Download or read book Let Them Lead written by John U. Bacon and published by HarperCollins. This book was released on 2021-09-07 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An uplifting leadership book about a coach who helped transform the nation’s worst high school hockey team into one of the best. Bacon’s strategy is straightforward: set high expectations, make them accountable to each other, and inspire them all to lead their team. When John U. Bacon played for the Ann Arbor Huron High School River Rats, he never scored a goal. Yet somehow, years later he found himself leading his alma mater’s downtrodden program. How bad? The team hadn’t won a game in over a year, making them the nation’s worst squad—a fact they celebrated. With almost everyone expecting more failure, Bacon made it special to play for Huron by making it hard, which inspired the players to excel. Then he defied conventional wisdom again by putting the players in charge of team discipline, goal-setting, and even decision-making – and it worked. In just three seasons the River Rats bypassed 95-percent of the nation’s teams. A true story filled with unforgettable characters, stories, and lessons that apply to organizations everywhere, Let Them Lead includes the leader’s mistakes and the reactions of the players, who have since achieved great success as leaders themselves. Let Them Lead is a fast-paced, feel-good book that leaders of all kinds can embrace to motivate their teams to work harder, work together, and take responsibility for their own success.

Download or read book Unexpected lessons in business management written by Tiziano Vescovi and published by libreriauniversitaria.it Edizioni. This book was released on 2016 with total page 96 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Corner Office written by Adam Bryant and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2011-04-12 with total page 270 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dozens of top CEOs reveal their candid insights on the keys to effective leadership, and the qualities that set high performers apart. "The Corner Office" draws together lessons from chief executives like Steve Ballmer (Microsoft) and Jeffrey Katzenberg (DreamWorks).

Download or read book Yes to the Mess written by Frank J. Barrett and published by Harvard Business Press. This book was released on 2012-07-24 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What Duke Ellington and Miles Davis teach us about leadership How do you cope when faced with complexity and constant change at work? Here’s what the world’s best leaders and teams do: they improvise. They invent novel responses and take calculated risks without a scripted plan or a safety net that guarantees specific outcomes. They negotiate with each other as they proceed, and they don’t dwell on mistakes or stifle each other’s ideas. In short, they say “yes to the mess” that is today’s hurried, harried, yet enormously innovative and fertile world of work. This is exactly what great jazz musicians do. In this revelatory book, accomplished jazz pianist and management scholar Frank Barrett shows how this improvisational “jazz mind-set” and the skills that go along with it are essential for effective leadership today. With fascinating stories of the insights and innovations of jazz greats such as Miles Davis and Sonny Rollins, as well as probing accounts of the wisdom gleaned from his own experience as a jazz musician, Barrett introduces a new model for leading and collaborating in organizations. He describes how, like skilled jazz players, leaders need to master the art of unlearning, perform and experiment simultaneously, and take turns soloing and supporting each other. And with examples that range from manufacturing to the military to high-tech, he illustrates how organizations must take an inventive approach to crisis management, economic volatility, and all the rapidly evolving realities of our globally connected world. Leaders today need to be expert improvisers. Yes to the Mess vividly shows how the principles of jazz thinking and jazz performance can help anyone who leads teams or works with them to develop these critical skills, wherever they sit in the organization. Engaging and insightful, Yes to the Mess is a seminar on collaboration and complexity, against the soulful backdrop of jazz.

Download or read book Behind the Executive Door written by Karol M. Wasylyshyn and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2011-10-28 with total page 179 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sigmund Freud meets Peter Drucker ... Behind the Executive Door is a revealing look at the behavior of top business leaders—and how the next level of aspiring managers can learn to navigate the political and personal landscape. Based on over 25 years of psychotherapy and consulting experiences, as well as extensive empirical research, Karol Wasylyshyn has identified a dynamic continuum of executive behaviors that are manifested in three specific types of business leaders – Remarkable, Perilous, and Toxic. She describes these types in accessible terms with the intertwined goals of helping readers (1) recognize these behaviors and leadership types and (2) leverage this information to increase their savvy and effectiveness in the workplace. In the wake of Sarbanes-Oxley and the increased scrutiny of business executives, we have learned that how they lead is often their undoing – or at least it is a pressing development need and/or potential derailment factor. In short, despite financial or strategic smarts, ineffective leadership behavior de-motivates talented employees, has adverse effects on productivity, and jeopardizes positive business results. Conversely, we can recognize the qualities of effective leadership behavior, which is largely a function of emotional intelligence, the ability to tap into the needs and motivations of others and bring out their best performance. In Behind the Executive Door, the author provides a wide variety of tools and exercises to help the reader identify the behavior traits of their organizations’ leaders –and hone their own approaches to achieve positive results. In the process, readers will also gain insights and skills to manage laterally and down, as well as up the organizational ladder. The concepts can be applied in any type of organization – private or public, for-profit or non-profit. The result is not only a better understanding of organizational politics and leadership behavior, but a practical guide to making important career decisions, such as whom to work for and how to develop one’s own leadership style.

