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“A must-have book for today's quiet warriors.”
-Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet and Quiet Power and cofounder of Quiet Revolution
How does a self-described “extreme introvert” thrive in a world where extroverts are rewarded and social institutions are set up in their favor? Using her extraordinary personal story as a “case study of one,” Taiwanese author Jill Chang shows that introverts hold tremendous untapped potential for success. Chang describes how she succeeded-in Taiwan and in the United States-in fields that are filled with extroverts, including as an agent for Major League Baseball players, a manager of a team across more than twenty countries, and a leading figure in tech philanthropy.
Instead of changing herself to fit an extroverted mold, she learned to embrace her introversion, turning it from a disadvantage to the reason she was able to accomplish great goals and excel in tasks that her extroverted peers missed. She offers advice on the best jobs for introverts, overcoming the additional difficulties language and cultural barriers can present, thriving at social events and business presentations, leveraging the special leadership traits of introverts, and much more. Part memoir and part career guide, this book gives introverts the tools to understand how they can form relationships, excel in cross-cultural workplaces, and navigate extroverted settings without compromising comfort or personality.
-Susan Cain, New York Times bestselling author of Quiet and Quiet Power and cofounder of Quiet Revolution
How does a self-described “extreme introvert” thrive in a world where extroverts are rewarded and social institutions are set up in their favor? Using her extraordinary personal story as a “case study of one,” Taiwanese author Jill Chang shows that introverts hold tremendous untapped potential for success. Chang describes how she succeeded-in Taiwan and in the United States-in fields that are filled with extroverts, including as an agent for Major League Baseball players, a manager of a team across more than twenty countries, and a leading figure in tech philanthropy.
Instead of changing herself to fit an extroverted mold, she learned to embrace her introversion, turning it from a disadvantage to the reason she was able to accomplish great goals and excel in tasks that her extroverted peers missed. She offers advice on the best jobs for introverts, overcoming the additional difficulties language and cultural barriers can present, thriving at social events and business presentations, leveraging the special leadership traits of introverts, and much more. Part memoir and part career guide, this book gives introverts the tools to understand how they can form relationships, excel in cross-cultural workplaces, and navigate extroverted settings without compromising comfort or personality.
Noted speaker, musician, and coach Barbara McAfee shows how to become a more effective communicator by mastering the full range of your voice and learning to match tone to content.
Transform your connections and leadership with five research-backed humor tactics to master authentic workplace comedy, boost team engagement, and lead with laughter.
Discover the secret weapon that transforms relationships, boosts creativity, and enhances leadership: humor. The Laughter Factor reveals how laughter isn't just a source of joy—it's a powerful tool for connection and success. Whether you're a leader, teacher, salesperson, or simply someone seeking stronger relationships, this book equips you with five humor tactics to captivate, connect, and inspire.
With decades of experience as a comedian and keynote speaker, author Adam Christing shares his proven methods to make humor work for anyone, anywhere. These five fundamental humor strategies include:
Discover the secret weapon that transforms relationships, boosts creativity, and enhances leadership: humor. The Laughter Factor reveals how laughter isn't just a source of joy—it's a powerful tool for connection and success. Whether you're a leader, teacher, salesperson, or simply someone seeking stronger relationships, this book equips you with five humor tactics to captivate, connect, and inspire.
With decades of experience as a comedian and keynote speaker, author Adam Christing shares his proven methods to make humor work for anyone, anywhere. These five fundamental humor strategies include:
- Surprise—Use the power of the unexpected to delight and captivate.
- Poke—Master the art of self-deprecating humor and gentle teasing.
- In-Jokes—Foster bonds through shared laughter and unique moments.
- Wordplay—Enhance your wit with clever banter and sharp language.
- Amplify—Turn ordinary stories into extraordinary, memorable moments.
The founders of Prosper Inc., a $60 million company and the largest provider of individual coaching on personal finance and entrepreneurship in the US, distill the secrets of defining, achieving and sustaining the quality of life you really want to attain real prosperity.
