Unusually Excellent


John Hamm - 2011
    But many times they've actually lost their grip on the very basic foundation of leadership. The business environment may change, but no management trend can displace the core laws, proven over centuries, of excellent leadership. Unusually Excellent is an essential resource for leaders that brings these fundamentals together in a new and comprehensive way. This book will help leaders at any level keep their focus on the bedrock principles that will make them extraordinary..Thoroughly practical, day-to-day primer for achieving and maintaining their highest level of leadership, for today and for a lifetime The author's Harvard Business Review articles are among the most highly read in the magazine's history Written for all leaders who need to develop and renew their leadership skills Using a sports analogy, the author breaks the work of leaders into three parts: pregame: a matter of character; game day: a matter of competence; and postgame: a matter of consequence.

Be More Pirate: Or How to Take On the World and Win


Sam Conniff - 2018
    Business Book of the Month" Financial Times"A Modern Life Bible" Shortlist MagazineA model for how to break the system and create radical change" The London Evening Standard- - - - Mischief, Purpose, PowerPirates didn’t just break the rules, they rewrote them. They didn't just reject society, they reinvented it. Pirates didn’t just challenge the status-quo, they changed everyf*ckingthing. Facing a self-interested establishment, a broken system, industrial-scale disruption and an uncertain future, pirates rebelled against an unfair world and change it for good. Now, you can follow in their footsteps.Be More Pirate unveils the innovative strategies of Golden Age pirates, drawing parallels between the tactics and teachings of legends like Henry Morgan and Blackbeard with modern rebels, like Elon Musk, Malala and Banksy. With takeaway sections and a Featuring takeaway sections and a guide to build you own pirate code 2.0, Be More Pirate will show you how to leave your mark on the 21st century. Whatever your ambitions, ideas and challenges, Be More Pirate will revolutionize the way you live, think and work today, and tomorrow.[BACK INSIDE COVER PRINT]‘Be More Pirate feels so important as it looks to history to help us grip the future.’ Martha Lane-Fox, do you have a specific bio Martha would like us to use? ‘A refreshing, entertaining and inspiring perspective on work, leadership and why we do what we do ... it’s a call for a more radical rethink of where we’re going wrong, and where we’re going next.’ Bruce Daisley, Host of the Number 1 Business Podcast ‘Eat, Sleep, Work, Repeat’

SmartTribes: How Teams Become Brilliant Together


Christine Comaford - 2013
    And most teams are fully capable of doing so. The problem: we consistently say and do things that spark unconscious fears and keep our people stuck in their Critter State. This primitive fight, flight, or freeze mode distills all decision mak­ing to one question: What will keep me safest?  Lying low, sucking up, procrastinating, and doing a good enough job may keep employees breathing, but it doesn’t make for vital organizations. Leaders have to get their people unstuck and fully engaged, replacing their old, limiting mental patterns with new patterns that foster optimal performance. New York Times bestselling author and applied neuroscience expert Christine Comaford knows what it takes to move people from the Critter State into the Smart State, where they have full access to their own creativity, innovation, higher consciousness, and emotional engagement. When an entire culture maintains that state, it becomes what she calls a SmartTribe. Focused. Accountable. Collaborative. Imbued with the energy and passion to solve problems and do what needs doing, again and again and again. Comaford brings to this book more than thirty years of company-building experience, combined with her expertise in behavioral modification and organizational development. She has helped hun­dreds of leaders navigate rapid growth, maximize performance, resolve internal conflicts, and execute turnarounds with the full support of their people. Now she shares potent yet easy-to-learn neuro­science techniques that will help you do the same. You’ll learn how to move your team forward and reach your next revenue inflection point using the five key Accelerators of the Smart State—focus, clar­ity, accountability, influence, and sustainability. You’ll get better at anticipating and moving through your own stuck spots and those of your people. Using her proven system, Comaford’s clients have already created hundreds of millions of dollars in new value. They’ve seen their revenues and profits increase by up to 210% annually; individuals become up to 50% more productive and 100% more account­able; marketing demand generation grow by up to 237%; new products and services created up to 48% faster; and sales close up to 50% faster. They spot changes in their markets more quickly, then pounce on them to create the future they want. Ultimately, SmartTribes will help you and your team achieve optimal performance and engagement—brilliance—and leave competitors in the dust.

