Recommendations based on "Creating Magic"

Hardback in excellent condition.

Cal Newport's clearly-written manifesto flies in the face of conventional wisdom by suggesting that it should be a person's talent and skill - and not necessarily their passion - that determines their career path.Newport, who graduated from Dartmouth College (Phi Beta Kappa) and earned a PhD. from MIT, contends that trying to find what drives us, instead of focusing on areas in which we naturally excel, is ultimately harmful and frustrating to job seekers.The title is a direct quote from comedian Steve Martin who, when once asked why he was successful in his career, immediately replied: "Be so good they can't ignore you" and that's the main basis for Newport's book. Skill and ability trump passion.Inspired by former Apple CEO Steve Jobs' famous Stanford University commencement speech in which Jobs urges idealistic grads to chase their dreams, Newport takes issue with that advice, claiming that not only is thsi advice Pollyannish, but that Jobs himself never followed his own advice.From there, Newport presents compelling scientific and contemporary case study evidence that the key to one's career success is to find out what you do well, where you have built up your 'career capital,' and then to put all of your efforts into that direction.

In 2010 world-renowned innovation expert Clayton M. Christensen gave a powerful speech to the Harvard Business School's graduating class. Drawing upon his business research, he offered a series of guidelines for finding meaning and happiness in life. He used examples from his own experiences to explain how high achievers can all too often fall into traps that lead to unhappiness.The speech was memorable not only because it was deeply revealing but also because it came at a time of intense personal reflection: Christensen had just overcome the same type of cancer that had taken his father's life. As Christensen struggled with the disease, the question "How do you measure your life?" became more urgent and poignant, and he began to share his insights more widely with family, friends, and students.In this groundbreaking book, Christensen puts forth a series of questions: How can I be sure that I'll find satisfaction in my career? How can I be sure that my personalrelationships become enduring sources of happiness? How can I avoid compromising my integrity—and stay out of jail? Using lessons from some of the world's greatest businesses, he provides incredible insights into these challenging questions.How Will You Measure Your Life? is full of inspiration and wisdom, and will help students, midcareer professionals, and parents alike forge their own paths to fulfillment.

"This is not a book about charismatic visionary leaders. It is not about visionary product concepts or visionary products or visionary market insights. Nor is it about just having a corporate vision. This is a book about something far more important, enduring, and substantial. This is a book about visionary companies." So write Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in this groundbreaking book that shatters myths, provides new insights, and gives practical guidance to those who would like to build landmark companies that stand the test of time.Drawing upon a six-year research project at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business, Collins and Porras took eighteen truly exceptional and long-lasting companies -- they have an average age of nearly one hundred years and have outperformed the general stock market by a factor of fifteen since 1926 -- and studied each company in direct comparison to one of its top competitors. They examined the companies from their very beginnings to the present day -- as start-ups, as midsize companies, and as large corporations. Throughout, the authors asked: "What makes the truly exceptional companies different from other companies?"What separates General Electric, 3M, Merck, Wal-Mart, Hewlett-Packard, Walt Disney, and Philip Morris from their rivals? How, for example, did Procter & Gamble, which began life substantially behind rival Colgate, eventually prevail as the premier institution in its industry? How was Motorola able to move from a humble battery repair business into integrated circuits and cellular communications, while Zenith never became dominant in anything other than TVs? How did Boeing unseat McDonnell Douglas as the world's best commercial aircraft company -- what did Boeing have that McDonnell Douglas lacked?By answering such questions, Collins and Porras go beyond the incessant barrage of management buzzwords and fads of the day to discover timeless qualities that have consistently distinguished out-standing companies. They also provide inspiration to all executives and entrepreneurs by destroying the false but widely accepted idea that only charismatic visionary leaders can build visionary companies.Filled with hundreds of specific examples and organized into a coherent framework of practical concepts that can be applied by managers and entrepreneurs at all levels, Built to Last provides a master blueprint for building organizations that will prosper long into the twenty-first century and beyond.

