Recommended Reading

With too many choices, let someone choose for you!

“Books take me places, teach me things, and make me think, laugh and cry. You’ll find here a collection of books that have a spot on my shelf.

Balance

Silent Alarm: A Parable of Hope for Busy Professionals by John Blumberg

Silent Alarm is a parable of hope for busy professionals. For some, it is a message of inspiration … and for others, a wake-up call for their very survival. For everyone … it is an experience you won’t soon forget!! I promise you – read this book and you won’t hit the snooze button again. I loved this book!

Creating a Charmed Life by Victoria Moran

I received this book as a gift and found myself charmed by the author’s insights. I loved the notion of “complicate selectively” and “practice the vacation principle”. The latter is not about being on vacation, but rather on looking at your surroundings as if you WERE on vacation. Look for places to explore, things you’ve never noticed, and BE present. Written specifically for women but a man could glean ideas in the chapters.

Executricks, How to Retire While You’re Still Working by Stanley Bing

If you’re a reader of Fortune Magazine, you’ll know the in-your-face-funny-and-on-target writing style of this columnist. Stanley (not his real name) and I happened to be signing books together at the Book Expo in Los Angeles. You’ll find is hysterically funny and uncannily true about execs many of us have known.

Learned Optimism, How to Change Your Mind and Your Life by Martin Seligman, Ph.D., Pocket Books, 1998.

This is a classic and one that is timely in its need to be reread by all of us. Seligman, after years of clinical research, discovered that internal self-talk can be used to rise above pessimism. His easy-to-use techniques, self-tests, and practical examples are invaluable.

Get Inspired to Retire by David Saylor and Greg Heffington

Greg and I met on an airplane a number of years ago. He’s a vice president of Van Kampen Investments and a talented speaker on retirement and investment options. We hit it off immediately and have stayed in touch. Now I am thrilled to urge any one even thinking about retirement to get this book. It’s a marvelous collection of over 150 ideas and tools to help make the “retirement” phase of life one of personal meaning and value. Color photos throughout, too. Consider this a travel guide for the next part of your life.

Three Deep Breaths by Tom Crum

Since the days I stayed in a tepee in Snowmass, CO and studied Aikido as a conflict metaphor under the guidance of Tom Crum, I have devoured anything he writes. This is his newest venture and a simple one at that. Therein lies the beauty. This short tale takes the simple act of breathing and turns it into a potion for calming relationships, handling stress, and creating more elegant solutions to problems. Ahhhhhhhhhhh. Breathe. And read.

Turn it Off: How to Unplug from Anytime-Anywhere Office Without Disconnecting Your Career by Gil Gordon

In our 24-7, high connectivity world, how do you regain control over very real demands? Gil is a mobile office technology expert who shares a 100/60/0 model for balancing time and work, helping you figure out when you’ll be on 100%, part time, or not at all. VERY helpful.

Passage to Juneau: A Sea and Its Meanings by Jonathan Raban

Ok, confession time: I am just NOW reading this book. Picked it up because our summer will start off in Juneau, on a boat for 22 people headed to Glacier Bay with a naturalist on board. I’m slow because this author savors every word he writes, twirls it on his tongue to get the flavor, spits it out if it is not perfect, and then forks through verbs and adjectives to find the perfect offering of the people, the history, and the perspective of a world encapsulated by an Inland Passage. I’ll know more when I see more. After all-isn’t that what summer reading should be about: taking your mind someplace you have never been?

The Simplicity Survival Handbook-32 Ways to do less and accomplish more by Bill Jensen

The book is about power-YOUR power to change standard practices and to push back into doing that which matter most-not that which someone dictates to you. Hold you hat, gang, because Jensen is a true believer that much of what we do is silly, wasteful, disrespectful, totally without impact on what is really important. Sure, he’s in your face. But sometimes we need that push.

Simpler Living by author Jeff Davidson

In the sea of books and reference sources on the topic of simplifying your life, Simpler Living by author Jeff Davidson may stand out as the best, or very near the best. This is a huge book, and a huge undertaking. The kind of volume you can’t ignore.

Simpler Living is for anybody who owns or rents a home or apartment, who feels as if stuff is starting to accumulate all over the place, and is looking for answers. There is so much here, you hardly know where to get started. But as Jeff recommends, get started wherever you feel like it. Turn to the chapter, page, or paragraph that speaks to the challenges that you are currently facing. Act on a few of the tips, and you’ll feel better immediately. In this way, a little at a time, you can begin to de-clutter your life.

Under the Carmel Valley Sun: An Adventure in Remodeling, Relationships and Red Wine by Pam and Fred Gilberd

Think of Italian remodeler Frances Mayes and you have the idea of the essence of this book. Only I liked this better! Pam and I met years ago when one of her BUSINESS books came out. Should you dream of buying a fixer-upper close to the wine country, pour the Merlot and read. I just chuckled at the two points of view as Fred and Pam attack a derelict of a house with verve, mostly good humor, and apparently – endless amounts of patience.

