GOOD READS
EXPAND YOUR SKILLS, GAIN INSIGHT, AND GET INSPIRED WITH THESE TOP PICKS
Volcker: The Triumph
of Persistence
By William Silber
In the past, there has been
one man whom five presidents
have trusted with the fate of the
economy—Paul A. Volcker. William
Silber explores the impact Volcker
has had on the economy in Volcker:
The Triumph of Persistence. Silber
pays close attention to Volcker's
work battling inflation in the 1970s
and examines Volcker's counsel in
helping the nation recover from the
most recent financial collapse. Silber
used hours of interviews and research
to offer a behind-the-scenes account
of Volcker's time at the Department
of Treasury and the Federal Reserve.
For those looking for examples
of a steely resolve to maintain
independent thinking during times
of crisis crack, open Volcker: The
Triumph of Persistence.
According to the Washington
Post, few individuals have had as
profound an impact on our federal
government over the last 50 years as
Volcker. Indeed, there are those who
credit Volcker for making Reagan
the economic guru that he is touted
to be. Silber highlights how Volcker's
stiff backbone and unwillingness to
be intimidated was the linchpin in
steering the economy in the right
direction.
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Extreme Productivity:
Boost Your Results,
Reduce Your Hours
By Robert Ponzen
Extreme Productivity: Boost
Your Results, Reduce Your Hours, by
Robert Ponzen offers advice on how
to achieve workplace productivity
and high performance, and
provides comfort to those feeling
overwhelmed by a heavy workload
and conflicting demands. Ponzen
offers a different approach to time
management and prioritizing action
items, and working through crises
effectively and efficiently.
The book takes an interesting
stance on meetings, providing tips
on how to keep meetings short and
to the point, or creating and utilizing
effective communication techniques
to avoid them altogether. Ponzen
approaches Extreme Productivity:
Boost Your Results, Reduce Your Hours
holistically, ensuring that readers
understand more productive days at
work lead to more fulfilling lives in
the off hours.
Thomas Jefferson:
The Art of Power
By Jon Meacham
In Thomas Jefferson: The Art of
Power, Jon Meacham, a Pulitzer
Prize-winning former editor of
Newsweek and one of the nation's
preeminent history scholars, provides
a thorough and balanced portrait of
a very complicated man with many
strengths and weaknesses. Leaders
looking for lessons from a man who
understood humanity, could marshal
ideas, learned from his mistakes, and
prevailed will find them in this book.
Meacham paints an intimate portrait
of a man who was an effortless
philosopher and politician, not an
easy feat.
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
shows the creative genius Jefferson
was by exploring his many passions:
books, science, architecture, family,
and women. But, his most fervent
passion was saved for America.
For those who appreciate history—
particularly Revolutionary-era
leaders—Meacham's book on
President Thomas Jefferson is a
great read.
The Advantage:
Why Organizational
Health Trumps
Everything Else in
Business
By Patrick Lencioni
Patrick Lencioni's The Advantage:
Why Organizational Health Trumps
Everything Else in Business siphons
many of Lencioni's best lessons
from his earlier work (The Five
Dysfunctions of a Team, The Four
Obsessions of an Effective Executive)
into a single volume that's a quick,
easy read. Executives, front-line
supervisors, or team leaders could
look to this tome, as it has great
advice on creating a healthy,
productive working environment.
His primary thesis also advocates
attacking the root causes of
dysfunction and confusion to help
leaders improve organizational
performance.
In The Advantage: Why
Organizational Health Trumps
Everything Else in Business, Lencioni
argues that companies function
better and beat their competition
when they are healthy and free from
politics. One could counter that
politics is the nature of business, but
Lencioni proves in his book that the
truly healthy organizations avoid
politics.
