L&mb magazine 5, q1 2016 by Brand & Soul

LMB

QUARTERLY MAGAZINE Nr. 5- Q1,2016

LEADERSHIP

MANAGEMENT

BOOKS

TO D AY ' S R E A D E R S A R E TO M O R R O W ' S L E A D E R S

MAGAZINE

8 tips for inspiring employee engagement Beverly E. Jones, author Think Like An Entrepreneur, Act Like A CEO

Leadership is a verb Mark McGregor, author Being on a Mission

Book reviews on: Career, Leadership, Coaching 1

L&MB LIB We screen the global offer on an ongoing basis and make the best selection of leadership & management books according to our key criteria of inspiration, currency and relevance, and we use these data to create the L&MB Lib. The L&MB Lib is a unique library of currently around 100 recent leadership & management books, published or reviewed since mid 2014. About 15 recent books are added each quarter. In the L&MB Lib you will find for every book: • Unique, analytical book reviews on key words, geographical relevance, target group, style, content, form, author, publisher, and date • Sample chapter • Contents • Review score and comments by other members of our global leadership & management community • Hyperlinks to several online stores where you can buy the book or find a summary. All this, plus a powerful search engine to help you find the right book for any particular situation. As well as reading you can write your own book reviews, providing inspiration both at your fingertips, and from your fingertips!

ward@thebookreviewcompany.com

FOREWORD

WARD VANDORPE Managing Director L&MB

Dear reader, In this magazine we have best book selections and reviews on coaching, leadership and career. Bruce Tulgan, author Bridging the Soft Skills Gap, on one of the many Management Challenges: Employees with time management problems. Beverly E. Jones, author Think like an Entrepreneur, Act like a CEO with 8 tips for inspiring employee engagement. Mark Mc Gregor, author Being on a Misson, with Leadership is a Verb and Denny Long, author Managing Genius on The house guest that never leaves. Finally we have a column from Rita B. Allen, author Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself, with the good advice to open your eyes, ears and your mind. Enjoy this issue and the latest great books on Leadership & Management!

CONTENT

Yours in good reading.

FOREWORD

ARTICLE

CAREER

ARTICLE

LEADERSHIP

WARD VANDORPE

MARK MCGREGOR

BOOK REVIEWS

BRUCE TULGAN

BOOK REVIEWS

4>5

6>7

8>11

12>13

ARTICLE

COACHING

ARTICLE

COLUMN

BEVERLY E. JONES

BOOK REVIEWS

RITA B. ALLEN

DENNY LONG

14>15

16>17

18>19

ARTICLE

LEADERSHIP IS A VERB Mark McGregor, author Being On Mission

If your boss is not explaining why we are doing things, and creating a picture of the future, and selling the beneﬁts, your boss is a manager not a leader!

Often times employees are unproductive in one environment, yet productive in another. What could be the cause of that change? I like to look at the top of the chain of command and notice that a bunch of problems stem from that. Is the figurehead a boss or a leader? See the picture below for clarification. Leadership is a choice you make… But unfortunately some bosses choose to manage. Even micromanage. I have made a quick checklist of Leader vs Boss for you to help evaluate your bosses leadership style. • If your boss is not creating a picture of the future with their team than him or her is a manager not a leader. • If your boss spends most of their time behind your laptop call them a manager not a leader • If your boss is not affirming your potential so clearly that you can see it in yourself… Let’s call the manager not a coach. • If your boss is not affirming your potential so clearly that you can see it in yourself… Let’s call the manager not a coach. • When the team is not clear on the values, the vision and mission… Let’s not call the boss a leader call them a manager. • If you’re not involved… You were likely not committed. I would guess your boss is a manager, not a leader. • If you’re not learning how to become a leader, and seeing leadership, and feeding leadership, your boss is likely a manager • If your team is not doing 3 to 5 days a year of offsite, to build trust, to get involvement, to get clarity on our vision and strategy, your boss is a manager not a leader • If your boss does not believe in team and people

development… We should just call him or her a manager, but not a leader. If your boss is not explaining why we are doing things, and creating a picture of the future, and selling the benefits, your boss is a manager not a leader! Please don’t use the word leader… Unless your boss is really choosing to lead….that’s actions that help the team develop and people grow! People ask me, can you learn to be a leader. And to that I respond “Yes you can”. Leadership is an inside-out process and it starts with changing who you are, and how you approach situations. When you are able to view decisions and processes like a leader on the inside, your actions will be reflected by that. To lead… That is a verb. It’s actions it’s things you do to bring the team together, to create involvement, get synergy and to create the future. It is not managing and top-down telling.

