Out of the Crisis


W. Edwards Deming - 1982
    Long-term commitment to new learning and new philosophy is required of any management that seeks transformation. The timid and the fainthearted, and the people that expect quick results, are doomed to disappointment.According to W. Edwards Deming, American companies require nothing less than a transformation of management style and of governmental relations with industry. In Out of the Crisis, originally published in 1982, Deming offers a theory of management based on his famous 14 Points for Management. Management's failure to plan for the future, he claims, brings about loss of market, which brings about loss of jobs. Management must be judged not only by the quarterly dividend, but by innovative plans to stay in business, protect investment, ensure future dividends, and provide more jobs through improved product and service. In simple, direct language, he explains the principles of management transformation and how to apply them.Previously published by MIT-CAES

The Gold Mine: A Novel of Lean Turnaround


Freddy Ballé - 2005
    Authors Freddy and Michael Ball

Gemba Kaizen: A Commonsense, Low-Cost Approach to Management


Masaaki Imai - 1997
    The result: greater productivity, quality, and profits achieved with minimal cost, time, and effort invested.

The CEO's Secret Weapon: How Great Leaders and Their Assistants Maximize Productivity and Effectiveness


Jan Jones - 2015
    That solutions-oriented individual who adds value by enhancing the executive's productivity, elevating their performance and functioning as their indispensible business partner and 'right arm.'As you read this book, you will discover the genesis of the formidable talents that are the hallmark of exeptional assistants, and understand the value they can bring to you. Throughout the book you will hear from dozens of executives and close to one hundred assistants, who gave the author a candid look into their day-to-day activities, the expectations and demands on the executive-assistant relationship, as well as their advice for how executives and assistants can work successfully and productively together. As you read about these assistants, you will begin to understand why you should not settle for anything less than a stellar assistant who knows what you need and how to give it to you, who will smooth out your life and make your workday a rewarding experience.This book provides not only the inspiration to achieve a successful business partnership, but also provides know-how and practical tools to recruit, train and work on a day-to-day basis with an exceptional assistant, showing you how to put their exemplary talents to good use. Part 1 explores the relationships between successful executives and their assistants and defines what an 'exceptional executive assistant' is. In Part 2, Jones describes the crucial characteristics that all exceptional executive assistants epitomize, and how they are critical to not only your day-to-day routine, but to your success as an executive or entrepreneur.Part 3 of this book will explore the processes, resources and skills that you will need to hire an exceptional assistant. Part 4 takes a deeper dive into the executive and assistant relationship and offers a guide to setting up a successful partnership. As with any business collaboration, it is a two-way street. In order to solidify the partnership, the executive must reciprocate. With examples throughout from successful CEOs and entrepreneurs, this book will help you create a robust, dynamic and productive partnership with your executive assistant.

The Zen of Fundraising: 89 Timeless Ideas to Strengthen and Develop Your Donor Relationships


Ken Burnett - 2006
    If all that has ever been said and written about the art and science of fundraising could be distilled down to just what really matters--what fundraisers everywhere need to know--there would be only a small number of true gems deserving of the description, "nuggets of information." Leading international fundraiser Ken Burnett, author of the classic Relationship Fundraising, has identified and defined 89 such nuggets which he presents here as The Zen of Fundraising, a fun read, one-of-a-kind look into what makes donors tick and-more importantly-what makes them give.

Extreme Government Makeover: Increasing Our Capacity to Do More Good


Ken Miller - 2011
    In his latest book, management expert Ken Miller discusses how the processes of state and local government became so complicated and inefficient – and how to start cleaning up the mess. With his typical irreverent and funny tone, Ken lays out the simple ways that public-sector leaders can tear down all the twisted, broken parts of government and rebuild it stronger, leaner and better equipped to help citizens. Full of clear, concise tips on increasing government’s capacity, Extreme Government Makeover is essential reading for everyone in government, from top-level executives to managers and employees on the front lines.What you’ll learn in Extreme Government Makeover• The one and only thing government needs to focus on to get out of this crisis• How government can perform its vital functions 80 percent faster, at less cost and with better quality• The DNA of government complexity and how we can genetically modify it • How to spot the “moldy” thinking that is making us all sick• How to get rid of 40 percent of your agency’s workload• How to find the hidden costs of government• What the next generation of customers and employees are going to do to your operations• Why technology isn’t the answer• Most importantly, you’ll learn a new way of seeing the work of government – and a better way to make that work great.

