Great Business

Business is about making money, but it's also about making decisions. There are relatively small decisions, like when to call a meeting or which emails to answer quickly. Then there are the big decisions that can make or break a business - which product to launch, whom to hire, how to spend. Hard work, analytics, past successes, intelligence, and a great business plan aren't enough anymore. Many of us are scrambling to discover the path to success but have found instead that we've lost our way.

In our hyper-competitive world, we've been conditioned to believe that raw intelligence, relentless optimization, and strategic manipulation are the keys to great leadership. But look around—from toxic tech CEOs to burned-out executives—this "smart" approach is leaving a trail of dysfunction, high turnover, and personal suffering.

Things are going badly for the Clan in this new SF novel of the Merchant Princes, the immensely popular series by Charles Stross. Locked in a vicious civil war for control over the kingdom of Niejwein, their army is bottled up inside a fortress under siege in two parallel universes at once. Duke Angbard, the Clan's leader, has been laid low by a stroke: plotters are already conspiring in readiness for the deadly dance to come.

In The Real Business of IT, Richard Hunter and George Westerman reveal that the cost mindset stems from IT leaders' inability to communicate about the business value they create - so CIOs get stuck discussing budgets rather than their contributions to the organization.

What makes a team great? Not just good and not just functional—but great? Over six years, long-time Sports Illustrated editor Don Yaeger was invited by some of the greatest companies in the world to speak about the habits of high-performing individuals. From Microsoft and Starbucks to the New...

Marketing leaders face an uphill battle: their teams are expected to deliver predictable, measurable results in a world characterized by uncertainty, human behavior, and complexity. Traditional approaches attempt to treat marketing as a vending machine where input guarantees output. But this outdated approach sets CMOs up for frustration in today’s dynamic business environment. Kathleen Schaub—marketing innovator, former CMO, and research analyst—reveals a radically needed shift in thinking that will not only bring clarity to the whole organization but help CMOs thrive in the chaos.

In a world where success is predominately measured by how much money we have in the bank, the size of our financial portfolio, and how prestigious our lives are, there have been great American Entrepreneurs who have chosen to take the path less traveled–to be truly compassionate and giving. They risked judgement, ridicule, and their fortunes; but in doing so they realized they could never out give God.

What makes a coach great? How do great coaches turn a collection of individuals into a coherent “us”? Seth Davis, one of the keenest minds in sports journalism, has been thinking about that question for twenty-five years. It’s one of the things that drove him to write the definitive...

A generation of people around the world, from Boston to Bangkok, from New York to New Delhi, are making everyday choices in ways that defy traditional logic. They are judging where and how their clothes were made, not just how they fit. They are thinking global but buying local. They are spending their money and their time, forming loyalties, casting votes, and even enjoying entertainment based increasingly upon their desire to make a positive impact on others and the world around them.

Lean UX has become the preferred approach to interaction design, tailor-made for today’s agile teams. In the second edition of this award-winning book, leading advocates Jeff Gothelf and Josh Seiden expand on the valuable Lean UX principles, tactics, and techniques covered in the first edition to share how product teams can easily incorporate design, experimentation, iteration, and continuous learning from real users into their Agile process.

Do you really need another audiobook on customer service? There are hundreds you could choose from, and you've probably listened to at least a dozen. Why should you take advice from a deli with a funny name in Ann Arbor, Michigan?

If you want to learn, grow, become better at coaching, and maximize the potential in your players, clients, or team, then this book is for you. Regardless of the work we do or the industry we’re in, as leaders and managers, we need to grow and develop our people, to enable them to achieve high performance. From the front-line manager to the boardroom, it isn't enough to direct and tell people what to do. We need to drive innovation, accountability, and performance in our teams. And that is what this book is all about.

Business schools teach that the most important prerequisite for starting a business is a business plan. Nonsense, says Carl Schramm in Burn the Business Plan, who for a decade headed the most important foundation devoted to entrepreneurship in this country. Microsoft, Apple, Facebook, and Google are just a few of the companies that began without one.

Yoga Business Mastery is a practical guide to the business side of teaching yoga. You’ll learn the mindset, positioning, sales, pricing, and packaging strategies needed to launch or expand your career. If you’re serious about turning your passion into a sustainable lifestyle, this book offers insider knowledge that will increase both your income and your impact.

NOW AN OWL (Outstanding Work of Literature) Leadership Award Winner! Every great leader is a great storyteller. As a manager, CEO, or team leader, how can you innovatively engage your employees so that they understand where your organization came from, where it's going, and how you're going to...

Someone once said, “Good enough sucks!” It really does, especially if you are capable of much more. Why settle for a slice, when you originally set out to get the whole pie? This book is the recipe for getting the whole pie. A true road map for achieving greatness in every part of your life. This easy listen will inspire you to not settle for “good enough” and strive for greatness in everything you do. It's for everyone who wants to achieve more and reach new heights. Achieving greatness means you recognize there is room for improvement.

Tired of underperforming in the biggest moments, the Westlake Aviators football team realizes their greatest challenge isn’t beating an opponent but rather rising above the Twin Thieves: the Fear of Failure and the Fear of Judgment. Through a journey of adversity, celebration, and heartbreak, the Aviators come to understand that great teams are built by great leaders. This powerful story serves as a playbook for anybody in business, sports, education, or life looking to help a group of people maximize their potential.

Is your company run by a team with no name? At the top of every organization chart lies a myth - that a Senior Management Team makes a company's critical decisions. The reality is that critical decisions are typically made by the boss and a small group of confidants - a "team with no name" - outside of formal processes. Meanwhile, other members of the management team wonder why they weren't in the room or even consulted ahead of time.

Are your employees getting the most productivity out of their workdays? Do they come in to work smiling, enthusiastic about the day ahead of them and willing to be there to help in any way they can? Are there often conflicts or tension between workers, or maybe, even between you and your employees? These are all reasonable questions to consider, since you might as well wave good-bye to your company if you’re experiencing management issues and aren’t seeing improvement in the methods you try.

On the most fundamental level, leaders must bring divergent groups together and forge a consensus on a path forward. But what makes that possible? Humility - a deep regard for the dignity of others - is the key, says distinguished leadership educator Marilyn Gist. Leadership is a relationship, and humility is the foundation for all healthy relationships. Leader humility can increase engagement and retention. It inspires and motivates.