Displaying 47 books

Leading Through Disruption

2023

by Andrew Liveris

Andrew Liveris offers a masterclass in collaborative, forward-looking leadership in Leading Through Disruption. This work provides a revolutionary leadership paradigm, essential for fostering resilience and agility in today's ever-evolving world.

Readers will learn how to:

  • Create impactful metrics that benefit all societal members.

  • Engage collaboratively with a broad spectrum of stakeholders to develop actionable policies.

  • Harmonize the pursuit of long-term sustainability with immediate profitability.

  • Invest in and advocate for the strengthening of local communities.

  • Select team members who are committed to advancing global betterment.

  • Adapt swiftly and decisively to navigate uncertainties.

With insights drawn from four decades of global leadership across business, government, academia, and civic society, Andrew Liveris' book stands as an invaluable resource for any aspiring leader.

The Anxious Achiever

The Anxious Achiever is a book with a mission: to normalize anxiety and leadership. As leadership expert and self-proclaimed anxious achiever Morra Aarons-Mele argues, anxiety is built into the very nature of leadership. It can—and should—be harnessed into a force for good. Inspired by the popular podcast of the same name, The Anxious Achiever is filled with personal stories, research-based insights into mental health, and lots of practical advice.

You'll learn how to:

  • Figure out your own anxiety profile so that you can recognize and avoid common thought traps and triggers

  • Confront bad habits and unhealthy coping mechanisms

  • Resist perfectionism, manage social anxiety, and set boundaries to prevent burnout

  • Deal with feedback, criticism, and impostor syndrome

  • Model—and communicate—healthy behavior as a leader

Whether you're experiencing anxiety for the first time or have been battling it for years, The Anxious Achiever will help you turn your stress and worries into a source of strength for yourself, your career, and the people you lead.

Come Up for Air

2023

by Nick Sonnenberg

'Come Up for Air' is a practical guide offering a new blueprint for teams to become more productive while avoiding the burnout associated with the old hustle culture. Author Nick Sonnenberg, through his experience in building a leading efficiency consulting business, introduces the CPR® Business Efficiency Framework. This framework is a system designed to help leaders, managers, and teams use the right tools effectively to enhance performance and reduce the stress of being overwhelmed.

The book promises to help teams gain an extra full business day per week in productivity, reduce stress, and improve company culture. Sonnenberg shares empirical strategies and practical examples, including case studies and templates, to create immediate time-saving wins and implement simple hacks to stop wasting time on unnecessary work. Readers will learn how to eliminate inefficiencies, optimize email with the R.A.D. System, and stop time loss in meetings with four proven techniques.

How to Win Friends and Manage Remotely

2022

by McKenna Sweazey

Two things are certain with the shift in office structure: First, we will never go back to the way things were. Second, we all must learn to live in a virtual workplace. If we are managers, that means we also need to know how to communicate with, motivate, and coach virtual teams. In the words of Dale Carnegie, how do you win friends and influence people in a virtual office?

How to Win Friends and Manage Remotely shares real-life examples, scientifically proven ideas, and distillations of tried-and-true business tenets, including why expressing empathy is the most important factor in managing and working with others—all mapped to a new virtual-first office. This book is a handbook—a step-by-step guide to common interactions in the workplace using eight classic management examples: from digitizing your onboarding journey to helping new recruits and delivering useful feedback over video conference.

Combining academic research and personal experiences across various companies, roles, and countries, author McKenna Sweazey presents a roadmap to get us through the WFH (work from home) quagmire and help us all be more aware of others' perspectives in this brave new world.

Team Emotional Intelligence 2.0

As organizations shift to depend more on team-based structures, the pressure to develop high-performing teams is more critical than ever. In the modern work environment, teams are expected to embrace change, navigate complexity, and collaborate well under pressure—all while delivering exceptional results and forming productive relationships.

While it is crucial to have talented, bright people within a team, there is a dynamic that is even more essential to overall team effectiveness. This dynamic is Team Emotional Intelligence (Team EQ). Insights from the latest research on team emotional intelligence, combined with TalentSmartEQ's research trends from working with over 200 teams (with 2000+ team members), bring EQ know-how to the team level.

Team Emotional Intelligence 2.0 delivers practical strategies and showcases how an emotionally intelligent team is far more than the sum of its parts. This book focuses on the four key skill areas of Team EQ: Team Emotion Awareness, Team Emotion Management, Internal Team Relationships, and External Team Relationships. It delivers 53 strategies and a step-by-step process for increasing team EQ skills so team leaders and anyone who's a member of a team can achieve peak performance and reach their goals.

The authors begin with a life and death story of team failure that illustrates how emotions can drive team decisions and lead to disaster. They share a proven approach to helping teams understand Team EQ skills, build these skills into strengths, and use them to sustain positive momentum and achieve peak performance. Strategies for remote and hybrid teams working virtually offer targeted approaches to bonding, communicating, tough conversations, and decision making as modern workplaces transform.

With the increasing reliance on teams in organizations, the understanding and development of team EQ skills is more relevant and impactful than ever.

Build

2022

by Tony Fadell

Tony Fadell, the leader of the teams that created the iPod, iPhone, and Nest Learning Thermostat, shares over 30 years of Silicon Valley experience in this unorthodox guide to making things worth making. Build is a mentor in a box, offering personal stories, practical advice, and insights into some of the most impactful products and people of the 20th century.

With quick entries that build on each other, Tony charts his journey from product designer to leader, startup founder, executive, and mentor. He uses captivating examples, such as the process of building the very first iPod and iPhone, to help readers tackle problems they're currently facing, from securing startup funding to managing workplace challenges.

