Recommended Resources – The Leader’s Pocket Guide

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The Leader’s Pocket Guide: 101 Indispensable Tools, Tips, and Techniques for Any Situation
by John Baldoni

About the Book

The Leader’s Pocket Guide by John Baldoni is a well organized collection of leadership principles focused on one’s self, colleagues, and organization. In his book, John provides readers with insights on a wide array of topics including:

  • Demonstrating character
  • Developing confidence
  • Inspiring others
  • Resolving conflict
  • Coaching and rewarding others
  • Aligning the organization to shared goals

Benefits of Using this Book

StrategyDriven Contributors like The Leader’s Pocket Guide for its immediately implementable advice relevant to leaders at all levels within an organization. Specifically, we liked the action tips, self-assessments, and ‘Think About…’ sections of John’s book, all of which challenge the reader to reflect on his or her leadership acumen to identify and improve on areas of weakness.

We found the layout of The Leader’s Pocket Guide to be advantageous for use in developing one’s subordinates. The individualized leadership lessons enable managers to conduct training and/or group discussion sessions focused on a particular principle. Additionally, this segmentation allows the book to be used in daily reflection to help one hone his or her own leadership skills.

The insightful, actionable leadership principles presented in this well organized book makes The Leader’s Pocket Guide a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Recommended Resources – Tough Truths

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Tough TruthsTough Truths: The Ten Leadership Lessons We Don’t Talk About
by Deirdre Maloney

About the Book

Tough Truths by Deirdre Maloney is a collection of ten (plus one) uncomfortable to acknowledge and even more difficult to practice lessons embodied by great leaders. Within her book, Deirdre covers topics from personal Politics, Fear, and Energy to Reputation, Stories, and Hunger. Each examines the often unspoken realities of each topic, how the most successful leaders deal with the challenge, and actions readers can take to improve their leadership skills.

Benefits of Using this Book

StrategyDriven Contributors like Tough Truths for the simple, direct way in which Deirdre deals with the several personal challenges each leader faces. We appreciated both the real-world examples and immediately implementable actions provided for each area of discussion. This book could easily be used in daily reflection by new and seasoned business leaders and/or as a tool to mentor others.

As a seasoned leader, I did not find Tough Truths to be particularly revealing. But perhaps I’ve simply attended the same school of hard knocks Deirdre did. Regardless, her book was a sound reminder of what should be important to a leader and reflective of those I’ve most admired and aspired to emulate throughout my career.

As leaders, we need to remind ourselves of the character and practices we need to embody in order to motivate and inspire others. Tough Truths serves as a excellent reminder of those important aspects of leadership we, through complacency, may otherwise forget. For actionably addressing the difficult challenges of leadership, Tough Truths is a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Recommended Resources – The Welcomer Edge

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The Welcomer Edge: Unlocking the Secrets to Repeat Business
by Richard Shapiro

About the Book

The Welcomer Edge by Richard Shapiro explores the customer experience that converts first time customers into repeat buyers. Richard characterizes four types of sales persons; highlighting the advantage ‘welcomers’ have over others not so personally engaging.

  • Welcomers draw new customers to a business and keep them by establishing a relationship with their clients.
  • Robots go through the motions in their client interactions and do not create a personal connection.
  • Indifferent employees overtly communicate a lack of caring to their customers; rarely saying ‘hello’ and ‘thank you.’
  • Hostiles do not want to be at work and make this sentiment obvious to their customers.

Robert goes on to reveal how those who are not currently welcomers can work to develop the key mindsets and approaches to embody this approach; thereby increasing customer satisfaction and sales.

Benefits of Using this Book

StrategyDriven Contributors like The Welcomers Edge for its highly insightful, example filled examination of the various degrees of one-on-one customer relationship management. We appreciate the detailed personality descriptions that enable managers to identify the approach type of their front-line employees as well as the prescription for developing individual’s welcomer abilities.

If we had one criticism of the book it would be that Richard uses too many examples; going a bit beyond what is needed to effectively make a point. But then again, can one really have too many examples?

The Welcomer Edge provides business leaders with the crucial insight needed to ensure they have the best client facing people, individuals who will convert and retain potential customers. For its actionable, example rich insights driving organizational goal achievement, The Welcomer Edge is a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Recommended Resources – The Complete Idiot’s Guide to LinkedIn

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The Complete Idiot’s Guide to LinkedIn
by Susan Gunelius

About the Book

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to LinkedIn by Susan Gunelius provides step-by-step instructions for using the full array of interactive tools provided by the professionals’ social media website, LinkedIn. Some of the topics covered include:

  • Creating a personal profile that is more than an online resume
  • Developing a dynamic company profile
  • Establishing a LinkedIn Group and attracting and engagement members
  • Connecting and interacting with others on LinkedIn
  • Formulating and executing on a LinkedIn marketing plan

Susan’s book provides tips and tricks throughout her book to help the reader be even more effective in their use of LinkedIn.

Benefits of Using this Book

In today’s business world, an online presence is critically important for individuals and businesses. We believe all professionals should have a complete, up-to-date LinkedIn profile as a part of their outward personal brand. Likewise, companies have an opportunity to attract customers and talent through their LinkedIn profiles.

StrategyDriven Contributors like The Complete Idiot’s Guide to LinkedIn for its clear, easy-to-follow instructions for making effective use of LinkedIn. We find LinkedIn to be a powerful tool for professional interactions and have successfully employed Susan’s recommendations to enhance our interactions. In fact, StrategyDriven‘s Company Page was developed using Susan’s instructions and is enjoying an ever increasing number of weekly visitors.

The Complete Idiot’s Guide to LinkedIn can accelerate a professional’s and company’s efforts to establish a quality LinkedIn presence and effectively engage with others online; making it a StrategyDriven recommended read.

Final Thought…

LinkedIn recently changed some of its ‘look and feel’ with respect to its Company Profile pages. We’ve tested these and found that while the look has changed the functionality remains largely the same and The Complete Idiot’s Guide to LinkedIn continues to be a sound reference for this LinkedIn functionality.

Recommended Resources – Little Black Book of Connections

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Little Black Book of Connections: 6.5 Assets for Networking Your Way to Rich Relationships
by Jeffrey Gitomer

About the Book

Little Black Book of Connections by Jeffrey Gitomer provides practical, step-by-step methods for connecting with others in a wide variety of different roles including:

  • Superiors
  • Mentors
  • Co-workers
  • Customers
  • Vendors
  • Family and friends

As with his other books and numerous articles, Jeffrey addresses each communication challenge with a concise list of immediately implementable actions augmented by insightful tips for further improving individual performance.

Benefits of Using this Book

Connecting with others is the foundation of individual success. Without personal connections, we are unable to positively engage and influence those around us in a way that propels us to the achievement of our personal and professional goals.

StrategyDriven Contributors like the Little Black Book of Connections for its immediately actionable advice for creating meaningful relationships with others in a way that positively engages them to support the communicator. We’ve implemented many of the recommendations Jeffrey presents in his book to great success.

Jeffrey’s principles for connecting with others promote respectful engagement. Recommendations contained within the Little Black Book of Connections focus on positive relationship building through the offering of open, honest communications and meaningful value provision by the communicator.

Little Black Book of Connections provides immediately actionable methods for effectively engaging others in a positive, respectful manner making it a StrategyDriven recommended read.