Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference


Quint Studer - 2003
    This book teaches the reader how to apply specific prescriptive tools and practices to create and sustain a world-class organisation.

Global Brand Power


Barbara E. Kahn - 2013
    A brand must be elastic enough to allow for reasonable category and product-line extensions, flexible enough to change with dynamic market conditions, consistent enough so that consumers who travel physically or virtually won’t be confused, and focused enough to provide clear differentiation from the competition. Strong brands are more than globally recognizable; they are critical assets that can make a significant contribution to your company’s bottom line.In Global Brand Power, Kahn brings brand management into the 21st century, addressing how branding contributes to the purchase process and how to position a strong global brand, from identifying the appropriate competitive set, offering a sustainable differential advantage, and targeting the right strategic segment. This essential guide also covers how customer ownership of your brand affects marketing strategy, methods for assessing brand value, how to manage a brand for long-term profitability, effective brand communications and repositioning strategies, and how to manage a brand in a world of total transparency—where one slip-up can go around the world via social media instantaneously.Filled with stories about how Coca-Cola, The Estée Lauder Companies Inc., Marriott, Apple, Starbucks, Campbell Soup Company, Southwest Airlines, and celebrities like Lady Gaga are leveraging their brands, Global Brand Power is the only book you will need to implement an effective brand strategy for your firm.

Good Authority: How to Become the Leader Your Team Is Waiting for


Jonathan Raymond - 2016
    Good Authority is a modern classic, and it will redefine what it means to be the boss." -- Seth Godin, Author, LinchpinImagine a world where personal and professional growth are one thing, where improving your relationships and owning your strengths at work translate directly into the rest of your life.Creating a company culture like that is not a dream. Through personal stories and real-life conversations, Jonathan takes you into the room with managers and employees where real culture change happens, and shows you a new kind of employee mentoring where each person gets the real-time feedback, support, and clear boundaries we all need to get beyond the patterns that hold us back.In this provocative and timely new book, Jonathan brings together what he has learned over a twenty-year journey as an executive, entrepreneur, team leader and leadership trainer.Combining his experience as the CEO and CBO of EMyth where he led the transformation of a global coaching brand with the lessons learned along his own personal growth journey, Jonathan walks us through a step-by-step approach that integrates the leading edges of both. You'll discover a way to lead your team that is both profoundly human and results-oriented at the same time.Whether you re a CEO or business owner, executive, team leader, consultant, or coach, Good Authority will give you new ideas and inspiration you can put into practice. Most importantly, it will give you permission to be more of who you are at work than you ever thought possible.

The Maxwell Leadership Bible: Lessons in Leadership from the Word of God - New King James Version


John C. Maxwell - 2002
    "The Maxwell Leadership Bible" shows us what God's Word has to say to people of all kinds about leaders and leadership. It's a Bible resource that explains book by book what a godly leader is, what leadership means, what empowering others is about, and how God is glorified when we're all involved in His leadership plan for us.Articles about the 21 Laws of Leadership in Scripture show us how these Laws are seen in the lives of Bible people. There are also articles about how the 21 Qualities of a Leader are shown in Scripture-in the cases of both those who got it right and those who got it wrong-and how people learned from their failures and became better leaders through God's redemptive process of education by experience.Executive Editor John C. Maxwell has assembled biblical teaching to equip and encourage leaders and those who serve with them, to meet 21st-century challenges by using the time-tested and irrefutable principles of leadership that God has shown us in the Bible.

Viral Loop


Adam L. Penenberg - 2009
    Simply by designing your product the right way, you can build a flourishing business from scratch. No advertising or marketing budget, no need for a sales force, and venture capitalists will flock to throw money at you. Many of the most successful Web 2.0 companies, including MySpace, YouTube, eBay, and rising stars like Twitter and Flickr, are prime examples of what journalist Adam L. Penenberg calls a "viral loop"--to use it, you have to spread it. After all, what's the sense of being on Facebook if none of your friends are? The result: Never before has there been the potential to create wealth this fast, on this scale, and starting with so little. In this game-changing must-read, Penenberg tells the fascinating story of the entrepreneurs who first harnessed the unprecedented potential of viral loops to create the successful online businesses--some worth billions of dollars--that we have all grown to rely on. The trick is that they created something people really want, so much so that their customers happily spread the word about their product for them. All kinds of businesses--from the smallest start-ups to nonprofit organizations to the biggest multinational corporations--can use the paradigm-busting power of viral loops to enable their business through technology. Viral Loop is a must-read for any entrepreneur or business interested in uncorking viral loops to benefit their bottom line.

