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

    In his latest book, he draws on what he learned from his own ten-year journey as well as from coaching thousands of others to walk you through the seven stages to discovering and doing meaningful work. Relevant to any job or industry, you’ll learn step-by-step how to:1. Get Clear on the work you were uniquely made to do and why.2. Get Qualified to do the work you were created for.3. Get Connected with the right people who can open the doors to your dream.4. Get Started by overcoming the emotions and mistakes that often hold people back.5. Get Promoted by developing winning habits and traits.6. Get Your Dream Job by doing work you love and accomplishing results that matter to you.7. Give Yourself Away by expanding the dream to leave a legacy.This is your moment. You are needed, and you were made to contribute. It’s time to exit the daily grind and use your talents to start living your dream once and for all.

    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.

    Employees are too busy, too overloaded with constant information, and too focused on analytical left brain thinking to allow for diffuse thinking, which is usually when creativity can flow uninterrupted and where the best ideas emerge.Author Chris Lewis promotes a model that re-balances left and right brain thinking, takes a holistic approach to the process of thoughts (including emotional thinking and wellbeing), and promotes eight traits that are inherently linked to creation and innovation. Supported by the latest research he teaches how to retrain the brain into allowing creative ideas to emerge, before being shut down by constant interruptions and self-doubts.

    But how did an obscure Soviet programmer, working on frail, antiquated computers, create a product which has now earned nearly 1 billion in sales? How did a makeshift game turn into a worldwide sensation, which has been displayed at the Museum of Modern Art, inspired a big-budget sci-fi movie, and been played in outer space? A quiet but brilliant young man, Alexey Pajitnov had long nurtured a love for the obscure puzzle game pentominoes, and became obsessed with turning it into a computer game. Little did he know that the project that he labored on alone, hour after hour, would soon become the most addictive game ever made. In this fast-paced business story, reporter Dan Ackerman reveals how Tetris became one of the world's first viral hits, passed from player to player, eventually breaking through the Iron Curtain into the West. British, American, and Japanese moguls waged a bitter fight over the rights, sending their fixers racing around the globe to secure backroom deals, while a secretive Soviet organization named ELORG chased down the game's growing global profits.The Tetris Effect is an homage to both creator and creation, and a must-read for anyone who's ever played the game-which is to say everyone.

    You've landed the job. Now you want to make a good impression, express yourself, excel. Unsure of how to proceed? Aspire to a class greater than the one you were born to? Time to put aside your objections to blatant cries for help. In "How to Be Useful", Megan Hustad dismantles the myths of getting ahead and helps you navigate the choppy waters of office life. Drawing on the experiences of twenty- and thirtysomethings (herself included) as well as fictional strivers from "The House of Mirth", "The Apprentice", and everywhere in between, she shows us where things tend to go wrong in our pursuit of the great american dream. Then she culls the best advice from a century's worth of success literature (the books you'd be too embarrassed to read yourself) to show how work and even the idea of professional climbing can be artfully reimagined. The result is both surprising and provocative. There's Andrew Carnegie on why just being yourself on the job is a terrible idea; Emily Post on the importance of asking questions; Napoleon Hill on why its okay to use people (and how to do it properly); Helen Gurley Brown on thriving in the midst of corporate dysfunction; and Stephen Covey on why you shouldn't always stand up for yourself. Proving once and for all that working hard and being smart arent nearly enough to get ahead these days, Hustad provides dozens of solutions for corporate indignities that have stood the test of time. Humorous yet wise, ironic yet indispensable, "How to Be Useful" overturns everything you thought you knew about moving up in the world.

