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The Art of War for Women

by Chin-Ning Chu

(Currency, 208 Pages)

Forget everything you think you know about strength, strategy and success. This brilliant adaptation of the ancient masterpiece The Art of War shows women how to use Sun Tzu’s philosophy to win in every aspect of life.

Would you like to transform your weaknesses into strengths? Succeed at work without compromising your ethics? Integrate your style and personal philosophy into every action you take? If so, this book is for you. In The Art of War for Women, bestselling author Chin-Ning Chu brings the eternal wisdom of philosopher-general Sun Tzu to women looking to gain a better understanding of who they are – and, more importantly, who they want to be.

In the West, when we think of war, we imagine battle, casualties, brutality. But Sun Tzu, the man who wrote the Art of War some 2,500 years ago, was Chinese, and the Chinese think of war differently than we do in the West. In their view, war does not revolve around fighting. It is about determining the most efficient way of gaining victory with the least amount of conflict.

That’s why Sun Tzu’s Art of War is particularly appropriate for women. Let’s face it, as intelligent and accomplished as we may be, there are very few of us who are comfortable with direct confrontation or situations where our triumph means someone else’s defeat. We are natural negotiators and problem solvers; most of us prefer win-win situations to those in which winner-takes-all.

But there is another reason The Art of War is particularly appropriate for us. Although Sun Tzu’s book is about the application of strategies, every one of those strategies begins with having a deep understanding of the people and the world around us. They also require us to understand ourselves – our strengths and weaknesses, our goals and fears. In other words, the aim is not to apply a series of rules coldly and dispassionately, but rather to integrate ourselves and our unique talents into the strategies we will employ.

This is not a feel-good book. (But you will feel good after reading it.) It is not a motivational book. (But you will be motivated to achieve what you want, once you are done.) Ultimately, its purpose it to provide women with the strategies we all need to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of our goals and dreams.

Sun Tzu’s Art of War is the most influential book on strategy ever published, selling tens of millions of copies worldwide in several editions. Written by one of today’s foremost authorities on Sun Tzu, The Art of War for Women is sure to become a classic in its own right.

Selling Blue Elephants

by Howard R. Moskowitz, Alex Gofman

(Pearson P T R, 272 Pages)

Can you remember the world before the iPod? How about the world before chunky tomato sauce or brown mustard? Many of these products came about not through focus groups and polling, but rather through research and development labs and marketers developing the products they knew customers would want, before customers knew they wanted them. Today your customers can actually help you create your next product. Rule Developing Experimentation (RDE) is a solution-oriented learning experience. RDE is the systematized process of designing, testing and modifying alternative ideas, packages, products, or services in a disciplined way so that the developer and marketer discover what appeals to the customer, even if the customer can't articulate the need, much less the solution. The book begins by presenting best practices in the RDE from some of today's top companies: HP, Prego, Vlasic, and Mastercard. It then goes on to examine RDEs use in innovation and design, and goes on to examine its possible uses in the international, political, bioinformantics, and finance areas. Filled with real-life stories, this book will change the way people think about selling to their present and future customers.

Get in the Game

by Cal Ripken

(Penguin USA, 288 Pages)

Baseball’s all-time Iron Man, Cal Ripken, Jr., retired from baseball in 2001 after breaking countless records, including Lou Gehrig’s record for consecutive games played (Ripken played 2,632). Ripken is admired by thousands of fans not only for his relentless perseverance, but also for his unparalleled integrity. Now, in a stirring book that draws on his exhilarating career as well as the wisdom of his legendary father, Ripken shares rousing advice centered around his proven 8 Elements of Perseverance:

• The Right Values: hard work, excellence, honesty, and integrity
• A Strong Will to Succeed: advice for those who inadvertently “bench” themselves in life
• Love What You Do: tips for discovering where your true passion lies
• Preparation: ways to continually envision your next position and prepare for it as if it were already yours
• Anticipation: strategies for creating your own opportunities
• Trusting Relationships: how to build them in even the most turbulent environments
• Life Management: making time to enjoy the journey
• The Courage of Your Convictions: insight into how Ripken not only broke but far exceeded numerous records Cal Ripken is a sought-after advisor to fans from all walks of life.

