An actionable strategy guide for busy professionals who want to level up their management game In The Manager's Handbook, Stanford Graduate School of Business faculty member, serial entrepreneur, and investor in over 100 companies, David Dodson, delivers an insightful work that describes, in highly practical detail, five skills every great manager needs to know if they want to get things done. Managers desperately want a crisp, how-to book that will show them—in one single title—the way to master the most important skills necessary to run an organization. The Manager's Handbook organizes the five essential skills of effective implementation into one, simple-to-read, easy-to-use, book. The Manager's Handbook is an essential playbook for managers, executives, board members, and other business leaders interested in dramatically improving their ability to lead people and inspire loyalty. In the book, you’ll learn how to get better at running any kind of organization by breaking down each essential skill into bite-sized sub-skills you can easily and quickly learn. You'll also find: Digestible tips and tactics for hiring the best people, onboarding, performance feedback, and improving the performance of underachievers A model script for how to begin an exit interview Ways to let people go from your organization gracefully, quickly, and with compassion The Manager's Handbook is an essential playbook for managers, executives, board members, and other business leaders interested in dramatically improving their ability to lead people and inspire loyalty.

During the most dizzying days of the financial crisis, Washington Mutual, a bank with hundreds of billions of dollars in its coffers, suffered a crip-pling bank run. The story of its final, brutal collapse in the autumn of 2008, and its controversial sale to JPMorgan Chase, is an astonishing account of how one bank lost itself to greed and mismanagement, and how the entire financial industry--even the entire country--lost its way as well.
Written as compellingly as the finest fiction, "The Lost Bank" introduces readers to the regulators and the bankers, the home buyers and the lenders who together created the largest bank failure in American history. The result is a magisterial and gripping account of the incredible rise and the precipitous collapse of not only an institution but of trust, fortunes, and the marketplaces for risk across the world.

When Calouste Gulbenkian died in 1955 at the age of 86, he was the richest man in the world, known as 'Mr Five Per Cent' for his personal share of Middle East oil. The son of a wealthy Armenian merchant in Istanbul, for half a century he brokered top-level oil deals, concealing his mysterious web of business interests and contacts within a labyrinth of Asian and European cartels, and convincing governments and oil barons alike of his impartiality as an 'honest broker'. Today his name is known principally through the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, to which his spectacular art collection and most of his vast wealth were bequeathed.

Gulbenkian's private life was as labyrinthine as his business dealings. He insisted on the highest 'moral values', yet ruthlessly used his wife's charm as a hostess to further his career, and demanded complete obedience from his family, whom he monitored obsessively. As a young man he lived a champagne lifestyle, escorting actresses and showgirls, and in later life - on doctor's orders - he slept with a succession of discreetly provided young women. Meanwhile he built up a superb art collection which included Rembrandts and other treasures sold to him by Stalin from the Hermitage Museum.

Published to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, Mr Five Per Cent reveals Gulbenkian's complex and many-sided existence. Written with full access to the Gulbenkian Foundation's archives, this is the fascinating story of the man who more than anyone else helped shape the modern oil industry.

Nonprofit mergers are on the rise. Executive directors and board members are discovering the advantages: comprehensive service delivery, better finances, more powerful fundraising, increased market share. Bottom line, mergers make more mission possible. From assessing reasons and readiness, to finding a partner, to negotiating the best path, to budgeting and implementation, author David La Piana guides you through the maze of options with a steady hand. Based on experience with more than sixty mergers, this handbook is the perfect starting point for any nonprofit exploring a possible merger and a basic resource for all nonprofit managers. You'll find: how to decide what kind of structure from collaboration to merger meets your goals; how to know your own motivation and keep your mission forefront; what kind of merger best fits your goals, structure, and financial situation; how to seek merger partners and objectively assess the pros and cons of each; how to manage the boards essential role in merger considerations; how to exercise due diligence and write the merger agreement; how to deal with the rumor mill; what you can do yourself, when to call in attorneys and consultants, and how to select them; typical roadblocks and how to beat them; how to move past old history and build new traditions as you integrate staff, management, boards, systems, and corporate cultures; how to budget for and raise funds to implement the merger; and much more! Full merger case studies, decision trees, twenty-two worksheets, checklists, tips, milestones, an extensive resource section and many samples including the minutes of a completed merger negotiation give you concrete assistance with your own merger plans and implementation. A special chapter written for nonprofit organizational consultants explains their roles and responsibilities in assisting clients interested in merger.

