More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you September’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“Managing for Happiness. Games, Tools, and Practices to Motivate Any Team” by Jurgen Appelo (Wiley, 2016, 304 pages, ISBN: 9781119268680; $35)
Management expert Jurgen Appelo offers a unique formula for making your organization vibrant and productive. Appelo shows you how to put his advice into practice. Instead of focusing on theoretical approaches to building motivation and contentment, he provides games and exercises you can implement. The playful layout of his pages may enthrall you—or drive you crazy. Yet wisdom, common sense, and solutions any organization can use lurk within the busy graphics and comic book format. This is solid HR advice for someone new to the field or anyone who appreciates having it packaged so cleverly, but it’s not news to experienced practitioners. getAbstract recommends Appelo’s sound management philosophy and hands-on techniques for boosting excellence, productivity, and morale to entrepreneurs, executives, HR professionals, and managers at every level.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 9
“The People Equation. Why Innovation Is People, Not Products” by Deborah Perry Piscione and David Crawley (Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc., 2017, 182 pages, ISBN: 9781626566415; $26.95)
To thrive in today’s “fluid economy,” companies must organize around their people, the greatest force in helping to move the organization forward. Innovation experts Deborah Perry Piscione and David Crawley develop this concept in their trim, approachable guide to cultivating creativity and innovation. They illustrate how to create structural shifts in your company so you can focus on your people’s talents. The authors provide a useful overview of the requirements for using the “People Equation” to put your people first. getAbstract recommends their methods to senior executives and Human Resources officers who seek ways to benefit from employee innovation.
Rating (out of 10): 7
Applicability: 7
Innovation: 7
Style: 6
“Simply Said. Communicating Better at Work and Beyond” by Jay Sullivan (Wiley, 2016, 288 pages, ISBN: 9781119285281; $22)
Communication consultant Jay Sullivan teaches you how to write better, become a more compelling public speaker, run tighter meetings, compose better e-mails, and more. He deals with the mechanics of organizing content and writing clearly and correctly, but he doesn’t stop there. He also explains why good communication focuses on its audience, why simple words and sentences are more effective, and why great communicators are also great listeners. getAbstract recommends his helpful manual to businesspeople and anyone who wants to communicate persuasively.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 6
Style: 8