Biography

Swimming Across: A Memoir by Andrew S. Grove

An engrossing and thoroughly entertaining story of the life of one of the founders of Intel. It is simply written, and I would recommend it to teenagers as well as adults. Andy tells how he grew up in pre-revolutionary Hungary, lived through the Russian communist takeover and how everything in his life changed for the worse little by little. He finally had to escape on foot at night across the border to Austria, then on to America, as a young man of 18 years old, leaving his family and friends behind. The story is lovely, about a wonderful culture, his love of family and education, and how he survived, learned English, went to City College in New York on a scholarship paid for by an immigrant relief organization in America and ended up in the very unlikely position of CEO of Intel, and Time’s cover story Man of the Year in 1997. An inspirational autobiography. Reviewed by Judy Hagar.

Business

Checkered Flag Projects: 10 Rules for Creating and Managing Projects that Win by Alan Randolph and Barry Posner

Today’s white-knuckle business world leaves little learning curve for people tasked with completing a project on time and under budget! This book shortens the curve and offers step-by-step practical advise on mobilizing, motivating and managing both people and the process. If you’ve got a project on your plate—buy this book.

THE EXPERIENCE ECONOMY: Work Is Theatre & Every Business A Stage by B. Joseph Pine II and James Gilmore

Shakespeare’s contention that ‘All the world’s a stage’ is spilling over into business. Deliver your products and services wrapped in a unique experience, says Pine and Gilmore, and customers will pay you to sell to them. The consultants make a strong, and entertaining, case themselves in the most intriguing book this month.

Survival Guide Shed or You’re Dead®: A Fast Acting Change RX for Healthcare Professionals

A nuts and bolts survival guide to help healthcare professional lead and master change. Every page is filled with practical strategies for immediate implementation at work and in life. Book includes a SHED Style™ Assessment Tool.

Wired to Care – How Companies Prosper When They Create Widespread Empathy by Dev Patnaik

I met Dev when we both spoke at the Professional Business Women’s Conference in San Francisco. Dev is the founder of Jump Associates, a growth strategy firm with clients that range from Hewlett Packard to Nike. Maybe because he’s an adjunct faculty member at Stanford or maybe because he has extensive experience in real-world companies, but you will read this book and become a believer. Without creating empathetic understanding of our customers, we can’t create products that last or employees who stay. Don’t take my word for it- read the book.

Switch: How to Change Things When Change is Hard by The Heath Brothers (Chip and Dan)

OK-that might be an irreverent way to refer to these hot-shot professor/writers, but their writing is just so smooth. They are to me the business equivalent of Malcolm Gladwell. I love how they think. I love how they research. And they broaden my horizon on what I know about resiliency. You’ll find here a clear-cut formula for understanding AND acting upon change initiatives.

THE ANSWER TO HOW IS YES: Acting On What Matters by Peter Block

“How?” is the most common question we ask in business, according to consulting guru Block, and the problem with how is that it obscures far more important questions such as “Why?” and “What?” In this book, he explores how to achieve whatever really matters to you by asking the right question, utilizing your capacity for idealism, intimacy, and depth, acting collectively, and becoming a “social architect.”

The Cluetrain Manifesto: The End of Business as Usual by Rick Levine, Christopher Locke, et.all

Manifesto #1: Markets are conversations. Manifesto #2: Markets consist of human beings, not demographics. Hope I have tapped your curiosity with what I think is the most provocative, original, insightful and irreverent conversation concerning the digital economy and the workings of commerce in a networked world.

When you put together a Sun Microsystems engineer, a consultant from the likes of MCI and Carnegie Mellon, a Silicon Valley publicist and a commentator for NPR, there’s bound to be sparks flying. I consider this the most significant read to come out this year. You won’t think about business and communication in the same way again.

The Collapse of Distinction by Scott McKain

Scott McKain and I go back a looooong way and I just plain like the way his brain works. None of us can afford to be same-o-same-o. But, how many organizations are? They compete on price or the color of their building. Standing out is no easy trick. In fact, Scott’s book, The Collapse of Distinction, stands out because it comes in three formats for the price of one!

Transforming Practices: Finding Joy and Satisfaction in the Legal Life, Steven Keeva

As one who speaks frequently to portions of the legal profession, I was delighted to find a book written by a man with an inside track on a battered profession. Keeva is senior editor for the ABA Journal and knows well the unprecedented change, stress, and demands attorneys face. But make no mistake, this book also plays well for consultants, physicians, and anyone who makes a living on the billable hour.

Find Your Great Work by Michael Bungay Stanier

Find Your Great Work is a practical tool kit for managers, leaders, and anyone who wants to find, start and sustain work that matters.

You’ll be able to use all the exercises in Find Your Great Work straight away for immediate effect. That’s because each exercise has been stripped down to be as simple as possible while ensuring each exercise will generate new and powerful insights. Purchase Find Your Great Work here.

