By the bestselling author of Voluntary Simplicity (over 150,000 sold) • Brings together cutting-edge science and ancient spiritual wisdom to demonstrate that the universe is a living, sentient system and that we are an integral part of it • Explores the power of this new paradigm to move humanity toward a sustainable and promising future Science has traditionally regarded the universe as mostly made up mostly of inert matter and empty space. At one time this point of view was liberating, part of the Enlightenment-born rationalism that helped humanity free itself from superstition and fear and achieve extraordinary intellectual and technological breakthroughs. But this paradigm has outlived its usefulness. It has led to rampant materialism and environmental degradation—if the universe is essentially dead and we are alive, then the inanimate stuff of the universe should be ours to exploit. But we now know that not only is the view of a dead universe destructive, it is also inaccurate and misleading. In The Living Universe, Duane Elgin brings together evidence from cosmology, biology, physics, and even his participation in NASA-sponsored psychic experiments to show that the universe is permeated by a living field and that we are always in communion with that field of aliveness whether we are conscious of it or not. This is a world-view that, as Elgin explains, is shared by virtually every spiritual tradition, and the implications of it are vast and deep. In a living system, each part is integral to the whole, so each of us is intimately connected to the entire universe. Elgin eloquently demonstrates how our identity manifests itself on a whole series of levels, from subatomic to galactic. We are, he writes, “far more than biological beings—we are beings of cosmic connection and participation.” To confront our ongoing planetary crisis of dwindling resources and escalating conflict, we need to move past an ideology of separation, competition, and exploitation. Duane Elgin asks us to see humanity sharing in the same field of aliveness, to discover how to live sustainably and harmoniously within the living universe.

Provides a complete overview and practical strategies on a full range of leadership topics.

Featuring a who's who of leadership gurus, The ASTD Leadership Handbook is an exciting compilation of insights, ideas, and tools that will enable individuals, teams, and organizations to fully develop their leadership capabilities. It provides a complete overview of leadership and covers a full range of topics, including competencies, development, attributes, and current challenges, taking a broad view of what leadership means. Editor Elaine Biech and her team worked to carefully match up topics with the leading authorities: William Byham on leadership development, Ken Blanchard on ethics, Bill George on authenticity, John Kotter on leading change, Marshall Goldsmith on coaching, Dave Ulrich and Norm Smallwood on getting results, Patrick Lencioni on teams, Leongard Goodstein on strategic planning, Frances Hesselbein on leading the workforce of the future, and many more.

The ASTD Leadership Handbook's five sections -- Leadership Competencies, Leadership Development, Characteristics of Successful Leaders, Contemporary Leadership, and the Global Role of Leadership -- cover all the major leadership areas. Chapters are written from a practical perspective, enabling readers to immediately put the wisdom and experience of the authors to use in their own lives and organizations. The book also includes three dozen tools to help you apply the concepts, such as John Kotter's Eight-Step Change Model, Bill Gentry's Checklist for Avoiding Leader Derailment, Marshall Goldsmith's Mini Coaching Survey, Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan-Evan's Jerk Checklist, and Leonard Goodstein's Applied Strategic Planning Model. These tools are available as free downloads on the book's accompanying website.

This handbook sets itself apart in a crowded field by emphasizing leadership development and providing practical approaches to address this crucial need. When you pick up The ASTD Leadership Handbook you hold amost 2,000 years of experience in your hands. This will surely be the definitive leadership resource for many years to come.

Selected chapters from The ASTD Leadershipp Handbook are also available for sale in PDF format: Leadership Whitepapers.

• Provides a complete overview and practical strategies on a full range of leadership topics

• Contributors include more than forty-five renowned experts in the leadership field

• Includes more than sixty activities, tools, and assessments for application of principles and concepts

Stephan Schmidheiny, author of the hugely influential Changing Course, has joined with fellow prime movers in the World Business Council for Sustainable Development-Chad Holliday of DuPont and Philip Watts of Royal Dutch/Shell-to spell out the business case for addressing sustainable development as a key business strategy.

The authors insist that a global partnership-between governments, business and civil society-is essential, if accelerating moves towards globalization are to maximize opportunities for all, especially the world's poor. They argue that far more eco-efficient and socially equitable modes of development must be pursued in order to allow poorer nations to raise their standards of living.

To achieve these aims, the book explains that markets must be mobilized in favor of sustainability, leveraging the power of innovation and global markets for the benefits of everyone. Business cannot succeed in failing societies.

Whether small, medium or large, all businesses must innovate and change to meet the social and environmental challenges of the coming years. Walking the Talk provides proven strategies for doing just that, and real-world examples of business leaders who are becoming a leading force for change-improving both their own bottom lines and quality of life for future generations around the world.

