Staff Picks
Read Like a Boss
- Rebecca K.
- Thursday, July 18, 2019
Collection
Whether you're just starting your career or you're a seasoned pro, these books can help you improve your performance, productivity, and interpersonal skills at work.
Life Kerning
Creative Ways to Fine Tune Your Perspective on Career & Life
Published in 2012
"Creative approaches for designing a more balanced life and career in the graphic design industry, kerning is the fine-tuning or adjustment of space between letterforms (type). In this book, author Justin Ahrens applies this concept to both the life and career of business professionals. There is a common misconception that positive change in one's life only comes from a complete system overhaul. Ahrens challenges this notion by inviting business leaders and professionals to not only reassess the various spaces and goals of one's life, but to rethink our understanding of balance altogether.This book includes insights and observations from both the creative and professional world. Guides you in determining what you're passionate about, and how to keep thosepassions in the forefront of your life and career How to create work that stands apart How to cultivate and maintain a group of wise mentors Develop critical decision-making skills Live a life that fuels your work, and work in a way that fuels your life.Life Kerning shows you how"-- Provided by publisher.
The Fall of the Alphas
The New Beta Way to Connect, Collaborate, Influence--and Lead
Published in 2013
Game Changers
What Leaders, Innovators, and Mavericks Do to Win at Life
Published in 2018
The "Bulletproof Radio" podcaster outlines proven techniques for promoting personal happiness, health, and success in accordance with the examples of today's game changers, from David Perlmutter to Arianna Huffington.
Kiss Your but Good-bye
How to Get Beyond the One Word That Stands Between You & Success
Published in 2013
This book will enable managers to help their people discover personal weaknesses and learn how to deliver direct, honest feedback.
Dare to Serve
How to Drive Superior Results by Serving Others
Published in 2015
A business/leadership book from the CEO of the once-ailing but now thriving Popeyes restaurant chain, who says that the "the difference maker ... was a conscious decision to lead in a new way. She and her team created a workplace where people were treated with respect and dignity yet challenged to perform at the highest level. Silos and self were set aside in favor of collaboration and team play. And the results were measured with rigor and discipline. Servant leadership is sometimes derided as soft or ineffective, but this book shows that it's actually challenging and tough minded--a daring path"--Dust jacket flap.
Work Rules!
Insights from Inside Google That Will Transform How You Live and Lead
Published in 2015
From the visionary head of Google's innovative People Operations--a groundbreaking inquiry into the philosophy of work and a blueprint for attracting the most spectacular talent to your business and ensuring the best and brightest succeed.
What More Can I Say?
Why Communication Fails and What to Do About It
Published in 2015
"Communications expert Dianna Booher provides an essential nine-point checklist for success in the art of communication and persuasion--for building solid relationships, and for increasing credibility in the workplace. With lessons from politics, pop culture, business, family life, and current events, the book identifies common reasons that communicators fail to accomplish their goals, along with examples and analyses of messages that succeed and those that fail"-- Provided by publisher.
Tools of Titans
The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-class Performers
Published in 2016
Superbosses
How Exceptional Leaders Master the Flow of Talent
Published in 2016
"A GOOD BOSS HITS HIS GOALS AND LEADS HIS TEAM. A SUPERBOSS BLOWS AWAY HER GOALS BY BUILDING AN ARMY OF NEW LEADERS. WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER BE? What do football coach Bill Walsh, restaurateur Alice Waters, television executive Lorne Michaels, technolƯogy CEO Larry Ellison, and fashion pioneer Ralph Lauren have in common? On the surface, not much, other than consistent success in their fields. But below the surface, they share a common approach to finding, nurturing, leading, and even letting go of great people. The way they deal with talent makes them not merely success stories, not merely organization builders, but what Sydney Finkelstein calls superbosses. They've all transformed entire industries. After ten years of research and more than two hundred interviews, Finkelstein has concluded that superbosses exist in nearly every industry, from the glamorous to the mundane. If you study the top fifty leaders in any field, as many as one-third will have once worked for a superboss. While superbosses differ in their personal styles, they all focus on identifying promising newcomers, inspiring their best work, and launching them into highly successful careers--while also expanding their own networks and building stronger companies. Among the practices that distinguish superbosses: They Create Master-Apprentice Relationships. Superbosses customize their coaching to what each protege really needs, and also are constant founts of practical wisdom. Advertising legend Jay Chiat not only worked closely with each of his employees but would sometimes extend their discussions into the night. They Rely on the Cohort Effect. Superbosses strongly encourage collegiality even as they simultaneously drive internal competition. Lorne Michaels set up Saturday Night Live so that writers and performers are judged by how much of their material actually gets on the air, but they can't get anything on the air without the support of their coworkers. They Say Good-Bye on Good Terms. Nobody likes it when great employees quit, but superƯbosses don't respond with anger or resentment. They know that former direct reports can become highly valuable members of their network, especially as they rise to major new roles elsewhere. Julian Robertson, the billionaire hedge fund manager, continued to work with his former employees who started competƯing hedge funds, and he often profited by investing in them. By sharing the fascinating stories of superbosses and their proteges, Finkelstein explores a phenomenon that never had a name before. And he shows how each of us can emulate the best tactics of superbosses to create our own powerful networks of extraordinary talent"-- Provided by publisher.