Authenticity: What the Customers Really Want by James Gilmore and Joe Pine

I normally don’t recommend a book while I am still in the process of reading it. However, this is a dense book, a scholarly book, a not-quick read book. Better start NOW! Why? These are the two men who brought us the EXPERIENCE Economy which so aptly captured the huge shift from an information and service age to the age of consumers seeking an ?experience?. Bottom line: consumers are tired of being lied to. Behavior and beliefs better match. Whether a service, a product, a politician, or a workplace, authenticity is translated into five economic offerings. Read the book to know more. It’ll take months to digest but it’s important.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip & Dan Heath

These super-bright brothers have captured six straight-forward principles for that have me rethinking my business and marketing efforts. You’ll find yourself wondering what you can do that is simple, unexpected, concrete and credible. You’ll look for ways to get people to care and you’ll wrap it in stories. Bet I’ve got you thinking already!

The Culture Code-An Ingenious Way to Understand Why People Around the World Live and Buy as They Do by Clotaire Rapaille

This book was a gift from Doug Cody, VP Executive Communications for Carlson Companies. As he handed it to me, he said that he liked to give away books that stimulated his thinking. What an understatement! Rapaille is a cultural anthropologist and marketing expert who asserts that all of us acquire a silent system of Codes as we grow up within our culture. These Codes invisibly shape how we behave in our personal lives, even when we’re unaware of our motives. Read this book and discover how Culture Codes helped Procter & Gamble design advertising for Folgers and helped Chrysler build the PT Cruiser.

Brilliance Unbridled by Kendall Summerhawk

Kendall is a shaman, a magic woman, and a horse whisperer who also put together the team that created my totally redone web site. Her new book takes all the lessons she has learned as an expert equestrian and turns them into powerful metaphors for discovering the brilliance that will lead to business success.

Growing Your Business! What You Need To Know, What You Need To Do by Mark LeBlanc

Don’t let this tiny book (77 pages) fool you. It is chock-a-block filled with simple truth and profound wisdom. And you don’t have to be a business owner to use this. Consider yourself a Brand of ONE: You! Get your personal copy today. Contact Mark@SmallBusinessSuccess.com.

The Experience Economy-Work Is Theatre & Every Business A Stage by B. Joseph Pine II and James H. Gilmore

Shakespeare’s contention that ‘All the world’s a stage’ is spilling over into business. Deliver your products and services wrapped in a unique experience, says Pine and Gilmore, and customers will pay you to sell to them. The consultants make a strong, and entertaining, case themselves in the most intriguing book this month.

Communication

The Hamster Revolution for Meetings-How to Meet Less and Get More Done by Mike Song, Vicki Halsey and Tim Burress

This is the same team who wrote the Hamster Revolution book on how to handle e-mail. Both are wonderful resources, easy to read, and just packed with put-to-use-now information to gain control.

The Hamster Revolution-How to Manage Your Email Before It Manages You by Mike Song, Vicki Halsey and Tim Burress

Ok gang-we all know the enormous glut of e-mail that threatens to overtake our lives, our stress-prone fingers (sent from my Blackberry), and our very universe. FINALLY, here is an easy to read book that actually makes PRACTICAL sense. You CAN do it. Reclaim your life when you buy this book! (and you’ll find it on my web site, too)

Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss

The old English teacher in me found this vastly amusing if a little long. But in an age where communication becomes muddled and the difference between a comma and a period can stir international trouble, you might find this book fascinating. AND-I am a stickler for the proper use of it’s and its. Now, read her book and you’ll know why.

The World Café-Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter by Juanita Brown with David Isaacs

Tired of same-old meetings? Wish that you could truly have conversations that actually resulted in bringing people and ideas together. meaningful ideas and meaningful results? This is a book of case studies that demonstrate the various ways a world café conversation works. Connection is at the core of what I do and conversation is the key. This book offers a look at high level conversations-the place where, one day, we’d all like to be.

Global Smarts-The Art of Communicating and Deal Making Anywhere in the World by Sheila Hodge

Sheila is an international entrepreneur and a wonderful cross- cultural trainer who writes from experience. The book is filled with practical tips, eye-opening anecdotes, and in-the-trenches experiences. This is an indispensable resource for anyone doing business in today’s global arena.

The Hidden Messages in Water by Masuro Emoto

Yep, it’s an old book but one that is now appearing on the NY TIMES best-seller list. Based upon the work of Emoto, a renowned Japanese scientist, the book offers photographic evidence of how thoughts, words and feelings affect molecules of water. You’ve got to read it to believe it. Another fascinating ingredient in the “soup” we call life.

Voice Power-Using Your Voice To Captivate, Persuade and Command Attention by Renee Grant-Williams

This voice coach to popular singers, politicians, and other celebrities shows how to speak for success in this practical guide to getting the most from your voice. The four-part paperback covers voice production, delivery, care, and specific advice for situations such as sales, voice mail, speeches, etc.

Zapping Conflict in the Healthcare Workplace by Judith Briles

This is not a book for the weak that want fluff and stuff. Briles, in her characteristic “take-no-prisoners” style uses the case studies of over 1,600 men and women to identify conflict and sabotage examples within the health care setting. She then systematically offers “zaps” for handling such situations. P.S. You do not have to be in healthcare to learn from this book.

