BOOKWORM.PH

Amazon.com Review
Why do some people consistently inspire others to follow their lead? According to John C. Maxwell, author of 24 books and a regular speaker on the topic, it's the "character qualities" they possess. In The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, Maxwell identifies these top traits as character, charisma, commitment, communication, competence, courage, discernment, focus, generosity, initiative, listening, passion, positive attitude, problem-solving, relationships, responsibility, security, self-discipline, servanthood, teachability, and vision--and then defines them in ways that readers can absorb and utilize. Each is covered in a separate chapter opening with a high-concept definition and continuing with relevant anecdotes, details on its meaning, suggestions for further reflection, and exercises for improvement. For example, in the section on vision ("You can seize only what you can see"), Maxwell describes how Walt Disney initially developed the theme-park concept after accompanying his daughters to a fun-filled but rather shabby amusement park. He then analyzes how Disney's resultant projects drew on his personal history while meeting other's needs, and explains how readers must "listen to several voices" to develop successful foresight in a similar way. Finally, Maxwell suggests methods to articulate these visions and measure their implementation. --Howard Rothman

If you've never read The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, you've been missing out on one of the best-selling leadership books of all time. If you have read the original version, then you'll love this new expanded and updated one.

Internationally recognized leadership expert, speaker, and author John C. Maxwell has taken this million-seller and made it even better:

Every Law of Leadership has been sharpened and updated
Seventeen new leadership stories are included
Two new Laws of Leadership are introduced
New evaluation tool will reveal your leadership strengths-and weaknesses
New application exercises in every chapter will help you grow
Why would Dr. Maxwell make changes to his best-selling book?

"A book is a conversation between the author and reader," says Maxwell. "It's been ten years since I wrote The 21 Laws of Leadership. I've grown a lot since then. I've taught these laws in dozens of countries around the world. This new edition gives me the opportunity to share what I've learned."

What would happen if a top expert with more than 40 years of leadership experience were willing to distill everything he had learned about leadership into a handful of life-changing principles just for you? It would change your life.

John C. Maxwell has done exactly that in The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. He has combined insights learned from his thirty-plus years of leadership successes and mistakes with observations from the worlds of business, politics, sports, religion, and military conflict. The result is a revealing study of leadership delivered as only a communicator like Maxwell can.

Amazon.com Review
John C. Maxwell's The 21 Most Powerful Minutes in a Leader's Day is actually 21 weeks' worth of bite-sized daily lessons on leadership, based on biblical principles and the figures who embody them. Maxwell, the popular author of more than two dozen books on personal and leadership development, has always based his teachings on scriptural tenets. This time, he turns more explicitly to the Bible to illustrate principles such as effectiveness, influence, empowerment, sacrifice, and timing, which he introduced in a well-received earlier book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Readings for the first four days of each week incorporate: a theme ("People teach what they know, but they reproduce what they are"); a tale that brings a relevant individual (such as Jesus, Moses, Esther, and Solomon) into the discourse on it; interpretations that shape the pertinent factors into a practical contemporary lesson; and a question to ponder that both personalizes and extends the message ("If you reproduced yourself in another leader, would you be pleased with the result?"). Each fifth day, Maxwell presents suggestions, including a specific prayer, to use in putting the ideas into practice. Maxwell's exclusively biblical approach will not be for everyone, but his points are universal in nature and generally on target. Any reader should be able to draw ideas and inspiration from them, and those who have made the Bible a part of their lives will likely find his vision particularly substantial and satisfying. --Howard Rothman

Amazon.com Review
Anyone who thinks the audiocassette adaptation of Stephen Covey's bestseller, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, is a shortcut to reading the book has another thing coming. As a preview, the cassette is worth every one of its 90 minutes; as a substitute for the original, it will only leave you wishing for the rest. There's a reason 7 Habits has sold more than 5 million copies and been translated into 32 languages. Serious work has obviously gone into it, and serious change can likely come out of it--but only with constant discipline and steadfast commitment. As the densely packed tape makes immediately clear, this is no quick fix for what's ailing us in our personal and professional lives.

The tape opens to the silky-smooth, overtrained voice of the female narrator, who's responsible for tying together audio clips from actual Covey seminars. Leaving aside the occasional attempts at promoting Covey and his institute, her script does a first-rate job of making sense of Covey's own intense, analogy-rich style of explaining his habits. There's nothing simple about his approach to becoming an effective person. The first three habits alone--which have to do with personal responsibility, leadership, and self-management--could take years to master. Yet the last four are unattainable, the narrator insists, if you can't acquire the personal security--the "inner core," says Covey--that presumably comes from a mastery of the foundation.

Throughout our lessons, Covey's presence is both learned and thoroughly appealing. He drops references to the likes of Socrates, T.S. Eliot, and Robert Frost with the aplomb of an English professor. And his knack for mixing everyday stories with abstract concepts manages to clarify difficult issues while respecting our intelligence. You could argue that the cassette is nothing more than a clever marketing tool for selling another few million copies of the book. But, even at that, it's worth the investment in time and concentration: in the end, we're moved to learn more about integrating all seven habits in our struggle to become better and, yes, more effective people.-Ann Senechal

Product Description
The author of the national bestseller The Psychology of Winning and other popular self-help guides presents nine secrets for succeeding in all areas of life--spiritual, financial, relational, physical, and more. Readers seeking to unleash their maximum potential will discover a storehouse of life-transforming, step-by-step advice.

Why do some leaders get and accomplish what they want as a matter of routine, while others seem to regularly experience frustration and setbacks? Why do some leaders achieve their goals and reach new heights, while others barely "hang in there" and survive? Based on his groundbreaking psychological study of the ways that successful individuals think and behave, Dr. Henry Cloud presents a simple yet profound roadmap to help leaders-and those who want to become leaders-arrive at greater levels of personal growth and corporate influence than they previously thought were possible. The good news for all of us is that leadership success is not limited to vague notions of "charisma" nor traditional advantages like graduate degrees and connections, but much more to a pattern of thinking and moving forward that learns from mistakes and stays focused on goals.

We all get where we're going with a push from someone who cares, says acclaimed actor Washington. A national spokesperson for Boys and Girls Clubs of America, he tells how he found his own mentor in the Mount Vernon, N.Y., Boys Club and celebrates the organization's 100th anniversary with this collection of 70 celebrities' accounts of how as youngsters they were guided by a caring adult. Among the contributors are actors, athletes, authors, artists and former presidents. Retired basketball coach John Wooden remembers his hardworking father, a farmer, making the time every night to read poetry and Scripture to his children. Gloria Steinem describes how she saw a commitment to women's rights in the novels of Louisa May Alcott. Whoopi Goldberg credits her mother with teaching her empathy the day she abandoned her best friend to hang out with the popular kids. Bill Clinton was influenced by a great-uncle, an undereducated man who not only taught him to value people's differences but to refrain from making judgments. Washington has produced an anthology that will inspire successful men and women to help and empower the next generation. B&w photos. (Nov.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

* In his debut as an author, Denzel Washington shares his personal story of the mentors who helped guide his life.
* Washington pens the introduction for the stories of more than 70 of America's leading personalities in theatre, sports, business, and politics as they tell their life-changing stories of mentorship.
* Contributors include Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, Antwone Fisher, Bonnie Raitt, Cal Ripken, Alex Rodriguez, Dick Vitale, Whoopie Goldberg and more.

Product Description
A Message To Garcia written by legendary author Elbert Hubbard is widely considered to be one of the top 100 greatest books of all time. This great classic will surely attract a whole new generation of readers. For many, A Message To Garcia is required reading for various courses and curriculums. And for others who simply enjoy reading timeless piees of classic literature, this gem by Elbert Hubbard is highly recommended. Published by Classic House Books and beautifully produced, A Message To Garcia would make an ideal gift and it should be a part of everyone's personal library.

Review
I think the Christian message added to the good sense of your business message makes a different and worthwhile contribution -- Art Linkletter

Your book is a challenging and encouraging stimulus to believers to leave behind the mediocre and 'launch out' for Christ -- D. James Kennedy, Ph.D.

