The Change Monster examines how to effectively plan for, address, and manage the least predictable and perhaps the most important aspect of a successful transformation. Duck's experience with change has been widespread and varied. During an early career running her own consulting practice and more recent years spent as a senior vice president with the prestigious Boston Consulting Group (BCG), she has guided companies all over the world through the mountains and minefields of mergers, reengineering ventures, and strategic transformation projects. In the process, she has developed and refined her understanding of the five phases of the Change Curve, her own map of the territory of change. The monster in hibernation is the first of those phases, Stagnation, and it's awoken by forceful impetus from on high, through either internally or externally initiated change. Duck discusses both the signs of stagnation and various methods for recognizing the problem--the questions that need to be asked, the analyses that need to be conducted, and the appetite for change that needs to be generated. During the Preparation stage, there are essential tasks for the leaders (achieving alignment and commitment on vision, strategy, and values) that will provoke behavioral-change requirements of all members of the organization, and Duck introduces a BCG tool used to help assess the change bias of any organization. For the Implementation and Determination stages, Duck shares tips on walking the talk, being on the alert for human dynamics that threaten to derail the initiative, and communicating effectively, and offers advice on testing one's assumptions as a leader and staying involved with the process of change at all levels--strategies designed to lead the organization through to the final stage of Fruition. Throughout, Duck refers to the largely positive change experience of a real company, Honeywell Micro Switch, and the less-effective actions of a fictional merger between two pharmaceutical firms. Duck has also spent time as an artist and teacher, occupations reflected in her understanding of how people cope with both the reality of change and the manner in which it's brought about. Though targeted at the change-management drivers of the business world, The Change Monster is infused with a sense of the effects of change in all areas of life. A sensitive exploration of an often-difficult process. --S. Ketchum

    Full of exercises and checklists, "Develop Your Leadership Skills" provides the tools to recognize and develop leadership qualities, acquire personal authority and master core leadership functions, including planning, communicating and motivating. Suitable for anyone who wishes to improve their leadership skills, this guide distills the essence of Adair's teaching and offers a framework for becoming an effective leader.

    This timely book suggests instead a "Fortunate 500" list, based on the quality of service available to customers and the quality of life accessible to employees. Managing by Values shows how all stakeholders in a company can win based on their commitment to a common purpose and a set of shared values emphasizing stability, continuity, and growth, all in an ethical context. More than a "must read," this book is a "must do" that shows organizations, owners, managers, and employees how to create and apply a plan to ensure they survive - and thrive.

    Sears distils over 20 years’ experience as a management consultant and coach into six simple conversational structures that cover every management situation. A natural storyteller with a great narrative gift, Sears delivers his message in an entirely unique manner – as a work of business fiction. In this compelling and highly instructive tale you can follow the journey of newly promoted Operations Manager Sam Mitchell as he faces the everyday pressures and challenges of managing a team, and then relate his experiences to real life scenarios in your workplace. Conversation #1 – What can you do about that? Conversation #2 – Who should really own this? Conversation #3 – How should we be behaving? Conversation #4 – Who’s really doing this? Conversation #5 – Where are we heading? Conversation #6 – How are we doing?   This highly practical guide concludes with a simple how-to chapter, explaining why and how each conversation works, and when to use them, as well as providing accompanying tips and techniques. The Six Conversations of a Brilliant Manager is an instantly-applicable and hugely powerful toolkit for every manager and HR department looking to get the very best out of their people.

    But, says Michael Fullan--an internationally acclaimed authority on organizational change--we have an increasing understanding of how to tackle complex change. This involves developing a new kind of leader: one who recognizes what is needed to bring about deep and lasting changes in living systems at all levels. These leaders need a deep understanding of what motivates us as human beings and how we tap into and influence other people's self-motivation. In his previous best-selling books The Six Secrets of Change, Leading in a Culture of Change, and Turnaround Leadership, Michael Fullan examined the concepts and processes of change. In Change Leader he turns his focus to the core practices of leadership that are so vital for leading in today's complex world. He reveals seven core practices for today's leaders, all of which appear to be deceptively simple but actually get to the essence of what differentiates a powerful leader from one who is merely competent:Practice Drives Theory Be Resolute Motivate the Masses Collaborate to Compete Learn Confidently Know Your Impact Sustain Simplexity Throughout the book Fullan argues that powerful leaders have built bedrocks of credibility, have learned how to identify the few things that matter most, and know how to leverage their skills in ways that benefit their entire organization. The author shows leaders how to avoid policies and strategies that focus on shallow and short-term goals and develop leadership skills for long-term success.With a wealth of illustrative examples from business, education, nonprofit, and government sectors Change Leader provides a much-needed leadership guide for today's turbulent climate.