WE ARE ALL in the people business because we deal with other people all the time. But do you sometimes reach out to others only to find your efforts misunderstood or rejected? Do you wish your relationships with people close to you were more harmonious and fulfilling? PeopleSmart is a practical guide for anyone who asks these questions, which means most of us at some time or other. It reveals a powerful plan for making your relationships more productive and rewarding-whether they are with a supervisor and coworkers or a spouse, relatives, and friends-by developing your interpersonal intelligence.
Socially responsible investors try to avoid putting their assets in companies that do damage in the world. Resilient investing goes further. The authors redefine the very meaning of “assets” and “investing” and show how to design a strategy to give you, and the planet, the best possible chance of thriving. After all, we're in this together!
Resiliency--the ability to adapt to life's changes and crises--is key to a healthy, productive life. Based on his deep knowledge of the new science of resiliency, Dr. Al Siebert explains how and why some people are more resilient than others and how resiliency can be learned at any age. Through anecdotes, exercises, and examples, Dr. Siebert details a unique five-level program for becoming more resilient.
This bestselling conflict resolution book has helped thousands of people effectively collaborate across deep divides. Now it's been updated with 50 percent new material for an increasingly polarized world.
“Offers practical guidance for how to work with diverse others, which is a precondition for confronting many of the complex challenges we face.” -Morris Rosenberg, President, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
In today's fractured world, collaboration is increasingly difficult yet more crucial than ever. Often, to get something done that really matters, we need to work with people we don't agree with, like, or trust. Drawing from thirty-plus years of experience working with leaders in over fifty countries, Adam Kahane shows why conventional collaboration-requiring harmony and agreement-is obsolete. Instead, he provides a groundbreaking approach that embraces discord, experimentation, and genuine cocreation.
Kahane introduces three key stretches to navigate difficult collaborations:
- Stretch to embrace conflict and connection
- Stretch to experiment and learn
- Stretch to step into the game
This substantially revised second edition adds multiple new chapters exploring how to work across deepening divides and with those we may never agree with. Using new case studies, a discussion guide, and frameworks for navigating permanent plurality in our polarized times, Kahane offers essential tools for transforming conflict into positive change.
“Offers practical guidance for how to work with diverse others, which is a precondition for confronting many of the complex challenges we face.” -Morris Rosenberg, President, Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation
In today's fractured world, collaboration is increasingly difficult yet more crucial than ever. Often, to get something done that really matters, we need to work with people we don't agree with, like, or trust. Drawing from thirty-plus years of experience working with leaders in over fifty countries, Adam Kahane shows why conventional collaboration-requiring harmony and agreement-is obsolete. Instead, he provides a groundbreaking approach that embraces discord, experimentation, and genuine cocreation.
Kahane introduces three key stretches to navigate difficult collaborations:
- Stretch to embrace conflict and connection
- Stretch to experiment and learn
- Stretch to step into the game
This substantially revised second edition adds multiple new chapters exploring how to work across deepening divides and with those we may never agree with. Using new case studies, a discussion guide, and frameworks for navigating permanent plurality in our polarized times, Kahane offers essential tools for transforming conflict into positive change.
Books like StrengthsFinder 2.0 have helped leaders discover their strengths-but tend to stop there. Thuy and Milo Sindell argue that focusing only on our best abilities neglects a vital development opportunity. Inside every leader are “middle skills,” hidden strengths that can be turned into full strengths with attention and focus.
Discover Your Strengths and the StrengthsFinder titles-has resulted in a very one-dimensional model for leadership growth, say Thuy and Milo Sindell. Their research and work have shown that, like everyone, you have hidden, undeveloped strengths that, if identified and worked on, can expand your repertoire of skills, make you a better-balanced leader, and significantly improve performance.
Everyone has what the Sindells call Default Skills, or obvious strengths; Deficient Skills, or weaknesses; and Hidden Strengths, or skills in the middle. Focusing only on Default Skills can lead to resting on your laurels. But trying to develop Deficient Skills isn't worth it. It takes too much time and effort to bring these skills up to speed-the ROI just isn't there. It's in the neglected middle skills that the most potent development opportunities lie. They're close enough to being strengths that working on them can offer a powerful payoff-they are Hidden Strengths.