CAREER

SIMPLE STRATEGIES TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND MAKE AN IMPACT EVERY DAY David Horsager

Berrett-Koehler 168 pages October 2015

READ MORE How do you get your work done and still maintain relationships and build trust? For most busy executives, it’s an either/or choice -- either spend time with your people, or be an effective and productive leader who focuses entirely on the work. But David Horsager says you can do both. The key is to do lots of little things on a daily basis that make you so effective that you have enough time to interact with your people and honour and build the relationships you have with them. In succinct, quickread chapters Horsager offers thirty-five high impact productivity practices, each easily implemented and powerful on their own. Taken together, they form a solid wave of efficacy that will enable you to get more done, keep your energy up, and make sure that you’re able to put people first which Horsager insists must be always be one of your top priorities.

David Horsager, MA, CSP, is a business strategist, keynote speaker, and author of national bestseller The Trust Edge: How Top Leaders Gain Faster Results, Deeper Relationships, and a Stronger Bottom Line. His work has been featured in prominent publications such as Fast Company, Forbes, The Hungton Post, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Post. Combining humor, illustrations, and memorable stories with research and insight, David delivers relevant and inspiring keynotes and interviews.

Sample chapters, contents, key words analysis, reviews,... available online. Login here

STOP WISHING, START DOING, AND TAKE COMMAND OF YOUR LIFE Bernard Roth Harper Business 288 pages December 2015 Back in the 1960s, mechanical engineer Bernard Roth met many engineers in the Silicon Valley, who worked for big companies such as Hewlett-Packard, and had dreams of starting their own companies. People just talked about it, and nothing happened. This observation inspired Roth to start teaching a class at Stanford in which each student had to choose a project having to do with their own life—writing a cookbook, building a robot, running a marathon—the only requirement was that the project was deeply personal. Now, for the first time, Roth brings his mantra of “Doing is Everything” to his inspirational and valuable new book,The Achievement Habit: Stop Wishing, Start Doing, and Take Command of Your Life. For more than 40 years, Roth has taught the class at Stanford University. He now teaches it at one of the world’s leading centers for innovation, the Hasso Plattner Institute of Design at Stanford (d.school), where he is the academic director and one of the founders. Addressing situations related to problem solving, personal growth,

interpersonal relations and group relations, Roth draws upon design thinking—a set of general practices that are effective in solving design challenges—to help guide readers on the path to a more satisfying and productive life. Bernie Roth is the Rodney H. Adams Professor of Engineering at Stanford University. A longtime veteran of the Stanford design scene, he first came to the Stanford Design Division faculty in 1962. He arrived from New York City, his birthplace, with a wife, two children, a proper haircut, a sports jacket and a very traditional background in Mechanical Engineering and liberal New York politics.

MASTER PERSONAL TRANSFORMATION, SEIZE OPPORTUNITY, AND THRIVE IN THE ERA OF ENDLESS INNOVATION Jay Samit Flatiron Books 304 pages July 2015

READ MORE In today’s ever-changing and often-volatile business landscape, adaptability and creativity are more crucial than ever. It is no longer possible—or even desirable—to learn one set of job skills and work your way up the ladder. Rather, today’s entrepreneurs and business leaders must anticipate change to create opportunities for professional success and personal satisfaction. In Disrupt You!, Jay Samit—a digital media expert who has launched, grown, and sold start-ups and Fortune 500 companies alike— describes the unique method he has used to invent new products and grow established businesses throughout his career.

and guide them through necessary transformation so that they stay ahead of the curve and profitable. In Disrupt You!, he shows how the strategies that help companies flourish can be applied at an individual level. By challenging assumptions, pinpointing one’s unique value, and identifying weaknesses in the structure of current industries, anyone can achieve success and prosperity. Jay Alan Samit is a dynamic entrepreneur and intrepreneur who is widely recognized as one of the world’s leading experts on disruption and innovation. He launches billion dollar businesses, transforms entire industries, revamps government institutions, and for over three decades continues to be at the forefront of global trends.

Samit has been at the helm of businesses in the ecommerce, digital video, social media, mobile communications, and software industries, helping to navigate them through turbulent economic times Sample chapters, contents, key words analysis, reviews,... available online. Login here

CREATING BEHAVIOR THAT LASTS -BECOMING THE PERSON YOU WANT TO BE Dr. Marshall Goldsmith Crown Business 272 pages May 2015 In his powerful new book, bestselling author and world-renowned executive coach Marshall Goldsmith examines the environmental and psychological triggers that can derail us at work and in life.

Do you ever find that you are not the patient, compassionate problem solver you believe yourself to be? Are you surprised at how irritated or flustered the normally unflappable you becomes in the presence of a specific colleague at work? Have you ever felt your temper accelerate from zero to sixty when another driver cuts you off in traffic? As Marshall Goldsmith points out, our reactions don’t occur in a vacuum. They are usually the result of unappreciated triggers in our environment—the people and situations that lure us into behaving in a manner diametrically opposed to the colleague, partner, parent, or friend we imagine ourselves to be.

