Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Four business books, up for grabs

Here are four business books that landed on my desk recently. I have one new copy of each book to giveaway. Comment if you would like one (and tell me which one).

1) "Undercover Boss: Inside the TV Phenomenon That is Changing Bosses and Employees Everywhere," by Stephen Lambert and Eli Holzman with Mark Levine (Jossey-Bass, 2011, 272 pp., $24.95).

Description: On Feb. 7, 2010 the CBS television series Undercover Boss USA premiered to a staggering 38.6 million viewers, the largest post-Super Bowl audience for a new series and the most-watched premiere episode of any reality series in the history of television.

Now, for the first time, the bosses and employees featured on Undercover Boss share the lessons they learned as well as the formative experiences that resulted from being on the show. Show creators and executive producers Stephen Lambert and Eli Holzman reveal how they came up with the idea for the show, how they got a major network on board, and of course, how they found a dynamic, charismatic group of bosses willing to go undercover — on camera — in this new experiment.

Featuring interviews and insights with the bosses and employees of the nine businesses featured on Season 1 of the show, as well producers' notes on what you didn't see behind the scenes, this book is a must-have for fans of the show everywhere.

About the authors: Stephen Lambert, chief executive of Studio Lambert, is one of Britain's best-known creative television executives, responsible for creating award-winning documentary formats such as Faking It, Secret Millionaire, Wife Swap, and Undercover Boss. He lives in London with his wife, Jenni Russell, a columnist for the Guardian and Sunday Times, and their two children.

Eli Holzman is president and cofounder of Studio Lambert USA, where he launched and executive produced Undercover Boss. He began his career at Miramax Films and founded Miramax Television, where he helped create Project Greenlight and the hit Bravo series Project Runway. For 20th Century Fox–based Katalyst Films, he developed and launched the CW series Beauty & the Geek. As an independent producer, his series creations include Bravo's Work Of Art. He lives in Venice Beach, Calif.

Website: Jossey-Bass

2) "Do More Great Work." by Michael Bungay Stanier (Workman Publishing, 2010, $11.95, 200 pp.)

Description: Even the best performers are spending less than a fraction of their time doing "Great Work" — the kind of innovative work that pushes us forward, stretches our creativity, and truly satisfies us. Michael Bungay Stanier, Canadian Coach of the Year in 2006, is a business consultant who’s found a way to move us away from bad work (and even good work), and toward more time spent doing great work.

When you’re up to your eyeballs answering e-mail, returning phone calls, attending meetings and scrambling to get that project done, you can turn to this inspirational, motivating, and at times playful book for invaluable guidance. In 15 exercises, Do More Great Work shows how you can finally do more of the work that engages and challenges you, that has a real impact, that plays to your strengths — and that matters.

About the author: Michael Bungay Stanier is the founder and senior partner of Box of Crayons, a company that works with organizations, ranging from AstraZeneca to Xerox, to help them do more great work. A Rhodes scholar who earned both arts and law degrees with highest honors from Australian National University and an MPhil from Oxford, he is a popular speaker at business and coaching conferences, and was named Canadian Coach of the Year in 2006. He lives in Toronto.

Website: Workman Publishing

3) "The 60-Minute Money Workout" by Ellie Kay (WaterBrook Press, 2011, $14.99 paperback, 208 pp.)

Description: Want to be debt-free? The same program that made America’s Family Financial Expert Ellie Kay's family debt-free can make you financially stronger. In just one hour a week, Kay will revolutionize your money habits. With entertaining anecdotes, easy-to-follow charts, and practical advice, "The 60-Minute Money Workout" will transform how you view and use your money and enrich your quality of life.

About the author: Ellie Kay is a financial expert on Good Money (ABC NEWS) and best-selling author of 13 books and hundreds of magazine articles. She’s a regular media guest on CNBC, CNN, and Fox News, and has been featured on ABC Nightline, Your World with Neil Cavuto, and Fox and Friends. Her radio commentary for Focus on the Family airs on more than 2,000 radio outlets around the world. She and her husband are the parents of seven children and live in Southern California. Visit her website at EllieKay.com.

Website: Waterbrook Multnomah Publishing Group

4) "Business Etiquette: 101 Ways to Conduct Business with Charm and Savvy," 3rd ed., by Ann Marie Sabath (Career Press, 2010, $13.99 paperback, 192 pp.)

Description: This book gives new hires and seasoned professionals alike strategies for climbing that slippery ladder of success.

Learn appropriate ways for:
  • Introducing two people whose names you’ve forgotten
  • Determining when to send an e-mail vs. a “snail mail” follow-up
  • Managing coworkers who drop in your office on a moment’s notice
  • Being put on the spot in a meeting
  • Playing the corporate hierarchy game with your boss and other higher-ups
  • Dealing with international hosts, colleagues and customers.
About the author: Ann Marie Sabath is president of At Ease Inc., a nationally recognized protocol and etiquette firm. She has trained more than 90,000 individuals at companies such as Fidelity Investments, Monster.com, CVS Pharmacy/Caremark, Deloitte & Touche, Baird Investments and Marriott International. The first and second editions of Business Etiquette have been recognized by the Oprah Winfrey Show, the New York Times, Entrepreneur Magazine, the Seattle Times, and the Cincinnati Enquirer, among many other newspapers, radio and television stations. Sabath has been profiled in a wide variety of media, including Forbes, the Wall Street Journal and USA Today. She divides her time between New York and Cincinnati.

Website: Career Press

3 comments:

keith said...

I would likebthe business etiquette book please!!!

Thank you

:)

Keisha said...

Aww man! I would love the Etiquette book too, but Keith beat me to it. I would love the 60-Minute Money Workout. Thank you.

Unknown said...

Who knew Business Etiquette would be so popular!

Sorry I only have one copy, Keisha. I'd be happy to send you "The 60-Minute Money Workout" instead.

Please e-mail me at mkaras@pottsmerc.com with your mailing address (if you do not wish to publicly post it here) so I can mail the books to you, Keith and Keisha. Or you can direct message me on Twitter at @mercbiz.

I still have "Undercover Boss" and "Do Good Work" if anyone's interested.