Motivation Behavior

In their best-seller Working with You Is Killing Me, Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster taught readers how to free themselves from emotional traps created by difficult colleagues. Now they apply their research and insights to the challenges of "toxic bosses." Sooner or later, we all work for someone we can't stand. When that happens, some people quit, some suffer in silence, and others cope by sulking, obsessing, avoiding, or retaliating.

You can own a beautiful home. You can own a vintage sports car. And a yacht. But none of these external things will ever change how you feel about life and yourself. The truth is we get frustrated and disappointed with life because we don’t focus on owning the right thing. Without knowing how to own and manage our inner world, there will always be something missing. You’ll still feel empty and unfulfilled.

Modern society is plagued by fragmentation. The various sectors of our communities - businesses, schools, social service organizations, churches, government - do not work together. They exist in their own worlds. As do so many individual citizens, who long for connection but end up marginalized, their gifts overlooked, their potential contributions lost.

Kindness isn’t merely about getting along with people and being nice. It’s a game changer in business, the door opener to opportunity, and the key to authenticity and confidence. It’s a superpower that can be honed through an intentional lifestyle of kindness and is especially important in these divisive times.

Friendship expert Shasta Nelson unpacks the distinct ways we can make work relationships the healthiest they can be, both for the sake of the employee and the mission of the company. She inspires listeners to see why friendship is crucial to our health and our careers, and teaches us exactly how to develop the supportive and meaningful connections we need.

We send our kids to school and obsess about their test scores, their behavior and theirability to fit in. We post a help wanted ad and look for experience, famous colleges and a history of avoiding failure. We invest in companies based on how they did last quarter, not on what they’re going to do tomorrow. So why are we surprised when it all falls apart? Our economy is not static, but we act as if it is. Your position in the world is defined by what you instigate, how you provoke, and what you learn from the events you cause. In a worldfilled with change, that’s what matters - your ability to create and learn from change.

We all have to work with people we can't stand to be around. Our challenge is to find creative ways to handle these difficult people. In the fable Make Difficult People Disappear, the skills and strategic plan needed to change your mindset are told through a clear, concise story. By first understanding the four main personality types in the workplace, commander, organizer, relater, and entertainer, listeners can then devise effective strategies for diffusing unproductive and damaging behavior.

Richard Branson, one of the world's most famous and admired business leaders, argues that it's time to turn capitalism upside down - to shift our values from an exclusive focus on profit to also caring for people, communities, and the planet as he writes: "People often associate me with challenges, with trying to break records while sailing the Atlantic or flying in a jet stream in a balloon or going into space with Virgin Galactic. But this audiobook isn't just about fun and adventure and exceeding one's wildest dreams."

Black Faces in White Places is about "the game" - that is, the competitive world in which we all live and work. The audiobook offers 10 revolutionary strategies for playing, mastering, and changing the game for the current generation, while undertaking a wholesale redefinition of the rules for those who will follow. It is not only about shattering the old "glass ceiling" but also about examining the four dimensions of the contemporary black experience: identity, society, meritocracy, and opportunity.

Before you can lead change, you must first learn to communicate effectively.Sync or Swim will help you: break through apathy and cynicism to inspire teamwork; empower and energize frustrated colleagues; and create an engaging work environment.

Catherine had just celebrated her forty-third birthday on May 20th. Her dream of owning and running a thriving company was coming true. Essentially Proximal's essential oil line was becoming a major success. As a female business owner, she was doing her best to promote positive culture at work and retain talent. Her goal was to build a diverse high-performing and inclusive leadership team, but her leadership team was struggling to put people first and live the mission and values of the company. She had to make some serious changes to ensure the future success of the company.

Imagine walking up to a stranger on the subway and asking them for their seat. What about asking a random person on the street if you could borrow their phone? If the idea makes you squeamish, you're not alone - social psychologists have found that doing these very things makes most of us almost unbearably uncomfortable. But here's the funny thing: even though we hate to ask for help, most people are wired to be helpful. And that's a good thing, because every day in the modern, uber-collaborative workplace, we all need to know when and how to call in the cavalry.

The Big Moo is a simple audiobook in the tradition of Fish and Don't Sweat the Small Stuff. Instead of lecturing you, it tells stories that stick to your ribs and light your fire. It will help you to create a culture that consistently delivers remarkable innovations.

In Contagious Culture, Anese Cavanaugh proved that it's possible to create an energized and engaged organizational culture that spreads from person to person. Now, in Contagious You, she hones in on the individual, showing us how each of us is contagious in our own way and stressing the importance of leading with intention to achieve positive results.

We've decided by consensus that consensus is good. In In Defense of Troublemakers, psychologist Charlan Nemeth argues that this principle is completely wrong: left unchallenged, the majority opinion is often biased, unoriginal, or false. It leads planes and markets to crash, causes juries to convict innocent people, and can quite literally make people think blue is green. In the name of comity, we embrace stupidity. We can make better decisions by embracing dissent. Dissent forces us to question the status quo, consider more information, and engage in creative decision-making.

Nearly a quarter century ago Carter Cast seemed to have it all together: he had a first-class education, an all-American athletic career, and was a very bright and energetic rising star on the fast track at a Fortune 100 company, PepsiCo. But blissfully unaware of how negative perceptions were shaped, he was stunned when called into his boss's office, and told he was "unpromotable" because he was "obstinate", "resistant", and "insubordinate".

Remarkable! is an entertaining and enlightening business parable that has the power to turn any team around. Through the humorous and eye-opening story of Dusty, leaders will discover how to build a culture that inspires team members to bring the best of who they are to the table every day. Addressing the three dimensions of culture - values, beliefs, and behaviors - Remarkable! introduces listeners to the Four Maxims of Value Creation: creativity, positivity, sustainability, and responsibility.

What if you didn’t have to change everything in your career to change your life at work? There’s a fresh answer to help you make better career decisions without resorting to the drastic measures of changing careers, finding a new job, starting a business, or bowing to an early and unwanted retirement - and without settling or sacrificing your health, family life, and well-being. Darcy Eikenberg shares simple, practical ways to reset how you think, revise what you say, and rescue your career without quitting, feeling stuck, or changing everything in your life.

In this timely and essential guide, McKinsey alumni Gaurav Bhatnagar and Mark Minukas present a proven approach to workplace anxiety that reduces stress, boosts well-being, and overcomes blocks that get in the way of success. It begins with changing our relationship with fear and then developing strategies that improve outlook and performance, leading to greater profits, sustainable growth, and personal rewards. It’s only possible with a culture of unfear.

Today, in sales, business, and life, you need every advantage you can get. In Sell More with Science, David Hoffeld, the world’s leading expert on applying science to selling, shares his revolutionary three-part system to experience surefire success at home, at work, and out in the world. Here, Hoffeld utilizes research studies from social psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics to reveal actionable insights you can use to grow your sales, achieve more, and stay ahead of the competition.