Winning Arguments
What Works and Doesn't Work in Politics, the Bedroom, the Courtroom, and the Classroom
Published in 2016
"Stanley Fish, the notoriously brash and brilliant English and Law professor, has authored dozens of academic books on subjects ranging from Milton to freedom of speech. In 2011, Fish turned his eye to a more popular subject, the art of writing great sentences. His short, wise book How to Write a Sentence became an instant New York Times Bestseller and continues to be read by students and aspiring writers. Adam Haslet called the book, "deeper and more democratic than The Elements of Style." If great sentences are, in effect, performances at the highest level, Fish acts as a lively sportscaster giving the reader a blow-by-blow. In Winning Arguments, Fish employs this same wit and observational prowess as he guides readers through the "greatest hits" of rhetoric including landmark legal cases, arguments drawn from popular film and TV, and even Fish's own career. The success of books like Jay Heinrich's Thank You For Arguing demonstrate a clear audience for fun, intellectually nourishing books that make you feel just a little bit smarter for having read them. Like How to Write a Sentence, Winning Arguments will become a modern classic"-- Provided by publisher.
How to Be Better at Almost Everything
Learn Anything Quickly, Stack Your Skills, Dominate
Published in 2019
"Business expert Pat Flynn lays out the benefits of being a 'generalist,' or someone highly skilled in many trades, which is a better path to success than striving to be the best at a single skill"-- Provided by publisher.
Ask a Manager
How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work
Published in 2018
From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York magazine's work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to navigating 200 difficult professional conversations--featuring all-new advice! There's a reason Alison Green has been called "the Dear Abby of the work world." Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don't know what to say. Thankfully, Green does--and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career.
Permission to Screw Up
How I Learned to Lead by Doing (almost) Everything Wrong
Published in 2017
"The inspiring, unlikely, laugh-out-loud story of how one woman learned to lead-and how she ultimately succeeded, not despite her many mistakes, but because of them. This is the story of how Kristen Hadeed built Student Maid, a cleaning company where people are happy, loyal, productive, and empowered, even while they're mopping floors and scrubbing toilets. It's the story of how she went from being an almost comically inept leader to a sought-after CEO who teaches others how to lead. Hadeed unintentionally launched Student Maid while attending college ten years ago. Since then, Student Maid has employed hundreds of students and is widely recognized for its industry-leading retention rate and its culture of trust and accountability. But Kristen and her company were no overnight sensa­tion. In fact, they were almost nothing at all. Along the way, Kristen got it wrong almost as often as she got it right. Giving out hugs instead of feed­back, fixing errors instead of enforcing accountability, and hosting parties instead of cultivating meaning­ful relationships were just a few of her many mistakes. But Kristen's willingness to admit and learn from those mistakes helped her give her people the chance to learn from their own screwups too. Permission to Screw Updismisses the idea that leaders and orga­nizations should try to be perfect. It encourages people of all ages to go for it and learn to lead by acting, rather than waiting or thinking. Through a brutally honest and often hilarious account of her own strug­gles, Kristen encourages us to embrace our failures and proves that we'll be better leaders when we do"-- Provided by publisher.
Think Big, Start Small, Move Fast
A Blueprint for Transformation from the Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation
Published in 2015
Seven Practices of a Mindful Leader
Lessons from Google and a Zen Monastery Kitchen
Published in 2019
"The former director of the Tassajara Zen Center and a cofounder of Google's Search Inside Yourself program shows how modern workplaces can become more productive, compassionate, and harmonious by applying the practice of mindfulness"-- Provided by publisher.
The Type B Manager
Leading Successfully in a Type A World
Published in 2015
"In The Type B Manager, Victor Lipman offers a unique lens through which to view the challenging problems of management. While management has long been considered the realm of Type A individuals--hard-driving, competitive high achievers--all too often these high-intensity traits aren't effective when it comes to motivating your employees. Many characteristics of Type B individuals--being more relaxed, less competitive, more reflective, slower to anger--can be considered "people skills" that better influence motivation and productivity. And successful management after all is the practice of accomplishing work through other people."--provided from Amazon.com.
