800-CEO-READ New Releases

Riding the Blue Train

by Bart Sayle and Surinder Kumar

(Penguin USA, 272 Pages)

A groundbreaking management idea that has helped hundreds of companies transform their people and jumpstart their results.

How does a $2 billion company become a $5 billion company in a few years? How do you accelerate business growth and innovation by transforming your people? How do you lead your organization to achieve extraordinary results through inspiration and personal power? All through the power of Breakthrough, the unique program that Bart Sayle and Surinder Kumar has delivered in many companies and to thousands of people to help them achieve dramatic personal, professional and business growth.

They offer a simple but profound message: in order to build your business, you first need to build your people. Instead of imposing a new strategy from the top down, focus on unleashing creativity within your people across the organization. Get everyone excited about a common goal, listen to their best ideas, and focus their energy. When that happens, your people will get off the "red train" of defensiveness, negativity, and anger. Instead, they'll get energized about the future possibilities, think magically, act heroically, and start riding the "blue train" of empowerment, enthusiasm and teamwork. A virtuous cycle of energy, growth and amazing results will follow.

Easier said than done? Riding the Blue Train features dramatic success stories from companies such as P&G, Nike, Visa, Pepsi, and Wrigley, that have applied these principles in the real world.

This is an inspiring book that will change the way people think about corporate culture.

Brand It Yourself

by Lynn Altman

(Penguin USA, 208 Pages)

"We all know that any joke you have to explain was probably not worth telling. Same thing when it comes to creating a great brand or new product. Of course, there are plenty of consultants and marketing types out there who will say that there is an imperative to have a key insight, a core consumer benefit, plus a compelling reason to believe, and have it all neatly explained for the consumer. But if you’ve got to do that much explaining to your consumer, then you’re probably in serious trouble."

Lynn Altman believes that branding should be an energizing, exciting process. Yet too many companies turn it into a complicated grind, burying their common sense about how to connect with their customers. Brand It Yourself is about getting a handle on your brand, fast.

Altman and her partner have developed the Brandmaker Express process for positioning any brand quickly, simply, and powerfully. She uses it to help her clients tap into their own creativity and overcome the paralysis that often afflicts marketing departments.

Through real branding case studies Altman shares her experiences helping top global companies get out of their own way and develop powerful new products, services, and brand campaigns. You’ll learn how:

• Dairy Queen used hypotheses, props, and visualization to spark ideas for a new generation of treats
• BriteSmile crafted the perfect headline to make their tooth whitening products shine
• Time Inc. found new ways to inspire their already creative staff to become stronger innovators

Winning the hearts and minds of consumers is not as daunting as you might think. Whether you're a team of one or part of a corporate behemoth, the powerful techniques in Brand It Yourself can help you develop better branding ideas with less stress and wasted time.

Who Really Cares

by Arthur C. Brooks

(Perseus Books Group, 256 Pages)

Surprising proof that conservatives really are more compassionate--and more generous--than liberals

We all know we should give to charity, but who really does? Approximately three-quarters of Americans give their time and money to various charities, churches, and causes; the other quarter of the population does not. Why has America split into two nations: givers and non-givers?

Arthur Brooks, a top scholar of economics and public policy, has spent years researching this trend, and even he was surprised by what he found. In Who Cares, he demonstrates conclusively that conservatives really are compassionate-far more compassionate than their liberal foes. Strong families, church attendance, earned income (as opposed to state-subsidized income), and the belief that individuals, not government, offer the best solution to social ills-all of these factors determine how likely one is to give.

Charity matters--not just to the givers and to the recipients, but to the nation as a whole. It is crucial to our prosperity, happiness, health, and our ability to govern ourselves as a free people. In Who Cares, Brooks outlines strategies for expanding the ranks of givers, for the good of all Americans.