No office is complete without a bookshelf bursting with…well, books. A good eclectic mix is essential. Every manager is different and finds different genres and authors more useful or relevant than others, but every office needs a good mix of reference texts, fiction and non-fiction, and biographies.
So today we decided to peruse the bookshelves in our office and find a couple random titles. Each title is followed by a synopsis from the book jacket to give you just a taste of what our shelves have to dish out! Here’s our Friday Read mini-haul:
Mavericks at Work: Why the Most Original Minds in Business Win by William C. Taylor and Polly LaBarre
Inside the cover:
“Meet the innovators and upstarts who are inventing the future of business. Their unconventional ideas and groundbreaking strategies can become your business plan for the twenty-first century–a better way to lead, compete, and succeed…
Organizations that were once dismissed as upstarts, as wildcards– or mavericks– are making waves and growing fast. There is a reason: In an age of hypercompetition and nonstop innovation, the only way to stand out from the crowd is to stand for something truly original…
Their success demonstrates that:
* Being different makes all the difference
* Sharing values beats selling value…
* Great leaders are insatiable learners”
The Road Ahead by Bill Gates
“In this optimistic and refreshingly realistic book, Gates looks ahead to show how the emerging technologies of the digital age will transform all our lives. As he says, we are on the brink of a new revolution, and crossing a technology threshold that will forever change the way we buy, work, learn, and communicate with each other…
Just as the personal computer revolutionized the way we work, the tools of the information age…will transform the way we make choices about almost everything.”
The Click Moment: Seizing Opportunity in an Unpredictable World by Frans Johansson
“Today’s business environments are far too random and complicated…When you dig deep into the actions of successful people and organizations, you’ll find one common theme. A turning point occurs– a major client signs on, a new competitor redefines the market, an unlikely idea surfaces– and they take advantage of that serendipity to change their fate.
Microsoft Windows was on the brink of being shut down until two individuals met unexpectedly at a party and altered the fate of the world’s dominant computer operating system.
Starbucks sold high-end brewing equipment and coffee by the pound until Howard Schultz experienced his first latte in a cafe in Milan.
Nike was stumped on how to invent a spikeless trainer when a legendary running coach poured latex on a waffle iron.”