Download or read book How to Castrate a Bull written by Dave Hitz and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-01-20 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dave Hitz likes to solve fun problems. He didn’t set out to be a Silicon Valley icon, a business visionary, or even a billionaire. But he became all three. It turns out that business is a mosaic of interesting puzzles like managing risk, developing and reversing strategies, and looking into the future by deconstructing the past. As a founder of NetApp, a data storage firm that began as an idea scribbled on a placemat and now takes in $4 billion a year, Hitz has seen his company go through every major cycle in business—from the Jack-of-All-Trades mentality of a start-up, through the tumultuous period of the IPO and the dot-com bust, and finally to a mature enterprise company. NetApp is one of the fastest-growing computer companies ever, and for six years in a row it has been on Fortune magazine’s list of Best Companies to Work For. Not bad for a high school dropout who began his business career selling his blood for money and typing the names of diseases onto index cards. With colorful examples and anecdotes, How to Castrate a Bull is a story for everyone interested in understanding business, the reasons why companies succeed and fail, and how powerful lessons often come from strange and unexpected places. Dave Hitz co-founded NetApp in 1992 with James Lau and Michael Malcolm. He served as a programmer, marketing evangelist, technical architect, and vice president of engineering. Presently, he is responsible for future strategy and direction for the company. Before his career in Silicon Valley, Dave worked as a cowboy, where he got valuable management experience by herding, branding, and castrating cattle.

Download or read book Management Rewired written by Charles S. Jacobs and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2009 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The founder of the Amherst Consulting Group and managing partner of One Eighty Partners turns current management theory on its head, arguing that organizations that are able to apply brain science to their businesses will overtake the competition and enhance performance at every level. He demonstrates how relying on emotions--rather than logic--leads to better business decisions.

Download or read book Mother Teresa CEO written by Ruma Bose and published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers. This book was released on 2011-07-05 with total page 146 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When most people think of Mother Teresa, they think of a saint—a spiritual hero of extraordinary humanitarian accomplishments, a Nobel Peace Prize winner. But Mother Teresa was also the leader of one of the world’s largest and most successful organizations: the Missionaries of Charity. Since founding it in 1948 she has raised millions of dollars and, with over a million volunteers in more than 100 countries, it remains one of the most recognized brands in the world. How did one nun who never received any formal education in business build such an impressive global organization? Frank, realistic, and firmly grounded in practicality, Mother Teresa’s leadership style helped to inspire and organize people across the world. This book shares ten essential leadership principles drawn from Mother Teresa’s example and applies them to today’s business world. Authors Ruma Bose, an entrepreneur who volun- teered with Mother Teresa, and Lou Faust, a leading business expert, are the first to examine her in this light—as a leader whose management style and dedication to a singular vision led to one of the world’s most unlikely success stories. Mother Teresa may have been a saint, but her spectacular success was not a product of divine providence. Her genius was the simplicity of her vision and her dedication to its implementation. It was in the way she treated her people, refusing to distance herself from the everyday work of a typical sister of the Missionaries of Charity. It was in how she handled tough choices—like accepting donations from brutal Haitian dictator François “Papa Doc” Duvalier. These were the principles that made her the great leader of a global organization, and they can be applied by anyone in any organization—no sainthood required.

Download or read book Doing Business by the Good Book written by David L. Steward and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2012-04-24 with total page 223 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An indispensable volume that shows how to succeed in business by using the Bible and its lessons as a source of inspiration and guidance n 1990, David L. Steward founded his company, Worldwide Technology, Inc., on a shoestring budget and borrowed money, well aware of the high-risk nature of the venture he was undertaking. Despite the fact that he was a novice entrepreneur, he was certain he would succeed. Steward believed intensely that God wouldn't let him down. Doing Business by the Good Book shares the inspiring lessons culled straight from the Bible, that Steward used to build his privately held billion-dollar company into a global information technology enterprise.