FINALIST 2008 Book of the Year Awards, Career Category, ForeWord Magazine A must read for anyone hoping to launch a nonprofit career! Nonprofits need talented, creative people with all types of skills and experiences. The Nonprofit Career Guide will help you find the best opportunity for you and your interests. This hands-on guide is filled with practical advice from real people working at all levels of diverse nonprofits. In detailed profiles, you'll find out what their work is like, the career paths they followed, and what they look for when hiring new staff. Besides getting a sense of the scope and range of work opportunities, you'll find the most up-to-date information on how to: Prepare for a nonprofit career; Conduct targeted job searches and network effectively; Handle interviews with aplomb; Write persuasive cover letters and stellar resumes; Negotiate a competitive compensation package. With The Nonprofit Career Guide, you'll get the competitive edge you need to land a great first job and build a rewarding career in the nonprofit sector. Published by Fieldstone Alliance in collaboration with American Humanics.

Quick, practical management advice from Harvard Business Review to help you do your job better. Drawing from HBR's popular Management Tip of the Day newsletter, this concise, handy guide is packed with easy-to-read tips on a broad range of topics, organized into the two major skills every manager must master: managing yourself and managing your team. Management Tips 2: From Harvard Business Review puts the best management practices and insights, from top thinkers in the field, right at your fingertips. Pick it up any time you have a few minutes to spare, and you'll have a fresh, powerful idea you can immediately put into action. With this handy book as your guide, you'll stand the best chance of succeeding in your role as a manager.

Discover new ways to make charity a central part of your everyday life In The Everyday Philanthropist: A Better Way to Make a Better World, dedicated fundraiser and social impact veteran Dan Pallotta delivers an insightful and inspirational treatment of giving, charity, impact, overhead ratios, and philanthropy for people of all ages and abilities. This breakthrough exploration of charity and activism brings home the message that philanthropy is for everyone – from wealthy benefactors to high school activists and families who want their lives to impact their communities. In the book, you’ll find: New ideas about turning giving into a daily activity and a lifestyle focused on making a difference 32 digestible and easy-to-understand micro-chapters – complete with clear and helpful graphics – on critical aspects of everyday philanthropy Comprehensive and actionable info designed to make this book your pocket guide to giving An essential and engaging new way of thinking about charity, philanthropy, and giving, The Everyday Philanthropist is a must-read guide for activists, fundraisers, nonprofit managers and board members, and other social impact professionals and volunteers.

It's a common nonprofit complaint, "When we're dealing with such important issues why aren't more people listening?" It may be true that everyone should care about your mission, but virtue alone wont catch the attention of your target audiences or prompt their action. Message Matters: Succeeding at the Crossroads of Mission and Market helps you do both. It shows you how to develop messages that resonate with your audience's desires so they take the action you want.  Message Matters gives you a simple framework for making strategic decisions and guides you through five steps to produce a powerful, activating message. You'll learn how to:  Clarify the action you want Pinpoint who you want to take action Discover what your audience wants, hopes for, and desires Find the shared desires between your organization and your audience Convey your message effectively The ideas and approach in Message Matters build on the author's years of work across the spectrum of professional communications and management and address the everyday challenges facing todays organizations.  Examples and a case study bring key points to life. Examples from more than a dozen associations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, and government agencies show how they have advanced their causes by using the framework in this book. A special chapter brings the theory and process to life in a case study showing how an organization used strategic messages to build a nationwide movement to change the paradigm for preventing child abuse. Whether you want people to fund you, participate in your programs, vote your way, quote you, collaborate with you, or volunteer for you, moving people to action is essential to achieving your mission. Compelling communications is the starting point. Use Message Matters and start connecting to people in a way that moves them to action.

Throughout the world, capitalism and democracy are being challenged with great force. The world must change, but it cannot be changed by throwing money at old ideas that no longer work. There needs to be a new path to a new world where inequality is shrinking, where natural resources are regenerated, and people can benefit from shared prosperity. This is the world being created by the Impact Revolution. Pre-eminent international investor, entrepreneur, philanthropist and social finance innovator, Sir Ronald Cohen has dedicated two decades to leading the Impact Revolution to achieve real social and environmental change. As one of the founders of venture capital, which ushered in the Tech Revolution, he builds on his years of personal experience in IMPACT to deliver a compelling account of how impact investing is reshaping capitalism. Whether an aspiring young entrepreneur, an established business person, an investor, a philanthropist, or somebody in government - or are interested, as a consumer or employee, in companies doing good and doing well at the same time - IMPACT is a sure fire way to find out how to play a role in changing the world.

