Showing results by publisher "Instaread" in Business & Careers

Most companies rely on manipulations to attract customers and employees; they use short-term motivators that do not inspire or encourage loyalty. Customers who are not inspired will stop buying the product as soon as the company cannot keep up the manipulative strategies, and employees are less motivated and less productive when they are not inspired.

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing by Benjamin Graham, with commentary by Jason Zweig, is a thorough guide to the principles of portfolio creation, cost management, stock and bond picking, and stock ownership for the defensive, long-term investor....

Leaders Eat Last by Simon Sinek advocates for a leadership style that focuses on serving others rather than pursuing shareholder goals or personal interests. Modern trends in leadership prioritize profits and executive bonuses over creating a healthy environment for employees. Leaders who think of themselves as serving their employees like family can increase job satisfaction and engagement, which reduces stress and increases productivity because employees feel secure.

Strengths Based Leadership by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie introduces listeners to the Gallup-designed survey that identifies a person's unique leadership strengths. Many leaders try to improve their skills by emulating other leaders, but in reality the most capable leaders are the ones who use their existing talents to provide what teams need.

Modern negotiation strategies taught in business school usually center on classic texts that describe negotiation without factoring in emotions or irrational behavior. In reality, all negotiations involve emotional factors and illogical reactions. And in hostage scenarios, "splitting the difference" by accepting the release of half the hostages in exchange of partial fulfillment of demands is never a desired outcome.

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement by Eliyahu Goldratt and Jeff Cox describes a process by which an unprofitable manufacturing operation can be made profitable. It conveys proven factory turnaround principles through a fictional story....

The 4 Disciplines of Execution is a guide for businesses to reliably commit to the goals and plans they set, authored by associates from FranklinCovey, a management consultancy. Rather than focusing on what a business must accomplish to be successful, the four disciplines establish how to accomplish those things.

Blue Ocean Strategy is the 2015 update to the classic business strategy text of the same name originally published in 2005. The text offers a practical handbook to business students and entrepreneurs who wish to rise above the fray of the competition, become pioneers in previously uncharted market territory, and gain access to impressive growth opportunities and an untapped customer base.

This is key takeaways and analysis of the book and not the original book. Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty is an examination of the causes of economic inequality. Authors Daron Acemoglu and James A. Robinson conclude that underdevelopment is caused by political institutions and not by geography, climate, or other cultural factors. Elites in underdeveloped countries deliberately plunder their people and keep them impoverished.

Please note: This is key takeaways and analysis of the book and not the original book. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich is a manifesto calling for workers everywhere to rise up and flee their cubicles in pursuit of a life guided by their passions and not their paychecks. It offers a practical, step-by-step guide that can be followed by people who are not independently wealthy but who don't want to be slaves to their jobs until retirement.

Awaken the Giant Within by motivational speaker Tony Robbins is a comprehensive self-help book designed for people who want to feel in control of all aspects of their lives and fulfill their greatest potential in their relationships, career, finances, and personal lives.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F--k by blogger Mark Manson is a candid self-help guide for anyone who needs a dose of inspired but realistic perspective on their path of self-development. Manson's personal experience in self-improvement is the cornerstone of his philosophy.

Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss is a compelling nonfiction investigation into how corporate food manufacturers have come to rely on salt, sugar, and fat as the mainstays of processed and prepackaged food.

Please note: This is a summary, analysis and review of the book and not the original book. Inside you will find an overview of the book, important people, and key takeaways.

Leadership and Self-Deception by the Arbinger Institute is a business fable that illustrates the ways that self-deception can undermine interpersonal relationships and productivity. It begins with a new product-line lead employee, Tom Callum, at the fictional Zagrum Company. He's meeting with the company's executive vice president, Bud Jefferson. Bud says that Tom has a problem with self-deception, as they all do, and begins a long meeting to mentor Tom on how to avoid self-deception.

Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal is an examination of the process he began of restructuring the Joint Special Operations Command management style, from a rigid command structure to a cooperative team comprised of smaller specialized teams. While fighting Al-Qaeda in Iraq (AQI), General McChrystal noted how the United States and coalition militaries were efficient war-fighting machines, but they were not adaptable or effective against the seemingly disordered AQI.

The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict, Second Edition, is an expanded version, including additional appendices, of a successful 2006 publication by the Arbinger Institute. The book, which uses fictional characters to illustrate its points, details strategies for defusing political, personal, and business conflicts. It argues that conflict must be approached with a heart at peace rather than a heart at war. Before people can change another's behavior, they must rid themselves of hatred and self-deception.

Ask by Ryan Levesque details the Ask Formula, including the Survey Funnel Formula, that teaches businesses the best way to connect with current and potential customers by cleverly asking them what they want and creating products and marketing to suit those needs. These formulas are repeatable and may provide predictable outcomes, but they are also dynamic and flexible and evolve with implementation for each type of business and market....

Be Obsessed or Be Average by Grant Cardone explains how to harness an obsessive or addictive personality for success in the business world. Cardone experienced loss in his family, first economically and then when his father died, and eventually became a struggling car salesman with a drug addiction problem. When he finished a short rehabilitation program, he decided to manage his tendency toward addiction by expending his energy on self-improvement in business and his personal life.

Pre-suasion by Robert Cialdini is a research-driven examination of the ways that framing a persuasive argument can influence its effectiveness. Extensive research finds that certain ways of setting up a persuasion can be more effective than a well-planned persuasive argument on its own.