More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you February’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“70:20:10. Towards 100% Performance” by Jos Arets, Charles Jennings and Vivian Heijnen (Sutler Media, 2015, 314 pages; $39.95)
This HR book is a work of art, with illustrations and gallery-quality photographs on nearly every page. And the substance matches the style. In collaboration with more than a dozen learning innovators from Europe and North America, learning experts Jos Arets, Charles Jennings, and Vivian Heijnen offer the ultimate guide to implementing learning programs according to the 70:20:10 model. getAbstract believes that L&D professionals can benefit from their guidance and that every student, instructor, and leader can read this to see what workplace learning can become.
Rating (out of 10): 9
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 9
Style: 10
“Survival of the Savvy. High-Integrity Political Tactics for Career and Company Success” by Rick Brandon, Ph.D., and Marty Seldman, Ph.D. (Free Press, 2004, 320 pages, ISBN: 9780743262545; $21.72)
Organizational politics connote backbiting, manipulation, and dirty dealings. Unfortunately, wherever people gather, the specter of politics arises. This is particularly true in the pressure-cooker environment characteristic of business today. Leadership consultant Rick Brandon and executive coach Martin Seldman urge businesspeople to become astute political players while always operating with aware morals and ethics. They refer to walking this tightrope as “high-integrity politics.” Even though the authors occasionally revert to corporate jargon, they do a good job of tutoring businesspeople about an effective, ethical approach. And they further brighten their detailed, insightful manual with instructive, memorable quotations from multiple sources. getAbstract recommends their handy, tactical advice to leaders, to anyone carving out a workplace role and, especially, to those who think office politics stymie their ambitions.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 8
Style: 8
“The Gig Economy. The Complete Guide to Getting Better Work, Taking More Time Off, and Financing the Life You Want” by Diane Mulcahy (AMACOM, 2016, 240 pages, ISBN: 9780814437339; $15.86)
Full-time employment, once the quintessence of security and stability, is increasingly rare. Employers create fewer full-time positions and outsource existing work. For growing numbers of job seekers, working independently is a safer bet. Living without a corporate safety net may sound precarious, but with proper planning, you can manage a freelance career that’s at least as stable as a full-time job. And it holds out the prospect of more control over your work and your life. In this breezy, entertaining how-to manual, Babson College professor Diane Mulcahy offers a blueprint for assembling and managing a diversified portfolio of work. She outlines appropriate approaches to saving, vacations, homeownership, and retirement planning. getAbstract recommends her manual to anyone seeking an alternative to the cubicle, the assembly line or the corner office.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 10
Innovation: 7
Style: 7
For five-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