A growing number of nonprofit organizations have been created by immigrants and refugees to serve their communities in North America. These immigrant- and refugee-led organizations (IRLOs) work to provide services and meet a variety of needs, while at the same time building the infrastructure of these communities. Through a grant from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation Innovation Fund, Fieldstone Alliance initiated the two-year project in January 2004. The goal of Nexus was to enhance the knowledge and skills of capacity builders across North America in working with immigrant- and refugee-led organizations. The Nexus Project had two main components: research on capacity building with IRLOs and formation of a peer learning community among those who build the capacity of these organizations. This report draws three broad lessons for the capacity building field, with implications for the funding community, IRLOs, and capacity builders: effective capacity building takes time, which requires resources; more immigrant and refugee capacity builders are needed; and capacity builders need continuous learning and development. The Introduction describes the formation of the Nexus Project, its goals, and its working definitions. Chapter 1 describes the factors that result in effective capacity building with immigrant- and refugee-led organizations. Chapter 2 presents case studies from each of the Nexus partners. Each case study illustrates a practice used by Nexus partners when working with IRLOs. Chapter 3 details lessons Nexus partners learned through the course of this project. It further states implications of these lessons for those who fund work with IRLOs, for IRLO leaders, and for capacity building providers. The Appendices include a summary of IRLO research conducted by Wilder Research Center specifically for Nexus; a bibliography; and descriptions of the organizations and individuals who contributed to this report.

You are shrunk to the height of a penny and thrown in a blender. The blades start moving in sixty seconds. What do you do? If you want to work at Google, or any of the world’s top employers, you’ll need to have a convincing answer to this and countless other baffling puzzles. Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google? Reveals the new extreme interview questions in the postcrash, hypercompetitive job-market and uncovers the extraordinary lengths to which the best companies will go to find the right staff. Bestselling author William Poundstone guides readers through the surprising solutions to over a hundred of the most challenging conundrums used in interviews, as well as covering the importance of creative thinking, what your Facebook page says about you, and what really goes on inside the Googleplex. How will you fare?

All social relations are laden with power. Getting out from under dominant power relations and mastering power dynamics is perhaps the most essential skill for change agents across all sectors seeking to ignite positive change in the world.

This concise action manual explores major concepts of power, with a focus on the dynamics of domination and liberation, and presents methods for shifting power relations and enacting freedom. The Power Manual:

- Clearly distills the major theories of power from post-modern and feminist theory to business management and developmental psychology, and beyond

- Examines key ways that power is deployed and transformed in society

- Presents a new theory of power based on enactment―the bringing of something to life through one's actions

- Explains how to refuse powerless identities and enact powerful ones

- Helps readers choose egalitarian interactions over domination

- Demonstrates mastering the process of power expansion

- Features workshop games and group activities for identifying and shifting power relations.

This accessible action manual is ideal for change agents, leaders, and activists across all nonprofit and business sectors aiming to understand, master, and shift power relations.

Il testo fornisce un'attenta disanima delle principali nozioni economiche e giuridiche dei processi di finanza straordinaria e offre un'analisi comparativa delle principali operazioni di fusione ed acquisizione (M&A) rilevate nel 2007 nel nostro paese, con una particolare attenzione ai processi di governance. Il volume propone anche un sintetico modello di valutazione delle operazioni, fruibile sia a livello didattico sia di business. Conclude l'elaborato un'attento glossario tecnico. Prefazione a cura di Monica Ortolani. La postfazione a cura di Emiliano Ippoliti approfondisce tematiche legate ad alcune conseguenze economiche e sociali delle M&A.

"I hope these insights will encourage and enlighten you on your way to excellence," says Baggett. "Consider Dare to Lead your leadership compass, always available to help you get back on track when you find yourself veering off in the wrong direction." Some of his pearls of wisdom include:
- First and foremost, a good leader serves others.
- Enthusiasm is a way of life, not an emotion.
- Surround yourself with talent better than your own and carefully nurture it.
- Trust your judgment and be willing to act on it.
- Have a genuine concern for those you lead.
- Good leaders know how to help others achieve their full potential.
- Offer incentives that encourage others to take risks.
- A group of people committed to a shared vision can accomplish the impossible.

How do you grow your capital while still preserving it? And how do you use investment vehicles to contribute positively to your financial freedom and a comfortable retirement? The answer is simple: financial education is the precursor to good investment decision-making.