In this groundbreaking health and lifestyle guide, Darin Olien—superfoods expert, nutritionist, creator of Shakeology, and co-host of the Netflix docuseries Down to Earth with Zac Efron—provides the key to understanding and utilizing five life forces, the sole factors that determine whether or not we will be healthy, fit, and free of illness.In Superlife, Darin Olien provides us with an entirely new way of thinking about health and wellbeing by identifying what he calls the life forces: Quality Nutrition, Hydration, Detoxification, Oxygenation, and Alkalization. Olien demonstrates in great detail how to maintain these processes, thereby allowing our bodies to do the rest. He tells us how we can maintain healthy weight, prevent even the most serious of diseases, and feel great. He explains that all of this is possible without any of the restrictive or gimmicky diet plans that never work in the long term.Olien has traveled the world, exploring the health properties of foods that have sustained indigenous cultures for centuries. Putting his research into practice, he has created a unique and proven formula for maximizing our bodies’ potential. He also includes a “How-to-eat” user’s guide with a shopping list, advice on “what to throw away,” a guide to creating a healthy, balanced diet plan, and advice on how to use supplements effectively.Written in Olien’s engaging conversational style, Superlife is a one-of-a-kind comprehensive look at dieting and nutrition, a timeless and essential guide to maintaining the human body and maximizing its potential.

The New York Times bestselling authors of Switch and Made to Stick explore why certain brief experiences can jolt us and elevate us and change us—and how we can learn to create such extraordinary moments in our life and work.What if a teacher could design a lesson that he knew his students would remember twenty years later? What if a doctor or nurse knew how to orchestrate moments that would bring more comfort to patients? What if you had a better sense of how to create memories that matter for your children?Many of the defining moments in our lives are the result of accident or luck—but why would we leave our most meaningful, memorable moments to chance when we can create them?This book features captivating stories of people who have created standout moments: The owners who transformed an utterly mediocre hotel into one of the best-loved properties in Los Angeles by conjuring moments of magic for guests. Relief workers who beat a deadly health practice in one village by causing the locals to “trip over the truth.” The scrappy team that turned around one of the worst elementary schools in the country by embracing an intervention that lasts less than an hour.Readers discover how brief experiences can change lives, such as the experiment in which two strangers meet in a room, and forty-five minutes later, they leave as best friends. (What happens in that time?) Or the tale of the world’s youngest female billionaire, who credits her resilience to something her father asked the family at the dinner table. (What was that simple question?)Filled with remarkable stories and practical insights, this book proves we all have the power to transform ordinary experiences into unforgettable ones.

Do you feel awkward at networking events? Do you wonder what your date really thinks of you? Do you wish you could decode people? You need to learn the science of people.As a human behavior hacker, Vanessa Van Edwards created a research lab to study the hidden forces that drive us. And she’s cracked the code. In Captivate, she shares shortcuts, systems, and secrets for taking charge of your interactions at work, at home, and in any social situation. These aren’t the people skills you learned in school. This is the first comprehensive, science backed, real life manual on how to captivate anyone—and a completely new approach to building connections.Just like knowing the formulas to use in a chemistry lab, or the right programming language to build an app, Captivate provides simple ways to solve people problems. You’ll learn, for example…· How to work a room: Every party, networking event, and social situation has a predictable map. Discover the sweet spot for making the most connections.· How to read faces: It’s easier than you think to speed-read facial expressions and use them to predict people’s emotions.· How to talk to anyone: Every conversation can be memorable—once you learn how certain words generate the pleasure hormone dopamine in listeners.When you understand the laws of human behavior, your influence, impact, and income will increase significantly. What’s more, you will improve your interpersonal intelligence, make a killer first impression, and build rapport quickly and authentically in any situation—negotiations, interviews, parties, and pitches. You’ll never interact the same way again.

