Professional Book Club Series - 2010

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 (testajc@jmu.edu) via email or phone (8-3845) to borrow the books.

Disclaimer

January:
Hot, Flat and Crowded
by Thomas L. Friedman
Course# TD1376
Friday, January 15, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman & Judy Rannow

In his number-one bestseller, Friedman explains how global warming, rapidly growing populations, and the astonishing expansion of the world’s middle class through globalization have produced a planet that is “hot, flat, and crowded.” Already the earth is being affected in ways that threaten to make it dangerously unstable. This is a great challenge, Friedman explains, but also a great opportunity, and one that America cannot afford to miss. Not only is American leadership the key to the healing of the earth; it is also our best strategy for the renewal of America.

February:
The No Complaining Rule
by Jon Gordon
Course# TD1377
Friday, February 19, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman & Judy Rannow

Negativity in the workplace costs businesses billions of dollars and impacts the morale, productivity and health of individuals and teams. "In The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work, Jon Gordon, a bestselling author, consultant and speaker, shares an enlightening story that demonstrates how you can conquer negativity and inspire others to adopt a positive attitude." Based on one company’s successful No Complaining Rule, the powerful principles and actionable plan are practical and easy-to-follow, making this book an ideal read for managers, team leaders and anyone interested in generating positive energy.

March:
The Oz Principle
by Roger Connors, Tom Smith and Craig Hickman
Course# TD1378
Friday, March 19, 2010, 11:30 PM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by paul Shearman & Judy Rannow

The "Land of Oz" has come to stand as a symbol for things not being as they seem. The three authors here, though, go to the basic theme of L. Frank Baum's classic: the trip to see the wizard is a journey of self-awareness and discovery, wherein the characters learn that only they themselves possess the power to fully realize or change their lives. The authors extend the metaphor of Dorothy, the tin man, the scarecrow, and the lion by describing the heart, courage, and wisdom needed to acknowledge, accept, and deal with circumstances and events as they are. The result is a willingness to accept responsibility, which leads to individual (and organizational) accountability.

April:
Sway
by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Course# TD1379
Friday, April 16, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

Recently we have seen plenty of irrational behavior, whether in politics or the world of finance. What makes people act irrationally? In a timely but thin collection of anecdotes and empirical research, the Brafman brothers look at sway, the submerged mental drives that undermine rational action. To drive home their points, the authors use contemporary examples, such as the pivotal decisions of presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush, coach Steve Spurrier and his Gators football team, and a sudden apparent epidemic of bipolar disorder in children.

May:
Winning with Difficult People
by Arthur H. Bell, Ph.D. and Dayle M. Smith, Ph.D.
Course# TD1380
Friday, May 21, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

The authors point out twelve difficult personality types that can be found in business environments, then offer tips to help readers understand what makes them tick and how the rest of us can best cope with them. Advice includes methods for transforming potential problems into "getting-ahead" advantages.

June:
A Leader's Legacy
by Kouzes & Posner
Course# TD1381
Friday, June 18, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

This superb book defies conventional wisdom in favor of being truly wise. In chapters such as ‘Leaders Should Want to Be Liked’ and ‘Failure Is Always an Option,’ Kouzes and Posner portray leaders on a human scale, opening leadership to anyone who is willing to be fully human. That, of course, is a challenge! And yet the style of this book—with its stories of well-grounded leaders and its engaging conversational prose—encourages the reader to live into and up to that challenge.

July:
The Carrot Principle
by Adrian Gostick & Chester Elton
Course# TD1382
Friday, July 16, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

Got carrotphobia? Do you think that recognizing your employees will distract you and your team from more serious business, create jealousy, or make you look soft? Think again.The Carrot Principle reveals the groundbreaking results of one of the most in-depth management studies ever undertaken, showing definitively that the central characteristic of the most successful managers is that they provide their employees with frequent and effective recognition. With independent research from The Jackson Organization and analysis by bestselling leadership experts Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton, this breakthrough study of 200,000 people over ten years found dramatically greater business results when managers offered constructive praise and meaningful rewards in ways that powerfully motivated employees to excel.

August:
The Myth of Multitasking
by Dave Crenshaw
Course# TD1383
Friday, August 20, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

Business coach Crenshaw addresses the myths about multitasking and argues that it can in fact cost valuable time to employees. Crenshaw frames his book in the form of a fictional case study: "Phil," a consultant, is about to meet with the manager of retail clothing chain about improving employees' time management skills. In fact, employees are "switch tasking" (switching back and forth between two or more tasks). Crenshaw claims that "background tasking" (doing two or more tasks, with only one of them requiring mental effort) could be more efficient and effective. Currently, employees lose time owing to interruptions by coworkers, distractions from new technologies, lack of attention to colleagues when they are speaking, and juggling home and work. The author also provides exercises for employees to measure their efficiency and effective use of time.

September:
Groundswell
by Charlene Li & Josh Bernoff
Course# TD1384
Friday, September 17, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

People are now using online social technologies (blogs, social networking sites, YouTube, podcasts) to discuss companies, write their own news, and find their own deals. The authors explain how to turn this threat into an opportunity.

October:
Fire Them Up!
by Carmine Gallo
Course# TD1385
Friday, October 15, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

Fire Them Up! will give you the astonishing communication skills that will help you enjoy more successful and fulfilling relationships with colleagues, clients, employees, or anyone else in your personal or professional life. It is full of stories and tactics from some of the world’s most influential people. More than two dozen of today’s most inspiring business leaders share their secrets including men and women who run The Ritz-Carlton, Google, Travelocity, Cranium, Cold Stone Creamery, Gymboree, 24-Hour Fitness and many other big-name brands. The book reveals seven simple secrets distilled from the wisdom of leaders, entrepreneurs, and visionaries from different backgrounds, generations and industries. Together, they possess all the tools you need to transform yourself into an extraordinary, electrifying, and enthusiastic leader who communicates with power, passion, confidence and charisma!

November:
Orbiting the Giant Hairball
by Gordon MacKenzie
Course# TD1386
Friday, November 19, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

Creativity is crucial to business success. But too often, even the most innovative organization quickly becomes a "giant hairball"--a tangled, impenetrable mass of rules, traditions, and systems, all based on what worked in the past--that exercises an inexorable pull into mediocrity. Gordon McKenzie worked at Hallmark Cards for thirty years, many of which he spent inspiring his colleagues to slip the bonds of Corporate Normalcy and rise to orbit--to a mode of dreaming, daring and doing above and beyond the rubber-stamp confines of the administrative mind-set. In his deeply funny book, exuberantly illustrated in full color, he shares the story of his own professional evolution, together with lessons on awakening and fostering creative genius.

December:
The One Thing You Need to Know About Great Managing, Great Leading, and Sustained Individual Success
by Marcus Buckingham
Course# TD1387
Friday, December 17, 2010, 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM, USB 102

Facilitated by Paul Shearman and Judy Rannow

As a social science researcher and an esteemed business consultant, Marcus Buckingham has spent considerable time studying the big picture. This wide-angle approach led him to an unexpectedly narrow conclusion: There is a core concept to even the most complex topic. What he has discovered in The One Thing You Need to Know is that single "controlling insights" exist for a whole range of situations, and when properly applied, can encourage exponential improvement and lead to precise action and results. In applying this concept to managing, leading, and individual performance he has pinpointed the single element necessary for achieving success in each of these three key positions.