Using assessments, exercises, and case studies, the Sindells help you identify your most promising middle skills-your Hidden Strengths-and create a plan to turn them into full strengths. In today's work environment, not growing and stretching yourself translates into lack of innovation, stagnation, and obsolescence. Relying upon strengths is like relying upon training wheels-at a certain point you need to take them off improve and grow.
Discover Your Strengths and the StrengthsFinder titles-has resulted in a very one-dimensional model for leadership growth, say Thuy and Milo Sindell. Their research and work have shown that, like everyone, you have hidden, undeveloped strengths that, if identified and worked on, can expand your repertoire of skills, make you a better-balanced leader, and significantly improve performance.
Everyone has what the Sindells call Default Skills, or obvious strengths; Deficient Skills, or weaknesses; and Hidden Strengths, or skills in the middle. Focusing only on Default Skills can lead to resting on your laurels. But trying to develop Deficient Skills isn't worth it. It takes too much time and effort to bring these skills up to speed-the ROI just isn't there. It's in the neglected middle skills that the most potent development opportunities lie. They're close enough to being strengths that working on them can offer a powerful payoff-they are Hidden Strengths.
Using assessments, exercises, and case studies, the Sindells help you identify your most promising middle skills-your Hidden Strengths-and create a plan to turn them into full strengths. In today's work environment, not growing and stretching yourself translates into lack of innovation, stagnation, and obsolescence. Relying upon strengths is like relying upon training wheels-at a certain point you need to take them off improve and grow.
Ditch the negative mental habits that derail conversations and destroy projects, and discover a framework for forging authentic, enduring, and productive connections.
All too often, we find our conversations stuck in cyclical patterns of unproductive behavior. We listen half-heartedly, react emotionally, and respond habitually, or what Chuck Wisner calls “sleep talking.”
Conscious Conversations explores the way we can reframe our thoughts, emotions, reactions, and interactions so we form a connection from the very first conversation and keep our discourse positive and productive throughout any endeavor. Wisner identifies four universal types of conversations and offers specific advice on maximizing the effectiveness of each:
• Storytelling-Acknowledging and investigating the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and others
• Collaborating-Exploring the way our stories interact with other people's stories
• Creating-Cocreating possibilities and discovering unforeseen solutions to sticky problems
• Committing-Coordinating our actions with others to get things done
These conversations unfold sequentially: our awareness of our stories transforms our ability to listen and collaborate, which opens our thoughts to creative possibilities, guiding us toward mindful agreements. This framework makes it possible to identify, understand, and deactivate disruptive emotional triggers; listen with empathy to people with opposing perspectives; and forge relationships built on trust.
All too often, we find our conversations stuck in cyclical patterns of unproductive behavior. We listen half-heartedly, react emotionally, and respond habitually, or what Chuck Wisner calls “sleep talking.”
Conscious Conversations explores the way we can reframe our thoughts, emotions, reactions, and interactions so we form a connection from the very first conversation and keep our discourse positive and productive throughout any endeavor. Wisner identifies four universal types of conversations and offers specific advice on maximizing the effectiveness of each:
• Storytelling-Acknowledging and investigating the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves and others
• Collaborating-Exploring the way our stories interact with other people's stories
• Creating-Cocreating possibilities and discovering unforeseen solutions to sticky problems
• Committing-Coordinating our actions with others to get things done
These conversations unfold sequentially: our awareness of our stories transforms our ability to listen and collaborate, which opens our thoughts to creative possibilities, guiding us toward mindful agreements. This framework makes it possible to identify, understand, and deactivate disruptive emotional triggers; listen with empathy to people with opposing perspectives; and forge relationships built on trust.
Smart machines are replacing more and more jobs. Edward Hess and Katherine Ludwig show how to develop abilities that machines don't have so we can thrive in this Smart Machine Age. Underlying them all is a sense of personal humility: honestly recognizing our limitations and working to mitigate them.
In nearly every industry, smart machines are replacing human labor. It's not just factory jobs-automated technologies are handling people's investments, diagnosing illnesses, and analyzing written documents. If we humans are going to endure, Edward Hess and Katherine Ludwig say we're going to need a dose of humility.
