800-CEO-READ New Releases

Unstuck

by Keith Yamashita, Sandra Spataro

(Penguin USA, 208 Pages)

Everyone gets stuck sooner or later. The big question is how do you get unstuck?

People and organizations get stuck because the most ambitious and rewarding work brings with it the most challenges.

Unstuck is a smart, fearless, totally practical guide to turn to for inspiration and immediate solutions. It’s meant to be acted on, not just read. And it’s based on the proven practices the authors have discovered while working with IBM, Sony, Hewlett-Packard, Nike, Gap Inc., and many other major companies.

Whether you need to step back to move forward, motivate a struggling team, change your goals, or create a clearer vision, Unstuck helps you diagnose your situation, identify the most important challenges, and implement the right tools and techniques to get things moving again. Now with updated case studies, this is the perfect book to get you and your team unstuck.

Ego Check

by Mathew Hayward

(Kaplan, 256 Pages)

No one executive is immune from that difficult-to-distinguish line that divides the self-confidence required of a successful CEO from the hubris seen at the root of so many corporate scandals today. We can count Warren Buffett, Steve Jobs, Martha Stewart, and Jack Welch among the business leaders who have been infected with hubris at various stages of their careers – and seen their lives and companies suffer as a result. Every executive is vulnerable to hubris when they become dependent on wealth, status, and other extrinsic rewards for their sense of worth; when they embark on ventures that cross beyond their capabilities; when they unduly rely on the advice and input of others to execute their vision; and when they simply assume that their plans for the future will be realized without obstacle. Understanding these four key dynamics and the mistakes made as a result of falling prey to them will pave the road for business professionals to understand how they can guard against their own hubris while still building upon their unparalleled will to reach even greater levels of success.

A Perfect Mess

by Eric Abrahamson and David Freedman

(Little, Brown, 304 Pages)

A groundbreaking book that sheds new light on ideas of order--and shows how chaos, disorder, and mess make our world a better place! Like Freakonomics, here is a book that combines counterintuitive thinking with stories from everyday life to provide a striking new view of how our world works. Ever since Einstein's study of Brownian Motion, scientists have understood that a little disorder actually makes systems more effective. But most people still shun disorder--or suffer guilt over the mess they can't avoid. No longer! With a spectacular array of anecdotes and case studies of the useful role mess can play, here is an antidote to the accepted wisdom that tight schedules, neatness, and consistency are the keys to success. Drawing on examples from business, parenting, cooking, the war on terrorism, retail, and even the meteoric career of Arnold Schwarzenegger, coauthors Abrahamson and Freedman demonstrate that moderately messy systems use resources more efficiently, yield better solutions, and are harder to break than neat ones. A PERFECT MESS will help readers assess what the right amount of disorder is for a given system, and how to apply these ideas onto a large scale--government, society-- and on a small scale--in your attic, kitchen, or office. A PERFECT MESS will forever change the way we think about those unruly heaps of paper on our desks.

Run With the Bulls Without Getting Trampled

by Tim Irwin

(Nelson Business, 0 Pages)

Run With the Bulls Without Getting Trampled features Tim Irwin's seven critical success factors as well as six common career derailers to avoid. With compelling real-life stories to launch each chapter, Irwin distills not only his experiences as a successful corporate psychologist but also what he has learned from others in thousands of interviews with senior executives. Inside you will also find how you can access free online self-assessment exercises and developmental resources.

Change or Die

by Alan Deutschman

(Harpercollins, 320 Pages)

"CHANGE OR DIE. What if you were given that choice? We're talking actual life and death now. Your own life and death. What if a well-informed, trusted authority figure said you had to make difficult and enduring changes in the way you think, feel, and act? If you didn't, your time would end soon�a lot sooner than it had to. Could you change when change mattered most?"

