Time is a precious asset that cannot be reclaimed. Once it is used, it is gone forever. These days, many people find themselves stressed and feeling out of control from never having enough time to do what they should and want to do. Author Brian Tracy claims it is not a lack of time but rather the mismanagement of time that causes these issues. In Time Management, Tracy provides insights about the consequences of mismanaging time as well as practical techniques that anyone can learn and master in order to gain control over their time and achieve both professional and personal success. Successful time management is based on the following principles: Time is a precious asset. Time is an asset that cannot be replaced. Once used, it is gone forever. Therefore, making the most of time becomes increasingly important. Time management is all about confidence and control. Individuals who have high self-esteem have the confidence to set parameters on how their time is used. Those who feel out of control and as if they never have enough time are letting others determine their fate and will benefit from using techniques to develop a more positive self-image and a decisive attitude. Effectively managing time depends on having a clear vision, values, and goals. If people do not know where they are going and why, they are wasting their time. A strong sense of individual purpose that aligns with daily activities drives time management practices that lead to achieving goals. Good time management is plan-based. Effective time management does not just happen. It requires thoughtful planning and a series of written activities-such as checklists, project plans, and prioritization systems-that can be repeatedly referenced and adjusted as circumstances change. The most important work should be allotted the largest amount of time. Much of people’s time is wasted on the easy-to-do and less important tasks. Often this means never devoting enough time to the really important activities-those that lead to professional success and personal fulfillment. People should always do the important work first. They should give these tasks the most attention. Focus and clarity are paramount. Multi-tasking, distractions, and interruptions are all big time wasters. To be effective, individuals must focus on one task at a time and take control over factors that interrupt focus or distract from clear thinking. Anyone can learn to more effectively manage their time. People can learn time management skills. They should practice these skills repeatedly. Developing good habits control how people spend their time. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

In Fascinate, world-renowned brand consultant Sally Hogshead introduces readers to the seven universal fascination triggers: lust, mystique, alarm, prestige, power, vice, and trust. Exploring research from behavioral and social studies, historical precedents, neurobiology, evolutionary anthropology, and feedback from thousands of consumers, Hogshead explains what fascinates people and why and shows marketers how to apply this valuable knowledge to their own brand campaigns. By knowing how to use the right fascination triggers in the right ways, companies can more effectively achieve their desired results. Marketing professionals can use the seven universal fascination triggers to more effectively influence consumer decision making. As they put the triggers to use, however, they must consider several concepts: There are several factors to consider when determining how fascinating a message already is. Marketers must think about how much consumers gravitate toward their messages, how much interest they generate, what kind of response they elicit, and how they prompt people to think. The lust trigger uses the anticipation of pleasure to seduce a consumer. Marketers can use lust to create an experiential attachment by getting consumers to stop thinking and start feeling, making the ordinary more emotional, using all five senses, and teasing and flirting. The mystique trigger intrigues consumers with unanswered questions. Marketers can use mystique by sparking curiosity, withholding information, building mythology, and limiting access. The alarm trigger causes consumers to take action under the threat of negative consequences. Marketers can trigger alarm by defining consequences, creating deadlines, increasing perceived danger, focusing on the most feared crises, and using distress to steer positive action. The prestige trigger causes consumers to focus on symbols of rank and respect. Marketers can enhance prestige by developing emblems, setting new standards, limiting availability, and making consumers earn it. The power trigger forces consumers to focus on the people and things that control them. Marketers can use the power trigger to dominate, control the environment, and reward and punish. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.  

Stuck behind a large generation of Boomer leaders, challenged by an eager generation of Millennial whiz kids, and facing the tough mid-career years, Generation X faces a multitude of challenges in the workplace. In What’s Next, Gen X?, award-winning author and organizational demographics expert Tamara Erickson explains what has shaped the members of Generation X and how they can successfully apply their unique traits to get what they want in the next phases of their personal and professional lives. The book takes an in-depth look at the past events that have influenced Generation X, examines today’s evolving workplace, and offers insight into future leadership possibilities. As Generation X employees work hard to keep up with other generations and move ahead into more fulfilling careers, they must: Understand what shaped Generation X. Born between 1965 and 1979, members of Generation X experienced social change and uncertainty in their formative teen years. From a stagnant economy to technological innovation and the rise of alternative rock, Generation X teenagers learned to distrust corporate life, value their friends over their families, and develop global empathy. Figure out where Generation X stands today. Members of Generation X face risky financial positions as they continue to raise small children, care for aging parents, and pay off college debts and home mortgages. Know what the other four generations are thinking. Generation X shares the workplace with four other generations: Traditionalists, Boomers, Millennials, and the Re-Generation. Each group thinks and behaves differently, and to be successful, Generation X employees must know how to interact with colleagues from every cohort. Reset life and work priorities. Members of Generation X have many shared desires, including control, affluence, balance, and to be good parents. Look at the changing workplace. The nature and availability of work is changing for Generation X. With the advancement of technology, Generation X can work from anywhere and at any time. As Generation X expects more flexibility in work arrangements, the employee-employer power balance will be forced to shift. Make organizations work for them. Most Generation X employees work within organizations. To be successful at work, they must maximize their effectiveness, leverage what they do, expand their options for greater long-term career sustainability, and balance the demands of their organizations with the other priorities in their lives. Find alternative workplaces. Generation X employees are more likely to work independently, establish entrepreneurial ventures, join small firms, and juggle multiple jobs than employees of other generations. Become next generation leaders. Generation X will need to create work environments that support innovation. To do this, leaders will need to increase collaborative capacity, ask compelling questions, embrace complexity, shape organizational identity, and appreciate diversity. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.    