We need to be humble enough to let go of the idea that “smart” means knowing the most, using that information quickest, and making the fewest mistakes. Smart machines will always be better than we are at those things. Instead, we need to cultivate important abilities that smart machines don't have (yet): thinking critically, creatively, and innovatively and building close relationships with others so we can collaborate effectively. Hess and Ludwig call this being NewSmart.
To develop these abilities, we need to practice four specific behaviors: keeping our egos out of our way, managing our thoughts and emotions to curb any biases or defensiveness, listening to others with an open mind, and connecting with others socially and emotionally. What all these behaviors have in common is, again, humility-avoiding self-centeredness so we can learn from and work with other humans. Hess and Ludwig offer a guide to developing these NewSmart abilities and to creating organizations where these qualities are encouraged and rewarded.
In nearly every industry, smart machines are replacing human labor. It's not just factory jobs-automated technologies are handling people's investments, diagnosing illnesses, and analyzing written documents. If we humans are going to endure, Edward Hess and Katherine Ludwig say we're going to need a dose of humility.
We need to be humble enough to let go of the idea that “smart” means knowing the most, using that information quickest, and making the fewest mistakes. Smart machines will always be better than we are at those things. Instead, we need to cultivate important abilities that smart machines don't have (yet): thinking critically, creatively, and innovatively and building close relationships with others so we can collaborate effectively. Hess and Ludwig call this being NewSmart.
To develop these abilities, we need to practice four specific behaviors: keeping our egos out of our way, managing our thoughts and emotions to curb any biases or defensiveness, listening to others with an open mind, and connecting with others socially and emotionally. What all these behaviors have in common is, again, humility-avoiding self-centeredness so we can learn from and work with other humans. Hess and Ludwig offer a guide to developing these NewSmart abilities and to creating organizations where these qualities are encouraged and rewarded.
“Natalie Nixon's new book provides a fresh primer on how to cultivate creativity in the workplace.”
—Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable
Too many people associate creativity solely with the arts, even though to be an incredible scientist, engineer, or entrepreneur requires immense creativity. And it's the key to developing breakthrough products and services. Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist with a background in cultural anthropology, fashion, and service design, says that in the fourth industrial revolution a creativity leap is needed to bridge the gap that exists between the churn of work and the highly sought-after prize called innovation.
Nixon says that since humans are hardwired to be creative, it is a competency anyone can develop. She shows that it balances wonder (awe, audacity, and curiosity) with rigor (discipline, skill-building, and attention to detail), and that inquiry, improvisation, and intuition are the key practices that increase those capacities. Drawing on interviews with fifty-six people from diverse backgrounds—farming, law, plumbing, architecture, perfumery, medicine, education, technology, and more—she offers illuminating examples of how creativity manifests in every kind of work.
Combining creativity tools and techniques with real-world stories of innovative people and businesses, this book is a provocation, an inspiration, and an invitation to unleash the innate creativity that lies within each of us. It offers a more dynamic and integrative way to adapt and innovate, one that allows us the freedom to access our full human selves.
—Nir Eyal, bestselling author of Hooked and Indistractable
Too many people associate creativity solely with the arts, even though to be an incredible scientist, engineer, or entrepreneur requires immense creativity. And it's the key to developing breakthrough products and services. Natalie Nixon, a creativity strategist with a background in cultural anthropology, fashion, and service design, says that in the fourth industrial revolution a creativity leap is needed to bridge the gap that exists between the churn of work and the highly sought-after prize called innovation.
Nixon says that since humans are hardwired to be creative, it is a competency anyone can develop. She shows that it balances wonder (awe, audacity, and curiosity) with rigor (discipline, skill-building, and attention to detail), and that inquiry, improvisation, and intuition are the key practices that increase those capacities. Drawing on interviews with fifty-six people from diverse backgrounds—farming, law, plumbing, architecture, perfumery, medicine, education, technology, and more—she offers illuminating examples of how creativity manifests in every kind of work.