TIMELESS WISDOM from the ORIGINAL PHILOSOPHER of PERSONAL SUCCESS "No matter who you are or what you do, you are a salesperson. Every time you speak to someone, share an opinion or explain an idea, you are selling your most powerful asset . . . you! In How to Sell Your Way Through Life, Napoleon Hill shares valuable lessons and proven techniques to help you become a true master of sales." SHARON LECHTER, Coauthor of Think and Grow Rich: Three Feet from Gold; Member of the President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy "These proven, time-tested principles may forever change your life." GREG S. REID, Coauthor of Think and Grow Rich: Three Feet from Gold; Author of The Millionaire Mentor "Napoleon Hill's Think and Grow Rich and Laws of Success are timeless classics that have improved the lives of millions of people, including my own. Now, we all get the chance to savor more of his profound wisdom in How to Sell Your Way Through Life. It is a collection of simple truths that will forever change the way you see yourself." BILL BARTMANN, Billionaire Business Coach and Bestselling Author of Bailout Riches (www.billbartman.com) Napoleon Hill, author of the mega-bestseller Think and Grow Rich, pioneered the idea that successful individuals share certain qualities, and that examining and emulating these qualities can guide you to extraordinary achievements. Written in the depths of the Great Depression, How to Sell Your Way Through Life explores a crucial component of Achievement: your ability to make the sale. Ringing eerily true in today's uncertain times, Hill's work takes a practical look at how, regardless of our occupation, we must all be salespeople at key points in our lives. Hill breaks down concrete instances of how the Master Salesman seizes advantages and opportunities, giving you tools you can use to effectively sell yourself and your ideas. Featuring a new Foreword from leadership legend Ken Blanchard, this book is a classic that gives you one beautifully simple principle and the proven tools to make it work for you.

The traditional view is that talent is innate - you've either got it or you haven't. But in The Talent Code, award-winning journalist Daniel Coyle reveals that the reality is very different. Drawing on the latest findings of scientists and educationalists, and looking at disciplines ranging from maths to music, he shows how the brain can be physically rewired and developed by training to create a 'talent code'. He identifies how a particular type of trainin, 'deep practice', enhances the development of myelin in the brain. He explains why talent tends to cluster at particular times and in particular places (from Elizabethan drama to Brazilian football). These clusters disprove the theory that talent is random and God-given, and prove that the development of one talented individual often encourages others He demonstrates why some people make the leap while others don't (factors include whether someone who goes on to be talented suffered the early loss of a parent, and whether they are the oldest, middle or youngest child). He shows why some teaching methods work better than others (e.g. why did so many children in the US struggle to learn to read when new practices were introduced). This is a radical and controversial new take on human ability and the nature of genius.

The ultimate handbook for fostering and cultivating a strong team culture, from the New York Times bestselling author of The Culture Code and The Talent Code.“If you are a leader—or if you work with one—and want to understand how to build psychological safety, trust, and a sense of purpose for your team, then you need this book.”—Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of HabitONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: ForbesBuilding a team has never been harder than it is right now. How do you create connection and trust? How do you stay focused on your goals? In his years studying the ways successful groups work together, Daniel Coyle has spent time with elite teams around the world, observing the ways they support each other, manage conflict, and move toward a common goal. In The Culture Playbook, he distills everything he has learned into sixty concrete, actionable tips and exercises that will help your team build a cohesive, positive culture.   Great cultures, Coyle has found, are built on three essential skills: safety, vulnerability, and purpose. Within this framework, he shows us how we can better serve our teammates, ourselves, and our shared purpose, including:• scheduling regular team “tune-ups” to place an explicit spotlight on the team’s inner workings and create conversations that surface and improve team dynamics• creating spaces for remote coworkers to connect with their colleagues to foster a team spirit even across distances • holding an anxiety party to serve as a pressure-relief valve, as well as a platform for people to connect and solve problems together  With reflections, exercises, and practical tips that will prove invaluable to companies, athletes, and families alike, and replete with black-and-white illustrations, The Culture Playbook is an indispensable guide to ensuring that your team performs at its best.