Do More Better: A Practical Guide to Productivity


Tim Challies - 2015
    Do more good. Better. I am no productivity guru. I am a writer, a church leader, a husband, and a father—a Christian with a lot of responsibilities and with new tasks coming at me all the time. I wrote this short, fast-paced, practical guide to productivity to share what I have learned about getting things done in today’s digital world. Whether you are a student or a professional, a work-from-home dad or a stay-at-home mom, it will help you learn to structure your life to do the most good to the glory of God. In Do More Better, you will learn: * Common obstacles to productivity * The great purpose behind productivity * 3 essential tools for getting things done * The power of daily and weekly routines * And much more, including bonus material on taming your email and embracing the inevitable messiness of productivity. It really is possible to live a calm and orderly life, sure of your responsibilities and confident in your progress. You can do more better. And I would love to help you get there.

Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything


Don Tapscott - 2006
     Today, encyclopedias, jetliners, operating systems, mutual funds, and many other items are being created by teams numbering in the thousands or even millions. While some leaders fear the heaving growth of these massive online communities, Wikinomics proves this fear is folly. Smart firms can harness collective capability and genius to spur innovation, growth, and success. A brilliant guide to one of the most profound changes of our time, Wikinomics challenges our most deeply-rooted assumptions about business and will prove indispensable to anyone who wants to understand competitiveness in the twenty-first century. Based on a $9 million research project led by bestselling author Don Tapscott, Wikinomics shows how masses of people can participate in the economy like never before. They are creating TV news stories, sequencing the human genome, remixing their favorite music, designing software, finding a cure for disease, editing school texts, inventing new cosmetics, or even building motorcycles. You'll read about: • Rob McEwen, the Goldcorp, Inc. CEO who used open source tactics and an online competition to save his company and breathe new life into an old-fashioned industry. • Flickr, Second Life, YouTube, and other thriving online communities that transcend social networking to pioneer a new form of collaborative production. • Mature companies like Procter & Gamble that cultivate nimble, trust-based relationships with external collaborators to form vibrant business ecosystems. An important look into the future, Wikinomics will be your road map for doing business in the twenty-first century.

Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur


Pamela Slim - 2009
    There's a better opportunity waiting out there, and escaping from cubicle nation is easier than you think. Pamela Slim spent a decade traveling all over the country as a self-employed trainer for large corporations. She was surprised to find that many of the most successful employees at these companies harbored secret dreams of breaking out to start their own business. They would pull her aside after a meeting and whisper, "I would love to work for myself, but have no idea how to get started. How did you do it?" So Pamela started a blog-Escape from Cubicle Nation-to share her experience and advice. Soon, questions and stories poured in from corporate prisoners around the world. As her blog gained popularity, she also interviewed some of the brightest experts in entrepreneurship on topics from finance to branding to marketing via social networks. This book includes Pamela's very best material, based on thousands of conversations and reader submissions. It provides everything you'll need to consider before making a major change-not just the nuts and bolts of starting a business, but a full discussion of the emotional issues involved. Pamela knows firsthand that leaving corporate life can be very scary, especially if you have a family and other obligations. Fears and self-defeating thoughts often hold people back from pursuing an extremely gratifying solo career. Get ready to learn your real options, make an informed decision, and maybe, just maybe, escape from cubicle nation.

The Brand You 50 (Reinventing Work): Fifty Ways to Transform Yourself from an "Employee" into a Brand That Shouts Distinction, Commitment, and Passion!


