The Armed Forces Officer: 2007 Edition


U.S. Department of Defense - 1950
    Journalist-historian S. L. A. Marshall wrote the first at the behest of Gen. George C. Marshall, who formed the great citizen army of World War II. The general believed officers of all services needed to base their professional commitment on a common moral-ethical grounding, which S. L. A. Marshall set out to explain. Ever since, these books have provided a foundation of thought, conduct, standards, and duty for American commissioned officers.Available now to the general public, this new edition takes the series’ inspirational premise into the new century. It educates officers of all services, as well as civilians, about the fundamental moral-ethical requirements of being a commissioned officer in the armed forces of the United States. Understanding the common foundation of commissioned leadership and command of U.S. military forces is essential for achieving excellence in the joint operations of today’s combat environment. This philosophy unites the officers of the uniformed services in the common calling of supporting, defending, and upholding the Constitution in service to their country.

Deliberate Discomfort: How U.S. Special Operations Forces Overcome Fear and Dare to Win by Getting Comfortable Being Uncomfortable


Jason Van Camp - 2020
    This true story tells firsthand the intense, traumatic battles these warriors fought and won, sharing lessons learned from those incredible challenges. A cadre of scientists further break down each experience, translating them into digestible and relatable action items, allowing the reader to apply them to their own lives. Deliberate Discomfort is the ultimate book on leadership and self-improvement, depicting how these warriors found a way to win under incredible odds with never-quit attitudes. The authors don t just tell you how to thrive under pressure; they show you how, in heart-racing, first-person narratives. Read Medal of Honor recipient Leroy Petry's true account of grabbing an enemy grenade in Afghanistan and throwing it, saving the lives of his fellow soldiers but losing his hand in the process. Hear what fellow Medal of Honor recipient Florent Groberg was thinking as he tackled a suicide bomber. Feel what Marine Joey Jones felt as he was flying through the air, weightless, after stepping on the IED that would take both his legs. And most importantly, experience what Jason learned about leadership and embracing discomfort from their adversities.

Good People: The Only Leadership Decision That Really Matters


Anthony Tjan - 2017
    But what does it really mean to be good?Leaders love to say that any company is only as good as its people, but tend to evaluate candidates and employees more by their measurable accomplishments than by their "softer" qualities, like integrity, compassion, and other values. Bestselling author Anthony Tjan is leading a movement to change the way we think about goodness so that we can become better judges of people and create more goodness in ourselves, in others, and in our organizations.Tjan argues that while competence is necessary, real goodness must also encompass values; a fantastic resume can never compensate for mediocre character. In Good People, he provides a clear language to discuss goodness, redefining it as a lifelong, proactive commitment that, like any skill, can be exercised, honed, and taught. When leaders prioritize goodness in themselves and in others, they can create lasting cultures and tremendous value.Drawing from his own experiences as an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, Tjan also taps into the wisdom of his relationships and interviews with extraordinary innovators, executives, artists, academics, teachers, and role models from all disciplines and walks of life who embody his vision. The cases and profiles shared include: Harvard Business School Dean Nitin Nohria, who has called for balancing leadership of competency with leadership of character; Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, who has never forgotten her roots and shows profound kindness to her staff and clerks; Hollywood talent manager Shep Gordon, who has counseled his clients on the importance of generosity and gratitude; legendary venture capitalist Henry McCance, whose success proves that humbly ceding the spotlight to others makes room for their greatness; and master jazz musician Clark Terry, who devotedly mentored the young, blind pianist Justin Kauflin.Packed with practical yet often surprising advice, Good People establishes a new language and framework you can use to evaluate, develop, and lead with goodness. Tjan will convince you that there is a hard truth in the "soft stuff" of business, and that choosing and working well with good people is truly the only leadership decision that really matters.

The Power Paradox: How We Gain and Lose Influence


Dacher Keltner - 2016
    Celebrated UC Berkeley psychologist Dr. Dacher Keltner argues that compassion and selflessness enable us to have the most influence over others and the result is power as a force for good in the world.It is taken for granted that power corrupts. This is reinforced culturally by everything from Machiavelli to contemporary politics. But how do we get power? And how does it change our behavior? So often, in spite of our best intentions, we lose our hard-won power. Enduring power comes from empathy and giving. Above all, power is given to us by other people. This is what all-too-often we forget, and what Dr. Keltner sets straight. This is the crux of the power paradox: by fundamentally misunderstanding the behaviors that helped us to gain power in the first place we set ourselves up to fall from power. We can't retain power because we've never understood it correctly, until now. Power isn't the capacity to act in cruel and uncaring ways; it is the ability to do good for others, expressed in daily life, and itself a good a thing.Dr. Keltner lays out exactly--in twenty original "Power Principles"-- how to retain power, why power can be a demonstrably good thing, and the terrible consequences of letting those around us languish in powerlessness.