From his numerous public-speaking engagements each year to his weekly “Ask Cal” column for the Baltimore Sun, he always brings a winning combination of compassion and motivation to each topic. A book for moms and dads, recent graduates, entrepreneurs, and anyone who is simply facing an important turning point, Get in the Game gives all of us access to legendary advice from a legendary achiever.

Improving Healthcare Quality and Cost With Six Sigma

by Praveen Gupta, Jim Harrington, Carolyn Pexton

(Pearson P T R, 650 Pages)

Rising costs are making healthcare unaffordable for millions of individuals and employers. Meanwhile, 100,000 people die every year due to medical error. Healthcare must change -- dramatically. Many leading healthcare institutions are discovering a powerful toolset for addressing both quality and cost: Six Sigma. But, until now, most discussions of Six Sigma have focused on fields far distant from healthcare. In this book four leading experts introduce Six Sigma from the standpoint of the healthcare professional, showing exactly how to implement it successfully in real-world environments. This hands-on, start-to-finish guidebook covers every facet of Six Sigma in healthcare, demonstrating its use through examples and case studies. The authors show Six Sigma at work in every area of the hospital: clinical, radiology, surgery, ICU, cardiovascular, laboratories, emergency, trauma, administrative services, staffing, billing, cafeteria, even central supply. You'll learn why Six Sigma can produce better results than other quality initiatives, how it brings new rigor and discipline to healthcare delivery, and how it can be used to sustain ongoing improvements for the long term. Comprehensive and user-friendly, this book will be indispensable to everyone concerned with quality or cost: administrators, managers, physicians, and quality specialists alike. Where Six Sigma is already in use or being considered, it will serve as a shared blueprint for the entire team.

The Black Swan

by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

(Random House Inc, 224 Pages)

Send

by David Shipley, Will Schwalbe

(Random House Inc, 256 Pages)

When should you email, and when should you call, fax, or just show up?

What is the crucial—and most often overlooked—line in an email?

What is the best strategy when you send (in anger or error) a potentially career-ending electronic bombshell?

Enter Send. Whether you email just a little or never stop, use a desktop or a handheld, here, at last, is an authoritative and delightful book that shows how to write the perfect email—at work, at school, or anywhere. Send also points out the numerous (but not always obvious) times when email can be the worst option and might land you in hot water (or even jail!).

The secret is, of course, to think before you click. Send is nothing short of a survival guide for the digital age—wise, brimming with good humor, and filled with helpful lessons from the authors’ own email experiences (and mistakes). In short: absolutely e-ssential.

The Angel Inside

by Chris Widener

(Currency, 112 Pages)

The break-out business parable that’s already sold more than 70,000 copies, The Angel Inside tells the story of a young man searching for meaning in his work and finding it in an unlikely place: the life and art of Michelangelo.

There will come a time when you must decide to lead the life someone else has chosen for you…or the life you want.

According to legend, when a young boy asked the great Renaissance artist Michelangelo why he was working so hard hitting the block of marble that would eventually become his greatest sculpture, David, the artist replied, “Young man, there is an angel inside this rock, and I am setting him free.” In The Angel Inside, the renowned consultant and career coach Chris Widener uses Michelangelo’s words to explore the hidden potential that exists within us all.

In this unforgettable tale, Tom Cook, a disillusioned American businessman, has traveled to Italy looking for direction in his life. In Florence, the last city on his tour, Tom meets a mysterious old man who opens his eyes to the art and life of Michelangelo and reveals what the artist’s work can teach him—and all of us—about the power of following your passion.

Among the lessons that Tom learns over the course of the next day:

The beauty is in the details
Your hand creates what your mind conceives
All great accomplishments start with a single swift action
No one begins by creating the Sistine Chapel

Whether you’re looking for a way to reinvigorate your career or searching for the courage to begin a new one, THE ANGEL INSIDE is a must-read if you want to find true meaning in your life and work.