This is the question Alan Deutschman poses in Change or Die, which began as a sensational cover story by the same title for Fast Company. Deutschman concludes that although we all have the ability to change our behavior, we rarely ever do. In fact, the odds are nine to one that, when faced with the dire need to change, we won't. From patients suffering from heart disease to repeat offenders in the criminal justice system to companies trapped in the mold of unsuccessful business practices, many of us could prevent ominous outcomes by simply changing our mindset.

A powerful book with universal appeal, Change or Die deconstructs and debunks age-old myths about change and empowers us with three critical keys�relate, repeat, and reframe�to help us make important positive changes in our lives. Explaining breakthrough research and progressive ideas from a wide selection of leaders in medicine, science, and business (including Dr. Dean Ornish, Mimi Silbert of the Delancey Street Foundation, Bill Gates, Daniel Boulud, and many others), Deutschman demonstrates how anyone can achieve lasting, revolutionary change.

Change or Die is not about merely reorganizing or restructuring priorities; it's about challenging, inspiring, and helping all of us to make the dramatic transformations necessary in any aspect of life�changes that are positive, attainable, and absolutely vital.

What Got You Here Won't Get You There

by Marshall Goldsmith, Mark Reiter

(Hyperion Books, 256 Pages)

America’s most sought-after executive coach shows how to climb the last few rungs of the ladder

The corporate world is filled with executives, men and women who have worked hard for years to reach the upper levels of management. They’re intelligent, skilled, and even charismatic. But only a handful of them will ever reach the pinnacle -- and as executive coach Marshall Goldsmith shows in this book, subtle nuances make all the difference. These are small "transactional flaws" performed by one person against another (as simple as not saying thank you enough), which lead to negative perceptions that can hold any executive back. Using Goldsmith’s straightforward, jargonfree advice, it’s amazingly easy behavior to change.

Executives who hire Goldsmith for one-on-one coaching pay $250,000 for the privilege. With this book, his help is available for 1/10,000th of the price.

Smarts

by Chuck Martin, Richard Guare, Peg Dawson

(Amacom Books, 240 Pages)

Twelve specific and very important cognitive functions begin developing in the brain at birth. These "skills" are built in to every individual and are fully developed -- and unchangeable -- by adulthood. Everyone has these same capabilities, but to varying degrees. And it is this unique and unalterable combination of one’s strengths and weaknesses that determines success or failure in any given role.

Smarts contains the groundbreaking Executive Skills Profile: a powerful self-assessment tool that will identify, once and for all, a person’s innate strengths and weaknesses. The results offer tangible proof of why we gravitate to certain tasks and struggle with others. With this newfound clarity, readers will learn to play to their stronger skills, and avoid wasting time on lesser ones they can never improve upon. Most important, they will discover their own unique potential for excellence.

Supported by proprietary primary research and grounded in widely accepted principles of clinical and neuro-psychology, Smarts is a truly eye-opening book that will change how we think about ourselves -- and others.

The Winner's Attitude

by Jeff Gee, Val Gee

(McGraw-Hill, 214 Pages)

Have you ever wondered how much more you could achieve if you could maximize your brain power? In The Winner's Attitude, motivational gurus Jeff and Val Gee introduce you to Switch, a personal performance technology that's nothing short of an upgrade for the human mind.

Never again will you be overwhelmed by angry customers, bad managers, and stresses that undermine your confidence. Instead of reacting with anger or fear, you'll greet challenges with the calm focus of a born winner. Using the powerful Switch methods and tools in this book, you'll:

• Channel stress and make it work for you
• Spontaneously tailor a winning approach to every person or situation
• Connect with managers, co-workers, and customers like never before
• Take the leap from adequate to outstanding in everything you do

Strengths Finder 2.0

by Tom Rath

(Pub Group West, 192 Pages)

Do you have the opportunity to do what you do best every day?

Chances are, you don't? All too often, our natural talents go untapped. From the cradle to the cubicle, we devote more time to fixing our shortcomings than to developing our strengths.

