Management Challenges for the 21st Century
by Peter F. Drucker

In this book, Peter F. Drucker discusses the new paradigms of management—how they have changed and will continue to change our basic assumptions about the practices and principles of management. Drucker analyzes the new realities of strategy, shows how to be a leader in periods of change, and explains “the New Information Revolution,” discussing the information an executive needs and the information an executive owes.

Incisive, challenging, and mind-stretching, Drucker’s new book is forward-looking and forward-thinking. It combines the broad knowledge, wide practical experience, profound insight, sharp analysis, and enlightened common sense that are the essence of Drucker’s writings, which are continuing international bestsellers and “landmarks of the managerial professional.”

(This book review was originally published in 1999 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 2.)

Journey to the Emerald City
by Roger Connors and Tom Smith

Building on the success of their previous book, The Oz Principle, the authors explore the direct link between a company’s culture and the results it produces. Journey to the Emerald City details a clear road map for accelerating the move to a culture of accountability in which people focus on achieving the results critical to a company’s future.

Filled with success stories, Connors and Smith introduce a step-by-step model to help people at any level of the organization take action that will alter the culture’s belief system in order to produce the desired results.

Rather than presenting a formula for “one best way” to run an organization, the authors have provided a practical and powerful desktop guide for any organization or team leader who has a genuine interest in shifting his or her organizational culture in a “non-cookie-cutter” format.

(This book review was originally published in 1999 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 2.)

The Oz Principle: Getting Results through Individual and Organizational Accountability
by Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman

Like all powerful literature, The Wizard of Oz continues to enthrall audiences because its plot strikes a nerve in most everyone. The book recounts a journey toward awareness, and, from the beginning of their journey, the story’s main characters gradually learn that they possess the power within themselves to get the results they want.

Through these beloved characters, the authors draw many likenesses between the Land of Oz and today’s challenging workplace. The Oz Principle shows how to create a sense of urgency and accountability for change that unleashes a power that only comes when each employee, at every level, fulfills their obligation and realizes the opportunity to participate in creating solutions.

This engaging book will put a smile on your face, warmth in your heart, and real-life tools and strategies in your hands. No doubt, you’ll be sharing the contents of The Oz Principle with everyone you work with.

(This book review was originally published in 1999 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 2.)

Walk the Talk … And Get the Results You Want
by Eric Harvey and Alexander Lucia

CAUTION! This is a book you’ll find yourself reading time and time again. It is so captivating that several of our CEO clients have purchased a copy for each of their managers and supervisors. It educates and entertains through the journey of two fictitious characters who reveal the many pitfalls that typically lay hidden from management. Walk the Talk will arm you with the solutions to overcome these barriers.

Walk the Talk has answers to some of the most pressing business challenges facing us today and tomorrow. Everyone from corporate executives to individual contributors will benefit from these results-oriented principles and techniques for building a productive, enjoyable and high-performance culture.

The authors have created an entertaining and practical tool to help you understand the power and simplicity of walking the talk. It’s an invaluable tool for anyone who works with or through other people.

(This book review was originally published in 1999 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 2.)

The Stuff of Heroes: The Eight Universal Laws of Leadership
by William A. Cohen

Dr. William A. Cohen presents the high road to leadership through the eyes of hundreds of outstanding chief executives and combat leaders. This is a book that shows you how to get ahead, not by fighting your way to the top but by helping others to the top.

What does it take to be an outstanding leader? Creative genius? A tough image? Charismatic charm? No, it’s much simpler. But it’s also much harder. Do you have what it takes? Are you willing to do what is right even when no one is looking? That’s the essence of universal law number one—what Peter Drucker calls Cohen’s “root law.” Integrity is a simple concept, but Dr. Cohen brings it to dramatic life with stirring tales from combat, and he demonstrates its complexity in the real life of business.

This book will show you how to develop and put to use a variety of sound and proven principles. The author’s practical advice and pointed anecdotes from leaders who have passed the test will inspire and encourage you. The benefits to both your organization and your personal and professional life will be tremendous.

(This book review was originally published in 1999 as one of the Top 10 Books – Edition 1.)