Product Description
If you want to rekindle your dreams of significance and success, if you are at the end of your rope, if you are ready to say no to procrastination beginning right now, then this book is for you!

International speaker John Mason has inspired millions of people in business, church, civic, and educational settings with his unique and captivating blend of wisdom, encouragement, and blunt honesty. Now for the first time, an updated and expanded edition of the very same book that has sold over a half a million copies, is available to everyone who is ready to blast beyond average, including you!

Let one of the world's premier inspirational speakers challenge you to grow and become all that God has created you to be with these and many more timely and enduring teachings that include: A goal is a dream with a deadline, the chip on the shoulder weighs a ton, the best time of day is now, and God will use you right where you are today.

Are you ready to defeat that Enemy Called Average in your life? Your life is about to change forever through the incredible wisdom in this dynamic book.

Product Description
Within every person has been placed a desire to be different, distinctive... To Be An Original. Deep down inside, everyone wants to be above average. No one really wants to 'just get by'... and John Mason believes that regardless of where you are in life, or how much you have or have not accomplished, God has a unique gift and calling just for YOU. Divided into 52 "nuggets" of truth, An Enemy Called Average is a source of godly wisdom, scriptural motivation and practical principles. The words of this book will stir up the gifts inside of you. If you're looking for answers to the questions YOU RE asking, then this book is for you. If you re tired of having to dig through pages of illusions, smoke screens, and mirrors to get to the bottom line...then you ve found what you ve been looking for. Think about it... When wisdom reigns, it pours. Fear and worry are interest paid in advance on something you may never own. Remember that faith to move mountains always carries a pick. People are born originals, but most die copies. Ideas go away, but direction stays. Your problem is your promotion. Being a servant won t make you famous just rich. Give An Enemy Called Average one year, just one nugget a week, and your life will never be the same.

From Publishers Weekly
Bennis ( Leaders ), a former president of the Univeristy of Cincinnati and currently a business professor at the University of Southern California, analyzes leadership and change in these superb essays. He maintains that America has a shortage of leaders ("people who do the right thing") and an abundance of managers ("people who do things right"), which results in "underled and overmanaged" American business and educational organizations. Bennis blames America's management schools. "We teach people how to be good technicians . . . but we just don't train people for leadership." In studying 90 leaders, Bennis discovered that their only common characteristic was "a guiding purpose, an overarching vision." His thoughts on corporate boards, ethics and information overload are perceptive, as is his essay on "Searching for the Perfect University President." This book should appeal to the business, educational administration and trade markets.

From Publishers Weekly
Without education or contacts, Andrew Carnegie rose from poverty to become the richest person in the world, mostly while working three hours a day in comfortable surroundings far from his factories. Having decided while relatively young and poor to give all his money away in his lifetime, he embraced philanthropy with the same energy and creativity as he did making money. He wrote influential books, became a significant political force and spent his last years working tirelessly for world peace. Yet he was a true robber baron, a ruthless and hypocritical strikebreaker who made much of his money through practices since outlawed. Nasaw, who won a Bancroft Prize for The Chief, a bio of William Randolph Hearst, has uncovered important new material among Carnegie's papers and letters written to others, but comes no closer than previous biographers to explaining how such an ordinary-seeming person could achieve so much and embody such contradictions. He concentrates on the private man, including Carnegie's relations with his mother and wife, and his extensive self-education through reading and correspondence. His business and political dealings are described mostly indirectly, through letters to managers, congressional testimony and articles. Nasaw makes some sense out of the contradictions, but describes a man who seems too small to play the public role. While Peter Krass's Carnegie and Carnegie's own autobiography are more exciting to read and do more to explain his place in history, they also leave the man an enigma. 32 pages of photos. (Oct. 24)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From The Washington Post
Andrew Carnegie was almost the exact contemporary of Charles Sherwood Stratton, better known as Tom Thumb, and easily could have been mistaken for P.T. Barnum's celebrated performing midget. At his tallest, Carnegie never got above five feet, he weighed barely over 100 pounds, and, David Nasaw reports, he "wore high-heeled boots and a top hat to disguise his lack of size." But resemblances ended right there. Any way you measured him, Carnegie was a giant. He established and subsequently dominated the steel industry, he invested early and wisely in oil, he multiplied his millions many times over -- and then he gave away "more than $350 million (in the tens of billions today)" to charities and worthy causes so numerous as to defy cataloguing.

Here in Washington, as almost everywhere else in America, his mark is inescapable. The Carnegie Library at Mount Vernon Place, a model of the Beaux Arts style, was donated to the city by him in 1902, along with three branch libraries. The neoclassical building of the Carnegie Institution, on P Street, is one of the city's architectural glories and the headquarters of one of the world's most important centers of scientific research. On Massachusetts Ave., the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace continues its valiant, hopeless struggle against humankind's baser inclinations, and on New York Avenue the Washington office of Carnegie Mellon University conducts many activities of local, national and international importance.

Carnegie's story is right out of Horatio Alger, though he makes Ragged Dick look like a mere piker. The poor Scot arrives in Pittsburgh in 1848, age 12, child of an aimless father and industrious mother. Goes to work at an early age and quickly ingratiates himself to all with "his remarkably sunny disposition, his broad smile, and non-stop, good natured chatter" -- not to mention his capacity for hard work and his nimble mind. Soon he is a messenger boy for the telegraph office -- "the perfect position for an ambitious, affable young man" -- and soon after that becomes a telegraph operator, "the most sought-after operator in the company" because he is the smartest and the quickest. On he moves to the Pennsylvania Railroad, not yet 20 years old, and wins the favor of its president-to-be. He's offered the opportunity to buy shares in another company, and eagerly does so, with a loan from the boss, and later gets his first dividend check.

"I shall remember that check as long as I live," he wrote many years later. "It gave me the first penny of revenue from capital -- something I had not worked for with the sweat of my brow. 'Eureka!' I cried. 'Here's the goose that lays the golden eggs.' " With that he was off. During the Civil War he helped keep the trains running -- he paid $850 to an Irish immigrant to take his place in the army -- and began to make farsighted but prudent investments. "Meteoric" scarcely begins to describe his upward trajectory:

"Almost thirty, Andrew Carnegie was the principal shareholder in several thriving companies, a partner in several more, and a force in local business circles, well known and respected for his acumen and his access to capital. He paid taxes on an income of $17,500 in 1864, with an additional $1 tax for his one-horse carriage. A year later, his income had risen to $38,735 ($5.6 million today), on which he paid a tax of $3,655. Again, he was charged an additional $1 tax for his carriage, $2 for his gold watch, and $4 for his pianoforte."

It is an astonishing story and even now, almost nine decades after his death, one that is familiar to many Americans. Carnegie, after all, is the giant of the Gilded Age, his only real rival being his contemporary and friendly acquaintance John D. Rockefeller. Never has this story been told so thoroughly or so well as David Nasaw tells it in this massive and monumental biography. Nasaw, who teaches history at the City University of New York and is the author of an excellent biography of William Randolph Hearst, has gotten access to a great deal of material unavailable to previous biographers and has made the most -- at times too much -- of it. Andrew Carnegie would be a better book had it been pared down from 800 pages of text to, say, 650, because Nasaw is in love with his research and cannot let go of it even when it becomes redundant, but only readers laboring under constraints of time are likely to complain; this is biography on the grand scale, and on the whole it lives up to its author's ambitions.

Not the least of its qualities is that Nasaw, unlike most biographers of prominent public figures, does not scant the private side of his subject's life. He trowels on all the details about how Carnegie became richer and richer and richer -- he was both the beneficiary and the victim of what Nasaw wryly calls "the inexorable logic of compound interest" -- and how in March 1901 he sold out to J.P. Morgan for the then-unimaginable sum of $400 million, making possible the formation of U.S. Steel, but he is no less attentive to Carnegie's intimate and inner sides. He admires his subject -- "one of the most fascinating men I have encountered, a man who was many things in his long life, but never boring" -- but sees him with eyes wide open, and thus paints a portrait that is balanced, nuanced and, in the end, fair and probably accurate.

