• When You Say YES but Mean NO by Leslie A. Perow - The majority of our clients are clear - they want to know when people disagree. Yet most of them are quite reluctant to state their disagreements, even when the stakes are high. This book describes why silencing happens and how it can ruin relationships and organizations, and then it explores what we can do about it. An important read for anyone who still thinks they are better off “not rocking the boat.” The relationship or organization you save might be your own.
  (Read an excerpt)

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni - A surprising number of the leaders we work with talk about the need for teamwork with their peers but manage from a silo mentality. This book clarifies the issues that get in the way of an effective leadership team and provides great suggestions for making positive changes.
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• Creating a LEAN Culture by David Mann - This is a great book on the leadership side of LEAN - an essential piece of the overall LEAN equation that doesn't get as much attention as doing the technical side of the job better, faster and more efficiently. Without LEAN leadership and a LEAN mindset, the chances of long term success and continued good results are significantly reduced.
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• Good to Great by Jim Collins - We find two of Collins' main ideas highly relevant to our clients' leadership teams: 1) when is responsibility taken or credit given, and 2) are they serious enough about making sure the right people are on (and off) the bus?
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• The Leadership Pipeline by Stephen Drotter, Ram Charan and James Noel - This book is a must read for any manager or executive who is struggling to stay strategic. Many of the leaders we consult with are working one or two levels below where they should be working. This is either because they feel more comfortable or competent doing the work instead of leading, or because they haven't managed the overall workload properly to keep themselves from constantly putting out fires.
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• Seeing Systems by Barry Oshry - Our work is helping leaders at all levels in organizations see the "big picture." Many of the people we work with are so caught up in the day-to-day "doing" they never see what's going on in the larger system. This is one of the easiest (and most fun) explanations of systems theory we've found - and one of the most relevant.
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• Managing Transitions by William Bridges - A significant number of the organizations we work with are struggling with the necessary transition from being entrepreneurial to "getting organized." The larger challenge is that their leadership mindset often keeps them from even being able to see how their behavior is holding them back in spite of their best intentions, abundance of energy and all the other great attributes that previously led to success.
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• Fierce Conversations by Susan Scott - In almost all of our client organizations, one of the most critical problems is the lack of open and honest feedback about tough subjects. This isn't about not wanting feedback - almost everyone does. What it's about is not knowing how to give it, or not knowing how receive it - either of which can eliminate it as a cultural norm. We frequently reference this thought-provoking book in our work and recommend it to our clients. And it provides us with a fresh perspective on our own ongoing commitment to fierce conversations.
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• Leadership Without Easy Answers by Ronald Heifetz - Leaders in today's world need to be able to adapt and manage highly complex problems. We see so many leaders trying to solve these complex, systemic problems with simple technical fixes that don't address the real underlying issues and solve nothing long term. This book gives valuable and immediately useful ideas on how to manage the problems that cannot be fixed.
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• Power of Appreciative Inquiry by Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom - So many of our clients spend huge amounts of time focusing on what is going wrong and little time thinking about what is going well. There is significant value to focusing on what they are excited about and what they are most proud of, not to mention how much more enjoyable it makes the process! This book gives us an alternative by showing us how to perform our leadership duties in an uplifting, positive manner.
  (Read an excerpt)
  
  
• Analyzing Performance Problems by Robert Mager - When dealing with problem employees, much too often it is assumed that their behavior is a "can't do" (training needed) instead of a "won't do" (motivation issue). Unfortunately, training doesn't address motivation issues. This is another must read for managers at all levels.
  (Read an excerpt)

360-341-3530
email us