Professional Book Club Series - 2009

Join us once a month for discussion on selected books from various professional development topics. The series is offered "a la carte". Attend all the sessions or only those that most interest you.

A limited number of books are available to be checked out of our library. Please contact Jennifer Testa via email or
phone (8-3845) to borrow the books.

2010 Professional Book Club

Disclaimer

January:
Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service
by Ken Blanchard
Course# TD1304
Friday, January 30, 2009, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Jennifer Testa

In this eloquent parable about customer service, a golfer's male fairy godmother guides him through encounters with outstanding service in a variety of business settings. Everyone serious about customer relationships should read this.

February:
First Things First
by Stephen R. Covey, A. Roger Merrill, Rebecca R. Merrill
Course# TD1305
Friday, February 27, 2009, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Jennifer Testa

What are the most important things in your life? Do they get as much care, emphasis, and time as you'd like to give them? Far from the traditional "be-more-efficient" time-management book with shortcut techniques, First Things First shows you how to look at your use of time totally differently.

March:
Work 101: Learning the Ropes of the Workplace without Hanging Yourself
by Elizabeth Freedman
Course# TD1306
Friday, March 27, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Jennifer Testa

In this straight-talking guide, MBA Elizabeth Freedman, an expert in corporate etiquette, shares the rules of the workplace that only veterans know: survival secrets that will help you avoid the common mistakes that can sink careers at the gate. From getting a seat at the meeting table to dealing with a demanding boss, from talking salary in a performance review to what not to say at a business function, Work 101 tells you everything you need to know to master the (shameless) art of climbing the corporate ladder.

April:
The Thinker's Toolkit: 14 Powerful Techniques for Problem Solving
by Morgan Jones
Course# TD1307
Friday, April 24, 2009, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, JMAC2 Conference Room

Facilitated by Jennifer Testa

Leave it to a former CIA employee to conjure up a sensible approach to decision making. His point is that we don't know how to analyze and solve problems correctly, since we've been groomed to be subjective, not objective, thinkers. Fourteen mathematical and analytical thought processes are interpreted for the lay public, with 50 exercises and a cornucopia of examples.

May:
The Speed of Trust
by Stephen M. R. Covey
Course# TD1308
Friday, May 22, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Jennifer Testa

Trust is so integral to our relationships that we often take it for granted, yet in an era marked by business scandals and a desire for accountability this book by leadership expert Covey is a welcome guide to nurturing trust in our professional and personal lives. Drawing on anecdotes and business cases from his years as CEO of the Covey Leadership Center the author effectively reminds us that there's plenty of room for improvement on this virtue.

June:
How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living
by Rushworth M. Kidder
Course# TD1309
Friday, June 19, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Jennifer Testa

Should you take a much-needed vacation or save money for your children's education? Should you protect the endangered owl or maintain jobs for loggers? How do you handle questions such as these? We frequently face ethical dilemmas in our daily lives, and few have trouble with the "right vs. wrong" choices. However, the "right vs. right" dilemmas, in which neither choice is clearly or widely accepted as wrong, many times present obstacles that call for value-based decisions, and that's where we often need help. Kidder -- the founder of the Institute for Global Ethics -- teaches us how to think for ourselves in order to resolve any ethical dilemma, from the personal to the philosophical. Unique in its approach and full of illustrative anecdotes, How Good People Make Tough Choices is an indispensable resource for arriving at sound conclusions when facing tough choices.

July:
Winning with People: Discover the People Principles that Work for You Every Time
by John C. Maxwell
Course# TD1310
Friday, July 31, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, JMAC2

Facilitated by Jennifer Testa

Maxwell takes on interpersonal skills, saying, "All of life's successes come from initiating relationships with the right people and then strengthening those relationships by using good people skills." The book offers 25 chapter-based "People Principles" that explore how to prepare oneself for relationships, focus on others, build trust, invest in others and create win-win relationships. Each principle is introduced with two to three pages featuring a familiar figure: Abraham Lincoln, Barbara Walters, Ben Franklin, Angelina Jolie, etc., or a personal story from the author's life. Maxwell concludes each principle with a page of discussion questions.

August:
Life Matters
by A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill
Course# TD1311
Friday, August 28, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Jennifer Testa

The Merrills, time management experts, cover creative ways to successfully balance four major aspects of life: family, money, work and time. The premise of their program rests on what the authors call three gotta do's-validate expectations, optimize effort and develop navigational intelligence. The Merrills borrow a paradigm from their earlier book that divides tasks into four quadrants; urgent, not urgent, important and unimportant. Drawing on personal anecdotes, the authors show how this division can facilitate making choices that balance the requirements of a family life with earning a living.

September:
The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy
by Jon Gordon
Course# TD1312
Rescheduled for Friday, October, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Judy Rannow

In the style of other bestselling business fables, The Energy Bus takes you on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals ten secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment¿at work and at home. Author Jon Gordon shows you how to turn negative energy into positive achievement.

October:
Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss what Matters Most
by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen, and Roger Fisher
Course# TD1313
Friday, October 23, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Judy Rannow

We've all been there: We know we must confront a coworker, store clerk, or friend about some especially sticky situation--and we know the encounter will be uncomfortable. So we repeatedly mull it over until we can no longer put it off, and then finally stumble through the confrontation. Difficult Conversations offers advice for handling these unpleasant exchanges in a manner that accomplishes their objective and diminishes the possibility that anyone will be needlessly hurt.

November:
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
by Stephen R. Covey
Course# TD1314
Friday, November 20, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Judy Rannow

Stephen Covey, an internationally respected leadership authority, realizes that true success encompasses a balance of personal and professional effectiveness, so this book is a manual for performing better in both arenas. His anecdotes are as frequently from family situations as from business challenges. Before you can adopt the seven habits, you'll need to accomplish what Covey calls a "paradigm shift"--a change in perception and interpretation of how the world works. Covey takes you through this change, which affects how you perceive and act regarding productivity, time management, positive thinking, developing your "proactive muscles" (acting with initiative rather than reacting), and much more.

December:
Silos, Politics and Turf Wars: A Leadership Fable About Destroying the Barriers That Turn Colleagues Into Competitors
by Patrick M. Lencioni
Course# TD1315
Friday, December 18, 2009, 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Judy Rannow

Marketing won't speak to engineering. Sales thinks production hogs the budget. Front desk believes back room's lazy. These sorts of turf wars, which turn outwardly unified companies into groupings of uncommunicative "silos," are the stuff of management lore. Lencioni's latest book addresses the management problem through a fictional story; this one revolves around a self-employed consultant named Jude, who has to dismantle silos at an upscale hotel, a technology company and a hospital. Split into two sections, Lencioni's book first shows Jude discovering a solution to silos, then summarizes Jude's lessons into a strategy that readers can apply to any business.

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