Nasaw doesn't dwell overlong on Carnegie's physical stature, but probably that is where one must start. Samuel Clemens, who was one of his many famous friends, wrote that "Mr. Carnegie is no smaller than Napoleon, . . . but for some reason or other he looks smaller than he really is. He looks incredibly small, almost unthinkably small." To the end of his life Carnegie was "the undersized outsider with the funny accent who had been uprooted from his home" in Scotland and never forgot it. His "insecurities were legion," but he "battled his demons and insecurities in silence. He was a master at compartmentalizing his life, building barriers between Carnegie the lovesick suitor, Carnegie the powerful industrialist, and Carnegie the man of letters, disciple of Herbert Spencer, and confidant of Matthew Arnold."

Apart from his mother and wife, Herbert Spencer almost certainly was the most important influence in Carnegie's life. The British philosopher is now almost entirely forgotten outside academic circles, but in the second half of the 19th century he was one of the most influential and widely read writers in the West. He and Carnegie became friends of sorts -- Spencer seems to have been singularly disagreeable and antisocial -- but that meant less than the philosophical underpinnings Spencer provided for Carnegie. He was a gloomy man but a sunny moralizer: "Spencer offered Carnegie and his generation an intellectual foundation for their optimism, their sense that history was a record of forward progress, by arguing that material progress went hand-in-hand with moral progress, that industrialization was a higher state of civilization than that which preceded it, and that the future would be even rosier than the present."

Spencer taught Carnegie that "his success as a businessman . . . depended on his adherence to the laws of the marketplace, which, because they were embedded in a larger evolutionary schema, were as moral as they were inexorable. The path of evolutionary progress he was following would be strewn with hardships and sacrifice; but these were unavoidable in the short term if mankind was going to benefit over the long term." Hardships and sacrifice were far more likely to be exacted upon the laboring classes than upon their wealthy employer; this was regrettable but also unavoidable, because it was toward the greater goal of putting sufficient money into the hands of Carnegie and his peers so that they could redistribute it for the benefit of all.

Carnegie devoutly believed this: that he was part of a chosen elect -- chosen by whom is unclear, since he was not a religious man -- whose responsibility it was to decide how the wealth of society could be best and most wisely allocated. He was not the first or the last to hold such a belief. It is one of the enduring contradictions of American democracy that on the one hand we believe in rule by popular vote, yet on the other we have acquiesced in the formation of a ruling class whose power comes not from the vote but from the pocketbook. Carnegie, who so passionately believed in America and its institutions that he was known as "the Star-Spangled Scotchman," not merely saw no contradiction but believed that it was natural law and that he had been naturally selected.

Carnegie formulated a "gospel of wealth," relying heavily on Spencer, that rebutted "protests against the unequal distribution of wealth by arguing that the common good was best served by allowing men like himself to accumulate and retain huge fortunes. The more wealth that landed in wise hands, the more that could be given away -- wisely -- by the retired capitalist acting 'as trustee and agent for his poorer brethren, bringing to their service his superior wisdom, experience, and ability to administer, doing for them better than they would or could do for themselves.' "

He was as good as his word. Whether the decisions he made were wiser than those that would have been made by an elected government is at least debatable, but the hundreds of libraries built by this man who loved to read enriched the nation incalculably, and his other benefactions similarly made the country a better place. He did himself no honor when he remained silent as his company called in "a private army of detectives to battle its own employees" in the bloody, infamous Homestead Strike of 1892, and the incredible luxury in which he lived with his beloved wife and daughter scarcely suggested sacrifice on his own part, yet on the whole he was honorable and public-spirited. Far more wealth came his way than any human deserves, but he did far better by his good fortune than most others similarly blessed.

From Publishers Weekly
Based on the course Creativity and Personal Mastery that Rao teaches at Columbia Business School and Long Island University, this Buddhism-inspired self-help book promises readers the tools to effect fundamental life changes and find inner peace. At its heart, this is a case of Eastern philosophy leading Western MBAs along the path to self-improvement and corporate enlightenment, with a kinder and more productive working world as the ultimate goal. Rao narrates with waves of parables ("When you have one eye so firmly fixed on the goal, you have but one eye left to find the way") and introspection exercises—all designed to help executives find "effervescent joy" and discover their "purpose in life." Rao's techniques require an open mind and a belief in a "benevolent Universe" and in the notion that the negative things that happen to people are more often a matter of errant mindset and misinterpretation than reality. Will any of this actually lead readers to a higher level of self-enlightenment and make them happier at work and in life? As Rao writes, regarding the possibility of a universe that looks out for the well-being of its denizens: "Maybe yes, maybe no. Who knows?" (Jan.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
Scott DeGarmo Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Success magazine Astonishing credibility...every page bursts with well-researched and immediately practical guidelines for concentrating your thoughts and emotions on the attainment of your goals. -- Review

Review
Peter GuberChairman of the Board and CEO, Sony PicturesYet another profound and powerful tool in the Robbins arsenal of self-awareness. It has been an enormous source of strength and insight for me both personally and professionally.

Pat RileyNBA "Coach of the Decade"Anthony Robbins is the "ultimate coach" for that special breed of men and women who will never settle for less than they can be.

Dr. Barbara De Angelisauthor, #1 bestsellers How to Make Love All the Time and Secrets About Men Every Woman Should KnowRequired reading for anyone committed to increasing the quality of their life.

Stephen R. Coveyauthor of The New York Times #1 Bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleTony Robbins is one of the great influencers of this generation.

Scott DeGarmoEditor-in-Chief and Publisher, Success magazineAstonishing credibility...every page bursts with well-researched and immediately practical guidelines for concentrating your thoughts and emotions on the attainment of your goals.

Review
Scott DeGarmo Editor-in-Chief and Publisher, Success magazine Astonishing credibility...every page bursts with well-researched and immediately practical guidelines for concentrating your thoughts and emotions on the attainment of your goals. -- Review

Review
Peter GuberChairman of the Board and CEO, Sony PicturesYet another profound and powerful tool in the Robbins arsenal of self-awareness. It has been an enormous source of strength and insight for me both personally and professionally.

Pat RileyNBA "Coach of the Decade"Anthony Robbins is the "ultimate coach" for that special breed of men and women who will never settle for less than they can be.

Dr. Barbara De Angelisauthor, #1 bestsellers How to Make Love All the Time and Secrets About Men Every Woman Should KnowRequired reading for anyone committed to increasing the quality of their life.

Stephen R. Coveyauthor of The New York Times #1 Bestseller The 7 Habits of Highly Effective PeopleTony Robbins is one of the great influencers of this generation.

Scott DeGarmoEditor-in-Chief and Publisher, Success magazineAstonishing credibility...every page bursts with well-researched and immediately practical guidelines for concentrating your thoughts and emotions on the attainment of your goals.

From Publishers Weekly
"How," asks Kellerman, "will we ever stop what we refuse to see and study?" Research director of the Center for Public Leadership and lecturer in public policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, Kellerman focuses in opening chapters on the nature of leadership, the rise of a "leadership industry," the complicit role of followers, the definition of bad leadership and reasons for its occurrence. Kellerman's style combines the direct prose of the boardroom with the erudition of the classroom; relevant citations abound, from Machiavelli and Thomas Hobbes to Newsweek and Washington Monthly. Kellerman posits seven "types" of bad leadership and devotes a chapter containing a few brief examples and one detailed analysis to each. Drawing from the corporate, nonprofit, government and public opinion sectors, she examines instances of incompetence, rigidity, intemperance, callousness, corruption, insularity and even evil. Her focus isn't limited to individual behavior; context and the actions of followers are also considered. For example, the International Olympic Committee is faulted as much as its former president for scandals and commercialism that have sometimes undermined the games. High-level cabinet members, prominent legislators and the nation as a whole share the blame for the Clinton administration's failure to intervene in Rwanda's genocide. The stories, and Kellerman's final section of correctives, are complex and nuanced; there are no easy answers.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description:

“You can bring out the best in people.”

Being a leader means working with people, and that's not always easy! Interpersonal relationships can make or break a leader—whether in the office, the church, or elsewhere. That's why it's so important to be a "people person" and develop your own skills in tapping that most precious of all resources—people.

