Workplace Development

For Marc Lesser the key to healthy relationships and effective workplaces is compassionate accountability—a practical and trainable way to clarify and achieve shared visions of success. Marc works from the premise that problems are inevitable and that the success of an enterprise or relationship relies on how they are resolved. This applies to any joint effort—in a workplace, a family, a civic organization, a community, a country, or the world at large.

A best seller since 1990 and fully updated in 2010, Professional Writing Skills: A Write It Well Guide provides a step-by-step process for planning business letters, memos, e-mail, and other business documents. Learn how to position your message from the reader's point of view, write persuasively, include the right information, and organize the information logically. Expanded sections on language, punctuation, and grammar offer busy professionals the tools they need to get their message across clearly, concisely, and professionally.

This newly revised edition demonstrates how action learning can be used to address today's increasingly complex organizational challenges. Packed with extensive enhancements, including new international case studies, and more strategies to introduce and maintain action-learning programs within an organization, Optimizing the Power of Action Learning delivers an innovative and fresh perspective - making it a must-have for any organization looking to heighten competitive advantage and sustain success.

Whether interviewing, selling, networking, or leading a team, brainstorming with the boss or delivering a presentation, success in business depends on connecting with other people. Nicholas Boothman, the best-selling author who consults with Fortune 500 companies, now brings his system of forging instant relationships to the world of business. Beginning with the simplest of tools (face, body, attitude, and voice) he shows how to make a dazzling first impression.

John Gray, who changed the way people view gender differences with his #1 international bestseller Men Are from Mars, Women Are from Venus, now brings his insights to the working world. In Mars and Venus in the Workplace, Gray analyzes the differences in the ways men and women misunderstand and...

In today's fast-paced and dynamic work environments, the success of organizations rests not only on the brilliance of their strategies, but also on the emotional well-being of their employees. Emotional Intelligence for the Modern Workplace is a thought-provoking and insightful guide that illuminates the significance of creating sustainable and effective organizations, where individuals feel safe, calm, and empowered to share their ideas, thoughts, and most importantly, their emotions.

Results and relationships—managers and leaders no longer have to prioritize one over the other to build a culture of exceptional accountability. You don’t have to choose between being the hard-charging task master and being the easy-going people pleaser. By expanding your awareness to create deliberate intentions, take informed actions, and be responsible for your impact, you can achieve better business outcomes and experience greater satisfaction in doing so.

We've all been taught that we must suppress or avoid emotions at work, but this inevitably leads to a loss in productivity, diminished creativity, and crushing job dissatisfaction. Research shows 85 percent of us avoid communicating crucial workplace problems upward, and many of us who are employed are actively looking for a different job. What's going on?

With nearly four decades of experience with the good, bad, and ugly of the board universe, Brian Hayward hones in on practical ways to develop the thinking and behaviour necessary for anyone taking this seat. Through real-life examples, and stories featuring Paul McCartney, Kalahari bushmen, Robert Maxwell, camels, Buddhist parables, and the Boeing 737 Max, listeners will see how chairing a board requires leadership competency of its own (distinct from being a director).

Communication is essential in a healthy organization. But all too often when we interact with people - especially those who report to us - we simply tell them what we think they need to know. This shuts them down. To generate bold new ideas, to avoid disastrous mistakes, to develop agility and flexibility, we need to practice Humble Inquiry. Ed Schein defines Humble Inquiry as "the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person."

Authenticity, Identity, and Being Yourself at Work is filled with practical advice from HBR experts who can help you answer this and other questions like: What does authenticity really mean at work? How do I disclose personal information without oversharing? In what ways can I overcome feelings of imposter syndrome? What should I do when who I am conflicts with those around me?

A radical new approach to education for learners of any age How much information is forgotten almost immediately after it is taught? How many students graduate from high school unprepared for careers where lifelong learning is essential to succeed? These problems stem from an educational system...

You see the giant footprints the moment you walk through the door. The conference room is a swirling mess of tension, heaviness, anxiety, and peanut shells. Something is very wrong with your team. Everybody knows it, but nobody is talking about it. It’s obvious there’s an elephant in the room. Is it an Avoidephant, feeding off the fears of retaliation and exclusion? Perhaps it’s a Blamephant—whom we love to feed because it makes us feel better about ourselves. In Don’t Feed the Elephants!, Sarah explores how you can address the true elephant in the room: avoidance.

Carol Fleming wants to show you that small talk is not as “small” as you might think. It’s the foundation of every relationship, professional and personal. It is the sound of people reaching out to each other, searching for similarities, shared interests, goodwill, connections, and friendship. And it’s something we all do every day with people we know. It’s just the one little bit about strangers that throws some people off. Graceful social conversation can be learned, even by those requiring the smallest of baby steps.

The hallmark of any exceptional career is the ability to devise innovative solutions for work challenges. Creative thinking skills are vital for your professional advancement.

Going beyond the message of Lean In and The Confidence Code, Gannett’s Chief Content Officer contends that to achieve parity in the office, women don’t have to change—men do—and in this inclusive and realistic audio handbook, offers solutions to help professionals solve gender gap issues...

Everybody's biased. We all harbor unconscious assumptions that get in the way of our good intentions and keep us from working harmoniously and effectively with other people. In our increasingly diverse society this can be a real stumbling block. Tiffany Jana and Matthew Freeman - consultants who also happen to be a biracial couple - argue that ultimately the only way to really overcome bias is to focus our energy on building relationships.

It’s not being negative or pessimistic to assume that something will always go wrong in business and in your career. It’s being realistic. What you do when crisis hits is the only thing matters - and this proven guide delivers everything you need to take positive action with confidence, skill, and professionalism. Frank Supovitz, the man who has been behind-the-scenes at major events like the Super Bowl, Stanley Cup, and Indy 500 guides you through the process of making sure you handle inevitable problems as if it’s something you do day in and day out.

Throughout her career in the super-competitive, male-dominated media industry, Gail Evans, one of the country's most powerful executives, has met innumerable women who tell her that they feel lost in the workplace, almost as if they were playing a game without knowing the directions. In this book, she reveals the secrets to the playbook of success and teaches women at all levels of the organization - from assistant to vice president - how to play the game of business to their advantage.

Read by the authors. Laughter is a powerful remedy to what ails today’s teams and organizations. There are a host of neuroscientific explanations for why laughter makes us feel so great. Laughter triggers "feel good" chemicals in the brain which activate opiate receptors throughout your body...