Download or read book Managing Strategic Surprise written by Paul Bracken and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-08-07 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The scope and applicability of risk management have expanded greatly over the past decade. Banks, corporations, and public agencies employ its new technologies both in their daily operations and long-term investments. It would be unimaginable today for a global bank to operate without such systems in place. Similarly, many areas of public management, from NASA to the Centers for Disease Control, have recast their programs using risk management strategies. It is particularly striking, therefore, that such thinking has failed to penetrate the field of national security policy. Venturing into uncharted waters, Managing Strategic Surprise brings together risk management experts and practitioners from different fields with internationally-recognized national security scholars to produce the first systematic inquiry into risk and its applications in national security. The contributors examine whether advance risk assessment and management techniques can be successfully applied to address contemporary national security challenges.

Download or read book Knowledge Driven Work written by Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 1998-09-10 with total page 207 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Knowledge-Driven Work is a pioneering study of the cross-cultural iffusion of ideas about the organization of work. These ideas, linked with the knowledge of the workforce, are rapidly becoming the primary source of competitive advantage in the world economy. The book provides an in-depth look at eight Japanese-affiliated manufacturing facilities operating in the United States, combined with examinations of their sister facilities in Japan. The authors offer their insights into the complex process by which elements of work systems in one country interact with those in another. They trace the flow of ideas from Japan to the US and other nations, and the beginnings of a reverse diffusion of innovation back to Japan. The authors organize their findings into six categories: the cross-cultural diffusion of work practices, team-based work systems, kaizen and employee involvement, employment security, human resource management, and labor-management relations. Their study of team-based work systems yields a taxonomy of teams and reveals some conflicts between the desire for self-management and the existence of interdependencies. Investigations into kaizen (ongoing incremental improvement) indicate that its emphasis on employee-driven, systematic problem solving makes it a strong counterpoint to the idea of top-down "re-engineering." Looking at employment security, the authors note that while most US managers believe that it restrains managerial flexibility, managers at the firms they observed see it as essential to the flexibility associated with teamwork and kaizen. The study of human resource management practices suggests competitive advantages in diverse, older, unionized, and urban work forces, and emphasizes the importance of wide-ranging training programs in a work system premised on a long-term perspective. The "wildcard" in the work places observed is labor-management relations, the area in which Japanese managers have been least likely to import their ideas. The authors report on several situations in which existing labor-management structures remained untouched, with mixed results: greater labor-management consultation, for example, but also increased ambiguity of roles. The thread running through all of these areas of work is "virtual knowledge," an ephemeral form of knowledge derived from a particular combination of people focused on a given issue. The authors point out that this powerful form of knowledge is only effectively harnessed in environments that are free of fear, that have established procedures for collective problem-solving, and that have some stability in group composition. They claim that too often companies allow virtual knowledge to dissipate, squandering opportunities to create more competitive workplaces. For those organizations that have succeeded in anticipating and channeling it, however, virtual knowledge leads to a knowledge-driven workplace and continuous improvement.

Download or read book Inside Arthur Andersen written by Susan Elaine Squires and published by FT Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The authors bring their unique insights to a close-range observation of Andersen's culture that has continued for more than 15 years. They first review Andersen's unique history and role; its traditionally careful attention to "enculturing" new employees via mentoring, social networking, rewards and punishments; and its social structure characterized by personal, "familial" relationships. Next, they narrate two decades of change at Andersen, showing how the firm's tightly integrated cultural system gradually began to devolve, rapidly coming apart in the wake of the 1990s new economy revolution. The book concludes with an insightful discussion of the systemic cultural and business factors that placed Andersen and many other organizations at risk, along with a realistic assessment of the proposed reforms.

Download or read book Fire Someone Today written by Bob Pritchett and published by HarperCollins Leadership. This book was released on 2006-04-09 with total page 214 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A breakthrough for business owners and entrepreneurs of small to large businesses and companies looking to achieve more success. Whether you are a young company that's just starting out or a mature business looking to grow, business entrepreneur Bob Pritchett gives hands-on advice and practical examples that are a must-listen for every manager, business owner, and entrepreneur. You will not find Thirteen Incontrovertible Laws of Excellence. You won't find motivational clichés to frame and put on your desk. There are no step-by-step instructions for writing a business plan. In Fire Someone Today, you will find: What Pritchett has discovered through his years of experience as an entrepreneur and small-business owner. Practical and tested advice for leaders seeking to better their company. Strategic tools and tips that will help your business be more successful. Fire Someone Today is a book about what to do, what not to do, and why. For your business, it could be that one piece of advice that makes all the difference, and even give you a few laughs along the way. Diagrams are included in the audiobook companion PDF download.

