Since Peter Senge published his groundbreaking book The FifthDiscipline, he and his associates have frequently been asked by thebusiness community: "How do we go beyond the first steps ofcorporate change? How do we sustain momentum?" They know thatcompanies and organizations cannot thrive today without learning toadapt their attitudes and practices. But companies that establishchange initiatives discover, after initial success, that even themost promising efforts to transform or revitalizeorganizations--despite interest, resources, and compelling businessresults--can fail to sustain themselves over time. That's becauseorganizations have complex, well-developed immune systems, aimed atpreserving the status quo. Now, drawing upon new theories about leadership and the long-termsuccess of change initiatives, and based upon twenty-fiveyears of experience building learning organizations, the authors of TheFifth Discipline Fieldbook show how to accelerate success and avoidthe obstacles that can stall momentum. The

Customize your delivery for maximum persuasive power. If you need the best practices and ideas for communicatingeffectively--but don't have time to find them--this book is foryou. Here are 10 inspiring and useful perspectives, all in oneplace. This collection of HBR articles will help you: - Pitch your brilliant idea successfully - Connect with your audience - Establish credibility - Inspire others to realize your vision - Adapt to your listeners' decision-making styles - Frame goals around common interests - Build consensus and win concessions - Neutralize stressful conversations

A black swan is a highly improbable event with three principalcharacteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries a massive impact;and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appearless random, and more predictable, than it was. The astonishingsuccess of Google was a black swan; so was 9/11. For NassimNicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything about ourworld, from the rise of religions to events in our own personallives. Why do we not acknowledge the phenomenon of black swans untilafter they occur? Part of the answer, according to Taleb, is thathumans are hardwired to learn specifics when they should be focusedon generalities. We concentrate on things we already know and timeand time again fail to take into consideration what we don’t know.We are, therefore, unable to truly estimate opportunities, toovulnerable to the impulse to simplify, narrate, and categorize, andnot open enough to rewarding those who can imagine the“impossible.” For years, Taleb has studi

American capitalism is in dire straits, caught in a perilouspattern of increasing volatility, decreasing investor returns, andongoing bad behavior by executives. And it's getting worse. Sincethe turn of the twenty-first century, we've seen two massivevalue-destroying market meltdowns and a string of ethics breaches,including accounting scandals, options-backdating schemes, and thesubprime mortgage debacle. Just what is going on here? Is it theinevitable decline of the American economy? Is it the new normal ina technology-enabled global marketplace? Or is it possible that thevery theories we've embraced to underpin our capital markets areactually producing these crises? In "Fixing the Game", Roger Martinreveals the culprit behind the sorry state of American capitalism:our deep and abiding commitment to the idea that the purpose of thefirm is to maximize shareholder value. This theory has led to amassive growth in stock-based compensation for executives and,through this, to a naive and wrongheaded linkin

Business revolves around making decisions, often riskydecisions, usually with incomplete information and too often inless time than we need. Executives at every level, in everyindustry, are confronted with information overload, less leeway formistakes, and a business environment that changes rapidly. In lightof this increased pressure and volatility, the old-fashioned waysof making decisions–depending on intuition, common sense, andspecialized expertise–are simply no longer sufficient. Distillingover thirty years of groundbreaking research, WinningDecisions , written by two seasoned business advisers and worldleaders in behavioral decision studies, is a comprehensive,one-of-a-kind guide to the proven methods of making criticalbusiness decisions confidently, quickly–and correctly. Decision-making is a business skill which managers often take forgranted in themselves and others–but it's not as easy as some mightthink. The authors, whose expertise has been sought out by over ahundred companies, includi

In Shift, Carlos Ghosn, the brilliant, audacious, and widelyadmired CEO of Nissan, recounts how he took the reins of the nearlybankrupt Japanese automotive company and achieved one of the mostremarkable turnarounds in automotive—and corporate—history. When Carlos Ghosn (pronounced like “phone”) was named COO ofNissan in 1999, the company was running out of gas and careeningtoward bankruptcy. Eighteen short months later, Nissan was back inthe black, and within several more years it had become the mostprofitable large automobile company in the world. In Shift, Ghosndescribes how he went about accomplishing the seemingly impossible,transforming Nissan once again into a powerful global automotivemanufacturer. The Brazilian-born, French-educated son of Lebanese parents,Ghosn first learned the management principles and practices thatwould shape his decisions at Nissan while rising through the ranksat Michelin and Renault. Upon his arrival at Nissan, Ghosn beganhis new position by embarkin