Through his experiences with mentors like Steve Jobs and Bill Campbell, Tony advocates for old-school, unorthodox advice. He emphasizes that while human nature doesn't change, what we create can. His guidance focuses on leading and managing effectively, not reinventing the wheel, to make things worth making.

Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook

The Harvard Business Review Project Management Handbook is the essential primer needed to launch, lead, and sponsor successful projects in today's project economy. With project management skills becoming increasingly vital for every leader and manager, this comprehensive guide by expert Antonio Nieto-Rodriguez presents a new and simple framework designed to significantly increase any project's chances of success.

The handbook is packed with case studies from a wide range of industries around the globe. It aims to teach readers how to effectively manage their organization's projects, strategic programs, and agile initiatives, ensuring that the best ones are pushed ahead to completion. This timeless yet forward-looking resource will equip professionals to thrive in a project-driven world.

Featuring a universal project framework known as the Project Canvas, the book breaks down projects into essential building blocks that are easily understood by all stakeholders. Readers will learn a common language for project managers and executives to run successful projects across their organizations, the twelve principles of successful projects, and techniques for managing a strategic and balanced project portfolio.

Addressing global trends such as automation, sustainability, diversity, and crisis management, The HBR Project Management Handbook is a must-read for ambitious professionals seeking to excel in their careers through step-by-step guidance, time-honed best practices, and real-life stories.

From PMO to VMO

By the end of this book, you will understand what is valuable, how to measure value, and how to optimize the flow of value—from idea to your customer. As legacy organizations transition to newer, end-to-end agile operating models, the Project Management Office (PMO) needs to redesign its mission and operation to be more in line with these modern ways of working. This requires being more customer-focused and value-adding, and less tied to antiquated processes and mindsets.

Visionary leaders are transitioning into enablers of this change, maximizing value through the entire organization. Middle management, including program and project managers (PMs), are racing to maximize their professional relevancy in this new world.

This book defines the role of the agile value management office (VMO), using case studies and a clear road map to help PMs visualize and implement a new path where middle management and the VMO are valued leaders in the age of business agility.

Four Thousand Weeks

2021

by Oliver Burkeman

The average human lifespan is absurdly, insultingly brief. Assuming you live to be eighty, you have just over four thousand weeks. Nobody needs telling there isn't enough time. We're obsessed with our lengthening to-do lists, our overfilled inboxes, work-life balance, and the ceaseless battle against distraction; and we're deluged with advice on becoming more productive and efficient, and "life hacks" to optimize our days. But such techniques often end up making things worse. The sense of anxious hurry grows more intense, and still the most meaningful parts of life seem to lie just beyond the horizon.

Still, we rarely make the connection between our daily struggles with time and the ultimate time management problem: the challenge of how best to use our four thousand weeks. Drawing on the insights of both ancient and contemporary philosophers, psychologists, and spiritual teachers, Oliver Burkeman delivers an entertaining, humorous, practical, and ultimately profound guide to time and time management. Rejecting the futile modern fixation on "getting everything done," Four Thousand Weeks introduces readers to tools for constructing a meaningful life by embracing finitude, showing how many of the unhelpful ways we've come to think about time aren't inescapable, unchanging truths, but choices we've made as individuals and as a society--and that we could do things differently.

Remote Work Revolution

2021

by Tsedal Neeley

Remote Work Revolution: Succeeding from Anywhere offers a blueprint for thriving in remote and hybrid organizations. Harvard Business School professor and virtual work expert Tsedal Neeley provides insights into the unique challenges that come with managing and working in a digital environment.

As the world rapidly transitions to remote work due to unprecedented events such as Covid-19, companies and employees alike are adapting to a new way of working. This book tackles the challenges of virtual work, such as feelings of isolation, maintaining productivity, and fostering trust without in-person interactions. It also addresses the benefits, including reduced commute times, lower operational costs, and access to a global talent pool.

Neeley's book is filled with evidence-based answers to the most pressing questions about remote work, actionable steps, and interactive tools designed to help leaders and team members create effective strategies for remote collaboration. By following Neeley’s advice, readers will learn how to break through routine norms and use remote work to their advantage.

Leading from Anywhere

2021

by David Burkus

Leading from Anywhere: The Essential Guide to Managing Remote Teams is the ultimate guide for leaders navigating the new terrain of remote work. In this meticulously researched and refreshingly practical book, top business thought leader David Burkus provides a field guide packed with everyday examples and illuminating insights.

Structured around the life cycle of working on a team, Burkus addresses the key inflection points and challenges remote managers face. From taking the team remote and adding new members, to communicating effectively and quickly, managing performance, and keeping the team engaged. This guide also provides strategies to help team members strike the right balance between work and life.

Leading from Anywhere equips leaders with the necessary skills to lead remote teams and thrive in this new era of remote work, making it an indispensable resource for managers everywhere.

Leading Without Authority

Leading Without Authority offers a transformative approach to leadership where the power of co-elevation reshapes the way we conduct business and foster relationships. Bestselling author Keith Ferrazzi, with Noel Weyrich, introduces a bold methodology that challenges traditional hierarchical structures, empowering individuals at all levels to take initiative and inspire collective success.

In a rapidly evolving workplace, co-elevation surpasses the limitations of bureaucracy and formal titles. Ferrazzi's philosophy encourages mutual support and accountability, unlocking the potential for unprecedented productivity and engagement. Drawing from extensive research and experience guiding CEOs and senior leaders, this book provides a roadmap for navigating the challenges of modern industries and elevating everyone's performance.

Leadership is redefined to be inclusive, collaborative, and accessible to all, demonstrating that true authority comes not from a title, but from the ability to drive change and encourage teamwork.