These triggers are constant and relentless and omnipresent. The smell of bacon wafts up from the kitchen, and we forget our doctor’s advice on lowering our cholesterol. Our phone chirps, and we glance instinctively at the glaring screen instead of looking into the eyes of the person we are with. So often the environment seems to be outside our control. Even if that is true, as Goldsmith points out, we have a choice in how we respond. Dr. Marshall Goldsmith was recognized as the #1 Leadership Thinker in the World and the top 5 Management Thinker in 2015, as well as one of the top ten Most-Influential Business Thinkers in the World and the top-ranked executive coach at the 2013 biennial Thinkers50 ceremony in London.

ARTICLE

MANAGEMENT CHALLENGE: EMPLOYEES WITH “TIME MANAGEMENT” PROBLEMS Bruce Tulgan, author Bridging The Soft Skills Gap

What is to be done with employees who simply cannot live by a simple schedule? Tardiness, leaving early, and taking too many breaks: These issues seem so petty as performance problems go. Why do these problems nag away at managers? In some cases, managers are right to attribute these problems to an employee’s blasé attitude or a lack of care, consideration, or diligence. When that’s the source of the problem, there is no substitute for constant reminders in your regular one-on-ones. Just by focusing on it, you are likely to make it better, at least for a little while: You say: “You’re late.” Employee: “I know. I’m sorry. I overslept.” You: “You are supposed to be on time.” Employee: “I know. I’m sorry. There was bad traffic.” You: “You need to be on time.” Employee: “Yes. I’ll try to do better.” Then, probably, the employee is going to be on time the next day. Maybe he will be on time for a while. Until the next time he’s late. Do you have the same conversation again? How many times? You have to be the judge of when too much is too much. When somebody does actually get fired for coming in late (or leaving early, or taking too many breaks), everybody else usually gets the message. At least for a while.

always on time for the evening shift but always late for the early morning shift. Sometimes it makes sense to just put someone like that on the late shift where he is on time. Of course, I didn’t want to reward him for being late in the morning, but I also didn’t want to keep setting him up for failure by having him do the early morning shift because he was obviously having a hard time with that. Funny enough, when I talked with him about it, it turned out that he preferred the early morning shift! The early morning shift was the tougher one to staff, so it’s good to have people who want to work the early morning. I just had to figure out a way to manage him to success. “This guy was young and inexperienced and he confessed that he really needed some help. I had to help him learn how to be on time. So I taught him how to make and use a schedule: At first, I wrote out a schedule for him, working backward from the 5:00am start time: ‘Walk in the front door here at work at 4:55 a.m. That means driving away from home by 4:30am. That means you need to be out of bed by 3:45am. What time do you need to get to sleep the night before?’” The manager went on: “We made that little schedule and then I used that schedule to really talk him through it. I think it helped him to just have it spelled out.” What about employees who sneak out early?

Believe it or not, some people, by the time they come to work for you, have never really mastered the fundamentals of living by a schedule. You might be the first person to hold them accountable for being “on time.” In the process, you might end up doing this person a huge favor.

Sometimes they are just helping themselves to a little free time. Others might have obligations after work that leave them pressed for time. You might have to talk through with them the after work schedule so they make sure they push back any obligations to a time that does not require them to leave early. Talk through what it is going to take for that person to stay all the way until the end of his scheduled work obligations. Spell it out. Break it down. Follow up. One technique I’ve seen managers use is to schedule some very concrete to-do items for the employee during the last hour of his work time in order to help him stay focused up to the last minute.

I’ve heard countless stories like this one from a very experienced call center manager: “I had one employee who was

What about employees who take too many breaks and waste time at work?

ARTICLE The answer is the same. Talk about it in no uncertain terms. Spell out what’s required: At work you are expected to be focused on getting work done very well very fast all day long. Everyone has time wasters, but nobody can afford them. Help people identify their big time wasters and eliminate them altogether. Most employees have more to do at work than they can fit into their work schedules and more they want to do outside work than they can do in their limited free time. Many are chronically overtired and seriously overscheduled. If they are chronically late, leave early, and take too many breaks, there is a good chance they would benefit greatly from some aggressive coaching on time-management. Setting priorities is usually step one in most time-management programs and seminars. If you have limited time and too much to do, then you need to set priorities—an order of precedence or preference—so that you control what gets done first, second, third, and so on. That setting priorities is the key to time management is obvious to most professionals. The hard part is teaching employees how to set priorities. When it comes to big-picture priorities, help them set clear

priorities and communicate about those priorities relentlessly. Make sure your direct-reports are devoting the lion’s share of their time to first and second priorities. When it comes to setting day-to-day priorities, teach them how by setting priorities together with them. Let them know your thinking process. Walk through it with them: “This is first priority because X. This is second priority because Y. This is low priority because Z.” Over time, you hope they learn. Until they learn, you have to keep making decisions with them or for them. Teach them to postpone low-priority activities until high-priority activities are well ahead of schedule. Those are the time windows during which lower-priority activities can be accomplished, starting with the top lower priorities, of course. Time wasters, on the other hand, should be eliminated altogether whenever possible. One of the best gifts you can give anybody is teaching them how to maintain an old-fashioned time log to begin to understand how they actually use their time inside and outside of work. That way, they can start planning their time more effectively and eliminate time wasters. The tool is simple enough and the idea is that an individual keeps track almost minute by minute of what she is doing. E