The Four O’Clock Faculty: A Rogue Guide to Revolutionizing Professional Development


Rich Czyz - 2017
    In The Four O'Clock Faculty, Rich identifies ways to make PD meaningful, efficient, and, above all, personally relevant. This book is a practical guide that reveals why some PD is so awful and what you can do to change the model for the betterment of you and your colleagues.

Executive Presence: The Art of Commanding Respect Like a CEO


Harrison Monarth - 2009
    This leads to success for all. When the stakes are high, you're well advised to read this book first." Scott A. Gaines, vice president, Hertz Corporation"If you are seriously looking to be perceived in the light you choose, Executive Presence is the book that not only answers the question, but shows you how to apply the answers." Kevin Hogan, author of The Psychology of Persuasion"Harrison Monarth is a first-rate thinker who writes as clearly as he thinks. No matter where you are on the career ladder, Executive Presence will put you a step ahead of your competition." T. Scott Gross, author of Positively Outrageous Service"Most people know that to move up in your career, you need to have self-awareness and the ability to manage the perceptions of those whose opinions count. . . . Executive Presence is your comprehensive guide to help you become more profi cient at self-marketing and the art of ethical persuasion to achieve your personal and professional goals." Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA, author of The Confident Leader and coauthor of the New York Times bestseller The Confident SpeakerAbout the BookAn expert in coaching high-level players in the art of perception management, Harrison Monarth reveals the critical difference between CEOs and those of us who wish to be CEOs. It's not a matter of intelligence, connections, or luck. It can be summed up in two words: executive presence.While most of us toil in obscurity and expect great things to follow, those on the path to corporate leadership spend their time perfecting the types of leadership communication skills that generate respect and get others to share their vision. They use these skills to establish how they are perceived by others and to manage their reputation throughout the organization. In other words, these soon-tobe top players have developed the presence of an executive through careful image management--and they make sure they have the goods to back it up.In Executive Presence, Monarth shows how you can seize control of your own career using the same skills. Inside, he explains how to:Accurately "read" people and predict their behaviorInfluence the perceptions of othersPersuade those of opposing views to your sideCreate and maintain a personal "brand"Manage and control your online reputationPerform damage control when things go wrongMonarth's conclusions aren't based solely on his keen insight and extensive experience; they're the result of the latest scientifi c research in interpersonal communication and human behavior.Talent and skills are important, but they alone won't take you to the top of your organization. People reach highly infl uential positions because they deeply understand the power of perception and know how to leverage it in their favor. The good news is, anyone with the will to succeed can do it. Executive Presence provides all the techniques you need to take your career to the highest level of any organization.

The Confidence Code: The Science and Art of Self-Assurance – What Women Should Know


Katty Kay - 2014
    Yet men still predominate in the corporate world. In The Confidence Code, Claire Shipman and Katty Kay argue that the key reason is confidence.Combining cutting-edge research in genetics, gender, behavior, and cognition—with examples from their own lives and those of other successful women in politics, media, and business—Kay and Shipman go beyond admonishing women to "lean in."Instead, they offer the inspiration and practical advice women need to close the gap and achieve the careers they want and deserve.

Care to Dare: Unleashing Astonishing Potential Through Secure Base Leadership


George Kohlrieser - 2012
    It shows you how you can unleash astonishing potential by building the trust, delivering the change, and inspiring the focus that underpins sustainable high performance.From extensive interviews with executives from all over the world, as well as from surveys with more than a thousand executives, the book reveals the nine characteristics that Secure Base Leaders display on a daily basis. The research shows that a primary difference between a successful leader and a failed leader is the presence or absence of secure bases in his or her life.Care to Dare will take you on a journey where you will discover your own secure bases, past and present, and determine how you can be a secure base for other people in your life at work and at home.

