Workplace Development

Paul Williams and Andreas Krebs take a no-punches-held look at the stories we tell ourselves about business success. The rags-to-riches tale is tempting, but we don’t have to search far to see that most organizations rise for a time, only to experience a dramatic fall from grace. Just look at some of the companies that used to be household names: Nokia, AOL, Pan Am, Woolworth, and Blockbuster. The Illusion of Invincibility examines the why of success and failure. It’s a smart, funny, and radical look at how to build and sustain a great organization.

Employers look for two things when hiring or promoting people: knowledge and skill. They rarely, if ever, consider character. Yet character is the key to extraordinary business success. The Good Ones presents 10 crucial qualities of high-character employees, qualities that enhance employee satisfaction, client relationships, and the bottom line. You'll hear stories from managers and employees across the US and beyond who reveal how honesty, courage, loyalty, and patience have helped their organizations maintain an edge over the competition.

We all need help navigating the politics of ministry. In The Politics of Ministry, Bob Burns, Tasha Chapman, and Donald Guthrie combine their long ministry experience with sociological research on the topic. Filled with real-life stories taken from a variety of ministry settings, this book sets out wise principles and practices that help us see more clearly the political dynamics at play in our churches and parachurch ministries.

Birth, death, and conflict - three things you truly can't avoid. Whether it's big or small, conflict eats into productivity and makes people feel stuck. Yet solutions exist for even the toughest situations with the most intractable people. The answer lies in better communication - not just using different words, but rather learning to think differently. I Hear You supplies proven techniques for stepping outside one's point of view and seeing things from other perspectives.

Much work-based training is a waste of time and money because the majority of people are neither emotionally ready nor practically inclined to apply their learning to the way they behave. Power Up Your Mind offers a new model of learning which will revolutionise the way you learn and perform.

Differences are the spice of life! But cultural differences can also be the source of embarrassing gaffes and miscommunication for business and social travelers alike. No one wants to make a cross-cultural blunder--especially one that could have consequences for crucial partnerships or even your entire organization. But when you seek to understand the origins of these cultural distinctions and develop strategies to cope with them, you'll find that you can navigate any culture--whether virtually or in person--with ease.

Though the vision of one person can change the world, no one can carry out a vision alone. Extreme dreams depend on teams - lack of teamwork is often why big dreams go unrealized. Using examples and anecdotes from history and contemporary people, Pat Williams shows how the greatest world-changing events came to be as the result of the passion of one person. In each case a team was assembled with people equipped in the various areas needed to bring the vision to pass.

Fatherhood today is far different from previous generations. Stay-at-home dads are increasingly common, and growing numbers of men are working part-time or flextime schedules to spend more time with their children. Dads today are more emotionally and physically involved on the home front. They are "all in", and - like mothers - they are struggling with work-life balance and doing it all.

An entertaining and engaging exploration of the invisible forces influencing your life - and how understanding them can improve everything you do. The world around you is pulling your strings, shaping your innermost instincts and your most private thoughts. And you don't even realize it. And you don't even realize it. Every day and in all walks of life, we overlook the enormous power of situations, of context in our lives. That's a mistake, says Sam Sommers in his provocative new book.

The whirlwind of job applications, interviews, follow-up, resume building, and networking is just the beginning. What happens after you've landed the job, settled in, and begun to make a difference - where do you go from here? What if you feel stuck in what you thought would be your dream profession? New York Times best-selling author Mika Brzezinski and producer Daniela Pierre-Bravo provide an essential manual for those crucial next steps.

These are the essences of Coach Carter's basic building blocks for winning in life. From learning about the quality of one's character to the love of learning - as well as the importance of self-discipline and spirituality - Coach Carter takes you through his own life experiences and shows you how you, too, can become successful in your everyday life.

Few are prepared for managing across cultures, and the costs of cultural blind spots can spin out of control - from lawsuits to lost opportunities. Forged in the fire of clashing cultures and living on four continents, Dr. Zweifel developed a fool-proof methodology for managing successfully across borders.

Millions of people have improved their lives with the help of Richie Frieman, the hilariously insightful columnist known as the "Modern Manners Guy" on the Quick and Dirty Tips network. With his signature wit and unique insight, Richie reveals the best ways to handle every sticky situation with aplomb and class. Case studies and chapter quizzes all help to deliver actionable, easy-to-use tips to help young professionals navigate the minefield of their workplace and come out on top.

In an era when people and money are flowing fast across international boundaries, physically and virtually, culture crashes have become increasingly frequent, says international business consultant Michael Landers. A culture crash is what happens when someone unwittingly offends, frustrates or mystifies a person from a different culture. This can lead to lost business, hurt feelings, damaged relationships, even international incidents.

In Lifeboat, Maggie Craddock uses the stories of the survivors of the Titanic as a metaphor for hardworking professionals today facing uncertainty. They are swimming in waters jarred by sudden waves of downsizing, management shakeups, company mergers, dried-up funding, scandals, and probably a shark or two. The experiences of Titanic survivors, Craddock shows, offer lessons for a transformative workplace approach, one that recognizes that “every man for himself” does not work long-term.

Dion Lim has seen it all. As an Asian American woman in the hyper-competitive, White- and male-dominated business of TV news, her career path required a powerful blend of street smarts, determination, and a willingness to learn from mistakes-all of which she learned on the job. Today, she's an ABC anchor in one of the biggest cities in the country. In Make Your Moment, Dion guides you through what she has learned on the career battlefield and what it means for other working women today.

Economist and award-winning author Sylvia Ann Hewlett blends vivid stories with powerful new data in assessing the impact of the #MeToo movement in corporate America and provides concrete action to help executives and companies create more inclusive and safe work environments for women, people of color, and LGBTQ employees. While the #MeToo movement has exposed the enormous harm done by sexual misconduct in the workplace, the movement’s full promise has not been fulfilled, Sylvia Ann Hewlett argues.

Are stress and distractions slowing down your workday? Discover how mindfulness and meditation can transform your focus, productivity, and team dynamics with “Zen at Work: Mindfulness Strategies for Workplace Success”. This book offers practical solutions for bringing calm, clarity, and purpose into your professional life, so you can thrive in today’s fast-paced work environment.

Emotional intelligence, more than IQ and technical know-how, gives a valuable competitive edge to organizations and is crucial to the success of individuals. Used to its full advantage, you can learn to improve relationships to achieve your desired outcomes, perform better in interviews and develop your decision making on a day-to-day basis.

On a scale of one to 10, how well can you control your temper on the phone? For me, I have moved from a two to a solid seven on most days. But I wasn’t always that way. It took a lot of practice and specific techniques to reach that point.