But all too often when we interact with people—especially those who report to us—we simply tell them what we think they need to know. This shuts them down. To generate bold new ideas, to avoid disastrous mistakes, to develop agility and flexibility, we need to practice Humble Inquiry.Ed Schein defines Humble Inquiry as “the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” In this seminal work, Schein contrasts Humble Inquiry with other kinds of inquiry, shows the benefits Humble Inquiry provides in many different settings, and offers advice on overcoming the cultural, organizational, and psychological barriers that keep us from practicing it.

    Instead, The 12 Week Year avoids the pitfalls and low productivity of annualized thinking. This book redefines your "year" to be 12 weeks long. In 12 weeks, there just isn't enough time to get complacent, and urgency increases and intensifies. The 12 Week Year creates focus and clarity on what matters most and a sense of urgency to do it now. In the end more of the important stuff gets done and the impact on results is profound.Explains how to leverage the power of a 12-week year to drive improved results in any area of your lifeOffers a how-to book for both individuals and organizations seeking to improve their execution effectivenessAuthors are leading experts on execution and implementation Turn your organization's idea of a year on its head, and speed your journey to success.©2013 Brian P. Moran and Michael Lennington (P)2014 Audible Inc.

    Money. We love it. We hate it. If we don’t have enough, we’re struggling to get more. If we do have it, we’re fighting to hold on to it. Why does money have to be such a source of anxiety? Is it possible to find a balance? Yes! According to integrative life coach Nancy Levin, the real key to creating financial freedom isn’t changing what we do, it’s changing how we feel—and that requires more than just learning how to invest. In Worthy, Nancy makes an essential, eye-opening connection: the state of our net worth is a direct reflection of our self-worth. Then she shows us how to get to the root of the problem and do the internal work that’s needed to replace feelings of unworthiness with a stronger sense of our own value. Filled with inspiring real-life stories and thought-provoking questions and answers, her 10-step plan helps us to: ·         Get real about the money issues we face every day ·         Examine the excuses we use to avoid creating the life we really want ·         Be willing to see ourselves as worthy of abundance in all its forms ·         Take back our financial power—and watch amazing things start to happen Whether we’re looking for financial ease or a new relationship with money and ourselves, Worthy will give us the tools to clear the path for wholeness, fulfillment, and richness in all areas of our lives, not just in our bank accounts.

    This updated assessment includes reports and resources that go far beyond the standardized reports of the older assessment by providing you with personalized insight statements unique to your specific combination of strengths.Many people have little sense of their talents and strengths, much less the ability to build their lives around them. Instead, they are raised and taught to become experts in their weaknesses — and spend their lives trying to fix them — while their strengths lie dormant. Led by Don Clifton, the Father of Strengths-Based Psychology, Gallup created a revolutionary program to help people identify their talents; develop them into strengths; and enjoy consistent, near-perfect performance. Twenty years ago, Gallup released Now, Discover Your Strengths to bring this program to the world. At the heart of this book is CliftonStrengths, the assessment that is the product of decades of research and hundreds of thousands of interviews to identify the most prevalent human strengths. CliftonStrengths reveals 34 dominant talent themes that you can translate into personal and career success. To develop this assessment, Gallup conducted psychological profiles with more than 2 million individuals to help people around the world focus and perfect these themes. Since Now, Discover Your Strengths was first released two decades ago, more than 20 million people worldwide have taken the CliftonStrengths assessment. The 20th anniversary edition includes a unique access code to take CliftonStrengths — previously known as StrengthsFinder 2.0 — which is a significantly more robust program than the assessment that appeared in the original edition of the book. This web-based assessment analyzes your instinctive reactions and immediately presents you with your top five themes. Once you know which of the 34 themes you lead with — such as Achiever, Activator, Empathy, Futuristic and Strategic — the book will show you how to use your top themes for your own development, for your success as a manager and for the success of your organization. With accessible and profound insights into how to turn talents into strengths, and with immediate online feedback from the CliftonStrengths assessment at its core, Now, Discover Your Strengths is one of the most groundbreaking and powerful business books ever written.