This book can help you develop the qualities of an effective leader, understand and help people with difficult personalities, inspire others to excellence and success, and more!

Dr. John Maxwell is the founder of INJOY, a leadership development institute dedicated to helping leaders reach their potential in both the Christian and secular worlds. A popular speaker, John offers ongoing leadership instruction through the INJOY Life Club, a monthly tape service. He also speaks nationally and internationally on subjects such as leadership, church growth, and attitude. John is the author of numerous books, including Be a People Person (Victor); The Winning Attitude: Your Key to Personal Success; Developing the Leader Within You; and Developing the Leaders Around You.

Product Description
Written in Zig Ziglar's trademark style, Better Than Good isn't just about success now, excellence tomorrow, or even motivation for next month, but about making a lasting impact-an impact that goes beyond financial gains and creative partnerships. This book offers practical and spiritual vision for what life can be when we allow the power of purpose and passion to permeate our souls.

About the Author
Zig Ziglar is an internationally known author and speaker whose client list includes thousands of businesses, Fortune 500 companies,U.S. government agencies, churches, schools and nonprofit associations. Many of his 25 books have been bestsellers, including See You at the Top, Raising Positive Kids in a Negative World and Secrets of Closing the Sale. Ziglar is also chairman of Ziglar, Inc., which helps people more fully utilize their physical, mental and spiritual resources. He and his wife,“the Redhead,” live in Texas.
--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

n this sequel ot Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive , Mackay, a Minneapolis envelope-maker, issues a flood of no-nonsense business advice in the form of original aphorisms and short, germane examples, all delivered with high spirits and ever-bubbling humor. "The sale begins when the customer says yes," he declares. "ASTONISH them . . . get it there before you said you would . . . " Mackay offers detailed programs to motivate customers and employees, and tells success stories of consumer needs perceived and fulfilled--pantyhose shops, walk-in medical clinics. He also stresses the importance of entrepreneurial courage, such as his own insistence on lengthy titles for his books. First serial to Success magazine; BOMC and Fortune Book Club alternates.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Like Mackay's previous best seller, How To Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive ( LJ 4/15/88), this work is filled with anecdotes and typical Mackay tips. Beginning with how to get a job, he uses hints and stories to show how to get ahead in the business world. The work is composed of 85 lessons broken into seven groupings, with each lesson usually only a couple of pages in length. Each grouping relates to specific aspects of a business career, e.g. "Harvey Mackay's Short Course on Getting Started" or "Working Your Way Up" or "Running the Show." In addition there are 35 "Quickies," usually a page or less in length, that explicate a point, e.g. "Find One Good Idea, and You Can Use It Forever." Sure to be a best seller. Recommended for all business collections that include popular works. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 9/1/89.
- -- Michael D. Kathman, St. John's Univ., Collegeville, Minn.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc

Product Description
Are you taking long lunches? Ignoring sexual harassment? Do you keep your desk neat to the point of looking like you don't have enough to do? The answer to all three should be yes, if you want to succeed in your career on your own terms. Penelope Trunk, expert business advice columnist for the Boston Globe, gives anything but standard advice to help members of the X and Y generations succeed on their own terms in any industry. Trunk asserts that a take-charge attitude and thinking outside the box are the only ways to make it in today's job market. With 45 tips that will get you thinking bigger, acting bolder, and blazing trails you never thought possible, BRAZEN CAREERIST will forever change your career outlook.

Take everything you think you "know" about career strategies, throw them away, and read this book because the rules have changed. "Brazen," "counter-intuitive," and "radical" are the best three descriptions of Trunk's work. Life is too short to be stuck in a rat hole... --Guy Kawasaki, author of The Art of the Start

It is a delightful book, with some edgy advice that made me squirm a bit at times. I agreed with 90% of it, found myself arguing with the other 10%, and was completely engaged from start to finish. --Robert I. Sutton, Ph.D, author of the New York Times bestseller The No Asshole Rule

BRAZEN CAREERIST has the street-smarts you need to make your career and life work for you from the start. Read it now, or you'll wish you had when you're 40! --Keith Ferrazzi, bestselling author of Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time

Penelope Trunk brings considerable savvy and a fresh new perspective to the business of career success. Bold and sometimes unconventional, Brazen Careerist gives readers much to think about as well as concrete, practical suggestions that will help them know what they want, and know how to get it. --Paul D. Tieger, author of Do What You Are and CEO of SpeedReading People, LLC

BRAZEN CAREERIST provides a road map specifically for Gen Xers and Gen Yers to help them navigate corporate life and handle the unique characteristics of a twenty-first century career. Trunk's style is direct, practical and anecdotal and most important incredibly helpful. --Julie Jansen, author of I Don't Know What I Want, But I Know it's Not This

Product Description
The average person in today's workforce will change jobs seven to nine times throughout his or her career. What's more, he or she will change occupational fields three to four times! Navigating this ever-changing landscape can be tough if you're not equipped with the best tools and information available

Build Your Own Ladder harnesses the power of 4 key areas: The Power of Vision: You must have a clear vision of what you want to achieve; The Power of Influence: You must be able to "sell"-your ideas, products, or leadership by learning the 9 Laws of Influence; The Power of Thought: Your thoughts will become who you are, so you must learn to control and direct them; and The Power of Reciprocity: You must invest in the lives of others, because you will reap what you sow in them

For office workers fearful of the next headcount reduction, Viscusi offers a sound strategy for surviving to work another day. A workplace and career specialist and executive headhunter, Viscusi explains with authority how executives facing staff reductions make their decisions. The 50 tactics he offers are intended to bulletproof a job, but they are also the same tactics that make one a valuable employee and enhance one's attractiveness to prospective headhunters and new employers-keeping resumes current, stashing away cash and knowing how to interview well. Viscusi groups his strategies into four categories: being more visible, being easy to work with, being useful and being ready, and his tips stick close to the tried-and-true (dress for success, spell-check emails, keep friends close and enemies closer). While those new to the working world will benefit the most from the advice, office veterans will receive a useful reminder that the little things-like body language and elevator pleasantries-go a long way to generating well-regard from higher ups intent on cutting staff.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description
Before he was even old enough to drink, he had bank accounts, a Ferrari, a mansion, a multi-million dollar corporation, and a desperate little secret . . . it was all a lie. Most of us can't imagine life getting much worse than it got for Barry Minkow, the one-time Wall Street wiz kid who catapulted his company to stardom and success only to see it exposed as a $300-million fraud. Most of us can't imagine spending more than seven years in federal prison and coming out owing victims $26 million. Most of us can't imagine our careers changing from FBI target to FBI trainer, from CEO to senior pastor, from con man to con catcher. Or can we? We've all slipped up. We've all failed. Cleaning Up is Barry Minkow's comeback story-a powerful a tale of redemption and inspiration, of second chances and setting things right. More than a decade from defrauding investors, today, as cofounder of the Fraud Discovery Institute, he's uncovered over a billion dollars worth of investment scams.

"Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos": 10 Strategies for Stepping Up to Success and Satisfaction at Work (Hardcover)

Is your work deeply satisfying? Do you look forward to Monday morning and the start of each new day? If you could do anything in the world without fear of failing, what would you do?

Whether you're stuck in a dead-end job or are living the career of your dreams, "Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos" is your go-to-guide for life as a woman in the working world. You'll hear the stories of incredible women who made that precarious climb up the ladder while keeping their fashionable stilettos and heart intact. Drawing from their stories and her own, Lynette Lewis shares the secrets to purposeful work, including how to:

* create a purpose statement for your life and work
* follow the "four principles of promotion"
* establish a "personal board of directors"
* keep enduring when unrecognized, unrewarded, and underpaid
* discover gifts in surprising places, and more!

"Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos" will help you discover new joy, meaning, success, and satisfaction in your life's work. Why spend your time on anything less?

