那些没有找到真正财富——存在的欢乐以及与它紧密联系在一起的深深的不可动摇的宁静——的人就是故事中的那个乞丐,即便已经拥有很多财富,但他们依然在四处找寻。他们不知道,自己不仅已经拥有了所有这些,还拥有了更为珍贵的东西,那就是——当下的力量。 阅读本书的过程是一个发现之旅。在作者这位心灵导师的引导下,你会惊讶地发现,自己一直都处在大脑或思维的控制之下,生活在对时间的永恒焦虑中。我们忘不掉过去,更担心未来。但实际上,我们只能活在当下,活在此时此刻,所有的一切都是在当下发生的,而过去和未来只是一个无意义的时间概念。通过向当下的臣服,我们才能找到真正的力量,找到获得平和与宁静的入口。 这不仅仅是一本书,在这本书中还有活生生的能量,当你读这本书时你可能会感受到这种能量。它有一种惊
Three years after the events of The Golem's Eye, the youngmagician Nathaniel is an established member of the BritishGovernment. But he faces unprecedented problems: foreign wars aregoing badly and Britain's enemies are mounting attacks close toLondon. Increasingly distracted, he is treating Bartimaeus worsethan ever: the long-suffering djinni is growing weak from too muchtime in this world, and his patience is at an end. Meanwhile,undercover in London, Kitty has been stealthily completing herresearch into magic and Bartimaeus' past. She hopes to break theendless cycle of conflict between djinn and humans - but will shebe able to get anyone to listen? Before any of these problems canbe resolved, disaster strikes London from an unexpected source andthe destinies of Bartimaeus, Nathaniel, and Kitty are throwntogether once more. They have to face treacherous magicians, along-fermented conspiracy, and an enemy from 'The Other Place' thatthreatens London and the world. Worst of all, they must somehowcope wit
John Meriwether, a famously successful Wall Street trader,spent the 1980s as a partner at Salomon Brothers, establishing thebest--and the brainiest--bond arbitrage group in the world. Amysterious and shy midwesterner, he knitted together a group ofPh.D.-certified arbitrageurs who rewarded him with filial devotionand fabulous profits. Then, in 1991, in the wake of a scandalinvolving one of his traders, Meriwether abruptly resigned. For twoyears, his fiercely loyal team--convinced that the chief had beenunfairly victimized--plotted their boss's return. Then, in 1993,Meriwether made a historic offer. He gathered together his formerdisciples and a handful of supereconomists from academia andproposed that they become partners in a new hedge fund differentfrom any Wall Street had ever seen. And so Long-Term CapitalManagement was born. In a decade that had seen the longest and most rewarding bullmarket in history, hedge funds were the ne plus ultra ofinvestments: discreet, private clubs limited to those
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
In this absorbing tale, you watch the timeless principles ofservant leadership unfold through the story of John Daily, abusinessman whose outwardly successful life is spiraling out ofcontrol. He is failing miserably in each of his leadership roles asboss, husband, father, and coach. To get his life back on track, hereluctantly attends a weeklong leadership retreat at a remoteBenedictine monastery. To John's surprise, the monk leading the seminar is a formerbusiness executive and Wall Street legend. Taking John under hiswing, the monk guides him to a realization that is simple yetprofound: The true foundation of leadership is not power, butauthority, which is built upon relationships, love, service, andsacrifice. Along with John, you will learn that the principles in this bookare neither new nor complex. They don't demand special talents;they are simply based on strengthening the bonds of respect,responsibility, and caring with the people around you. Perhaps thisis why The Servant has touche
What is that makes urban myths so persistent but many everydaytruths so eminently forgettable? How do newspapers set aboutensuring that their headlines make you want to read on? And why dowe remember complicated stories but not complicated facts? In thecourse of over ten years of study, Chip and Dan Heath haveestablished what it is that determines whether particular ideas orstories stick in our minds or not, and "Made to Stick" is thefascinating outcome of their painstaking research.Packed full ofcase histories and thought-provoking anecdotes, it shows, amongother things, how one Australian scientist convinced the world he'ddiscovered the cause of stomach ulcers by drinking a glass filledwith bacteria, how a gifted sports reporter got people to watch afootball match by showing them the outside of the stadium, and howhigh-concept pitches such as 'Jaws on a spaceship' ("Alien") and'Die Hard on a bus' ("Speed") convince movie executives to investvast sums of money in a project on the basis of almost noinformati
A black swan is a highly improbable event with threeprincipal characteristics: It is unpredictable; it carries amassive impact; and, after the fact, we concoct an explanation thatmakes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was. Theastonishing success of Google was a black swan; so was 9/11. ForNassim Nicholas Taleb, black swans underlie almost everything aboutour world, 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 studie
Adam Smith's masterpiece, first published in 1776, is thefoundation of modern economic thought and remains the single mostimportant account of the rise of, and the principles behind, moderncapitalism. Written in clear and incisive prose, The Wealth ofNations articulates the concepts indispensable to an understandingof contemporary society; and Robert Reich's new Introduction forthis edition both clarifies Smith's analyses and illuminates hisoverall relevance to the world in which we live. As Reich writes,"Smith's mind ranged over issues as fresh and topical today as theywere in the late eighteenth century--jobs, wages, politics,government, trade, education, business, and ethics."
