Brave New Work: Are You Ready to Reinvent Your Organization?
Aaron Dignan - 2019
Clear, powerful and urgent, it's a must read for anyone who cares about where they work and how they work."--Seth Godin, author of This is Marketing "This book is a breath of fresh air. Read it now, and make sure your boss does too."--Adam Grant, New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take, Originals, and Option B with Sheryl Sandberg When fast-scaling startups and global organizations get stuck, they call Aaron Dignan. In this book, he reveals his proven approach for eliminating red tape, dissolving bureaucracy, and doing the best work of your life.He's found that nearly everyone, from Wall Street to Silicon Valley, points to the same frustrations: lack of trust, bottlenecks in decision making, siloed functions and teams, meeting and email overload, tiresome budgeting, short-term thinking, and more.Is there any hope for a solution? Haven't countless business gurus promised the answer, yet changed almost nothing about the way we work?That's because we fail to recognize that organizations aren't machines to be predicted and controlled. They're complex human systems full of potential waiting to be released.Dignan says you can't fix a team, department, or organization by tinkering around the edges. Over the years, he has helped his clients completely reinvent their operating systems--the fundamental principles and practices that shape their culture--with extraordinary success.Imagine a bank that abandoned traditional budgeting, only to outperform its competition for decades. An appliance manufacturer that divided itself into 2,000 autonomous teams, resulting not in chaos but rapid growth. A healthcare provider with an HQ of just 50 people supporting over 14,000 people in the field--that is named the "best place to work" year after year. And even a team that saved $3 million per year by cancelling one monthly meeting.Their stories may sound improbable, but in Brave New Work you'll learn exactly how they and other organizations are inventing a smarter, healthier, and more effective way to work. Not through top down mandates, but through a groundswell of autonomy, trust, and transparency.Whether you lead a team of ten or ten thousand, improving your operating system is the single most powerful thing you can do. The only question is, are you ready?
Collins Business Secrets ? Time Management
Martin H. Manser - 2010
He consults for business and government organisations, and has written several very successful books.
PHR/SPHR: Professional in Human Resources Certification Study Guide
Anne M. Bogardus - 2003
This comprehensive new edition of the top-selling PHR/SPHR Study Guide provides you expert preparation and review for these challenging exams as well as comprehensive coverage on labor relations, workforce planning, compensation, OSHA regulations.
Management Mess to Leadership Success: 30 Challenges to Become the Leader You Would Follow
Scott Miller - 2019
He was demoted from his first leadership position after only three weeks—and that’s just one of several messy management stories in Management Mess to Leadership Success. Scott’s not alone. Everyone fails. But something sets Scott apart: he knows that failure is not a synonym for unwanted retirement.From Boss to Leader: Scott knows firsthand what it’s like to go from out-of-touch boss to team-growing leader. In Management Mess to Leadership Success, you’ll find 30 leadership challenges, honed by FranklinCovey through years of research, instructional programs, and executive consultancy, and illustrated with real-life experiences shared by someone who’s lived these challenges.Be a Strategic Maverick: Leaders aren’t hired to maintain the status quo. The whole point of leadership is to create positive (often radical) change. Sometimes, that means watching someone you’ve coached succeed—and maybe even surpass you. Sometimes, it means saying “no” more often than saying “yes.” But always, it means improving yourself and your team in new and unconventional ways. Dare to do the unexpected—dare to lead.Management Mess to Leadership Success combines the wisdom, expertise, and practical advice of successful leaders with proven methods to make effective changes to your leadership strategies. Learn how to:
Lead difficult conversations and celebrate success
Inspire trust, actively listen, and challenge paradigms
Put the right people in the right jobs
Create a clear and actionable vision for your team
Accomplish your organization’s Wildly Important Goals
Get the right results—in the right way
Don’t miss out on this upcoming classic from FranklinCovey, the company behind The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
If My Heart Had Wings: A World War II Love Story
Nadine Taylor - 2018
A seamless blend of the wartime drama of Eve of a Hundred Midnights, the romance of The Key and the mystery of Orphan Train.At the height of WWII, when Nina Raff gets the devastating news that her pilot husband has perished in a fiery crash, she blocks the pain by upending her life, moving across country and remarrying far too soon. For the next twenty years, she hides her grief and ignores the past to appease her jealous, controlling second husband.But when her teenage daughter unearths an old photograph – evidence of her mother’s former life – an unforgettable story of star-crossed love, war, oppression and family secrets emerges, compounded by a compelling mystery surrounding the pilot’s death. Based on a true story, this engrossing tale of love, loss and redemption is guaranteed to grab you by the heart and never let you go!
