Lead from the Heart: Transformational Leadership for the 21st Century


Mark C. Crowley - 2011
    More than half of all workers hate their jobs. In fact, job satisfaction and employee engagement have been declining for twenty-two straight years.One hundred years ago, a job and a paycheck kept workers satisfied. Now, pay barely makes the list. Employees' needs have evolved dramatically. But our leadership practices have failed to keep up.In Lead From The Heart, Mark C. Crowley presents compelling new evidence that the solution leaders need lies in the last place traditional business would seek it: the human heart. Twenty-first-century employees need to feel... valued, respected, developed, and cared for. Their work has to matter. Recent scientific discoveries tell us that it's the heart, and not the mind, that drives human performance and achievement.Drawing on decades of experience as a senior leader for regional and national financial institutions, Mark C. Crowley offers proof that leaders who intentionally engage the hearts of their employees will be rewarded with uncommon (and highly sustainable) performance and achievement. We've seen centuries of evidence of what the heart can do in sports, art, and music. Business is next.Lead From The Heart, and your employees will follow

The Outward Mindset: How to Change Lives and Transform Organizations


The Arbinger Institute - 2019
    This book points out the many ways, some quite subtle and deceptive, that this mindset invites tension and conflict. But incredible things happen when people switch to an outward mindset. They intuitively understand what coworkers, colleagues, family, and friends need to be successful and happy. Their organizations thrive, and astonishingly, by focusing on others they become happier and more successful themselves! This new mindset brings about deep and far-reaching changes. The Outward Mindset presents compelling true stories to illustrate the gaps that individuals and organizations typically experience between their actual inward mindsets and their needed outward mindsets. And it provides simple yet profound guidance and tools to help bridge this mindset gap. This new edition includes a new preface, updated case studies, and new material covering Arbinger's latest research on mindsets. In the long run, changing negative behavior without changing one's mindset doesn't last—the old behaviors always reassert themselves. But changing the mindset that causes the behavior changes everything.

Do Lead: Share Your Vision. Inspire Others. Achieve the Impossible.


Les McKeown - 2014
    Forget the dashing swashbuckler, effective leadership is typically understated. It's the myriad small things that make the big things possible. In Do Lead, Les McKeown demolishes the myths that have paralysed leadership in our modern era, then provides newt tools for the job. You'll discover that we can all lead. And what's more, we should. Because effective leadership is goal- not people-oriented. It's about the person with the right skills putting themselves forward. Find out:• The mindset required• The basic leadership toolkit• Techniques for dealing with the (inevitable) failuresWhether you are new to the game or reigniting a dormant passion, start leading from where you are, right now. And start to make a difference. You can lead. Yes, you.

CK Prahalad: The Mind of the Futurist - Rare Insights on Life, Leadership & Strategy


Benedict Paramanand - 2014
    This book relives late Professor C K Prahalad’s dream life – from a boy who studied in a Tamil-medium school among the poor in Coimbatore, and went on to do MBA at IIM Ahmedabad, a doctorate at the Harvard Business School and sat on the boards of several large global corporations.Yet, this is not a biography. It is a mélange of untold stories of the profound impact CK had on global and Indian business leaders, CEOs, executives, students and teachers and while doing so, looks at the timeless lessons he left behind for future generations.This book is for those who get excited and inspired by how path-breaking ideas and deep insights on leadership, strategy and behaviour change the way we run our lives and businesses. It’s for those who believe that the world’s most difficult problems like poverty can be addressed by asking simple questions and finding innovative solutions for solving them.Readers will find rare and riveting stories of how CK transformed the mindsets of frightened Indian business leaders after 1991 reforms into formidable global players Just as fascinating is to learn how he also greatly influenced the direction and growth of India’s information technology sectorTo those who have heard CK talk and have read his books, he seemed tough and distant. This book demystifies the man and makes him eminently approachable.While the book is essentially about the Big Impact of the Big Man on Indian business since 1991, it doubles up smartly as an incisive commentary on India’s tryst with rediscovering its self-belief, globalization, modernization and much more after 1991.

Beautiful Bad Girl


Gordon Basichis - 2010
    Seething with power, intrigue, sex and obsession, it's a ringside seat into the darker habits of the world's rich and powerful.