A compelling vision. Bold leadership. Decisive action.Unfortunately, these prerequisites of success are almost always theingredients of failure, too. In fact, most managers seeking tomaximize their chances for glory are often unwittingly settingthemselves up for ruin. The sad truth is that most companies haveleft their futures almost entirely to chance, and don’t evenrealize it. The reason? Managers feel they must make choices withfar-reaching consequences today, but must base those choices onassumptions about a future they cannot predict. It is thiscollision between commitment and uncertainty that creates THESTRATEGY PARADOX. This paradox sets up a ubiquitous but little-understood tradeoff.Because managers feel they must base their strategies onassumptions about an unknown future, the more ambitious of themhope their guesses will be right – or that they can somehow adaptto the turbulence that will arise. In fact, only a small number oflucky daredevils prosper, while many more unfortunate, bu

YaYa CEO Ferrazzi works with "Inc." writer Raz to explain theguiding principles he has mastered over a lifetime of reaching outto explain what it takes to build the kind of lasting, mutuallybeneficial relationships that lead to professional and personalsuccess.

Go from being a good manager to an extraordinary leader. If you read nothing else on leadership, read these 10 articles.We've combed through hundreds of Harvard Business Review articleson leadership and selected the most important ones to help youmaximize your own and your organization's performance. HBR's 10 Must Reads On Leadership will inspire you to: - Motivate others to excel - Build your team's self-confidence in others - Provoke positive change - Set direction - Encourage smart risk-taking - Manage with tough empathy - Credit others for your success - Increase self-awareness - Draw strength from adversity

Most of us think of leaders as courageous risk takers,orchestrators of major events-in a word, heroes. Yet while suchfigures are inspiring and admirable, Harvard Business SchoolProfessor Joseph Badaracco argues that their larger-than-lifeaccomplishments are simply not what makes the world work. Whatdoes, he says, is the sum of millions of small yet consequentialdecisions that men and women working far from the limelight makeevery day: how a line worker for a pharmaceutical company respondswhen he discovers a defect in a product's safety seal; how amanager deals with a valued employee suspected of stealing; how atrader handles a transaction error that will cost a clientmoney.Badaracco calls them "quiet leaders"-people who chooseresponsible, behind-the-scenes action over public heroism toresolve tough leadership challenges. These individuals don't fitthe stereotype of the bold and gutsy leader, and they don't wantto. What they want is to do the "right thing" for theirorganizations, their coworkers, and t

Companies have long engaged in head-to-head competition insearch of sustained, profitable growth. They have fought forcompetitive advantage, battled over market share, and struggled fordifferentiation. Yet in today’s overcrowded industries, competing head-on resultsin nothing but a bloody “red ocean” of rivals fighting over ashrinking profit pool. In a book that challenges everything youthought you knew about the requirements fro strategic success, W.Chan Kim and Renee Mauborgne contend that while most companiescompete within such red oceans, this strategy is increasinglyunlikely to create profitable growth in the future. Based on a study of 150 strategic moves spanning more then ahundred years and thirty industries, Kim and Mauborgne argue thattomorrow’s leading companies will succeed not by battlingcompetitors, but by creating “blue ocean” of uncontested marketspace ripe for growth. Such strategies moves—termed “valueinnovation”-create powerful leaps in value for both th

Praise for Best Practices in Talent Management "This book includes the most up-to-date thinking, tools, models,instruments and case studies necessary to identify, lead, andmanage talent within your organization and with a focus on results.It provides it all—from thought leadership to real-worldpractice." Patrick Carmichael head of talent management, refining, marketing, andinternational operations, Saudi Aramco "This is a superb compendium of stories that give the reader apeek behind the curtains of top notch organizations who havewrestled with current issues of talent management. Their lessonslearned are vital for leaders and practitioners who want a veryvaluable heads up." Beverly Kaye Founder/CEO: Career Systems International and Co-Author, Love'Em or Lose 'Em "This is a must read for organization leaders and HRpractitioners who cope with the today's most critical businesschallenge—talent management. This book provides a vast amount ofthought provoking ideals, tools, and models, for building

(Book Jacket Status: Jacketed) Published in 1776, in the sameyear as the Declaration of Independence, "The Wealth of Nations"has had an equally great impact on the course of modern history.Adam Smith's celebrated defense of free market economies waswritten with such expressive power and clarity that the firstedition sold out in six months. While its most remarkable andenduring innovation was to see the whole of economic life as aunified system, it is notable also as one of the Enlightenment'smost eloquent testaments to the sanctity of the individual in hisrelation to the state.

