Career Year is a story about an intellectual who mentors a professional baseball player. The book is an entertaining blend of self-improvement, philosophy, business, and baseball. This is a self-help book not afraid to poke fun at its own advice. Coaches, teachers, athletes, mentors, business executives, entrepreneurs, sales professionals, musicians, and baseball fans will benefit from this short and easy-to-read book. The story includes a collection of practical ideas to help you personally and professionally. The characters are fictional, but the challenges facing them are real. The fable has plenty of "what if" scenarios and thought-provoking material you can discuss with friends, co-workers, and colleagues. Baseball fans will love Career Year.

It takes strength to compete. Becoming a well-known and well-regarded brand enhances a company's strength. Internal branding-especially in service industries-is essential for longevity, great competitive strength, and high financial value. Driven by a shared, authentic corporate culture and guided by top management, employees will build brand value in all their actions and interactions every day. Create a Brand That Inspires: How to Sell, Organize, and Sustain Internal Branding effectively addresses three core brand management challenges in readers' organizations: selling the brand to senior management, organizing the brand on all management levels, and living the brand within each of the company's internal communities. The book includes sixteen international case studies complete with pictures, interviews and examples from a wide range of industries. The long-term, hands-on experience of the co-authors and their unique perspectives on how to successfully develop and manage internal branding make this study a rewarding read for executives, managers and team leaders.

The world of investing and personal finance can be a very intimidating place. It has a daunting number of components and can seem excessively complex. Because of this, in today's difficult and unpredictable economy Americans of all ages are struggling. But perhaps no demographic currently struggles more with their money than do young adults, many of whom are enormously unprepared to manage their personal finances when they join the workforce. A Pathway to Financial Independence for Young Adults is a great resource designed to help you make sense of your finances. Each chapter is filled with useful advice, clever graphics, and easy-to-understand examples. Unlike traditional financial guides, which can be extremely complicated and tedious to read, this book explains personal finance using clear, practical language with an emphasis on truly understanding how to manage your money. So if you are a young adult and beginning to really think about your finances, this book can help you. If you have credit card debt and want to know how to get out of it, this book can help you. If you do not have much experience with investment or retirement accounts, this book can help you. And most importantly, if you want a logical yet effective text to assist you in planning your financial future in a step-by-step progression, this book can help you. A Pathway to Financial Independence for Young Adults is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding how to climb the pathway toward money mastery.

Manana in Cuba is a comprehensive analysis of contemporary Cuba with an incisive perspective of the Cuban frame of mind and its relevancy for Cuba's future. Part one of the book critically explores the mindset Cubans have developed living under a totalitarian system and introduces modern concepts of choice architecture and governance that can be employed Manana in Cuba to foster a democratic civil society. Part two turns to a discussion of the principles that should guide sociopolitical and economic transition policies in line with Cuban culture and history. Manana in Cuba offers a sophisticated analysis of the challenges and opportunities that will be present in post-Castro Cuba with an eye to intelligent, nuanced, and often "outside the box" solutions to aid business and government policymakers interested in Cuba's future. A unique aspect of this book is that it does not seek to unnaturally mend a decimated civil society, but rather, it offers policy approaches anchored on current Cuban ethos and society. This is a book about finding ways to facilitate the Cuban transition from totalitarianism and a centrally planned economy to liberal democracy and a free-market economic system. As the author argues, the alternative visions presented for Cuba's future matter because one of them will crystallize into the sociopolitical and economic narrative of the country for generations to come.

What a wild ride it has been. From trading penny stocks in high school stock market competitions following the '1987 Crash', to trading billions of dollars whilst elbowing with the likes of Eric Schmidt (CEO of Google), Jeff Bezos (CEO of Amazon), and John Chambers (CEO of Cisco Systems)...I have seen it all! There is no playbook for managing billions of dollars, starting your own investment firm, and running a hedge fund. My life story has been rather circuitous, taking me everywhere from California to New York and from Australia to China along the way. I even took a 9 year pit-stop in the heartland, where I managed a $20,000,000.00+ fund at American Century Investments. As a freshly minted MBA grad from Cornell University in 1998, I never expected in my wildest dreams to land on one of the 10 largest funds in the country. America, what a great place to live! My journey eventually sucked me back towards the Pacific Ocean, where I now lead my investment practice in Newport Beach, CA.

