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5 new, potentially good releases
National Jeweler sifted through Goodreads’ releases again this month to bring jewelers four more books that could be good for business owners, as well as one editor’s suggestion for a nice read on the side.
New York--Online book discussion site Goodreads has released its list of recently published books for its users in the month of May.
Once again, National Jeweler has sifted through the genres of books to find a handful of recent releases that may be useful to business owners, including improving organization, banishing complexity in the workplace, and encouraging employees to share ideas, among other topics.
The following list includes a brief summary of each and links to their information on Goodreads, as well as one additional book that comes highly recommended by the editors.
1. Pitch Perfect: How to Say It Right the First Time, Every Time
Bill McGowan
In this book, well-known media coach Bill McGowan shows readers how to craft exactly the right message that can mean the difference between sealing the deal or losing a client. Throughout, he lays out his Seven Principles of Persuasion, including holding attention, body language and making the message succinct, among others. This book is 288 pages.
2. Six Simple Rules: How to Manage Complexity without Getting Complicated
Yves Morieux and Peter Tollman
In today’s business environment, leaders and managers are creating increasingly complex organizations when it comes to managing a company and a team, which makes it harder not only to increase productivity but also to innovate and engage the workforce. The authors argue there are six simple rules to manage complexity without getting complicated. In this book, they’ll show why these rules work and how to put them into practice. This book is 240 pages.
3. The Idea-Driven Organization: Unlocking the Power in Bottom-Up Ideas
Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder
Authors Robinson and Schroeder use this book to make the claim that a company’s output is directly related to a business measure that few companies track--the ideas of its employees. The important part of this, they note, is that the leadership creates an environment to encourage an idea system, because when this is the case, employees are more engaged, productive, and creative. This book serves as a guide to design and lead this type of business. This book is 240 pages.
4. The Soft Edge: Where Great Companies Find Lasting Success
Rich Karlgaard
In this book, Karlgaard explores the idea that in addition to strategy and execution, many successful and enduring companies have also put a lot of emphasis on a third factor--a set of strong company
values. He identifies the five key variables that make up every organization’s “soft edge,” allowing them to fuel growth and weather the downturns. This book is 251 pages.
5. Editor’s recommendation: The Book Thief
Markus Zusak
Associate Editor Brecken Branstrator was required to read this for a class in college, and is so happy that she did. Though technically categorized as young adult (YA) literature, this book speaks to all ages and generations. The book follows the story of Liesel Meminger, who is living with a foster family in Nazi Germany, as she steals the books she finds, learns to read with her foster father, and keeps a secret of the Jewish man hidden in her basement, all while Death serves as the narrator. This book is 552 pages.
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