Whether you speak from the pulpit, podium, or the front of a classroom, you don’t need much more than blank stares and faraway looks to tell you you’re not connecting. Take heart before your audience takes leave! You can convey your message in the powerful, life-changing way it deserves to be told. An insightful, entertaining parable that’s an excellent guide for any speaker, Communicating for a Change takes a simple approach to delivering effectively. Join Pastor Ray as he discovers that the secrets to successful speaking are parallel to the lessons a trucker learns on the road. By knowing your destination before you leave (identifying the one basic premise of your message), using your blinkers (making transitions obvious), and implementing five other practical points, you’ll drive your message home every time!

“Long ago, in a galaxy far, far away…”

“Once upon a time…”

“In the beginning…”

Great stories capture and hold an audience’s attention from start to finish. Why should it be any different when you stand up to speak?

In Communicating for a Change, Andy Stanley and Lane Jones offer a unique strategy for communicators seeking to deliver captivating and practical messages. In this highly creative presentation, the authors unpack seven concepts that will empower you to engage and impact your audience in a way that leaves them wanting more.

“Whether you are a senior pastor with weekly teaching responsibilities or a student pastor who has bern charged with engaging the hearts and minds of high school students, this book is a must-read.”

Bill Hybels

Senior pastor, Willow Creak Community Church

“A very practical resource for every biblical communicator who wants to go from good to great.”

Ed Young

Senior pastor, Fellowship Church, Grapevine, Texas

“To communicate effectively, you have to connect. Andy has been connecting with people for years, and now he’s sharing his insights with the rest of us.”

Jeff Foxworthy

Comedian

INSIDE LEFT FLAP

In Communicating for a Change, Andy Stanley shares the seven imperatives that define his approach to challenging people’s minds in order to change their lives: Determine Your Goal Pick a Point Create a Map Internalize the Message Engage Your Audience Find Your Voice Start All Over

These seven concepts will simplify your approach to communication and transform your sermons, lessons, and presentations into powerful life-changing experiences for your listeners.

Story Behind the Book

Andy Stanley and Lane Jones are on staff at one of America ’s largest churches, North Point Community. Leaders of thousands of people, they regularly speak in front of large groups. They also listen to numerous speakers and know the disastrous effects of a poorly delivered message. This book is the result of their efforts to make public speaking—one of the most common fear-inducing activities known to mankind—simple, easy, and even enjoyable, so that God’s messages will readily produce the life-changing results they should.

About the Author
Andy Stanley

Andy Stanley serves as senior pastor of the campuses of North Point Ministries, including North Point Community Church in Alpharetta , Georgia ; Buckhead Church in Atlanta, Georgia; and Browns Bridge Community Church in Cumming, Georgia. Each Sunday, more than twenty thousand attend one of these NPM campuses. Andy is the bestselling author of Visioneering, The Next Generation Leader, It Came from Within!, and How Good Is Good Enough? Andy and his wife, Sandra, have two sons and a daughter.

Lane Jones

Lane Jones is a native of Atlanta, Georgia, where he lives with his wife, Traci, and their three children, Jared, Caitlin, and Madison. He coauthored 7 Practices of Effective Ministry with Andy Stanley and Reggie Joiner, and is the executive director of membership development at North Point Community Church, where he loves to write and participate in the creative process. Lane holds degrees from Georgia State University and Dallas Theological Seminary.

It doesn't take long to understand why The Wall Street Journal calls Keith Harrell "a star with attitude." Keith Harrell, a.k.a. Dr. Attitude, helps you along on your path to success. Keith is a bestselling author, performance coach, and nationally acclaimed motivational speaker recognized for his innovative and enlightening presentations to Fortune 500 companies like Coca-Cola, IBM, Microsoft, and Southwest Airlines. His bestselling book, Attitude is Everything, helped readers improve their attitudes to impact the bottom line.

In Attitude is Everything, Keith taught readers to gain control of their careers and their lives by turning positive attitudes into successful actions. But attitude is only half the equation. Once you have super motivated employees, you need them to CONNECT to the company's goals and its mission to achieve maximum success.

Success is built on connections we make with people and ideas. Whether it's connecting with customers to improve their service experience, or connecting with the strategic business plan and objectives for the coming year, the foundation for success starts with CONNECT. Here in Connect, Keith Harrell and Hattie Hill reveal the seven core competencies needed to connect individuals and organizations in order to heighten productivity and to maximize personal and professional success.

Commit to win
Open up to opportunities
Notice what's needed and do what's necessary
Navigate by your purpose
Execute ethically
Challenge your challenges
Transcend beyond your best
About the Author

Keith Harrell, known as America's Attitude Coach, is the author of several books including the bestselling Attitude Is Everything. Keith is known across corporate America for his energetic, innovative presentations on how to be a leader in your workplace. Formerly a top training instructor at IBM, Keith is now an in-demand speaker whose clients include McDonalds, Microsoft, and American Express. He lives in Lakeland Ranch, Florida.

“First, the ideas presented are well and concisely addressed. Second, if you are one of the business owners or executives facing a crunch point, there is reassurance in learning that you are not the first to face a business crisis, and that there are ways out of the problems you face if you address them with dedication, imagination, and persistency. In the long run, the book is worth the price of the assurance you need.”

-Inland Empire Business Journal

The Story Behind Crush it!

Everything has changed. The social media revolution has irreversibly changed the way we live our lives and conduct our business. There are billions of dollars in advertising moving online, waiting to be claimed by whoever can build the best content and communities. Despite this change, most people keep working at jobs that don’t make them happy and businesses continue to ignore the major marketing and public relations benefits that can be found online.

Myth #1: I’m not passionate about something sexy or popular like wine so these lessons don’t apply to me.

The internet has drastically decreased the costs of building communities around niche subjects, allowing for even the most obscure subjects to draw enough eyeballs to command advertising attention. Starting a video blog about tortilla chips may seem farfetched until Doritos gives you a call and offers 40,000 a year to sponsor and advertise on your blog.

Myth #2: My business already has a Twitter account and a Facebook page, we’re set in the social media department.

This is the equivalent of claiming twenty years ago that just because your business bought a TV spot and a few ads in the newspaper, you didn’t need to pay attention to your advertising department. Social media isn’t about joining in, it’s about being involved.

Myth #3: I’m happy at my job so this book is irrelevant to me.

First of all, congratulations on finding work that makes you happy! However, the lessons in this book are valuable to anyone, regardless of their employment status. Crush It will show you how to utilize high level and platform specific social media and marketing strategies that will improve your work. It will also show you how to build a personal brand so that even if you’re forced to leave your job, a situation that’s especially relevant today, you’ll be able to easily find employment elsewhere in a field you’re passionate about.

Myth #4: I need to quit my job to take advantage of this book’s entrepreneurial lessons.

While the entrepreneurial strategies in this book do take time, it’s completely reasonable to start the effort as an after-work project to build up until you’re able to replace your current income with the income from your online presence. While you may have to fall behind on the current season of Lost or let your Madden 2010 game suffer, because you’ll be doing something you love you won’t mind putting in the extra effort.

In Crush It, Gary Vaynerchuk shows how anyone can build a career around what they’re passionate about. He also delivers both high-level and platform specific strategy and analysis, allowing you to take advantage of the current business environment while preparing you to succeed as it changes and evolves.

This book isn’t interested in making unrealistic promises while glossing over the work involved. Making a living by building content around your passion isn’t simple and it doesn’t happen overnight. What it is, however, is fulfilling and in most cases just as profitable, if not more so, than your previous job.

Furthermore, a business can’t just pay lip service to social media and expect it to return results. The transparency and accountability inherent in its structure necessitates a comprehensive and dedicated strategy in order to reap its tremendous benefits.

By combining practical analysis and strategy with the same passion and humor that’s made Gary one of the most in demand keynote speakers in the U.S. as well as network television’s go to wine expert, Crush It is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand and harness the future of business and work.

Learn: Why social media has evened the playing field, destroying the “gate-keepers” who had previously dictated the distribution of content.

Learn: How to beat unemployment and create wealth-building opportunities by building and maintaining a personal brand.

Learn: Why storytelling is the most important business concept in the current marketplace.

Learn: How you can build an online business around your passion without quitting your day job.

Learn: Why Twitter and Facebook are just tools and not a social media strategy.

