Professional Resources Books

We're in the middle of an acquisition and many of our employees are less engaged and some good ones have taken other jobs due to uncertainty. This book works because it has a clear structure that makes it easy to find pertinent advice, well researched data with sources clearly noted and most of all action plans, (e.g. To Dos, Quick Start) that help implement ideas immediately. I've also found it helpful in general skill building because the authors offer techniques and tips for things like improving listening, (listen for the "blinking" word) and starting conversations, (examples of good open ended questions). When I'm not looking up something specific, I keep it on my desk and open it randomly just to find ways to think about my own skills and my own job satisfaction and what I can do to improve them both.

The format of this book is excellent. It is driven by the alphabet and not only has the basic idea for each area but also details real life stories that relate to each topic. None of the stories were unfamiliar and was a good/bad thing because I found we were horribly ordinary in our experience and at the same time that was comforting to know. Great tools, easy to employ, presented in an easy to read and "get" format. A must for managers, business leaders, et al.

Love 'em provides easy to follow guidelines for building loyal, committed, and productive teams. The strategies are easy-to-implement, inexpensive, and best of all - they work! I keep Love'Em as a quick reference for any employee retention or satisfaction issues that arise, and the updated version provides several new tips and techniques. I highly recommend this book for managers of teams large and small.

Love 'em or Lose 'em: Getting Good People to Stay (4th edition)

this book is a must read for management-----keeping your best people in a challenging
economy is a must in this" Flat World "Global Economy. If you haven't the "insights" to Keep 'Em, '
then you will "Lose 'Em". Best get on with the 'stay interview" and the other key ideas in this must have edition.

Whether you are concerned about the cost of "A" level talent leaving, or the even greater cost of disengaged talent staying, this workbook is your rescue tool. Hitting all of the keys from The Gallup Organization's research based findings on how great managers get the best out of people, (as published in "First Break all the Rules" and "12: The Elements of Great Managing"), consultants and trainers Kaye and Jordan-Evans provide 25 (the 26th is really a check list, not a separate idea) ways to keep good employees - these action oriented ideas are also the route to engaging every employee.

Starting with `A' (Ask) and running thru `Y' (Yield), before leaving the alphabet with the `Zenith' test of your RPI (Retention Probability Index), this workbook provides both the ideas and motivational logic for engaging employees thru great managing. Although the workbook has been in publication for several years, it is as timely today as when it was first distributed. Read it for ideas, keep in on the shelf as a reference; but do get a copy of this most useful book on how to engage people.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

I have used this book to implement many new processes into my business. This sits in my bag or on my desk all the time. It's a great resource.

This book is worth its weight in gold. Well written, great ideas, very helpful for anyone involved in or starting a consulting firm.

We build websites and I wanted to learn more about how professional service firms operate since its basically the same thing (lawyers, accountants, engineers, website programmers, etc). The book helped me realize an important maxim to a service firm:

Success = Perception - Expectation.

If the client perceives they received something better than they expected, they will be happy. This is the key to client service; managing their expectations. While obviously quality, timeline, cost, etc. are all important, in the end they only matter if the client is happy.

The book covers many different usable ideas to manage clients better.

I expected that this book would be interesting to read, but the reality was even better than my expectations. The book provides very specific "how-to" recommendations for managing PSF. Thank you!

Excellent, easy-to-read and highly practical guide to successfully managing professional service firms...

The Dream Manager offers some keen insights into how we may take control our own dreams & aspirations while assisting employees, family & friends realize & accomplish theirs as well. Our dreams can & should be our motivating force. Its critical that we have dreams & persue them.
Matthew Kelly is a gifted, understandable author & speaker.

This is one of the best business concepts that I have ever heard. This book is a must own for everyone, but especially for business owners. The wealthy already understand this simple (yet profound) premise. What are you waiting on?

-ski

Matthew Kelly's little book, on the importance of employees' dreams, is well worth reading. For any manager who is wrestling with issues of engagement and retention, check this one out.