Damage Control

by Eric Dezenhall and John Weber

(Portfolio, 256 Pages)

Much of the conventional wisdom about damage control and crisis PR is self-serving, self- congratulatory, self-deceiving—and flat out wrong. And no one knows it better than Eric Dezenhall and John Weber, who have helped countless companies, politicians, and celebrities get out of various kinds of trouble.

If you’re facing a lawsuit, a sex scandal, a defective product, or allegations of insider trading, other PR experts will tell you to stay positive, get your message out, and everything will be just fine. But happy talk doesn’t help much during a real crisis, and it’s easy to lose sight of your real priorities. In a trial, for instance, you might want the whole world to think you’re a wonderful person, but all that matters is whether twelve jurors think you’re guilty.

Dezenhall and Weber are especially dismayed by flacks who compare every problem to the famous Tylenol/cyanide episode of 1982—supposedly proof that making nice, admitting fault, and taking immediate corrective action is all you need to do. In reality, Tylenol’s situation was nothing like the typical corporate crisis.

The authors share many powerful lessons, including:

• the difference between a nuisance, a problem, and a crisis
• when you can’t get them to like you, get them not to attack you
• it’s not about facts; it’s about symbols
• the best case studies are the ones you’ll never hear about
• good deeds won’t position you out of the line of fire

Damage Control will reveal what works, what doesn’t, and how to really survive a career- threatening situation. It will be the definitive book on this subject for years to come.

The Personality Code

by Dr. Travis Bradberry

(Putnam Pub Group, 224 Pages)

A revolutionary approach to success and fulfillment-already being used by hundreds of thousands of individuals and organizations-now available for the first time in an accessible, practical book.

The Personality Code clearly and persuasively demonstrates how personality determines why we do what we do and how we can maximize our strengths, work smarter with others, and profit from better relationships in our careers.

Based on the IDISC(tm) Personality Profile-an updated and rigorously validated proprietary version of DISC, the world's most popular form of personality testing-the book provides insights and strategies for individuals and organizations that promote self-awareness and foster excellence.

Readers will have free access to the online IDISC(tm) Personality Profile (each book will include a unique code number), which will reveal their own profiles from among the fourteen personality types that have been refined and defined through the author's six-year international study involving more than five hundred thousand participants.

Travis Bradberry shows readers how to discern the fixed characteristics that explain three-quarters of human behavior. Most important, they will learn how to leverage these traits in order to capitalize on their strengths and sidestep weaknesses in themselves as well as in other people.

Deals on the Green

by David Rynecki

(Penguin USA, 0 Pages)

No matter how sophisticated business becomes, nothing can replace the golf course as a communication hub. It’s where up-and-comers can impress the boss and where CEOs can seal multibillion-dollar deals. It’s no coincidence that many of the most admired people in business—Jack Welch, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Sandy Weill—always carved out time in their busy schedules for golf.

Deals on the Green takes us inside the gates of elite courses like Augusta National and Pebble Beach to reveal how important golf really is. It tells entertaining stories about the people who rely on golf to drive their success in business, from John D. Rockefeller a century ago to Donald Trump today. Some of those you’ll meet:

• Wayne Huizenga, the founder of Blockbuster, who was so golf obsessed that he created his own personal course in Florida.
• Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, who won Jack Welch’s blessing for the big job after proving himself on the golf course.
• Stan O’Neal, CEO of Merrill Lynch, who became the most powerful black executive in America—and a late bloomer at golf.

A perfect gift for dads, grads, bosses, and avid golfers of all ages, Deals on the Green will make you think about golf, and business, in a whole new way.

Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here

by David Verklin, Bernice Kanner

(Wiley, 240 Pages)

Book Description

A media and advertising CEO explains how his world shapes ours

The TV program coming into our living rooms isn't free. It's a simple Faustian bargain consumers have made but one with enormous implications. It means that David Verklin, CEO of one of the world's largest ad-buying companies, and his clients-the world's largest advertisers-control what TV programs get aired, what magazines get published, and how Google and Yahoo stay in (very healthy) business. In Watch This, Listen Up, Click Here, Verklin and Kanner expose the inner workings of the media, marketing, and advertising industries. Readers will learn why their favorite shows get cancelled, why Oprah gives away cars, and how money, people, politics, and new technologies are transforming TV, the Internet, radio, magazines, and other media Americans consume every day.

David Verklin (New York, NY) is CEO of Carat Americas, the world's largest independent media buying operation. He frequently speaks to executives in marketing, media, and management. Bernice Kanner (d. 2006) was a marketing expert and author for 13 years of New York magazine's "On Madison Avenue" column.

The Taboos of Leadership

by Smith, Anthony F

(Jossey-Bass, 192 Pages)

Most leaders who make it to the top possess characteristics that are all too human: they have politically incorrect attitudes, are conflicted, and play politics to get their way. Written by leading management consultant Anthony F. Smith, The Taboos of Leadership reveals the rarely discussed realities of leadership—the secrets that leaders just cannot admit to publicly for fear of losing power, self-respect, or even their jobs. This revelatory book will help both leaders and followers achieve real understanding and co-create a two-way street culture of openness, trust, and improved performance in their organizations.

The Taboos of Leadership discloses ten guarded secrets that leaders can’t discuss, even with their closest constituents, including: charisma shouldn’t make a difference . . . but it does; women make better leaders . . . when that’s what they really want to do; blatant self-interest is dangerous . . . in followers, not leaders; thou shalt not play favorites with friends and family . . . except when it makes a lot of sense; and more.

Change to Strange

by Dan Cable

(Pearson P T R, 300 Pages)

To achieve sustained competitive advantage, you must create and deliver something that's valuable, rare, and hard to imitate -- and you can't do that with a run-of-the-mill workforce. Your workforce needs to be strikingly different, obsessively focused on delivering on your unique value proposition. Compared with everyone else's workforce, your people need to be downright strange. This book is about everything it takes to build a workforce that's strange and extraordinary enough to execute on your most powerful strategies and your unique value proposition. It's about understanding exactly how your workforce needs to be different... creating an end-to-end Strange Workforce Value Chain... implementing workforce systems that support your unique goals... establishing detailed metrics based on what makes you unique... using those metrics to drive clarity throughout your entire organization, and steer it towards success. If you're tasked with executing strategy through people, and "balanced scorecards" and "strategy maps" just haven't been enough, take your next and greatest leap forward: make The Change to Strange.

The 4-hour Work Week

by Timothy Ferriss

(Crown, 208 Pages)

What do you do? Tim Ferriss has trouble answering the question. Depending on when you ask this controversial Princeton University guest lecturer, he might answer:

• "I race motorcycles in Europe."
• "I ski in the Andes."
• "I scuba dive in Panama."
• "I dance tango in Buenos Aires."

He has spent more than five years learning the secrets of the New Rich, a fast-growing subculture who has abandoned the "deferred-life plan" (slaversaver retire) and instead mastered the new currencies--time and mobility--to create luxury lifestyles in the here and now.

Whether you are an overworked employee or an entrepreneur trapped in your own business, this book is the compass for a new and revolutionary world. Join Tim Ferriss as he teaches you:

• What the crucial difference is between absolute and relative income
• How to train your boss to value performance over presence, or kill your job (or company) if it's beyond repair (pages 209 and 222)
• What automated cash-flow "muses" are and how to create one in 2 to 4 weeks
• How to cultivate selective ignorance— and create time-with a low-information diet
• What the management secrets of Remote Control CEOs are (page 184)
• How to get free housing worldwide and airfare at 50-80% off (page 232)
• How to fill the void and create a meaningful life after removing work and the office

Salsa, Soul, and Spirit

by Juana Bordas

(Berrett-Kohler, 200 Pages)

