Management: leadership and motivation Books

Book SynopsisThe epic battle of the fascinating, flawed figures behind America's deal culture and their fight over who controls and who benefits from the immense wealth of American corporations. Bloodsport is the story of how the mania for corporate deals and mergers all began. The riveting tale of how power lawyers Joe Flom and Marty Lipton, major Wall Street players Felix Rohatyn and Bruce Wasserstein, prominent jurists, and shrewd ideologues in academic garb provided the intellectual firepower, creativity, and energy that drove the corporate elite into a less cozy, Hobbesian world.With total dollar volume in the trillions, the zeal for the deal continues unabated to this day. Underpinning this explosion in mergers and acquisitions,including hostile takeovers,are four questions that radically disrupted corporate ownership in the 1970s, whose force remains undiminished:Are shareholders the sole owners" of corporations and the legitimate source of power?Should control be exercised by autonomous CEOs or is their assumption of power illegitimate and inefficient?Is the primary purpose of the corporation to generate jobs and create prosperity for the masses and the nation?Or is it simply to maximize the wealth of shareholders?This battle of ideas became the bloodsport" of American business. It set in motion the deal-making culture that led to the financialization of the economy and it is the backstory to ongoing debates over competitiveness, job losses, inequality, stratospheric executive pay, and who owns" America's corporations.Trade Review"If you're a deal junkie--and especially if you're a DealBook junkie--you will devour Bloodsport...The book is peppered with stories about the likes of Michael Milken, Bruce Wasserstein, Felix Rohatyn and Martin Lipton--a cast of characters who defined an age that irrevocably shaped corporate America today. But more than any book I've read, Mr. Teitelman's has managed to capture how power shifted from a company's boardroom to its shareholders, a change that is often seen as positive but clearly comes with its own pitfalls." --Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times "Well written, and a must read for any aspiring dealmaker or business journalist. It is infused with history, anecdotes and insight about M&A trickery that will give readers the necessary edge for future deals...Teitelman goes out of his way to make M&A as accessible as possible, which is commendable." --James Fontanella-Khan, Financial Times "An absorbing history of the takeover boom... There's plenty to chew on in this deep dive into the dark arts of M&A." --Barron's "A sobering exploration of the mergers and acquisition business...tracing how speculators and executives get rich while others--mostly workers--face layoffs, dislocation and damaged careers...Excellent." --Washington Post "Teitelman, covering decades, assembles a comprehensive history akin to a complex, deftly spun spider's web of insightfully interconnected strands. Page by page, the author connects the many dots in his extraordinarily information-packed and also opinionated survey that easily grips any reader with an interest in the book's topic...In short, there is fact-driven brilliance in Bloodsport's pages." --Ted Sturtz, New York Journal of Books "A great story, with profound implications for the way America views and regulates corporations...Teitelman has a masterly command of his subject...in this comprehensive look at corporate takeovers." --Publishers Weekly "Lively storytelling about complex theories and arcane dealmaking." --Kirkus Reviews "Bob Teitleman has written THE definitive book on the rise of the 2.5 trillion deal market. He expertly weaves insider history with a deep theoretical and insightful look into how the United States became a deal nation. This book should be required reading not just for deal junkies but for anyone who wishes to understand our economy and the world of mergers, acquisitions and dealmakers." --Steven Davidoff Solomon, Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law and the New York Times 'Deal Professor'

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Book SynopsisA volume in Contemporary Trends in Organization Development and Change Series Editors Therese F. Yaeger, Benedictine University and Peter F. Sorensen, Jr. Benedictine University Optimizing Talent is the must have book for every leader and manager looking to sustain the ultimate workforce. Linda and Paul show what works and what doesn't in talent initiatives to drive business outcomes. This book is a call to action to transform how you think about talent, how you develop and retain talent and how you measure the impact of talent initiatives on the bottom line.