Topic: The Risk-Driven Business Model Who: Karan Girotra, author, professor of technology and operations management at INSEAD, and founder of Terrapass, Inc. When: Tuesday, September 16, 2014 Time: 1:00 pm Eastern Standard Time     Most companies think of innovation as being about new technology or developing new products— but the most disruptive organizations of the 21st century have innovated much more than their products or technology. From Ford Motors to Toyota to Uber the automotive industry among many others has been continually disrupted by companies that change the way they "did things," or their business model. This WebEx will explore the following questions: How new business models can be an even more disruptive force than new technology? Where the biggest business model innovation opportunities lie? How to create an organization that identifies these game-changing opportunities Based on Karan Girotra’s co-authored book The Risk-Driven Business Model. Coming Soon to BizSum.com.

Contrary to popular belief, it is possible for people to have enjoyable careers and work with like-minded people who share their interests. In Do Cool Sh*t, Miki Agrawal, a young, successful entrepreneur, shares her journey of finding work she loves rather than working only to make money. For her, making money is not how she defines success. Rather, success is about doing the absolute best with the capabilities a person has rather than putting in hours in exchange for a paycheck and a boring existence. Her belief is that people truly can have it all. According to Agrawal: People who step outside their existing social networks to make new connections may find it difficult at first, but it could create opportunities to meet potential investors for new business ventures. Without taking chances, these connections will never be made. Before asking for something, it is important for individuals to first understand exactly what they want. Clear proposals will make recipients more accepting of the "ask." Although there is a place for passion, entrepreneurs also need to stop and identify what they are good at. It is difficult to be successful in a venture without the skill set to back it up. Opportunities do not have to be strictly entrepreneurial-there is also an "intrapreneurial" approach where people expand their reach with their existing employers by growing their internal programs. This can only happen in work environments where creative thinking is encouraged. Part of the journey to success includes creating a list of admirable people. Entrepreneurs must connect personally with the people they admire in order find mentors who can help them launch their businesses. Teams are vital to success. Not investing the time to hire the right people can result in constantly re-hiring and training new people. If people are not willing to change the way they do business, they will never get the chance to experience new things. New experiences are vital for achieving success. The type of communities people spend time with strongly influence the types of people they become. Part of creating new lifestyles and mindsets involves finding new people with whom to spend time. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

Everyone has flaws, but many people fail to realize how their flaws are impeding their career progress. For people to reach their potential, they need to recognize and manage their "BUTs," the shortcomings that hold them back. When colleagues, managers, and senior leaders talk about others, they almost always discuss their weaknesses in the same way. They may say something like, "She works hard, but she takes on too many projects and cannot prioritize." Or, they may say, "He is extremely intelligent, but he fails to connect with others." The biggest problem with BUTs is that the people in possession of them cannot see them. Everyone has at least one BUT, so everyone needs a strategy for recognizing and overcoming them. Kiss Your But Goodbye by Joe Azelby and Bob Azelby provides a humorous guide to doing so. There are ways for people to overcome their shortcomings, or at least reduce their impact. This process includes understanding the following: Recognize that everyone has at least one "BUT" that needs to be addressed. These are the weaknesses that people talk about when assessing others. For example, people may say that John has great marketing skills but cannot close a sale. He needs to overcome that BUT in order to advance in his career. People need help to find their BUTs, and that help needs to come from honest, straightforward colleagues and managers who will not sugarcoat their assessments. BUTs result from aptitude, personality, and behavior, and those elements provide both a way to identify BUTs and a way to overcome them. Many people avoid dealing with their BUTs because they prefer to avoid pain and change. However, they are suffering now as a result of their BUTs, and the effort expended on the change will be returned when the benefits of a reduced BUT are realized. People reduce the size of their BUTs through increased self-awareness and sincere effort to change their behaviors. These efforts need to be clear to colleagues so they can help in the BUT-reduction process. One very effective way to reduce the impact of a BUT is to partner with someone who has a complementing strength. For example, people who are good strategic thinkers but lack detailed planning skills can partner with people who love to plan everything. During reviews, managers may avoid telling employees about their BUTs. For small BUTs, managers are more likely to say something because they believe the flaws can be reduced. For large BUTs, however, managers often avoid saying anything, and employees fail to progress. Therefore, it is vitally important for people who want to advance in their careers to proactively identify their own BUTs with the help of trusted advisers. Managers have BUTs too, which can make their employees miserable. They may micromanage or have blind spots. Employees can increase their own value by acting to counteract their managers’ BUTs. Instituting a workplace culture that encourages frank discussion of everyone’s BUTs can make the organization a better place to work. It can also make the company more productive and profitable. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