Viva the Entrepreneur: Founding, Scaling, and Raising Venture Capital in Latin America


Brian Requarth
    He shows how to manage your own psychology and your operations, be it working with co-founders, building a culture, or managing a board of directors. Brian also reveals the secrets of scaling a business and best practices for raising venture capital in Latin America. You will develop an understanding of the most critical parts of an investor term sheet, and gain perspective into the inner workings of the venture capital game.

How To Destroy A Tech Startup In Three Easy Steps


Lawrence Krubner - 2017
    When inexperienced entrepreneurs ask my advice about their idea for a tech startup, they often worry "What if Google decides to compete with us? They will crush us!" I respond that far more startups die of suicide than homicide. If you can avoid hurting yourself, then you are already better off than most of your competitors. Startups are a chance to build something entirely original with brilliant and ambitious people. But startups are also dangerous. Limited money means there is little room for mistakes. One bad decision can mean bankruptcy. The potential payoff attracts capital, which in turn attracts scam artists. The unscrupulous often lack the skills needed to succeed, but sometimes they are smart enough to trick investors. Even entrepreneurs who start with a strong moral compass can find that the threat of failure unmoors their ethics from their ambition. Emotions matter. We might hope that those in leadership positions possess strength and resilience, but vanity and fragile egos have sabotaged many of the businesses that I’ve worked with. Defeat is always a possibility, and not everyone finds healthy ways to deal with the stress. In this book I offer both advice and also warnings. I've seen certain self-destructive patterns play out again and again, so I wanted to document one of the most extreme cases that I've witnessed. In 2015 I worked for a startup that began with an ingenious idea: to use the software techniques known as Natural Language Processing to allow people to interact with databases by writing ordinary English sentences. This was a multi-billion dollar idea that could have transformed the way people gathered and used information. However, the venture had inexperienced leadership. They burned through their $1.3 million seed money. As their resources dwindled, their confidence transformed into doubt, which was aggravated by edicts from the Board Of Directors ordering sudden changes that effectively threw away weeks' worth of work. Every startup forces its participants into extreme positions, often regarding budget and deadlines. Often these situations are absurd to the point of parody. Therefore, there is considerable humor in this story. The collision of inexperience and desperation gives rise to moments that are simply silly. I tell this story in a day-to-day format, both to capture the early optimism, and then the later sense of panic. Here then, is a cautionary tale, a warning about tendencies that everyone joining a startup should be on guard against."

Essentials of Contemporary Management


Gareth R. Jones - 2003
    Jones and George are dedicated to the challenge of "Making It Real" for students. The authors present management in a way that makes its relevance obvious even to students who might lack exposure to a "real-life" management context. This is accomplished thru a diverse set of examples, and the unique, and most popular feature of the text, the "Manager as a Person" Chapter 2. This chapter discusses managers as real people with their own personalities, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and problems and this theme is carried thru the remaining chapters. This text also discusses the importance of management competencies--the specific set of skills, abilities, and experiences that gives one manager the ability to perform at a higher level than another in a specific context. The themes of diversity, ethics, globalization, and information technology are integrated throughout.

