Creating Magic


Lee Cockerell - 2008
    The secret for creating magic in our careers, our organizations, and our lives is simple: outstanding leadership--the kind that inspires employees, delights customers, and achieves extraordinary business results. No one knows more about this kind of leadership than Lee Cockerell, the man who ran Walt Disney World(R) Resort operations for over a decade. And in Creating Magic, he shares the leadership principles that not only guided his own journey from a poor farm boy in Oklahoma to the head of operations for a multibillion dollar enterprise, but that also soon came to form the cultural bedrock of the world's number one vacation destination. But as Lee demonstrates, great leadership isn't about mastering impossibly complex management theories. We can all become outstanding leaders by following the ten practical, common sense strategies outlined in this remarkable book. As straightforward as they are profound, these leadership lessons include: Everyone is important.Make your people your brand. Burn the free fuel: appreciation, recognition, and encouragement. Give people a purpose, not just a job. Combining surprising business wisdom with insightful and entertaining stories from Lee's four decades on the front lines of some of the world's best-run companies, Creating Magic shows all of us - from small business owners to managers at every level - how to become better leaders by infusing quality, character, courage, enthusiasm, and integrity into our workplace and into our lives.

Hundred Percenters: Challenge Your Employees to Give It Their All, and They'll Give You Even More


Mark Murphy - 2009
    Managers will learn to recognize their leadership style and understand how they, too, can become Hundred Percenters." Laura Christiansen, Vice President Human Resources, VTech Communications, Inc."Heavily-researched and loaded with tools and examples, this book shows you how to challenge your employees to achieve the kind of extraordinary results and innovations that every CEO dreams about. Every leader needs to read this book!"Ned Fitch, CEO, Kalahari Tea"Murphy finds that most workplaces are brimming with untapped talent. Only it's suppressed by goal-setting that discourages big ideas and leaders who focus on happiness rather than greatness.""Training Magazine"We've all heard the saying that a happy employee is a motivated employee. But what if that's not true?Leadership IQ CEO Mark Murphy says the "happy employee" philosophy doesn't work. A study of more than 500,000 leaders and employees shows that despite the billions of dollars organizations spend to satisfy and engage workers, 72% of employees admit they're still not giving their best effort at work. Rather, it's leaders who focus on making their people great--not happy--who inspire Hundred Percenter performance.If you talk to the employees behind today's great innovations, you're unlikely to hear, "I was inspired by a boss who coddles me." Instead you'd probably hear, "My boss challenges me and pushes me past my limits." Most workplaces are brimming with untapped talent-- only it's suppressed by leaders who fail to connect with and challenge employees to unleash their true potential.Here are just a few of the big ideas in "Hundred Percenters" The harder the goals you set, the better your employees will perform You should never use a Compliment Sandwich to deliver feedback Talented Terrors--people with great skills and a bad attitude--can destroy your company culture Before you can start motivating Hundred Percenters, you have to stop demotivating them You should never ask your employees if they're "satisfied"This groundbreaking book debunks management fads that don't apply to today's workplace and provides the facts, theories, and direction you need to become a 100% Leader. Apply Murphy's leadership lessons and you'll see innovation, productivity, and profits soar, while employee turnover rates plummet. "Hundred Percenters" will bring out the best in your workforce.

The Power of Six SIGMA


Subir Chowdhury - 2001
    While it has been credited with improving productivity, slashing costs, and improving profit margins, it can cause much angst among employees who need to change the way they currently work and adhere to a new philosophy.  That's where characters Joe and Larry step in to deliver The Power of Six Sigma. This fictionalized tale simplifies a complicated topic through the lives of two typical business professionals. Contrary to other books on the subject, The Power of Six Sigma explains the overall philosophy of Six Sigma effectively in a nonthreatening way, taking no more than two hours to read.

School Law and the Public Schools: A Practical Guide for Educational Leaders


Nathan L. Essex - 1999
    today. An essential reference for all teachers, educational leaders, and policymakers at all levels, the book is organized and written in a style that is accessible to all, even those with little or no knowledge of the legal issues in education.

More Than a Pink Cadillac


Jim Underwood - 2002
    And it's not just Mary Kay's 800,000 associates worldwide who know it is an outstanding company. From the Harvard Business School to the CIA, organizations around the world are studying and attempting to emulate the incredible success of this powerful marketing machine. More than a Pink Cadillac reveals the leadership and success principles that have made the company a global successand an inspiration to women everywhere. Jim Underwood is the first outside author to have unlimited access to the company's employees and management. Featuring inspirational stories about leaders and associates at Mary Kay, More than a Pink Cadillac imparts nine keys to sustainable success that any leader or independent businessperson can use to inspire others and succeed in business.

