New Business Book Summary Available for Chess Not Checkers

As Mark Miller explains in Chess Not Checkers, leading a company can be like a game of checkers--highly reactionary and fast-paced. However, in today's complicated business climate, the game is changing, and leadership is now more like a game of chess. In chess, strategy and focus are vital and individual pieces can make unique contributions. Chess Not Checkers follows the fictional story of CEO Blake Brown as he begins his journey to improve the performance of his company and increase employee morale by using key moves from the world of chess.

New Business Book Summary Available for Fail Fast or Win Big

In Fail Fast or Win Big, Bernhard Schroeder provides readers with a detailed approach for succeeding in today's changing business world. Schroeder reviews the components of traditional business plans, outlines comprehensive reasons for why they are outdated, and presents his new LeanModel Framework for failing fast and winning big.

New Business Book Summary Available for The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster

In The Entrepreneur Roller Coaster, Darren Hardy distills what he has learned from studying successful entrepreneurs. Starting a business—riding the entrepreneur roller coaster—starts out with great excitement and expectations, but eventually entrepreneurs encounter failures and setbacks. While battling uncertainty and disapproval can help them become stronger and better skilled, entrepreneurs need guidance, clarity, and support to ride out the tough times. Hardy’s goal is to help new entrepreneurs overcome their fears, gain confidence, and achieve more than they ever imagined.

New Business Book Summary Available for Just Run It!

The many books written by CEOs of Fortune 500 companies about running a business actually have little to do with what it takes to run the typical small business. In Just Run It!, turn-around specialist Dick Cross explains that running a business is not nearly as complicated as most people think. Armed with a “back of the envelope” outline that addresses a business’s core competencies, market position, and customers, a company can determine how to best serve customers’ needs. A company should create a vision that draws people toward it, and then develop the strategy to execute effectively on that vision. Cross addresses practical considerations ranging from how to communicate effectively to how to read a balance sheet. He examines how work fits into a larger approach to the world, one that values others and thereby ensures their loyalty.

New Business Book Summary Available for Mighty Midsized Companies

In Mighty Midsized Companies, consultant and former midsized company CEO Robert Sher discusses the seven “silent growth killers” that can derail or even destroy midsized companies, especially since these growth killers tend to occur together. He explains that midsized companies (those with revenues between $10 million and $1 billion) have issues specific to them that are seldom discussed in business schools or in the media. He discusses practical strategies that enable company leaders to recognize and avoid the following seven growth killers of midsized companies: (1) letting time slip-slide away, (2) strategy tinkering at the top, (3) reckless attempts at growth, (4) fumbling strategic acquisitions, (5) operational meltdowns, (6) liquidity crashes, and (7) tolerating dysfunctional leaders.

New Business Book Summary Available for HBR's 10 Must Reads 2015

Developing high-performance leaders, maximizing marketing effectiveness, and creating an engaged company culture are just a few of the common issues that challenge leaders and managers across companies and industries. In HBR's 10 Must Reads 2015, editors at the Harvard Business Review address some of the most common leadership and management issues through a collection of essays written by a wide variety of respected business experts.

New Business Book Summary Available for The First Mile

The first mile of innovation -- where an innovation moves from an idea on paper to the market -- is often plagued by failure. In fact, less than one percent of ideas launched by big companies end up having real impact. The ideas are not the problem. The process is. As Scott D. Anthony explains in The First Mile, the best way to gain an advantage at the outset of a new enterprise is through a process of trail-and-error experimentation called DEFT: Document, Evaluate, Focus, and Test. This approach enables leaders to navigate strategic uncertainty and minimize the challenges that most often derail innovation.