The book that shows how to get the job done and deliverresults . . . whether you’re running an entire company or in yourfirst management job Larry Bossidy is one of the world’s most acclaimed CEOs, a manwith few peers who has a track record for delivering results. RamCharan is a legendary advisor to senior executives and boards ofdirectors, a man with unparalleled insight into why some companiesare successful and others are not. Together they’ve pooled theirknowledge and experience into the one book on how to close the gapbetween results promised and results delivered that people inbusiness need today. After a long, stellar career with General Electric, Larry Bossidytransformed AlliedSignal into one of the world’s most admiredcompanies and was named CEO of the year in 1998 by Chief Executivemagazine. Accomplishments such as 31 consecutive quarters ofearnings-per-share growth of 13 percent or more didn’t just happen;they resulted from the consistent practice of the discipline ofexe

Corporate guru Charan (The Game Changer) and Conaty, a 40-yearHR leader at General Electric, reveal how successful companies stayon top by developing leaders at every level of operation. Headingthe list is GE under the leadership of Jack Welch. Nicknamed"Neutron Jack" for his ruthless willingness to fire non-performers,Welch created a new culture at GE by transforming the criteria forexecutive performance so that management had to get to know theirworkers, which allowed them to choose future leaders to develop ina series of room-to-grow jobs. The authors offer suggestions foradopting Welch's methods for today's global environment, examiningnot only GE but also Novartis, Hindustan Unilever, and Proctor andGamble to suggest that today's leaders need to manage multiplebrands in one country, shepherd a single brand across the globe,and spend time working abroad. A liberal use of jargon ("Hesearches for discontinuities in the external landscape") willdistance general readers, but business types will find th

"As a manager, my purpose is to serve the greater goodby bringing people and resources together to create value that nosingle individual can create alone..." So begins the MBA Oath, conceived in early 2009 byMax Anderson, Peter Escher, and a team of Harvard Business Schoolstudents. They saw that in the wake of the financial crisis, theMadoff scandal, and other headlines, MBAs were being vilified.People were angry because business leaders, many of whom were MBAs,seemed not to care about anything beyond their own privateinterests. Many began to question the worth of business schools andthe MBA degree. The oath quickly spread beyond Harvard, becoming a worldwidemovement for a new generation of leaders who care about society aswell as the bottom line. Thousands of graduating MBAs have nowpledged to conduct themselves with honesty and integrity, just asmedical students swear by the Hippocratic oath before they canpractice. This book is the manifesto for the movement. It provides not only astrong case for wh

Based on the best-seller Phonics Pathways, a complete approachto teaching phonics and early reading Dolores Hiskes has developed a wealth of helpful teachingaides based on her best-selling book Phonics Pathways. This boosterpack includes 46 double-sided flash cards that illustrate thesounds and spelling patterns of the English language; SpeakingPathways, a lively 35-minute audio CD that demonstrates the soundsof spoken English; and three fun phonics games: WordWorks, whichreviews and reinforces phonics reading skills, Blendlt, whichreinforces knowledge of beginning spelling patterns, and The TrainGame, which features individual "train car" cards that kids puttogether to make longer words. Companion CD demonstrates the sounds of spoken English Contains games that have been classroom-tested and proveneffective Offers aides that are at once challenging and a fun way to learnreading skills These powerful phonics teaching tools can be used with beginningreaders, English language learners, d

The authors present important research showing thatcorporatist institutions generate smaller non-competitive wagedifferentials than a decentralized system. A theoreticalexplanation is developed based on the hold-up problem ininvestments, arguing that corporatist institutions solve theproblem by specifying ex ante nominal contracts that remove thenecessity of ex post bargaining over the surplus of an employmentrelationship. The authors also argue that such institutions allowsufficient flexibility to accommodate aggregate shocks, even moreso than decentralized systems. Corporatism or Competition? is thefirst book to bring together the mass of research on comparativewage differences, wage movements and employment behaviour indifferent countries with different institutional frameworks, in anorganized and coherent fashion.