    A lack of proper validation kills more businesses than anything else. As Joel Barker says, “Speed is only useful if you’re running in the right direction.” Will It Fly? will help you make sure you are clear for takeoff. It answers questions like: - Does your business idea have merit? - Will it succeed in the market you’re trying to serve, or will it just be a waste of time and resources? - Is it a good idea for you? In other words, will it fly?Chock-full of practical suggestions you can apply to your business idea today, Will It Fly? combines action-based exercises and real-world case studies with anecdotes from the author’s personal experience of making money online, hosting successful podcasts, testing niche sites, and launching several online businesses.Will It Fly? will challenge you to think critically, act deliberately, and dare greatly. You can think of the book as your business flight manual, something you can refer to for honest and straight-forward advice as you begin to test your idea and build a business that takes off and soars.In five parts, Will It Fly? will guide you through the validation of your next business idea:- Part one, Mission Design, helps you make sure your target idea aligns with and supports your goals. - Part two, Development Lab, walks you through uncovering important details about your idea that you haven't even thought about. - Part three, Flight Planning, is all about assessing current market conditions. - Part four, Flight Simulator, focuses on the actual validating and testing of an idea with a small segment of a target market. - Finally, Part five, All Systems Go, is for final analysis to help you make sure your idea is one you are ready to move forward with.

    Now Srinivas Rao explains the power of "unmistakable"--creating work that no one can replicate, thereby eliminating your competition. After getting rejected from many business schools and fired from several sales jobs, Srinivas Rao decided to stop doing what he thought he was supposed to do and start working in a way that felt honest. He launched the Unmistakable Creative Podcast to interview some of the greatest minds in business--including Seth Godin, Simon Sinek, Pam Slim, Elle Luna, and Ryan Holiday--finding a surprisingly big audience. This book distills the lessons, anecdotes, and insights of the 500+ people he has interviewed. Unmistakable art needs no signature. As soon as it's in front of you, you know exactly who created it, like Banksy's street art or Tim Burton's films. Whether you're a business owner, artist, or anything in between, when your work is unmistakable, your competition becomes irrelevant. They can't copy you.  The key to being unmistakable is to stop trying to be the best--because that would mean you're sticking to plans and rules that have already been set for you, choosing what's safe and reliable. Rao argues that your most meaningful, impactful, and joyful work exists outside the "being the best" mindset, if you can strip away the expectations and pressure that you've internalized--to lead you to be the only.

    These people are celebrities now. What was it like when they were just a couple friends with an idea? Founders like Steve Wozniak (Apple), Caterina Fake (Flickr), Mitch Kapor (Lotus), Max Levchin (PayPal), and Sabeer Bhatia (Hotmail) tell you in their own words about their surprising and often very funny discoveries as they learned how to build a company.Where did they get the ideas that made them rich? How did they convince investors to back them? What went wrong, and how did they recover?Nearly all technical people have thought of one day starting or working for a startup. For them, this book is the closest you can come to being a fly on the wall at a successful startup, to learn how it's done.But ultimately these interviews are required reading for anyone who wants to understand business, because startups are business reduced to its essence. The reason their founders become rich is that startups do what businesses do--create value--more intensively than almost any other part of the economy. How? What are the secrets that make successful startups so insanely productive? Read this book, and let the founders themselves tell you.

    Never Split the Difference takes you inside his world of high-stakes negotiations, revealing the nine key principles that helped Voss and his colleagues succeed when it mattered the most – when people’s lives were at stake.Rooted in the real-life experiences of an intelligence professional at the top of his game, Never Split the Difference will give you the competitive edge in any discussion.

    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.

    For the first time, William Poundstone reveals the toughest questions used at Microsoft and other Fortune 500 companies -- and supplies the answers. He traces the rise and controversial fall of employer-mandated IQ tests, the peculiar obsessions of Bill Gates (who plays jigsaw puzzles as a competitive sport), the sadistic mind games of Wall Street (which reportedly led one job seeker to smash a forty-third-story window), and the bizarre excesses of today's hiring managers (who may start off your interview with a box of Legos or a game of virtual Russian roulette). How Would You Move Mount Fuji? is an indispensable book for anyone in business. Managers seeking the most talented employees will learn to incorporate puzzle interviews in their search for the top candidates. Job seekers will discover how to tackle even the most brain-busting questions, and gain the advantage that could win the job of a lifetime. And anyone who has ever dreamed of going up against the best minds in business may discover that these puzzles are simply a lot of fun. Why are beer cans tapered on the end, anyway?

