Nothing Personal, Just Business

Nothing Personal, Just Business
Author: Howard F. Stein
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 195
Release: 2001-06-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 031300255X

Throughout the United States and indeed the world, organizations have become places of darkness, where emotional savagery and brutality are now commonplace and where psychological forms of violence--intimidation, degradation, dehumanization--are the norm. Stein succeeds in portraying this dramatically in his evocative, lucid new book, and in doing so he counters official pronouncements that simply because unemployment is low and productivity high, all is well. Through the use of symbolism and metaphor he gives us access to the interior experience of organizational life today. He employs a form of disciplined subjectivity, based on Freud's concept of counter-transference, and other methods to help us comprehend what such dominating notions as managed social change really mean. Downsizing, reengineering, managed care, endless organizational restructuring--all are presented as just business but in reality, says Stein, they are devastatingly personal in their effects. With numerous vignettes and anecdotes drawn from his formal and informal research, Dr. Stein shows us in often horrifying detail what work has come to be in so many of these dark places--but also what must happen, and can happen, to lift them into the light. Through consultations, observation, and personal experience, Stein documents the ordinary assaults on the human spirit, a form of violence in the workplace that usually escapes common classification. By that he means culturally sanctioned violence, such as everyday forms of intimidation, ridicule, goading, and doubling of workloads--all in an asserted effort to make the workplace more productive, more competitive. His examples, metaphors, symbols, images come from the Holocaust and the Vietnam War, and refer back to other horrors in other times, the Crusades and the Spanish Inquisition among them. His book demonstrates precisely how brutal so many of our rational business practices have become, and how disposable all of us ultimately are, at all levels, in all organizations. Stein draws upon a variety of research techniques, including a form of counter-transference based on Freud's concept, to understand the inner meanings and feelings contained in workplace metaphors and symbols. An incisive foreword by Dr. David B. Friedman, Associate Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the New York University School of Medicine, comments on this, puts the book in perspective and offers additional insights into Stein's themes and how brilliantly he develops them.

Nothing Personal... It's Just Business

Nothing Personal... It's Just Business
Author: Jan Young
Publisher: Lulu.com
Total Pages: 325
Release: 2012-06-29
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1105906019

Jimmy Alden, a successful businessman, is mugged in a parking garage and would have been killed were it not for the intervention of a strange little man known as Bub. Bub uses the mugging to extort Jimmy and force him into a life of terrorism with incredible consequences for Jimmy, for his family, and for the nation.

It’S Nothing Personal It’S Only Business

It’S Nothing Personal It’S Only Business
Author: William N. Spencer
Publisher: Xlibris Corporation
Total Pages: 193
Release: 2016-01-28
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1514454475

Today in America, we are no longer the worlds largest market economy. If anything, the only thing greatest about the American economy is the amount of money we owe to other countries. Politicians and activists portray big government as essential to safeguard the common good. There is no question we need the government to protect our rights and assure the rule of law. But overly large and politicized government ends up dominating and undermining a moral society. Instead of empowering people, big government programs, from welfare subsidies to corporate bailouts, promote dependency and deteriorate personal responsibility, encouraging both people and companies to make bad decisions. How did we, as a country, allow our students and our citizens in general to become so economically uneducated in just two generations?

Nothing Personal It's Just Business...

Nothing Personal It's Just Business...
Author: Lou
Publisher:
Total Pages: 164
Release: 2008-02-01
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 9781434357779

Nothing Personal, It's Just Business is a mafia management-style primer for young managers and CEOs that cuts through the corporate bull and takes you through streetwise management principles that aren't taught in business school. Dr. Lou puts you on the path of the Godfathers and Tony Sopranos of today's corporate America. He presents his 'bada-bing' management theory in a humorous, easy-to-understand, mob-style language. In Nothing Personal, It's Just Business, Dr. Lou sifts out the surprising truths that young CEOs must know to develop into the best corporate bosses they can be. Nothing Personal, It's Just Business is entertaining, practical, and packed with common sense principles that will earn you the respect and success you deserve.