In this instant New York Times Bestseller, Geoff Smart andRandy Street provide a simple, practical, and effective solution towhat The Economist calls “the single biggest problem in businesstoday”: unsuccessful hiring. The average hiring mistake costs acompany $1.5 million or more a year and countless wasted hours.This statistic becomes even more startling when you consider thatthe typical hiring success rate of managers is only 50percent. The silver lining is that “who” problems are easily preventable.Based on more than 1,300 hours of interviews with more than 20billionaires and 300 CEOs, Who presents Smart and Street’s A Methodfor Hiring. Refined through the largest research study of its kindever undertaken, the A Method stresses fundamental elements thatanyone can implement–and it has a 90 percent success rate. Whether you’re a member of a board of directors looking for a newCEO, the owner of a small business searching for the right peopleto make your company grow, or a pare

“I’ve got the name for our publishing operation. We just saidwe were going to publish a few books on the side at random. Let’scall it Random House.” So recounts Bennett Cerf in this wonderfullyamusing memoir of the making of a great publishing house. Anincomparable raconteur, possessed of an irrepressible wit and anabiding love of books and authors, Cerf brilliantly evokes theheady days of Random House’s first decades. Part of the vanguard of young New York publishers whorevolutionized the book business in the 1920s and ’30s, Cerf helpedusher in publishing’s golden age. Cerf was a true personality,whose other pursuits (columnist, anthologist, author, lecturer,radio host, collector of jokes and anecdotes, perennial judge ofthe Miss America pageant, and panelist on What’s My Line? )helped shape his reputation as a man of boundless energy andenthusiasm and brought unprecedented attention to his company andto his authors. At once a rare behind-the-scenes account of bookpublishing and a fascinat

You can't ask for more than efficient, effective operations.Or can you? Given today's business landscape--increasing customerdemand, global competition, lower trade barriers--being good isn'tenough. This groundbreaking guide provides the knowledge and toolsyou need to transform your organization from a well-run company toa relentlessly innovative company. Innovation expert JeffreyPhillips has helped businesses around the world achieve thedream--the implementation of innovation as a consistent businessdiscipline. In Relentless Innovation, he reveals his secrets forthe first time. Phillips argues that today's typical businessmodels actually impede innovation because they place so much focuson efficiency, cost cutting, and short-term gain. Does thisdescribe your business model? If it does, you need to revisit yourapproach and redefine your idea of what success actually is. Youmay find that your "business as usual" processes actively rejectinnovation efforts. Relentless Innovation has everything you needto

Built to Last, the defining management study of the nineties, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the verybeginning. But what about the company that is not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness?

The little black book of marketing is here. Marketing guru Peter Fisk's inspirational manual of marketing shows you how to inject marketing genius into your business to stand out from the crowd and deliver exceptional results. Marketing Genius is about achieving genius in your business and its markets, through your everyday decisions and actions. It combines the deep intelligence and radical creativity required to make sense of, and stand out in today's markets. It applies the genius of Einstein and Picasso to the challenges of marketing, brands and innovation, to deliver exceptional impact in the market and on the bottom line. Marketers need new ways of thinking and more radical creativity. Here you will learn from some of the world's most innovative brands and marketers from Alessi to Zara, Jones Soda to Jet Blue, Google to Innocent. Peter Fisk is a highly experienced marketer. He spent many years working for the likes of British Airways and American Express, Coca Cola and Microsoft. He was the CEO of

In Seduced by Success, Robert J. Herbold, the former Chief Operating Officer of Microsoft, shows you how to avoid the nine traps of success-the “legacy practices” that almost felled such giants as General Motors, Kodak and Sony. Herbold, a 26-year-veteran of Procter & Gamble who lived through each trap, gives you proven tactics for preventing arrogance, bloat, and neglect while capitalizing on your accomplishments, sustaining your momentum, and retaining your position in the marketplace. The nine traps every successful organization must avoid are Neglect: Sticking with Yesterday's Business Model Pride: Allowing Your Products to Become Outdated Boredom: Clinging to Your Once-Successful Branding Complexity: Ignoring Your Business Processes Bloat: Rationalizing Your Loss of Speed and Agility Mediocrity: Letting Your Star Employees Languish Lethargy: Getting Lulled into a Culture of Comfort Timidity: Not Confronting Turf Wars and Obstructionists