The Aristocracy of Talent: How Meritocracy Made the Modern World
Adrian Wooldridge - 2021
Wooldridge upends many common assumptions and provides an indispensable back story to this fraught and pressing issue.' Steven Pinker'The Aristocracy of Talent provides an important and needed corrective to contemporary critiques of meritocracy. It puts meritocracy in an illuminating historical and cross-cultural perspective that shows how crucial the judgment of people by their talents rather than their bloodlines or connections has been to creating the modern world. Highly recommended' Francis Fukuyama*Shortlisted for the 2021 Financial Times and McKinsey & Company Business Book of the Year Award*Meritocracy: the idea that people should be advanced according to their talents rather than their status at birth. For much of history this was a revolutionary thought, but by the end of the twentieth century it had become the world's ruling ideology. How did this happen, and why is meritocracy now under attack from both right and left? Adrian Wooldridge traces the history of meritocracy forged by the politicians and officials who introduced the revolutionary principle of open competition, the psychologists who devised methods for measuring natural mental abilities and the educationalists who built ladders of educational opportunity. He looks outside western cultures and shows what transformative effects it has had everywhere it has been adopted, especially once women were brought into the meritocractic system.Wooldridge also shows how meritocracy has now become corrupted and argues that the recent stalling of social mobility is the result of failure to complete the meritocratic revolution. Rather than abandoning meritocracy, he says, we should call for its renewal.
Humble Leadership: The Power of Relationships, Openness, and Trust
Edgar H. Schein - 2018
Without the ability to actually communicate with their peers, leaders become alienated from their followers and productivity and quality are sacrificed. Authors Edgar Schein and Peter Schein recognize this reality and call for a reimagined form a leadership that coincides with emerging trends of relationship building, complex group work, and diverse workforces. Gaining a deeper understanding of the constantly evolving complexities of interpersonal, group and even intergroup relationships requires shifting our focus towards the process of group dynamics and collaboration. The humble leadership paradigm stresses the importance of studying of how things are being done through collaboration and humility. This space of collaboration is often where invention and brand-new ways of getting things done are created, rather than in the tunnel vision of new ideas of products, markets, or production methods. The future of leadership is dependent on working relationships that are trusting and open. Humble leaders don't shy away from human connection in the workplace but rather see it as an opportunity for growth and success.
The Checklist Manifesto: Summary of Gawande's Instruction on How to Get Things Right
Concise Summaries - 2014
This is not the full 200+ page book. This concise summary of Gawande’s manifesto will convey everything you need to know about how and why checklists are so effective and how to successfully compose your own checklists. These checklists will improve your level of success in any field or activity you are trying to achieve excellence in. Put yourself head and shoulders above the competition with this simple, intuitive tool. Not convinced that a checklist is sophisticated enough for your particular goal? Gawande presents case studies showing the effectiveness of the checklist in a range of complex environments from surgery to aviation, engineering to emergency response, venture capitalism to disease control. Imagine if you could substantially eradicate your own human fallibility with such a simple tool! By engaging with the simple concepts in this short guide you will be able to devise and implement the checklists that will ensure your peak performance in every area of your life.
Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose
Raj Sisodia - 2003
From Costco® to Commerce Bank, Wegmans to Whole Foods®: they’re becoming the ultimate value creators. They’re generating every form of value that matters: emotional, experiential, social, and financial. And they’re doing it for all their stakeholders. Not because it’s “politically correct”: because it’s the only path to long-term competitive advantage.These are the Firms of Endearment. Companies people love doing business with. Love partnering with. Love working for. Love investing in. Companies for whom “loyalty” isn’t just real: it’s palpable, and driving unbeatable advantages in everything from marketing to recruitment.You need to become one of those companies. This book will show you how. You’ll find specific, practical guidance on transforming every relationship you have: with customers, associates, partners, investors, and society. If you want to be great–truly great–this is your blueprint.We’re entering an Age of Transcendence, as people increasingly search for higher meaning in their lives, not just more possessions. This is transforming the marketplace, the workplace, the very soul of capitalism. Increasingly, today’s most successful companies are bringing love, joy, authenticity, empathy, and soulfulness into their businesses: they are delivering emotional, experiential, and social value—not just profits.Firms of Endearment illuminates this, the most fundamental transformation in capitalism since Adam Smith. It’s not about “corporate social responsibility”: it’s about building companies that can sustain success in a radically new era. It’s about great companies like IDEO and IKEA®, Commerce Bank and Costco®, Wegmans and Whole Foods®: how they earn the powerful loyalty and affection that enables truly breathtaking performance.This book is about gaining “share of heart,” not just share of wallet. It’s about aligning stakeholders’ interests, not just juggling them. It’s about building companies that leave the world a better place. Most of all, it’s about why you must do all this, or risk being left in the dust... and how to get there from wherever you are now.Foreword xvPrologue A Whole New World xxiChapter 1 It’s Not Share of Wallet Anymore; It’s Share of Heart 1Chapter 2 New Age, New Rules, New Capitalism 23Chapter 3 The Chaotic Interregnum 49Chapter 4 Employees—The Decline and Fall of Human Resources 65Chapter 5 Customers—The Power of Love 97Chapter 6 Investors—Reaping What FoEs Sow 125Chapter 7 Partners—Elegant Harmonies 145Chapter 8 Society—The Ultimate Stakeholder 171Chapter 9 Culture—The Secret Ingredient 197Chapter 10 Lessons Learned 235Chapter 11 Crossing Over to the Other Side 253Acknowledgments 273
Alibaba's World: How a Remarkable Chinese Company is Changing the Face of Global Business
Porter Erisman - 2015
Alibaba, now the world's largest e-commerce company, mostly escaped Western notice for over ten years, while building a customer base more than twice the size of Amazon's, and handling the bulk of e-commerce transactions in China. How did it happen? And what was it like to be along for such a revolutionary ride?In Alibaba's World, author Porter Erisman, one of Alibaba's first Western employees and its head of international marketing from 2000 to 2008, shows how Jack Ma, a Chinese schoolteacher who twice failed his college entrance exams, rose from obscurity to found Alibaba and lead it from struggling startup to the world's most dominant e-commerce player. He shares stories of weathering the dotcom crash, facing down eBay and Google, negotiating with the unpredictable Chinese government, and enduring the misguided advice of foreign experts, all to build the behemoth that's poised to sweep the ecommerce world today. And he analyzes Alibaba's role as a harbinger of the new global business landscape—with its focus on the East rather than the West, emerging markets over developed ones, and the nimble entrepreneur over the industry titan. As we face this near future, the story of Alibaba—and its inevitable descendants—is both essential and instructive.
Pmp Exam Prep Questions, Answers, & Explanations: 1000+ Pmp Practice Questions with Detailed Solutions
Christopher Scordo - 2009
So why aren't students laser-focused on taking practice exams before attempting the real thing? Reflects the current PMP exam format and the PMBOK(r) Guide - Fifth Edition! The practice tests in this book are designed to help students adjust to the pace, subject matter, and difficulty of the real Project Management Professional (PMP) exam. Geared towards anyone preparing for the exam, all tests include clear solutions to help you understand core concepts. If you plan on passing the PMP exam, it's time to test your knowledge. It's time for PMP Exam Prep - Questions, Answers, & Explanations. Now packed with Over 1,000 realistic PMP sample questions to help you pass the exam on your FIRST try. In this book: 1000+ detailed PMP exam practice questions including 18 condensed PMP mock exams that can be completed in one hour; 11 Targeted PMBOK Knowledge Area tests, and detailed solution sets for all PMP questions which include clear explanations and wording, PMBOK Knowledge Area and page references, and reasoning based on the PMBOK Guide - Fifth Edition. Includes FREE PMP exam formula reference sheet! ** For PMP exams AFTER March 2018 **
The End of Jobs: Money, Meaning and Freedom Without the 9-to-5
Taylor Pearson - 2015
