Book Summaries

Renowned media coach Bill McGowan shows how to communicate with confidence during the pivotal moments of life. He offers Seven Principles of Persuasion to use to establish the right tone for the right message to the right person at the right time. Learn how to overcome common mistakes and implement a better way of communicating using effective verbal and nonverbal language.

Senior consulting partner for the Ken Blanchard Companies, Susan Fowler, reveals that motivating people doesn’t work because they are already motivated. What does work is helping people understand why they are motivated. Her Optimal Motivation process shows leaders how to help people meet their needs for autonomy, connection and competence for long-lasting motivation.

Bestselling author Peter Sims explores the value of taking small, experimental steps in developing breakthrough innovation. These little bets help determine direction while providing critical information from lots of little failures and from small significant wins. Sims shares examples of successful breakthrough innovators at work and the dramatic results of their efforts.

While providing a thorough case study of the success of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, Kazanjian also gives an in-depth look to the strategic management practices that have boosted the company to the top of its industry.

Innovation is what keeps companies at the top of their fields, and Seybold shows that the best way for companies to do this is to involve passionate customers in every aspect of their product and service design.

To effectively obtain the power of communication, you must learn that it’s not always what you say, but how you say it. Luntz offers sound advice on how to tactically use words and phrases to get what you want in life.

Cohen and Prusak explain how to build up the human connections (based on trust, mutual understanding and shared values and behaviors) that make up your company’s social capital — a critical challenge in the age of globalization, free agency and the virtual workplace.

In today’s information-rich business world, the scarcest resource is not talent or technology — it’s attention. Managers face a double challenge: to learn how to get and hold the attention of employees and consumers and to learn when to parcel out their own valuable attention. This summary shows how capturing, managing and holding attention is key to the success of your business.