People have the ability to change many of the behaviors that hinder their success at work and in their personal lives. But self-improvement takes self-scrutiny, honesty, and effort. Additionally, it requires a knowledgeable, objective guide and a circle of supporters. In Coach Yourself to Win, leadership development expert Howard M. Guttman explains the most effective self-coaching techniques and how to find the most promising helpers. Importantly, he also offers proven strategies that will help readers rebound from setbacks and adjust their goals in order to maintain a lifetime commitment to positive, observable change. According to Guttman: Successful self-coaching begins with the firm belief that a positive outcome is achievable and worth a significant effort. This belief is rooted in an awareness of one’s current, observable behavior; the ability, readiness, and willingness to change; and the commitment to making the change permanent. Setting intention is the first step toward bringing about a desired behavior change. Intentions provide focus, galvanize energy, and prompt individuals to take action. No one should undertake self-coaching alone. Self-coachers need guides, or mentors, to help them stay on track, as well as circles of supporters to provide additional help, advice, and feedback. Feedback, a vital part of the self-coaching process, is verbal or nonverbal communication that provides information about how the recipient’s behavior affects others. Framing questions appropriately and asking them during personal interviews will help ensure that the feedback is useful and facilitates a constructive response. Self-coachers must be able to analyze feedback objectively and rationally. Receiving negative feedback can be hurtful and difficult, but good self-coachers learn to respond in positive ways without defensiveness. The proof of a strong intention is a workable plan. In addition to being focused on intentions, good plans are realistic and simple. They build in contingencies, set time lines, and cover all the bases involved in implementation. Barriers to the successful achievement of intention can occur at any time in the self-coaching process. The best way for people to deal with unexpected obstacles is to continually reassess their progress and, if necessary, rethink their original plans and intentions. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.  

In today’s business world it is challenging for companies to both deal with problems and changes internally and at the same time be productive and competitive in the marketplace. In A Team of Leaders, Paul Gustavson and Stewart Liff show readers how to create an environment where everyone is a leader. The lives of team leaders or supervisors can be fraught with frustration, as pressure is exerted on them from both the top and the bottom, as well as from the public who use their companies’ products or services. Some companies seek to lessen this stress by adopting team environments, which can be helpful but still puts leaders at the top of these teams. Building teams of leaders, however, replaces the supervisor-employee relationship with teams that eventually manage themselves. The authors provide the following advice to readers: The amount of involvement and interest a work force generally projects is relevant to how leader-focused that group is designed to be. Companies need to evaluate where their teams are. Teams possess a greater sense of ownership when all members have input and are equally informed about what is going on. Different designs create different teams. The way teams are designed will predict the way they look and behave. Companies’ structures and management systems should be closely aligned with their overall strategies to begin with, which makes it easier for teams to have common visions and purposes. Within teams, the goal is for everyone to be leaders. Each employee should have an individual development plan and recognition for accomplishments, and in this way all employees will be able to foresee future actions and promotions within the teams. Leaders want to be contributors. Leadership is encouraged when each member of the team knows exactly what his or her contribution is to the overall mission. Regular feedback about the progress the team is making and how it is contributing to the overall goals of the company is extremely helpful. Knowledge management is important and multi-faceted. Teams need to have data and information, but also knowledge about procedures, policies and other organizational materials, in addition to working knowledge of the values and beliefs of their companies. Each member should master the skills needed to perform his or her own functions and have a general idea of what others do to contribute. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

Many of the widely accepted strategy tools taught in business schools do not apply in the real world. In What I Didn’t Learn in Business School, Jay B. Barney and Trish Gorman Clifford relate the fictional story of Justin Campbell, a recent MBA graduate. Through the story, the authors show that traditional strategy tools do not work because they do not take into account the ways that human interactions and individual goals interfere in the workplace. According to the authors: Many strategy tools taught in business school do not take into account how human interactions and office politics interfere with decision-making processes. Assumptions may work in the classroom for demonstration purposes, but they will not be adequate in the real world. Different assumptions lead to vastly different outcomes in real-world scenarios. One of the hardest skills to learn is how to remain objective and base decisions on facts and research. Sometimes it is easy to take what others say at face value, but all information should be verified and questioned. When attempting to get buy-in from leadership, it is important to identify those on the executive team who oppose the idea. Most effort should be spent convincing these individuals. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.  