Your Next Five Moves

From the creator of Valuetainment, the #1 YouTube channel for entrepreneurs, and one of the most exciting thinkers in business today, comes a practical and effective guide for thinking more clearly and achieving your most audacious professional goals. Both successful entrepreneurs and chess grandmasters have the vision to look at the pieces in front of them and anticipate their next five moves.

In this book, Patrick Bet-David helps entrepreneurs understand exactly what they need to do next by translating this skill into a valuable methodology. Whether you feel like you've hit a wall, lost your fire, or are looking for innovative strategies to take your business to the next level, Your Next Five Moves has the answers.

You will gain: CLARITY on what you want and who you want to be. STRATEGY to help you reason in the war room and the board room. GROWTH TACTICS for good times and bad. SKILLS for building the right team based on strong values. INSIGHT on power plays and the art of applying leverage.

The Infinite Game

2019

by Simon Sinek

From the New York Times bestselling author of Start With Why and Leaders Eat Last, Simon Sinek presents a bold framework for leadership in today's ever-changing world. Asking the question, "How do we win a game that has no end?" Sinek contrasts finite games, like football or chess, which have known players, fixed rules, and a clear endpoint, with infinite games, such as business, politics, or life itself, which have players who come and go, changeable rules, and no defined endpoint.

Infinite games have no winners or losers—only those who are ahead and those who are behind. Sinek offers a framework for leading with an infinite mindset, where success is about pursuing a Just Cause and committing to a vision of a future world so compelling that we strive to build it continuously. Leaders who embrace an infinite mindset create stronger, more innovative, and more inspiring organizations, leading us into the future.

Leadershift

2019

by John C. Maxwell

Leadershift by internationally recognized leadership expert John C. Maxwell is a masterclass in leadership, teaching readers how to adapt, innovate, and influence in today's fast-paced business environment. The world changes rapidly, and leaders who cannot adapt and embrace new ways of thinking and leading will not succeed. Maxwell introduces the concept of 'leadershift'—essential changes leaders must make to enhance their organizational and personal growth.

Maxwell shares eleven shifts that have marked his long and successful leadership career, each one a strategic adjustment in thinking, acting, and ultimately leading. These shifts include the Adaptive Shift from Plan A to Option A, the Production Shift from Ladder Climbing to Ladder Building, and the Influence Shift from Positional Authority to Moral Authority. With specific guidance, Maxwell outlines how readers can implement these shifts in their own leadership journeys. Each shift is designed to help leaders be more effective in a world that is constantly evolving.

To truly move forward and stay ahead, leaders must be agile, visionary, and proactive—seeing more and before others. Leadershift empowers leaders with the tools and mindset necessary to navigate the complexities of modern business.

Back to Human

2018

by Dan Schawbel

Back to Human: How Great Leaders Create Connection in the Age of Isolation explains how a more socially connected workforce creates greater fulfillment, productivity, and engagement while preventing burnout and turnover. The next generation of leaders must create a workplace where teammates feel genuinely connected, engaged, and empowered -- without relying on technology.

Based on Dan Schawbel's exclusive research studies -- featuring the perspectives of over 2,000 managers and employees across different age groups -- Back to Human reveals why virtual communication, though vital and useful, actually contributes to a stronger sense of isolation at work than ever before.

How can we change this culture? Schawbel offers a self-assessment called the "Work Connectivity Index" that measures the strength of team relationships. He also shares exercises, examples, and activities that readers can work on individually or as a team, which will help them increase personal productivity, be more collaborative, and become more fulfilled at work.

Back to Human ultimately helps you decide when and how to use technology to build better connections in your work life. It is a call to action to leaders across the world to make the workplace a better experience for all of us.

The Book of Beautiful Questions

2018

by Warren Berger

When confronted with almost any demanding situation, the act of questioning can help guide us to smart decisions. By asking questions, we can analyze, learn, and move forward in the face of uncertainty. But "questionologist" Warren Berger says that the questions must be the right ones; the ones that cut to the heart of complexity or enable us to see an old problem in a fresh way.

In The Book of Beautiful Questions, Berger shares illuminating stories and compelling research on the power of inquiry. Drawn from the insights and expertise of psychologists, innovators, effective leaders, and some of the world's foremost creative thinkers, he presents the essential questions readers need to make the best choices when it truly counts, with a particular focus in four key areas: decision-making, creativity, leadership, and relationships.

The powerful questions in this book can help you:

  • Identify opportunities in your career or industry

  • Generate fresh ideas in business or in your own creative pursuits

  • Check your biases so you can make better judgments and decisions

  • Do a better job of communicating and connecting with the people around you

Dare to Lead

In her #1 New York Times bestsellers, Bren Brown taught us what it means to dare greatly, rise strong, and brave the wilderness. Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers, and culture shifters, she's showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead.

Leadership is not about titles, status, and wielding power. A leader is anyone who takes responsibility for recognizing the potential in people and ideas, and has the courage to develop that potential. This book is for everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference, and lead.

When we dare to lead, we don't pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don't see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it with others. We don't avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into vulnerability when it's necessary to do good work.

But daring leadership in a culture defined by scarcity, fear, and uncertainty requires skill-building around traits that are deeply and uniquely human. The irony is that we're choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the exact same time as we're scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines and AI can't do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection, and courage, to start.

Four-time #1 New York Times bestselling author Bren Brown has spent the past two decades studying the emotions and experiences that give meaning to our lives, and the past seven years working with transformative leaders and teams spanning the globe. She found that leaders in organizations ranging from small entrepreneurial startups and family-owned businesses to nonprofits, civic organizations, and Fortune 50 companies all ask the same question: How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders, and how do you embed the value of courage in your culture?