Invest Your Way To Wealth is the guide to financial literacy. From asset classes to forex markets, the time value of money, risky and risk-free assets, cap rates, property, debt, SMMEs and angel investors, Thobelani Maphumulo explains the financial terms and concepts ordinary South Africans need to know in order to become financially savvy quickly and, ultimately, to retire financially secure.

Easy to understand, practical and informative, Invest Your Way To Wealth is essential reading for fledgling investors who need a trustworthy and accessible guide to a range of investment options that will help preserve and grow their capital before they engage expensive experts. By using the knowledge and tools provided in this book, you, too, can watch your money grow.

Conversation-powered leadership How can leaders make their big or growing companies feel small again? How can they recapture the "magic"--the tight strategic alignment, the high level of employee engagement--that drove and animated their organization when it was a start-up? As more and more executives have discovered in recent years, the answer to this conundrum lies in the power of conversation. In Talk, Inc., Boris Groysberg and Michael Slind show how trusted and effective leaders are adapting the principles of face-to-face conversation in order to pursue a new form of organizational conversation. They explore the promise of conversation-powered leadership--from the time-tested practice of talking straight (and listening well) to the thoughtful adoption of social media technology. And they offer guidance on how to balance the benefits of open-ended talk with the realities of strategic execution. Drawing on the experience of leaders at diverse companies from around the world, Talk, Inc., offers provocative insights and user-friendly tips on how to make organizational culture more intimate, more interactive, more inclusive, and more intentional--in short, more conversational.

You've completed the merger agreement. Now, how do you make the merger work? Nonprofit Mergers Part II helps you create a comprehensive plan to achieve integration. It addresses large, strategic issues as well as small practical ones. Integration issues and how to handle them Section I: Going the Distance provides a broad view of integration, its challenges, and how to meet them. Topics include the basic tenets of organizational change; what success looks like in a well-implemented merger; the purpose and content of an integration plan; how to address people issues through leadership and planning; and the relationship between effective leadership, effective communication, and their combined contribution to integration success. How to create a useful integration plan Section II: Creating an Integration Plan takes you step-by-step through this essential process. You'll learn about integration of boards, cultures, management, staff and volunteers, programs, communications and marketing, and systems--one by one, in detail; the steps needed to create each section of the plan; common challenges, roadblocks, and crises that will arise, and how to respond when they do; and processes, procedures, and interventions likely to be most helpful and necessary. Software helps you create an organized plan Included with the book is a CD-ROM with a detailed integration plan template. Use it to keep your planning organized and on track. This useful guide also includes sample integration plans, worksheets, checklists, and tips and quotes from leaders of merged organizations. Nonprofit Mergers Part II is a must-read for anyone considering, embarking on, of just completing a merger

You've completed the merger agreement. Now, how do you make the merger work? Nonprofit Mergers Part II helps you create a comprehensive plan to achieve integration. It addresses large, strategic issues as well as small practical ones. Integration issues and how to handle them Section I: Going the Distance provides a broad view of integration, its challenges, and how to meet them. Topics include the basic tenets of organizational change; what success looks like in a well-implemented merger; the purpose and content of an integration plan; how to address people issues through leadership and planning; and the relationship between effective leadership, effective communication, and their combined contribution to integration success. How to create a useful integration plan Section II: Creating an Integration Plan takes you step-by-step through this essential process. You'll learn about integration of boards, cultures, management, staff and volunteers, programs, communications and marketing, and systems--one by one, in detail; the steps needed to create each section of the plan; common challenges, roadblocks, and crises that will arise, and how to respond when they do; and processes, procedures, and interventions likely to be most helpful and necessary. Software helps you create an organized plan Included with the book is a CD-ROM with a detailed integration plan template. Use it to keep your planning organized and on track. This useful guide also includes sample integration plans, worksheets, checklists, and tips and quotes from leaders of merged organizations. Nonprofit Mergers Part II is a must-read for anyone considering, embarking on, of just completing a merger

A practical resource for facilitators who want to introduce positive, strength-based perspectives into their work and trainings, this book provides an overview of Appreciative Inquiry's positive psychology and strength-based change methods. Author Robyn Stratton-Berkessel explores basic principles and practices, shows you how to incorporate AI into existing work, and offers practical advice for designing new trainings. She provides a variety of ready-to-deliver workshops on topics such as leadership, diversity, technology, creativity, change, innovation, learning, collaboration, coaching, and team-building. In addition, she suggests how to make the outcomes of an Appreciative Inquiry session stick and what it takes to make these valuable approaches self-sustaining.

