November 25, 2011

The gift of words: New books for the career-minded

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(NWjobs staff illustration)

By Michelle Archer
NWjobs

It’s that time of year when our thoughts turn away from pumpkin-pie eating and toward gift giving, followed quickly by goal setting. This new crop of books for the career-minded will help with the last two. All are available in print or as e-books, but remember, downloads are trickier to wrap.

For the ambitious
Why does one employee get promoted and an otherwise equal employee doesn’t? It’s all about PVI -- perception, visibility and influence -- says executive coach Joel A. Garfinkle. He writes about how you can improve your personal PVI in “Getting Ahead.” ($25, Wiley)

For turbulent times
Any corporate type worth his or her pinstripes has doubtlessly read (or been asked to read) Jim Collins’ “Built to Last” and “Good to Great.” In his latest book, “Great By Choice,” Collins and co-author Morten T. Hansen dissect companies such as Microsoft and Southwest Airlines to find out why the organizations have thrived despite facing uncertainty and chaos. ($30, HarperBusiness)

For the visual thinker
Ever find yourself tuning out during meetings with the long-winded? Dan Roam, the author of previous books on how to solve problems with simple drawings, returns with “Blah, Blah, Blah: What to Do When Words Don’t Work.” ($30, Portfolio)

For the uncompromising
From the mind behind “The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People” comes “The 3rd Alternative,” Stephen R. Covey’s method of solving “life’s most difficult problems.” In any conflict, there’s “my way” and “your way,” and Covey says most traditional methods of conflict resolution involve compromise from both sides. He guides readers toward an outcome in which both sides emerge better off than they would have with their own solutions. Synergy! ($28, Free Press)

For a long, strange trip
Self-professed lifelong Deadhead and management professor Barry Barnes shares 10 business lessons gleaned from the inadvertent commercial success of the anti-establishment band in “Everything I Know About Business I Learned From the Grateful Dead.” Sample insights include being kind to your customers, living your values and sharing your content. ($25, Business Plus)

For the brainiac
At every corporate training session Gina Amaro Rudan facilitates, she asks all the geniuses in the room to please raise their hands -- and then is surprised by how few hands go up. In “Practical Genius,” Rudan writes about how to tap into your inner genius to unleash your talents and lead a more fulfilling life. ($25, Touchstone)

For the soul searcher
In typography, kerning is the fine-tuning of space between characters. In “Life Kerning,” graphic-design pro and workplace philosopher Justin Ahrens writes about the small adjustments you can make to more deeply appreciate the work you have instead of job-hopping or changing careers. ($23, Wiley)

For the hiring manager
Finding the perfect employee is hard enough, never mind spotting the best talent before someone else does. “The Rare Find” author George Anders spent years researching how entities such as venture capitalists, software companies, banks and the U.S. Army Special Forces weed out the average and snap up spectacular performers. ($27, Portfolio)

For a taste of girl power
In March, the Girl Scouts organization will mark 100 years of developing leadership in girls. Former CEO Kathy Cloninger, who was encouraged to attend secretarial college in high school, writes about non-profit management, how scouting turns girls into leaders and, yes, selling Thin Mints, in her new book, “Tough Cookies.” ($25, Wiley)

For the white-elephant exchange
Are things a little tense and frazzled at work? Lighten your load with the humorous but far-from-practical “How to Poo at Work,” by two authors, Mats and Enzo, who apparently couldn’t stomach putting their last names on this little stinker of a book. ($13, Penguin)

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