The Lean Manager: A Novel of Lean Transformation


Michael Ballé - 2009
    Full of human moments that capture the excitement and drama of lean implementation, as well as clear explanations of how tools and systems go hand-in-hand, this book will teach and inspire every person working to make lean a reality in their organization today.This book will help you learn both the how of doing lean, as well as the why behind the tools, enabling you to become lean.Lean is the most important business model for competitive success today. Yet companies still struggle to sustain enduring and deep-rooted business success from their lean implementation efforts.The most important problem for these companies is becoming lean: how can they advance beyond realizing isolated gains from deploying lean tools, to fundamentally changing how they operate, think, and learn? In other words, how can companies learn to go beyond lean turnaround to achieve lean transformation?"The Lean Manager: A Novel of Lean Transformation," by lean experts Michael and Freddy Ballé, addresses this critical problem. As we move from what Jim Womack, author, lean management authority, and LEI founder, calls “the era of lean tools to the era of lean management,” The Lean Manager gives companies a definitive guide for sustaining their ability to learn and improve operations and financial performance, while continually developing people.“The only way to become and stay lean is to produce lean managers,” says Womack. “Every isolated effort will recede—or fail—unless companies learn to use the lean process as a way of developing individual problem-solvers with the ownership, initiative, and know-how to solve problems, learn, and ultimately coach new individuals in this discipline. That’s why this book matters so much.”"The Lean Manager," the sequel to the Ballé’s international bestselling business novel "The Gold Mine," tells the compelling story of plant manager Andrew Ward as he goes through the challenging but rewarding journey to becoming a lean manager. Under the guidance of Phil Jenkinson (whose own lean journey was at the core of "The Gold Mine"), Ward learns to use a deep understanding of lean tools, as well as a technical know-how of his plant’s operations, to foster a lean attitude that sustains continuous improvement. Where "The Gold Mine" shows you how to introduce a complete lean system, "The Lean Manager" demonstrates how to sustain it. Ward moves beyond fluency with tools to changing his behavior as a manager and leader. He shifts from giving orders and answers to asking the right questions so people identify and address problems. He learns how to use tools to unleash the creativity and motivation of people, so they learn how to solve problems as well as coach and teach others to solve problems. Ward learns how to create lean managers.

How Toyota Became #1: Leadership Lessons from the World's Greatest Car Company


David Magee - 2003
    But the big puzzle is how Toyota did it while so many other car companies have struggled or failed. Journalist David Magee dug deeply into Toyota’s past and present, interviewing senior executives who rarely talk to the press, along with many other sources. And he found that the company’s famous mastery of lean production is only part of the story. Magee explains the surprising power of Toyota’s corporate culture, which includes: • Focusing on the long term: While most companies worry about the next quarter, Toyota is thinking about the next quarter century • Jumping beyond the current trend: When Ford was still ramping up its gas-guzzling SUVs, Toyota was very quietly taking a huge lead on hybrids • Making quality everyone’s responsibility: Toyota expects people at every level to think and act like quality-control inspectors • Managing individual strengths: Toyota is revolutionizing the way people are managed, to maximize their strengths instead of criticizing their weaknesses The lessons that Magee explains here will be valuable for managers in all disciplines and industries.