    In Lena Corwin’s Made by Hand, she re-creates and builds upon her popular workshop series in order to reach crafters in Brooklyn and beyond. For this “best of” collection, she has chosen expert teachers and her favorite projects: Jenny Gordy introduces us to knitted socks and elegantly sewn tops and dresses; Cal Patch teaches how to make a modern embroidery sampler as well as a braided rag rug; and Corwin herself presents her favorite screen-printing and stamping techniques. In total, there are 26 lessons/projects, all presented with step-by-step photos and illustrations.Praise for Lena Corwin's Made By Hand:“Decorate with coffee table books. A few Glamour picks: Lena Corwin’s Made by Hand . . .” —Glamour Magazine“A must-have for anyone who wants to create unique décor.” —Decorating Shortcuts magazine“Made By Hand offers the perfect range of usable textile handiwork, presented by fourteen teachers who obviously enjoy their craft —ForeWord Reviews“The 385 detailed illustrations, along with excellent step-by-step photographs and clear instructions, make each project tempting and approachable.” —Studios magazine “Those messy hands alone are inspiring me to get creative.” —Modern Eve “I got a sneak peek at a mostly lovely book. I can’t contain my excitement over this book. The projects are varied and so much fun.” —The Stylish Nest “The photography and layout of the book is gorgeous: wide open with lots of white space, reminiscent of Japanese craft books. And there are people, whole people, sitting and doing crafts, not just disembodied hands. Isn’t that part of the reason we craft—for the human contact?” —Knitty.com “Made By Hand offers the perfect range of usable textile handiwork, presented by fourteen teachers who obviously enjoy their craft.” —ForeWord Reviews“Made By Hand is gorgeous . . . filled to the brim with beautifully executed diy tutorials from a host of talented artisans.” —Michelle S Blog

    Marketers want to change their customers’ minds and leaders want to change organizations. Start-ups want to change industries and nonprofits want to change the world. But change is hard. Often, we persuade and pressure and push, but nothing moves. Could there be a better way?This book takes a different approach. Successful change agents know it’s not about pushing harder, or providing more information, it’s about being a catalyst. Catalysts remove roadblocks and reduce the barriers to change. Instead of asking, “How could I change someone’s mind?” they ask a different question: “Why haven’t they changed already? What’s stopping them?”The Catalyst identifies the key barriers to change and how to mitigate them. You’ll learn how catalysts change minds in the toughest of situations: how hostage negotiators get people to come out with their hands up and how marketers get new products to catch on, how leaders transform organizational culture and how activists ignite social movements, how substance abuse counselors get addicts to realize they have a problem, and how political canvassers change deeply rooted political beliefs.This book is designed for anyone who wants to catalyze change. It provides a powerful way of thinking and a range of techniques that can lead to extraordinary results. Whether you’re trying to change one person, transform an organization, or shift the way an entire industry does business, this book will teach you how to become a catalyst.

    It is time to emerge from your coma, embrace renewed vitality, and approach life By Design! In this dynamic hands-on guide, world-class success coach and motivational leader Tom Ferry reveals the secrets to achievement at work and at home, and how to create a greater balance between the two. This book will help you conquer the four addictions that are holding you back from living up to your greatest potential: addiction to the opinions of others, addiction to drama, addiction to the past, and addiction to worry. By becoming aware of these addictions, you will be better equipped to respond to uncertain times and to the challenges that crop up in your daily life. Tom Ferry's unique six-step approach to living By Design will help you emerge from complacency into action and accomplishment. Step 1: Explore the Core Seven life assessments--your career, your intimate relationships, your finances, your physical body, your spirituality, your attitude about the world, and your intellectual self--and pinpoint the areas in which you want to improve. Step 2: Make the conscious, deliberate choice to change your life and find fulfillment, no matter the obstacles. Step 3: Create your Life! By Design by declaring what you want for yourself, defining your goals, and devising a concrete plan to make it happen. Step 4: Identify the actions you can take to ensure that you thrive in all areas of your life. Step 5: Visualize your life as you want it to be. This simple but profound exercise is a proven technique that will lock in your vision and will lead you toward achieving your goals. Step 6: Create accountability and structure to break old habits and gain the discipline required to live life to your fullest potential. It's time to draw the line between the past and the present as you face your fears, and go for everything you really want. This is Life! By Design."" And the results will astound you!