In this new book, Brown uses research, stories, and examples to answer these questions in the no-BS style that millions of readers have come to expect and love. Brown writes, "One of the most important findings of my career is that daring leadership is a collection of four skill sets that are 100 percent teachable, observable, and measurable. It's learning and unlearning that requires brave work, tough conversations, and showing up with your whole heart. Easy? No. Because choosing courage over comfort is not always our default. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and our work. It's why we're here."

The Culture Code

2018

by Daniel Coyle

The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups by Daniel Coyle delves into the inner workings of the world's most successful organizations, such as the U.S. Navy's SEAL Team Six, IDEO, and the San Antonio Spurs. Coyle reveals the essential skills that foster group cohesion and cooperation, showing how a diverse group of people can function as though they have a single mind.

Through real-world examples that include companies like Zappos and the Upright Citizens Brigade, as well as a gang of jewel thieves, the book provides strategies that promote learning, collaboration, trust, and positive change. Coyle shares stories of failure to highlight what to avoid, addresses common pitfalls, and offers guidance on repairing a damaged culture.

By integrating cutting-edge science with insights from top-notch leaders and actionable advice, The Culture Code serves as a guide for creating an environment ripe for innovation, problem-solving, and exceeding expectations. This book is a powerful tool for anyone looking to understand the principles of cultural chemistry that can transform individuals into high-performing teams capable of remarkable achievements.

Leaders Eat Last

2017

by Simon Sinek

Leaders Eat Last: Why Some Teams Pull Together and Others Don't explores the concept of leadership and the critical role it plays in the success of an organization. Simon Sinek delves into the idea that exceptional leaders create an environment of trust and cooperation, often at the expense of their own comfort and survival, for the benefit of those in their care.

Based on real-world experiences and true stories from various domains, including the military and business sectors, Sinek introduces the Circle of Safety—a principle that fosters stable, adaptive, and confident teams where individuals feel a sense of belonging. This book not only provides insights into leadership but also uncovers the biological underpinnings of why some teams excel while others struggle.

With an expanded focus on leading millennials, Sinek's narrative is further enriched by his observations on how the greatest leaders in history have always prioritized the well-being of their people, creating a culture where everyone works together to achieve remarkable outcomes.

Becoming a Category of One

2016

by Joe Calloway

Learn how extraordinary companies do what they do so well, and obtain the tools and ideas you need to emulate them. Full of case studies and personal reflections by leaders of exceptional companies, Becoming a Category of One is designed to help anyone transform their run-of-the-mill business into an extraordinary company–whether you operate a multinational corporation or a mom-and-pop shop.

Joe Calloway doesn't offer any mumbo-jumbo or flavor-of-the-day buzzwords, just simple lessons that lead to real, proven results.

Unlocking Happiness at Work

2016

by Jennifer Moss

Unlocking Happiness at Work takes you on a journey into why and how leaders should become compassionate capitalists and ensure that their teams thrive. The book debunks the myth that happiness at work is a waste of time and demonstrates how it can deliver a more productive and engaged workforce, which can have real impact on the bottom line.

Based on two decades of scientific research, real-time data, interviews, and case studies, Jennifer Moss proves that happiness fuels higher performance, provides a greater sense of purpose, and spreads passion throughout organizations. With insightful practical guidance throughout, Unlocking Happiness at Work is a lively and persuasive exploration of how to be happier and make others happier through the power of habits, emotional intelligence, and an innovative approach to work/life flow.

Case studies from lululemon, Zappos, Misfit Inc, The Body Shop, and more are supported by tangible data and key performance indicators that show the significant benefits that come from adopting a happiness strategy. This book is an essential resource for leaders who want to increase sustainability, attract new talent, improve their brand, and boost profitability in a way that is life-enhancing for them and their people.

The 4 Disciplines of Execution

The 4 Disciplines of Execution is a book that offers not just the 'what' but also the 'how' to achieve effective execution. It is a guide for leaders to produce breakthrough results, even when executing the strategy requires a significant change in behavior from their teams.

The book introduces a simple, repeatable, and proven formula known as 4DX (4 Disciplines of Execution), which helps organizations execute their most important strategic priorities in the midst of the daily whirlwind of urgent activities. The four disciplines include: Focus on the Wildly Important; Act on Lead Measures; Keep a Compelling Scoreboard; and Create a Cadence of Accountability. These disciplines are designed to help leaders avoid the common pitfall where major initiatives die due to being overtaken by the day-to-day operations of the organization.

4DX is not theory. It has been tested and refined by hundreds of organizations and thousands of teams over many years. When these disciplines are adhered to, they lead to superb results, regardless of the goal. The 4 Disciplines of Execution represents a new way of thinking and working that is essential to thriving in today's competitive climate.

Extreme Ownership

Jocko Willink and Leif Babin served together in SEAL Task Unit Bruiser, the most highly decorated Special Operations unit from the war in Iraq. Through difficult months of sustained combat, Jocko, Leif, and their SEAL brothers learned that leadership—at every level—is the most important thing on the battlefield.

They started Echelon Front to teach these same leadership principles to companies across industries throughout the business world that want to build their own high-performance, winning teams. This book explains the SEAL leadership concepts crucial to accomplishing the most difficult missions in combat and how to apply them to any group, team, or organization. It provides the reader with Jocko and Leif's formula for success: the mindset and guiding principles that enable SEAL combat units to achieve extraordinary results.

