Workplace Development

So often we want to make big changes in our lives, but lack the resolve to see them through. It seems we just can't summon the necessary willpower to take on these huge challenges - saving money, quitting smoking, increasing productivity, getting a promotion or pay rise, or losing weight. But here's the secret: willpower is not the answer.

Conversations have consequences. Discussions lead to decisions that shape the future for individuals, families, companies, and nations. Too often these decisions are derailed by faulty logic and false constraints. These pitfalls are not simply hidden, but deviously veiled in the guise of wisdom, truth, and common sense.

Fading are the days of direct communication by phone or in person, which have immediate responses and clarifications. The immediate feedback loop has been replaced by "broken loops" of communication. Now, due to hundreds of emails and texts, endless waiting, perpetual unreturned messages, and unlimited misunderstanding, we are in a Dyscommunication Crisis. This gives rise to the "Dyscommunication Syndrome" - a cluster of symptoms that comes together and repeats when our message is not returned, including anxiety, worst-case scenarios, catastrophizing, and negative loops of thinking.

The modern working world doesn't leave much time for reflection. Leaders in particular are encouraged to speed ahead, make quick decisions, and seek swift solutions to any problem that may arise. However, the full-speed-ahead approach can backfire. By taking time to pause and reflect, it's possible to notice new pathways and develop innovative solutions that allow for impactful results. Executive coach Janet M. Harvey has worked with leaders and teams around the world to explore the common tensions that arise in the workplace.

When Christine Armstrong became a mother, it never occurred to her that she would want to stop work or even work part-time. But the truth is, combining work and small kids is hard. From the broken breast pumps on business trips, to hiding chicken pox from the nursery, to the heartbreak when you come home and realise your baby smells of the childminder. When Christine Armstrong tried it, she found herself desolate with misery. Determined to make it work, she looked for answers by interviewing other working mums and found that she wasn't alone.

Carla Harris is one of the world's most senior Black women in global finance. Highly successful and respected, in her first audiobook Expect to Win she shares advice, tips, and strategies for surviving in any workplace environment. While climbing the corporate ladder, Harris had her own missteps and celebrated numerous victories. She vowed that when she reached senior management, and people came to her for advice, she would provide them with the tools and strategies honed by her experience.

In Lifeboat, Maggie Craddock uses the stories of the survivors of the Titanic as a metaphor for hardworking professionals today facing uncertainty. They are swimming in waters jarred by sudden waves of downsizing, management shakeups, company mergers, dried-up funding, scandals, and probably a shark or two. The experiences of Titanic survivors, Craddock shows, offer lessons for a transformative workplace approach, one that recognizes that “every man for himself” does not work long-term.

Fatherhood today is far different from previous generations. Stay-at-home dads are increasingly common, and growing numbers of men are working part-time or flextime schedules to spend more time with their children. Dads today are more emotionally and physically involved on the home front. They are "all in", and - like mothers - they are struggling with work-life balance and doing it all.

Do you feel comfortable delivering bad news? Do you look forward to speaking in public? Do you enjoy networking? Is it easy for you to speak your mind and be assertive with friends and colleagues? If you answered no to any of these questions, this book can help!

For Marc Lesser the key to healthy relationships and effective workplaces is compassionate accountability—a practical and trainable way to clarify and achieve shared visions of success. Marc works from the premise that problems are inevitable and that the success of an enterprise or relationship relies on how they are resolved. This applies to any joint effort—in a workplace, a family, a civic organization, a community, a country, or the world at large.

Burnout, just like a connection with purpose, is never a coincidence. If you want to have a job you love instead of one that diminishes you on a soul level, practice awareness about what you are thinking, your urges for action, and feelings that surface within you. Author and certified career coach Gina Calvano offers a new perspective on why you feel disconnected from your work and burned out by your job. She delivers fresh insights on how to replenish your energy and power, along with accessible ideas for healing from job burnout and getting onto a path to purpose.

In an era when people and money are flowing fast across international boundaries, physically and virtually, culture crashes have become increasingly frequent, says international business consultant Michael Landers. A culture crash is what happens when someone unwittingly offends, frustrates or mystifies a person from a different culture. This can lead to lost business, hurt feelings, damaged relationships, even international incidents.

Dion Lim has seen it all. As an Asian American woman in the hyper-competitive, White- and male-dominated business of TV news, her career path required a powerful blend of street smarts, determination, and a willingness to learn from mistakes-all of which she learned on the job. Today, she's an ABC anchor in one of the biggest cities in the country. In Make Your Moment, Dion guides you through what she has learned on the career battlefield and what it means for other working women today.

Quiet Quit & Fully Live is a thought-provoking exploration of the quiet quitting phenomenon, challenging the negative connotations it often carries. The book explores how stepping back from over-engagement at work can lead to a more balanced life, enhanced personal well-being, and surprisingly, a boost in workplace productivity. It argues that by setting healthy boundaries, individuals can reignite their passion for their roles and bring a renewed sense of purpose to their teams.

The workplace of the future is being shaped today by Web 2.0 - a collection of breakthrough social media technologies - and by the Millennial Generation, people born between 1977 and 1997. The convergence of these emerging workplace trends has created a generation of hyperconnected workers who are placing increased pressure on employers to overhaul their approach to talent management.

Sephora is a playground for women, chock full of lipstick, eyeshadows, foundations, blushes, and so much more, just waiting to be experienced. It’s where teens learn to apply foundation and adults learn how to create the perfect smoky eye. It’s the cosmetic birthplace for the iconic Kardashian contour. And it’s a dominant brand, taking home a large portion of the $48.3 billion-dollar makeup industry. This book will teach entrepreneurs, innovators, marketers, and executives everything they need to know about creating an iconic experience for their customers.

Drawing from his many best-selling books and years of experience mentoring, John Maxwell offers Equipping 101, a concise collection of time-tested principles on how to equip those around you for service.

Gorilla in the Cockpit offers a revolutionary way to understand megaproject failures. It opens the black box to reveal the hidden drivers of project crashes. The root causes cannot be found in traditional project management books. They are neither technical nor financial. They are human.

HGTV cofounder Susan Packard launches the next chapter in emotional intelligence (EQ) and shows you how to increase your personal satisfaction and productivity - in work and life - via her three-step path toward EQ Fitness.

To overcome the radically different challenges of inequity, division, and scarcity of resources that will only increase in the future, the most successful and valuable leaders are those with the traits to be rebuilders. Taking Charge of Change is written for anyone seeking to be the driver of real change and an integral part of rebuilding the structures and foundations of American communities and companies throughout the decade ahead.