Most employees have more to do at work than they can ďŹ t into their work schedules and more they want to do outside work than they can do in their limited free time.

ach time the person changes from one activity to another, she notes briefly the time and the activity: 6:15 a.m. Wake, etc 6:47 a.m. Dressed, having breakfast 7:14 a.m. In car leaving home 7:49 a.m Sat down at my desk, read over to-do list, set priorities for the day 8:10 a.m. Got up to use bathroom and get coffee

And so on. Used properly, a time log can be a powerful reality check and source of insight about how to help someone get much better at managing his time. Anyone can benefit from a time log, but anyone who is struggling to stay on time will almost surely benefit. Ask that person to use a time log and bring it into your regular one-on-ones. Use the data from the time log to coach the person to look for opportunities to eliminate time wasters, put priorities in order, make a realistic schedule, and live by it.

8:28 a.m. Sat back down at desk, opened e-mail 8:29 a.m. Started preparing response to e-mail from manager 8:40 a.m. Incoming phone call from Jones 9:15 a.m. Continued preparing response to e-mail 9:25 a.m. Got up to chat with Smith

LEADERSHIP

A PRACTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR PLACING INNOVATION AT THE CORE OF YOUR BUSINESS Cris Beswick, Derek Bishop, Jo Geraghty

Kogan Page 232 pages December 2015

READ MORE Being a truly innovative company is more than the dreaming up of new products and services by external consultants and internal taskforces. Staying one step ahead of the competition requires you to embed innovation into your organizational culture. Innovation needs to be embodied in everything that gets done by everyone who works there. By changing your organizational culture to one that supports Building a Culture of Innovation, you will remove the barriers that stop you responding quickly and agilely to changing market conditions and opportunities for growth. Building a Culture of Innovation presents a practical framework that you can follow to design and embed a culture of innovation in your business.The six-step Innovation Culture Change Framework offers a structured process to make change stick, from assessing your organization’s innovation-readiness to leading a managed change process that will foster innovation at

each level. Originally trained as a product & industrial designer, Cris spent over a decade as a successful entrepreneur & CEO building an award-winning design group. Formerly a customer service leader within financial services, Derek Bishop has over twenty years’ experience of leading people and delivering business results in high volume and complex environments. Formerly head of HR for Goldman Sachs France and Switzerland and with 16 years experience working in change management for various investment banks across the globe, Jo Geraghty brings a wealth of practitioner experience to change projects. Sample chapters, contents, key words analysis, reviews,... available online. Login here

SHOW UP, SET THE TONE, AND INTENTIONALLY CREATE AN ORGANIZATION THAT THRIVES Anese Cavanaugh McGraw-Hill Professional 320 pages December 2015 This game-changing business guide shows you how to create a healthy business culture that’s inspiring, energizing―and positively contagious. The key to any company’s success lies in its culture. This timely guide from a top leadership advisor shows you how to shape and revitalize this culture―by setting the tone, engaging the team, and creating a dynamic working environment that encourages extraordinary growth, productivity, and innovation. Using the book’s proven step-by-step techniques, you can take control of the culture you work in and build a healthier, more functional environment―from the inside out. You’ll learn how to enhance your “Intentional Energetic Presence” (IEP) as a leader to optimize your own leadership impact. And you’ll find transformative tools and exercises for improving collaborations, opening

communications, and implementing changes. It’s a complete cultural mind-shift that’s not only exciting for you and your team―it’s contagious. Anese Cavanaugh is the creator of the IEP Method (Intentional Energetic Presence) as well as a leadership and collaboration advisor, strategist, and thinking partner for business leaders in the design, service and innovation spaces. Through her speaking, writing and creative leadership programs, people learn how to optimize their leadership and presence, bringing their best selves to the table for greater collaboration, impact, and cultural success.