To help people uncover their talents, Gallup introduced the first version of its online assessment, StrengthsFinder, in the 2001 management book Now, Discover Your Strengths. The book spent more than five years on the bestseller lists and ignited a global conversation, while StrengthFinder helped millions to discover their Top 5 talents.

In StrengthsFinder 2.0, Gallup unveils the new improved version of its popular assessment, language of 34 themes, and much more. While you can read this book in one sitting, you'll use it as a reference for decades.

Loaded with hundreds of strategies for applying your stengths, this new book and accompanying website will change the way you look at yourself--and the world around you--forever.

You, Inc.

by Harry Beckwith, Christine Clifford Beckwith

(Warner Books Inc, 0 Pages)

As founder of Beckwith Advertising and Marketing, Harry Beckwith learned early on in his career that no matter what product is being sold, the most important component of the sale is you. Here Beckwith teams up with his wife, motivational speaker and former sales executive Christine Clifford Beckwith, to provide tips, anecdotes, and insights based on their 30 years of selling experience. Written in a traditional homespun style, the Beckwiths offer doses of humor and practical knowledge to anyone who wants to learn how to seal the deal and thrive in business.

Blind Spots

by Claudia M. Shelton

(John Wiley & Sons Inc, 235 Pages)

Do you know why you're not getting a promotion, taking on new leadership roles, managing a team with top-notch effectiveness, or reaching your full potential in the workplace and in your personal relationships?

Maybe it's what you don't see about yourself that's holding you back.

Now, executive coach Claudia Shelton reveals how her revolutionary approach to personal development can help you recognize your personal blind spots—and then take immediate action that will lead to unprecedented personal achievement. Blind Spots is a proven and realistic approach to professional development that offers a step-based system for gaining a new and clearer perspective on who you are and how you can achieve more.

Shelton sees blind spots not as faults or weaknesses, but as doors to possibilities that you couldn't previously imagine for yourself. With this positive outlook, you'll be able to easily modify your attitudes, habits, and behaviors to create new personal strengths. Blind Spots provides the tools you need to build a positive mindset and learn what it is you haven't been able to see about yourself. Once you have that perspective and start working to fulfill your ultimate potential, unlimited success will be right around the corner.

Shelton offers a complete system for identifying and adjusting personal behaviors and habits that hold you back. You'll learn the five most common blind spots, the five principles that open your thinking to new ways of doing things, and specific strategies that help you implement effective action. And you'll discover simple steps you can take to improve your performance—and your life—immediately.

No matter what you want to achieve in life, this one-of-a-kind guide will help you tear down the walls between you and what it is you want—whether that's a promotion, a new business, optimum performance, greater recognition, more social impact, a more balanced personal life, enhanced personal relationships, or any other goal.

Go Put Your Strengths to Work

by Marcus Buckingham

(Simon & Schuster, 320 Pages)

Beginning with the million-copy bestsellers First, Break All the Rules and Now, Discover Your Strengths, Marcus Buckingham jump-started the strengths movement that is now sweeping the work world, from business to government to education. Now that the movement is in full swing, Buckingham's new book answers the ultimate question: How can you actually apply your strengths for maximum success at work?

Research data show that most people do not come close to making full use of their assets at work -- in fact, only 17 percent of the workforce believe they use all of their strengths on the job. Go Put Your Strengths to Work aims to change that through a six-step, six-week experience that will reveal the hidden dimensions of your strengths. Buckingham shows you how to seize control of your assets and rewrite your job description under the nose of your boss. You will learn:

• Why your strengths aren't "what you are good at" and your weaknesses aren't "what you are bad at."
• How to use the four telltale signs to identify your strengths.
• The simple steps you can take each week to push your time at work toward those activities that strengthen you and away from those that don't.
• How to talk to your boss and your colleagues about your strengths without sounding like you're bragging and about your weaknesses without sounding like you're whining.
• The fifteen-minute weekly ritual that will keep you on your strengths path your entire career.