Statistics for Six SIGMA Made Easy


Warren Brussee - 2004
    Yet although the heart of Six Sigma is statistics, most books on Six Sigma give a general overview, with little detail on actually Using the Six Sigma tools. Books that cover Six Sigma statistics typically are 500+ pages and cost near USD100. Basic Statistics for Six Sigma gives the information needed to apply the statistical tools of Six Sigma to real-world problems in a simplified, USD24.95 paperback format, for Greenbelts and Six Sigma Project Team Leaders. A typical company's Greenbelt training in Six Sigma includes 7 books, 4 software packages, and 3 weeks of class work. It is very extensive in statistics. Although this kind of course is excellent, not all companies or individuals want to commit to that level of instruction. Statistics for Six Sigma--Made Easy! describes only the tools used by most successful Six Sigma practitioners. The only software package needed is Excel, and the 14 formulas and 5 tables included in the book enable you to use all the basic Six Sigma statistical tools. Using these tools will enable a person t

The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability


Roger Connors - 1994
    At its root, the principle works like this: Like Dorothy and the gang in The Wizard of Oz, most businesspeople have the tools to succeed, but when things go wrong they blame circumstance or others instead of looking within for the true cause of unsatisfactory results. Once individuals learn to accept responsibility, they can use the Oz Principle to become better leaders. Now, with corporate scandals in the headlines and the culture of victimization running rampant at every level of the business world, Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman return with a new edition of The Oz Principle. Fully revised, this edition will update the statistics, concepts, and relevant companies through fresh, timely anecdotes and stories.

Logistics and Supply Chain Management (Financial Times Series)


Martin Christopher - 1994
    This is a sustainable source of advantage in today’s turbulent global marketplace, where demand is difficult to predict and supply chains need to be more flexible as a result. In fact, the real competition today is not between companies, but between supply chains. The winning approach to supply chains is an integrated perspective that takes account of networks of relationships, sustainability and product design, as well as the logistics of procurement, distribution, and fulfilment. Logistics and Supply Chain Management examines the tools, core processes and initiatives that ensure businesses gain and maintain their competitive advantage. The fourth edition has been completely updated and now contains four new chapters covering:· managing supply chain relationships· product design in the supply chain· matching supply and demand · creating a sustainable supply chain Front Flap The updated 4th edition of the bestselling Logistics and Supply Chain Management is the practical guide to all the key topics in an integrated approach to supply chains, including: The link between logistics and customer value Logistics and the bottom line – measuring costs and performance Creating a responsive supply chain Managing the global pipeline Managing supply chain relationships Managing risk in the supply chain Matching supply and demand Creating a sustainable supply chain Product design in the supply chain Back Flap About the author Martin Christopher is Chairman of the Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management. He has written numerous books and articles and is on the editorial advisory board of a several professional journals. Until recently he was co-editor of The International Journal of Logistics Management and his latest books have focused upon relationship marketing, logistics and supply chain management. He has held appointments as Visiting Professor at the Universities of British Columbia, Canada, New South Wales, Australia and South Florida, USA. Professor Christopher is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Marketing, the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport and the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. In 1987 he was awarded the Sir Robert Lawrence medal of the Institute of Logistics and Transport for his contribution to the development of logistics education in Britain. In 2005 he was awarded the Distinguished Service Award of the USA Council for Supply Chain Management Professionals. In 2007 he was designated as Foundation Professor by the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supply. Martin has also worked as a consultant for major international companies in North America, Europe, the Far East and Australasia.

Lead With Respect: A Novel of Lean Practice


Michael Ballé - 2014
    Pink, author of TO SELL IS HUMAN and DRIVE "The Ballé books are a great way to get started or to speed up your pace of transformation, personal and organizational." —Jim Womack, Founder of Lean Enterprise Institute In their new business novel Lead With Respect, authors Michael and Freddy Ballé reveal the true power of lean: developing people through a rigorous application of proven tools and methods. And, in the process, creating the only sustainable source of competitive advantage—a culture of continuous improvement. In this engaging and insightful story, CEO Jane Delaney of Southcape Software discovers from her sensei Andy Ward that learning to lead with respect enables her to help people improve every day. “For us, lean is all about challenging yourself and each other to find the right problems, and working hard every day to engage people in solving them,” he says. Lead With Respect’s timely message brings a new understanding of lean. While lean has become essential for companies to compete in today’s global economy, most practitioners see it as a rigorous focus on process to produce higher quality goods and services—a limited understanding that fails to realize the true power of this approach. This new novel by the Ballés, the third in a series that includes Shingo Research Award-winners The Gold Mine and The Lean Manager, breaks new ground by sharing huge amounts of practical information on the most important yet least understood aspect of lean management: how to develop people through a rigorous application of lean tools. You’ll learn: • How to apply Lead With Respect attitudes to the lean tools you are using now so that you develop a truly sustainable lean culture. • What specific steps to follow to make lean leadership behaviors daily habits. • How to manage with respect through the emotion, conflict, tension, and self-doubt that you’ll face during a lean transformation.