Combining creativity tools and techniques with real-world stories of innovative people and businesses, this book is a provocation, an inspiration, and an invitation to unleash the innate creativity that lies within each of us. It offers a more dynamic and integrative way to adapt and innovate, one that allows us the freedom to access our full human selves.
For a lucky few, light conversation at parties and social events is a breeze. For the rest of us, there is Carol Fleming (bestselling author of It's the Way You Say It), who breaks even the shortest bit of small talk into an understandable process that anyone can master.
Much of your personal success hinges on the effectiveness of your personal communication skills. Whether or not new doors are opened to you may depend on how well you can meet one of life's most frustrating social challenges--starting and developing conversations with strangers, aka "small talk." Small talk is usually considered to be a light, pleasant, and safe verbal exchange, which allows people the time and association to get a sense of each other. It consists of introductions, exchange of personal information and interests when meeting new people and searching for a topic of mutual interest. According to Carol Fleming, conversationalist-extraordinaire, the business of small talk means:
-Bringing people together
-Facilitating understanding
-Finding friendships, building trust and maintaining relationships
-Developing your business
-Exposing you to different points of view
This book teaches you the concrete skills of social behavior, and promises to increase your understanding of what small talk is and what it does, while revealing the rituals and strategies for developing conversation. You may not think you have the "gift of gab," but Carol Fleming will convince you that you can master the fine art of small talk in all your business and social encounters.
Much of your personal success hinges on the effectiveness of your personal communication skills. Whether or not new doors are opened to you may depend on how well you can meet one of life's most frustrating social challenges--starting and developing conversations with strangers, aka "small talk." Small talk is usually considered to be a light, pleasant, and safe verbal exchange, which allows people the time and association to get a sense of each other. It consists of introductions, exchange of personal information and interests when meeting new people and searching for a topic of mutual interest. According to Carol Fleming, conversationalist-extraordinaire, the business of small talk means:
-Bringing people together
-Facilitating understanding
-Finding friendships, building trust and maintaining relationships
-Developing your business
-Exposing you to different points of view
This book teaches you the concrete skills of social behavior, and promises to increase your understanding of what small talk is and what it does, while revealing the rituals and strategies for developing conversation. You may not think you have the "gift of gab," but Carol Fleming will convince you that you can master the fine art of small talk in all your business and social encounters.
The much-anticipated sequel to the bestselling Life Reimagined (over 40,000 copies sold), this new guide to finding one's calling at work applies to all ages and stages of life.
The speed, scope, and turbulence of the working world has increased exponentially over the last decade-plus. Work hours are steadily increasing, and people's work lives now extend far past 65. With so much time spent on the job, it's more important than ever to find work that makes the most of your unique gifts, interests, and passions-to discover your true calling. That's exactly what bestselling authors Richard Leider and David Shapiro help you do in Work Reimagined.
The authors combine a thoughtful and practical discussion about finding your calling with advice and examples showing how to apply these ideas to your life. Through a unique Calling Card exercise-available online-that features a guided exploration of 52 "natural preferences" (such as Advancing Ideas, Doing the Numbers, Building Relationships, Performing Events) the book gives readers a new way to detect and reflect on the core of their life's work. They mix in dozens of inspiring stories featuring individuals who have found, or are in the process of finding, their calling. This is an inspiring, effective, and entertaining approach to discovering the work you were born to do, no matter what stage of life you are in.
The speed, scope, and turbulence of the working world has increased exponentially over the last decade-plus. Work hours are steadily increasing, and people's work lives now extend far past 65. With so much time spent on the job, it's more important than ever to find work that makes the most of your unique gifts, interests, and passions-to discover your true calling. That's exactly what bestselling authors Richard Leider and David Shapiro help you do in Work Reimagined.
The authors combine a thoughtful and practical discussion about finding your calling with advice and examples showing how to apply these ideas to your life. Through a unique Calling Card exercise-available online-that features a guided exploration of 52 "natural preferences" (such as Advancing Ideas, Doing the Numbers, Building Relationships, Performing Events) the book gives readers a new way to detect and reflect on the core of their life's work. They mix in dozens of inspiring stories featuring individuals who have found, or are in the process of finding, their calling. This is an inspiring, effective, and entertaining approach to discovering the work you were born to do, no matter what stage of life you are in.