It demonstrates how to apply these directly to business and life to likewise achieve victory. The book covers various topics such as Cover and Move, Decentralized Command, and Leading Up the Chain, explaining what they are, why they are important, and how to implement them in any leadership environment.

A compelling narrative with powerful instruction and direct application, Extreme Ownership revolutionizes business management and challenges leaders everywhere to fulfill their ultimate purpose: lead and win.

Profit in Plain Sight

2015

by Anne C. Graham

Almost every business leader admits that too often, they have a great year on the top line, but too little to show on the bottom line. And when they can't or won't take on more debt, they stay stalled, unable to fund the people, technology, equipment, facilities, acquisitions or expansion that will help their business grow and thrive. With often-overlooked solutions to the five core challenges to building a strong bottom line to fund growth, Profit in Plain Sight resolves that dilemma.

This book will resonate with every business leader at any level who is tired of saying or hearing "We don't have the budget for that" and wants to grow their bottom line and their business by selling more products and services, to more of the right customers, at higher prices, and lower costs... in less time than they're spending on email.

The 55 Profit Accelerators contained in Profit in Plain Sight were synthesized from over 30 years of business experience, often in tough turnaround situations. They're proven, they're classic, they work, they're never taught in business schools, and they have nothing to do with conventional cost-cutting or accounting techniques. Instead, they deliver take-it-to-the-bank results.

How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement: A Primer for Becoming the Best in the World

2014

by Joakim Ahlstrom

Your organizational transformation begins here! Comprehensive, detailed, and easy to read and understand, How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement takes you through a real-life case study of one organization's journey to a world-class continuous improvement process. Joakim Ahlstrom—one of the world's most respected continuous improvement experts—serves as your coach.

He first helps you decide whether you want to embark on the continuous improvement journey and takes you through the entire process step by step, all the way through generating remarkable business results with his unique methods. In each chapter, Ahlstrom describes a specific stage of the transformation story and provides a clear analysis of each one to help you apply his methods in your own company. In no time you'll grasp all the concepts you need to know.

How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement covers it all, including:

  • How to shift mindsets and behaviors using the often neglected practice of coaching
  • Common pitfalls to help you plan out how you will apply the principles and practices
  • Using "six-legged spiders" and "fishy" diagrams to achieve measurable results
  • Ways to avoid "Watermelon" key performance indicators that often mask the truth

Ahlstrom explains the rationale behind all the methods in the book—the results they produce, and why—and offers practical advice on how to get full input from everyone involved. Ahlstrom concludes the book with a chapter offering a current-state analysis tool and a simple template to apply in your company.

If you're seeking to design and launch a continuous improvement program, How to Succeed with Continuous Improvement is the first book you should turn to—and it's the last one you'll ever need!

Good Leaders Ask Great Questions

2014

by John C. Maxwell

John C. Maxwell, a renowned leadership expert and New York Times bestselling author, delves into the critical role of questioning in leadership. Good Leaders Ask Great Questions is a testament to the power of questions in learning, connecting with others, self-improvement, team enhancement, and the generation of innovative ideas.

Maxwell emphasizes the significance of questions and provides guidance on the essential questions leaders should be asking themselves and their teams. By sharing insights from his own experiences and addressing seventy of the most impactful leadership queries, Maxwell offers a roadmap for both experienced leaders and those just embarking on their leadership journey.

This book is a transformative guide that will alter your perspective on leadership and question-asking, whether you're at the peak of your career or taking your first steps toward leadership roles.

Scrum

2014

by Jeff Sutherland

For those who believe that there must be a more agile and efficient way for people to get things done, Scrum is a brilliantly discursive, thought-provoking book about the leadership and management process that is changing the way we live.

Jeff Sutherland, the man who put together the first Scrum team more than twenty years ago, offers a compelling explanation of Scrum and its bright promise. Scrum is already driving most of the world's top technology companies and is now spreading to every domain where leaders wrestle with complex projects. Productivity gains of as much as 1200% have been recorded, showcasing the significant impact of Scrum.

Drawing on his experience as a West Point-educated fighter pilot, biometrics expert, early innovator of ATM technology, and V.P. of engineering or CTO at eleven different technology companies, Sutherland challenges dysfunctional realities, looking for solutions with global impact. This book takes you to Scrum's front lines where deep accountability, team interaction, and constant iterative improvement are bringing remarkable results.

From transforming the FBI's outdated systems to perfecting the design of an affordable high-efficiency vehicle, and from improving healthcare delivery to aiding in humanitarian efforts, Scrum is making a difference. The insights from various fields, including martial arts, judicial decision making, and advanced aerial combat, make Scrum consistently riveting.

Reading this book may help you achieve what others consider unachievable, be it inventing groundbreaking technology, creating a new educational system, pioneering ways to feed the hungry, or building a foundation for your family to thrive and prosper.

The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook: A Guide to Maximizing the Value of Your Limited People Resources

2014

by Jerry Manas

THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE TO MAXIMIZING LIMITED RESOURCES TO INNOVATE AND GROW

Trying to accomplish too much with too few resources has become almost customary in business today. More often than not, the result is delayed projects, mass confusion, and missed opportunities--not the achievement of business goals. The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook helps you tackle the critical challenges of resource management and capacity planning head on by providing a proven tool for making the leap from chaos to control: the Capacity Quadrant, a framework for addressing visibility, prioritization, optimization of existing resources, and integrated planning and governance.

The Resource Management and Capacity Planning Handbook demystifies the complexities of resource capacity and demand management and offers clear ways for maximizing your limited resources to drive business growth and sustainability. This groundbreaking guide includes comprehensive benchmark data from a study of resource management, case studies from organizations that have used the book's methods with great success, tools for overcoming common barriers and making decisions, and recommendations on ownership of the organization's resource management and capacity planning functions. It also considers the human side of resource management and capacity planning.