The Internet has enabled creators—musicians, film producers, artists, journalists, authors, and others—to reach a wider audience than ever before. It has also made it harder than ever for them to be compensated for their work. In contrast, technology companies, which rely on the work of creators and the media business to thrive, have received the greatest financial benefit from their work. In Free Ride, Robert Levine takes an in-depth journey through the systemic struggle of media companies and artists who cannot collect enough of the revenue that their work is generating while those who distribute and aggregate their content, legally and illegally, are experiencing exponential growth. According to Levine: Music has become so easy to copy and distribute-legally or otherwise-that people forget how much effort is involved in making it. Digital music takes away the cost of making plastic discs and shipping them to stores, but otherwise has not made the cost of producing music any less expensive. Journalism can no longer rely on advertising revenue to support as much of its business as it once did. Major news aggregation websites, like theHuffington Post, generate money with far lower reporting costs. This sets up a disincentive to create original stories and ultimately rewards behavior that hurts the industry as a whole. Roughly 40 percent of the revenue cable companies receive is divided among channels as "carriage fees" that smaller channels rely on to produce high quality, scripted shows. As more people look to the Internet to fulfill their demand for television, legally or illegally, the cable model, and consequently television’s overall quality, is under threat. Movie studios are not in the business of selling tickets to movies as much as they are in the business of selling various rights to show them later. Piracy undertaken via online locker services, or file-hosting services, presents the greatest threat to the industry. Technology companies are primarily interested in cheap and accessible books as a means to another end. Consumers must remember that while the cost of distributing e-books is less, the task and high costs of writing, editing, publishing, and marketing have not changed. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.  

In Resolving Conflicts at Work, Kenneth Cloke and Joan Goldsmith help readers understand the underlying causes of conflict and how to approach it in new ways. Conflicts at work arise because companies are made up of diverse group of people with different communication styles and differing expectations. Few people have been trained to resolve conflict in a healthy manner, which is why conflict is common in every workplace. Transformation does not occur until people first resolve how they became stuck in conflict and take time to develop new strategies. When an organization operates with a culture where conflicts are avoided, honesty and creativity is lost in the process. People need to take time to look inward and understand what conflict means to them and how their perceptions impact the way they respond to these situations. According to the authors: All conflict is influenced by an individual’s background and learned responses. When people understand this, they can work to uncover the hidden meanings behind any conflict. When people listen to opponents with an open mind, their opponents will do the same for them. The language used to describe a conflict reflects attitudes and assumptions. It can reveal the interests, emotions, and histories that are behind the surface-level issue. Difficult behaviors are present in every workplace and, in some cases, are inadvertently encouraged through reward systems. When these behaviors are discussed in the open, there is opportunity to improve on all sides and develop perseverance. Resistance is often the result of an underlying need, such as improved communication or greater involvement in decision making. When the reasons for resistance are explored, it becomes easier to collaborate and negotiate for a solution. To prevent the same conflicts in the future, systems can be developed within an organization. This prevents conflicts and sets the standard for how they are to be managed when they do occur. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.  

According to author, consultant, and entrepreneur Chris Brogan, there has never been such a promising time for "freaks" to succeed in business. These innovative, independent thinkers are perfectly positioned to take advantage of opportunities that others lack the vision or passion to pursue. At the same time, entrepreneurial success still depends on discipline, structure, and productivity. In The Freaks Shall Inherit the Earth, Brogan provides readers with specific guidance for how they can harness the power of out-of-the-box ideas, overcome their fears of failure, and build lives that they love. According to Brogan: Today’s business world is far more open than in the past to entrepreneurs who cannot or will not conform to corporate structures and expectations. However, even the most creative and hard-working nonconformists still need clear plans and to understand fundamental business skills. A freak is someone who does not fit in with conventional businesspeople, dislikes settling or compromise, and seeks ways to make these characteristics an asset. Freaks can make a profit by finding and serving communities made up of like-minded people. To succeed in business, freaks need to determine not only what makes them unique, but also how to sell to and build relationships with their customers. This involves building discipline, overcoming fear, and learning from experience. Mastery of certain skills is critical to every business. These include basic legal contract skills, finance skills, marketing skills, and sales skills. Some freaks can be successful as employeepreneurs, or people who work for companies but do their jobs like entrepreneurs. They take ownership of available resources and find better ways to get things done. Freaks use media outlets to tell stories that people can relate to and choose to consume. This type of storytelling helps build communities that can then become markets for different products and services. When things go wrong, making excuses or shifting blame never helps. The most effective way for people to deal with their problems is to define what went wrong, reassess their goals, and take action. If others have been hurt, they must give meaningful apologies. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