Frequent keynote speaker and bestselling author of The Magic of Conflict (over 100,000 copies sold) and Journey to Center (over 20,000 copies sold) presents his radically simple centering technique as an effective antidote to our endemic “busy-ness.”
The problem for most Americans is not lack of income. A bigger, more widespread problem is the lack of discipline needed to adhere to long-term financial goals. This book shows readers how to make the mindset shift required to successfully plan for the future.
In most personal finance books you'll read, almost redundantly, that the road to wealth is made up of 80% behavior and 20% application. You'll also read that building wealth is about the long game and planning for the future. The overwhelming majority of successful financial planners know this to be true - so why are the bulk of young Americans still fixated on the get rich quick mentality? Because they haven't received adequate advice on how to identify their true motivations for building wealth - until now. In order to build wealth that lasts for generations, we must access our deepest desires, whether that is sharing with our community, security for our family, or leaving behind a legacy.
This book is designed to help people under 30 envision building multigenerational wealth by committing to a mindset of discipline that goes beyond retirement planning but instead, plan for a legacy. Yarnway walks readers through the different decades of their life, from the "roaring twenties" through the "thrifty fifties and beyond," explicitly showing how readers will be building intergenerational wealth at each stage. Wealth building isn't something that can be left until later - financial stability depends on the disciplined mindset that is created now.
In most personal finance books you'll read, almost redundantly, that the road to wealth is made up of 80% behavior and 20% application. You'll also read that building wealth is about the long game and planning for the future. The overwhelming majority of successful financial planners know this to be true - so why are the bulk of young Americans still fixated on the get rich quick mentality? Because they haven't received adequate advice on how to identify their true motivations for building wealth - until now. In order to build wealth that lasts for generations, we must access our deepest desires, whether that is sharing with our community, security for our family, or leaving behind a legacy.
This book is designed to help people under 30 envision building multigenerational wealth by committing to a mindset of discipline that goes beyond retirement planning but instead, plan for a legacy. Yarnway walks readers through the different decades of their life, from the "roaring twenties" through the "thrifty fifties and beyond," explicitly showing how readers will be building intergenerational wealth at each stage. Wealth building isn't something that can be left until later - financial stability depends on the disciplined mindset that is created now.
“This book reminds us of what we have in common: the power to create a good life for ourselves and for others, no matter what the world has in store for us.” -Michael J. Fox
Disabled people are strong. There is no group in history with more consistent experience at making their mark despite the deck being stacked against them. Al Etmanski's mission is to push back against ableism and show disabled people as authoritative sources on creativity, resilience, love, and meaning. In this inspiring book, he lays out ten lessons we can learn from the disabled, each one illustrated with stories of real people. Some names are familiar, like Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, Michael J. Fox, and Temple Grandin. Others less so, like Caroline Casey, who became the first Western female mahout (elephant rider) and rode solo across India despite being legally blind; Aaron Phillip, a trans woman with cerebral palsy who is a professional model; or Liz Etmanski, the author's daughter, a spoken-word poet and artist with Down syndrome. Recognizable or not, you will have no trouble relating to their stories and experiences and applying their insights to enrich your life.
Disabled people are strong. There is no group in history with more consistent experience at making their mark despite the deck being stacked against them. Al Etmanski's mission is to push back against ableism and show disabled people as authoritative sources on creativity, resilience, love, and meaning. In this inspiring book, he lays out ten lessons we can learn from the disabled, each one illustrated with stories of real people. Some names are familiar, like Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, Michael J. Fox, and Temple Grandin. Others less so, like Caroline Casey, who became the first Western female mahout (elephant rider) and rode solo across India despite being legally blind; Aaron Phillip, a trans woman with cerebral palsy who is a professional model; or Liz Etmanski, the author's daughter, a spoken-word poet and artist with Down syndrome. Recognizable or not, you will have no trouble relating to their stories and experiences and applying their insights to enrich your life.