Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath | Random House
Chip Heath and Dan Heath found inspiration in Malcolm Gladwell’s The Tipping Point and created a manual for how to make ideas sticky. “We wanted to take apart sticky ideas—both natural and created—and figure out what made them stick. What makes urban legends so compelling? Why do some chemistry lessons work better than others?
Why does virtually every society circulate a set of proverbs? Why do some political ideas circulate while others fall short?” From the faux duct-tape on the front cover to the ending’s easy reference guide, the authors have done everything to walk their talk in Made to Stick.
CATEGORY WINNER
Sales
The Ultimate Sales Machine: Turbocharge Your Business With Relentless Focus on 12 Key Strategies by Chet Holmes | Portfolio
Chet Holmes gets to the heart of a matter quickly and will teach you how to as well. While many others focus on just one aspect of a company, Holmes covers sales, marketing, and management, giving us the 12 key strategies needed to build a more efficient and effective workforce. The strategies are easy to implement and create a great blueprint for turning your entire company into the ultimate sales machine.
Sales | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Leadership
The Secret Language of Leadership: How Leaders Inspire Action Through Narrative by Stephen Denning | Jossey-Bass
Storytelling is one of the most effective ways of communicating ideas and motivating people to perform. In The Secret Language of Leadership, Denning defines the idea of "narrative intelligence," saying that leaders must use each mode of communication (whether questions, metaphors, conversations, or presentations) to inspire their audience. Only by using stories, he contends, will leaders become transformative leaders.
Leadership | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
HR & Organizational Development
One Foot Out the Door: How to Combat the Psychological Recession That's Alienating Employees and Hurting American Business by Judith M. Bardwick | AMACOM
In One Foot Out the Door, Judith M. Bardwick points to the economic recessions of the late '70s and early '80s as the time when our economy's unwritten "social contract"—be loyal to your employer and your employer will take care of you—fell apart. Bardwick calls for a "twenty-first safety net that will reduce the fear by providing financial support and a good sense of community...." With employee satisfaction a pressing issue in current business conversation, One Foot Out the Door brings together the issues and gets at what really needs to happen.
HR & Organizatonal Development | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Entrepreneurship & Small Business
No Man's Land: Where Growing Companies Fail by Doug Tatum | Portfolio
Brodsky and Burlingham have been writing their "Street Smarts" column for Inc. magazine since 1995, and now they have compiled that useful wisdom in this collection of stories about companies that have "the knack" for facing challenges and pursuing opportunities. The first chapter's description of gross margin and its make-or-break effect on a fledgling business alone earns it the top spot this year.
Entrepreneurship & Small Business | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Finance & Economics
A Demon of Our Own Design: Markets, Hedge Funds, and the Perils of Financial Innovation by Richard Bookstaber | John Wiley & Sons
Panic compiles literature from "before, during, and after the panics that have punctuated, often, the most recent financial era." It includes accounts from newspapers, magazines, books and government reports and covers the 1987 stock market crash, the bursting of the Internet bubble, the Asian currency crisis and others. The brilliance of the book is that it provides a real-time view into what was happening in the minds of those involved in and reporting on these events.
Finance & Economics | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Advertising & Marketing
Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die by Chip Heath and Dan Heath | Random House
Companies put a lot of effort and money into their brands, which can sometimes be higher than the value they place on their customers. As this occurs, the number of quality performing brands decreases. According to Gerzema and Lebar, this is the brand bubble, and the result could have a serious blow to the economy. This powerful book addresses marketing's impact on the economy, the potential pitfalls of that impact, and then outlines a detailed 5-stage process for companies to follow to create a great return for its shareholders.
Advertising & Marketing | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Globalization
The Elephant and the Dragon: The Rise of India and China and What It Means for All of Us by Robyn Meredith | W. W. Norton
Robyn Meredith puts the extraordinary rise of India and China in perspective, dispelling myths and noting the differences in how they've opened up their economies. She shows how the different histories of the two countries have affected their rise, and discusses the steps America needs to take to remain competitive. Of the many books written on this topic recently, this one tops the heap.
Globalization | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Fables
The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly | Hyperion
The Dream Manager follows the story of a custodial company striving to overcome a significant turnover issue. As management tries to understand why employees come and go so often, they arrive at the conclusion that what is missing is motivation. The company hires a Dream Manager to assist employees in recognizing their dreams as well as making them a reality—and the results are remarkable. It is a story that reminds us that when our lives become overwhelming, our dreams are the foundation that gives us the drive to succeed.
Fables & Parables | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Biographies & Memoirs
Bill & Dave: How Hewlett and Packard Built the World's Greatest Company by Michael S. Malone | Portfolio
The fascinating story of Henry Wickham, who went to the jungle to find the seeds to the most valuable rubber–and pull off one of the greatest heists of all time–is told here with excitement, intrigue, and homage to the wonders of science and industry. Through Wickham’s story, Joe Jackson reveals the importance of rubber during the Industrial Revolution and explains how advancements like vulcanization, which makes rubber harder and more usable, sparked worldwide demand and a renewed entrepreneurial spirit.
Biographies & Memoirs | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Personal Development
Responsibility at Work: How Leading Professionals Act (or Don't Act) Responsibly by Howard Gardner | Jossey-Bass
This collection of essays, born from the interviews of more than 1,200 professionals, is a wide-ranging discussion about good work. Featuring essayists such as Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (author of Flow) and Gardner himself (originator of the theory of multiple intelligences), the book provides a deeper understanding of the ethics that drive such iconic leaders as the late Anita Roddick of The Body Shop. Responsibility at Work will fuel inner reflection regarding all facets of social responsibility, from creativity to diversity.
Personal Development | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Innovation & Creativity
Group Genius: The Creative Power of Collaboration by Keith Sawyer | Perseus
Back in 1990, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi published the phenomenal book Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience. He taught people how to achieve the state of mind where they are performing at their best or what some would call being in a groove. Group Genius is essentially Flow for groups. Keith Sawyer helps groups find their flow state and work together to harness their creative energy.
Innovation & Creativity | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
Industry
The Last Tycoons: The Secret History of Lazard Frères & Co. by William D. Cohan | Doubleday
William D. Cohan takes readers into the mysterious and secretive world of Lazard and presents a compelling portrait of Wall Street through the tumultuous history of this exalted and fascinating company. Full of intrigue, and delving into both personal and professional affairs, this is one of this year's best-written books and a must-read for every business reader.
Industry | Runners Up
CATEGORY WINNER
New Perspectives
In Spite of the Gods: The Strange Rise of Modern India by Edward Luce | Doubleday
Edward Luce has delivered an authoritative book on modern India, unveiling its great promise and many contradictions. Although its history and religious and political traditions are deeply rooted, India is emerging as a modern economy and global force. In Spite of the Gods captures India in transition as a country of great contrasts and does so with great affection and wit.