• The most important book on corporate responsibility yet published
• Written by top corporate leaders Chad Holliday, Chairman and CEO, DuPont; Stephan Schmidheiny, Chairman, Anova Holding AG; and Philip Watts Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors, Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies
• A publication of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development which includes members from 160 of the largest and most influential companies from around the world including: AOL Time Warner, AT&T, Bayer, BP, Coca Cola, and Dow Chemicals (see attached list at the end of the EFS for full listing)
• Uses nearly 70 case histories of companies from around the world to show that good corporate social and environmental performance is an investment which will improve the bottom-line
• Argues that a further liberalization of the global market is the best way to alleviate third world poverty and encourage corporate responsibility
• Explores, in depth, the three pillars of sustainable development: economic growth, ecological balance, and social progress
• The authors are key insiders who show how to mobilize markets in favor of sustainable development
• Copublished with Greenleaf Publishing

Globalization has created a superheated competitive business environment that demands innovation to stay ahead. But it's also created a hidden source of innovation right in your midst: the people in your organization who have deep experience in more than one culture—multiculturals. Having to integrate different cultural frameworks has enabled them to develop abilities that can contribute powerfully to building innovative organizations.

David Thomas makes a compelling business case for recognizing and cultivating a new dimension of diversity—the diversity within individuals! He looks at how to establish the organizational conditions under which multiculturals can flourish and shows how even the most monocultural among us can gain the advantages of a multicultural mind.

From Chip R. Bell, the bestselling author of Customers as Partners , Managers as Mentors , and Managing Knock You rSocks Off Service , partnering with Heather Shea, the former president of The Tom Peters Group's training and consulting company
Provides invaluable insights into the changing world of powerful partnering
Offers tools, details techniques, and provides activities and resources to help you develop successful partnerships in every enterprise
Partnerships are fast becoming the primary structure of contemporary business, as organizations partner with vendors, unions, customers, and even competitors to take advantage of short-term market opportunities, leverage intellectual capital, and create more flexible and innovative enterprises. In this important guide, authors Chip Bell and Heather Shea offer an in-depth look at how we can successfully manage partnerships and build them with substance-passion, quality, heart, and soul.
While many other books have examined the rational, logical, analytical sides of partnership, none has fully explored the irrational, illogical, emotional sides, which are most often what cause partnerships to falter or fail. Dance Lessons is a comprehensive guide to the interpersonal side of partnerships, revealing exactly how the champions choreograph their partnership dances for show-stopping performances. It features:
new perspectives to help you decide if partnership is right for you
exciting tools for selecting the right form of partnership
important techniques to help you get emotionally prepared to partner
smart ways to accurately pick good partners
engaging activities to help you practice your partnership skills
effective methods for dealing with difficult partners and partnerships
vital cues that let you know when the partnership is ready to end, and helpful tips on how to end it
insights on how to manage external factors that effect partnership success
practical resources to help you continue to learn about effective partnering
Dance Lessons shows how to develop meaningful, ethical, and soulful partnerships in every interaction throughout your work and your life.

• From Chip R. Bell, the bestselling author of Customers as Partners , Managers as Mentors , and Managing Knock You rSocks Off Service , partnering with Heather Shea, the former president of The Tom Peters Group's training and consulting company
• Provides invaluable insights into the changing world of powerful partnering
• Offers tools, details techniques, and provides activities and resources to help you develop successful partnerships in every enterprise

The Power of Appreciative Inquiry describes the internationally embraced approach to organizational change that dramatically improves performance by engaging people to study, discuss, and build upon what's working – strengths – rather than trying to fix what's not. Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom, pioneers in the development and practice of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), provide a menu of eight results-oriented applications, along with case examples from a wide range of organizations to illustrate Appreciative Inquiry in action. A how-to book, this is the most authoritative and accessible guide to the newest ideas and practices in the field of Appreciative Inquiry since its inception in 1985.

The second edition includes new examples, tools, and tips for using AI to create an enduring capacity for positive change, along with a totally new chapter on award-winning community applications of Appreciative Inquiry.

•   New edition of the most authoritative, comprehensive, and practical guide to large-scale positive change

•   Revised throughout, with new business and nonprofit examples and tools and a new chapter on community-based applications of Appreciative Inquiry (AI)

•   Written by two pioneering AI thought leaders

The Power of Appreciative Inquiry describes the wildly popular approach to organizational change that dramatically improves performance by engaging people to study, discuss, and build upon what’s working, rather than trying to fix what’s not. Whitney and Trosten-Bloom provide a menu of eight results-oriented approaches to AI, along with case examples from a wide range of organizations to illustrate Appreciative Inquiry in action. A how-to book, this is the most authoritative and accessible guide to the newest ideas and practices in the field of Appreciative Inquiry since its inception in 1985.

To write the second edition, Whitney and Trosten-Bloom conducted an appreciative inquiry with first edition readers. At the urging of these readers, this edition includes a totally new chapter on community applications of Appreciative Inquiry, along with new examples, tools, and tips for using AI to create an enduring capacity for positive change.