With structured exercises that will become part of your regular workweek and proven tactics from people who have successfully applied the book's lessons, Go Put Your Strengths to Work will arm you with a radically different approach to your work life. As part of the book's program you'll take an online Strengths Engagement Track, a focused and powerful gauge that has proven to be the best way to measure the level of engagement of your strengths or your team's strengths. You can also download the first two segments of the renowned companion film series Trombone Player Wanted.

Go Put Your Strengths to Work will open up exciting uncharted territory for you and your organization. Join the strengths movement and thrive.

Down, but Not Out

by Barry Minkow

(Thomas Nelson Inc, 240 Pages)

Everyone's had a bad day, some of us have had a lot worse. But as Barry Minkow shows in this inspirational and empowering book, you can come back from anything. He started from jail-and millions in debt. You might be starting from a wrecked marriage. Or a business gone belly up. Whatever your failure, you can overcome and get beyond it starting today. In Down, But Not Out, Barry explains the 10 all-important steps you need to succeed in the process. You may not end up helping the FBI bust investment fraud like Barry does today, but you can turn your life around and get back on the road to success. Barry shows you how.

Ignited

by VinceThompson

(Financial Times Prentice Hall, 256 Pages)

Book Description
Ahh, the life of a manager. You're squeezed between the needs of your corporation, your team, your customers, and your colleagues. Too often, you're maligned, misunderstood, downsized, reengineered, reorganized, and even misled. Even in the best organizations, you face brutal competition, non-stop pressure, and relentless change. But, whatever your day-to-day realities, you can achieve far greater power, purpose, and success -- and Ignited will show you how. It outlines clear, realistic steps for leveraging your networks and resources to transform your vision into reality, and accomplish the powerful goals only you can achieve. This is not another diatribe on leadership or grand strategic vision written by those already at the top: the Jack Welches or Rudy Giulianis who can simply dictate their visions to the organization. Ignited is for those leading from the middle: managers who need real tools to make a real difference. If you're ready to take back your business, your career, and your life, Ignited is for you.

About the Author
Vince Thompson is principal at Middleshift Consulting, and works with Internet companies to design world-class online marketing solutions and build sales organizations. His clients include Napster, StarStyle.com and Break.com. Thompson has spent fifteen years as a middle manager leading teams in challenging industries: first in restaurants, then in television, and now in the Internet business. He spent seven years as Regional VP of Sales for America Online, designing its sales training organization, and managing teams in SF, LA, Chicago and Dulles, VA. He has spoken widely on online advertising, and contributed to the textbook Media Selling.

You're Addicted to You

by Noah Blumenthal

(Pub Group West, 200 Pages)

Why are so many of our attempts to change unsuccessful? It’s not a lack of willpower. The problem is that we try to adopt new, more positive behaviors without first breaking the hold that the old negative behaviors have on us. We can’t simply turn these negative behaviors off — in fact, their hold is so strong that, as Noah Blumenthal shows, they have become a part of us. In a very real sense, we’re addicted to ourselves. But self-addiction can be broken. In You’re Addicted to You, Blumenthal outlines his proven “Circles of Strength� approach, a three-stage strategy to help readers conquer damaging behaviors like anger, workaholism, risk aversion, negativity — any bad habit. He offers tools, techniques, and exercises for increasing our awareness of our self-addictions and controlling their impact on ourselves and others. He shows how to make personal and professional changes that actually last. Everyone knows what they want to change — Blumenthal shows readers exactly how to actually do it.

Getting Unstuck

by Timothy Butler

(Client Distribution Services, 204 Pages)

Everyone feels stuck every now and again, paralyzed by the gnawing feeling that something must change – whether in one’s work or work environment, or in a life situation or way of living. But when is this feeling an indication of major psychological impasse? And when will this failure to get “unstuck” threaten not only your personal life and career, but even the healthy functioning of the rest of your team or organization? What are the steps to navigate out of this kind of rut and find a meaningful way forward?