Tom Peters - 1900
    In times past you could be obscure yet secure -- now that's much harder."Again: the white collar job as now configured is doomed. Soon. ("Downsizing" in the nineties will look like small change.) So what's the trick? There's only one: distinction. Or as we call it, turning yourself into a brand . . . Brand You. A brand is nothing more than a sign of distinction. Right? Nike. Starbucks. Martha Stewart. The point (again): that's not the way we've thought about white collar workers--ourselves--over the past century. The "bureaucrat" on the finance staff is de facto faceless, plugging away, passing papers. But now, in our view, she is born again, transformed from bureaucrat to the new star. She works in a professional service firm and works on projects that she'll be able to brag about years from now.I call her/him the New American Professional, CEO of Me Inc. (even if Me Inc. is currently on someone's payroll) and, of course, of Brand You.Step #1 in the model was the organization . . .a department turned into PSF 1.0.  Step #2 is the individual . . .reborn as Brand You.In 50 essential points, Tom Peters shows how to be committed to your craft, choose the right projects, how to improve networking, why you need to think fun is cool, and why it's important to piss some people off. He will enable you to turn yourself into an important and distinctive commodity. In short, he will show you how to turn yourself into . . . Brand You.See also the other 50List titles in the Reinventing Work series by Tom Peters -- The Project50 and The Professional Service Firm50 -- for additional information on how to make an impact in the professional world.

In Search Of Excellence: Lessons from America's Best-Run Companies


Thomas J. Peters - 1982
    The "Greatest Business Book of All Time" (Bloomsbury UK), In Search of Excellence has long been a must-have for the boardroom, business school, and bedside table.Based on a study of forty-three of America's best-run companies from a diverse array of business sectors, In Search of Excellence describes eight basic principles of management -- action-stimulating, people-oriented, profit-maximizing practices -- that made these organizations successful.This phenomenal bestseller features a new Authors' Note, and reintroduces these vital principles in an accessible and practical way for today's management reader.

The Connected Company


Dave Gray - 2012
    When your customers are delighted, they can amplify your message in ways that were never before possible. But when your company’s performance runs short of what you’ve promised, customers can seize control of your brand message, spreading their disappointment and frustration faster than you can keep up.To keep pace with today’s connected customers, your company must become a connected company. That means deeply engaging with workers, partners, and customers, changing how work is done, how you measure success, and how performance is rewarded. It requires a new way of thinking about your company: less like a machine to be controlled, and more like a complex, dynamic system that can learn and adapt over time.Connected companies have the advantage, because they learn and move faster than their competitors. While others work in isolation, they link into rich networks of possibility and expand their influence.Connected companies around the world are aggressively acquiring customers and disrupting the competition. In The Connected Company, we examine what they’re doing, how they’re doing it, and why it works. And we show you how your company can use the same principles to adapt—and thrive—in today’s ever-changing global marketplace.

Power Questions - Build Relationships, Win New Business and Influence Others


Andrew C. Sobel - 2012
    Make an immediate connection with anyone. Rapidly determine if a client is ready to buy. Access the deepest dreams of others. Power Questions sets out a series of strategic questions that will help you win new business and dramatically deepen your professional and personal relationships. The book showcases thirty-five riveting, real conversations with CEOs, billionaires, clients, colleagues, and friends. Each story illustrates the extraordinary power and impact of a thought-provoking, incisive power question. To help readers navigate a variety of professional challenges, over 200 additional, thought-provoking questions are also summarized at the end of the book.In Power Questions you'll discover:The question that stopped an angry executive in his tracks The sales question CEOs expect you to ask versus the questions they want you to ask The question that will radically refocus any meeting The penetrating question that can transform a friend or colleague's life A simple question that helped restore a marriage When you use power questions, you magnify your professional and personal influence, create intimate connections with others, and drive to the true heart of the issue every time.

Ownership Thinking: How to End Entitlement and Create a Culture of Accountability, Purpose, and Profit


