they choose to live.

It offers great perspective regarding empathy for others in considering what they hold to great importance in their own lives. By trying to have a deeper understanding of who a person truly is only helps in supporting them in their goals."

If you enjoyed this blog post, make sure you check back next month when three more from Meet's leadership team divulge what books they've currently got their nose in!