City infrastructure was crumbling, strong financial policies and systems were nonexistent, many executive positions were vacant, public satisfaction was low, ethical standards were weak, and public safety union salaries and benefits were outpacing revenues, crowding out other essential city services. Simply put: San Antonio was on the verge of collapse.Greedy Bastards tells the story of Sheryl and her new team's uphill battle to turn around San Antonio city government. She takes you behind closed doors to share the hard changes she made and the strategies she used to create mutually beneficial solutions to the city's biggest problems.Many of the issues Sheryl found in San Antonio are present in cities across the US. Packed with wins and losses, lessons learned, and pitfalls encountered, Greedy Bastards is a guidebook for any city official tasked with turning around a struggling city.

    But most of us don’t really think we can have the kind of magnetism or charisma that we associate with someone like Bill Clinton or Oprah Winfrey unless it comes naturally.   Now, in Compelling People, which is already being taught at Harvard and Columbia Business Schools, John Neffinger and Matthew Kohut show that this isn’t something we have to be born with—it’s something we can learn. Expanding on the themes in their co-authored Harvard Business Review cover story “Connect, Then Lead,” they trace the path to influence through a balance of strength (the root of respect) and warmth (the root of affection). Each seems simple, but only a few of us figure out the tricky task of projecting both at once. The ability to master this dynamic is so rare that we celebrate and elevate those people who have managed to do it.  Drawing on cutting-edge social science research as well as their own work with Fortune 500 executives, members of Congress, TED speakers, and Nobel Prize winners, Neffinger and Kohut reveal:  The common thread connecting Machiavelli and Martin Luther King The secret technique behind the success of Bill Clinton, Ann Richards and Denzel Washington—one that you can use today How looks affect our career prospects The single best strategy for getting someone to agree with you Compelling People explains how we size each other up—and how we can learn to win the admiration, respect, and affection we desire.

    marshal. On the way to Cypress Creek, Texas to meet her intended, Louise Settelmeyer is in for a shock when her stagecoach is attacked by bandits. When the robbery is stopped by men from the U.S. Marshals Service, Louise has no choice but to rely on the escort of a cocky and childish deputy marshal, Andy Fulton. Upon reaching town, Louise is in for yet another shock when she discovers that her intended was none other than the man robbing her stagecoach. Deputy U.S. Marshal Andy Fulton can’t leave the beautiful woman he rescued at the stagecoach station without provision. He’s a man of integrity and, therefore, must do something to help—even if the woman won’t laugh at his jokes and insists she’s got everything under control. Unfortunately, he’s seen firsthand what happens to a woman on her own in the West and decides to intervene on Louise’s behalf, helping her obtain a position at the local hotel. Things seem to be going fine until Louise becomes a target for criminals in town and finds herself in need of rescue more than once. The dangers don’t stop there, as Louise realizes that seeing her handsome rescuer every day is putting her heart in danger of growing more attached than she’d like. Will Andy be able to rescue Louise, yet again—and learn to risk his heart in the process? And will they uncover the truth behind why outlaws are tracking Louise down? Only time, a little good humor, and a dollop of boldness will tell. . . Author’s Note: An Unexpected Treasure, Marrying a Marshal Book One is a PG-rated Western Romance short story of about seventy-five pages with plenty of Old West action and romance. There will be three more stories to follow this one, each of about 150 pages long, so if you like this one, and I’m sure you will, there’ll be some longer books to follow! This is also part of the Hero Hearts series which is a larger multi-author series about men who love, honor, and protect their families, all while having faith in God! Brought to you by Annie Boone, Kate Cambridge, Terri Grace, Misty Shae, Cat McGill, Hayley Wescott, and Natalie Dean! Enjoy!

    Now he struggles to raise his three sons alone and run the financial empire founded by his outlandish father. One night, a mysterious stranger appears to be watching his home. The next day, $100,000 is missing from his bank account. As David untangles the knot of lies, deception and intrigue surrounding his wife's death, he threatens to shatter his close-knit family forever.

    A successful realtor with a special hobby. He follows a specific set of rules to aid in his serial killing hobby. If you ever buy or sell a house, beware of who might have a spare key to your home. Each chapter in this book demonstrates how Sly applies his 'rules' to his special hobby of killing people that he deems unworthy. The 'rules' are in place to keep his identity a secret. But when a member of a policeman's family goes missing, Sly's rules don't protect him as much as he thought they would. WARNING 18+. This book is full of blood and gore. Not for the faint of heart. Proceed with caution. If you don't like extreme horror, then this book is not for you.

    'Diver' is an honest, moving and sometimes hilarious account of a hair-raisingly exciting career, both in the Royal Navy and in commercial deep-sea diving-training.

    Searchers find no signs of life. Three missing, all presumed dead. Three families begin the difficult process of grieving. But one of the missing is alive. Alone, injured, and terrified, she struggles to survive, hoping against all odds that someone will find her … before time runs out. Emotionally charged and engrossing, Rockfall is a novel that plumbs the depths of tragedy and celebrates the resiliency of the human spirit.

    Phil M. Jones has trained more than two million people across five continents and over fifty countries in the lost art of spoken communication. In Exactly What to Say, he delivers the tactics you need to get more of what you want.Best-selling author and multiple award-winner Phil M. Jones is highly regarded as one of the world's leading sales trainers.