When I was younger I used to pick up business books off my dad's shelf and read them after devouring my own books. Now that I am in college, every so often my dad sends me books that he believes that I should read. At first I was skeptical about The Dream Manager, but when I finally found time to pick it up - I was blown away. I have never been moved by a business book, but this one conjured tears in my eyes. I think that this is not just a book that applies to HR departments or CEOs. In fact, I think that it is the perfect book for a college student becuase it is a time in life when they are meant to dream and dream big. This reminds them that this is something that should continue throughout their lives.

This 'short-read' is chuck full of reasons people will come to work for, and stay at work for their employers. Every HR Team should read this and take note. I require all of the CEOs that I Coach to read this book. This is inspiring and gives results that must be included in the vision of every company in the 21st Century. We can no longer exist without engaged and contributing employees, from management, through mailroom, through janitorial staff. This is a magnificent example of how we can hire and retain the most productive and contributing employee stream today. With the realization that shortages of talent and disengaged employees cost companies and corporations millions every year, this quick read provides some valuable answers. The cost of NOT providing what is in this book is too great for us as a society, as well as international corporate focus.

A great quick guide on drug information, perhaps, the best one. Full monographs of almost all of the drugs, including interactions. Much necessary to the pharmacists and other health professionals.

Excellent, concise, just the facts, ma'am, and easy to look up just what you need. Why wade through the Physicians Desk Reference when this handy gem has all that you really desire in drug information, presented efficiently by pharmacists. Boils it down to the facts. 2-3 pages per medication, in table form often. Once you buy this book, you'll ditch the PDR. Guaranteed.

this is a great resource. as a pharmacist, I use this quite often for basic questions.

The charts in the back are very comprehensive and useful; the drug monographs are very up-to-date and accurate.

While other people in my class waited for their DIHs to arrive, I had mine in no time! Thanks!

How could Southwest Airlines achieve 23 consecutive years of record revenues and profits while other airlines were hemorrhaging red ink? How could GE produce refrigerator compressors at a cost substantially less than its foreign competitors, despite an unfavorable cost differential of $15 an hour? This fascinating book suggests an answer.

In 1996, authors Bill Catlette and Richard Hadden noticed that every single one of the top 15 companies listed in Fortune's "Most Admired Corporations" were also widely recognized as exceptional places to work! Hmmmm.... Catlette and Hadden conducted a study of such companies over a ten year period, with interesting results: Compared to their top competitors, the "Contented Cow" companies consistently enjoyed big financial gains in every important way--productivity, revenues, and growth.

The book is not without its flaws. For example, Wal-Mart is listed as one of the "Contented Cow" companies--a designation that Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America certainly puts the lie to. Still, CONTENTED COWS makes a strong case for the connection between sound human resource management and successful financial management--a connection far more direct than many managers think. So in my opinion this book is highly relevant for today's globalized-and-outsourced Corporate America.

Doni Tamblyn is author of Laugh and Learn: 95 Ways to Use Humor for More Effective Teaching and Training and The Big Book of Humorous Training Games (Big Book of Business Games Series)

Don't be deterred by the title (initially I was) because it is appropriate to the authors' purposes in their essentially serious analysis of why only some companies sustain market supremacy and profitability...and why the others don't. Years ago, Jack Welch (then CEO of GE, one of the six companies featured in this book) explained why he admires entrepreneurial companies:

"For one, they communicate better. Without the din and prattle of bureaucracy, people listen as well as talk; and since there are fewer of them they generally know and understand each other. Second, small companies move faster. They know the penalties for hesitation in the marketplace. Third, in small companies, with fewer layers and less camouflage, the leaders show up very clearly on the screen. Their performance and its impact are clear to everyone. And, finally, smaller companies waste less. They spend less time in endless reviews and approvals and politics and paper drills. They have fewer people; therefore they can only do the important things. Their people are free to direct their energy and attention toward the marketplace rather than fighting bureaucracy."

These remarks are directly relevant to the key points which Catlette and Hadden make in this book. It is no coincidence that the most highly admired companies (i.e. those for whom employees of their competitor companies prefer to work) are also the most profitable as they dominant their respective marketplaces. They include FedEx, GE, Hewlett-Packard, Southwest Airlines, 3M, and Wal-Mart. Revealingly, each of these six was founded by entrepreneurs and each has since retained its entrepreneurial spirit. They are among the "Contented Cows" which have outgrown the "Common Cows" (e.g. Consolidated Freightways, General Motors, Texas Instruments, United Airlines, Xerox, and Sears) by a margin of roughly four to one. Catlette and Hadden explain why.