Creativity/Career

Refuse to Choose! by Barbara Sher

If you’ve ever felt hemmed in by needing to have only one career and one interest in life, Barbara opens the gates for you. I adore this book. I discovered I am a scanner-I have an interest in many things. Hence you see this long list of books. It was so great to know I am not a proverbial jack-of-all-trades or a scattered thinker. Rather-folks who are scanners think a TON. We’re innately curious. If this sounds like you, read her book!

The Way of Adventure; Transforming Your Life and Work with Spirit and Vision byJeff Salz, Ph.D.

Jeff is a colleague, an anthropologist, and a wild guy for climbing mountains in South America, looking for vanished civilizations, and treading the corridors of corporate America. Not only are his narratives spellbinding, but his metaphoric extensions into everyday life offer much food for thought. Get it!

NETWORLDING: Building Relationships And Opportunities For Success by Melissa Giovagnoli and Jocelyn Carter-Miller

Networlding, say the authors, is the process of enlisting everyone you know in the furtherance of you and your career while at the same time, helping them reach their goals whenever possible. The book offers a seven-step process for creating your networld, 10 “Golden Rules of Networlding,” and plenty of advice on building relationships.

Callings-Finding and Following an Authentic Life by Gregg Michael Leroy

With so many people seeking to find what they want to be when they grow up, Levoy offers insights as well as practices for discerning that which is deepest in all of us. He has written about the nature of guidance in such a fashion that one learns multiple ways in which intuition and insight work.

How To Think Like Leonardo DiVinci by Michael J. Gelb

At a time when innovation rises as the golden apple for the future, studying DiVinci offers a master’s lesson in discovery, invention, creativity, global thinking and humanity. A master-thinker himself, Gelb breaks up DiVinci’s mental activities into discreet functions. This is a book that can be picked up over and over again. I myself could spend a lifetime on learning how to ask the curious, deeper questions. Journaling, drawing, conversation and experimentation are all part of a course of action that Gelb carefully outlines. Skim it for the antipasto and come back for the next course. I guarantee you won’t go away hungry.

Discovering Your Career in Business by Timothy Butler, Ph.D. and James Waldroop, Ph.D.

The authors are career psychologists who direct the MBA Career Development Programs at the Harvard Business School. The book comes with the Business Career Interest Inventory on IBM diskette. Full of personal profiles and real-life examples, it offers a unique approach to career planning by helping people match their deep interests (which we acquire early on in our lives) to eight core business functions. This is far beyond the traditional approach of matching skills and aptitude to job descriptions. I recommend the book for people of any age and stage of their careers who seek optimal work experiences, especially those entering careers for the first time, and those going through career change. For career counselors and human resources directors, I feel it’s a must read.

MY TIME-Making the Most of the Rest of Your Life by Abigail Trafford

Abigail has ventured into a realm that truly fascinates me: the entirely new development stage of the “bonus age”. Kids are gone, mortgage is paid, and now it is YOUR turn. You’ve gone through the “shoulds”. Now what do you want to do with “your one precious life”. Abigail guides the reader through the obstacles of My Time and into the phase of reinvention. I loved this book. Let me know what you think.

Second Innocence, Rediscovering Joy and Wonder by John B. Izzo

If The War Of Art is your kickstart, this book moves you down the road for renewing yourself in work and daily life. As we age, it’s so easy to lose that innocence that allows us to see possibilities for ourselves and others. John gives the reader a guidebook for the journey with a writing style that is at once intimate and intelligent. Izzo is also the author of another favorite book: Awakening the Corporate Soul. Read both and you’ll be ahead of the game.

The Way of Art-Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles by Steven Pressfield

This tiny book packs a wallop – like a good swift kick in the posterior. I found myself underlining something in every chapter. He blasts through all the reasons we don’t do that which is our purpose – our calling – our creative best self. I found myself (sadly) on too many pages. SO be warned-I have no more excuses. The next book written by me IS being born.

Tune Your Brain-Using Music to Manage Your Mind, Body, and Mood by Elizabeth Miles

As a music lover, I was intrigued by this title. Could there really be research which pinpoints the possibility of mood/intelligence – altering music? I know that cultures around the world have always used music to make their daily lives work better. As an ethnomusicologist, the author offers the latest research in neurology, medicine, and psychology. She brings ancient wisdom into the scientific present for better health and performance in seven states of mind, body, and mood.

Leadership/Business Trends

YOU don’t NEED A TITLE TO BE A LEADER: HOW ANYONE, ANYWHERE, CAN MAKE A POSITIVE DIFFERENCE by Mark Sanborn

This compact read that will impress you with its powerful ideas laid out in a fresh and exciting perspective. Among the many things you’ll learn will be how leaders can increase a NEW ROI: relationships, outcomes, and improvements. Mark is a long-time colleague and one of the sharpest men I know for taking an idea and distilling it to its essence in a unique way.

Shackleton’s Way, Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer by Margot Morrell and Stephanie Capparell

This is one time I must admit, I have not read the book. I am carrying it on my next long airplane ride. But I trust the wisdom of another colleague, Danny Cox, who rides high in leadership circles. Anyone who can lead 27 men for two years on a stranded ice flow and keep the motivation going MUST have much to say to all of us. E- mail me and let me know what you think!