Complete Interview Answer Guide


Don Georgevich - 2011
    No other guide offers this. Includes over 130 interview questions and answers. Breaks down all interview questions into essential parts. Shows you why interviewers are asking you the question, what the interviewer wants to hear from you, how you should answer it, and then gives you several "real-life" examples of how to answer the question. Covers the STAR method. Includes several behavioral question and answer examples. Covers interview preparation tips. Covers phone interviews and how to prepare for them. Includes 35 questions to ask interviewers. And much more! This guide works for all job interviews. Management, IT, Director, VP, Teachers, Finance, Sales, Accounting, Engineering, Government, Hospitality, Human Resources, Manufacturing, Non-Profit, Administrative, Branding, Health Care, etc.

The Big Book of Humorous Training Games


Doni Tamblyn - 2000
    Step-by-step instructions work with dozens of reproducible handouts and worksheets help trainers and speakers minimize preparation time­­and maximized training success.

The Leader's Compass: A Personal Leadership Philosophy Is Your Key to Success


Ed Ruggero - 2003
    Most leaders recognize that developing these clearly articulated statements is time well spent; they help keep the organization on track and pointed toward clear goals. A written leadership philosophy, which we call "The Leader's Compass", achieves the same thing on a personal level; it lets people know what you expect, what you value, how you'll act, and how you'll measure performance, with the additional benefits of making the workplace less stressful and more productive. And, like a compass, it helps to keep you, the leader, on course".

Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels


Donald L. Kirkpatrick - 1994
    First developed in 1959, it focuses on four key areas: reaction, learning, behavior, and results. "Evaluating Training Programs" provides a comprehensive guide to Kirkpatrick's four-level model, along with detailed case studies that show how the approach is used successfully in a wide range of programs and institutions. The third edition revises and updates existing material and includes new strategies for managing change effectively.

Extreme Toyota: Radical Contradictions That Drive Success at the World's Best Manufacturer


Emi Osono - 2008
    With unprecedented access to the inner working of Toyota, the authors spent six years researching the company, interviewing hundreds of executives and employees, and discovering the company's secret of success. What they uncovered will surprise you and change the way you think about business. Simultaneously rigidly traditional and seriously innovative, it is precisely those internal contradictions that make the company so successful and admired.

Kill It with Fire: Manage Aging Computer Systems (and Future Proof Modern Ones)


Marianne Bellotti - 2021
    Aging computer systems present complex technical challenges for organizations both large and small, and Kill It with Fire provides sound strategies for spearheading modernization efforts.Kill It with Fire examines aging computer systems, the evolution of technology over time, and how organizations can modernize, maintain, and future-proof their current systems.In playful and engaging prose, Marianne Bellotti uses real-world case studies to illustrate the technical challenges of modernizing complex legacy systems, as well as the organizational challenges of time-intensive maintenance efforts. The book explains how to evaluate existing architecture, create upgrade plans, and handle communication structures. Team exercises and historical analyses of complex computer systems make this a valuable resource for those in both older and newer companies, and will help readers restore or create systems built to evolve as time goes on.

The Five-Hour Workday: Live Differently, Unlock Productivity, and Find Happiness


Stephan Aarstol - 2016
    It was the industrial revolution. Where others saw only more profits, Ford had a much grander vision. He invented the eight-hour workday, cut his employees' workdays nearly in half and doubled their pay. Productivity and profitability soared. By giving more to his workers, he changed the quality of life of an entire nation. Today, we're in the midst of a massive productivity shift for knowledge workers. And yet, the eight-hour workday hasn't changed. Until now, that is. This book is about one company that simply asked why. A company that had the courage to try an experiment, toward re-inventing a more sensible, productive, and healthy workday for today's knowledge workers. That company is Tower Paddle Boards, one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation, and one of Mark Cuban's best Shark Tank investments. In this book, you’ll learn how the five-hour workday:• Improves business operations, efficiency, and profitability• Attracts the brightest minds, the hardest workers, and the best performers• Stimulates employee performance and increases retention rates• Can be implemented and tested at your company, temporarily and without risk• Can change your life into something better than you ever imagined possible