In Getting Unstuck, psychologist Timothy Butler shares a proven model for moving from a state of career or life impasse to a new vision based on deeper knowledge of the work and life structures that will ultimately be most meaningful. Outlining a process that he has used with thousands of executives and MBA students, Butler explains how to recognize a state of psychological impasse and shows that this state is in fact the beginning of a necessary and predictable process of psychological development that is repeated many times throughout one’s life. Further, he shows how to turn impasse into a vision of meaning and purpose, first by awakening and deepening one’s imagination, then by recognizing patterns of meaning in one’s life, and finally, by taking action to turn one’s meaningful vision into a daily reality.

Supported by a wide range of stories of others who have accomplished similar life transitions, this book is written for anyone who feels stuck and is looking for practical and authoritative guidance for moving out of his or her own immediate impasse.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The Flip Side

by Flip Flippen

(Springboard Press, 272 Pages)

Change Starts Here!

"If I asked you what one thing determines your level of ultimate success, what would your answer be? Your talent? Skills? A college degree?"

"Is it possible that something else will define how far you go in life?
Could it be that the things that hold you back-or constrain you-are a far more reliable indicator of your success than any skills or talent you may possess? Would you choose to break free of your personal constraints if I could show you what and where they are? If you answered yes to these questions, then The Flip Side is for you."

What if you learned a way to "flip" your negative thoughts and behaviors into positive action? Educator, psychotherapist and business coach Flip Flippen believes that if we can identify our own personal constraints, we can overcome them once and for all.

In THE FLIP SIDE, you'll discover the top ten "killer constraints" that most of us are confronted with every day-in ourselves, in our bosses, in our families. Learn how to recognize and deal with constraint types such
as:

*BULLDOZERS-they are too dominant, flattening any objections and
ignoring any opinion that doesn't match theirs.

*MARSHMALLOWS-they are overly nurturing, shying away from
conflict at the expense of their own happiness.

*QUICK DRAWS-they are impulsive, and their low self-control
causes them to act before they think.

But here's the good news: each of these constraints can be conquered with a few simple strategies. For anyone who has ever wondered, "How can I accomplish more, both personally and professionally?" and "How can I get better, go further, and be happier?," THE FLIP SIDE has the answer.

Author Bio:
Flip Flippen is the head of The Flippen Group, one of the fastest-growing corporate training companies in the U.S. and the largest educator-training company in North America. He has worked with businesses and individuals all over the world, including baseball legend Nolan Ryan, Wall Street private equity mogul Mark Bourgeois, the FitzBradshaw NASCAR racing team, and some of the largest school districts in the country. In 30 years of coaching couples, families, corporations and individuals Flip has learned invaluable skills that can help people in all aspects of their lives. The Flippen Group's philosophy is simple: "We grow people."

I Didn't See It Coming

by Nancy C. Widmann, Elaine J. Eisenman, Amy Dorn Kopelan

(John Wiley & Sons Inc, 224 Pages)

How to use smart strategy and political savvy to control and direct your success in business

I Didn't See It Coming provides critical counsel and keen observation on how all employees can develop strategic insights, effective tools, and sharp instincts for reading the room and controlling their own career destiny. Fast trackers, top performers, and managers at every level are often too busy to notice when their jobs are on the line. This insightful guidebook shows readers how to spot the danger signs, see the red flags, and wage a successful campaign to win in business. For anyone in a dicey situation-even if they don't know it yet-this is the ultimate guide for surviving when the time bombs begin ticking.

Nancy C. Widmann (New York, NY) was the first woman president at CBS, Inc. She managed CBS Radio for eight years and was inducted into the Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2005. She serves as an executive coach for senior managers and frequently speaks on corporate politics. Dr. Elaine J. Eisenman (Wellesley, MA) is Dean of Executive Education at Babson College. She holds a doctorate in industrial/organizational psychology and has over 25 years of experience as a consultant, business executive, and board director for both public and privately held companies. Amy Dorn Kopelan (New York, NY) moved upward for 20 years through the executive ranks of ABC Television and managed programming at Good Morning America for nine years. She is President of Bedlam Entertainment, Inc., a conference management company, and founder of COACH ME Inc., which provides group coaching for mid-level managers in Fortune 500 companies.