The distinction between a great leader and one who suffers through a difficult, short tenure has much to do with how the person sees both the world and his or her organization. In How Great Leaders Think, Lee G. Bolman and Terrence E. Deal provide tales of successful leaders—including Lou Gerstner of IBM, Anne Mulcahy of Xerox, and Howard Schultz of Starbucks—to show how they brought new views to the organizations they led and were able to navigate the structure, people, politics, and culture of their companies. Great leaders use a variety of viewpoints, based on their personal histories, worldviews, and experiences, to see their organizations for what they really are and understand how they need to get to the next stage. According to the authors: Good leadership requires reframing. New leaders who step in with a narrow mind will not go far in their new roles. They need to be able to step back and see the organization from a variety of perspectives. Adaptability is a common thread of great leaders. Executives who insist on their way or the highway, who do not adapt to the organization they are leading with all its quirks and cultural differences from places they have previously worked, will have short tenures. The structure of an organization deserves significant attention. The social architecture of a business is a critical component and should be given its due. Great leaders have self-awareness. Weak managers do not realize how they are perceived. They get caught in hypocrisy and believe no one is listening to them. If they were more aware of how they came across, they could adjust how they communicate and make more progress with those around them. To be heard, leaders need to listen. By reaching out to employees and customers and hearing what they have to say, leaders can connect with the realities that are unique to the company and come up with helpful, practical recommendations. Politics is not a bad thing. Building relationships and networking are critical activities for leaders who need to navigate their way around a company. They need allies to get projects done and to carry through strategies. Employees look to their leaders for magic. Great leaders are able to tap into the core of the company culture and pull out surprises that appear like magic, although they actually are based on the leaders’ years of experience and well-crafted worldview. Reframing takes practice. Leaders need to see the world they live in through various lenses, but that is something that takes time to learn and may require the help of others who can provide different perspectives. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

In Creativity at Work, Ros Taylor shares the results of 100 interviews and a formal poll of 1,000 working people in the UK. Taylor sought to discover what happens every day as customers and markets change and how that relates to the role of creativity in a successful workplace. The results uncover myths about the type of people who are creative and help explain how creativity can be used in any work environment. Organizations that want to be viewed as innovative must make room for creative ideas because the two concepts go together. When a business understands the value of creativity at work, it must also recognize that everyone has the capacity to be creative. Taylor provides the following tips concerning creativity in the workplace: There are misconceptions about what it means to be creative at work. Many people falsely believe that creativity is something found only in certain professions and is not necessarily available to those in more traditional office roles. On the contrary, creativity can be used and is valuable in any work environment. People can train their brains to learn new ways to make decisions, and there are different theories about how these processes work. The way one thinks and forms ideas can be changed with practical exercises that are applicable to the workplace. A culture of creativity is something that can be fostered, even in companies that have not been creative in the past. Companies that view creativity as important can change their cultures as managers lead the way and employees follow. Creativity is not something that only happens at certain times and to certain types of people. It is something people can learn how to use more frequently, and techniques can help make creativity part of one’s everyday process. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

It’s My Company Too! is based on interviews and research into eight companies that have transformed their businesses through engaged employees. Kenneth R. Thompson, Ramon L. Benedetto, Thomas J. Walter, and Molly Meyer reveal how these companies learned that employees who take responsibility for their actions and share company values help them outperform the competition. The companies profiled did not create their cultures overnight, but invested a significant amount of time into this process and chose to trust employees to do the right thing. According to the authors: Leaders who get great results from their employees are able to find the balance between transactional and transformational leadership when they instill responsibility in their employees. Ethical organizations have clear values and make the effort to operate in ways that support those values. When employees are engaged in a visionary plan, they eliminate silo thinking and seek to grow the organization as a whole. Processes that can help organizations grow work best when they are measurable. Leaders must consciously define the metrics that are vital to their companies’ growth. Employees who feel valued through recognition and rewards will perform better in their roles. When employee action is the expected norm, employees become entangled in the organization and are motivated to find solutions to problems even though it does not affect their roles directly. Failure should be viewed as an opportunity to improve rather than something that merits punitive action. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