No Ego: How Leaders Can Cut the Cost of Workplace Drama, End Entitlement, and Drive Big Results


Cy Wakeman - 2017
    Those beliefs have inspired expensive attempts to shield employees from change, involve them in high-level decision-making, and keep them happy with endless “satisfaction surveys” and workplace perks. But what these engagement programs actually do, Cy Wakeman says, is inflate expectations and sow unhappiness, leaving employees unprepared to adapt to even minor changes necessary to the organization’s survival. Rather than driving performance and creating efficiencies, these programs fuel entitlement and drama, costing millions in time and profit.It is high time to reinvent leadership thinking. Stop worrying about your employees’ happiness, and start worrying about their accountability. Cy Wakeman teaches you how to hire “emotionally inexpensive” people, solicit only the opinions you need, and promote self-awareness in your whole team. No Ego disposes with unproven HR maxims, and instead offers a complete plan to turn your office from a den of discontent to a happy, productive place.

Succeeding as a Management Consultant


Kris Safarova - 2020
    Readers can view the templates used in consulting studies and how they are used. All the foundational strategy and business analyses tools are taught along with the soft skills and practical tools to solve any business problem. This is the only book of its kind walking the reader step-by-step through a complete consulting study.This book follows an engagement team as they assist a large company in diagnosing and fixing deep and persistent organizational issues over an 8-week assignment. Readers will learn how they successfully navigate a challenging client environment, frame the problem and limit the scope, develop hypotheses, build the analyses and provide the final recommendations.We have placed the explanation of management consulting techniques within a lively and engaging storyline, which allows the reader to truly understand the challenges faced on consulting engagements, connect with the characters, and understand both how and why they debated elements of the study.It is written so that the reader may follow, understand, and replicate a strategic engagement using the same techniques used by the leading firms, such as McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. To make the story realistic and useful, we have worked with one client engagement throughout the book. Using different examples and different clients to explain concepts would have made it difficult for readers to see the data linkages and development of the final recommendations. The client and engagement are fictitious. The data presented are also fictitious, but they are based on actual consulting engagements and the experiences of the author and the contributing McKinsey, BCG, et. al. partners at FIRMSconsulting.com & StrategyTraining.com.

High Performance Habits: How Extraordinary People Become That Way


Brendon Burchard - 2017
    After extensive original research and a decade as the world’s highest-paid performance coach, Brendon Burchard finally reveals the most effective habits for reaching long-term success. Based on one of the largest surveys ever conducted on high performers, it turns out that just six habits move the needle the most in helping you succeed. Adopt these six habits, and you win. Neglect them, and life is a never-ending struggle.  We all want to be high performing in every area of our lives. But how? Which habits can help you achieve long-term success and vibrant well-being no matter your age, career, strengths, or personality? To become a high performer, you must seek clarity, generate energy, raise necessity, increase productivity, develop influence, and demonstrate courage. This book is about the art and science of how to practice these proven habits. If you do adopt any new habits to succeed faster, choose the habits in this book. Anyone can practice these habits and, when they do, extraordinary things happen in their lives, relationships, and careers. Whether you want to get more done, lead others better, develop skill faster, or dramatically increase your sense of joy and confidence, the habits in this book will help you achieve it. Each of the six habits is illustrated by powerful vignettes, cutting-edge science, thought-provoking exercises, and real-world daily practices you can implement right now. HIGH PERFORMANCE HABITS is a science-backed, heart-centered plan to living a better quality of life. Best of all, you can measure your progress. A link to a professional assessment is included in the book for free.

Becoming a Coaching Leader: The Proven Strategy for Building a Team of Champions


Daniel S. Harkavy - 2007
    This book equips you with the skills, disciplines, and knowledge to turn your paycheck-driven teams into vibrant and successful growth cultures. CEO and Head Coach of Building Champions, Daniel Harkavy shows you how to move beyond the theoretical to the very practical how to of coaching. He also presents valuable insight for assessing how fulfilled and on-purpose you are as a leader.

Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change


William Bridges - 2003
    When restructures, mergers, bankruptcies, and layoffs hit the workplace, employees and managers naturally find the resulting situational shifts to be challenging. But the psychological transitions that accompany them are even more stressful. Organizational transitions affect people; it is always people, rather than a company, who have to embrace a new situation and carry out the corresponding change. As veteran business consultant William Bridges explains, transition is successful when employees have a purpose, a plan, and a part to play. This indispensable guide is now updated to reflect the challenges of today's ever-changing, always-on, and globally connected workplaces. Directed at managers on all rungs of the corporate ladder, this expanded edition of the classic bestseller provides practical, step-by-step strategies for minimizing disruptions and navigating uncertain times.

Flux: 8 Superpowers for Thriving in Constant Change


April Rinne - 2021
    How do you find calm in the midst of all this chaos?You need a new mindset, one that treats constant change and uncertainty as a feature, not a bug. Flux helps you develop eight flux superpowers that take conventional ideas and turn them on their heads. They'll enable you to see change in new ways, develop new responses, and ultimately reshape your relationship to change. The eight flux superpowers are:1. Run slower2. See what's invisible3. Get lost4. Start with trust5. Know your enough6. Create your portfolio career7. Be all the more human (and serve other humans)8. Let go of the futureThe world is in constant flux, but we can learn to navigate change gracefully and confidently. Whether you're sizing up your career or reassessing your values, designing a product or building an organization, trying to inspire your colleagues or simply show up more fully in the world, activating your flux superpowers will keep you grounded even when the ground is constantly shifting beneath you.This book will include a discussion guide.

The Extraordinary Coach: How the Best Leaders Help Others Grow


John H. Zenger - 2010
    The authors are among the most seasoned practitioners around . . . and it shows! Whether you are coaching subordinates or clients, you will want to keep this book close at hand--full of detailed guidance." --Jay A. Conger, Kravis Professor of Leadership Studies, Claremont McKenna College, and author of Building Leaders and Learning to Lead"Stinnett and Zenger provide a comprehensive look at the value of coaching inside the organization, complete with a process, tools, and supports for getting started. This book is a great resource and contribution to the field!" --Pam McLean, Ph.D., CEO, Hudson Institute of Santa Barbara"Finally, and I do mean finally, a book has emerged that is the very best guide to the philosophy, competencies, and discipline required to be a coach who makes a true difference in lives of others. This is not a book to read. It is a book to study and live by. Why? Because it is all there: the right questions, the right answers, and the right motives of giving your best to others." --Larry Wilson, CEO, The Wilson Collaborative, and author of Play to Win!"The Extraordinary Coach offers a compelling view of what it means to be a truly effective leader-- one who empowers and grows capability through coaching. It demystifies coaching into an actionable framework that generates immediate change." --Christy Consler, Vice President, Leadership Development and Sustainability, Safeway, Inc."Powerful, thought-provoking, and packed with practical tools, concepts, and ideas you can use immediately. It will change the way you think about coaching, and about yourself." --Lou Kaucic, retired Chief People Officer of Applebee's International, founder of Coaches Collective InternationalAbout the Book: Imagine your workplace filled with curious, creative, committed employees. People who take initiative, who are fearless decision makers, who "own" their work. With the right coaching system in place, this dream will soon become reality.With The Extraordinary Coach, leadership guru Jack Zenger and coaching expert Kathleen Stinnett deliver an entire toolbox for coaching your organization to success. While other such books simply tell you how to coach, The Extraordinary Coach uses companion videos (at www.zengerfolkman.com), worksheets, checklists, sample questions, and the latest research fi ndings to provide a fullimmersion course on becoming the kind of coach who brings dramatic changes to an organization.Applying Zenger and Stinnett's system, you'll see immediate results in your business including:Increased productivityHigh-energy company cultureDynamic supervisor/employee relationshipsCreative problem solvingGreater risk takingHeightened innovationThe authors collected 360-degree feedback assessments from some of the most effective leaders in business today and identified those who were excellent coaches. Then they combined the research with the latest findings from the worlds of psychology, adult development, and systems theory to map out the real science behind effective coaching. The result is a practical, evidence-based coaching system that can be applied in any type of business.When you coach individuals to success, you lead your entire organization to success. This "interactive" package is exactly what you need to master one of today's most critical business leadership skills.