      Switch by Chip Heath and Dan Heath| Key Takeaways, Analysis & Review Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard (2010) is about how to bring about change in an organization. Its main focus is changing behavior by appealing to the rational and emotional sides of people’s psyches. To generate change, authors Chip and Dan Heath maintain, a leader must connect with both sides, the rational and the emotional. This is because sometimes, one side can work against the other and sabotage successful change. The rational side tends to analyze possibilities for change so much that it becomes unable to act—so change never occurs. The emotional side is ready, or even eager, to act on change, but it can act compulsively and without focus. This means that changes based solely on emotion are likely to fail. To bring about real change, a leader must stimulate the emotional side of a group’s psyche to get the process of change underway, then harness its rational side to give this change a concerted direction…  This companion to Switch includes: Overview of the book Important People Key Takeaways Analysis of Key Takeaways and much more!

    In this fun, illuminating parable, we follow Charlie the Seagull as he learns that the secret to being a successful boss lies in a deeper understanding of what management really is and how our actions are perceived by those around us.

    Many leadership books can be boring. Instead of reading another repetitive book about 100 leadership essentials by a corporate CEO, search no more for the perfect leadership book. In "The Diary of a West Point Cadet," by Captain Preston Pysh, the author teaches essential West Point leadership through the most fun and unique reading of any book in its class. If you are an aspiring cadet, a small-group leader, or even an emerging leader in corporate America, this book is for you. Each intriguing firsthand account of Preston's most memorable stories from attending West Point will capture your interest and imagination. At the conclusion of each gripping story, Preston efficiently summarizes how the experience taught him lessons about leadership, which later prepared him to be a combat commander. If you like twists and turns while reading and learning, you are in for a treat. Prepare to be glued to your seat and the text as you experience unforgettable stories and lessons from "The Point."

    More than half of all workers hate their jobs. In fact, job satisfaction and employee engagement have been declining for twenty-two straight years.One hundred years ago, a job and a paycheck kept workers satisfied. Now, pay barely makes the list. Employees' needs have evolved dramatically. But our leadership practices have failed to keep up.In Lead From The Heart, Mark C. Crowley presents compelling new evidence that the solution leaders need lies in the last place traditional business would seek it: the human heart. Twenty-first-century employees need to feel... valued, respected, developed, and cared for. Their work has to matter. Recent scientific discoveries tell us that it's the heart, and not the mind, that drives human performance and achievement.Drawing on decades of experience as a senior leader for regional and national financial institutions, Mark C. Crowley offers proof that leaders who intentionally engage the hearts of their employees will be rewarded with uncommon (and highly sustainable) performance and achievement. We've seen centuries of evidence of what the heart can do in sports, art, and music. Business is next.Lead From The Heart, and your employees will follow

    The good thing about these passages is that they're predictable, and with proper preparation, leaders not only can survive them to become stronger but can use these experiences to enhance their leadership, compassion, and effectiveness. This book lays out thirteen specific "leadership passages" based on research, interviews, and coaching of senior executives in such well-known companies as Johnson & Johnson, Novarits, Intel, GE, and Bank of America. For each passage, the authors describe what to expect, how the passage constitutes a choice point, and what effective leaders do to navigate and grow from the challenge. Some of the passages include: moving into a leadership role for the first time, dealing with significant failure for which you are responsible, derailing/losing your job, being acquired/merging, losing faith in the system, understanding the importance of children, family and friends, and personal upheavals such as divorce, illness, and death. The authors provide a wealth of practical tools and techniques to improve your leadership, along with real-life examples from recognizable leaders and breakthrough ways in which companies can use the concept of leadership passages to grow talent.

    By outlining the process every organization must go through to achieve its goals, and by identifying where and how even top performers derail during the change process, Kotter provides a practical resource for leaders and managers charged with making change initiatives work.Needed more today than at any time in the past, this immensely relevant bestselling business book serves as both visionary guide and practical toolkit on how to approach the difficult yet crucial work of leading change in any type of organization. Reading this highly personal book is like spending a day with the world’s foremost expert on business leadership. You’re sure to walk away inspired—and armed with the tools you need to inspire others. Published by Harvard Business Review Press.

    Yet many companies and organizations encourage their leaders to coach teams without ever teaching them how and without creating a culture that supports coaching.Nathan Jamail—a leading consultant, professional speaker, and the president of his own group of businesses—trains coaches at several Fortune 500 companies and learned that it takes not only different skills to achieve success, but a truly effective coach needs an organizational culture that creates and multiplies the success of every motivated team member. The Leadership Playbook shows leaders the skills necessary to be an effective coach and to build effective teams by:Fostering employees’ belief in the culture of a companyResolving issues proactively rather than reactively and creating an involvement that constantly pushes employees to be their bestFocusing on the more humane principles of leadership—gratitude, positivity, and recognition—that keep morale highHolding teams and individuals accountableConstantly recruiting talent ("building the bench") rather than filling positions only when they are emptyCombining research, interviews, and inspiring stories with the lessons that have earned Jamail the respect of the world’s foremost corporations including CISCO, FedEx, Sprint, the U.S. Army, and State Farm; The Leadership Playbook will dominate the category for years to come.

