New Business Book Summary Available for Legendary Service

Successful businesses are built on relationships. No relationships are more important than the relationships companies have with their customers, both internal and external. In Legendary Service, Ken Blanchard, Kathy Cuff, and Vicki Halsey champion the notion that truly caring about customers provides a competitive edge, makes employees and customers happy, and grows the bottom line. The legendary service they describe is based on the ICARE model, which begins with creating a vision of what ideal customer service looks like, then enculturating that vision into the organization. To bring the ICARE principles to life, the authors take readers on business student and retail employee Kelsey Young’s journey as she discovers firsthand the difference legendary customer service can make to customers and employees.

New Business Book Summary Available for The Creator’s Code

Creators, extraordinary entrepreneurs who have built hugely profitable businesses, share some common traits and practices. Amy Wilkinson has codified these into six essential skills she calls the creator’s code. She identified a select group of creators who have massively scaled their businesses to at least $100 million in annual revenue, then conducted qualitative studies of these entrepreneurs to identify the skills and traits that set them apart. In The Creator’s Code, Wilkinson posits that extraordinary entrepreneurs share an ability to identify unmet needs, to keep focused on the long term, to make fast decisions, and to learn from failure. They solve problems with diverse teams and are unflagging in their generosity. In short, the book provides the template for entrepreneurial success that the author’s research subjects never had.

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 Hardball

In Hardball, George Stalk and Rob Lachenauer explain that playing hardball in business means always playing to win. Businesses must exploit every legal means available to gain and use competitive advantages to acquire market share, build decisive advantages, and make permanent changes to their industries. Playing hardball is a mindset, but it also means following a set of guidelines for what to do--and what not to do--to stay in the game and win.

New Business Book Summary Available for Mind Gym

Sometimes life’s circumstances are out of people’s control. However, how individuals think, feel, and behave as a result of those circumstances is very much within their control. It is simply a matter of learning to think, react, and respond in positive and productive ways. In Mind Gym, authors Sebastian Bailey and Octavius Black share scientifically based exercises and techniques anyone can use to train the mind to think positively and productively, including resetting thoughts, taking control, deepening connections, persuading others, resolving conflict, letting creative juices flow, and minimizing stress. The result is a more successful, fulfilling life.

New Business Book Summary Available for Dare to Serve

Dare to Serve by Cheryl Bachelder focuses on servant leadership, which puts the needs of others ahead of the needs of leaders. Bachelder outlines the thinking behind this concept, detailing how organizations will benefit at every level (including the bottom line) by adopting a system of respect, accountability, and humility.

New Business Book Summary Available for No One Understands You and What to Do About It

Individuals are often misunderstood by others, despite what they consider to be their best efforts to communicate clearly. This disconnect can create many issues, both in the business world and in an individual’s personal life. At the heart of the problem is the fact that many people are unable to accurately see themselves as others see them. They simply do not know how they are perceived, so they cannot make adjustments to present their true selves. In No One Understands You and What to Do About It, Heidi Grant Halvorson explains the unconscious drivers behind the misperceptions people have about one another and provides a practical guide to making sure the impressions individuals make are exactly the ones they want to make.