Leading Quality: How Great Leaders Deliver High-Quality Software and Accelerate Growth


Ronald Cummings-John - 2019
    You will learn the techniques successful leaders use to make their strategic decisions and you will be given the tools to ensure that your team is in alignment to achieving common goals. Leading Quality is the first book that teaches why quality is important and how to incorporate it within the workspace. Praise for Leading Quality:   “A quality mindset remains key to differentiating your product and your company. Leading Quality offers key lessons to develop this mindset.” - Michael Lopp, author of Managing Humans and VP of Product Engineering at Slack “Leading Quality communicates just how important a focus on quality is within your company and is one of the few titles that actually teaches how to lead quality in a clear yet captivating manner.”  - Shesh Patel, Engineering Manager at The New York Times “Three elements define any successful product: quality, quality, and quality. Leading Quality is a comprehensive and practical guide to embedding quality into the DNA of any product organization.” - Nick Caldwell, CPO at Looker and former VP of Engineering at Reddit

Selling to the C-Suite: What Every Executive Wants You to Know about Successfully Selling to the Top


Nicholas A.C. Read - 2009
    Selling to the C-Suite is the first book that reveals how to land those career-making sales in the words of CEOs themselves!With 60 years of combined experience selling to corporations around the world, Nicholas A.C. Read and Stephen J. Bistritz, Ed.D., conducted in-depth interviews with executive- level decision makers of more than 500 organizations. One thing they learned might surprise you: leaders at the highest corporate levels don't avoid sales pitches; in fact, they welcome them--provided the salesperson approaches them the right way. Inside this invaluable book, CEOs reveal exactly which sales techniques they find most effective, as well as those you should avoid.Selling to the C-Suite provides all the insight you need to:Gain access to executivesEstablish trust and credibilityLeverage relationshipsCreate value at the executive levelIt also reveals when executives personally enter the buying process and sheds light on what role they play.Selling to the C-Suite provides field-tested techniques to put you well ahead of thecompetition when it comes to making those multimillion-dollar sales you never thought possible.

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.

O Great One!: A Little Story About the Awesome Power of Recognition


David C. Novak - 2016
    He was about to stand in front of the employees of the Happy Face Toy Company’s faltering Cleveland factory. As the new CEO, he’d been advised to close this factory as soon as possible, but he wanted to see it first. “How hard could this be?” he wondered, gathering the courage to ask them about their jobs.  He had no idea what he was in for. When was the last time you told your colleagues how much you value them? It sounds like a trivial thing in the middle of a busy work day. But as David Novak discovered during his years as a hard charging executive, there’s nothing trivial about recognition. It can make a life-or-death difference to any organization, when people see that someone important really notices and appreciates their contributions.  Rather than explain the power of recognition in a typical business book, Novak decided to write a fun story that draws on his real-world experiences at Pepsi and Yum! Brands, as well as his personal life. The story opens when Jeff Johnson becomes the third-generation CEO of his family business, after the sudden death of his father. The Happy Face Toy Company had many hits in the 1950s and 60s, including Crazy Paste, but its results have been declining for more than a decade. The board has given Jeff just one year to turn the business around, or else they’ll have to sell it to the highest bidder.  As Jeff races to save his family’s legacy by getting the company back on track, he meets downtrodden factory workers and an uninspired executive team. Then a birthday gift from his own grandson gives Jeff an important insight into why Happy Face lost its old culture of innovation and excitement, along with its profitability.  Jeff comes up with an idea that seems crazy… But is it crazy enough to work?  Whether you’re trying to lead a small department, a Fortune 500 company, a non-profit, or your own family, the lessons at the heart of O Great One! can help you make everyone around you happier and more effective.

Your First 100 Days in a New Executive Job


Robert Hargrove - 2011
    Whether you are a newly elected president, CEO, or executive at any level, what you do in your first 100 days will be absolutely pivotal to your success or failure. Your First 100 Days in a New Executive Job will help you to seal your leadership, build a team you can count on, and have a bottom line impact before your first few months on the job is up. It will take you through all the steps of successful executive onboarding and show you how to avoid the typical pitfalls. Hargrove emphasizes the importance of getting clear on your going-in mandate—your contract with key stake holders. He also shows you how to use your first 100 days to declare an Impossible Future that represents the difference you want to make, while delivering on your Day Job. According to Hargrove, the key idea is to go for "quick wins" that establish a virtuous circle of increasing credibility and help you to avoid a vicious circle of decreasing credibility. This book will expand your aspirations and motivations, and give you a treasure trove of practical, down-to-earth tips to immediately apply in your new leadership role. * Have a story ready day one, as key stakeholders look for signals immediately—take symbolic action within 72 hours * Develop a "teachable point of view"—This is how we intend to win in this business * Build a team of 'A' players—get the right people on the bus * Declare an Impossible Future that unites warring tribes * Jump start your vision with 30, 60, 90-day catalytic breakthrough projects * Master the political chessboard and culture—It's all politics! * Drive bottom-line results before the end of your first 100 day

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't


James C. Collins - 2001
    The findings will surprise many readers and, quite frankly, upset others.The ChallengeBuilt 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 very beginning. 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 StudyFor 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 StandardsUsing 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 ComparisonsThe 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? The FindingsThe 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.