The Qualified Sales Leader: Proven Lessons from a Five Time CRO


John McMahon - 2021
    As an executive, board member, advisor, and investor, John has not only coached a generation of companies on selling, but he has also influenced a generation of executives and leaders in technology, Mike Speiser-Managing Director-Sutter Hill VenturesThe learnings in The Qualified Sales Leader will help you and your sales team sell more, make more money and grow your career in enterprise sales. Luca Lazzaron-CRO SprinklrMost sales books are boring, clinical "textbooks" that "cookie-cutter" a few generic ideas into a monotonous, dull read, that puts you to sleep. The Qualified Sales Leader is an easy read, dripping with the fundamentals of enterprise sales. Real world advice that you'll put to use the next day. Chris Degnan-CRO-SnowflakeThe Qualified Sales Leader is an easy to read book that will absolutely resonate through any enterprise software sales team. Realistic, usable advice for any sales leader or sales rep. If you're in enterprise sales, you'd be crazy not to read this book Cedric Pech-CRO-MongoDBMonthly someone asks:, "When are you going to write a book". When I ask, "Why?", I'm told, "Because no one has written a sales leadership book with practical, solutions to real life issues in enterprise SaaS sales forces", Why:6 of 10 sales reps fail, not because they couldn't sell but because they were assigned the wrong accounts. Sales leaders don't align skillsets to account complexity.Rep attrition at most SaaS companies is over 20%Sales leaders can't recruit A playersSales Leaders don't coach their reps on deal advancement issuesMost sales leaders are "glorified scorekeepers"Most sales leader don't motivate their sales teamThey're focused on deals, not rep competencySales forecasts are inaccurate because most reps game the CRM system.Sales team leaders lack qualification of sales stage exit criteriaMany salesforces only win 50% of their proof of conceptsThey're unable to frame a winning POC Criteria because they skip steps 8 of 10 executive buyers say the sales meetings they take are a waste of time.Sales reps lack the ability to sell business value aligned to specific personas and use cases. 4 of 10 reps in enterprise sales say one of the top 3 biggest challenges is to establish urgency. Reps don't quantify critical business pain to create a buying influence.Reps can't find high-level business champions, only low-level coachesLeaders don't teach them to find pain above the noise.Reps find pain but can't attract a championManagers have them selfishly focused on closing a sale instead of earning trust.40% of reps say they feel out of control during the sales process.Leaders don't teach them how to control the process.Reps can't get high in the tree to drive large deals.They don't speak the language of the Economic Buyer.50% of reps say they can't overcome price objections while sales leaders struggle to increase the average deal size. Managers are pushing their sales reps into vending, not selling. Reps can't answer the simple "3 Whys" for forecasted dealsWhy do they have to buy? Why do they have to buy from us? and Why do they have to buy now?Top sales leaders will find the answers to these issues and more in The Qualified Sales LeaderFrom the PublisherJohn is widely recognized as the only person having been the CRO (Chief Revenue Officer) at five public, enterprise software companies, PTC, Geo-Tel, Ariba, BladeLogic and BMC.John's expertise was formulated as a pre-IPO member of 4 of the 5 companies listed above.Today, John is a board member at public software companies Snowflake, MongoDB and private, pre-IPO companies Lacework, Sigma, Cybereason and Observe. In the past, John has been a board member or executive consultant to: Hubspot, Glass Door AppDynamics and Sprinklr.

The 100X Leader: How to Become Someone Worth Following


Jeremie Kubicek - 2019
    If you want to get the best out of people, you must be willing to fight. But, that doesn't mean you become a dominator, nor does coddling others work. The best leader you've ever had in your life was a liberator—someone willing to fight for your highest good, even at a personal cost. Inside, global leadership experts Jeremie Kubicek and Steve Cockram explain what made that leader so unique, how to become that person yourself, and how to share the same gift with others. Be one of the few that people actually want to follow Learn the lost art of leadership—the intentional calibration of support and challenge for everyone you lead, your team and your family Become a multiplication master as you learn to bring the best out of people for their highest good and that of the whole team Overhaul entire cultures by focusing on the transformation and empowerment of sub-culture leaders The 100x Leader will help you become—and build—leaders worth following.

Greedy Bastards: One City’s Texas-Size Struggle to Avoid a Financial Crisis


Sheryl Sculley - 2020
    City infrastructure was crumbling, strong financial policies and systems were nonexistent, many executive positions were vacant, public satisfaction was low, ethical standards were weak, and public safety union salaries and benefits were outpacing revenues, crowding out other essential city services. Simply put: San Antonio was on the verge of collapse.Greedy Bastards tells the story of Sheryl and her new team's uphill battle to turn around San Antonio city government. She takes you behind closed doors to share the hard changes she made and the strategies she used to create mutually beneficial solutions to the city's biggest problems.Many of the issues Sheryl found in San Antonio are present in cities across the US. Packed with wins and losses, lessons learned, and pitfalls encountered, Greedy Bastards is a guidebook for any city official tasked with turning around a struggling city.

A CEO Only Does Three Things: Finding Your Focus in the C-Suite


Trey Taylor - 2020
    Many owners and CEOs think they have to be involved in every aspect of their business. They spend valuable brainpower on low-priority decisions. Before long, they're overworked and burned out.Instead of doing everything, it's time to focus on the right things.A CEO Only Does Three Things zeroes in on the three pillars of business: culture, people, and numbers. Steeped in twenty-plus years of practical knowledge, training, and consulting with some of the world's largest companies, this indispensable guide shows how to articulate the right culture for your business, hire people with the right mindsets, and inspire your teams to produce optimal results.Hundreds of CEOs have used Taylor's methods to create fulfilled, efficient, professional lives, and you can join them. Learn how to focus on the work you love-and avoid CEO burnout.

Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application


Bessie L. Marquis - 1992
    The authors' experiential learning approach makes it easy to put these skills into practice in any health care setting. This book helps students develop the critical thinking ability needed to apply skills on the job—from organizing patient care to motivating staff to managing conflict.

Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO


Nathan Bennett - 2006
    In fact, it has been argued that the number two position is the toughest job in a company. COOs are typically the key individuals responsible for the delivery of results on a day-to-day, quarter-to-quarter basis. They play a critical leadership role in executing the strategies developed by the top management team. And, in many cases, they are being groomed to be—or are actually being tested as—the firm's CEO-elect. Despite all this, the COO role has not received much attention.Riding Shotgun: The Role of the COO provides a new understanding of this little-understood role. The authors—a scholar and a consultant—develop a framework for understanding who the COO is, why a company would want to create this position, and the challenges associated with successful performance in the COO role. Drawing heavily on a number of first-person accounts from CEOs and other top executives in major corporations, the authors have developed a set of strategies or principles to inform individuals who aspire to serve in such a position. The executives who share their experiences in this book are from some of the most established and important companies in today's economy: AirTran; American Standard Companies; Amgen; Adobe Systems, Inc.; Autodesk, Inc; eBay; Heidrick & Struggles; InBev; Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Company; Mattel, Inc; Motorola; PepsiCo; Raytheon Company; Starbucks; and many others. Excerpts from the Book:On focusing on success"The primary goal I set for myself on how I define what success looks like for me is am I working at a company that matters? Am I working with somebody who I think affects positive change? Am I providing a benefit to my family? Am I enjoying myself? Why would I put a limitation on my enjoyment? There is an old view on Wall Street that says, 'They love you until they don't.' I am going to stay happy until I am not."—Dan Rosensweig, COO Yahoo!On the relationship between the CEO and COO"Deep down, you have to trust each other and you have to like each other. If you don't like each other, and/or don't trust each other, it may work, kind of, but it will be at a fifty percent level at best."—Craig Weatherup, Director, Starbucks, and former Chairman, PepsiOn the challenges of transitioning into the COO role"If you can't conceptualize the strategic objectives or help drive that or participate in that, I don't think you are going to succeed. But, equally, if you can't translate that into an executable plan, you are not going to succeed either."—Shantanu Narayen, COO, Adobe SystemsAdditional Quotes:"Miles & Bennett tackle an important and drastically under-researched area: the role, personalities, fit and success factors of COOs. We've seen several COOs who have been total winners, but it's striking how different the models of success can be depending on role, personal competencies, business situation/cycle/type, team strengths, and CEO strengths. The authors have done a very nice job of tying all of this together."—Jim Williams, Partner, Texas Pacific Group"The lessons reported in this book will be very useful to Boards, Heads of Human Resources and CEOs as they consider succession planning and organizational design."—Dale Morrison, President & Chief Executive Officer, McCain Foods Limited"The job of COO is becoming more important as companies and their boards look internally for succession alternatives. One question they face: Will the organization continue to run as the number 2 becomes the number 1? Riding Shotgun will help answer this and many more questions about the COO role in today's corporate structure."—John Berisford, Senior Vice President, Human Resources, The Pepsi Bottling Group"The COO plays a critical leadership role in most businesses, but its particularly true in the natural resources

The Cycle: A Practical Approach to Managing Arts Organizations


Michael M. Kaiser - 2013
    According to Kaiser, successful arts organizations pursue strong programmatic marketing campaigns that compel people to buy tickets, enroll in classes, and so on—in short, to participate in the organization’s programs. Additionally, they create exciting activities that draw people to the organization as a whole. This institutional marketing creates a sense of enthusiasm that attracts donors, board members, and volunteers. Kaiser calls this group of external supporters the family. When this hidden engine is humming, staff, board, and audience members, artists, and donors feel confidence in the future. Resources are reinvested in more and better art, which is marketed aggressively; as a result, the “family” continues to grow, providing even more resources. This self-reinforcing cycle underlies the activities of all healthy arts organizations, and the theory behind it can be used as a diagnostic tool to reveal—and remedy—the problems of troubled ones. This book addresses each element of the cycle in the hope that more arts organizations around the globe—from orchestras, theaters, museums, opera companies, and classical and modern dance organizations to service organizations and other not-for-profit cultural institutions—will be able to sustain remarkable creativity, pay the bills, and have fun doing so!