    Yet, we also suspect that it takes a little something more—but what? The Art of Doing asks today’s most successful celebrities, businessmen, and iconoclastic achievers, “How do you succeed at what you do?” Illuminating, surprising, and profoundly inspiring, interviewees include: • Zappos’ CEO Tony Hsieh • New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz • Style commentator Simon Doonan • Actor Alec Baldwin • Foodie god David Chang • And many, many more.

    Almost every major company today has made innovation its number one priority. Yet fewer than one in four executives believe their organizations are effective innovators. The pressure to innovate and the price paid for failure keeps rising, while most companies haven't progressed at all. They are still using the same antiquated techniques pioneered decades ago. This is why some of the biggest corporations in the world manage to lose entire markets to startups they've never heard of.In today's world, everyone will need to innovate to stay competitive. It doesn't matter if you're a startup founder, corporate executive, small business owner, freelancer or professional, there's a technology out there that's going to upend your industry. And if you aren't able to harness it to your advantage, someone else will. Innovation is no longer an option--it's the price of admission into the business world.Making Elephants Fly is designed to help you implement the same innovation methodologies and processes as Silicon Valley startups. It will teach you:How startups come up with breakthrough products and services.How to structure innovation teams.The best ways to identify and vet new ideas.What it takes to foster a culture of innovation.How to establish a process of innovation throughout your organization.By the time you've digested this book, you will have the tools needed to take your impossibly big idea and make it fly!

    They bridge the gaps between the individual and the collective, the person and the purpose. The most successful and effective HR professionals see their careers as a calling, and their work, though driven by corporate goals, is graced by a sense of purpose, a profound generosity, and a love for what they do and the constituencies they serve.HR from the Heart is a book for HR practitioners who love their jobs -- or want to. Libby Sartain, one of the country's top human resources executives, reveals how HR professionals create a synergy between business objectives and the needs and wants of employees. This inspiring book is equal parts motivational message and how-to, confessional and career guide. Filled with stories from Sartain's considerable experience, HR from the Heart offers a first-hand perspective on forging relationships, selling HR to the company, taking diversity beyond ""by the book,"" keeping policy in perspective, and more -- all while making the right career moves, staying engaged, and forwarding the strategic goals of the company."

    But below the surface, they share a common approach to finding, nurturing, leading, and even letting go of great people. The way they deal with talent makes them not merely success stories, not merely organization builders, but what Sydney Finkelstein calls superbosses. They’ve all transformed entire industries.

    

    Admired for its clarity and zest, Impro lays bare the techniques and exercises used to foster spontaneity and narrative skill for actors. These techniques and exercises were evolved in the actors' studio, when he was Associate Director of the Royal Court and then in demonstrations to schools and colleges and ultimately in the founding of a company of performers called The Theatre Machine.Divided into four sections, 'Status', 'Spontaneity', 'Narrative Skills' and 'Masks and Trance', arranged more or less in the order a group might approach them, the book sets out the specific approaches which Johnstone has himself found most useful and most stimulating. The result is a fascinating exploration of the nature of spontaneous creativity.

    The book emphasizes that we all contain the ingredients for leadership, though some elements are better developed than others. "Anyone can improve as a leader simply by building the strength of our weakest elements, " author Gerald M. Weinberg writes. "Mr. Universe doesn't have more muscles than I do, just better developed ones."On one level, the book is an extremely down-to-earth, how-to guide. On a second, it is a set of parables, full of analogies that stick in the mind -- the art of management taught through stories about pinball, tinkertoys, and electric blankets. On yet another level, this is a book about the philosophy and psychology of managing technical projects. On every level, the author brings these entertaining and enlightening elements together to teach you the essentials of leadership.You'll learn how to-- master your fear of becoming a leader-- be creative in solving problems-- motivate people while maintaining quality-- gain organizational power-- plan personal change.-- Whether you manage people, are managed by people, or just want to change the way you interact with others, this book is about success. How to plan it, how to make it happen -- Becoming a Technical Leader shows you how to do it!

    Top performers just like you face problems every day. If you know how to deal with conflict well, you can turn it into your biggest opportunity for success.The Coward's Guide to Conflict is your essential conflict handbook, giving you the tools you need to manage conflict and come out on top. Discover:Why you must know how to handle conflict How to recognize conflict before it happens How to bring out the best in difficult people How to build strength by overcoming problems Secrets to impacting and leading others Techniques to guide you past conflictTop performers face conflict head-on and come out on top. You are just a short read away from mastering this essential skill.