More than 15,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you March’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“Fearless HR: Driving Business Results” by David C. Forman (CreateSpace, 2015, 286 pages, ISBN: 9781514238004; $24.95)
Human resources educator and consultant David Forman demolishes every prejudice against HR departments and professionals with data, facts, and evidence—but he doesn’t let HR off the hook. According to Forman, HR leaders are failing to keep up with rapid changes in the economy and their impact on organizations. He urges HR executives to earn credibility and make a greater contribution by studying the business and the goals of their parent companies. He tells them it’s time to wake up, learn business basics, embrace data and analytics, and boldly position their departments at the highest levels in organizations. Corporate leaders will find much food for thought that they can apply effectively to their HR departments. getAbstract recommends Forman’s call to action to HR professionals, who will embrace his message, advice, and tools.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
“Workplace Wellness that Works: 10 Steps to Infuse Well-Being and Vitality into Any Organization” by Laura Putnam (Wiley, 2015, 352 pages, ISBN: 9781119055914; $22.71)
Wellness expert Laura Putnam shares spot-on, research-based facts about what motivates people to change. Putnam explains that people need to focus on their strengths, not their weaknesses, and need to identify a personal purpose for transforming unhealthy behaviors. She offers myriad tips for designing effective, innovative, and engaging wellness programs. And, she tells insider anecdotes about health practices in different firms worldwide. getAbstract recommends her science-based ideas to anyone trying to lead others to change for the sake of their health.
Rating (out of 10): 7
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 7
Style: 7
“The XYZ Factor: The DoSomething.org Guide to Creating a Culture of Impact” edited by Nancy Lublin and Alyssa Ruderman (BenBella, 2015, 224 pages, ISBN: 9781941631638; $22.65)
DoSomething’s unpretentious guidebook to engaging Generation X, Y, or Z employees offers a worthwhile, commonsense approach to issues every business faces. The book reflects the enthusiastic style of younger workers, though it’s clear you don’t need to follow their styles to enjoy the benefits of the forward-thinking, innovative workplace they prefer. In important ways, this mindset is not limited by chronological age; the “XYZ factor” is more of a philosophical mindset enjoyed and promulgated by people of any age, including Pope Francis, 79; U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama, 51; entrepreneur and author Seth Godin, 55; and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 73. The book showcases XYZ culture in chapters by staff members from nonprofit DoSomething.org, presented here by CEO Nancy Lublin and campaigns manager Alyssa Ruderman. Each chapter ends with questions you can apply to your business. “Tweetable Takeaways” offer condensed versions of some top ideas. Though written by different people, the chapters are unified, and feature a bubbly, enthusiastic conversational style. That style, like the culture it mirrors, prioritizes humanity above expertise. That’s the mindset among members of Gens X, Y, and Z, who value both innovation and efficiency. getAbstract recommends this accessible how-to manual to executives, managers, entrepreneurs, business professors, students, and anyone seeking a primer on the attitudes of truly engaged staff members.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 8
Style: 8
For five-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