In How to Be Happy, Liggy Webb explores the meaning of happiness and provides a toolkit of approaches and techniques to build confidence and resilience in order to become a healthier and happier person. Her comprehensive treatment explains the key elements leading to happiness, including the importance of a positive attitude, being the best that you can be, maintaining physical and mental fitness, handling stress, managing change, developing resiliency, engaging in lifelong learning, nurturing positive relationships, appreciating life and its gifts, cultivating kindness, and loving and serving others. According to Webb: Happiness is a journey, not a destination. You can make the decision to be happier, if you really want it. Achieving happiness takes practice and the ability to work out your own plan for accomplishing it. In defining happiness, it is important to appreciate what you have. Do not let a constant, undefined search divert you from that. "How can I become happier?" is probably a better question than "Am I happy?" Developing and sustaining a positive mental attitude is the key to health and happiness. When faced with a problem, view it as an opportunity and seek out possibilities and solutions. Be open and positive toward change, occasionally stepping out of your comfort zone. Understand the emotions that change can bring and learn to deal with them. Challenge your own limiting beliefs, develop your self-confidence, and believe in yourself. Investing in good health is essential. Exercise every day, drink lots of water, and eat a healthy diet. Learn to limit and manage stress. Be assertive in your communications and dealings, seek the benefits in change, and avoid imposing stress on yourself. Become resilient by turning problems into opportunities. Constant learning promotes mental health and happiness. Learn in multiple ways, improve memory skills, teach others what you have learned, and put what you have learned into practice. Cultivate positive, nurturing relationships. Accept and celebrate differences, develop your communications skills, be more understanding and empathetic, and treat others as you would have them treat you. Sustainable happiness requires finding your own work-home balance. Be sure to establish priorities and manage your time more effectively. Gratitude is an indispensable aspect of health, wholeness, and well-being. Decide to be grateful and wake up with that attitude. Focus on giving and cultivate the habit of saying "thank you." *The key to a happy life is identifying and pursuing your own purpose, with the intent of making the world a better place. Lead by example, respect and value others, commit random acts of kindness, and support charities. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

After the credit crisis of 2008, the business world changed dramatically. Senior leadership in most organizations faced more risk than ever and needed an effective way to manage it. In Risk-Based Performance Management, Andrew Smart and James Creelman have created a framework that helps senior management understand, manage, and control the risks facing their organizations while still gaining a competitive advantage. This guide gives executive teams the specific framework needed to align their risk-taking to strategy, enabling them to achieve success while still operating within their established risk appetites. The risk-based performance management (RBPM) approach and methodology serve as a modern and effective alternative to the past risk management strategies that proved to be less than ideal. RBPM encompasses the following: Appetite: Organizations that deploy the RBPM approach develop a deep understanding and appreciation of the risk associated with the strategic choices that they decide to take. They also are able to continue operating within their risk appetites while working toward their strategic goals. Indicators: RBPM is designed to work with key performance indicators (KPIs), key risk indicators (KRIs), and key control indicators (KCIs). Indicators can be deployed as effective decision-support tools through the RBPM framework. Performance management: Objectives and their KPIs are continually monitored, root causes of underperformance are identified, and necessary adjustments are made. Risk management: RBPM describes this as understanding and exploiting opportunities and threats. Strategy and risk alignment: Through appetite, an organization can align risk-taking with strategy. Governance, culture, and communication: If an organization fails in these "soft" disciplines, it will disregard risk appetite and cause the risk management strategy to fail. To download three free summaries, please visit our site.

With the rapid rise of China’s economy has come a new class of "super consumers" who are ready to assert themselves the way American consumers have over the last century. Already there are more than 500 million online shoppers in China and some 1.5 million millionaires in a country of over 1.2 billion people. This huge population—four times the size of the United States—presents an enormous opportunity for foreign companies, but the long history of China and a language and culture so different from those in Western nations present many pitfalls as well. As Savio Chan and Michael Zakkour explain in China’s Super Consumers, newcomers to the market must take the time to understand Chinese history and culture and the special challenges of doing business in China. The authors provide the following tips on doing business in China: Companies that want to succeed in China need to understand its historical culture. Group harmony matters more than individual liberty. Networks of trusted family and friends are so important that Chinese spend a good deal of energy maintaining these networks. Relationships are more complex and agreements more contingent than in the West. Even the language favors nuance and ambiguity over directness. In the last decade, the Chinese consumer has been on a meteoric rise with rapid urbanization and growing disposable incomes. This new wealth, together with the sheer size of the country, has made the Chinese consumer a global force. In addition to the mainland Chinese market, there is a huge demand for the products, services, and experiences Chinese overseas travelers want to buy. Retail channels, supply chains, and marketing in China differ somewhat from those in the West, even when they appear outwardly similar. However, China’s distribution infrastructure does not yet match that in the West. Retail channels tend to be single brand and can be expensive to sustain. Therefore, e-commerce is highly attractive and a low-risk path to entry. For luxury goods, Chinese buyers expect to see flagship stores. China is not really a single market-it is an amalgamation of markets that are defined both geographically and by customer type. Businesses must understand the need to customize their offerings and approaches to serving each of these markets differently. To learn more, please visit http://www.bizsum.com

