More than 11,000 business books are published every year—an overwhelming choice for busy professionals. Therefore, in partnership with getAbstract, Training brings you December’s top three business books recommended to our readers.
“The Optimistic Workplace. Creating an Environment That Energizes Everyone” by Shawn Murphy (AMACOM, 2015, 240 pages, ISBN: 9780814436196; $22.32)
This business manual by professor and leadership consultant Shawn Murphy isn’t just another text about employee engagement and new-style leadership. It’s a useful, comprehensive manual that presents its content—even some ideas that are familiar—in a fresh, compelling way. Murphy makes a solid case for replacing autocratic managers with service-oriented “stewards” who focus on connecting with employees. He urges managers to help staff members link their work and their lives to values, purpose, and meaning—with an overlay of accountability. He includes great charts and worksheets throughout and in an extensive appendix called “The Optimism Planner.” Using a combination of solid research and anecdotes about successful teams, Murphy teaches junior, front-line, and mid-level leaders how to create happy, balanced, effective teams and how to build an “optimistic workplace.” getAbstract believes this actionable guidebook will help managers who want to build a “pocket of excellence,” even within an ineffective or bureaucratic organization.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 8
Innovation: 7
Style: 8
“The New Kingmakers. How Developers Conquered the World” by Stephen O’Grady (O’Reilly Media, 2013, 56 pages, ISBN: 9781449356347; $7.99)
The latest developments from Silicon Valley are economically disruptive and socially jarring for managers from all industries—even the tech world. This slim guide by tech consultant Stephen O’Grady stresses that software programmers are scarce and hard to woo. They’re as much a mystery to old-school tech companies such as Oracle and Sun Microsystems as they are to everyone else. O’Grady says the developers won, they’re going to get what they want and you should get over it. His advice might seem a bitter pill for those selling software or hiring developers to create software. O’Grady backs his assertions with sound logic: The “kingmakers,” as he calls programmers, are in charge now and you have to figure out how to make them happy. O’Grady suggests free beer and free software, and that’s just to start. getAbstract recommends his straightforward, useful advice to managers who want to hire, retain, and understand developers.
Rating (out of 10): 9
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 9
Style: 8
“Job Seeker Manual. A Step-by-Step Guide for Using Culture Fit to Find the Right Workplace for You” by Sheila L. Margolis (Workplace Culture Institute, 2016, 124 pages, ISBN: 9780979665721; $10.95)
The company you want to work for is profitable. It dominates its competitors. Customers love its products. There’s just one problem: The organization’s culture is a disaster. Its employees hate their jobs, and that’s how you’ll feel if you go to work there. If you don’t learn about the firm’s culture before accepting a position, you could be in for a nasty surprise. Organizational culture consultant Sheila L. Margolis, head of the Workplace Culture Institute, teaches you how to decipher the culture of a firm before you become its newest employee. Her succinct guide includes handy worksheets and “maps” to help you codify your purpose and principles, diagnose a prospective company’s culture, and determine if you can flourish there. getAbstract recommends Margolis’ step-by-step, easy-to-follow workbook to all job applicants and to HR managers seeking to understand their company’s culture in greater depth.
Rating (out of 10): 8
Applicability: 9
Innovation: 8
Style: 8
For five-page summaries of these and more than 15,000 other titles, visit http://www.getabstract.com/affiliate/trainingmagazine