This book is the businessperson's guide to influencing government decisions without incurring the cost of a professional lobbyist, at a time when those decisions are, increasingly, a key to survival. When big corporations want to influence the government, they hire pricey lobbyists. But little guys have been on their own—until now. Equally useful to entrepreneurs and established owner/managers, Be Your Own Lobbyist: How to Give Your Small Business Big Clout with State and Local Government is a businessperson's guide to getting heard by government decision-makers by using the same tactics professionals employ. Readers will learn how to lobby in a compelling, sophisticated way through a comprehensive approach that will work at any level, but the book is especially suited to state and local government where routine decisions can mean life or death for small- and medium-sized businesses. The book not only explains the building blocks of advocacy—targeting, tools, and tactics—but also applies them to specific, common challenges like seeking a variance or fighting an ordinance. Packed with examples and easily adaptable models, Be Your Own Lobbyist shows how even a small business can get a fair shake in the halls of government.

Who can you turn to when you see financial troubles on the horizon? Who has experienced the effects of the law and its unintended consequences on you and your family? What bills should you deal with first to minimize the damage? Who can show you how to delay judgments and/or foreclosure without an attorney? Who can explain what steps you should take so you can plan for the worst? Who can show you the details of a bad loan sold to you by greedy mortgage companies? Paul Stemborowski is that person! Paul has spent the last ten years restructuring finances for thousands of people, helping them avert financial catastrophe. He has also helped thousands after they went bankrupt. In his attempt to solve every problem for everyone, he listened to all the stories in an attempt to learn from clients past experience. The outcome was a person with the knowledge and negotiating skills everyone facing financial issues wanted to talk to.

The purpose of this book is to put in writing the things I heard from the employees at the lower levels of different organizations; their ideas, suggestions, concerns, feelings, and-why not?-their genuine complains and frustrations. I hope this book helps to open the minds, hearts and souls of those who supervise people at any level of the organization, and not only the doors of theirs offices, to listen to what the employees want or need to say. They may be right or wrong as anybody else. If they are right, tell them what you plan to do, act accordingly and provide them with frequent feedback; if they are wrong, explain to them why they are wrong in a clear and specific manner. Organizations must make sure that supervisors are instructed to be available to their direct reports and listen to them. Fear, the main reason for employees not to speak to their supervisors, must be removed from the work environment because it closes the doors to many good ideas including significant cost saving suggestions, erodes people's commitment, causes decrease in productivity and increase in employee turnover among other diseases. Sometimes the lack of communication is not necessary caused by fear but by supervisors who apparently are listening to employees without taking any action or providing adequate feedback. People understand yes followed by action and feedback, and they understand no when the reasons are clearly explained to them; but there is something that people can't understand and usually creates anger, resentment and frustration: to be ignored.

It's about time business is taught a good lesson.or ten What can you do when you are instructed to motivate an employee who is belligerent? Should you spill the beans on your boss who is lying to management? Why do good managers turn bad when they suddenly report to a bad manager? What would have happened if the boy in "The Emperor's New Clothes" lived in the business world when he declared the king naked? The ending will surprise you. Are all mission statements necessary? What are the consequences of ignoring good business travel techniques? "Ten Vital Lessons for Good Business" answers the questions above while entertaining and educating you, the businessperson, through a series of amusing vignettes with interesting characters. For example, you will meet my Silly Boss, who purposefully ignored his stomach sickness and was almost stranded in a third-world country; Large Woman, whose bad attitude created a disturbance in Switzerland; and Jerkzilla, who learned a valuable lesson after years of antagonizing his fellow employees. You were taught to work hard to succeed and survive in business. Unfortunately, you were not taught what to do when your boss is a poor leader with poor judgment, when businesspeople lie about their company's financial performance, or when management repackages bad news and calls it good news. "Ten Vital Lessons for Good Business" addresses these issues and many more. This book is a must read for all working people-from the new employee to the CEO. After reading this book you will realize why some businesspeople are frustrated and kick their dog or their neighbor's dog. Improve your business life-read "Ten Vital Lessons for Good Business." Those close to you will thank you for it.

"Energizing Workplace Performance" describes a proven system for implementing performance management in any organization. Validated with hundreds of private, public and non-profit organizations throughout the world over a 30 year period it has the demonstrated capability to generate substantial productivity increases and help realize human potential in the workplace. The author has personally implemented this performance management system in his own companies and has brought it to client organizations through his work as a management consultant. Dr. Resnick brings the richness of decades of organizational development experience to life through the text. Written in a conversational tone for executives, managers and human resource professionals, this book contains the theory, the empirical evidence and the "how to do it" guidelines that makes the difficult task of building organizational alignment and maximizing human performance both practical and achievable.