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Book SynopsisIn a society that deeply values productivity, speed, and external rewards, we often find ourselves with less of what we really long for: space, clarity, connection with others, and a sense of well-being. Our attempts to improve our lives and bottom lines by adding more to our calendars, expanding our to-do lists, and constantly being plugged in to technology is backfiring. Instead of getting more done, our minds are spinning, leaving us stressed, disconnected, and unable to focus. Drop In challenges our assumptions about the effectiveness of our busy lives and offers a compelling alternative approach to living and leading by inviting people to “drop in” to the present moment. Deepening our awareness of the present moment, asserts Sara Harvey Yao, is the most efficient and sustainable way to navigate the complexities of work and life and to access our clarity, connection, and courage so we can lead your life more powerfully. Full of practical tools, Drop In will help busy professionals get out of the spin cycle of their minds—and tune in to their already-existing wisdom and clarity that resides within all of us.Trade Review“Drop In is a potent and practical guide for the journey of turning inward, but there is an even more powerful aspect to this book. Sara Harvey Yao warmly and continually points the reader to foundational truths about the human experience and offers perspectives that have the potential to radically and positively shift your orientation to leadership and life.” —Cy Wakeman, New York Times Best-Selling Author of Reality Based Leadership “Drop In is a beautiful book with a tremendous amount of insight and inspiration. Sara has captured beautifully, that 'presence' is indeed who and what we are, not a tool or something to acquire. It is our birthright, whether we are aware of it moment by moment, or not. Drop In is a wonderful guide on the journey of a lifetime.” —Maria Gonzalez, President, Argonauta Consulting Inc., and Best-Selling Author of Mindful Leadership: The 9 Ways to Self-Awareness, Transforming Yourself and Inspiring Others “Sara Harvey Yao builds on the powerful premise of her first breakthrough book, Get Present to guide readers in creating a proactive presence--a state of enlightened awareness, wholeness, energy, courage, clarity choice, connection, and potent possibility. This book should be required reading in all leadership development courses. So, read this book, and gift it to others.” —Bob Anderson and Bill Adams, coauthors of Mastering Leadership and cofounders of The Leadership Circle “Drop In explains why being fully present is so hard but at the same time why it is so crucial for leadership. Author Sara Harvey Yao offers compelling perspectives, tools and stories to help guide the reader on their personal journey. The wisdom is both tangible and lofty enough to stretch your assumptions about how to live a purposeful life.” —Christian Cocks, President, Wizards of the Coast “Mindfulness is a vital component for a leader's effectiveness and Drop In takes you on a rich and sometimes edgy journey towards deepening your mindful awareness. It’s clear Sara walks her talk through her compelling personal and client stories that help make this book feel not only accessible, but incredibly useful.” —Tasha Eurich, New York Times best-selling Author, Bankable Leadership “In a time of digital platforms and information worship it seems we have lost something. Drop In gives us not only the missing human component, but she also kindly allows us access to her inner wrestling match with that missing link, Presence. The first leg of the developmental journey to awakening is that of authenticity. Presence is simply the essence of an authentically rooted and aware individual. Sara, in her work, has given us a pointer to that destination.” —Alan Shelton, author of Awakened Leadership: Beyond Self-Mastery “Whether you are a stay at home parent or work full-time, the rigors of our daily lives can be overwhelming. Drop In is a powerful guide for anyone struggling for balance and presence. This book simultaneously challenges your foundational patterns while supportively opening your eyes to a simpler and more sustainable path forward rooted in present moment awareness. Sara Harvey Yao brings an inimitable authenticity to her writing through tangible examples we can all relate to in both our personal and professional lives.” —Jeana Jorgensen, General Manager, Microsoft Corporation “In a society that values doing over being, sound over silence, Drop In is a breath of fresh air. It provides an insightful, practical framework to reconnect with our inner wisdom, based on neuroscience, Yao’s work with clients, and her own personal experiences. Yao’s message is compassionate, smart, and relatable. In the end, we learn that being is the most important thing we can ever do.” —Beth Buelow, PCC, author, The Introvert Entrepreneur: Amplify Your Strengths and Create Success on Your Own Terms “Drop In is a must read book for leaders and those who aspire to lead. The ideas on these pages are profound, transformational and relevant, and will have you asking, ‘Why didn’t someone show me this before?’” —Bret Neely, Executive Vice President, Greenpoint Technologies

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Book SynopsisDo you find yourself and your employees less engaged and less productive in the workplace than you would like? According to a Gallup poll, more than 70 percent of the American workforce today is “unengaged”—which means that most of the people in your organization are only showing up to work to go through the motions and collect their paycheck. But there’s something you can do to change that. In People Leadership, Gina Folk covers thirty proven techniques that she learned and utilized during a twenty-five-year career managing people at a Fortune 500 company. Unlike many of the leadership theories you’ll find out there, Folk’s teachings have been implemented and shown to work with real people in real situations. Using Folk’s practices, any individual charged with managing or supervising others at any level can learn to re-engage their employees and improve their company’s productivity—and become the boss they’ve always wanted to be.

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