How to Be Happy at Work
The Power of Purpose, Hope and Friendships
Published in 2017
"I'm working harder than I ever have, and I don't know if it's worth it anymore." If you're a manager or leader in today's high-speed, high-stress economy, these words have probably run through your mind, maybe more than once. Many people in management positions are feeling fed up, burned out, and unhappy at work: the constant pressure and stress, the unending changes, the politics ... People are feeling they can't give much more, and their performance is suffering. But it's work, after all, right? Should we even expect to be fulfilled and happy at work? Annie McKee answers with a definitive yes. She makes the most compelling case yet that happiness--and the full engagement that comes with it--is more important than ever in today's workplace. Based on extensive research and decades of experience with leaders, this book sheds new light on the powerful relationship of happiness to individual, team, and organizational success. McKee's research reveals that there are three essential elements that people must have in order to be happy at work: A sense of purpose and the chance to contribute to something bigger than themselves; A vision that is powerful and personal, creating a real sense of hope; and Resonant, friendly relationships The book is organized around these essential elements and shows how leaders can create and sustain them in the face of ongoing stress and pressure, as well as how to create a healthy, positive climate for their teams and other groups within their companies. How to Be Happy at Work will transform and enrich our understanding of what it means to be happy at work, and it will provide clear, practical advice and instruction for how to achieve this.-- Provided by publisher.
The Ultimate Competitive Advantage
Why Your People Make All the Difference and the 6 Practices You Need to Engage Them
Published in 2015
""People are our most important asset." Every company pays lip service to this platitude, but how many companies really embrace it? What happens when everyone in your company is truly engaged and functions as a genuine leader? Every move your company makes can be copied by your competitors. New facilities, improved processes, product innovations, and marketplace initiatives can all be important, but rarely lead to sustained competitive advantage-because other businesses can just follow suit or piggyback off your progress. But truly mobilizing your people creates positive results in a thousand different ways throughout your organization, giving your company the ultimate competitive advantage-an advantage that is very difficult to match. It's not easy to fully engage everyone in your organization, to create an organization of people who act as leaders, take initiative, and operate from a strategic perspective. But it can be done, and no one knows more about achieving this than FranklinCovey. For decades, FranklinCovey has been working with businesses throughout the world to train their people in the seven habits model of personal effectiveness. They've learned how to take this training to the next level, to dramatically improve the effectiveness of not just individuals, but entire organizations. The Ultimate Competitive Advantage describes the six practices FranklinCovey has discovered to engage people across the company, and shows how employing these practices can take your organization to a higher level of performance. In the end, the success of any organization is dependent on effectiveness and the commitment of its people. Everyone knows this, but few organizations operate this way. But, with the help of The Ultimate Competitive Advantage, yours can"-- Provided by publisher.
Being Boss
Take Control of Your Work & Live Life on Your Own Terms
Published in 2018
Offers guidance for creative entrepreneurs on the proper mindset, habits, and financial practices for being successful in business and life.
Crushing It!
How Great Entrepreneurs Build Business and Influence-- and How You Can, Too
Published in 2018
Performing Under Pressure
The Science of Doing Your Best when It Matters Most
Published in 2015
"Nobody performs better under pressure. Regardless of the task, pressure ruthlessly diminishes our judgment, decision-making, attention, dexterity, and performance in every professional and personal arena. In Performing Under Pressure, Drs. Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry introduce us to the concept of pressure management, offering empirically tested short term and long term solutions to help us overcome the debilitating effects of pressure. Performing Under Pressure tackles the greatest obstacle to personal success, whether in a sales presentation, at home, on the golf course, interviewing for a job, or performing onstage at Carnegie Hall. Despite sports mythology, no one "rises to the occasion" under pressure and does better than they do in practice. The reality is pressure makes us do worse, and sometimes leads us to fail utterly. But there are things we can do to diminish its effects on our performance. Performing Under Pressure draws on research from over 12,000 people, and features the latest research from neuroscience and from the frontline experiences of Fortune 500 employees and managers, Navy SEALS, Olympic and other elite athletes, and others. It offers 22 specific strategies each of us can use to reduce pressure in our personal and professional lives and allow us to better excel in whatever we do. Whether you're a corporate manager, a basketball player, or a student preparing for the SAT, Performing Under Pressure will help you to do your best when it matters most"-- Provided by publisher.