Those that don’t adapt are becoming trapped in the downward spiral of a dying middle class - working harder and earning less. Entrepreneurs that understand the new paradigm, have created unprecedented wealth in their lives and the lives of those they love. In This Book You’ll Learn: — Why the century-long growth in wages came to a halt in 2000. — Why MBAs and JDs can’t get jobs and what that means for the future of work and your job. — Why The Theory of Constraints and a shift into the Fourth Economy has made entrepreneurship the highest-leveraged career path for the young and ambitious. — Why The Turkey Problem means accounting may be the riskiest profession in the 21st century while entrepreneurship may be the safest. — How entrepreneurs with second-rate degrees are leveraging the radical democracy of the Long Tail to get rich. — How the Stair Step Method and return of apprenticeships have transformed the “entrepreneurial leap" to make entrepreneurship more accessible than ever. — The scientific research on how giving up balanced living and embracing integrated living leads to more money, more meaning, and more freedom. Included (Free) Resources: Get access by visiting http://taylorpearson.me/eoj — Full Recorded Interviews with the Ten Entrepreneurs featured in The End of Jobs detailing how they launched their own successful businesses. — Taylor’s 67 must-read business books to fuel your entrepreneurial career. — 49 tools and templates to save you hundreds of hours when launching and growing a business. — A Ninety-Day goal setting template to translate the book into actionable steps — Access to a private community to discuss the book and get support from a community of like-minded individuals to inspire, motivate, and assist each other. Who Should Read This Book? Early Stage Entrepreneurs - Doubting yourself and wondering if you made a smart choice to abandon the traditional career path? In Chapter 5, The Turkey Problem, you’ll learn the difference between real and perceived risk and why Entrepreneurship is a smarter choice than ever. Established Entrepreneurs - Do you have friends, family or team members that don’t understand their choices? In chapters 12 through 14 you’ll understand how to explain the fundamental drives of your ambition. Students - Are you considering getting another degree as opposed to starting a business or going to work for an entrepreneurial business? Before you invest hundreds of thousands of dollars, read Chapter 3 to understand why credentials are getting less valuable even as degrees get more expensive. Corporate Employees - Are you in a position that feels safe but doesn’t let you expand your skills and network? In chapter 4 through 6, you’ll find out why that job might not be as safe as you think.
Notes to a software team leader
Roy Osherove - 2012
Team leads usually have little to no idea how to handle people related issues – issues that affect how the morale, quality of work, and overall performance of the team, and of course impacts how easy or hard it is to implement “the new stuff”.Most team leaders are clueless as to how to handle their manager giving them an impossible due date, a team member reluctant to try anything new, or another team member teaching all the other members practices from 25 years ago that today only hurt the team.Why?No one teaches that to software team leads. Team leads today, in the overwhelming majority of places, are just developers who worked hard and stayed with the company long enough to be promoted. But they have no people or management skills - and those are very painfully needed when you are trying to drive the things you believe in inside an organization that has very little interest in changing.Team leadership is the next big thing that software developers need to conquer, or none of this unit testing, TDD, Agile or Lean thing is going to catch on, except in very small circles, that, by chance, happen to have the right people leading their teams.
Obvious Adams (Illustrated): The Story of a Successful Businessman
Robert Rawls Updegraff - 2013
Hardly anyone has heard of it, but those who do swear by it, and they tend to be some of the world's top copywriters. For example, Gary Bencivenga, who retired in 2003 as the world's most effective and highest paid copywriter, named Obvious Adams as one of the most important copywriting and business books he's ever read. Some say that Bencivenga was given the book by David Ogilvy himself, the father of modern advertising. And some even whisper that the allegorical character of Obvious Adams is a veiled reference to Claude Hopkins, whose work is studied by serious marketers to this day. So make use of this treasure that you hold in your hands. Read it once, to enjoy the story. Then read it a second time, to appreciate the wisdom that it shares. Make notes in the margins, and carefully apply what you learn - and your future customers will thank you for having done so!
The Leader's Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing, and Multiplying Leaders
John C. Maxwell - 2020
Maxwell as he shares the most important lessons he’s learned about the leadership development process over the last quarter century.What is the greatest return on a leader’s time? After leaders have invested in their own leadership growth, what is the best way to accomplish their vision and grow their organizations? Develop other leaders! The more leaders an organization has and the better equipped they are to lead, the more successful the organization and its leaders.In the last twenty-five years, New York Times bestselling author John C. Maxwell has grown from equipping a handful of leaders in one organization to developing millions of business, government, and nonprofit leaders in every country around the world. In this book, Maxwell takes the reader step-by-step through the process of identifying, attracting, empowering, and positioning leaders to create a culture capable of then reproducing and compounding the value of its leaders.In The Leader’s Greatest Return, you will be instructed on:The Leadership Table - Create a place where people not yet leading at your level can come, be welcomed and try on leadership.The 7 Motivators - Review the seven motivators and discover what motivates each person and then lead him or her accordingly.Team Success - Use the 10-80-10 method to set people up for success and empower them to perform at a high level.Who to Grow as a Leader - Love and value everyone but use the Pareto principle to choose who to grow as a?leader.This is where leaders really experience the compounding value of developing leaders and go to the highest levels of leadership themselves. The Leader’s Greatest Return is perfect for anyone who wants to take the next step in their leadership, build their organization or team today, and create their legacy for tomorrow needs to read.