At one point in their book, they assert that "just as productive employees are not always satisfied, satisfied employees are not always productive." A "Contented Cow" company offers generous employee benefits, including those which address personal needs. For example, EDS has a car repair facility, bank, store, day care center, and dry cleaners on-site. However, a "Contented Cow" company also has leaders (at all levels) who recognize the importance to their employees of meaningful work to do, high standards to which everyone is held accountable (a "level playing field"), a clear sense of purpose and direction, feeling appreciated, and finally, meaningful opportunities for professional growth.

There is a "Summary" at the conclusion of each of the 14 chapters. These lists of key points will be invaluable to those who may wish to re-read the book (all or in part) as they attempt to formulate strategies and tactics to transform their own organization into a "Contented Cow." I hasten to add that these key points are relevant to ALL organizations regardless of their size or nature. "To become Contented Cows. companies must realize that just as they have choices, their employees (particularly the better, more skilled ones) do so. The new rules of the game have been set, and now it's only a matter of time before everyone learns how to play, and play it to their advantage." Quite true. Contented employees should never become complacent employees. I am among those who believe that great leaders inspire rather than motivate others: they activate in them what is, in fact, self-motivation. Davenport and Beck address this in The Attention Economy, correctly suggesting that there is a form of ADD in the business world which has serious, indeed profound implications for managers at the executive level.

Decision-makers in "Contented Cow" companies understand full well what will attract the attention of those for whom they are responsible. The challenge is to involve and then engage them productively and enthusiastically, indeed passionately in the given enterprise. Only if and when they are can the nature and extent of relationships with customers ensure sustainable profitability. Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach. His key point, with which Catlette and Hadden obviously agree, is that individuals as well as organizations must have impeccable integrity. "Contented Cow" companies are nothing more and nothing less than human communities within which such values are constantly affirmed, not merely in word but in deed.

We are using this wonderful book as a tool for understanding why companies are successful. As future investors and entrepreneurs this book will always be our guide. Want to know how and why a workforce is happy, get a Contented Cow. ZM Stevenson, 7th grader

Having spent eleven years in one of the winning companies profiled in Contented Cows, I can personally vouch that the strategies and methods recommended by the authors will truly produce a world-class, highly-motivated workforce that will in turn produce exceptional customer service and financial results. Not occasionally, but every time! What is so impressive about the authors approach is that they first thouroughly researched the "people" practices of truly great companies, then show how those practices in turn naturally and inevitably lead to great bottom-line performance. Too many business authors first create a "neat" model or premise, then go out and find examples to validate what they hope will be the next management "magic pill," establishing correlations that in reality, if they exist at all, are quite tenuous. These guys have done their work the old fashioned way, and you can (and will) take their recommendations to the bank!

This is not rocket science! No matter what our managerial "level", we all have a boss somewhere. Don't we perfom our best when we are treated as some who is valued, someone who matters? That's all this book is telling us, with facts and examples of successful companies, large and small, who "walk the talk"! Read this book and them commit yourself to leading your folks based on it's simple principles (which are not new, we just just needed the authors to write them down for us!)

Thoroughly enjoyable! The daily grind and politics of work-life are portrayed here in a very well-written and fun fashion.

Management By Vice is full of razor-sharp, satiric humor. You'll find no boring, longwinded analyses of the characters and the fictitious Company's history, though there is enough exposure of human nature to fill a work psychology manual! I like the way the book stays focused on a series of sprightly, humorous episodes, which show various aspects of interactions between managers and technical staff. I have seen and experienced them in the workplace for many years, so I fully agree that Management By Vice is in every way a true-to-life rendition of what takes place in many companies. The writing style is appealing too with witty, short verses that relect the content of each episode. Management By Vice is head and shoulders above the 1st grade reading primer level of many unrealistic, silly humor books about management and the workplace. The repartee between the characters, such as the managers and technical staff, is also very real and entertaining. What can be done about the less-than-satisfactory management described in The Company? Any bright reader will see this type of management must be replaced for the sake of The Company's survival. In fact, the

