Workplace Leadership

The subject of “design thinking” is the rage at business schools, throughout corporations, and increasingly in the popular press - due in large part to work of IDEO, a leading design firm, and its celebrated CEO, Tim Brown, who uses this audiobook to reveal how the techniques and strategies of design belong at every level of business. Change by Design is an audiobook for creative leaders seeking to infuse design thinking into every level of an organization, product, or service to drive new alternatives for business and society.

Let’s be honest—work isn’t always easy. Deadlines pile up, coworkers test your patience, and some days, it feels like no one even notices the effort you put in. Whether you’re running a business, managing a team, or clocking in every morning, the workplace can be a challenging space. And for Christians, there’s an added layer: How do we honor God while striving for success? How do we balance ambition with humility? What does it really mean to be a Christian in the workplace?

A few rare leaders have learned to embrace a new organizational shape and mindset: Constellations. Organizations designed as constellations are dynamic and flexible networks of distinct yet interwoven individuals. Each member of the team feels like a singular star and is also connected to others to form something greater. That is how Visa reimagined how we pay for things, how Wikipedia beat the richest company in the world and how Barack Obama and his grassroots team revolutionized political campaigning. These leaders did what most leaders dread - they gave away power.

Around the world, a new generation is looking beyond greater profits, for meaningful purpose. But, unlike business, few social interventions have achieved significant impact at scale. Inspired by the modern innovation practices popularized by best seller The Lean Startup that have fueled technology breakthroughs touching every aspect of our lives, Lean Impact turns our attention to a new goal-achieving radically greater social good.

Going well beyond the recycled, superficial tactics in most leadership books, Thrive by Design introduces you to the triggers of exemplary workplace behavior at a neurological level. Tapping into these triggers leads to increased productivity, well-being, accountability, and retention. As you apply the practical approaches and tools outlined in the book, you will see less absenteeism, corrosive gossip, employee drama, accidents, and quality shortfalls.

Veteran DEI leader Mita Mallick debunks thirteen myths that hold us back from transforming our workplaces. She delivers powerful storytelling combined with practical and hands-on ways for us to be more inclusive leaders. She teaches us that when we show up as more inclusive leaders, we have the power to change our organizations, ultimately creating a ripple effect across our ecosystem.

Art Ciocca orchestrated the creation of the largest wine brand that has dominated the industry for over twenty years. It is an achievement that even the best entrepreneurs can only dream of, yet perhaps you've never even heard his name. Inspired by Art, Andreas Widmer crafts a practical model of principled entrepreneurship that anyone can adopt in their work. Widmer outlines five pillars that form the foundation of an entrepreneurial mindset that places the human person at the center of work.

Results and relationships—managers and leaders no longer have to prioritize one over the other to build a culture of exceptional accountability. You don’t have to choose between being the hard-charging task master and being the easy-going people pleaser. By expanding your awareness to create deliberate intentions, take informed actions, and be responsible for your impact, you can achieve better business outcomes and experience greater satisfaction in doing so.

Tremendous forces for change are radically reshaping the world of work. Disruptive innovations, radical thinking, new business models and resource scarcity are impacting every sector. Although the scale of expected change is not unprecedented, what is unique is the pervasive nature of the change and its accelerating pace which people in organizations have to cope with. Structures, systems, processes and strategies are relatively simple to understand and even fix.

Your only job as a leader is to make sure that Monday morning doesn't suck. At least, that’s what Eric Harkins thinks. In his first book, Eric talks about his 25-year journey working in corporate America and the many lessons he learned about leadership. He was lucky enough to work for a company that made sure Monday morning didn’t suck, but even luckier to work for several that didn’t. And he learned a lot about what it takes to create a culture high performers want to be a part of.

UCLA psychologist and organizational consultant Dr. Robert Maurer provides a simple and proven effective technique for making major changes with minimal disruption. Applying the operational concept of kaizen - small, continual improvements - to common management challenges, managers can drive major improvements with a series of well-planned techniques for boosting quality, innovation, sales, and morale.

Leaders today must navigate their teams and organizations through unprecedented levels of uncertainty. It feels like every year there is some-game changing technology or catastrophe that gives rise to a “new normal” and sends businesses scrambling for how to rethink themselves to operate under these new conditions. K. Scott Griffith, a former airline pilot, socio-technical physicist, and author of the first independently audited high reliability and just culture model, offers practical and proven methods to build processes that will withstand the winds of uncertainty while driving success.

Agile Conversations brings a practical, step-by-step guide to using the human power of conversation to build effective, high-performing teams to achieve truly agile results. Consultants Douglas Squirrel and Jeffrey Fredrick show listeners how to utilize the five conversations to help teams build trust, alleviate fear, answer the “whys,” define commitments, and hold everyone accountable.

Whether you're stuck in middle management, stalled in mid-career, or mulling over a major career change, sometimes the proverbial glass ceiling feels very real indeed - a barrier keeping you from fulfilling your potential. Unlike other books, which focus on fixing you, Kick Some Glass empowers you to break through your glass ceiling and guides you toward understanding your context and uncovering what you really want, what your definition of success is, what your values are, and how to set the goals to reach your potential.

Lean Six Sigma is best learned on a structured framework. As such, this book has been organized in such a way that you will not only understand the solution but also how to apply the same to your problem. To help you do that, the book also presents information in a practical and not overly complicated manner. In short, if you are the one that wants useful information presented to them minus the pomp and fluff, then this book should be worth the while.

Millennials have only just begun their reign as the largest generation in the workplace. But they are not alone. For the next decade at least, these young professionals will be working side by side with more established generations, including the baby boomers, who are working longer than ever, and an entirely new group coming up, generation Z. This means within any organization, any team, any meeting, any marketing opportunity, you may find any combination of generations. The Remix shows you how to adapt and win through proven strategies that serve all generations’ needs.

Most leaders know that a winning, engaged culture is the key to attracting top talent - and customers. Yet, it remains elusive how exactly to create this ideal workplace - one where everyone from the front lines to the board room knows the company’s values and feels comfortable and empowered to act on them. Based on Ann Rhoades’ years of experience with JetBlue, Southwest, and other companies known for their trailblazing corporate cultures, Built on Values reveals exactly how leaders can create winning environments that allow their employees and their companies to thrive.

As a savvy and motivated professional, you’re constantly on the lookout for high-impact leadership strategies to take your business to the next level and beyond—without bogging you down in abstract theories or exhaustive case studies. You need foolproof ways to lead your people to achieve outstanding results, even in challenging times. As legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, it’s time to get “brilliant on the basics.”

Research shows that 1 in 4 adults will have a mental health issue in their lifetime, and yet we're still ill-equipped at work to address this common experience. The HBR Guide to Better Mental Health at Work collects advice from a variety of experts on addressing an array of mental health issues in the workplace, from supporting someone in a panic attack to navigating sensitive conversations to creating systemic and structural supports for all employees. Whether you suffer from a chronic condition or you manage someone who does, you'll find practical advice.

When it comes to recruiting, motivating, and creating great teams, Patty McCord says most companies have it all wrong. McCord helped create the unique and high-performing culture at Netflix, where she was chief talent officer. In her new book, Powerful: Building a Culture of Freedom and Responsibility, she shares what she learned there and elsewhere in Silicon Valley.