The Leadership Gap

The Leadership Gap
Author: Lolly Daskal
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 242
Release: 2017-05-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1101981377

Do people see you as the kind of leader you want to be? Are your strongest leadership qualities getting in the way of your greatness? After decades of advising and inspiring some of the most eminent chief executives in the world, Lolly Daskal has uncovered a startling pattern: within each leader are powerful abilities that are also hidden impediments to greatness. She’s witnessed many highly driven, overachieving leaders rise to prominence fueled by well-honed skill sets, only to falter when the shadow sides of the same skills emerge. Now Daskal reveals her proven system, which leaders at any level can apply to dramatically improve their results. It begins with identifying your distinctive leadership archetype and recognizing its shadow: ■ The Rebel, driven by confidence, becomes the Imposter, plagued by self-doubt. ■ The Explorer, fueled by intuition, becomes the Exploiter, master of manipulation. ■ The Truth Teller, who embraces candor, becomes the Deceiver, who creates suspicion. ■ The Hero, embodying courage, becomes the Bystander, an outright coward. ■ The Inventor, brimming with integrity, becomes the Destroyer, who is morally corrupt. ■ The Navigator, trusts and is trusted, becomes the Fixer, endlessly arrogant. ■ The Knight, for whom loyalty is everything, becomes the Mercenary, who is perpetually self-serving. Using psychology, philosophy, and her own experience, Daskal offers a breakthrough perspective on leadership. She’ll take you inside some of the most cloistered boardrooms, let you in on deeply personal conversations with industry leaders, and introduce you to luminaries who’ve changed the world. Her insights will help you rethink everything you know to become the leader you truly want to be.

It's Not Personal. It's Strictly Business

It's Not Personal. It's Strictly Business
Author: Tony Serri
Publisher: Booksurge Publishing
Total Pages: 232
Release: 2010-01-11
Genre: Humor
ISBN: 9781439259658

It's Not Personal-It's Strictly Business: The Godfather Way of Surviving, Conniving, and Thriving in Corporate America by Tony Serri serves up a funny and insightful perspective on surviving in the cutthroat culture of American business. It's Not Personal... takes the lessons of The Godfather saga and analyzes the actions and outcomes of the Corleone family, drawing corollaries to real-life business challenges. Having trouble keeping your cool at work? Conquer your work demons in the chapter, "Your Sonny Disposition." Do you struggle at making tough decisions? Stop listening to your "conscience" and start listening to your "Don-science" in "What Would Vito Do?" Written in droll prose, It's Not Personal... sends a clear message that you can be ruthless in the workplace and keep your eternal soul if you learn the tricks of the most famous and successful criminal family in movie history. David Shore, Executive Producer of House M.D. says of It's Not Personal, "I know some extremely funny people. I know experts on everything Godfather. I know some people who have been spit on by corporate America. But I know only one person who has dedicated his life to these great goals. If this is the same Tony Serri, you should definitely but this book."

The First 20 Hours

The First 20 Hours
Author: Josh Kaufman
Publisher: Penguin
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2013-06-13
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 1101623047

Forget the 10,000 hour rule— what if it’s possible to learn the basics of any new skill in 20 hours or less? Take a moment to consider how many things you want to learn to do. What’s on your list? What’s holding you back from getting started? Are you worried about the time and effort it takes to acquire new skills—time you don’t have and effort you can’t spare? Research suggests it takes 10,000 hours to develop a new skill. In this nonstop world when will you ever find that much time and energy? To make matters worse, the early hours of prac­ticing something new are always the most frustrating. That’s why it’s difficult to learn how to speak a new language, play an instrument, hit a golf ball, or shoot great photos. It’s so much easier to watch TV or surf the web . . . In The First 20 Hours, Josh Kaufman offers a systematic approach to rapid skill acquisition— how to learn any new skill as quickly as possible. His method shows you how to deconstruct com­plex skills, maximize productive practice, and remove common learning barriers. By complet­ing just 20 hours of focused, deliberate practice you’ll go from knowing absolutely nothing to performing noticeably well. Kaufman personally field-tested the meth­ods in this book. You’ll have a front row seat as he develops a personal yoga practice, writes his own web-based computer programs, teaches himself to touch type on a nonstandard key­board, explores the oldest and most complex board game in history, picks up the ukulele, and learns how to windsurf. Here are a few of the sim­ple techniques he teaches: Define your target performance level: Fig­ure out what your desired level of skill looks like, what you’re trying to achieve, and what you’ll be able to do when you’re done. The more specific, the better. Deconstruct the skill: Most of the things we think of as skills are actually bundles of smaller subskills. If you break down the subcompo­nents, it’s easier to figure out which ones are most important and practice those first. Eliminate barriers to practice: Removing common distractions and unnecessary effort makes it much easier to sit down and focus on deliberate practice. Create fast feedback loops: Getting accu­rate, real-time information about how well you’re performing during practice makes it much easier to improve. Whether you want to paint a portrait, launch a start-up, fly an airplane, or juggle flaming chain­saws, The First 20 Hours will help you pick up the basics of any skill in record time . . . and have more fun along the way.

