1. Leading the future
How to turn visionary thinking into breakthrough growth
By Mark W. Johnson and Josh Suskewicz
Today, too many businesses and organizations are run like machines, too focused on numbers and results.
Is it a problem if your business is in the black? Maybe not yet. But later in the 21st century, Josh Suskewicz and Mark W. Johnson write, “The greatest challenge facing large organizations will not be solved by algorithms but (as they always have been) by men and women. wise looking to the future and better choices. »
In their book, Johnson and Suskewicz explain how leaders can take their business to the next level using what they call “future” thinking. Their process is to identify and close the projected gap, reinvent core business functions, develop breakthrough marketing strategies, and create a new global vision. (April; Harvard Business Review Press; $30)
2. One step forward
Mastering the Art and Science of Negotiation
By David Sally
Negotiating is easy when you have a head start. The hard part is actually getting ahead of the game, writes David Sally. According to him, one of the most important factors for a successful negotiation is to be difficult.
"Tough doesn't mean you have to be macho, belligerent, or obnoxious," he wrote. “True tenacity comes from perseverance and patience, focus on a goal, confidence that you know what you are doing, and a willingness to say no firmly and creatively. »
You will learn a lot from this book. Sally explains the four different types of negotiators, how to identify them, and what you'll need to work with them. He writes about how you can make the most of your own personality traits to trade successfully. The book's advice can help you whether you're negotiating with a 5-year-old to eat his vegetables or with a 50-year-old over a seven-figure deal. (May; St. Martin's Press; $19)
3. Die with zero
Getting the most out of your money and your life
By Bill Perkins
It's time to stop worrying so much about the future and start living in the present. Bill Perkins explains his book by expanding on the classic Aesop fable of the ant and the grasshopper:The ant works hard all summer to save food for the winter. Not the grasshopper. Winter is coming and you know the rest.
"There is a time for work and a time for play," writes Perkins. “Great moral. But when does the ant get to play? »
In his book, Perkins offers nine rules to help you not be a non-playing ant. Some rules make sense, like Rule #2:Start investing in experiences early. Perkins is not a financial planner, he warns. It does not offer a stable plan to save for the future while enjoying your life; it offers ways to be more present now, so you don't look back at what you could have, could and should do later in life. (May; Houghton Mifflin Harcourt; $26)
4. Fix this
Make the vital change that will improve your business
By Mike Michalowicz
“Most entrepreneurs spent their days solving apparent problems,” writes Mike Michalowicz in Fix This Next. "We're not sure what to focus on first, so we go for the low fruit. »
Most of the time, these low range fruit problems stem from a larger problem that is being ignored. Michalowicz has developed a process focused on identifying your business needs and building on that evolution.
“Think of it like this:you have to build a house from scratch,” Michalowicz writes. “The same goes for your business. Focusing on looks is like replacing third story windows while the basement is in danger of collapsing due to widening cracks in the foundation. (April; wallet; $23)
5. Weird
The power of being an outsider in a world of insiders
By Olga Khazan
Olga Khazan knows a thing or two about being different:She grew up as a Russian immigrant in West Texas.
“Being weird is like showing up alone at a party where you only know the host, except the host is in the bathroom…. Except the party is your life,” writes Khazan. Weird can sometimes be difficult, but it can also be an advantage. Maybe you're not weird per se, but you suffer from social anxiety or impostor syndrome.
While researching the book, Khazan spoke to people who were different in some way, and dealt with personal issues because of it. But even these people were able to “identify certain skills they honed, strengths they cultivated, or lessons they learned.”
Khazan says your weirdness can be your superpower. (April; Hachette Go; $28)
6. Creating the Future + The Innovation Handbook
Tactics for Disruptive Thinking
By Jeremy Gutsche
Everyone wants change and innovation to happen, to improve their businesses, but not everyone follows, writes Jeremy Gutsche. The numbers confirm it. A study by PricewaterhouseCoopers revealed that 97% of CEOs consider innovation a top priority for their company. How many follow a plan that they believe in? About half, according to a separate study.
In Create the Future + The Innovation Handbook, Gutsche offers ways to not only create a better future for your business, but to do so with a plan to believe in. It's a two-for-one deal:Creating the Future is paired with The Innovation Handbook, a revised version of Gutsche's book, Exploiting Chaos. Think of it as a two-part book:Part 1 teaches you how to create a future framework, and Part 2 describes ways to innovate. (March; Fast Company Press; $20)
img.zoomImg {display:inline! important}