Learn: How to take advantage of the half-billion dollars in advertising that are moving to the internet.

Learn: Why transparency and being true to yourself are now winning marketing formulas.

Learn: How to build and maintain an online community around your passion and brand.

Learn: Strategies for turning attention into money.

Learn: Why the legacy element of the internet era is so underrated.

From Publishers Weekly
Yet another rallying cry to the banner of turning your passion into a career, from braggadocio-ridden entrepreneur Vaynerchuk. After taking over his father's local liquor store, Shopper's Discount Liquors, and building it from a $4 million business to a $50 million one, he created the wine-tasting blog Wine Library TV and discovered the power of the Internet for driving sales. This book shares his experience and step-by-step advice for using Twitter, Facebook, etc., and suggestions for monetizing an online persona, reiterating that the Internet makes it possible for anyone to make serious cash by turning what they love most into their personal brand. His enthusiasm is admirable and his advice solid, but there's nothing new here, and his unappealing swagger—repeated stories of how he crushed it and dominated grate particularly—gives his story more the tone of adolescent peacocking than of worthwhile and sober business advice. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Many people have written about creating customer-centered organizations. Michael Basch actually did it--better than anyone else. He was the co-founder of Federal Express, and the VP of Sales, Marketing and Customer Service. He built the systems, created the processes and developed the culture that made FedEx the legend it still is today in customer management and support.

CustomerCulture is about consciously building the customer-centered organization where every employee is focused on serving their customers for sustained, profitable growth over the long haul... and it is now available in paperback. The people and companies that are constantly customer-centered are the "evolutionary forces" that continue to grow and innovate in their neverending quest for finding better ways. This is the definition of"CustomerCulture." In this book, Basch shows how any organization--from a small dental practice to a multinational organization--can transform itself for the customer, and become more profitable along the way.

Endorsed by Fred Smith, principal founder and CEO of FedEx and James Barksdale, co-founder of Netscape.

Product Description

Knowing that a company cannot grow without until its leaders grow within, John Maxwell encourages you to grow your organization by growing your leaders.

Developing leadership qualities in others is the way to ensure success in today's competitive world because the one asset that truly appreciates within any organization is people. People can grow, develop, and become more effective if they have a leader who understands their potential value.

About the Author
John C. Maxwell speaks to hundreds of thousands of people each year. He is the author of more than thirty books, including the best-selling The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

Product Description
In the Developing the Leader Within You Workbook, John Maxwell examines the differences between leadership styles, outlines specific ways each reader can apply principles for inspiring, motivating, and influencing others. These principles can be used in any organization to foster integrity and self-discipline and bring a positive change.

Developing the Leader Within You Workbook also allows readers to discover how to be effective in the highest calling of leadership by understanding the five characteristics that set leader managers apart from run-of-the-mill managers.

In this companion to the bestseller, John Maxwell shows readers how to develop the vision, value, influence, and motivation required of successful leaders.

Product Description
Knowing that a company cannot grow without until its leaders grow within, John Maxwell encourages you to grow your organization by growing your leaders.

Developing leadership qualities in others is the way to ensure success in today's competitive world because the one asset that truly appreciates within any organization is people. People can grow, develop, and become more effective if they have a leader who understands their potential value.

About the Author
John C. Maxwell speaks to hundreds of thousands of people each year. He is the author of more than thirty books, including the best-selling The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership.

Stedman Graham, bestselling author of You Can Make It Happen, teaches that in the 21st century your talent and skills above all else will define your value. In Diversity: Leaders Not Labels, Graham shows you how to break out of the box that keeps you from growing to your full potential, and reveals that success is truly based on results, performance, and excellence.

Diversity is literally changing the face of our nations. Workers of all backgrounds are merging into a global marketplace, while businesses are challenged by a shortage of talent and the need to integrate a wide range of cultures. In this global environment, diversity has become a permanent business characteristic; opportunities will be plentiful for both people and businesses. Graham indicates that we do not have to become a member of anyone else's culture to play a key role, but must maintain and assert our own identities while respecting others' uniqueness in our workforces and communities. He helps us to understand that developing leaders rather than accepting labels is ultimately the best way to preserve culture and create a legacy.

Diversity: Leaders Not Labels studies diversity as no one has before, exploring different cultures and their histories to help you understand that everyone has had challenges and that the transformation process is the same for each of us. Hard work, sacrifice, talent, and self-motivation are the tools you need for the future. By showcasing individuals who have successfully transcended labels to become leaders, Graham helps readers begin to move from their history to carving their own individual pathways to success, based on authenticity as well as the talents and skill they bring to the workforce.

"What is most important is breaking through labels and understanding who you are," says Graham. "Realize that everyone brings uniqueness, talents, and skills that add value to our experiences, work environments, businesses, and communities. When you operate from this perspective, you will emerge in the 21st century as a true leader to yourself, to others, and to society."

Product Description
Aimed at those who have trouble completing assignments on time as well as anyone looking to lead a well-organized life, this innovative handbook takes a unique approach to time management. Efficiency expert Mark Forster shows that prioritizing tasks is never a sufficient approach to organizing a schedule, and is rarely even helpful. In the place of prioritization he posits several radical new ideas, including closed lists, the manyana principle, and the “will do” list. Innovative forms of communication that are designed to produce effective conversation and planning are also provided. The result is a complete system which will boost efficiency and simultaneously decrease stress and overworking.

About the Author
Mark Forster is the author of Help Yourself Get Everything Done and How to Make Your Dreams Come True.

Product Description
J. Oswald Sanders probes Scripture to elicit principles and factors that inspired the dynamic spiritual leadership of Paul and the other apostles in the halcyon days of the church. Paul's letters reveal a frail, fallible man--one who fell and rose again--someone who can speak to our need. Because spiritual principles are timeless, we can learn to apply them to our own situations.

About the Author
DR. J. OSWALD SANDERS (1917-1992) was a Christian leader for nearly seventy years and authored more than forty books on the Christian life. He left a promising law practice in his native New Zealand to serve as an instructor and administrator at the Bible

Product Description
The legendary Eat That Frog! (more than 450,000 copies sold and translated into 23 languages) provides the 21 most effective methods for conquering procrastination and accomplishing more. This new edition is revised and updated throughout, and includes brand new information on how to keep technology from dominating our time.

About the Author
Brian Tracy has studied and practiced professional selling for more than thirty years and has taught this remarkable system to more than 500,000 salespeople throughout the U.S. and worldwide. He is the author of "Maximum Achievement" and the author/narrator of more than thirty top-selling audio and video learning programs.

"I am convinced that the fortunate individuals who achieve the most in life are invariably activated by enthusiasm." -- Norman Vincent Peale

If you have a tough time coping with life's disturbances, disappointments, and challenges, this book is for you. Dr. Peale offers a simple, sure-fire solution for stress: a healthy dose of enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is the magic ingredient that can make the difference between success and failure, and it can help you to:

• improve your problem-solving abilities

• overcome your fears

• sharpen your mind

• make your job more rewarding

• calm your tensions

• build self-confidence

• kindle the powerful motivation that makes things happen

In the opening of Lance Armstrong's memoir, Every Second Counts (co-authored by Sally Jenkins), he reflects: "Generally, one of the hardest things in the world to do is something twice." While he is talking here about his preparation for what would prove to be his second consecutive Tour de France victory in 2000, the sentiment could equally be applied to the book itself. And just as Armstrong managed to repeat his incredible 1999 tour victory, Every Second Counts repeats--and, in some ways exceeds—the success of his bestselling first memoir, It's Not About the Bike.

Every Second Counts confronts the challenge of moving beyond his cancer experience, his first Tour victory, and his celebrity status. Few of Armstrong's readers will ever compete in the Tour de France (though cyclists will relish Armstrong's detailed recounting of his 2000-2003 tour victories), but all will relate to his discussions of loss and disappointment in his personal and professional life since 1999. They will relate to his battles with petty bureaucracies, like the French court system during the doping scandal that almost halted his career. And they will especially relate to constant struggles with work/life balance.