50 INDISPENSIBLE TIPS TO HELP YOU STAY AFLOAT, BOUNCE BACK, AND GET AHEAD AT WORK Beverly E. Jones Career Press 224 pages December 2015

READ MORE For a thriving, durable career in today’s rapidly shifting world, you need to be adaptable and resilient. Being “adaptable” means you know how and when to tweak your performance, try new approaches or create stronger relationships with colleagues. Having career resilience means you can spot risks and become comfortable with change. It involves absorbing hard knocks, repeatedly rebuilding your confidence, and bouncing back when the worst happens. A key characteristic of resilient professionals is that they think like entrepreneurs, even if they work in large organizations. And they tend to behave like CEOs, wherever they are on the career path.

can learn behaviors, attitudes and work patterns that will help you to flourish. Think Like an Entrepreneur, Act Like a CEO is a practical guide to help you become more nimble and successful in the workplace. Its 50 chapters offer true stories and practical strategies to help you overcome workplace predicaments and capture opportunities, one by one. Every chapter offers you simple tips for tackling a career question that may be keeping you awake at night. Bev understands career growth, resilience and reinvention. She works with leaders to bring new productivity to their teams and helps professionals to negotiate career transitions, to address work challenges and to continue to grow. As a coach, facilitator, speaker and writer, Bev helps professionals and organizations to become more effective, strategic and energetic.

But this is important: resilient, entrepreneurial professionals aren’t necessarily born that way. You Sample chapters, contents, key words analysis, reviews,... available online. Login here

LEARNING FROM THE BEST COMPANIES IN OUR GROWING GLOBAL ECONOMY Bruce Piasecki Square One Publishers 210 pages December 2015

Thanks to the sharp increase in mergers, acquisitions, and takeovers, the number of powerful worldwide corporations has quadrupled in the past twenty years. These are firms whose yearly revenues are greater than those of most countries. They employ millions of workers in almost every nation on our planet, and their influence on the global economy and the fate of citizens keeps increasing. What does this rapid development mean for your family, your friends, and your own firms? Beneath all the chatter on these differing brands and products, are there actually a small set of rules that they all breathe by, and live under? There is a new reality that is reshaping the future of capitalism: whether we are aware of it or not, these “new world companies” shape our personal behavior, both as investors and as consumers, and as social

advocates and as agents of change within our own family and circles of influence. But, like all great empires, some of these businesses will flourish while most will fail. In his new book, New World Companies, best-selling author Bruce Piasecki explains which twenty-first-century companies will thrive, which will fall short, and why. Dr. Bruce Piasecki is the president and founder of AHC Group, Inc., a management consulting firm specializing in energy, materials, and environmental corporate matters, whose clients range from Suncor Energy and the Warren Buffett firm Shaw Industries, to Toyota and other global companies. Piasecki is the author of several seminal books on business strategy, valuation, and corporate change, including the Nature Society’s book of the year, In Search of Environmental Excellence: Moving Beyond Blame as well as the recent New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal bestseller Doing More With Less.

ARTICLE

8 TIPS FOR INSPIRING EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT Article by Beverly E. Jones, author Think Like An Entrepreneur, Act Like A CEO

It’s well understood that upbeat and highly motivated employees achieve more than their negative, disgruntled peers. Recognizing the link between attitude and job performance, human resources experts used to talk a lot about the need to enhance “employee morale” and build “job satisfaction.” In recent years, however, the buzz has been all about increasing productivity and innovation by promoting “employee engagement.” Definitions vary, but the Gallup organization describes “engaged employees” as “those who are involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace.” Your engaged colleagues are the builders – the ones who are moving the organization forward. You probably enjoy working with these animated people. Folks who aren’t engaged may do the basics, but they won’t be passionate about tackling challenges or breaking new ground. And your actively disengaged coworkers can spread their unhappiness around and undermine the whole group’s progress.

According to Gallup Daily tracking, only about 32 percent of U.S. employees are engaged at work. And, despite a wave of engagement improvement programs, that number hasn’t fluctuated much since Gallup started its measurement in 2000. Experience shows that there’s no one simple way for leaders to jumpstart a surge of workplace enthusiasm, but many small steps can help. My client Heidi began reading about employee engagement as she started a new assignment. She had moved out of the busy headquarters office of a Federal agency to become director of a low performing regional office. Heidi is talented, personable and deeply committed to the service mission of her agency. To date, her rise through the government ranks had been rapid and smooth, and she’d made many friends along the way.

When Heidi arrived at her Midwestern post in the dead of winter, the climate inside her office felt as cold and frightening as her icy commute to work. Three of the top ranking members of her team had applied for the directorship, and now all three made it clear that they resented having the position go to her, an outsider. And while the attitude of those senior staffers seemed to vacillate from sullen to openly hostile, most of the dozen other professionals just seemed tired and disinterested.

5. Clean up. When she agreed to take the job, Heidi negotiated a budget to improve the office’s aging physical space and furniture. Early in her tenure she involved her team in planning the modest office redesign. And she designated certain days when everybody wore jeans to work and pitched masses of old documents and other clutter. When the renovations were done, the fresh new atmosphere gave most people a boost.

