More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you January’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“Performing Under Pressure. The Science of Doing Your Best When It Matters Most” by Hendrie Weisinger and J. P. Pawliw-Fry (Crown Publishing Group, 2015, 322 pages, ISBN: 9780804136723; $27)
Boost your ability to deal with pressure by understanding it and working to counter it. Authors Hendrie Weisinger and J.P. Pawliw-Fry explain the difference between pressure and stress and offer “pressure solutions” to help you when you must perform. However, they note, people who manage pressure more successfully don’t necessarily also perform better under pressure. But they do have the mental tools, self-confidence, and ability to relax that fuels maximum performance at all times. Amid the authors’ good examples and applicable suggestions, they offer reassurance that you can muster your internal assets—“confidence, optimism, tenacity, and enthusiasm” (COTE)—to strengthen your ego and combat pressure. getAbstract recommends this entertaining, useful book to anyone under pressure.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 8
Style: 8
“Ask More. The Power of Questions to Open Doors, Uncover Solutions, and Spark Change” by Frank Sesno (AMACOM, 2017, 250 pages, ISBN: 9780814436714; $25)
Former CNN anchor and White House correspondent Frank Sesno spent his career asking questions. Based on his “taxonomy of questions,” he explores the value of inquiry. Each chapter covers a different type of question, including “diagnostic, bridging, confrontational, mission, interview, legacy,” and more. Sesno also discusses interviewing experiences, and he includes a helpful guide to possible questions you might ask within each category. getAbstract recommends his helpful manual to executives, managers, media professionals, teachers, health-care practitioners, and anyone who asks questions every day.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
“Fearless and Free. How Smart Women Pivot—and Relaunch Their Careers” by Wendy Sachs (AMACOM, 2017, 304 pages, ISBN: 9780814437698; $23)
Former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright once said that women’s careers aren’t linear: Instead, they zigzag. Public relations maven and journalist Wendy Sachs goes a step further by explaining how women can create their own success by zigging and zagging with purpose. With today’s fluctuations in markets and revolutions in industries, everyone has to be a hybrid, with multiple talents, projects, and goals. Women consistently underestimate their abilities and diminish their accomplishments in an atmosphere where confidence is especially important. With amusing, harrowing, and emboldening stories of women at all stages of multiple careers, Sachs reveals the tips that have worked for other women, covering how to cultivate confidence, manage obstacles, and keep pushing for the life you want. getAbstract recommends this fun, inspiring look at how to handle change with confidence to women considering a career shift or a new endeavor.
Rating (out of 10): 7
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 6
Style: 7
For five-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