    "The Boston Consulting Group on Strategy" offers a broad and up-to-date selection of the firm's best ideas on strategy with fresh ideas, insights, and practical lessons for managers, executives, and entrepreneurs in every industry. Here's a sampling of the provocative thinking you'll find inside:"You have to be the scientist of your own life and be astonished four times: at what is, what always has been, what once was, and what could be.""The majority of products in most companies are cash traps . . . .[They] are not only worthless, but a perpetual drain on corporate resources.""Use more debt than your competition or get out of the business.""When information flows freely, reputation, more than reciprocity, becomes the basis for trust.""As a strategic weapon, time is the equivalent of money, productivity, quality, even innovation.""When brands become business systems, brand management becomes far too important to leave to the marketing department.""The winning organization of the future will look more like a collection ofjazz ensembles than a symphony orchestra.""Most of our organizations today derive from a model whose original purpose was to control creativity.""Rather than being an obstacle, uncertainty is the very engine of transformation in a business, a continuous source of new opportunities.""IP assets lack clear property lines. Every bit of intellectual property you can own comes with connections to other valuable innovations."

    Just Listen does this by providing simple but powerful techniques readers can use to really get through to people. You’ll learn how to: make a powerful and positive first impression; listen effectively; make even a total stranger (potential client) feel understood; talk an angry or aggressive person away from an instinctual, unproductive reaction and toward a more rational mindset; and achieve buy-in--the linchpin of all persuasion, negotiation, and sales. Whether they're coworkers, friends, strangers, or enemies, the first make-or-break step in persuading anyone to do anything is getting them to hear you out. With this groundbreaking book, readers will be able to master the fine but critical art of effective communication.

    Using a simple step-by-step approach, the book is the perfect introduction to project management tools, techniques, and concepts. Readers will learn how to: - Develop a mission statement, vision, goals, and objectives - Plan the project - Create the work breakdown structure - Produce a workable schedule - Understand earned value analysis - Manage a project team - Control and evaluate progress at every stage. Fully updated based on the latest version of the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK(R)), the fourth edition contains new information and expanded coverage on the project risk plan; the change control process; the concept of the project manager as leader; and more. This up-to-the-minute guide is filled with tips and techniques for planning and executing projects on time, on budget, and with maximum efficiency.

    But when he took the helm in 2004, America was losing that war badly: despite vastly inferior resources and technology, Al Qaeda was outmaneuvering America’s most elite warriors. McChrystal came to realize that today’s faster, more interdependent world had overwhelmed the conventional, top-down hierarchy of the US military. Al Qaeda had seen the future: a decentralized network that could move quickly and strike ruthlessly. To defeat such an enemy, JSOC would have to discard a century of management wisdom, and pivot from a pursuit of mechanical efficiency to organic adaptability. Under McChrystal’s leadership, JSOC remade itself, in the midst of a grueling war, into something entirely new: a network that combined robust centralized communication with decentralized managerial authority. As a result, they beat back Al Qaeda. In this book, McChrystal shows not only how the military made that transition, but also how similar shifts are possible in all organizations, from large companies to startups to charities to governments. In a turbulent world, the best organizations think and act like a team of teams, embracing small groups that combine the freedom to experiment with a relentless drive to share what they’ve learned. Drawing on a wealth of evidence from his military career, the private sector, and sources as diverse as hospital emergency rooms and NASA’s space program, McChrystal frames the existential challenge facing today’s organizations, and presents a compelling, effective solution.

    From creating brand value to fine-tuning customer service, the folks running cartels have been attentive students of the strategy and tactics used by corporations such as Walmart, McDonald's, and Coca-Cola.     And what can government learn to combat this scourge? By analyzing the cartels as companies, law enforcers might better understand how they work—and stop throwing away 100 billion a year in a futile effort to win the “war” against this global, highly organized business.     Your intrepid guide to the most exotic and brutal industry on earth is Tom Wainwright. Picking his way through Andean cocaine fields, Central American prisons, Colorado pot shops, and the online drug dens of the Dark Web, Wainwright provides a fresh, innovative look into the drug trade and its 250 million customers.     The cast of characters includes “Bin Laden,” the Bolivian coca guide; “Old Lin,” the Salvadoran gang leader; “Starboy,” the millionaire New Zealand pill maker; and a cozy Mexican grandmother who cooks blueberry pancakes while plotting murder. Along with presidents, cops, and teenage hitmen, they explain such matters as the business purpose for head-to-toe tattoos, how gangs decide whether to compete or collude, and why cartels care a surprising amount about corporate social responsibility.More than just an investigation of how drug cartels do business, Narconomics is also a blueprint for how to defeat them.

    Focusing on the role of managers within an organization, the volume emphasizes the development of computer-based Information Systems to support an organization's objectives and strategic plans. Focusing on the Systems Concepts, the Systems Approach is implemented throughout the text. The volume covers essential concepts such as using information technology to engage in electronic commerce, and information resources such as database management systems, information security, ethical implications of information technology and decision support systems with projects to challenge users at all levels of competence. For those involved in Management Information Systems.

    But moats are fleeting; they are here today and gone tomorrow. The more important question is, who builds and maintains moats? Intelligent fanatics do. These leaders build high-performance organizations that can dominate for decades. Intelligent Fanatics Project looks at the stories of eight intelligent fanatics who built dominant and enduring businesses. A $1,000 investment with each of these intelligent fanatics would, on average, have been worth $3.4 million thirty-seven years later—a 24.6% compounded annual return. They operated in a wide array of industries, in different time periods, on different continents, and against different economic backdrops, yet their leadership styles, strategies, corporate cultures, and values were similar. Intelligent fanatics are what every entrepreneur aspires to be and what every long-term investor dreams of finding and investing in early. Sean Iddings and Ian Cassel examine the common traits of these intelligent fanatics, to help both the investor and the entrepreneur generate extraordinary returns.