Heidi developed a set of principles for stimulating new energy and commitment from her team. After a year, she has seen a mood shift, and the office’s performance statistics are up. These 8 strategies are helping Heidi to stimulate better work from her more fully engaged team members:

6. Have fun. In an early meeting, one employee told to Heidi, “Once this was a fun place to work, but Jill didn’t believe in fun.” On the job, “fun” might mean that the tasks are stimulating and coworkers are good partners for brainstorming. But sometimes “fun” just means having a good time. Heidi found ways to vary the routine with surprise treats and entertaining meetings. She invited clever speakers to come to staff meetings, she encourages humor as long as it wasn’t mean-spirited and she created a committee to create events like surprise pizza parties.

1. Meet in person. Heidi’s predecessor, Jill, was described as a brilliant but reclusive workaholic. Jill spent long hours alone in her office, with the door closed, and she’d make her wishes known by shooting out frequent emails. Particularly during her early weeks on the job, Heidi elected to meet often and face to face with her team members. She shared news from around the agency but generally tried to listen more than she spoke. As Heidi concentrated on listening, she grew better at resisting the urge to feel defensive or disheartened from the flow of negativity. 2. Empower the team. Jill had talked often about her own high standards, and had tried to control the workflow so that every project was done in exactly the way she would do it. Heidi looked for ways to delegate more responsibility, and make assignments that allowed professionals to show off their strengths and personal styles. She caught an early break when her embittered deputy left for another job, enabling her to distribute his responsibilities so that more people could share in team leadership. 3. Reward good work. As a Federal manager, Heidi had limited control over bonuses and raises. But she found other means to express appreciation for excellent work. For example, she shared an insightful staff memo with high-ranking colleagues in Washington, she worked her network to snag a plum speaking invitation for one of her experts, and she asked her people to speak about their successes at meetings with sister agencies. 4. Find learning opportunities. Heidi saw that many of her team members had been doing the same kind of work for years, and they were bored. She made training a top priority, and encouraged each person to commit to a professional development path. She also shuffled assignments so that most folks enjoyed more variety, and she came up with new projects that meant learning for everyone involved.

7. Remember the mission. Most members of the staff began working for the agency because they believed in public service. But they had become cynical and discouraged. Heidi invited reports about the full scope and value of the agency’s work, and she encouraged team members to join agency-wide or other professional committees. She regularly looks for ways to remind people of the value of their work together. 8. Take care of yourself. Even though she had family members nearby, Heidi was a bit lonely in her new town. And after a week of struggling to be relentlessly positive, she often felt like spending the entire weekend in bed watching old movies. Heidi knew that negativity can be contagious, and in order to inspire her team she needed to remain optimistic and energetic. So a key element of Heidi’s leadership philosophy is to find stimulating activities and build supportive relationships when she’s away from the office. As part of her program of self-care, she decided to act on her lifelong dream of horseback riding. She rented at horse housed near an indoor riding arena, and she takes lessons every Saturday. Engaged employees need strong relationships and lots of communication with their managers. To launch an effort to energize your colleagues, consider a round of meaningful conversations.

COACHING

MASTER YOUR LISTENING SKILLS FOR SUCCESS Cash Nickerson

Cash Nickerson Media, Incorporated 138 pages October 2015

READ MORE Reading, writing and speaking well are all key to success. But what about listening?The most admired people in business, academic, political, and social settings all have one thing in common: they’re great listeners. Through conversational essays and real-world experience, entrepreneur, attorney, and author Cash Nickerson teaches us the art and science of intelligent listening. By combining his proven business acumen with 30 years of training in the martial arts, Cash provides simple but profound insights into what it takes to be a great listener.Listening as a Martial Art will help you progress from white belt to black belt as you master your listening skills for success in both business and personal life. Whether you’re looking to solve specific communication

problems at work or at home, or just want to make all-around improvements in your communication style, Listening as a Martial Art is an essential read. Practice every day, and you’ll be a black belt listener before you know it! Steven “Cash” Nickerson is President and a Principal of PDS Tech, Inc., a position he has held for 12 years. With approximately $400 million in annual sales, PDS is one of the largest engineering and IT staffing firms in the United States, employing more than 10,000 staffers annually. He has held a variety of legal and executive positions in his 30 year career, including serving as an attorney and marketing executive for Union Pacific Railroad. Sample chapters, contents, key words analysis, reviews,... available online. Login here

HOW TO FIND CERTAINTY IN UNCERTAIN SITUATIONS Jeff Boss Rare Bird Books 294 pages December 2015 Jeff Boss has faced and overcome uncertainty in the most tumultuous circumstances. As a Navy SEAL, he worked in some of the most unforgiving environments on earth and faced enemies that constantly changed, much like today’s business landscape. In a world of chaos, how do individuals and teams stay together to find certainty in a world where there is anything but? This book reveals how. Using anecdotal experiences from both the military and business worlds, Boss highlights the mindset and practical steps of how people and organizations can forge certainty amidst inevitable chaos. As a Navy SEAL at the highest level, Jeff ’s top military awards included four bronze stars with valor, two purple hearts, two presidential unit citations, and six combat action ribbons. As a management consultant, Jeff worked directly with leaders to align their businesses to work toward one common purpose under a shared definition

of success. A founding team member of the SEAL Future Fund (non-profit), a weekly contributor to both Forbes and Entrepreneur, an accredited ACC level coach and member of the International Coaching Federation (ICF), Jeff also holds a Bachelor’s of Arts in Spanish from The Ohio State University and a Master’s of Science in Organizational Leadership from Norwich University. Jeff is also co-founder of The Adaptability Metric, a proprietary tool that measures individual disposition toward change, as well as a business advisor to a Miami-based tech company, PropelU.