The Pie Life: A Guilt-Free Recipe for Success and Satisfaction


Samantha Ettus - 2016
    Now is the time for you to banish the guilt and start living a life you love! Havingworked withthousands of womenover the past two decades, Harvard MBA and best-selling author Samantha Ettus shares the secrets for how you can sustain a thrivingpersonaland professional life at the same time.Incorporating personal stories from hundreds of women including TV writer and producer Shonda Rhimes, news anchor Gayle King, Wall Street maven Sallie Krawcheck, Barnard College President Debora Spar, entrepreneur Liz Lange and Marie Claire Editor-in-Chief Anne Fulenwider, The Pie Lifewill turn everything you know about work/life balance on its head.Transform your life into one that is more satisfying, rich, and delicious than you ever thought possible and join the thousands of women already living The Pie Life.Samantha Ettus@samanthaettushttp: //www.samanthaettus.com "

Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust & Get Extraordinary Results


Judith E. Glaser - 2013
    It’s not about how smart you are, but how open you are to learn new and effective powerful conversational rituals that prime the brain for trust, partnership, and mutual success. Conversational Intelligence translates the wealth of new insights coming out of neuroscience from across the globe, and brings the science down to earth so people can understand and apply it in their everyday lives. Author Judith Glaser presents a framework for knowing what kind of conversations trigger the lower, more primitive brain; and what activates higher-level intelligences such as trust, integrity, empathy, and good judgment. Conversational Intelligence makes complex scientific material simple to understand and apply through a wealth of easy to use tools, examples, conversational rituals, and practices for all levels of an organization.

The 16-Word Sales Letter™: A proven method of writing multi-million-dollar copy faster than you ever thought possible


Evaldo Albuquerque - 2019
    For years, I've been asking myself: How can a guy whose native language is not even English be one of the best U.S. copywriters in history? Now I have the answer... nicely reduced to a simple, understandable formula. And the best thing is that it’s a usable formula. Anyone seriously interested in copywriting should discover Evaldo's secret.” —Bill Bonner, Founder of Agora. “It’s not often that I come upon a copywriting strategy that feels new to me. And even less frequently do I encounter one that is both new and exciting. Evaldo Albuquerque’s “16 Word Sales Letter™” is such a strategy. I’m going to recommend this as a must-read to all my copywriting proteges.” —Mark Ford, best-selling author and chief growth strategist for Agora. “Evaldo is the world’s greatest copywriter you’ve never heard of. Why haven’t you heard of him? Because while others are selfpromoting ... heck, while they’re eating, sleeping and relaxing... he’s cranking out the next blockbuster. He never stops. He’s a 9-figure sales machine and our business’s secret weapon. This book is your blueprint to how the machine dominates. Read it and put it into action. Your royalty check will thank you.” —Peter Coyne, founder of Paradigm Press, Agora Financial’s largest imprint “I'm recommending this book to everyone in my company, and making it required reading for all new hires. When it comes to books on "writing" I try to read everything new, and no matter how many books I pick up, I rarely find any ideas that are innovative (or even useful), but this book shattered my expectations—I found page after page packed with fresh ideas. It's engaging to read, and very easy to implement the writing techniques. “Evaldo has uncovered a new way to write sales copy that is perfect for today's buyers; I really love this book, and after you turn the first two pages, you'll see exactly why. It’s a must-read primer for anyone who writes sales copy…. Read this book—and learn from one of the best.” —Oren Klaff, best-selling author of Pitch Anything and Flip the Script “Few people know his name. Yet, those at the highest levels of direct response advertising consider Evaldo Albuquerque the Michael Jordan of modern financial copywriting. His new book, The 16 Word Sales Letter™, reveals for the first time the secret to his astonishing success. In split tests, the selling formula Evaldo reveals in his book has won, repeatedly, against ad copy written by the world’s top copywriters. When asked at a recent seminar I gave what are the two best books I’ve ever read on copywriting, my answer was Breakthrough Advertising by Eugene Schwartz and The 16 Word Sales Letter™ by Evaldo Albuquerque.” —Caleb O’Dowd The 16-Word Sales Letter™ is a copy system that has generated over $120 million dollars for Agora Financial in the last two years alone. It’s a simple formula that could help you generate millions in online sales... No matter how competitive your niche is….No matter what kind of product or service you’re selling…And no matter your level of experience. That’s because it can not only help you identify a new big idea for your market, but also help you structure your sales message for maximum emotional impact. And now, for the first time ever, Evaldo Albuquerque is revealing the details of this system in this brand-new book.

