Personal Improvement Development

In a refreshing departure from today's celebrity worship cultivated by reality television, tabloid photos, and celebrity twittering, award-winning novelist W.D. Wetherell's On Admiration celebrates the heroes and heroines who have peopled his life from his earliest years.

Told from the viewpoint of a self-described competition junkie, Compete, Play, Win is a look at the psychology behind the competitive drive, a look at the sociological ramifications of acting on competitive impulses, and a book of advice on how to channel those impulses for personal gain in business, sport, and in life.

The Gift of Success and Happiness offers a set of simple systems - based on the world’s most reliable business principles - that empowers listeners to meet and overcome challenges posed by money, work, relationships, and other factors, most of which impede our success and impinge on our happiness. Based on two decades of lessons Chip Sawicki has learned as a senior executive, parent, and community leader, this book’s structured approach will help listeners maximize the opportunity for success and happiness in all aspects of life.

Lots of books claim they can change your life. But how many actually teach you how to take the many small steps that lead to success each and every day of your life? Now in Today Matters, motivational teacher and best-selling author John C. Maxwell shows you how to seize the day. In this hands-on and inspiring guide he offers twelve daily practices to help you control your daily agenda, make time for people you love, and find success in your career.

In this hilarious and highly practical book, author and professional speaker Scott Berkun reveals the techniques behind what great communicators do, and shows how anyone can learn to use them well. For managers and teachers - and anyone else who talks and expects someone to listen - Confessions of a Public Speaker provides an insider's perspective on how to effectively present ideas to anyone. It's a unique, entertaining, and instructional romp through the embarrassments and triumphs Scott has experienced over 15 years of speaking to crowds of all sizes.

Networking has garnered a reputation as a sort of necessary evil in the modern business world. Some do relish the opportunity to boldly work the room, but for many others, the experience is often awkward, or even terrifying. The common networking advice for introverts are variations on the theme of overcoming or “fixing” their quiet tendencies. But Karen Wickre, a self-described introvert who has worked in Silicon Valley for 30 years, tells you to embrace your true nature to create sustainable connections that can be called upon for you to get career assistance, advice, introductions, and lasting connections.

Stop racking your brain to figure out what others are really trying to say…. know how to instantly decode the meaning behind their unspoken messages. You don’t have to be a communication expert, detective, or superhero to learn how to recognize and decode social cues. All you need to do is to know exactly what to look for and what they really mean.

Clarity is key for any successful leader, so much so that top corporations, such as Micorsoft. Nike, Proctor and Gamble, Kimberly Clark, and many more, have incorporated storytelling into their leadership training programs. These companies know that before you can become a strong leader, you must first master the art of storytelling so you can communicate your vision to your team and inspire them to execute on objectives.

In business, many people follow the golden rule. But treating people the way we'd like to be treated can turn off clients or colleagues with different needs, wants, and hopes. The Platinum Rule shows you how to do unto others as they'd like done unto them. You'll discover the four basic business personalities and how to handle them in ways that put them at ease - the key to stronger career prospects, higher productivity, improved customer relations, and fewer conflicts.

What if the smartest people in the world understand something that the rest of us don't? (They do.) What if they know that in order to achieve success, they will sometimes have to do things that others may initially perceive as stupid? The fact of the matter is that the smartest people in the world don't run from stupid, they lean into it (in a smart way). In The Power of Starting Something Stupid, Richie Norton redefines stupid as we know it, demonstrating that life-changing ideas are often tragically mislabeled stupid.

Leadership isn't something you're born with or gifted as a reward for an abundance of charisma; true leadership stems from core skills that can be learned. Get more of the leadership ideas you want, from the authors you trust, with HBR's 10 Must Reads on Leadership (Vol. 2). We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articles and selected the most important ones to help you maximize your own and your organization's performance.

In The Only Skill That Matters, Jonathan Levi unveils a powerful, neuroscience-based approach to reading faster, remembering more, and learning more effectively. You’ll master the ancient techniques being used by world-record holders and competitive memory athletes to unlock the incredible capacity of the human brain. You’ll learn to double or triple your reading speed, enhance your focus, and optimize your cognitive performance. Most importantly, you’ll be empowered to confidently approach any subject and learn it with ease.

Written in John Kim’s unique “advice-in-a-shot glass” style, a month-long program that applies the tenets of his bestseller Single on Purpose, packed with daily tips for self-reflection, growth, and adventure. Whether you’ve embraced the advice in Single on Purpose or are just discovering Kim’s ideas, 31 Days of Single on Purpose can help you transform being single into a joyous, exciting period of personal growth filled with memories, deep work, play, forgiveness, and freedom.

Daniel Amen, MD, one of the world's foremost authorities on the brain, has news for you: your brain is involved in everything you do - learn to care for it properly, and you will be smarter, healthier, and happier in as little as 15 days!

Coach Mike Krzyzewski reveals his personal principles for leadership, from dealing with adversity in life or on the basketball court, to taking responsibility for your actions and learning how to trust your heartfelt instincts in times of trouble. Leading with the Heart is about bringing out the best and demanding the best, from ourselves, from those around us, and from any organization that is playing to win.

Unable to overcome debilitating fatigue and depression, best-selling author and personal development expert Ben Angel set out on a 90-day mission to find and conquer the root of his rut. The result of his journey is Unstoppable, a highly revealing audiobook where Ben gives you a look into the world of nootropics, wearable devices, and nutrition, and delivers a guide to help you reduce stress, increase focus, improve physical performance, and eliminate your fears.

In The Upside of Your Dark Side, two pioneering researchers in the field of psychology show that while mindfulness, kindness, and positivity can take us far, they cannot take us all the way. Sometimes, they can even hold us back. Emotions like anger, anxiety, or doubt might be uncomfortable, but it turns out that they are also incredibly useful.

So many women hit their 40s or 50s and realize: It's time for a career change. Maybe you're yearning to try something new, or you're sensing that layoffs are coming and you need a backup plan. Perhaps you paused or downsized your career to raise children, and you're ready to rejoin the workforce. How do you reboot, relaunch, return to, or reinvent a career at age 40? Or 50? Or 60? And how can you create a career and life that will provide you with purpose and financial security for years to come?

Have you ever wanted to truly know what goes on inside the head of Sherlock Holmes? Have you wanted to be able to read people and their expressions like books? Have you ever wanted to read a room and all the tells and clues that it provides? Then this is the book for you.

This book offers practical wisdom on discovering your true purpose, professionally and in life in general, in the form of a business fable by Jon Gordon, the best-selling author of The Energy Bus and Soup. Nobody captures the deeper meaning of business like Jon Gordon, and The Seed is his most searching and significant book yet. Whatever your profession, take this insightful look at the purpose behind work, and plant the seed of inspiration in your life!