The book provides information, insight, and proven methods to take your company to new heights of success.

The Culture Map

2014

by Erin Meyer

The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business is an insightful and practical guide by INSEAD professor Erin Meyer, aimed at helping you understand and navigate the complexities of cultural differences in both your work and personal life.

The book dives into the nuances of international business communication and cooperation, explaining why Americans often start with positive comments before delivering criticism, while French, Dutch, Israelis, and Germans are more direct. It explores how Latin Americans and Asians are influenced by hierarchical structures, and why Scandinavians might view the ideal boss as a peer rather than a superior.

Erin Meyer provides a field-tested model for decoding cultural differences that affect international business. Her book combines an analytical framework with practical, actionable advice to thrive in a global environment, making it an indispensable resource for professionals engaged in cross-cultural interactions.

Kaizen in Logistics and Supply Chains

CHANGE FOR THE BETTER! Learn to create world-class logistics and supply chains in any industry using kaizen's seven main principles. At a time when businesses are restructuring to become more competitive, Kaizen in Logistics and Supply Chains is at the forefront of this journey--and can point you in the right direction to help your company in implementing innovative production and logistics systems and changing its culture for the better.

Based on the themes of Masaaki Imai's bestseller, Gemba Kaizen, considered the "bible" of the quality/management movement, this new work provides the first highly detailed explanation of how to create world-class logistics and supply chains regardless of industry. It includes more than 200 photographs, flow diagrams, value stream maps, and tables--and features a case study that illustrates how a company became more competitive by successfully implementing kaizen principles. There's never been a better guide to lead your company's quest for improvement.

KEY FEATURES: Explanation of how the seven main kaizen principles can be applied to transform world-class logistics and worldwide supply chains; Prerequisites for implementing these systems, including stabilization and change management activities; Concrete steps to implementing kanban systems, internal and external logistics loops, design flow production lines, and supermarket systems; Detailed real-world case study to illustrate successful implementation of the book's theories, and scorecards so readers can evaluate their progress in practice. Foreword by Masaaki Imai, Founder and Chairman of the Kaizen Institute, and author of the bestseller Gemba Kaizen.

The Phoenix Project

Bill is an IT manager at Parts Unlimited. It's Tuesday morning and on his drive into the office, Bill gets a call from the CEO. The company's new IT initiative, code named Phoenix Project, is critical to the future of Parts Unlimited, but the project is massively over budget and very late. The CEO wants Bill to report directly to him and fix the mess in ninety days or else Bill's entire department will be outsourced.

With the help of a prospective board member and his mysterious philosophy of The Three Ways, Bill starts to see that IT work has more in common with manufacturing plant work than he ever imagined. With the clock ticking, Bill must organize work flow, streamline interdepartmental communications, and effectively serve the other business functions at Parts Unlimited.

In a fast-paced and entertaining style, three luminaries of the DevOps movement deliver a story that anyone who works in IT will recognize. Readers will not only learn how to improve their own IT organizations, they'll never view IT the same way again.

Give and Take

2013

by Adam M. Grant

Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success by Adam M. Grant is a groundbreaking work that challenges conventional wisdom about success. Grant, a professor at Wharton Business School, introduces the concept of reciprocity styles—takers, matchers, and givers—and reveals how these styles impact our success.

In the workplace, givers, who contribute to others without expecting anything in return, can sometimes be exploited or burn out. However, Grant's research demonstrates that givers are often the most successful people in their fields. The book shows how a revolutionary approach to work, networking, and collaboration can lead to greater personal success and transform organizations and communities.

Through engaging stories and cutting-edge evidence, Grant illustrates the power of giving and how smart givers avoid becoming doormats. He also explores how successful networking, collaboration, influence, negotiation, and leadership skills are intertwined. Give and Take not only presents a new model for success but also provides insights into how to build more productive and rewarding relationships.

Leading Change

2012

by John P. Kotter

The world's foremost expert on business leadership distills twenty-five years of experience and wisdom based on lessons he has learned from scores of organizations and businesses to write this visionary guide. The result is a very personal book that is at once inspiring, clear-headed, and filled with important implications for the future.

The pressures on organizations to change will only increase over the next decades. Yet the methods managers have used in the attempt to transform their companies into stronger competitors -- such as total quality management, reengineering, rightsizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnarounds -- routinely fall short. According to Kotter, this is because they fail to alter behavior. Emphasizing the critical need for leadership to make change happen, Leading Change provides the vicarious experience and positive role models for leaders to emulate.

The book identifies an eight-step process that every company must go through to achieve its goal, and shows where and how people -- good people -- often derail. Reading this highly personal book is like spending a day with John Kotter. It reveals what he has seen, heard, experienced, and concluded in many years of working with companies to create lasting transformation.

Running Lean

2012

by Ash Maurya

We live in an era of unprecedented innovation opportunities. Despite building more products than ever, the majority fail—not due to our inability to realize our visions, but because we squander time, resources, and effort crafting the wrong products. What's necessary is a methodical process to quickly evaluate product concepts and improve our chances of success. This is the core of Running Lean.

In this motivating read, Ash Maurya presents a detailed strategy for reaching 'product/market fit' with your nascent venture, drawing on his extensive experience developing a diverse range of products, from high-tech to no-tech. He incorporates insights and methodologies from several groundbreaking approaches, such as the Lean Startup, Customer Development, and bootstrapping.