Now in a striking new hardcover edition, Fooled by Randomnessis the word-of-mouth sensation that will change the way you thinkabout business and the world. Nassim Nicholas Taleb–veteran trader,renowned risk expert, polymathic scholar, erudite raconteur, andNew York Times bestselling author of The Black Swan–has written amodern classic that turns on its head what we believe about luckand skill. This book is about luck–or more precisely, about how we perceiveand deal with luck in life and business. Set against the backdropof the most conspicuous forum in which luck is mistaken forskill–the world of trading–Fooled by Randomness providescaptivating insight into one of the least understood factors in allour lives. Writing in an entertaining narrative style, the authortackles major intellectual issues related to the underestimation ofthe influence of happenstance on our lives. The book is populated with an array of characters, some of whomhave grasped, in their own way, the significance
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
Bestselling author Harvey Mackay reveals his techniques forthe most essential tool in business--networking, the indispensableart of building contacts. Now in paperback, Dig Your Well Before You're Thirsty is HarveyMackay's last word on how to get what you want from the worldthrough networking. For everyone from the sales rep facing acareer-making deal to the entrepreneur in search of capital, DigYour Well explains how meeting these needs should be no more than afew calls away. This shrewdly practical book distills Mackay'swisdom gleaned from years of "swimming with sharks," including:
One of the most popular and respected style guides ever written,this handbook by a seasoned writer with more than forty years ofexperience offers ten principles and seven axioms that professionalwriters use to express their thoughts clearly and effectively. Thislatest edition is expanded to include an extensive glossary ofAmerican idiomatic expressions, developed to assist users fromother backgrounds and cultures; new chapters with tips onlittle-known facts of usage, such as compound words, hyphenation,numeration, and capitalization; and explanations of technicalproblems encountered in writing and editing with tips and exercisesto help solve them. For anyone faced with the challenges of writtenEnglish, Writing with Precision can help readers write moreclearly, more effectively, and more precisely than they everhave. Previous editions of Writing with Precision have beenselected by the Writer's Digest , McMillan , Fortune , and Reader's Digest book clubs.
Jack Welch knows how to win. During his forty-year career atGeneral Electric, he led the company to year-after-year successaround the globe, in multiple markets, against brutdl competition.His honest, be-the-best style of management b ame the goldstandard in business, with his relentless focus on people,teamwork, and profits. And now he has written a book that clearlylays out the answers to the most difficult questions people faceboth on and offthe job. Winning is destined to become the bible ofbusiness for generations to come. Anyone who has a passion for success will find Welch'soptimistic, no excuses, getqt-done mind-set riveting. Packed withpersonal anecdotes and written in Jack's distinctive no b.s. voice,Winning offers deep insights, original thinking, and solutions tonuts-and-bolts problems that will change forever the way peoplethink about work. "There is a lifetime of wisdom about business, and life, packedinto Jack Welch's Winning. It is unquestionably the best managementbook to come along in
From the man the Wall Street Journal hailed as "theguru of Revenue Management" comes revolutionary ways to recoverfrom the after effects of downsizing and refocus your business ongrowth. Whatever happened to growth? In Revenue Management, RobertG. Cross answers this question with his ground-breaking approach torevitalizing businesses: focusing on the revenue side of the ledgerinstead of the cost side. The antithesis of slash-and-burn methodsthat left companies with empty profits and dissatisfiedstockholders, Revenue Management overturns conventionalthinking on marketing strategies and offers the key to initiatingand sustaining growth. Using case studies from a variety of industries, smallbusinesses, and nonprofit organizations, Cross describes no-tech,low-tech, and high-tech methods that managers can use to increaserevenue without increasing products or promotions; predict consumerbehavior; tap into new markets; and deliver products and servicesto customers effectively and efficiently
The Accidental Millionaire is the memoir of Gary Fong, would-be slacker who revolutionized wedding photography, inventor of popular photography aids, entrepreneur, contrarian, bon vivant and a man who really, really didn't want to become a doctor. A first-generation Chinese-American, Gary was raised in one of Los Angeles' least-desirable neighborhoods and was forced to deal―in his own quirky and often very funny way―with the burdens of poverty, crime and his parents' relentless aspirations. These issues almost overwhelmed him until he had a dramatic epiphany. Spotting a bumper sticker that read "Since I gave up hope, I feel much better," Gary promptly did just that. He stopped trying and started succeeding. At turns hilarious, insightful and instructive, The Accidental Millionaire is Horatio Alger-meets-David Sedaris. Turning the traditional self-help principles upside down, The Accidental Millionaire disdains the goal-oriented approaches of traditional self-help philosophies. Sometimes not k
New rules for the new game: the ideas that every business needs to win in the customereconomy In The Agenda , Michael Hammer showscompanies how to prosper in today’s world of slow growth, fiercecompetition, and enormously powerful customers. The winners in thisextraordinarily difficult environment—companies like IBM, DukePower, Progressive Insurance, and GE—succeed through superioroperations. Their costs are lower and their quality higher thantheir competitors’; they get new products to market faster and theyprovide better customer service. How do they do it? Throughnear-fanatical attention to the basics of business, and by managingthese basics in new and creative ways. The Agenda teaches the ideas and techniques that anycompany—large or small, service ?rm or manufacturer—can use toout-execute and out-innovate its competitors. Businesses thatfollow these principles will grow by taking market share away fromthose that do not. While others decline, your company can thri
Goldman Sachs are the investment bank all other banks - andmostbusinesses - want to emulate; the firm with the best talent,the best clients,the best strategy. But is their success just downto the gilded magic ofthe 'Goldman way'?