    This isn't just another ivory tower book on leadership. Employee Engagement 2.0 is the result of both massive research and real-world experience. The author, Kevin Kruse, is a former Best Place to Work winner, serial entrepreneur, and NY Times bestselling author. He has advised dozens of organizations, from Fortune 500 companies like SAP, to startups and non-profits, and even to the US Marines. This is your step-by-step guide that will teach you: - What employee engagement is (it does not mean happy or satisfied) - How engagement directly drives sales, profits, and even stock price - The secret recipe for making anyone feel engaged - How to quantify engagement, even if you have no budget - 7 questions to ask that will identify your engagement weakness - What to say to facilitate a team meeting on engagement - A communication system that ensures rapid, two-way flow of information - How to make your strategic vision memorable and "sticky" - How to implement a complete engagement plan in only 8 weeks! Being a great leader-one who drives massive passion, commitment and engagement-is within your reach. Follow the step-by-step plan in Employee Engagement 2.0 and prepare to be a great place to work.

    News that once took months, even years, to spread now reaches across the globe in seconds. Advances in medicine and science are pushing boundaries with gene therapy and stem cell transplants. And decisions about where and how to work and live are nearly endless.As new knowledge—and the possibilities that arise from that knowledge—propels us forward, leadership readiness expert and renowned author Erika Andersen suggests that success in today’s world requires the ability to acquire new knowledge and skills quickly and continuously—in spite of our mixed feelings about being a novice.In her newest book, Be Bad First, Erika explores how we can become masters of mastery; proficient in the kind of high-payoff learning that’s needed today. With assessments and exercises at the close of every chapter, she encourages readers to embrace being bad on the way to being great—to be novices over and over again as we seek to learn and acquire the new skills that will allow us to thrive in this fast-changing world.

     It's a novel told in Steve Farber's humorous, poignant, and original voice that takes the reader on a deep exploration of the qualities and practices of real, or Extreme Leadership, and how to apply them in daily life. Part One, The Radical Leap, explores the leadership elements of Love, Energy, Audacity, and Proof; Part Two, The Radical Edge, takes the discussion deeper into innovation, personal clarity and guidelines for changing the world. It sets a new standard for what it means to really lead in today's business world and beyond. Rejuvenate and revitalize with Farber’s amazing The Radical Leap Re-Energized. It is timeless, universal, and extremely useful—and it will catapult you to success!” –Marshall Goldsmith – author of the New York Times bestsellers, MOJO and What Got You Here Won’t Get You ThereToday’s world demands a different leader: one who has the heart and courage to change it for the better. If you’re ready to be one of them, read this phenomenal book and succeed.” –Darren Hardy, publisher SUCCESS magazine, bestselling author The Compound Effect Steve Farber’s work is even more important and more useful today than when it first appeared on the scene.” –Tom Peters, International bestselling author of In Search of Excellence With his strikingly original voice and unparalleled storytelling ability, Steve Farber brings us The Radical Leap Re-Energized. This edgy leadership parable not only entertains and inspires, it teaches us how to become great leaders and change the world in the bargain. We wholeheartedly encourage you to take the LEAP!” –Jim Kouzes and Barry Posner, authors of the bestselling The Leadership Challenge and Credibility If you want to lead as big as you dream, Farber can take you to the extreme. This book is your path to soaring success.” –Tim Sanders, former Chief Solutions Officer at Yahoo! & author of Today We Are Rich Steve Farber’s books are as easy and enjoyable to read as they are insightful. This volume will be a great addition to any leader’s library.” –Patrick Lencioni, president, The Table Group; author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team The Radical Leap Re-Energized is a clarion call for 21st century leaders and those who aspire to be. The LEAP will stay with me and will be required reading for leaders in my organization” –Tony Uphoff, CEO, UBM TechWeb Steve Farber has captured the heart of leadership in this wonderful book. If you’d really love to make a difference in this world, read it and apply its lessons to your life and business.” –Rita Davenport, former President, Arbonne International There are two types of well-written leadership books: GOOD ones that you read once and pass along to a few friends, or GREAT ones that you read over and over and give to as many people as you can. The Radical Leap Re-Energized is one of the GREAT ones, and it is a total game-changer.” –Tommy Spaulding, author of the New York Times bestseller, It’s Not Just Who You Know Steve Farber’s masterwork, The Radical Leap Re-Energized, is an inspired opus on what it means to be a leader of substance and significance. You’ll find yourself coming back to it again and again.” –Michael E. Ventling, Global CFO, Ernst & Young A brilliantly captivating book, vibrant and audacious, and an absolute joy to read. Every bit as engaging as Steve Farber himself.” –Sally Hogshead, speaker and author of Fascinate: Your 7 Triggers to Persuasion and Captivation Steve Farber leaps again. I was into it the first time. This time, I’m leaping with him!” –Chris Brogan, President Human Business Works I have read most leadership books in print. None have resonated more than this one. It is timeless, relevant and energizing and should be required reading for all business leaders of the 21st century.” –Pamela Slim, author, Escape from Cubicle Nation: From Corporate Prisoner to Thriving Entrepreneur I’ve read the original Radical Leap over a dozen times, and year after year, experience after experience, I have found that the concepts hold fast and true. The Radical Leap Re-Energized kick-starts and expands the experience to the next level. This really is a masterpiece.” –Burton M. Goldfield, President and CEO, TriNet