NEW BOOK
“Vital Friends: The People You Can’t Afford to Live Without,” by Tom Rath, The Gallup Press, $22.95
Change “live” to “work” because Rath deals primarily with the network of workplace friendships necessary to work smart.
Friendships in the workplace are fragile. If you get the promotion or the plum assignments, expect some of your co-worker “friends” to react negatively. But your career can’t progress without making on-the-job friends. While the lines between them may be blurred, there are six types of friends you need to succeed: mentors, champions, collaborators, connectors, energizers and mind openers.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
NEW BOOK
“Kiss Theory Good-Bye: Five Proven Ways to Get Extraordinary Results in Any Company,” by Bob Prosen, Gold Pen Publishing, $21.95
Why should leaders read this book? The publicity kit accompanying it contained an excerpt from a leadership survey of 190 top executives done by Prosen’s consulting firm.
The results are an indictment on company leadership: Only 24 percent “mostly agreed” they got reports that gave them information they needed to make smart decisions.
Only 35 percent “mostly agreed” they achieved their growth and profitability objectives.
Only 48 percent “mostly agreed” they took action to solve problems immediately. Yet 70 percent “mostly agreed” they knew what they had to do to maintain a loyal customer base. Gimme a break; they don’t have a clue.
–Jim Pawlak, BizBooks