    You've probably even put some money down before, vowing that THIS was the year you'd get in shape, lose that extra weight, and become the energetic person you know is hiding inside you. Unfortunately, life happens, and you fall into the habit of "I'll start tomorrow." Your motivation drops, and your self-discipline fails to push you through to achieve your goals. You begin to make excuses: you'll be really sore after working out, it's been too long since you've last exercised, you don't have willpower, your friends and family tell you to be happy with how you are, you think you're too weak, inflexible or otherwise unfit for exercise, and many more. There was that one time you started a program, but you couldn't keep up with the weekly or monthly goals, so you got frustrated and gave up. All of that has added up to make you think you're incapable of starting and continuing an exercise program. You're afraid you aren't mentally or physically strong enough, but still hold out the hope that someday a magic pill will change all that. The magic exists today, but it's not as easy or fast as swallowing a pill. However, it can be simple and enjoyable. How to Build Self-Discipline to Exercise is a concise, practical guidebook on how to introduce and keep exercise in your life. Inside, you'll learn: - why the most common type of motivation people use to exercise is usually ineffective (and which types of motivation are much stronger) - the wrong "P" that will lead you to giving up when you face obstacles - how to overcome procrastination and finally start exercising – including a slightly uncomfortable trick that will ensure you'll get plenty of exercise - how to find time to exercise despite a hectic schedule (and surprising math that shows you actually lose time when you don't make time for exercise) - practical tricks and tips to stay motivated forever, even when you encounter obstacles - how to enjoy exercise while still getting the most powerful benefits of it (hint: if your workout involves "work," it's not a good workout) - how to prevent injuries, improve recovery, and handle the inevitable muscle soreness so you stick to exercise even if your body acts against you - how to deal with other people, wrong expectations, and negativity (from both your surroundings and yourself in the form of self-criticism or self-doubt) When put together and acted upon, the six chapters in this book – supported by over 80 references to scientific studies and credible experts – will help you form a new habit and make one of the most important changes you'll ever make in your life. Purchase the book now and let's embark on the journey to learn how.

    Do things look good on the outside but on the inside, you feel like a prisoner trapped in mediocrity? Or maybe you feel like you missed your chance, or you can’t find your starting point and no matter what you do, nothing moves you forward? You’re the underdog—dismissed, counted out, lacking the right resources and unsupported. This book changes all that by taking you on a journey and showing you what successful "Underdogs" throughout time have already discovered. Your so called disadvantaged are the fuel and the hidden superpower to accomplish anything you know the secret on how to flip the success switch on in your life... This Book will show you that as an underdog (Something we all are) you’re actually in a great position, and with one or two small shifts, you can unlock limitless potential. Being an underdog means you don’t have to worry about what other people think, you have a lot of room to improve, you can get easy momentum, you can sneak up on competitors, and you have incredible sources of motivation. Soon you will learn that being an underdog is actually your ultimate unfair advantage to next level wealth, prosperity, happiness and joy...

    After remarkable one-on-one interviews with Bill Gates, Maya Angelou, Steve Wozniak, Jane Goodall, Larry King, Jessica Alba, Pitbull, Tim Ferriss, Quincy Jones, and many more, Alex discovered the one key they have in common: they all took the Third Door.Life, business, success... it's just like a nightclub. There are always three ways in. There's the First Door: the main entrance, where ninety-nine percent of people wait in line, hoping to get in. The Second Door: the VIP entrance, where the billionaires and celebrities slip through. But what no one tells you is that there is always, always... the Third Door. It's the entrance where you have to jump out of line, run down the alley, bang on the door a hundred times, climb over the dumpster, crack open the window, sneak through the kitchen--there's always a way in. Whether it's how Bill Gates sold his first piece of software or how Steven Spielberg became the youngest studio director in Hollywood history, they all took the Third Door.