Stacking the Deck

Stacking the Deck
Author: David S. Pottruck
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 67
Release: 2014-09-30
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 1118966902

Change is a constant, and leaders must do more than keep up—they must innovate and accelerate to succeed. Yet people are often unnerved by change. As a leader during a time of transformation, you may stand up before teams that are indifferent, or even hostile, and need to convince them that change is necessary and urgent. More than money, time, or resources, the ability to lead these people determines your ultimate success or failure. What does it take to be an effective change leader and increase the odds of success? Stacking the Deck offers a proven, practical approach for inspiring meaningful, lasting change across an organization. Stacking the Deck presents a nine-step course of action leaders can follow from the first realization that change is needed through all the steps of implementation, including assembling the right team of close advisors and getting the word out to the wider group. Based on Dave Pottruck's experiences leading change as CEO of Charles Schwab and later as chairman of CorpU and HighTower Advisors, these steps provide a guide to ensure that your change initiative and your team have the best possible shot at success. In addition, established business leaders who have led extraordinary change initiatives demonstrate the steps in action. These executives include eBay CEO John Donahoe, Wells Fargo former CEO Dick Kovacevich, Starbucks chief executive officer Howard Schultz, San Francisco Giants CEO Larry Baer, JetBlue CEO Dave Barger, Asurion CEO Steve Ellis, Pinkberry CEO Ron Graves, and Intel's President Renee James, among others. Leading an organization through major change—whether it's the introduction of a new product, an expansion to a new territory, or a difficult downsizing—is not for the faint of heart. While success is never guaranteed, the right leadership, process, and team make all the difference. For all leaders facing major change in their organizations, Stacking the Deck is an indispensable resource for putting the odds in your favor.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck
Author: Mark Manson
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 197
Release: 2016-09-13
Genre: Self-Help
ISBN: 006245773X

#1 New York Times Bestseller Over 10 million copies sold In this generation-defining self-help guide, a superstar blogger cuts through the crap to show us how to stop trying to be "positive" all the time so that we can truly become better, happier people. For decades, we’ve been told that positive thinking is the key to a happy, rich life. "F**k positivity," Mark Manson says. "Let’s be honest, shit is f**ked and we have to live with it." In his wildly popular Internet blog, Manson doesn’t sugarcoat or equivocate. He tells it like it is—a dose of raw, refreshing, honest truth that is sorely lacking today. The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is his antidote to the coddling, let’s-all-feel-good mindset that has infected American society and spoiled a generation, rewarding them with gold medals just for showing up. Manson makes the argument, backed both by academic research and well-timed poop jokes, that improving our lives hinges not on our ability to turn lemons into lemonade, but on learning to stomach lemons better. Human beings are flawed and limited—"not everybody can be extraordinary, there are winners and losers in society, and some of it is not fair or your fault." Manson advises us to get to know our limitations and accept them. Once we embrace our fears, faults, and uncertainties, once we stop running and avoiding and start confronting painful truths, we can begin to find the courage, perseverance, honesty, responsibility, curiosity, and forgiveness we seek. There are only so many things we can give a f**k about so we need to figure out which ones really matter, Manson makes clear. While money is nice, caring about what you do with your life is better, because true wealth is about experience. A much-needed grab-you-by-the-shoulders-and-look-you-in-the-eye moment of real-talk, filled with entertaining stories and profane, ruthless humor, The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F**k is a refreshing slap for a generation to help them lead contented, grounded lives.