Mistakes Were Made (but Not by Me)

by Elliot Aronson, Carol Tavris

(Harcourt, 288 Pages)

Why do people dodge responsibility when things fall apart? Why the parade of public figures unable to own up when they screw up? Why the endless marital quarrels over who is right? Why can we see hypocrisy in others but not in ourselves? Are we all liars? Or do we really believe the stories we tell?

Renowned social psychologists Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson take a compelling look into how the brain is wired for self-justification. When we make mistakes, we must calm the cognitive dissonance that jars our feelings of self-worth. And so we create fictions that absolve us of responsibility, restoring our belief that we are smart, moral, and right—a belief that often keeps us on a course that is dumb, immoral, and wrong.

Backed by years of research and delivered in lively, energetic prose, Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me) offers a fascinating explanation of self-deception—how it works, the harm it can cause, and how we can overcome it.

The Dip

by Seth Godin

(Portfolio, 96 Pages)

The best business books change the way you look at something - forever. The Tipping Point, The Long Tail, and Purple Cow are simple books about simple topics . . . but they changed the way millions do their jobs.

Every new project (or career or relationship) starts out exciting and fun. Then it gets harder and less fun, until it hits a low point - really hard, really not fun. At that point, you might be in a Dip (which will get better if you keep pushing) or a Cul-de-sac (which will never get better, no matter how hard you try). The hard part is knowing the difference and acting on it.

According to bestselling business author Seth Godin, what really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to give up on Cul-de-sacs while staying motivated in Dips. Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt - until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons.

This is equally true for entrepreneurs, pop singers, weightlifters, and car salesmen. Today's world rewards the people and organizations that are the best in the world at what they do. If you can be #1 in your niche, you'll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and job security. But you'll never be #1 at anything without picking your shots very carefully.

The Dip is a short, fun-to-read book in the tradition of Fish, packed with powerful ideas and a graph that changes everything. It will forever alter the way people think about quitting - and success.

Seth Godin is the author of the bestsellers Permission Marketing, Unleashing the Ideavirus, Purple Cow, Free Prize Inside!, All Marketers Are Liars, and Small Is the New Big. He is also the editor of The Big Moo and one of the most popular business bloggers in the world (www.SethGodin.com). He lives in Westchester, New York.

Off-ramps and On-ramps

by Sylvia Ann Hewlett

(Harvard Business School Press, 320 Pages)

With talent shortages looming over the next decade, what can companies do to attract and retain the large number of professional women who are forced off the career highway?

By documenting the successful efforts of a group of cutting-edge global companies to retain talented women and reintegrate them if they’ve already left, Off-Ramps and On-Ramps answers this critical question. Working closely with companies such as Ernst & Young, Goldman Sachs, Time Warner, General Electric and others, author Sylvia Ann Hewlett identifies what works and why. Based on firsthand experience with these companies, along with extensive data that provides the most comprehensive and nuanced portrait of women's career paths, this book documents the actions forward-thinking companies must take to reverse the female brain drain and ensure their access to talent over the long term.

Bit Literacy

by Mark Hurst

(Good Experience Press, 192 Pages)

Bit Literacy is essential reading for anyone who has experienced "digital overload": the daily flood of e-mail, multiple todo lists, a cluttered desktop, documents in various file formats, and the constant distraction of cell phones and other devices. More than a quick fix or another "how-to" guide, the book offers an entirely new way of attaining productivity that users at any level of expertise can put into action right away. This is "bit literacy," a method for working more productively in the digital age, with less stress. Mark Hurst - who has reached hundreds of thousands of readers through his Good Experience e-mail newsletter, Uncle Mark technology guides, thisisbroken.com, and other websites - has revealed the way to survive, and thrive, in the digital age: "Let the bits go."

