In
Leaders Make the Future (©2009, Berrett-Koehler Publishers), author Bob Johansen provides a new skill set for leaders in the oncoming decade. There are three overarching messages in this book: The world of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity will get worse in the future; the world will have both danger and opportunity; and leaders must learn new skills in order to make a better future. These skills include:
- Maker Instinct-the ability to exploit your inner drive to build and grow things, as well as connect with others in the making;
- Clarity-the ability to see through messes and contradictions to a future that others cannot yet see;
- Dilemma Flipping-the ability to turn dilemmas, which unlike problems cannot be solved, into advantages and opportunities;
- Immersive Learning Ability-the ability to immerse yourself in unfamiliar environments, to learn from them in a first-person way;
- Bio-Empathy-the ability to see things from nature's point of view, to understand, respect, and learn from nature's patterns;
- Constructive Depolarizing-the ability to calm tense situations where differences dominate and communication has broken down, and bring people from divergent cultures toward constructive engagement;
- Quiet Transparency-the ability to be open and authentic about what matters to you without advertising yourself;
- Rapid Prototyping-the ability to create quick early versions of innovations with the expectation that later success will require early failures;
- Smart Mob Organizing-the ability to create, engage with, nurture purposeful business or social change networks through intelligent use of electronic and other media;
- Commons Creating-the ability to seed, nurture, and grow shared assets that can benefit other players and sometimes allow competition at a higher level.
The 2008-2009 Edition of
Knowledge-Based Audits of Nonprofit Organizations with Single Audits (©2008, CCH) by Warren Ruppel, CPA, introduces current techniques for performing audits of financial statements, audits in accordance with government auditing standards, and single audits in accordance with OMB Circular A-133. Mr. Ruppel is the original author of this book, which he updates annually. The Knowledge-Based Audit (KBA) is a risk-based audit methodology that emphasizes using knowledge of the entity to make the risk assessments in connection with a financial statement audit. The KBA approach is designed to facilitate the flow of information gained through the performance of risk assessment procedures and throughout the audit.
Human progress is made one apology at a time. There is nothing more powerful than a well-timed apology to defuse resentment, heal hurt feelings, reduce litigation, and restore relationships.
Effective Apology (©2009, Berrett-Koehler Publishers), by John Kador challenges you to think about the fundamental value and importance of apology as it delivers detailed advice for making an apology that truly heals and renews. The ability to apologize is serious business with serious business benefits for the apologizer. It's not just about being nice. Kador demonstrates that the willingness to apologize is now perceived as a critical test that all leaders must confront. Leaders who apologize signal strength of character, accountability, and humility. The book outlines the fundamental five Rs of an effective apology:
- Recognize: Acknowledge the wrongdoing and the person harmed;
- Responsibility: Accept moral responsibility for your actions;
- Remorse: Be truly sorry;
- Restitution: Provide a meaningful action as a part of the apology; and
- Repetition: Make sure the person knows that the offense will not be repeated.
Foundations of Human Resource Development (©2009, Berrett-Koehler Publishers) provides an overview of the state of the profession, as well as the terminology and processes required for sound practice and research. Authors Richard A. Swanson and Elwood Holton have divided the book into seven parts. Part 1 provides a basic understanding of HRD models, processes, and history. Part 2 outlines the ciritcal theoretical and philosophical foundations of HRD. Part 3 explores learning and performance paradigms and associated models within each. The next two parts capture the substance of training and development and organization development, including examples of best practices, along with variations in core thinking, processes, interventions, and tools. Part 6 focuses on HRD's role in high-level organizational and systems-level issues of strategy, accountability, policy, and planning. The last part addresses contemporary issues, such as globalization, technology, and emerging challenges to the field.
In You've Gotta Have Heart: Achieving Purpose Beyond Profit in the Private Sector (©2009, Amacon Books), author Cass Wheeler, CEO of the American Heart Association for 11 years, presents his proven management techniques, tactics, and tools reinforced by valuable leadership lessons, which helped double the Heart Association's revenues to $800 million and investing a total of $1.4 billion in research, all while doing good. Using examples from the American Heart Association, the Girl Scouts of America, and the American Cancer Society, he demonstrates the importance of: clearly defining an organization's sense of mission, with attention to real-world challenges and customer service; creating a breakthrough goal to motivate employees, volunteers, and board members; investing in market research, paid advertising, and other brand-building tactics used by the for-profit sector; leveraging new technologies and incorporating diversity into all fund raising efforts; building the best staff and inspiring the best work from them, as well as volunteers; raising the bar in terms of accountability and ethical standards; influencing public policy and public opinion with strong, structured advocacy, including lobbying; forging powerful strategic alliances with for-profit corporations, influential individuals, and other nonprofits.
Additional Articles