Most of the satiritical episodes in CB Don's book entitled " Management by Vice" are quite familiar scenes in both commercial and government settings. "Gettting ahead" at the expense of one's integrity as well as colleagues' future is the only means for some people. Greed often blinds ambitious management. A quick promotion and fat bonouses are the driving forces for these managers. Hence, short-term goals, say 3 to 5 years, are all thay care about at present, regardless of the future of the organization. Cooperation mergers are too common a way to survive and getting ahead than collisons on the highway, and lay-off is only a part of the evolutionary process, in the commercial world, where survival of those who are most vocal, but are deficient in both technical skills and vision, seems to be the rule. I thoroughly enjoyed reading CB Don's book. It is humorous, yet candid. I highly recommend it to the current managers and those who are old enough to drink....

Mr. R. K. MSc., Supervisory Civil Engineer, from Michigan, USA.
I find this to be a most delightful book. If you have ever worked in an office, design or R&D outfit, you can really relate to the adventures portrayed therein. I spent 35 years in the egg-laying part of the duck and found the barbed lampoons a titillating reflection of my own adventures. There's also a pleasant sprinkling of cartoons and verse the summarize each fo the 11 episodes. The heroine survives a cliffhanger for those of you that relish a bit of adventure. It's one of those "once you pick it up, you can't put it down" pieces that are a fast read and leave you satisfied like a good pastrami sandwich. For you managers, the Scots have an appropriate saying, "would some power the great giver give us to see ourselves as others see us". Give it a go!!

Its a sarcastic view of management from the point of R&D scientists. From the point of view of the R&D scientists you get to see some of the underhanded and self serving behavior of incompetent management at the fictional company and how it is tolerated by senior members of management. Unfortunately the book does not explore how "The Company" which was once an R&D powerhouse, got to be in this dysfunctional state. Also the book offers very little hope for dealing with a company in this type of state, short of the company being acquired or getting lucky and having unintended benefits during a passive/aggressive power struggle amongst management. If you were attracted to reading this book by the title "Management by Vice" I would recommend skipping this one and instead read The Below-the-Belt Manager by Eric Broder which I found to be more Humorous than this book.

Having read many leadership books, this is one of the best in teaching how to lead with your heart. It's well-written, easy to read, and paints a challenging, yet rewarding picture of leadership that requires devotion and commitment of oneself above and beyond all else.

Have bought 3 of these books for different friends and they have all enjoyed it and passed it on to others.

Based on a friend's recommendation, I began using The Way of the Shepherd as a primer for new leaders in my organization. It uses a very simple construct for teaching-through-storytelling about how to be a "leader" and not a "boss". That construct is tending sheep.

It does not imply at all (as I was concerned about) that all of the front-line employees are rudimenatary herd animals... rather, it calls the leader to a higher level of personal responsibility for the well-being, safety, and activity of the workgroup.

I've read hundreds of leadership and business books over my career - many of which are outstanding - and this is the one I always start a new leader with. It's short, it's easy to read, and it communicates all the right things.

The Way of the Shepherd is an easy to read book that provides great commonsense analogies for the student of Leadership. The authors wove together the story of a young leader who was in search for all of the answers. While this book does not provide all of the answers, it goes a long way in providing easy to grasp leadership/management philosphies that one can easily apply in most situations. I thought the book so worth the cover price that I bought one for each of my management team (32). Well worth your time to read this book.

This is a must read for all managers. The concepts are simple and timeless. It's a fast read and can be done in a few hours. Well worth the investment of time. I gave a copy to all my staff and several others have done the same in our company.

This is a great, straightforward reference. It covers everything any person needs to know about dining etiquette without any useless "filler" material. The audio format is great and the speaker is one of the best I have listen to.

After a few months as a first year associate at my law firm, one of my former law school classmates told me that their firm had sent its new associates to an etiquette class. I decided that it might be a good idea for me to brush up on my etiquette skills as well, so I purchased this CD and also the Food Scholar Wine Basics CD. I recommend both for new professionals to prepare them for any "dining" situation they may encounter in their first jobs. These situations frequently fall into the "you don't know what you don't know" category of student knowledge.