Brad Hams - 2011
    It's infecting the very roots of business performance, and it's spreading fast. It isn't the recession, market volatility, scandal, or greed. It's entitlement.And it may be killing your business. In myriad ways, entitlement has been cultivated for decades. As a result, too many employees today believe that they are entitled to a paycheck simply because they show up. Brad Hams has proven that we are not doomed to a path of entitlement and dependence. After more than 15 years working with hundreds of companies, he knows that the vast majority of employees addicted to entitlement actually want to engage, want to contribute, and feel much better about themselves when they are in an environment that requires them to do so.Now, with Ownership Thinking, Hams shares his strategy that will increase your company's productivity, employee retention, and profitability:The Right Education: Teach employees the fundamentals of business and finance, how their company makes money, and how they add--or take away--value.The Right Measures: Identify the organization's Key Performance Indicators and teach employees to forecast results in an environment of high visibility and accountability.The Right Incentives: Create incentive plans that are self-funding and clearly align employees' behavior to the organization's business and financial objectives.Your employees will learn to think and act like owners and will become active participants in the financial performance of the business. They will gain the self-esteem that is only possible through achievement and will reap rewards that are in alignment with the success of their organization. Meanwhile, you will enjoy your role more, sleep better at night, and leave a legacy that is far more inspiring and significant than you dreamed possible.Praise for Ownership Thinking"You would have to read a dozen other books to even come close to Ownership Thinking--a systematic and practical process for getting your employees to give that extra effort and brain power we know they possess."--Verne Harnish, CEO, Gazelles; author, Mastering the Rockefeller Habits"Brad Hams tells it like it truly is: transparency creates trust; trust creates engagement; engagement creates a healthy enterprise. This thoughtful and practical book shows you how to achieve all of these things and more."--Chip Conley, founder and executive chair, Joie de Vivre; author, Peak"Comprehensive and marvelously clear, Ownership Thinking's techniques for creating change are focused, direct, and motivating. This is a wise book, unusually useful, and I recommend it most highly."--Judith M. Bardwick, Ph.D., author, Danger in the Comfort Zone and The Psychological Recession"Brad Hams is one of the most persuasive and creative thinkers I know. His book is a specific guide you can (and should) implement now."--Corey Rosen, founder, National Center for Employee Ownership"Hams is masterful at outlining the engagement practices that inspire people to care and to be deeply vested in business results."--Jim Haudan, CEO, Root Learning; author, The Art of Engagement"Hams' book is like a candid conversation with a wise friend. . . . A 'must read' for any business leader wanting to create a culture of ownership."--Dean Schroeder, author, Ideas Are Free

11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era


Nilofer Merchant - 2012
    But it's also the subject of seemingly endless hype. Yes, social tools allow us to do things entirely differently--but how do you really capitalize on that? In "11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era," the newest in Harvard Business Review's line of digital books (HBR Singles), social strategist and insightful blogger Nilofer Merchant argues that "social" is much more than "media." Smart companies are letting social become the backbone of their business models, increasing their speed and flexibility by pursuing openness and fluidity. These organizations don't operate like the powerful "800-pound gorillas" of yesteryear--but instead act more like a herd of 800 gazelles, moving together across a savannah, outrunning the competition. This ebook offers new rules for creating value, leading, and innovating in our rapidly changing world. These social era rules are both provocative and grounded in reality--they cover thorny challenges like forsaking hierarchy and control for collaboration; getting the most out of all talent; allowing your customers to become co-creators in your organization; inspiring employees through purpose in a world where money alone no longer wields that power; and soliciting community investment in an idea so that it can take hold and grow. The strategies of the Industrial Era--or even the Information Age--will not be enough for the Social Era. Read "11 Rules for Creating Value in the Social Era" to get ready to meet the challenges of this new age and thrive.

Great at Work: How Top Performers Do Less, Work Better, and Achieve More


Morten T. Hansen - 2018
    Now, after a unique, five-year study of more than 5,000 managers and employees, Morten Hansen reveals the answers in his “Seven Work Smarter Practices” that can be applied by anyone looking to maximize their time and performance.Each of Hansen’s seven practices is highlighted by inspiring stories from individuals in his comprehensive study. You’ll meet a high school principal who engineered a dramatic turnaround of his failing high school; a rural Indian farmer determined to establish a better way of life for women in his village; and a sushi chef, whose simple preparation has led to his restaurant (tucked away under a Tokyo subway station underpass) being awarded the maximum of three Michelin stars. Hansen also explains how the way Alfred Hitchcock filmed Psycho and the 1911 race to become the first explorer to reach the South Pole both illustrate the use of his seven practices (even before they were identified).Each chapter contains questions and key insights to allow you to assess your own performance and figure out your work strengths, as well as your weaknesses. Once you understand your individual style, there are mini-quizzes, questionnaires, and clear tips to assist you focus on a strategy to become a more productive worker. Extensive, accessible, and friendly, Great at Work will help you achieve more by working less, backed by unprecedented statistical analysis.