Blog
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Blog / Staff Picks
Minding Your Manners
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
Sometimes it seems like business has two faces. One is ruthless; ambitious people are encouraged to be relentless, take-no-prisoners assertive. The "soft stuff" is considered just that: soft.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / Staff Picks
Zentrepreneur: Create a Culture of Innovation and Fearlessness by John J. Murphy
Book Review by Sally Haldorson
Rather antithetically, Murphy isn't suggesting we get out in front of the pack to lead it, but instead step aside by creating a system that allows for change.
Categories: staff-picks
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Blog / News & Opinion
The FT/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year Shortlist
By Porchlight
The Financial Times has announced the shortlist for their annual business book award, co-sponsored with Goldman Sachs. The have narrowed the field to six: The Alchemists: Thee Central Bankers and a World On Fire by Neil Irwin, The Penguin Press Making it Happen: Fred Goodwin, RBS and the Men Who Blew Up the British Economy by Iain Martin, Simon and Schuster (not yet released in the U. S.
Categories: news-opinion, publishing-industry
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Blog / Jack Covert Selects
Jack Covert Selects - Die Empty
By Porchlight
Todd Henry’s first book, The Accidental Creative, is one of the better nuts-and-bolts books for anyone that has to be creative at work, from designers to salespeople to CEOs. His new book, Die Empty, is even broader in scope.
Categories: jack-covert-selects
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Blog / Jack Covert Selects
Jack Covert Selects - Thinking in New Boxes
By Porchlight
Thinking in New Boxes: A New Paradigm for Business Creativity by Luc De Brabandere & Alan Iny, Random House, 330 pages, $28. 00, Hardcover, September 2013, ISBN 9780812992953 As business professionals, we can set ourselves apart from our colleagues by training ourselves to generate unique and exceptional thought. But that’s far easier said than done, because our brains really like to keep our thoughts under control to stave off the chaos.
Categories: jack-covert-selects
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Blog / Jack Covert Selects
Jack Covert Selects - Before Happiness
By Porchlight
Before Happiness: The 5 Hidden Keys to Achieving Success, Spreading Happiness, and Sustaining Positive Change by Shawn Achor, Crown Business, 252 pages, $26. 00, Hardcover, September 2013, ISBN 9780770436735 We all want success, and assume that more success equals more happiness. Shawn Achor proposed in his previous book, The Happiness Advantage, that happiness is actually a precursor to success in the workplace—and his extensive research seemed to prove it.
Categories: jack-covert-selects
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Blog / News & Opinion
ChangeThis: Issue 109
By Porchlight
Success In 5 Easy Lessons by G. Richard Shell “When everyone around you agrees on what success means, it is all too easy to blindly accept their ideas about what to do next. .
Categories: news-opinion
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Blog / New Releases
A New KnowledgeBlocks Giveaway! Thinking in New Boxes
By Sally Haldorson
We're giving away 20 copies of Thinking in New Boxes by Luc De Brabandere and Alan Iny, thanks to our friends at Random House. Sign up over on KnowledgeBlocks to win! "Boxes can include, among many other things, ideas, approaches, philosophies, tactics, theories, patterns, and strategies.
Categories: new-releases
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Blog / ChangeThis
Comparing Apple to Plastic Bricks: Why Steve Jobs Was Great for Products, but Lousy as a Management Model
By David Robertson
"When people talk about innovation in business, a single company—Apple—usually gets all the attention. . . . Many managers ask: How do I follow in Apple's footsteps. . . . The truth is Apple is no model for innovation management. Steve Jobs was utterly one of a kind. He co-founded Apple and made it in his own image. No other "Steve" would have anywhere near the clout or force of personality. And don't try finding one in the first place, as people like that simply don't come around that often. So ignore all the lessons about innovation management that you might be tempted to learn from business press articles about Apple. There are much better examples for you to consider. One of the best is LEGO. Yes, the plastic brick company. The 80-year old, family-owned business is one of the giants of the toy industry, with $4 billion in sales and $1. 3 billion in profits in 2012. Revenue growth for the past five years has averaged 24 percent per year, and profit growth a stunning 40% per year. Growth like that keeps occurring year-in and year-out because after a lot of trial and error, LEGO has created an extraordinarily effective system of innovation management that works within a traditional management structure.
Categories: changethis
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Blog / ChangeThis
7 Principles to Upgrade Your Work and Life
By Porchlight
"You tell yourself. . . It would be selfish and reckless of me to try to break out of my box; I have a family to support, massive student loans to pay off. I can't afford to take that risk. But still, you want in. You want a piece of the new creative economy, the happiness economy, or the purpose-driven career path. You want to make a difference, set a vision, set a course for your life. The whole paradigm of work is changing, and many of us are still stuck under the thumb of the boss in our life when what we want is to be the boss of our own life. We crave the freedom to manage our own time, to be valued for who we are. We want a career that encourages risk and excitement, growth and personal development, learning and exploration. Do you really have to stifle your inner child, who is dying to come out and play in this dynamic new world. Is stultification the price of security. Is it asking too much of your family to risk trying for more. Our parents went to work every day too, but when they looked around, everyone was in the same box, following the same well-worn paths.
Categories: changethis