In the face of September 11--which arrives halfway through the narrative (just before the fifth anniversary of his diagnosis)--Armstrong draws from his experiences to show that suffering, fear, and death are the essential human condition. In so openly using his own life to illustrate how to face this reality, he proves that he truly is a hero--and not just because of the bike. In Every Second Counts he is to be admired as a human being, a man who sees every day as a challenge to live richly and well, no matter what hardships may come. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-In It's Not about the Bike (Putnam, 2000), Armstrong related his battle with cancer and his incredible Tour de France victory. In this book, he gives a gripping account of his second through (record-tying) fifth victories at the Tour. (His latest triumph might be missed by less-than-thorough readers-it's at the very end, following the afterword.) One sees that Armstrong has grown up quite a bit since his first book. However, he still has a reckless streak, as witnessed by his fondness for diving into a place called Dead Man's Hole. There are glimpses into his personal life and reflections on his illness, but this memoir is unabashedly about the thrill of racing and winning with the U.S. Postal Team. Armstrong talks about his teammates with humility and admiration. He also deals frankly, yet with remarkable restraint, with the accusations of doping by the French. The cyclist still works with his Lance Armstrong Foundation against cancer, but readers get the sense that he is definitely looking forward. Warm and informal in tone, Every Second Counts is a must-read for cycling fans.
Sheila Shoup, Fairfax County Public Library, VA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

Product Description
Inspiring stories and practical insights challenge readers to live a life of everyday greatness.

Best-selling author Stephen Covey and Reader's Digest have joined forces to produce an extraordinary volume of inspiration, insight, and motivation to live a life of character and contribution. The timeless principles and practical wisdom along with a "Go-Forward Plan" challenge readers to make three important choices every day:

1. The Choice to Act - your energy
2. The Choice of Purpose - your destination
3. The Choice for Principles - the means for attaining your goals

Topics include:

* Searching for Meaning
* Taking Charge
* Starting Within
* Creating the Dream
* Teaming with Others
* Overcoming Adversity
* Blending the Pieces

With stories from some of the world's best known and loved writers, leaders, and celebrities, such as Maya Angelou, Jack Benny, and Henry David Thoreau, and insights and commentary from Stephen Covey, the Wrap Up and Reflections at the end of each chapter help create a project that can be used for group or personal study.

From Scientific American
Audible Ready: On the football field, when the game plan just isn't working, that coach and team ready to execute substitute plays inevitably have the edge. Just as Dan Marino's on-field "audibles" (verbal commands) can turn crises situations into game-winning touchdowns, the office quarterback prepared with a variety of options can execute quick, on-target decisions in the face of unexpected change or challenges.
Consistency: The same reactions in similar circumstances may not seem a lot to ask of a leader - but many bosses let their moods, their "toughness," or their need to be liked get in the way when it comes to offering appropriate praise or reprimands. For Shula and Blanchard, the rule is simple: "You can't let poor performance go unnoticed - even from a superstar. The same goes for good performance - performance is all-important; that's what you need to respond to on a consistent basis."

Honesty-based: Effective leaders, Shula and Blanchard maintain, are always straightforward in their dealings with other people. Shula sets out to win fair and square and makes sure his team does the same: It's no coincidence that during Shula's seasons with Miami the Dolphins have been the least penalized team in the NFL. Though penalties in the corporate sector are less immediate than those in a stadium, studies show that the decline of ethics and integrity in a business inevitably lead to the decline of that business. Business leaders who tell it straight, who are open and honest even about bad news, develop the trust essential for strong long-term relationships - inside and outside of the company.

Featuring vignettes drawn from Shula's training sessions and actual Dolphin games, and from the corporate offices where Blanchard has encountered the best - and the worst - of management coaches, Everyone's a Coach sends leaders well on their way to creating a championship team.

From Booklist
Examples from the game of football are often used to illustrate determination, overcoming adversity and long odds, competition, and success; and our everyday language is filled with gridiron metaphors and memorable quotes. It is only natural, then, that Shula, the coach with more wins in professional football than any other, should write about inspiring others to win. He provided similar guidance with The Winning Edge (1973), his account of his success in turning around the ineffectual Miami Dolphins. He now teams up with Blanchard, author of the best-selling One Minute Manager (1982) and its popular sequels. Alternately, the two dispense their advice using key points based on the somewhat forced mnemonic COACH (conviction-driven, overlearning, audible ready, consistency, and honesty). Shula, a deeply religious person, includes frequent references to his faith and God. Blanchard, meanwhile, sings the praises of Shula and offers up business applications of Shula's playing-field tactics. David Rouse --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
From winning the attention of the boss to focusing on the causes of problems with children and everything in between, this guide provides specific solutions, step-by-step advice, and examples readers can follow to turn communication challenges into rewarding opportunities.

Review
“Executive Intelligence” is a breakthrough.” (Noel M. Tichy, Professor, The Ross School, University of Michigan and author of Cycle of Leadership )

“Executive Intelligence offers real insights into what differentiates the great leaders from the pack.” (Kevin Sharer: Chairman, President & CEO of Amgen, Inc )

“Menkes offers a stimulating analysis of an important topic.” (BusinessWeek )

Menkes does a great job of dissecting executive intelligence -- the ability to analyze and solve problems in a business environment.” (James M. Kilts, Chairman, President & CEO, The Gillette Company )

“Justin Menkes has provided a useful guide for helping to identify the people you want to bet your company on.” (Ed Breen, Chairman & CEO, Tyco International Ltd. )

“This will transform the way companies hire, promote and evaluate senior-level employees. It is nothing less than a revolution.” (James M. Citrin, board director and practice leader, Spencer Stuart, and coauthor of the national bestsellers The 5 Patterns of Extraordinary Careers and You’re in Charge, Now What )
Product Description

The final word on what traits make for highly successful managers—and a detailed explanation of how to identify potential standout performers.

Executive Intelligence is about the substance behind great leadership. Inspired by the work of Peter Drucker and Jim Collins, Justin Menkes set out to isolate the qualities that make for the 'right' people. Drawing on his background in psychology and bolstered by interviews with accomplished CEOs, Menkes paints the portrait of the ideal executive.

In a sense, Menkes's work reveals an executive IQ—the cognitive skills necessary in order to excel in senior management positions. Star leaders readily differentiate primary priorities from secondary concerns; they identify flawed assumptions; they anticipate the different needs of various stakeholders and how they might conflict with one another; and they recognise the underlying agendas of individuals in complex exchanges.

Weaving together research, interviews and the results of his own proprietary testing, Menkes exposes one of the great fallacies of corporate life, that hiring and promotion are conducted on a systematic or scientific basis that allows the most accomplished to rise to their levels of optimal responsibility.

Finally, Menkes is a passionate advocate for finding and employing the most talented people, especially those who may have been held back by external assumptions.

Fueled by the drive to be bigger and better, today's church has adopted principles and practices created by the corporate world. The result is a toxic mix of the spiritual and the secular, where success is measured in numbers, and pastors are encouraged to become CEO superstars.

In short, the world is infl uencing the church. How do we get back to a biblical foundation for leadership and church development?

Trusted and best-selling author Don Cousins will take you on a groundbreaking exploration of what makes a church leader successful. Lead using the gifts God has given you. Fulfi ll your calling to be a leader who equips others for the work of service. Experience God's blessings as you carry out His work, His way.
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Experiencing LeaderShift Together is a curriculum designed to guide ministry teams and small groups through the core principles of LeaderShift. learn more » Experiencing Leadership Together Participant's Guide
Experiencing LeaderShift Together is a curriculum designed to guide ministry teams through the core principles of LeaderShift.
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About the Author
Former associate pastor and one of the founding leaders of Willow Creek Community Church, Don Cousins has been equipping leaders for more than thirty years. He is the coauthor of the Medallion award-winning, gifts-based curriculum study Network. Don resides in Holland, Michigan, with his wife, MaryAnn, and their three children.Bruce Bugbee is the founder and president of Network Ministries International. He is also an executive for the Far West Region of the Reformed Church in America. He emphasizes leadership development and gift-based ministry teams throughout the country and in all kinds of churches. He is the author of What You Do Best in the Body of Christ and Discover Your Spiritual Gifts the Network Way (Zondervan).