Pillars of Success by Pat Bender

Pat and Bob Bender have perfected a method to help leaders and teams achieve great results. It’s no secret that success is something everyone wants. The process can be a mystery and Pillars Of Success is a book all about revealing success secrets of several of the most powerful people in business today. Contributing author Pat Bender has an Awareness Is Power® process. “The more aware you are, the more aware you’ll become,” she says. You will learn what Pat says are three important things leaders and successful people have in common.

365 IDEAS for Recruiting, Retaining, Motivating and Rewarding Your Volunteers by Sunny Fader

According to one reviewer, “This is a delicately crafted book that will produce results from the moment you read the first chapter… It’s not a book that you’ll read once and forget about, but a tool you’ll reference on a consistent basis as you guide staff, develop new programs and interact with colleagues. This book leaves no stone unturned when it comes to looking for the best solutions in maximizing volunteers.” Brian Brandt, Summit Solutions Group

I have known the author, Sunny Fader, for years. She has worked with many non-profit organizations so I am confident she exudes expertise in this area. If you think it’s hard to “motivate” people who work for an income, try retaining people who work for free! I’ll bet there are ideas here we can ALL learn from.

Standing in the Fire: Leading High-Heat Meetings with Clarity, Calm, and Courage by Larry Dressler

Why Read It? It’s a facilitator’s nightmare – a group you are leading becomes polarized, angry, or frustrated. Are you prepared?

The Bottom Line: Seasoned facilitator, negotiator, and author Larry Dressler has been caught in the cross fire enough times to know that there are no prescribed techniques for leading a potentially volatile group discussion. What Dressler offers instead are six stances — states of being — that enable you to remain firmly in service to the group through the most difficult scenarios, because who you are with the group matters just as much as what you do.

Angels in the Workplace-Stories and Strategies for Creating a New World of Work by Melissa Giovagnoli

If cynicism and greed seem to be the words which describe the world of business, then think again. The author provides case studies of ordinary business people who have found ways to create joy and hope within the business environment. You’ll find practical insights as well as ways we all can make a difference wherever we find ourselves.

A Woman’s Way to Incredible Success by Mary-Ellen Drummond

Written by women, for women, this practical book offers hard-learned lessons, inspirational advice and creative suggestions from 20 top businesswomen. Guess I am a little prejudiced. I’m in it!

Beyond Counterfeit Leadership by Ken Sheldon

A lively, anecdotal book, Ken Sheldon-after many years as editor of Executive Excellence Magazine-put his best insights forward. With laser accuracy, he paints a clear picture of what an authentic leader looks like. It’s an easy read. Better still, it’s an important book.

Full Steam Ahead! by Ken Blanchard and Jesse Stoner

Years ago, I worked with Ken and met Jesse Stoner. They just get smarter and smarter! They have put their masterful minds together to create a book on the power of vision to create focus and results in your company and your life. Don’t let the small size fool you. I found myself pondering for days just one of the chapters. Visions and mission are so misunderstood in today’s business jargon. Read and get clarity… all the way around!

GET YOUR SHIP TOGETHER-How Great Leaders Inspire Ownership From The Keel Up by Michael Abrashoff

Mike and I met a few years ago at a conference. He had just left the Navy as captain of the USS Benfold, a $1 billion destroyer. Mike had been profiled in FAST COMPANY Magazine for his grassroots leadership techniques that increased a retention rate from 28% to 100%. Spend time with Mike and you know why. He recently sent me his second book. It’s just as chock-block filled with wisdom as the first. You don’t have to be in the Navy to run your business, department, or venture aground.

Going Deep-Exploring Spirituality in Life and Leadership by Ian Percy

Finally, this book which I treasure has a publisher in the U.S. I recommended it before. I do it again. Going Deep, offers a thought-provoking exploration of how we create meaning and soul in our workplaces.

I was privileged to review a pre-press manuscript. Highlighter in hand, I found myself circling thoughts on many pages, laughing, pondering, nodding and relishing the most sensitive yet practical leadership I’ve read in years. Through Ian, a provocative international consultant and facilitator, you’ll get first-hand insight into what happens when individuals move through “the great shuddering” into an engagement with life through work.

This is another one of those books you owe to yourself and to the people you care about.

Good Company-Caring as Fiercely as You Compete by Hal Rosenbluth

I loved Rosenbluth’s first book The Customer Comes Second. This new book has equal impact. Read it and you will be exposed to practical business advice from the workplace ecology of all manner of organizations. You’ll learn dozens of best practices from a number of the nation’s preeminent employers. You’ll also see how an organization can be lean but NOT mean.

Leadership When the Heat’s On by Danny Cox

This is the revised and updated version by Danny Cox. I loved the first one. He’s outdone himself with this one. From the Foreword written by 103 year-old Ellie Newton to the intense content, this book is a winner from start to finish.

Learning Journeys-Top Management Experts Share Hard-Earned Lessons on Becoming Great Mentors and Leader by Marshall Goldsmith

Once again, my dear colleague and friend Dr. Beverly Kaye has done it: She, along with her co-editors, have captured the seminal moments in which our colleagues recognized both doubt, fear and the “ah-hah” moment. As only Bev can do, she ends each individual account with a provocative, reflective question. I loved the book. But then again, I love Bev.