A first in the field of Appreciative Inquiry, this important resource provides twenty one ready-to-use workshops for facilitators, leaders, consultants, and trainers who want to empower others in creating collaborative solutions.

"What you learn in a single book can change everything. Appreciative Inquiry for Collaborative Solutions is Robyn Stratton-Berkessel at her very best?helping all of us open ourselves to our best selves, envision possibilities, and get in touch with our own and other's strengths. A brilliantly applied book?with over 21 workshops ready for prime time delivery?helping leaders tap the revolutionary power of appreciative inquiry or "AI" for creating value for customers, suppliers, team members, shareholders, and families. Are you ready to walk on the strengths-based side of organization development and leadership? This inspiring volume will propel you upward step by step?it takes AI from concept to reality in an eloquent, empowering, and utterly engaging way."
?David Cooperrider, Fairmount Minerals Professor at Case Western Reserve University's Weatherhead School of Management

"Both inspiring and highly practical, this book will be an invaluable and no doubt well-thumbed addition to your library of Appreciative Inquiry resources, whether you are a novice or an experienced practitioner "
?Sue James, partner, BJ Seminars

"Ms. Stratton-Berkessel's work leaves the reader with a clear understanding of why Appreciative Inquiry is such a powerful change model. Those new to Appreciative Inquiry will marvel at her unique explanation of the 'phases' of Appreciative Inquiry. Those more familiar with Appreciative Inquiry will enjoy her explanations and examples."
?Timothy Germany, commissioner, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service

"A practical approach grounded in personal experience... this book] shows that Appreciative Inquiry is not a luxury but a necessity for organizational success."
?Annalie Killian, catalyst for magic AMP, producer of the AMPLIFY Innovation & Thought Leadership Festival, Sydney, Australia

Innovation may be the hottest discipline around today--in business circles and beyond. And for good reason. Innovation transforms companies and markets. It's the key to solving vexing social problems. And it makes or breaks professional careers. For all the enthusiasm the topic inspires, however, the practice of innovation remains stubbornly impenetrable. No longer. In The Little Black Book of Innovation, long-time innovation expert Scott D. Anthony draws on stories from his research and field work with companies like Procter & Gamble to demystify innovation. In his trademark conversational and lively style, Anthony presents a simple definition of innovation, breaks down the essential differences between types of innovation, and illuminates innovation's vital role in organizational success and personal growth. This unique hybrid of professional memoir and business guidebook also provides a powerful 28-day program for mastering innovation's key steps: * Finding insight * Generating ideas * Building businesses * Strengthening innovation prowess in your workforce and organization With its wealth of illustrative case studies and vignettes from a range of companies around the globe, this engaging and potent playbook is a must-read for anyone seeking to turn themselves or their companies into true innovation powerhouses.

The step-by-step guide to successful forums Community forums are powerful tools for educating the public, building consensus, focusing action, and influencing policy. Since 1993, the Wilder Foundation has sponsored over 70 community forums on a wide variety of topics. Based on the authors’ experience with the Foundation’s Community Forums Project and other organizations, this book can help you Clarify your goals and decide whether a forum is the best way to achieve them Select the best type of forum to meet your goals Develop a timeline, create a budget, and recruit sponsors Manage the logistics of event planning and execution Sustain the results and bring about lasting, desired changes Sample documents, detailed worksheets, and a comprehensive checklist lead you through the process. “Forums on a Shoestring� sidebars suggest ways to get big results with little time or money. A detailed resource section points you toward helpful books, articles, organizations, and web sites. Recommended for all kinds of community groups, meant to be used in many situations, The Wilder Nonprofit Field Guide to Conducting Community Forums gives you quick-and-easy access to the information, models, advice, and best practices you need to make the most of your next forum.

Framing sound marketing principles within the context of customer service, Weingand demonstrates how current marketing ideas and strategies can contribute to effective library and information center management. This new edition of Weingand's practical handbook gives a broad overview of the entire marketing/planning system-from a working definition of marketing, creating a marketing team, and developing a mission to conducting a marketing audit, setting goals, creating an action plan, designing and pricing the product, connecting to customers, promoting services, and evaluating the end result. In each of these areas, Weingand has updated the information, added new scenarios and figures, even restructured some of the concepts. Special attention is given to the relationship between the library's mission and vision, and a more thorough discussion of budgetary considerations is offered. A new chapter that focuses on the future and the library's role in the next millennium concludes the work. This basic g