Tapping the potential of the changing workforce, consumer base, and citizenry requires a leadership approach that resonates with our country’s growing diversity. In Salsa, Soul, and Spirit, Juana Bordas shows how incorporating Latino, African American, and American Indian approaches to leadership into the mainstream has the potential to strengthen leadership practices and inspire today’s ethnically rich workforce. Bordas identifies eight core leadership principles common to all three cultures, principles deeply rooted in each culture’s values and developed under the most trying conditions. Using a lively blend of personal reflections, interviews, and historical background, she shows how these principles developed and illustrates the creative ways they’ve been put into practice in these communities (and some forward-looking companies). Bordas brings these principles together into a multicultural leadership model that offers a more flexible and inclusive way to lead and a new vision of the role of the leader in the organization. Multicultural leadership resonates with many cultures and encourages diverse people to actively engage. In a globalized economy, success for leaders in the future will rest on their ability to shift to a multicultural approach. Salsa, Soul, and Spirit provides conceptual and practical guidelines for beginning that process.

Show Me the Money

by Jack J. Phillips Ph.D., Patricia Pulliam Phillips

(Berrett-Kohler, 300 Pages)

From IT to HR, from boardroom to shop floor, increased accountability for achieving high-value results for new initiatives is the norm in every organization and department. Jack and Patricia Phillips, the world’s leading experts on Return On Investment (ROI) strategy, distill their years of experience and research into proven, step-by-step tools for determining the value of any project before, during, and after implementation. They present a comprehensive method for measuring the hard-to-measure, and placing monetary value on the hard-to-value. They even show how to measure and place value on "intangible" qualities like leadership, creativity, customer loyalty, employee engagement, and more. Developed in an easy-to-read format and fortified with case studies, checklists, tips, and tools, Show Me the Money clarifies and resolves the mystery surrounding the allocation of monetary value. It gives change agents everything they need to provide concrete, detailed evaluations of the potential and actual financial benefits of any project or program.

Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing

by Robert S. Kaplan, Steven R. Anderson

(Perseus Distribution Services, 266 Pages)

In the classroom, activity-based costing (ABC) looks like a great way to manage a company's limited resources. But executives who have tried to implement ABC in their organizations on any significant scale have often abandoned the attempt in the face of rising costs and employee irritation. Time-Driven Activity-Based Costing is the solution to the problems associated with large-scale ABC implementation. In this book, Kaplan and Anderson offer a revised model where managers can estimate the resource demands imposed by each transaction, product, or customer, rather than rely on time-consuming and costly employee surveys.

In their new model, Kaplan and Anderson focus on the two parameters managers need to estimate: how much it costs per time unit to supply resources to the business activities (the total overhead expenditure of a department divided by the total number of minutes of employee time available) and how much time it takes to carry out one unit of each kind of activity (as estimated or observed by the manager). Rather than endlessly updating and maintaining ABC data, this book with allow managers to spend their time addressing the deficiencies the model reveals: inefficient processes, unprofitable products and customers, and excess capacity.

Kaplan and Anderson lead the discussion of Time-Driven ABC in the first seven chapters, followed by individual cases studies of actual implementations by Acorn consultants in diverse settings.

Coolhunting

by Peter Gloor, Scott Cooper

(Amacom Books, 240 Pages)

What do the iPod, MySpace, Facebook, and YouTube all have in common? They're fresh, they're hot, and most importantly--they're cool. But while many companies embark on the eternal quest for the next big thing, very few know how to actually find it. Coolhunting will take you into the very heart of the search and show you how to find trendsetters, spot innovations, and turn brilliant ideas into hot new trends. Major companies like Starbucks and Procter & Gamble have already discovered the power of coolhunting. Now, you can learn how to:

• Tap into the principles of cool and identify the trends that are truly cutting-edge
• cultivate the skills and techniques of highly effective coolhunters
• pinpoint developing trends using smartbadges

An invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes, Coolhunting will show you how to stay ahead of the curve and on the cutting edge of where your customers want to be taken.