MASTER THE ART OF MANAGING PEOPLE Denny Long

Franklin Green Publishing 304 pages November 2015

READ MORE Denny set out to create a model for Managing Genius that captures the whole picture of what great managers do. He writes from real life experiences working with managers at all levels of the business. He boiled down their common genius to a framework with ten essential elements. This book is the onestop resource for managing excellence. Denny has 20+ years working as an HR Leader in Fortune 100 companies like McCaw Cellular Communication, AT&T Wireless Services, Weyerhaeuser, and technology startups in Seattle. He was HR Manager for a startup software group and HR Manager for a unionized pulp and paper mill. This has allowed him to work in the trenches with hundreds of people managers at all levels of the organization: Senior executives, group directors,

senior managers and first-line managers. Denny has broad knowledge and understanding of how the business enterprise works. First Career in Engineering Denny’s first career was in engineering and operations. Undergraduate in Engineering from the University of WisconsinMadison. Masters of Engineering from the University of Minnesota. HR and Organizational Experience Denny is an expert in the practical realities of managing companies and people. He has hands-on expertise building organizations and all areas HR. Masters in Human Resources from the Carlson School of Management, University of Minnesota.

Sample chapters, contents, key words analysis, reviews,... available online. Login here

A POWERFUL STORY OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGE BASED ON THE ‘10 PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP AND LIFE’ Mark McGregor Createspace 322 pages December 2015

Based on Mark McGregor’s ’10 Principles of Leadership and Life’, “Being on Mission” tells the story of Michael Weber, the typical, overworked manager, struck down in both his personal and professional life until he arrives at an all-time low. His ensuing transformation begins with the help of two mentors and a powerful leadership training workshop. Michael becomes aware of his situation, takes responsibility for his circumstances and his actions, and acquires the courage to change. Along his journey, he develops into a more effective leader and establishes clarity and purpose by defining his values, his vision and his mission. Thereby, Michael ultimately alters the way he approaches his work, prioritizes the things that really matter, and begins to lead a more meaningful and purposeful life. This is a story of inside-out transformation and leadership development, and with

the lessons learned by Michael Weber along his journey, you, too, can transform yourself professionally and personally. As a Canadian – now living in Switzerland – Mark McGregor has roots in the world of hockey. Having worked for many years as a player, coach and manager for top teams in Germany and Switzerland, he also had the opportunity to work with Team Canada at six Spengler Cup tournaments. Since leaving the professional hockey world in 2003, Mark has been a leadership trainer and coach at the St Gallen Business School, the St Gallen Management Institute, and McGregor Leadership Center GmbH. Running over 1000 seminars for leadership and team development with key-note speeches and training workshops around the world, McGregor also offers intense leadership camps and off-sites at his training centers in Inzell, Germany and Kenora, Canada.

ARTICLE

OPEN YOUR EYES, EARS AND YOUR MINDâ&#x20AC;Ś Rita B. Allen, author Personal Branding and Marketing Yourself Every professional today is required to work with a multitude of people all over the globe across different geographies and demographics ranging from peers, colleagues, staff members, managers, customers, clients, vendors, and other types of contacts. The marketplace continues to evolve in ways that necessitate our ability to embrace new perspectives, concepts, practices, motivations, cultures, and beliefs.

Specifically for anyone in a leadership role, it is a competency that is desired and assessed in measuring their leadership capabilities. Do you look for opportunities to expand your multicultural knowledge and experience? Do you seek out assignments, projects and/or roles that allow you to be exposed to different environments outside your own cultural and national boundaries?

There is an increased level of cultural diversity and perspectives in the workplace today. Our ability to understand these differences, educate ourselves and appreciate these differences will determine our success as professionals and leaders. Building experience and comfort working with a diverse mix of individuals and situations will enable us to be more knowledgeable as well as sensitive to these multicultural needs and concerns.

Multiculturalism can be defined as creating interdependence and interrelatedness, building a peaceful place for all cultural beliefs and values to coexist. It is a necessary managerial and leadership tool for conducting international business in our global marketplace. How do we build and enhance our level of multicultural awareness and skill?

In fact, international responsibilities and multicultural awareness are requirements for many positions today.

