These are books we’ve read, loved, and found applicable for our clients.  Just for fun, we’ll keep them in alphabetical order.  For more information about any of these titles, or if you have titles you want to recommend to us (always looking for a great read!), please contact us.

If you were told you had to “change or die,” could you do it?  Deutschman explores this question using case studies that include heart patients, criminals and auto workers.  He illustrates how the three keys to change – relate, repeat and reframe – are fundamental to any personal or organizational change effort.  He also explains the nine “Psych Concepts” of Change and the role they play in the change process. 




Crucial Conversations
Authors: Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler
Copyright 2002

The success of business often depends on conversations we have every day.  In Crucial Conversations, the authors explore the power of honest, unencumbered dialogue between individuals.  You'll learn how to prepare for high-stakes situations, transform anger and hurt feelings into powerful dialogue, make it safe to talk about almost anything, and be persuasive, not abrasive – all with the purpose of moving to action and getting results.



First Break All The Rules
Author: Marcus Buckingham & Curt Coffman
Copyright 1999

In “First, Break All the Rules,” authors Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman reveal the results of The Gallup Organization's study of what the world's greatest managers do differently.  Their findings are based on in-depth interviews of over 80,000 managers in over 400 companies.  In addition to identifying the commonalities between great managers, the authors also explore and prove the link between employee opinions and productivity, profit, customer satisfaction, and the rate of turnover.



The Four Obsessions of an ExtraOrdinary Executive
Author: Patrick Lencioni
Copyright 2000

In his classic fable style, author Patrick Lencioni takes us on a journey with a fictional CEO of a technology consulting company who faces a leadership challenge so great that it threatens to topple his company, his career, and everything he holds true about what makes an extraordinary leader.  Through this leader's eyes, Lencioni helps his readers understand the simplicity and power of creating a healthy organization and reveals four key disciplines that they can follow to achieve it.

Getting Things Done
Author: David Allen
Copyright 2001

Time management is one of those topics that isn't exciting, but definitely has teeth. In Getting Things Done, David Allen provides strategies for getting on top of your workload that are invaluable. He goes beyond the traditional task management approaches, and provides a framework that is both practical and applicable for knowledge workers. Read it chapter by chapter & apply as you go.



Good to Great
Author: Jim Collins
Copyright 2001

Author Jim Collins explores the inner workings of several companies who made the leap and turned themselves from good companies into great companies through disciplined & aligned people, thought and action. 



It's Your Ship
Author: Captain D. Michael Abrashoff
Copyright 2002

When Captain D. Michael Abrashoff took over as commander of the USS Benfold, a ship armed with every cutting-edge system available, it was like a business that had all the latest technology but only some of the productivity.  Knowing that the responsibility for improving performance rested with him, he realized he had to improve his own leadership skills before he could improve his ship.  In “It's Your Ship,” Captain Abrashoff simply shares his secrets of successful management.  It is, as the cover suggests, “a fascinating tale of top-down change” in an environment that is as interesting as they come.

The Last Lecture
Author: Randy Pausch
Copyright 2008

What wisdom would you impart on the world if you knew it was your last chance? Not long after Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was diagnosed with terminal cancer, he was asked to give a talk called, “The Last Lecture.” The lecture he gave -- “Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams” -- wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment. An inspirational read.

Leadership and Self-Deception
Author: The Arbinger Institute
Copyright 2002

This is one of those unique books that you can read over and over again and get greater value each time. The book uses a story format to illustrate how “self-deception” determines one's experience in every aspect of life. It is not your typical leadership book. This book will lead you to think about leadership in a very different way – a way that will impact you both personally and professionally – if you apply the ideas to your life.

Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
Authors: Chip Heath & Dan Heath
Copyright 2007

In this book, you’ll learn the six key qualities of an idea that is made to stick: simplicity, unexpectedness, concreteness, credibility, emotional and stories.  If you have new ideas that you want to communicate or have a need to transform the way people think and act, this book is for you.

Masterful Coaching
Author: Robert Hargrove
Copyright: 2008

In Masterful Coaching, author Robert Hargrove presents his insights into the journey of becoming a masterful coach, along with guiding ideas, tools and methods.  Says Hargrove, “Coaching is the fastest, most powerful way to develop leaders at all levels.”   This book is for anyone who wants to become a better coach, has a job where they are required to support the development of others, or who just want to learn more about the coaching profession.  It is not a short read, but Hargrove will draw you in with his insights and keep you there with a-ha moments.

Outliers
Author: Malcom Gladwell
Copyright: 2008

In “Outliers: The Story of Success”, Malcolm Gladwell, author of “The Tipping Point” and “Blink,” explores success from a very different angle.  Rather than the traditional focus on the individual's intelligence and ambition, Gladwell goes beyond to look around the person – at such things as their family, their birthplace, or even their birth date.  He proposes that the story of success is more complex – and a lot more interesting – than it initially appears.  By taking a broader viewpoint Gladwell  shifts our perspective on the subject of success and how successful people are “made”.

The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader
Author: John C. Maxwell
Copyright 1999

“Everything rises and falls on leadership,” says author Dr. John C. Maxwell, “but knowing how to lead is only half the battle.” Understanding leadership and actually leading are two different activities – and leading is about character. In this book, Maxwell explores the 21 character qualities of all great leaders. He suggests, “if you can become the leaders you ought to become on the inside, you will be able to become the leader you want to be on the outside.” This is a great book to read and digest one character quality at a time, and one you'll want to review over and over again.




