Stories
Stories
Alumni Books
The Differentiated Workforce: Transforming Talent into Strategic Impact
by Brian E. Becker, Mark A. Huselid, and Richard W. Beatty (MBA ’81)
(Harvard Business Press)
Many companies spend too much time and money on low performers while their high performers do not get the necessary resources, development opportunities, or proper rewards. Expanding on their previous books, The HR Scorecard and The Workforce Scorecard, the authors recommend that workforces be managed like portfolios, with more investments in the jobs that create the most wealth.
Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing: No-Nonsense Rules from the Ultimate Contrarian and Small Business Guru
by George Cloutier (MBA ’69)
(HarperBusiness)
Having spent over thirty years guiding business owners, Cloutier, founder and CEO of American Management Services, offers such tough advice as “forget teamwork,” “micromanage like crazy,” “the best family business has one member,” “weekends are for working, not playing golf or coaching,” “never pay your vendors on time,” “wear your control freak badge with pride,” and “quit denial: if your business is failing during a recession, it’s your fault.”
The Real Business of IT: How CIOs Create and Communicate Value
by Richard Hunter and George Westerman (DBA ’03)
(Harvard Business Press)
The authors recommend that to combat the IT-as-cost mindset, CIOs use IT to create three kinds of value — value for the money (the IT department operating efficiently and effectively), investment in business performance (IT helping divisions and departments boost profitability), and personal value (CIOs contributing well beyond their area of specialization) — and then communicate these important IT contributions to the firm’s other, non-IT leaders.
Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide
by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn (MBA ’86)
(Knopf)
Calling the oppression of women and girls in the developing world today’s most pervasive human rights violation, the authors tell stories of women’s struggles and how a little help can transform their lives. The key to economic progress lies in unleashing women’s potential. For example, China has prospered because it emancipated women and brought them into the formal economy. Unleashing that process globally is the the best strategy for fighting poverty.
Crossing the Divide: Intergroup Leadership in a World of Difference
edited by Todd L. Pittinsky (PhDOB ’01)
(Harvard Business Press)
Bringing groups together is a central task of leadership. These theoretical and practical essays and case studies on intergroup relations and leaders reassess what have been regarded as very successful tactics for building group cohesion. Leaders can no longer just “rally the troops.” Instead, they must employ more positive means to span boundaries, affirm identity, cultivate trust, and collaborate productively.
Bootstrapping 101: Tips to Build Your Business with Limited Cash and Free Outside Help
by Bob Reiss (MBA ’56)
(R&R)
Many unemployed Americans are discarding their résumés to pursue their dream of owning their own business, and many existing entrepreneurs are struggling to make ends meet in the current economic downturn. This book helps future and existing small-business owners improve their odds of success. It shows entrepreneurs how to grow their business with less money than they thought they needed and steers them to free quality advice.
Winning in Turbulence
by Darrell Rigby (MBA ’78)
(Harvard Business Press)
Many more companies achieve dramatic gains during recessions than they do in normal times. Rigby ex-plains how to craft an action plan tailored to the specific situation, providing tools for cutting costs intelligently, sustaining margins and the brand, boosting revenue by refocusing the sales force on the right customers, channeling resources into core businesses, and preparing for bold moves, such as game-changing acquisitions.
The Upside of Turbulence: Seizing Opportunity in an Uncertain World
by Donald Sull (MBA ’92, DBA ’96)
(HarperBusiness)
Based on a decade of research into companies that have not only withstood turbulence but exploited it to create value, this book draws on historical case studies and research into areas as varied as improvisational comedy and military training to provide a series of intellectual and practical frameworks that defy conventional wisdom and show how to seize triumph out of turmoil.
Your Next Move: The Leader’s Guide to Navigating Major Career Transitions
by Michael D. Watkins (PhDDS ’92)
(Harvard Business Press)
Although leaders get their toughest tests in career transitions, far too often they fail to move effectively into new roles. Watkins shows how to survive and thrive in all major transitions during careers, including being promoted, joining a new organization, and moving internationally. He illustrates the hurdles associated with each type of transition with real-life examples and case studies.
Beyond Halftime: Practical Wisdom for Your Second Half
by Bob Buford (OPM 2, 1977)
(HarperCollins)
How You (tm) Are Like Shampoo for Job Seekers: The Proven Personal Branding System to Help You Succeed in any Interview and Secure the Job of Your Dreams
by Brenda Bence (MBA ’91)
(Global Insight Communications)
Strategic Customer Service: Managing the Customer Experience to Increase Positive Word of Mouth, Build Loyalty, and Maximize Profits
by John A. Goodman (MBA ’71)
(Amacom)
Managing the Publishing Process
by Ralph Hancox (PMD 26, 1973)
(CCSP Press)
Cured! The Insider's Handbook for Health Care Reform
by Stephen S.S. Hyde (MBA ’71)
(HobNob Publishing)
Cincinnatus: The Secret Plot to Save America (a thriller)
by Rusty McClure (MBA ’75) and Dave Stern
(Ternary Publishing)
Another Faust
by Daniel Nayeri and Dina Viergutz (MBA ’06)
(Candlewick)
Killer Mountain (a thriller)
by Peter Pinkham (MBA ’50)
(MFDC Press)
Event-Driven Architecture: How SOA Enables the Real-Time Enterprise
by Hugh Taylor (MBA ’92)
(Addison Wesley)
Strike from the Sea: U.S. Navy Attack Aircraft from Skyraider to Super Hornet, 1948-Present
by Tommy Thomason (MBA ’70)
(Specialty PR Publishers & Wholesalers)
Teaching Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Building on the Singapore Experiment
by Charles Hampden-Turner (MBA ’63)
(Cambridge University Press)
Innovating in a Global Crisis: Riding the Whirlwind of Recession
by Fons Trompenaars and Charles Hampden-Turner (MBA ’63)
(Infinite Ideas Limited)
Fortunes of War: Six Sentinels (a thriller)
by Gordon Zuckerman (MBA ’63)
(Greenleaf Book Group Press)
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