Amazon.com Review
Competently managing a group of peers is unquestionably among the most difficult of workplace tasks, but key steps that produce success are laid out so clearly by consultants Patrick J. McKenna and David H. Maister in First Among Equals that even those who completely lack experience should find the process feasible and effective. McKenna and Maister focus on leading teams of professionals--often composed of people who don't feel like they are part of a team or in need of leadership--by transforming the way managers assume responsibility and direct members. "Success in helping your group succeed is mostly about you. Not them," they write. Their book starts by explaining how to prepare for the job ahead, for example, by meeting informally with participants and displaying sincere interest in things that matter to them. It then explores coaching the individuals involved (offering methods for gaining acceptance, building rapport, assisting underperformers and dealing with prima donnas) and guiding the collective group (by developing rules, building trust, invigorating meetings, and resolving conflicts). Finally, it proposes measures for continued success, such as integrating new hires and gauging performance. Dozens of self-assessment questionnaires and diagnostic tests help make this an exceptionally practical guidebook on a critical but oft-neglected topic. --Howard Rothman

From Publishers Weekly
Organizations are more successful when they mold highly talented individuals into a cohesive group. But most talented people especially professionals hate to be managed. How to resolve this tension is the subject of this tightly focused, effective book by consultants McKenna (Herding Cats) and Maister (Practice What You Preach). Recognizing that all groups of professionals are different, the authors don't set off to create sweeping rules. Rather, they divide the task of leading groups of professionals into three parts what one must accomplish as the leader; how one wants to interact with individual members of the group; and how one wants to deal with the group as a whole and then offer concrete suggestions. A big part of this book's appeal is the authors' inherent understanding of how professionals resist overtly and otherwise being managed. Not surprisingly, McKenna and Maister spend a great deal of time explaining strategies for getting colleagues to agree to being led. They are particularly effective in outlining approaches for dealing with talented prima donnas (e.g., "listen to the individual's reasons for this behavior" and "inform the individual how improved behavior will improve his or her career"). This is a valuable resource for anyone in the position of trying to manage someone who was and still is, to a large extent a peer.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Amazon.com Review
What are the most important things in your life? Do they get as much care, emphasis, and time as you'd like to give them? Far from the traditional "be-more-efficient" time-management book with shortcut techniques, First Things First shows you how to look at your use of time totally differently. Using this book will help you create balance between your personal and professional responsibilities by putting first things first and acting on them. Covey teaches an organizing process that helps you categorize tasks so you focus on what is important, not merely what is urgent. First you divide tasks into these quadrants:

1. Important and Urgent (crises, deadline-driven projects)
2. Important, Not Urgent (preparation, prevention, planning, relationships)
3. Urgent, Not Important (interruptions, many pressing matters)
4. Not Urgent, Not Important (trivia, time wasters)

Most people spend most of their time in quadrants 1 and 3, while quadrant 2 is where quality happens. "Doing more things faster is no substitute for doing the right things," says Covey. He points you toward the real human needs--"to live, to love, to learn, to leave a legacy"--and how to balance your time to achieve a meaningful life, not just get things done. --Joan Price

From Publishers Weekly
This is the latest time-management book from the author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Sheahan, consultant and Young Turk of the business world, turns conventional wisdom around to discover marketing techniques effective with today's younger consumers, "who can't go to the toilet without phoning five of their friends." Sheahan puts forth business model-shattering concepts like gaining control by giving it up: allowing customers, networks and rank-and-file employees to improve products through feedback, interaction and inclusiveness. He even "flips"conventional thinking on outsourcing: "It is one thing to make products or do the paperwork for the world cheaply, and it is another entirely to innovate, design and sell goods and services to the world's advanced consumer markets." Sheahan illustrates his points convincingly with examples pulled from the business headlines, though some of his ideas may strike readers as overly dramatic and hard to follow, like putting as much effort into staff satisfaction as into customer satisfaction. Elsewhere, readers will find business fundamentals updated ("absolutely, positively sweat the small stuff" and "you've got to be fast, good, cheap, and more!"), and increasingly familiar lessons on exploiting a niche ("Mass-market success: Find it on the fringe"). Business owners and decision makers trying to capture the hearts and minds of today's younger consumers will find this a helpful guide.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

What do the superstars of modern business have in common? An ability to "flip"—to think counterintuitively and then act boldly, with no regard for "business as usual" conventions. one of the youngest and fastest-rising stars on the international consulting and speaking circuit, Peter Sheahan reveals how the world's most effective organizations and individuals distinguish themselves from the competition instead of running with the pack.

Sheahan explores six major flips

* Action Creates Clarity—to move forward you must act in spite of ambiguity.
* Fast, Good, Cheap: Pick Three, Then Add Something Extra—the new standard in every industry.
* To develop competitive advantage, you must Absolutely, Positively Sweat the Small Stuff.
* Satisfy customers' needs for engagement and contact—it's not "just business"—Business Is Personal.
* To win mass-market success, be courageous, Find It on the Fringe, and separate yourself from the competitive herd.
* To Get Control, Give It Up—empower others to create, dream, and believe for you.

Stick to what you learned in business school at your peril. Today's small-world economy calls for a new way of doing business. It calls for Flip.

Amazon.com Review
Focal Point is author and motivational speaker Brian Tracy's latest guide to professional and personal development. Combining the basic principles of career success and life balance he has advocated in the past with anecdotes for inspiration, the book proposes a unified approach to simultaneously achieving improvement at work and at home. The crux is finding the "focal point" in all pertinent areas--business, family, finances, health--and then launching a seven-step "personal strategic plan" that "helps you identify exactly what is most important to you ... identify what you need to do to achieve your most important goals (and) determine the steps you have to take to get from wherever you are to wherever you want to go." Tracy shows quite explicitly how to incorporate the specific phases of the process, including Values, Vision, Goals, Knowledge and Skills, Habits, Daily Activities, and Actions, into a drive for long-term growth and overall advancement. Not all who follow Tracy's program will find their incomes doubled and work hours pared while their personal relationships blossom, of course, but anyone who applies it diligently should see definite improvement. --Howard Rothman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"This is a book that needs to be reread whenever you think you've lost your focus." -- Jim Pawlak, syndicated columnist

"Tracy's book offers relief to frustrated business people with too many professional and personal demands on their time." -- Time.com

After reading this book,you can accomplish more in the next coulpe of years than most people achieve in a lifetime" -- Today's Chicago Woman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Amazon.com Review
Focal Point is author and motivational speaker Brian Tracy's latest guide to professional and personal development. Combining the basic principles of career success and life balance he has advocated in the past with anecdotes for inspiration, the book proposes a unified approach to simultaneously achieving improvement at work and at home. The crux is finding the "focal point" in all pertinent areas--business, family, finances, health--and then launching a seven-step "personal strategic plan" that "helps you identify exactly what is most important to you ... identify what you need to do to achieve your most important goals (and) determine the steps you have to take to get from wherever you are to wherever you want to go." Tracy shows quite explicitly how to incorporate the specific phases of the process, including Values, Vision, Goals, Knowledge and Skills, Habits, Daily Activities, and Actions, into a drive for long-term growth and overall advancement. Not all who follow Tracy's program will find their incomes doubled and work hours pared while their personal relationships blossom, of course, but anyone who applies it diligently should see definite improvement. --Howard Rothman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review
"This is a book that needs to be reread whenever you think you've lost your focus." -- Jim Pawlak, syndicated columnist

"Tracy's book offers relief to frustrated business people with too many professional and personal demands on their time." -- Time.com

After reading this book,you can accomplish more in the next coulpe of years than most people achieve in a lifetime" -- Today's Chicago Woman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
A sequel to Andrew Matthew's "Being Happy" and "Making Friends", this is a simple and practical guide for anyone who wants to find purpose in their life and work. It is about: doing what one loves; dealing with bills and broken legs; discovering one's own power; finding peace of mind; dealing with disasters; and not blaming one's mother. The book is also about: how happy people think; why rich people make money, even by accident; and what losers do, and how not to be like them. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.