People tend to see stress as a negative aspect of their lives, but as Benjamin Bonetti states in How to Stress Less, stress can actually have a positive influence. Many people, including athletes, choose to use stress as a motivator. Understanding the effects of stress and how it can be managed is crucial to helping people overcome its negative effects. According to Bonetti: Stress does not have to be accepted as a fact of life. It can be managed through a series of choices, including the choice to view negative situations in a positive light, exercise, and eat proper foods. Foregoing rest and recovery after a stressful event intensifies a person’s stress reaction. Taking time to rest and recover will help an individual get out of a panic state. Negative people tend to find acceptance with other negative people, but choosing to focus on the positive is an important factor in overcoming the effects of stress. A positive self-image is necessary for generating a positive outlook on life. Negative self-talk can be particularly detrimental to one’s self-image. It is important for people to recognize when negative self-talk is occurring so they can stop the practice. Stress triggers are based on past experiences and observations. Changing those triggers is an essential part of stress management. People should ask themselves if they are thinking in a manner that creates the best representation of the current situation. Medications can mask the symptoms of stress, but they do not address the root cause of the stress itself. People should manage their stress through positive choices, such as exercise and proper eating. Exercise, in particular, boosts people’s moods, which in turn creates more motivation to exercise and make other healthy choices. To learn more, please visit www.bizsum.com

Members of today’s young Millennial generation strive to become part of something bigger than themselves. Despite the social stigmas, family objections, and financial concerns that have typically deterred people from cause-driven work, many young people today are seeking compassionate careers in cause-focused organizations. By following the nine-step framework detailed by Jeffrey W. Pryor and Alexandra Mitchell in Compassionate Careers, young people can discover what they truly care about, explore their opportunities, build their connections, and get started in their pursuits of compassionate careers. The framework can be applied to navigate young people toward the paths that will bring meaning into both their work and personal lives. According to the authors, young people should do the following when trying to decide on a career path: Find a path with a heart. Young people want to make a difference in the world, and opportunities abound across the globe. Between nonprofits, foundations, corporate social responsibility firms, and social enterprise organizations, young people have many opportunities to find compassionate careers. Overcome social stigma. Some young people have hesitations about working in cause-focused organizations. The most common hesitations revolve around professional status, family support, integrity and trust, compensation, and prospects for diversity. Begin change with a spark. Young people are typically inspired by role models, their communities, or epiphanies. Once inspired, they must decide which causes matter most to them. Turn angst to action. Many young people are inspired by life’s challenges. When this happens, they must reassess their priorities and advocate for their causes. Explore the options. When considering compassionate careers, young people must think about their personal preferences, stress levels, culture fits, and brands. Once they have identified the types of organizations they want to work for, they should develop their educational backgrounds and professional networks. Navigate by choice. Young people should be aware of organizations that do nothing to invest in their future. They must know what they want to achieve and develop their own paths forward. Consider jobs without borders. International opportunities are plentiful, but before going global, young people must consider if they have a spirit of adventure. If they do, they must also consider their families and interdependence issues before deciding to go abroad. Become the River Keepers. Young people in compassionate careers must be grateful to the River Keepers, the people who came before them and paved the way. As they become River Keepers themselves, young people must work hard to contribute to the character and quality of others’ lives. Get started. To get started on the path toward compassionate careers, young people must identify their values, overcome their concerns, explore their resources and opportunities, and navigate toward making money while also making a difference. To learn more, please visit http://www.bizsum.com

The professional world is characterized by high levels of stress, discontentment, and burnout. Individuals spend their entire lives laboring in their chosen professions, and the joyless attitudes that define much of the modern approach to work produces palpably unpleasant results. Spurred by the prevalence of mindless misery in the workplace, Dr. Stephen McKenzie pennedMindfulness at Work in an attempt to introduce the meditative discipline of mindfulness to today’s modern professionals. By offering helpful tips on integrating mindfulness practices into people’s everyday jobs, Dr. McKenzie explores how forging meaningful connections results in positive health benefits, increased job satisfaction, and improved performance. According to the authors: Leadership is highly valued in the workplace, but a precise definition can be difficult to identify. Mindful leadership is characterized by true engagement with others and the realization of collective goals rather than self-interest and power-centric objectives. Individuals generally pick professions and stick to them for their entire working lives. This can often seem like a prison sentence, but by incorporating mindfulness principles into their professional activities, individuals can transform their outlooks and increase their personal satisfaction. Professional relationships can be hard to manage; therefore, leaders must place relational perspectives around mindful principles to find common ground and work for a common good. Creativity is a frequently used buzzword in the workplace, but it is often seen as elusive and difficult to capture within the parameters of a job description. Mindful professionals can heighten their creative output by simply letting go of whatever is stopping them. Many job-related tasks can seem monotonous and frustrating, but by engaging with the tasks at hand and shedding previous notions of their characteristics, mindful professionals can find deep enjoyment in even the most mundane chores. All industries can benefit from a healthy dose of mindfulness, but some professions in particular can see very specific results, including those in healthcare, law, education, sales, and the arts. To learn more, please visit http://www.bizsum.com