LOVE’EM OR LOSE’EM-Getting Good People to Stay by Beverly Kaye

Bev Kaye is a beloved colleague and the leading guru on career development practices. In this valuable book, the authors alphabetize this creative guide to building employee loyalty and retention in the free-agent era. Each short chapter covers single uncomplicated strategy, such as respect, information sharing, and listening, that individual managers can use to keep employees.

Love It, Don’t Leave It-26 Ways to Get What You Want at Work by Beverly Kaye

Unhappy with your job? Before you vote with your feet, consider the advice of career specialists Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evans and learn to love your job. In this practical sequel to their bestseller Love ‘Em or Lose ‘Em, the authors focus on employee satisfaction as a responsibility you must share with your employer. Since I am a firm believer that responsibility and power rests in the individual, I love this easy-to-read, take-charge of your work book. And considering that the advice comes from researching over 15,000 folks, you’ve got real-world answers to real-world challenges.

Personal Development

Wander Woman: How High-Achieving Women Find Contentment and Direction by Marcia Reynolds, PsyD

Wander Woman is the first personal development book focused on the needs and desires of women focused on achieving big goals as opposed to the general population of women. These women do not want to focus on their fears and will probably not balance their lives. They need a book that will address their specific challenges.

Based on the Dr. Reynold’s doctoral research and decades of coaching smart, strong women, Wander Woman identified a growing number of women who are constantly searching for “something more” in their lives. Although these women are confident in their abilities and continue to stack up the accomplishments, at the end of the day they are discontented, disappointed and exhausted.

First, Reynolds defines the societal factors that led to the drive and restlessness these women experience. Then she defines the dark side of women raised to excel—in their constant search for the next great thing, they lose a sense of who they are and what their purpose is beyond their accomplishments and praise.

Once the reader can clearly identify her challenges, the bulk of the chapters in Wander Woman provide practical exercises, powerful questions and case studies to help the reader channel her restless energy into a more fulfilling path. In the end, the reader will release her “burden of greatness” and be free to choose her own life rules and direction.

Making Music – Unique Ways Songs Became Hits by John Gregory

I don’t know about you, but it’s fascinating to discover such tidbits like how a riot on Sunset Blvd. produced the lyrics for Buffalo Springfield’s famous line “Stop, Hey What’s That Sound.” Or how Sting created a melody inspired by Bach and Sting’s childhood at the last outpost of the Roman Empire in England. If you’re a lover of music you must get this book.

Revival—A Mid-Life Journey by Joe Calloway

Feel like you’re the only one who doesn’t have all the answers? Reached a point where life or love seem flat and stale? Are there times you suddenly say, “where has all my life gone?” Joe doesn’t have solutions. He has gut-level, from-experience insights.

Joe’s a buddy, a powerful facilitator and speaker. And a man who has dared to write his heart and mind in this book.

SHED or You’re DEAD by Kathy Dempsey

Kathy Dempsey has been through more “shedding” in her young life than I could have thought possible. Amazingly, through it all, she’s found wisdom that is deep and true, clever and cunning, playful and provocative. You will find yourself nodding yes, doing the exercises, and then realizing you can do them over and over again at different parts of your life. Don’t let the lizard throw you. He’s a gift of a metaphor and a brand bonus.

The Five Secrets You Must Discover Before You Die by John Izzo PhD.

In his latest book, John Izzo,PhD, unknowingly follows the advice of NSA Founder Cavett Robert. “Learn from OPE-other people’s experience”. Izzo’s quest is to discover the secret to a happy life. Note I said a happy life, not a wealthy life.

His “secrets” come from interviews with over 200 people ages 60-106 who have been nominated by friends and acquaintances as someone who has found happiness and meaning. From an aboriginal chief to a CEO, from a town barber to a Holocaust survivor, there’s much food here for the taking.

This Wasn’t Supposed to Happen to Me! 10 Make-or-Break Choices When Life Steals Your Dreams and Rocks Your World by Dr. Bev Smallwood

For over 25 years, my colleague and friend, Bev Smallwood has counseled folks ranging from solid citizens to prison inmates. With this experience, she has now distilled her wisdom into a very accessible and powerful book. You’ll learn the 10 critical choices necessary for wholeness and recovery after life’s tragedies and set-backs. Blending scientifically-validated psychological truths with spiritual principles, Dr. Beverly Smallwood offers hope that no matter what has happened, going forward, we all have the power to choose.

Get Unstuck & Get Going on the Stuff that Matters by Michael Bungay Stanier

Michael is a Rhodes scholar and author of this best selling coaching tool. He believes that everyone is capable of Great Work, and this amazing book is actually a three-part questioning process that gets into the heart of an issue. If you work with teams or coach, you’ve just got to have the book.