Running Lean is the quintessential tool for business managers, CEOs, small business owners, developers, programmers, and anyone aspiring to launch a business project.

Good to Great

2011

by Jim Collins

The Challenge Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the verybeginning. But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? The Study For years, this question preyed on the mind of Jim Collins. Are there companies that defy gravity and convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? And if so, what are the universal distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great? The Standards Using tough benchmarks, Collins and his research team identified a set of elite companies that made the leap to great results and sustained those results for at least fifteen years. How great? After the leap, the good-to-great companies generated cumulative stock returns that beat the general stock market by an average of seven times in fifteen years, better than twice the results delivered by a composite index of the world's greatest companies, including Coca-Cola, Intel, General Electric, and Merck. The Comparisons The research team contrasted the good-to-great companies with a carefully selected set of comparison companies that failed to make the leap from good to great. What was different? Why did one set of companies become truly great performers while the other set remained only good? Over five years, the team analyzed the histories of all twenty-eight companies in the study. After sifting through mountains of data and thousands of pages of interviews, Collins and his crew discovered the key determinants of greatness -- why some companies make the leap and others don't. The Findings The findings of the Good to Great study will surprise many readers and shed light on virtually every area of management strategy and practice. The findings include: Level 5 Leaders: The research team was shocked to discover the type of leadership required to achieve greatness. The Hedgehog Concept (Simplicity within the Three Circles): To go from good to great requires transcending the curse of competence. A Culture of Discipline: When you combine a culture of discipline with an ethic of entrepreneurship, you get the magical alchemy of great results. Technology Accelerators: Good-to-great companies think differently about the role of technology. The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Those who launch radical change programs and wrenching restructurings will almost certainly fail to make the leap. “Some of the key concepts discerned in the study,” comments Jim Collins, "fly in the face of our modern business culture and will, quite frankly, upset some people.” Perhaps, but who can afford to ignore these findings?

Change the Culture, Change the Game

Change the Culture, Change the Game joins the classic book, The Oz Principle, and the recent bestseller, How Did That Happen?, to complete the most comprehensive series ever written on workplace accountability. This fully revised installment, authored by two-time New York Times bestselling authors Roger Connors and Tom Smith, demonstrates how leaders can achieve record-breaking results by quickly and effectively shaping their organizational culture to capitalize on their greatest asset—their people.

Based on an earlier book, Journey to the Emerald City, this updated installment captures what the authors have learned while working with hundreds of thousands of people on using organizational culture as a strategic advantage.

Drive

2010

by Daniel H. Pink

Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us offers a paradigm-shattering view of what truly propels us in our personal and professional lives. Renowned author Daniel H. Pink challenges long-held beliefs about motivation with a bold new perspective.

Most people believe that motivation is driven by external rewards such as money—the classic carrot-and-stick approach. However, Pink illustrates that this method is outdated and ineffective in the modern world. Instead, he introduces the concept that true motivation comes from within, focusing on the deeply human needs to direct our own lives, pursue mastery in our endeavors, and seek a greater purpose.

Drawing upon four decades of scientific research in human motivation, Pink not only reveals the mismatch between prevailing business practices and scientific insights but also provides a path forward with innovative strategies for creating environments that foster intrinsic motivation.

With a compelling narrative, Drive articulates the three fundamental elements of genuine motivation—autonomy, mastery, and purpose. This insightful book serves as a guide to rethinking conventional approaches to motivation and transforming the way we live and work.

Real Business of IT

If you're a general manager or CFO, do you feel you're spending too much on IT or wishing you could get better returns from your IT investments? If so, it's time to examine what's behind this IT-as-cost mind-set.

In The Real Business of IT, Richard Hunter and George Westerman reveal that the cost mind-set stems from IT leaders' inability to communicate about the business value they create-so CIOs get stuck discussing budgets rather than their contributions to the organization.

The authors explain how IT leaders can combat this mind-set by first using information technology to generate three forms of value important to leaders throughout the organization:

  • Value for money when your IT department operates efficiently and effectively
  • An investment in business performance evidenced when IT helps divisions, units, and departments boost profitability
  • Personal value of CIOs as leaders whose contributions to their enterprise go well beyond their area of specialization

The authors show how to communicate about these forms of value with non-IT leaders-so they understand how your firm is benefiting and see IT as the strategic powerhouse it truly is.

War in the Boardroom

2009

by Al Ries, Laura Ries

Renowned business gurus Al and Laura Ries give a blow-by-blow account of the battle between management and marketing—and argue that the solution lies not in what we think but in how we think. There's a reason why the marketing programs of the auto industry, the airline industry, and many other industries are not only ineffective, but bogged down by chaos and confusion.

Management minds are not on the same wavelength as marketing minds. What makes a good chief executive? A person who is highly verbal, logical, and analytical. Typical characteristics of a left brainer. What makes a good marketing executive? A person who is highly visual, intuitive, and holistic. Typical characteristics of a right brainer.

These different mind-sets often result in conflicting approaches to branding, and the Ries' thought-provoking observations—culled from years on the front lines—support this conclusion:

  • Management deals in reality. Marketing deals in perception.
  • Management demands better products. Marketing demands different products.
  • Management deals in verbal abstractions. Marketing deals in visual hammers.

Using some of the world's most famous brands and products to illustrate their argument, the authors convincingly show why some brands succeed (Nokia, Nintendo, and Red Bull) while others decline (Saturn, Sony, and Motorola). In doing so, they sound a clarion call: to survive in today's media-saturated society, managers must understand how to think like marketers—and vice versa.

Featuring the engaging, no-holds-barred writing that readers have come to expect from Al and Laura Ries, War in the Boardroom offers a fresh look at a perennial problem and provides a game plan for companies that want to break through the deadlock and start reaping the rewards.