"Mark Hurst has written the indispensable guide to the digital era. Instead of a mere 'how-to' guide, Hurst shows what's really going on when we struggle with e-mail and to-do lists. For anyone who has ever used a computer, this will not just wildly increase their productivity (as it has for me!) - it'll also let their ideas fly."
- David Bodanis, author, E=mc² and Passionate Minds

"An informative and clear step-by-step guide on how to turn the ever-increasing avalanche of bits into a force that will propel your life and career."
- Tom Hughes, Chief Design Officer, Idealab

"Mark Hurst is the smartest person thinking about ways technology can make our lives easier rather than harder. If you're willing to give up some of your useless bytes for true knowledge and crowded RAM for zen clarity, then get bit-literate today."
- Douglas Rushkoff, author, Get Back in the Box

"A lot of people feel left out of the whole Internet and computer thing, but realize it could be really valuable for them. Bit Literacy provides the basic skills required for anyone to engage the wave of informational change."
- Craig Newmark, founder, craigslist.org

"Most of us learned how to deal with digital technology in piecemeal fashion. We developed habits that served us well for a time. But for the modern digital age, almost all of our habits are bad. In Bit Literacy, Mark Hurst provides brief, no-nonsense, clear, and unbelievably helpful advice on how to replace those bad habits with good ones. Take his advice and instead of being tyrannized by the overload that comes at you daily, you'll be liberated."
- Barry Schwartz, author, The Paradox of Choice

"The word 'empowerment' should be included in the subtitle of this book, as I believe reading it reduces the hypertension involved in our daily journey through the flotsam and jetsam of life. Bit Literacy helps make the complex clear."
- Richard Saul Wurman, author, Understanding USA

As the founder of Creative Good and Good Experience, and host of the renowned Gel conference (Good Experience Live), Hurst and his companies help organizations work more productively and create better customer experiences. Hurst holds bachelor's and master's degrees in computer science from MIT. He lives in New York City with his wife.

Extraordinary Circumstances

by Cynthia Cooper

(John Wiley & Sons, 368 Pages)

Book Description

A courageous narrative of one woman's victory over corporate wrongdoing.

Written in an autobiographic style, Extraordinary Circumstances takes the reader through the journey of Cynthia Cooper–former WorldCom employee and Time magazine’s 2002 Person of the Year–and her compelling story in exposing the largest corporate fraud in history.

Following Cooper from her early upbringing in Mississippi, to her high-level position in WorldCom, to the issues of fraud that she confronted, to the fall of WorldCom, Extraordinary Circumstances is an insider’s guide to the decision-making process that led her to "blow the whistle" and the role her personal faith and ethics played during this challenging time.

Cynthia Cooper (Brandon, MS) was named one of Time magazine’s 2002 Persons of the Year, along with fellow whistleblowers Coleen Rowley and Sherron Watkins. Ms. Cooper was inducted to the 2004 AICPA Hall of Fame, and is the first woman to receive this distinction. Ms. Cooper is also the 2003 recipient of the Accounting Exemplar Award, which is awarded annually to an individual who has made notable contributions to professionalism and ethics in accounting practice or education. Ms. Cooper is the tenth recipient of the Accounting Exemplar Award and the first woman to receive the award. As the former vice president of the internal audit department at WorldCom, she is best known for her detection and reporting of the massive corporate fraud that was taking place at some of the highest levels of the company. After the collapse of WorldCom, Cooper continued to work at WorldCom (now MCI) but in 2004 she resigned her position as the Chief Audit Executive for MCI to form her own company, through which she speaks to both professionals and students across the country to share some of the lessons she has learned and to emphasize the importance of strong ethical leadership.