Dare to Lead


Brené Brown - 2018
    Now, based on new research conducted with leaders, change makers and culture shifters, she’s showing us how to put those ideas into practice so we can step up and lead. Leadership is not about titles, status and power over people. Leaders are people who hold themselves accountable for recognising the potential in people and ideas, and developing that potential. This is a book for everyone who is ready to choose courage over comfort, make a difference and lead.When we dare to lead, we don't pretend to have the right answers; we stay curious and ask the right questions. We don't see power as finite and hoard it; we know that power becomes infinite when we share it and work to align authority and accountability. We don't avoid difficult conversations and situations; we lean into the vulnerability that’s necessary to do good work.But daring leadership in a culture that's defined by scarcity, fear and uncertainty requires building courage skills, which are uniquely human. The irony is that we're choosing not to invest in developing the hearts and minds of leaders at the same time we're scrambling to figure out what we have to offer that machines can't do better and faster. What can we do better? Empathy, connection and courage to start.Brené Brown spent the past two decades researching the emotions that give meaning to our lives. Over the past seven years, she found that leaders in organisations ranging from small entrepreneurial start-ups and family-owned businesses to non-profits, civic organisations and Fortune 50 companies, are asking the same questions:How do you cultivate braver, more daring leaders? And, how do you embed the value of courage in your culture?Dare to Lead answers these questions and gives us actionable strategies and real examples from her new research-based, courage-building programme.Brené writes, ‘One of the most important findings of my career is that courage can be taught, developed and measured. Courage is a collection of four skill sets supported by twenty-eight behaviours. All it requires is a commitment to doing bold work, having tough conversations and showing up with our whole hearts. Easy? No. Choosing courage over comfort is not easy. Worth it? Always. We want to be brave with our lives and work. It's why we're here.’

Working Backwards: Insights, Stories, and Secrets from Inside Amazon


Colin Bryar - 2021
    In Working Backwards, these two long-serving Amazon executives reveal and codify the principles and practices that drive the success of one of the most extraordinary companies the world has ever known. With twenty-seven years of Amazon experience between them, much of it in the early aughts—a period of unmatched innovation that brought products and services including Kindle, Amazon Prime, Amazon Studios, and Amazon Web Services to life—Bryar and Carr offer unprecedented access to the Amazon way as it was refined, articulated, and proven to be repeatable, scalable, and adaptable.With keen analysis and practical steps for applying it at your own company—no matter the size—the authors illuminate how Amazon’s fourteen leadership principles inform decision-making at all levels and reveal how the company’s culture has been defined by four characteristics: customer obsession, long-term thinking, eagerness to invent, and operational excellence. Bryar and Carr explain the set of ground-level practices that ensure these are translated into action and flow through all aspects of the business.Working Backwards is a practical guidebook and a corporate narrative, filled with the authors’ in-the-room recollections of what “Being Amazonian” is like and how it has affected their personal and professional lives. They demonstrate that success on Amazon’s scale is not achieved by the genius of any single leader, but rather through commitment to and execution of a set of well-defined, rigorously-executed principles and practices—shared here for the very first time. A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press