More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you June’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“Game the Plan. Every Sales Rep’s Dream; Every CFO’s Nightmare” by Christopher W. Cabrera (River Grove Books, 2014, 224 pages, ISBN: 9781938416545; $28.00)
Sales managers plan, develop, and implement compensation plans ripe with incentives to motivate their sales teams. But five minutes after the newest compensation program debuts, salespeople “game” it to maximize their income. As they do, they’re finding and using the incentive program’s design flaws. That works for them, and now you can make sure it works for your sales targets. With the right incentive plans, salespeople earn maximum pay when they sell at their peak. Sales performance expert Christopher W. Cabrera explains how to use empirical data to develop efficient, effective incentive compensation plans. Even though he promotes his company’s software in every chapter, he still provides an outstanding resource. getAbstract recommends his insights and strategies to executives and managers who want to design incentive compensation plans that lead to top sales performance.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 7
“Rookie Smarts. Why Learning Beats Knowing in the New Game of Work” by Liz Wiseman (Copyright 2014 by Liz Wiseman. Published by arrangement with HarperBusiness, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2014, 304 pages, ISBN: 9780062322630; $21.14)
Leadership expert Liz Wiseman says that “beginner’s luck” on a job may be the result of “Rookie Smarts.” She contends that experience can become a hindrance when it blinds people to opportunities, inhibits their ability to react, or leads them to ignore new input. As newcomers, rookies naturally seek guidance. They welcome opportunities to learn and bring eager energy to the workplace. Drawing from research and interviews, Wiseman identifies the four different mind-sets of rookie smarts: “Backpacker, Hunter-Gatherer, Firewalker, and Pioneer.” These traits help illustrate ways that someone with experience (referred to as a “veteran” throughout the book) can still manifest the best traits of an eager beginner. getAbstract recommends Wiseman’s insights to managers, coaches, and leaders seeking to inspire their employees, whether rookies or veterans.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 8
Style: 8
“The Self-Made Billionaire Effect. How Extreme Producers Create Massive Value” by John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen (Summarized by arrangement with Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2014, 245 pages, ISBN: 9781591847632; $18.15)
This methodical study of self-made billionaires (not those who inherited most of their wealth) sheds light on how they got rich. The study challenges stereotypes. Most billionaires do not succeed alone or bloom young. Most made their fortunes after age 30 and in well-established, competitive industries. John Sviokla and Mitch Cohen of PricewaterhouseCoopers suggest that anyone can profit by adopting these billionaires’ “habits of mind and action,” such as profound empathy with consumer problems and the ability to identify creative solutions. The narrative distinguishes “Producers,” who bring together a range of resources and people with ability, from “Performers,” who have special talents in certain functions. getAbstract recommends this insightful overview of self-made billionaires’ decision-making processes—and its suggestions for ways to emulate them—to leaders, managers, entrepreneurs, and up-and-comers of all stripes.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 7
Innovation: 9
Style: 8
For 5-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