I, for one, had very little experience in more formal dining situations upon graduating from school. This CD was just what I needed to get myself up-to-speed. It is well-organized and well-presented, covering a number of very specific situations that convey the elements of common sense and consideration that underlie all etiquette.

The author thankfully avoids spending time on how to arrange the seating at a state dinner. What he offers is practical, usable advice on the types of real social interactions that occur in all kinds of business. A very useful CD and well worth the price. Definitely five stars.

I will be graduating from college this year and have started to interview for jobs. I have a decent GPA, am in the career placement office every week for advice, and have spent hours polishing my resume. I thought that I had all my bases covered. Then I started actually interviewing for jobs. I have already had three interviews that included meals and two "mixers" with drinks and appetizers. It was a little overwhelming. I could tell there was an order to things I did not completely understand. A friend recommended this Dining Etiquette CD, so I ordered it. I had yet another meal during an interview after listening to it. It made a big difference. Knowing what to do at every turn during the meal was a confidence booster and I am sure it helped me appear more polished and professional. I HIGHLY recommend it, Two Thumbs Up.

A good etiquette book should sit on every professional's bookshelf alongside "how to win friends" and "7 habits." I purchased this book along with Essential Etiquette Fundamentals, Vol. 2: Wine Selection & Etiquette and The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules for Business Success to cover all the bases. These books do an excellent job covering the important etiquette skills often overlooked in today's environment. Although often underappreciated, exhibiting proper etiquette signals to others (especially your boss and clients) that you are well educated, care about detail, and have respect for others. I highly recommend these books for anyone new to the business world or for those of us who may need to brush up on the basics.

The last book on CD my wife and I bought was terrible: mens' voices for female characters, etc. And what's the alternative on the radio? Pop music or Howard Stern? I spend twenty percent of my waking life in my car. I might as well spend it wisely. The Food Scholar is easy listening and presented in a way that makes the information easy to learn and remember.

I am using this book as a textbook in a course that I facilitate for international engineers at the University of Manitoba. We're using the text to explore cultural parameters and the different ways they manifest themselves in different cultures, both generally and specifically in engineering business. I value the book for the work it does in framing the larger concepts behind specific cultural differences, but also for the practicality it offers through anecdotes and tips for working with other cultural styles.

While it's early in the academic term, this book has already been extremely useful in framing discussions in our class. Also, as I talk to employers in Manitoba, many have asked for the bibliographic reference to source the book for their corporate library.

We all know how much difference there is when a team functions well - the tricky part is getting it to happen. This new book tackles this topic in the context of Canadian engineering teams, which are almost all composed of people from many cultures. In this insightful book, Dr. Laroche includes lots of material to help get multicultural teams firing on all cylinders.

Written for both managers and technical contributors, the book uses a multicultural lens to look at management styles, teamwork, communication and career management. This new perspective drives home a central theme that cultural differences are key in how our teams work, and not widely recognized in their importance. In these kinds of abstract topics I find concrete examples very helpful, and the author includes numerous anecdotes drawn from his consulting background. These vivid examples show the profound impact of what sometimes seem like small issues, like the Mexican engineer who resigned the day after getting some negative feedback in front of his colleagues.

The book also includes a number of quantitative charts and tables showing how different cultures have quite different expectations of the importance of hierarchy, individualism, and risk tolerance. Having read this book, I now much better understand the experience I had in Canada managing an employee from another culture. What I experienced as a lack of assertiveness was actually the case of an employee expecting highly directive management, and their way of showing respect. Had I understood that well at the time, I would have approached the situation quite differently, even starting at the interview stage. On the flip side, the book would have helped me a lot during my two-year stay in France. In particular, it wasn't until I read this book that I realized that when my French colleagues were jumping in and finishing my sentences, they were demonstrating their agreement by showing they knew how my sentences were going to end!

The book closes with a number of interesting comparisons, like the different emphasis on theory and hands-on work that exist between engineering schools in Canada, the United States, France and Mexico. And to finish off, an entertaining appendix containing explanations of expressions which we take for granted from such diverse areas as baseball ("to be out in left field" - to make no sense at all) and warfare ("loose cannons" - ones which are not fixed down, and fire a different direction each time).