â&#x20AC;˘ First, it requires us to know ourselves very well; our strengths, weaknesses, values, motivations, assumptions and biases, and continuously build our level of self awareness. This includes observing and reflecting on our own actions and behaviors as

well as others behaviors and actions. Increasing our emotional intelligence; always watching, studying and learning about ourselves as well as others is essential to identify gaps that may exist and determine our developmental needs while leveraging our strengths. • Second, we need to take the time to educate ourselves, ask a lot of questions and do some research to learn what we don’t know and need to know with a true sense of interest and heightened level of empathy. There are many resources that can help do so including the book; Kiss, Bow, Or Shake Hands: The Bestselling Guide to Doing Business in More Than 60 Countries by Terri Morrison and Wayne A. Conaway. • Third, appreciate the richness and complexity of differences that exist. Don’t minimize or simplify the power of that diversity. Keep an open mind, be flexible and eager to learn about different people, practices and cultures. Find common ground, seek similarities and differences and make it a priority to respect and embrace those differences. Avoid stereotyping and make appropriate distinctions. • Fourth, be an active listener. Hold back on making any assumptions or conclusions until you have fully understood the other person’s perspective. Think before responding and take the time to recognize potential differences. Be fully present and attentive to what they are communicating to you and then reflect back to ensure accurate comprehension. This allows you to clarify and ask further questions if you have not heard accurately. Creating an open and honest dialogue not only results in more productive discussion but it also builds trust, respect and camaraderie.

or travel extensively when possibilities arise to do so. Initiate cross-cultural learning opportunities for yourself that push you in new ways. If you want to challenge yourself even further, take on the task of learning a second language. • Last, but certainly not least, be genuine, authentic and transparent. Show vulnerability and sincerity in your interest and enthusiasm to be a partner. Be honest with your intentions and goals. Be just as open in sharing about your background as you are about learning about others. Remember to keep judgment out of the equation and work towards earning a level of trust that emerges when there is openness to appreciate, value and embrace differences. Look for ways to broaden this level of learning. There is a wide variety of demographics in the workplace creating more complexity and challenge as well as tremendous opportunity and value. Many college students today have traveled and lived abroad for extended periods of time, much more than previous generations. Most organizations, institutions and enterprises (for-profit and not-forprofit) are conducting business across the globe. Our ability to gain experience, knowledge and comfort working in these environments will be a key part of our career success, learning and growth. Look for opportunities to enhance your multicultural awareness and enjoy the journey!

• Fifth, seek out opportunities that allow you to push out of your comfort zone and expand your experiences in new ways. Take on projects that enable you to develop relationships with individuals outside of your own culture. Make it a priority to meet new people, learn about different customs and traditions, eat unfamiliar foods, listen to music of different cultures, and/

Get your MBA online in 11 months! Looking to advance your career? • 12 actual business consulting projects in our MBA program • Designed to create executives, managers, professionals and entrepreneurs • Practical hands on learning experience • Build a portfolio of real accomplishments, not just a resume • No prerequisite courses • Small class sizes • Accredited by ACICS • $20,000 cost includes textbooks 20

1(626)350-1500

APPLY TO CIAM TODAY!

9550 Flair Drive, Suite 201 El Monte, CA 91731 | 1(626)350-1500 or 1(866)295-1515 | www.CIAM.edu

COLUMN

DENNY LONG Author Managing Genius

THE HOUSE GUEST THAT NEVER LEAVES Denny Long, author Managing Genius

Understand that we react differently to problems. Some of us make snap decisions, while others carefully weigh the issue before acting. Some do better with small everyday decisions, while big issues are left hanging until the next meeting. Conversely, we could easily make the big $50,000 decision, but then get bogged down in picking paint color for the walls. Decisions that affect your employees are particularly sticky, as you know someone could be unhappy with the results. Whatever we do, problems often linger around for too long. They can become the house guest that never leaves.

Everyone in your work group should know what happens next. Don’t leave a dangling conversation that distracts people and leaves them hanging. This is a sure way for you to lose respect. 3. You should step up and make the decision. Ask yourself if this current issue deserves more time and attention. Not every problem calls for a committee; sometimes the discussion process becomes the problem.

What is Managing Genius: 1. Always start with a clear problem statement that everyone understands. Narrow the conversation around that one item. “Let me remind everyone why we’re here”.

Is there any current problem or open issue that are currently lingering within your group? Show a sense of urgency to get the matter closed.

2. Make sure that your team reaches closure on open issues.

DISCOVER THE LATEST MARKETING & SALES BOOKS

M SB

QUARTERLY MAGAZINE 13

- Q1,2016

M A R K E T I N G

S AL E S

B O O KS

ERS RROW'S LEAD ERS ARE TOMO TO D AY ' S R E A D

MAGAZINE

Shopper marketing: focusing on the decisive point where the sale is won or lost

Peter Steidl, author Shopper Marketing

Book reviews on: arketing, Strategy, Digital & Webm cation uni mm Co