What can I do? Ideas to Help Those Who Have Experienced Loss by Barbara Glanz

As sure as change occurs in our world, it also occurs in our lives. The loss of a child, a spouse, a parent, a friend, even a beloved pet can have us all in a tailspin. And hose of us who want to “help” are often at a loss for the right words or deeds. Barbara has written a beautiful, very helpful guide that should find a home on everyone ’s book shelf. Not only does she share how people helped her throughout losses, but she has gathered the wisdom of others.

Midlife and the Great Unknown by David Whyte, 2 cd-set

I am a reader, plain and simple. But alas, Whyte’s wisdom doesn’t come in paper. And wise he is, plus profound and accessible. I found myself listening to these CDs three times just so I could take notes. (It also proved to me just why I want to put transcripts with my CD products!)

Whyte shows listeners how the language of poetry can be our guide through the unexplored terrain of the middle years of our lives. With over 75 million people between the ages of 35 and 55 living in the United States today, David Whyte inspires a wide new audience, offering ways to bring courage and clarity to face what he calls the “fierce edges” of our lives. If you have the time and the tenacity, I guarantee you’ll love this set.

BLINK-The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell

Ok, you say, “just how am I suppose to do that?!” And that’s the answer: you already do! At a book signing in La Jolla, CA, I was intrigued by Gladwell’s research and examples. Education, experience, and environmental context are blended to create an intuitive response that is faster than our conscious thinking. What is equally telling is the danger of failing to ask if that response is accurate. Read the book. Easy to read, fascinating, and thought-provoking. You might not even know the latter occurred!

Choose Peace & Happiness-A 52-Week Guide by Susyn Reeve

This insightful book offers 52 weeks worth of ideas about small things that can help us reclaim peace and happiness in our lives. She melds her own “juice” with wisdom from Robert Fritz, author of the classic book, Path of Least Resistance.

A Short Course in Kindness by Margot Silk Forrest

Don’t dismiss this title as one of those sappy, mushy books. Margot challenges the reader to see “kind” as a deed that requires courage AND vulnerability. “Nice” is not the same as kind and can actually be manipulative and destructive to the self. (Now, are you interested?) Margot was a former top-ranked manager at Hewlett-Packard and a news editor for the San Jose Mercury, the Dallas Times Herald and the Philadelphia Bulletin.

Creating a Charmed Life-Sensible Secrets Every Busy Woman Should Know by Victoria Moran

A lovely little book that I had forgotten about and came across on my book shelf. And it’s NOT just for women. It’s such a simple, easy read but filled with practical ideas and profound truths. I love her notion of practicing selective complication. What matters most to us also complicates our life. Be selective in what you choose.

For the Time Being by Annie Lamott

Annie Lamott is one of those rare writers whose powers of observation will have you traveling the lazy river of life in search of discovering wonder and profound truths amid simple things like clouds or the terra-cotta figures that followed a Chinese emperor to his tomb. You’ll have to become “lazy” to read this book. I found Annie on my “to read” bookshelf and am floating along with her.

HOW TO CREATE YOUR OWN LUCK by Susan RoAne

Susan has a storyteller’s soul and a knack for news-hidden people. In this straightforward book, she crafts a methodology for using conversation, attention, synchronicity, intuition, and basic kindness as ways to capitalize upon a current opportunity that some might call “luck”. Try it. You just never know what might
happen.

Journey to Center-Lessons in Unifying Body, Mind, and Spirit by Thomas F. Crum

For one intense, amazing weekend, I studied the implications of aikido as a metaphor for conflict. Tom Crum was the instructor. On the heels of his first book, The Magic on Conflict, Crum now offers another gem. This practical guide introduces readers to the Zen principles Tom Crum has lived by and taught for many years. As a black belt in aikido, a motivational speaker, and an instructor in everything from mathematics to skiing, Crum learned that the key to success in any endeavor is mastering the art of “centering.” A master story teller, you’ll be hooked by the role centering has played in everything from golf to dealing with death.

My Grandfather’s Blessings by Rachel Naomi Remen

If you followed my recommendation and read Kitchen Table Wisdom, you’ll find this book an essential companion. Her style is both deep and lucid, spiritual and earth-bound with insights gleaned from her Orthodox rabbi grandfather. The stories are brief and rich. Here’s just one of her thoughts: “Wisdom lies in engaging the life you have been given as fully and courageously as possible and not letting go until you find the unknown blessing that is in everything.”

The Power of Intention by Wayne Dyer

This book “just happened” to be the sole book in a wrong place in Costco, I bought it. You’ll find here a fascinating look at the power of “intending” positive outcomes and the chance of achieving them. Couple this with the documentary film on quantum physics, What the Bleep Do We Know, and the world becomes a fascinating soup of possibilities.

There Are No Limits-Breaking the Barriers in Personal High Performance by Danny Cox

“There Are No Limits” provides the reader with useful tools to break free from self-imposed limits and recognize their own true potential. For those who want to discover the secret to being a Superstar in business and life.

Sales & Service

Becoming a Category of One-How Extraordinary Companies Transcend Commodity and Defy Comparison by Joe Calloway

In this no-nonsense guide to beating the competition, my colleague Joe Calloway, a branding and competitive positioning consultant with clients like BMW and IBM, offers hope to companies confronting a constantly changing and increasingly competitive marketplace. Buy Bev Kaye’s book for your soul. Buy Joe’s book for your strategy. It just makes plain good sense.