Make the Impossible Possible

by Bill Strickland

(Currency, 288 Pages)

Book Description

"Success is the point where your most authentic talents, passion, values, and experiences intersect with the chance to contribute to some greater good."
--Bill Strickland

According to MacArthur Fellowship “genius” award winner Bill Strickland, a successful life is not something you simply pursue, it is something that you create, moment by moment. It is a realization Strickland first came to when, as a poor kid growing up in a rough neighborhood of Pittsburgh, he encountered a high school ceramics teacher who took him under his wing and went on to transform his life.

Over the past thirty years, Bill Strickland has been transforming the lives of thousands of people through the creation of Manchester Bidwell, a jobs training center and community arts program. Working with corporations, community leaders, and schools, he and his staff strive to give disadvantaged kids and adults the opportunities and tools they need to envision and built a better, brighter future.

Strickland believes that every one of us has the potential for remarkable achievement. Every one of us can accomplish the impossible in our lives if given the right inspiration and motivation to do so. We all make ourselves “poor” in one way or another when we accept that we are not smart enough, experienced enough, or talented enough to accomplish something. Bill Strickland works with the least advantaged among us, and if he can help them achieve the impossible in their lives, think what each of us can do.

The Nonverbal Advantage

by Carol Kinsey Goman

(Berrett-Koehler Pub, 216 Pages)

The workplace is a "blink" worldstudies show we form opinions of one another within 7 seconds of meeting, and that 93% of the message people receive from us has nothing to do with what we actually say. So good nonverbal communication skills are a huge professional advantage. Carol Kinsey Goman combines the latest research and her 25 years of practical experience as a consultant, coach and therapist to offer a fun and practical guide to understanding what we and the people we work with are saying without speaking, Goman writes in an informal, conversational tone, illustrating her points with cartoons, photos and anecdotes, and she includes dozens of simple and enlightening exercises readers can practice to gain control over the message their body is sending. The Nonverbal Advantage will help readers communicate far more effectively, understand those around them more completely, and project a more accurate picture of who they really are to their colleagues, clients and partners.

The Exhaustion Cure

by Laura Stack

(Broadway Books, 368 Pages)

Feeling fatigued? Wish you could have more get-up-and-go?

If you’re like millions of Americans, you get home from a long day with barely enough energy to lift the remote control. But with Laura Stack’s comprehensive plan, you can regain your vitality in just three weeks. Let The Productivity Pro® help you eliminate the “energy bandits” from all aspects of your life--from your diet and your work schedule to your environment and your relationships--so you can start living in a way that will boost your energy.

Focusing on simple changes that make a huge difference, The Exhaustion Cure presents manageable ways to:
Cut down on “energy bandits” and fill up on “energy boosters.”
Stop relying on caffeine, cigarettes and other substances to keep you going.
Avoid letting negative situations or people control your thoughts and actions.
Sneak in time for fitness during the busiest days.
Accomplish your goals and find more time to devote to your family.

LAURA STACK, MBA, CSP, is a personal productivity expert and the author of Leave the Office Earlier and Find More Time. As a professional speaker, she helps workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. Laura is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., an international time management company whose clients include Microsoft, GM, Time Warner, Lockheed Martin, and Bank of America.

Persuasion IQ

by Kurt Mortensen

(Amacom Books, 336 Pages)

Book Description
Do you realize how much your professional success, your income, and even your personal relationships depend on your ability to persuade, influence, and motivate other people? Yet many of us continue to use outdated tech­niques for convincing others...or worse yet, have no technique at all. Kurt Mortensen, through his Persuasion Institute, has sought out and studied the world's top persuaders, and with his specially formulated Persuasion I.Q. assessment--the most comprehensive persuasion resource available today--he lets readers in on the essential habits, traits, and behaviors neces­sary to cultivate their natural persuasive abilities. Concen­trating on the 10 major Persuasion I.Q. skills, the book allows readers to determine their own current Persu­asion I.Q., helping them to identify their strengths and weaknesses, and start­ing them down a path to enormous success and wealth.

Whether we're selling a product, presenting an idea, or ask­ing for a raise, persuasion is the magic ingredient. This powerful, life-changing book will transform anyone into a persuasion genius.