Knowledge has become the most important factor in economiclife. It is the chief ingredient of what we buy and sell, the rawmaterial with which we work. Intellectual capital--not naturalresources, machinery, or even financial capital--has become the oneindispensable asset of corporations. Intellectual Capital is a groundbreaking book, visionaryin scope and practical in applications, that offers powerful newways of looking at what companies do and how to lead them. It isthe first book to show how to turn the untapped, unmapped knowledgeof an organization into its greatest competitive weapon. Intellectual Capital cuts through the vague rhetoric of"paradigm shifts" to show how the Information Age economy reallyworks--and how to make it work for you and your business. Readerswill learn how to discover and map the human, structural, andcustomer capital that embody the knowledge assets of a corporation;how successful companies manage their intellectual capital toimprove performance; how intellectual capital
When you start a new job, you are in a “temporary state ofincompetence,” faced with having to do the most when you know theleast. Tom Neff and Jim Citrin, two of the world’s experts onleadership and career achievement, know what it takes to succeed ina new position. Through compelling, first-hand stories, from CEOslike Jeffrey Immelt of GE and Bob Eckert of Mattel, You’re inCharge—Now What? offers an eight-point plan to show you how tolay the groundwork for long-term momentum and greatperformance.
The extraordinary breakthrough management program--heralded byGE, Motorola, and AlliedSignal--that is sweeping corporate Americawith its unprecedented ability to achieve superior financialresults. Six Sigma is the most powerful breakthrough management tool everdevised, promising increased market share, cost reductions, anddramatic improvements in bottom-line profitability for companies ofany size. The darling of Wall Street, it has become the mantra ofFortune 500 boardrooms around the world because it works. What is Six Sigma? It is first and foremost a business processthat enables companies to increase profits dramatically bystreamlining operations, improving quality, and eliminating defectsor mistakes in everything a company does, from filling out purchaseorders to manufacturing airplane engines. While traditional qualityprograms have focused on detecting and correcting defects, SixSigma encompasses something broader: It provides specific methodsto re-create the process itself so that def
Good reading isn’t just about knowing the words. It’s about being able to understand what is being read and putting it to use. This fully updated edition of Reading Comprehension Success in 20 Minutes a Day guides the reader throughout the specific techniques of reading comprehension—from extracting the main ideas to "reading between the lines"—in an easy 20-step program. Each step takes just twenty minutes a day. This book is for anyone preparing to take a job-related exam that tests for reading comprehension skills. Included is a "Before and After" score-yourself test, to diagnose strengths and weaknesses and chart your progress.
Using a straightforward rational-choice approach, ProfessorRamseyerexplores the impact that law had on various markets inJapanese historyand the effect that those markets had on economicgrowth. In doing so,he applies an economic logic to markets in adifferent world in a differenthistorical period with a differentpolitical regime and a different legalsystem. He looks hardest atthose markets that have most often strucktraditional observers as"exploitative" (e.g., the markets for indenturedservants and forsexual services). Within those markets, he focuses on thewayparticipants handled informational asymmetries in thecontractingprocess. Ramseyer finds that Japanese courts generally definedimportant prop-erty rights clearly, and that Japanese marketsgenerally protected an indi-vidual's control over his or her ownlabor. As a result, that the Japaneseeconomy grew at relativelyefficient levels follows directly from standardeconomic theory. Healso concludes that the legal system usually pro-moted mutuallyadva