Secret Formulas of the Wizard of Ads by Roy Williams

This is the follow-up to The Wizard of Ads: Turning Words into Magic and Dreamers into Millionaires. I loved the first book and I adore the second. This man is a genius, plain and simple. You’ll read them both with a highlighter and then go back and read some more. If you have ANYTHING to do with marketing, anything to do with selling anything to anybody. get these books. His style, artistic flair, and insights make Williams a true wizard.

Discovering the Soul of Service by Leonard L. Berry

Berry is the director of the prestigious Center for Retailing Studies at Texas A&M University. He’s spent years researching marketing and quality. This book departs from academic caution as Berry insists that there are nine attributes which are the drivers to “sustainable success.” His case studies from 14 of the best service companies in the world-including some surprises-which few of us would know-offer some fresh insights. Read it and find out why acting small makes a BIG difference. Discover how generosity opens the hearts of employees and communities.

Sociology

The Anatomy of Peace: Resolving the Heart of Conflict by The Arbinger Institute

If you are like me and feel despair with what seems like a spiraling of global violence, this book offers hope. This semi-fictional narrative (influenced by actual events), draws you into a wilderness-camp for out-of-control teens. But the storyline is merely a setting for parents to understand the root of conflict from two facilitators: a Palestinian Arab and an Israeli Jew. You’ll find hope here for your family, your workplace, and your community. If we started there-maybe peace would spiral outward.

Field Notes from a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change by Elizabeth Kolbert

If you have time for just one book on science, nature, and the environment-this should be it. So many shrill voices out there that I found myself wanting objectivity. She cuts through the competing rhetoric and political agendas to focus on what really is going on. As Newsweek said, “Sober, detailed, and alarming without being alarmist.”

As the Future Catches You by Juan Enriquez

This summer I had the wonderful (and challenging) opportunity to follow Dr. Juan Enriquez on the platform at a conference in Boston. Juan is the founding director of the Life Sciences project at Harvard Business School and probably one of the single most brilliant thinkers I have encountered. This book is a powerful, stimulating look at how the digital and genetic world will revolutionize our lives. Amazing AND troublesome.

The Shelter of Each Other-Rebuilding Our Families by Mary Pipher

If you are as disgusted as I am about the nationwide trash thrown from the corridors of Congress and the White House, as disturbed as I am by the macabre, violent depictions found in all forms of “entertainment”, and as helpless as I am to figure out how we turn the tide for our children and our future, then read this book. Mary Pipher does for the American family what she did for adolescent girls in her first book, Reviving Ophelia. Pipher lays out the cultural, technological and economic forces tearing us apart and offers ideas on how to rebuild hope.

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell

Are you a connector? A maven? A salesman? Want to change your company, your community, your world? As ambitious as it all sounds, Gladwell’s research offers provocative insight into the three rules that CAN indeed make significant, contagious social epidemics. You’ll learn about the Law of a Few, The Stickiness Factor, and the Power of Context. Fascinating reading.

What Went Wrong-Western Impact and Middle Eastern Response by Bernard Lewis

This is an excellent summary of the history of the Middle East from the standpoint of Western influence, and how the Middle Eastern countries, primarily because of the teachings of Islam, rejected anything Western for centuries. Lewis is the Chair of the Middle Eastern studies at Princeton. He covers the social, political and religious differences between Islamic, Christian and Jewish cultures and political doctrines. This is a very timely subject and with our current political situation, it is what I would call a “must read” if you want to understand what is really going on in the Middle East. It explains why the theocracy is a dangerous political structure, and why separation of church and state set up a condition for tremendous growth in the west, leaving the Middle East, particularly the fundamental Islamic state, behind. One of the points he makes clearly is that the fundamental Islamic state is at a tremendous disadvantage due to their total disregard of the value of the female half of their population.

Reviewed by Judy Hagar.

Spirituality

Meditations for the Road Warrior by Mark Sanborn and Terry Paulson (editors)

For Christians who travel, this collection of reflections from “the road” offers a wonderful source of inspiration and perspective.

FINAL GIFTS: Understanding the special awareness, needs and communications of the dying by Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley

Authors Maggie Callanan and Patricia Kelley are hospice nurses who, with a decade of tending to the terminally ill, have written a compassionate and amazing book for any of us who are caring for loved ones who are dying. My sister was given this book some 11 years ago when she faced the death for her beloved husband. We are now reading it again with Mom. I have bought more copies to give to friends. This is a gift of wisdom, faith and love.

A SPIRITUAL AUDIT OF CORPORATE AMERICA: A Hard Look At Spirituality, Religion, And Values In The Workplace by Ian Mitroff & Elizabeth Denton

Mitroff and Denton are the first to attempt a rigorous study of the impact of spirituality at work. They describe five typical models of businesses driven by more than profit alone and survey employees to uncover their opinions on spirit at work. The major conclusion: people want a holistic workplace where they can participate body and soul.

Wisdom