As the demands of work and home life continue to escalate, people are feeling more overextended, overwhelmed, and overstressed than ever before. However, at the same time, people want to be more meaningfully productive and live personally fulfilling lives. In The 5 Choices, Kory Kogon, Adam Merrill, and Leena Rinne explain how extraordinary productivity and personal fulfillment is attainable for everyone—it just requires making the right choices when it comes to managing decisions, attention, and energy. The authors present a matrixed and logical process for choosing, on an ongoing basis, how and where to best spend one’s time and attention in order to create a productive and fulfilled life. According to the authors: Anyone can do extraordinary work. Every person has unique gifts, skills, and talents he or she brings to the table. By making the right decisions about which activities to focus attention on and ensuring energy is expended and replenished appropriately, those gifts, skills, and talents can be maximized for extraordinary results. Being extraordinarily productive is both easier and harder than ever before. In the high-tech information age, individuals have more opportunities than ever to make significant contributions in their work lives. However, the information age also brings with it a constant barrage of demands that can distract them from getting the most important work done. Do more by doing less. Being busy is often confused with being productive. By focusing efforts on the truly important things, individuals can do less overall while ultimately achieving more. People can change their brains. The brain is capable of both reactive (automatic) decision making and proactive(thought-based) decision making. By becoming more conscious and less automatic in decision making, people can change their brains to be more thoughtful on an ongoing basis, which leads to better choices in the long term. Do not just think-do! Thinking about making life changes is well and good, but without a developed plan for executing these changes, they are nothing more than wishful thinking. Extraordinary productivity requires a plan, a schedule, and follow-through. Technology is both a blessing and a curse. Technology has the capability to make life much easier by streamlining processes, enhancing communication, and creating new opportunities. However, it can also be distracting, intrusive, and a time waster if not used properly. The goal is to rule technology rather than be ruled by it. Manage energy, not time. There are myriad time management systems to help people make better use of their time. The problem is that time is finite. It makes better sense to manage energy by continually using it and replenishing it to get the right things done in the time available. Extraordinary productivity is a choice. People must choose between operating on "autopilot" and giving in to the lure of time-wasting activities or consciously taking charge of decisions regarding how to spend their time. To learn more, please visit http://www.bizsum.com

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Most professionals do not realize that mindfulness, or the balance of awareness and intention, is the antidote to extreme stress. While mindfulness may initially seem like a complicated and elusive goal, leadership coach Scott Eblin demonstrates in his book, Overworked and Overwhelmed, that there actually is a straightforward methodology to achieving it. To this end, Eblin provides readers with an in-depth guide to the nature of mindfulness, as well as a set of mindful routines they can implement to curb feelings of burnout and be happier and more productive in both their work and home lives. Eblin advises readers to: Combine awareness with intention. Mindfulness requires professionals to cultivate an awareness of what is happening in the present moment and then take intentional steps to reduce the feelings of being overworked and overwhelmed. Breathe. By practicing mindful, meditative breathing, professionals can control both their bodies’ fight or flight stress responses and the harmful effects on their health and cognitive abilities. Identify best performance qualities. In order for professionals to identify the best routines to achieve mindfulness, they must first understand what their best performances look like. This way they have a reference point as to how they want to "show up" in their personal and professional lives. Develop routines to reinforce mindfulness. Routines enable professionals to reduce the amount of time they spend making decisions. Mindful routines also provide a positive foundation for professionals to consistently show up at their best. Strengthen body, mind, relationships, and spirit. In order to achieve mindfulness, professionals must adopt physical routines to stay healthy, mental routines to keep their minds free of clutter, relational routines to maintain their humanity, and spiritual routines to reinforce their sense of purpose. Take measures to stay on track. To ensure that they stick to their mindful routines, professionals must work to mitigate their self-doubt, make themselves accountable to others, and practice time management. Determine desired outcomes in the three important areas of life. In order for professionals to take mindful actions, they must first understand what outcomes they want to achieve in the domains of their home lives, work lives, and communities. To learn more, please visit http://www.bizsum.com