We all know how much difference there is when a team functions well - the tricky part is getting it to happen. This new book tackles this topic in the context of Canadian engineering teams, which are almost all composed of people from many cultures. In this insightful book, Dr. Laroche includes lots of material to help get multicultural teams firing on all cylinders.

Written for both managers and technical contributors, the book uses a multicultural lens to look at management styles, teamwork, communication and career management. This new perspective drives home a central theme that cultural differences are key in how our teams work, and not widely recognized in their importance. In these kinds of abstract topics I find concrete examples very helpful, and the author includes numerous anecdotes drawn from his consulting background. These vivid examples show the profound impact of what sometimes seem like small issues, like the Mexican engineer who resigned the day after getting some negative feedback in front of his colleagues.

The book also includes a number of quantitative charts and tables showing how different cultures have quite different expectations of the importance of hierarchy, individualism, and risk tolerance. Having read this book, I now much better understand the experience I had in Canada managing an employee from another culture. What I experienced as a lack of assertiveness was actually the case of an employee expecting highly directive management, and their way of showing respect. Had I understood that well at the time, I would have approached the situation quite differently, even starting at the interview stage. On the flip side, the book would have helped me a lot during my two-year stay in France. In particular, it wasn't until I read this book that I realized that when my French colleagues were jumping in and finishing my sentences, they were demonstrating their agreement by showing they knew how my sentences were going to end!

The book closes with a number of interesting comparisons, like the different emphasis on theory and hands-on work that exist between engineering schools in Canada, the United States, France and Mexico. And to finish off, an entertaining appendix containing explanations of expressions which we take for granted from such diverse areas as baseball ("to be out in left field" - to make no sense at all) and warfare ("loose cannons" - ones which are not fixed down, and fire a different direction each time).

This book is really helpful in a way to understand cultural difference. It focuses on new immigrants issues, multiculture team work and communication barrier. Also focuses on why this has happend and how to overcome it. Different countries have different working style and one really understands this when reading this book. It also emphasises all the ideas a technical person needs to overcome all barriers and get aquainted with
multiculteral system.

The most important representation for me in this book are pages 69, 91, 93,and 148, as well as the graphs on pages 188, 216, and 217.

This book is really helpful in a way to understand cultural difference. It focuses on new immigrants issues, multiculture team work and communication barrier. Also focuses on why this has happend and how to overcome it. Different country have different working style and one really understands this when reading this book. It covers all the ideas a technical person needs to overcome all barriers and get aquainted with multiculteral system.

The most important representation for me were page numbers 69, 91, 93, and 148. I found the graphs on pages 188, 216, and 217 really helpful.

It is a very useful reference book for anyone interested in power generation. It contains general mechanical and electrical theory, design approach, operation and maintenance concepts. It has practical value as it contains broad information about steam turbines, gas turbines and auxiliaries. It is a very valuable desk reference.

I think this is a great reference book. The book is very easy to read, and to understand. I have found the book's content to be highly relevant to the field and could be used every day for anyone interested (or working) in power generation.

Power Generation Handbook is very comprehensive, covering all aspects of steam and gas turbines and generators, combined cycles and many other topics. This is a very valuable desk reference.

P. Kiameh's "Power Generation Handbook" has been an invaluable addition to the materials I need to sucessfully execute my job. I work in the electrical power industry and Mr. Kiameh's simple and practical approach has provided that extra assistance that allows for easy solution to our every day problems. More importantly, Mr. Kiameh has managed to complile useful and important principles relating to the Power industry in one handbook. I highly recommend this book for technical personnel involved in the Power Generation Industry.

This is an excellent, practical handbook on power generation. It contains clear descriptions of how power generation components are constructed, how they work and how to maintain them. Points in the text are illustrated through numerous detailed photographs, drawings and graphs. Topics include steam turbines, governing systems, valves, lubrication systems, gas turbines, bearings, seals, combined cycles, cogeneration, electrical components, etc.

I have attended two courses taught by Philip Kiameh at the University of Toronto's Professional Development Centre, one on power generation equipment and the other on mechanical equipment. Philip was an excellent teacher and his text books are similarly excellent and I highly recommend them. This text book is a valuable reference to the power generation course material.