This book is about effective management techniques for managers with or without formal training in managing organizations.

This work is intended to raise the awareness level of all readers to the broad scope of taxes that we pay in a variety of forms to the federal, state and local governments in the United States. Most of the tax burdens that we live with are the result of our elected officials catering to special interest groups such as lobbyists, unions, major contributors and the like. Many social programs, including our entire education system, that are funded by our taxes in one form or another are loaded with scandal, abuse and waste. Regrettably, the majority of US citizens don't take the time or make any effort to develop a better understanding of how our tax dollars are raised by the different governmental bodies nor do they know where a substantial portion of the money is spent. This book makes an attempt to provide such basic information to the average taxpaying citizen about a broad range of taxes and fees we pay that have been worked into our lives by unchallenged legislation and related regulations. The cumulative effect of the current system, that has so invisibly emptied the pockets and pocket books of many, must be stopped. My hope is that every reader of this book will want to learn more and more about these tax abuses and other forms of widespread mismanagement and corruption on the part of our legislators that will motivate us all to put an end to their practices once and for all by taking their power from them.

Anyone who has ever played an organized sport knows that in order to beat your opponent, you not only need to have a good team and proven skills but you also need to have a game plan or strategy BEFORE you enter the game. The same is true in the game of life and this is especially true with regards to those situations that look like they could ruin you financially, emotionally, physically, or spiritually. A lot of self-help books offer you prosperity training or financial planning training, but very few, if any, offer you training on how to prepare-for-the-worst that could come your way. This book, I believe, will offer you a game plan in this area of preparing yourself for life-threatening and life-changing situations. A specific game plan that I use that has worked to prepare me to get through those worst-days-of-your life is simple and has only four parts to if. 1) Develop a Life Perspective as soon as you can. 2) View the situation in its proper perspective. reality of the present situation to take proactive steps to prepare yourself mentally and spiritually to carry you through the valley of the shadow of death. 4) Stay focused in time of trouble by learning and following the steps of how to deal with the End of Days moments.

Do you ever feel tired of everyone wanting your money? Do you ever get frustrated from sorting through the many charity letters, requesting you for more money? Do you ever wonder if your donation really helps? If you answer yes, then you know the burdens that come from giving. Whether it is a small grassroots nonprofit in your hometown or national appeals on television to dial in your donation, then you understand that it takes wisdom and discernment to give responsibly. In today's world, the centrality of philanthropy is money, and specifically, your money is wanted. But what nonprofits need is not more money, but leadership. Philanthropic leadership is the tipping point if you are going to make a difference. Rather than raising more money, nonprofits need for you to rise up and lead. A philanthropic leader understands that money cannot and has not solved the world's gravest problems within the developing world, nor does it create sustainability. Yes, money pays bills and produces salaries, but at the end of the day, nonprofits need you and your leadership more than they need your money. In Everyone Wants Your Money, Dr. Keller draws from his own experience of giving millions of dollars to charities, to working alongside other philanthropists globally. Wrestling with the burdens of giving to celebrating the joys of being a blessing, Keller explores the many facets of giving. From true stories of giving to scenarios of the conventional, counter, and creative future of philanthropy, this book outlines the heart of the philanthropic leader. Since the heart of philanthropy, the etymology of philanthropy is love of mankind, then every philanthropic leader understands that love changes lives through personal relationships. It is not money that nonprofit organizations need, but you. Will you be a blessing by becoming a philanthropic leader?

CEOs and team leaders from Fortune 500 companies and venture-backed start-ups often complain that they have trouble keeping their teams motivated. But what if it's actually not the job of the leaders to motivate their teams? What if team members were responsible for motivating themselves and for bringing their own professional, positive, helpful, best selves to work each day? What might change in companies if teams lived up to this expectation? In The Motivation Trap, John Hittler draws on the knowledge he has acquired from years of coaching individuals, teams, and organizations and proposes a new way to lead. He unwraps the energetic underpinnings of motivation, explains why it holds big limitations, and points out where and when to employ it as an effective tool in leading management teams. He walks readers through additional tools and suggests how and when to use them to create high-achieving teams who find enjoyment in their work and are ready to take initiative. His simple, easy-to-use tools will bring team members together so they can accomplish highly leveraged success. With the wisdom he provides in The Motivation Trap, Hittler helps leaders produce great results for their team members, for themselves, and for their organizations.