Start with Why

2009

by Simon Sinek

In 2009, Simon Sinek started a movement to help people become more inspired at work, and in turn inspire their colleagues and customers. Since then, millions have been touched by the power of his ideas, including more than 28 million who've watched his TED Talk based on START WITH WHY -- the third most popular TED video of all time.

Sinek starts with a fundamental question: Why are some people and organizations more innovative, more influential, and more profitable than others? Why do some command greater loyalty from customers and employees alike? Even among the successful, why are so few able to repeat their success over and over?

People like Martin Luther King Jr., Steve Jobs, and the Wright Brothers had little in common, but they all started with WHY. They realized that people won't truly buy into a product, service, movement, or idea until they understand the WHY behind it. START WITH WHY shows that the leaders who've had the greatest influence in the world all think, act, and communicate the same way -- and it's the opposite of what everyone else does. Sinek calls this powerful idea The Golden Circle, and it provides a framework upon which organizations can be built, movements can be led, and people can be inspired. And it all starts with WHY.

Flip

2009

by Peter Sheahan

What do the superstars of modern business have in common? An ability to flip—to think counterintuitively and then act boldly, with no regard for "business as usual" conventions. Peter Sheahan, one of the youngest and fastest-rising stars on the international consulting and speaking circuit, reveals how the world's most effective organizations and individuals distinguish themselves from the competition instead of running with the pack.

Sheahan explores six major flips: Action Creates Clarity—to move forward you must act in spite of ambiguity. Fast, Good, Cheap: Pick Three, Then Add Something Extra—the new standard in every industry. To develop competitive advantage, you must Absolutely, Positively Sweat the Small Stuff. Satisfy customers' needs for engagement and contact—it's not "just business"—Business Is Personal. To win mass-market success, be courageous, Find It on the Fringe, and separate yourself from the competitive herd. To Get Control, Give It Up—empower others to create, dream, and believe for you.

Stick to what you learned in business school at your peril. Today's small-world economy calls for a new way of doing business. It calls for Flip.

Toyota Kata

2009

by Mike Rother

Este revolucionario libro que nos sitúa en la trastienda de Toyota ofrece una nueva perspectiva de las prácticas de dirección y gestión que tienen lugar en la legendaria compañía automovilística. Toyota Kata nos presenta una guía práctica para liderar y desarrollar profesionalmente a las personas, aprovechando al máximo su inteligencia y capacidades.

A Sense of Urgency

2008

by John P. Kotter

Most organizational change initiatives fail spectacularly (at worst) or deliver lukewarm results (at best). In his international bestseller Leading Change, John Kotter revealed why change is so hard, and provided an actionable, eight-step process for implementing successful transformations. The book became the change bible for managers worldwide.

Now, in A Sense of Urgency, Kotter shines the spotlight on the crucial first step in his framework: creating a sense of urgency by getting people to actually see and feel the need for change. Why focus on urgency? Without it, any change effort is doomed. Kotter reveals the insidious nature of complacency in all its forms and guises.

In this exciting new book, Kotter explains:

  • How to go beyond "the business case" for change to overcome the fear and anger that can suppress urgency
  • Ways to ensure that your actions and behaviors -- not just your words -- communicate the need for change
  • How to keep fanning the flames of urgency even after your transformation effort has scored some early successes

Written in Kotter's signature no-nonsense style, this concise and authoritative guide helps you set the stage for leading a successful transformation in your company.

ADKAR

Why do some changes fail while others succeed? This is the central question that Jeffrey M. Hiatt addresses in ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government, and Our Community. Hiatt explains the origin of the ADKAR model and explores what drives each building block of ADKAR: Awareness, Desire, Knowledge, Ability, and Reinforcement.

Learn how to build awareness, create desire, develop knowledge, foster ability, and reinforce changes in your organization. The ADKAR Model is changing how we think about managing the people side of change and provides a powerful foundation to help you succeed at change.

The ADKAR perspective can help you develop a "new lens" through which to observe and influence change, whether you are working for change in your public school system, a small city council, your department at work, or leading an enterprise-wide change initiative. View change in a new way, see the barrier points, understand the levers that can move your changes forward, and use ADKAR to help ensure your changes are a success.

Based on research with more than 2600 companies from 59 countries, ADKAR is a simple and holistic way to manage change.

Change Management

Change Management: The People Side of Change is an introduction to change management for managers and executives. Project leaders and consultants can use this book with their organizations and clients to introduce change management to front-line managers and top-level executives involved in change. Specifically, managers and executives will understand the broader perspective around change management and understand their role in the process.

Written by Jeff Hiatt and Tim Creasey, the editors of the Change Management Learning Center, this book takes 7 years of research with more than 1000 companies, white papers, and change management models, and combines this knowledge into an easy-to-read guide for managing change. Multiple case studies and examples make this book a quick-read for managers and executives that need a basic understanding of change management.

The Goal

Written in a fast-paced thriller style, The Goal is the gripping novel which is transforming management thinking throughout the Western world.

Alex Rogo is a harried plant manager working ever more desperately to try and improve performance. His factory is rapidly heading for disaster. So is his marriage. He has ninety days to save his plant—or it will be closed by corporate HQ, with hundreds of job losses. It takes a chance meeting with a colleague from student days—Jonah—to help him break out of conventional ways of thinking to see what needs to be done.

The story of Alex's fight to save his plant is more than compulsive reading. It contains a serious message for all managers in industry and explains the ideas which underline the Theory of Constraints (TOC) developed by Eli Goldratt.

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