Download or read book Managing the Urgent and Unexpected written by Mr Stephen Wearne and published by Gower Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2014-10-28 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sometimes unanticipated threats or opportunities create a situation in which work is required unexpectedly. On these occasions, such urgent and unexpected work demands an instant start, in contrast to the often lengthy processes of investigation, evaluation, development, selection and planning normal in businesses and public services before the start of a project. Managing the Urgent and Unexpected explores what is different managerially if work is unexpected, its implementation is urgent and an immediate start it is required. The authors draw on twelve cases ranging from the launch of the Freeview television system in the United Kingdom to the sifting and removal of the New York World Trade Center pile of debris following the 9/11 terrorist attack. They summarise how the response to each of these events was managed, demonstrate that opportunities may sometimes be created in the face of adversity and suggest how normal organizations can prepare to manage abnormal demands. Urgent and unexpected projects have to be rare in business or government to be economically and socially tolerable. And yet organizations can and should be prepared for the unexpected. The lessons offered here will help private and public organizations plan how to authorize and support future urgent work to take advantage of immediate new business opportunities or to protect or restore systems and services.

Download or read book Managing the Unexpected written by Karl E. Weick and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2011-01-06 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Since the first edition of Managing the Unexpected was published in 2001, the unexpected has become a growing part of our everyday lives. The unexpected is often dramatic, as with hurricanes or terrorist attacks. But the unexpected can also come in more subtle forms, such as a small organizational lapse that leads to a major blunder, or an unexamined assumption that costs lives in a crisis. Why are some organizations better able than others to maintain function and structure in the face of unanticipated change? Authors Karl Weick and Kathleen Sutcliffe answer this question by pointing to high reliability organizations (HROs), such as emergency rooms in hospitals, flight operations of aircraft carriers, and firefighting units, as models to follow. These organizations have developed ways of acting and styles of learning that enable them to manage the unexpected better than other organizations. Thoroughly revised and updated, the second edition of the groundbreaking book Managing the Unexpected uses HROs as a template for any institution that wants to better organize for high reliability.

Download or read book Starting Small and Making It Big written by Bill Cummings and published by Bill Cummings. This book was released on with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Why Startups Fail written by Tom Eisenmann and published by Currency. This book was released on 2021-03-30 with total page 370 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: If you want your startup to succeed, you need to understand why startups fail. “Whether you’re a first-time founder or looking to bring innovation into a corporate environment, Why Startups Fail is essential reading.”—Eric Ries, founder and CEO, LTSE, and New York Times bestselling author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way Why do startups fail? That question caught Harvard Business School professor Tom Eisenmann by surprise when he realized he couldn’t answer it. So he launched a multiyear research project to find out. In Why Startups Fail, Eisenmann reveals his findings: six distinct patterns that account for the vast majority of startup failures. • Bad Bedfellows. Startup success is thought to rest largely on the founder’s talents and instincts. But the wrong team, investors, or partners can sink a venture just as quickly. • False Starts. In following the oft-cited advice to “fail fast” and to “launch before you’re ready,” founders risk wasting time and capital on the wrong solutions. • False Promises. Success with early adopters can be misleading and give founders unwarranted confidence to expand. • Speed Traps. Despite the pressure to “get big fast,” hypergrowth can spell disaster for even the most promising ventures. • Help Wanted. Rapidly scaling startups need lots of capital and talent, but they can make mistakes that leave them suddenly in short supply of both. • Cascading Miracles. Silicon Valley exhorts entrepreneurs to dream big. But the bigger the vision, the more things that can go wrong. Drawing on fascinating stories of ventures that failed to fulfill their early promise—from a home-furnishings retailer to a concierge dog-walking service, from a dating app to the inventor of a sophisticated social robot, from a fashion brand to a startup deploying a vast network of charging stations for electric vehicles—Eisenmann offers frameworks for detecting when a venture is vulnerable to these patterns, along with a wealth of strategies and tactics for avoiding them. A must-read for founders at any stage of their entrepreneurial journey, Why Startups Fail is not merely a guide to preventing failure but also a roadmap charting the path to startup success.