An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Organization


Robert Kegan - 2016
    New

Boards That Lead: When to Take Charge, When to Partner, and When to Stay Out of the Way


Ram Charan - 2013
    Leadership at the top is being redefined as boards take a more active role in decisions that once belonged solely to the CEO. But for all the advantages of increased board engagement, it can create debilitating questions of authority and dangerous meddling in day-to-day operations. Directors need a new road map—for when to lead, when to partner, and when to stay out of the way.Boardroom veterans Ram Charan, Dennis Carey, and Michael Useem advocate this new governance model—a sharp departure from what has been demanded by governance activists, raters, and regulators—and reveal the emerging practices that are defining shared leadership of directors and executives. Based on personal interviews and the authors’ broad and deep experience working with executives and directors from dozens of the world’s largest firms, including Apple, Boeing, Ford, Infosys, and Lenovo, Boards That Lead tells the inside story behind the successes and pitfalls of this new leadership model and explains how to:• Define the central idea of the company• Ensure that the right CEO is in place and potential successors are identified• Recruit directors who add value• Root out board dysfunction• Select a board leader who deftly bridges the divide between management and the board• Set a high bar on ethics and riskWith a total of eighteen checklists that will transform board directors from monitors to leaders, Charan, Carey, and Useem provide a smart and practical guide for businesspeople everywhere—whether they occupy the boardroom or the C-suite.

The Peter Principle


Laurence J. Peter - 1969
    Not only do the authors reveal why the world is so completely screwed up, but they provide proven techniques for creative control of personal, social, and business problems. They analyze the reasons for human failure and tell how to achieve a state of well-being by avoiding that unwanted, ultimate promotion.Students of Freud, Potter, and Parkinson will be fascinated by this satirical examination of man's tendency to escalate himself to oblivion at his level of incompetence.

Leading Minds: An Anatomy Of Leadership


Howard Gardner - 1995
    He identifies six constant features of leadership as well as paradoxes that must be resolved for leadership to be effective using portraits of leaders from J. Robert Oppenheimer to Alfred P. Sloan, from Pope John XXIII to Mahatma Gandhi.

Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life


Ozan Varol - 2020
    A former rocket scientist reveals the habits, ideas, and strategies that will empower you to turn the seemingly impossible into the possible. Rocket science is often celebrated as the ultimate triumph of technology. But it's not. Rather, it's the apex of a certain thought process -- a way to imagine the unimaginable and solve the unsolvable. It's the same thought process that enabled Neil Armstrong to take his giant leap for mankind, that allows spacecraft to travel millions of miles through outer space and land on a precise spot, and that brings us closer to colonizing other planets. Fortunately, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to think like one. In this accessible and practical book, Ozan Varol reveals nine simple strategies from rocket science that you can use to make your own giant leaps in work and life -- whether it's landing your dream job, accelerating your business, learning a new skill, or creating the next breakthrough product. Today, thinking like a rocket scientist is a necessity. We all encounter complex and unfamiliar problems in our lives. Those who can tackle these problems -- without clear guidelines and with the clock ticking -- enjoy an extraordinary advantage. Think Like a Rocket Scientist will inspire you to take your own moonshot and enable you to achieve liftoff.

Designing Your Life: Build a Life that Works for You


Bill Burnett - 2016
    Now in book form for the first time, their simple method will teach you how to use basic design tools to create a life that will work for you.Using real-life stories and proven techniques like reframing, prototyping and mind-mapping, you will learn how to build your way forwards, step-by-positive-step, to a life that’s better by a design of your own making.Because a well-designed life means a life well-lived.

Screw It, Let's Do It: Lessons In Life


Richard Branson - 2006
    In Screw It, Let's Do It, I will share with you my ideas and the secrets of my success, but not simply because I hope they'll help you achieve your individual goals. Today we are increasingly aware of the effects of our actions on the environment, and I strongly believe that we each have a responsibility, as individuals and organisations, to do no harm. I will draw on Gaia Capitalism to explain why we need to take stock of how we may be damaging the environment, and why it is up to big companies like Virgin to lead the way in a more holistic approach to business. In Screw It, Let's Do It I'll be looking forwards to the future. A lot has changed since I founded Virgin in 1968, and I'll explain how I intend to take my business and my ideas to the next level and the new and exciting areas - such as launching Virgin Fuels - into which Virgin is currently moving. But I have also brought together all the important lessons, good advice and inspirational adages that have helped me along the road to success. Ironically, I have never been one to do things by the book, but I have been inspired and influenced by many remarkable people. I hope that you too might find a little inspiration between these pages.