The Back of the Napkin
Author: Dan Roam
Copyright 2008

The author, Dan Roam, argues that everyone is born with a talent for visual thinking – even those who claim they can't draw. Drawing on 20 years of visual problem solving experience, he shows how to clarify a problem or sell an idea by by breaking it down and using a simple set of visual thinking tools. His strategies take advantage of everyone's ability to look, see, imagine and show.



The Courage to Start
Author: John “The Penguin” Bingham
Copyright 1999

The subtitle on this one says, “a guide to running for your life.”  This book is about the authors transformation from an “overweight couch potato who smoked” into “a runner who has completed eleven marathons and hundreds of road races.”  More than that, it is a story about overcoming mental, emotional and physical obstacles in pursuit of a goal.  It takes the courage to start.


The E-Myth Revisited
Author: Michael E. Gerber
Copyright 1995

The author dispels the myths about starting your own business, specifically how common assumptions, expectations, and even technical expertise can get in the way of running a successful business.  Gerber walks you through the steps in a life of a business and shows how to apply the lessons of franchising to any business, whether or not it is a franchise.  Most importantly, he draws the vital, often overlooked distinction between working on your business and working in your business.  A must read for any entrepreneur or business owner.



The Five Dysfunctions of a Team
Author: Patrick Lencioni
Copyright 2002

This is a must read for anyone on or leading a team. Using his signature storytelling style, Lencioni outlines a powerful model and actionable steps that can be used to overcome the five dysfunctions of a team.  He includes an assessment that can be applied to any team to help you and your team to discover the dysfunctions that may be in the way of your success.



The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive
Author: Patrick Lencioni
Copyright 2000

Written in classic Lencioni fable style, The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive is both compelling and illuminating. The book explores the four key disciplines to building a healthy organization which, as the inside cover suggests, is “an often overlooked but essential element of business life that is the linchpin of sustained success.” This is a must read for all who strive to be extraordinary leaders.



The Leadership Pipeline: How to Build the Leadership-Powered Community
Authors: Ram Charan, Stephen Drotter, James Noel
Copyright 2001

The authors show companies how to build their own leaders by understanding the critical passages a leader must navigate, by providing the appropriate development for navigating those passages, and by building the right system for ensuring a full pipeline of leaders now and in the future.



The Power of a Positive No
Author: William Uryl
Copyright 2007

If you ask author William Ury, cofounder of Harvard’s Program on Negotiation, the most powerful and perhaps most important word in any negotiating situation is “no.”  But saying the wrong kind of no can destroy what we value and alienate others.  That’s why, saying No the right way – to people at work, at home and in our communities – is crucial.  In this book, you’ll discover the power of a positive no.

The Puprose Driven Life
Author: Rick Warren
Copyright 2002

A 40 day spiritual journey that will enable you to discover the answer to life’s most important question: what am I here for?



Ready For Anything
Author: David Allen
Copyright 2003

Ready for Anything is David Allen's follow-up to Getting Things Done.  This is a compilation of 52 articles that highlight and expand on the productivity principles he presented in Getting Things Done, around the major topics of completion, focus, structure and action.  They are designed to stimulate your thinking about better ways to handle things.  A great follow-up to keep the new skills in play and continue the development of new time management habits.



Silos, Politics and Turf Wars
Author: Patrick Lencioni
Copyright 2006

Politics and Turf Wars is written in Lencioni's signature fable style. Though the story is fiction, it tells the story of a situation that is familiar to many, illustrating how silos devastate organizations, kill productivity, push good people out the door, and jeopardize the achievement of corporate goals.



The Speed of Trust
Author: Steven R. Covey
Copyright 2006

The author uncovers the overlooked and underestimated power of trust in a look at what he calls, “the one thing that changes everything.”  The Speed of Trust challenges our age-old assumption that trust is merely a soft, social virtue and instead demonstrates that trust is a hard-edged, economic driver – a learnable and measurable skill that makes organizations more profitable, people more promotable, and relationships more energizing.



Strengths Finder 2.0
Author: Tom Rath
Copyright 2007

This is a new, upgraded version of Now, Discover Your Strengths, another title in our book club.  Strengths Finder 2.0 picks up where the previous version left off, with the incorporation of new research findings and information collected over the past 10 years.  The 34 themes are the same, but the assessment is faster & more reliable, and the analysis of your strengths is more in-depth and personal.   You also have access to a number of other online resources. 



The Tipping Point
Author: Malcolm Gladwell
Copyright 2000

The author looks at how “social epidemics” transform our society.  Just as a single sick person can start an epidemic of the flu, so too can a satisfied customer fill the empty tables of a new restaurant.  Gladwell introduces us to the particular personality types who are natural pollinators of new ideas and trends, the people who create the phenomenon of word of mouth.  It is a road map to change, with a profoundly hopeful message: that one imaginative person applying a well-placed lever can move the world.



Transitions
Author: William Bridges
Copyright 1993

This is a classic book about dealing with change.  Bridges helps us cope with the turmoil and opportunities often associated with big life change by providing a road map of the transition process.