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Rule of Thumb: A Guide To Peak Performance Through People (Rule of Thumb #10)
by Todd ConkrightIn order for your company to achieve its goals, you need the right people in the right places, motivated to achieve success. Once you have the right talent, they need something from you - consistent, inspired, and effective leadership. While this sounds like common knowledge, many businesses run below standards they once held high for themselves because of inconsistent leadership, lack of accountability, and poor customer service. Learn how to grow your business and ensure your employees are performing their best by: 1) Defining your staffing needs; 2) Knowing what metrics and results to measure; 3) Coaching for maximum performance; 4) Providing positive discipline; and 5)
Rule of Thumb: A Small Business Guide To Customer Service And Relaltionships (Rule of Thumb #8)
by Lisa TschaunerRule Of Thumb: A Guide to Customer Service and Business Relationships is an introductory guide for first-time entrepreneurs and small business owners seeking to gain a basic understanding of what it takes to create unrivaled customer service and long-lasting business relationships. In today's business world the customer service experience is the most critical component that can lead small businesses to remarkable success. It can be a business owner's greatest asset if it is properly implemented, practiced on a regular basis and customized to meet the needs and wants of customers. The relationships entrepreneurs and small business owners have with customers is a key component to their business's growth and evolution to the next level. Learn how to build outstanding and valuable relationships with customers and clients by: 1) Identifying the needs and wants of your customers; 2) Seizing opportunities and recognizing and addressing challenges; 3) Creating successful communication strategies; 4) Developing best practices for follow-up; 5) and more! Competition is fierce in our current economy. Prepare yourself to be a leader in your industry and the best at your business. You have the power to create an unforgettable experience and lasting impression on your customers. This book will lead you to develop your own dynamic and unique strategies that are sure to grow your business.
Rules and Laws in Sociology (Routledge Revivals)
by Robert BrownOriginally published in 1973, this book examines the difficulties which sociologists have in providing useful scientific definitions of terms like ‘prejudice’ and ‘discrimination’. The author argues that such notions are essentially dependent on the social policy adopted, and that their common misuse by sociologists reflects a deeper confusion – that between the sociologist’s search for social rules and regularities, and their search for social laws. The book clarifies the complex and important relationships between a scientific interest in the rule-oriented behaviour of people and a scientific interest in social laws about that behaviour. It explains how and why so many sociological inquiries lead to the discovery of mere social practices rather than social laws.
Rules, Exceptions, and Social Order
by Robert B. EdgertonThis title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1985.
Ruling by Other Means: State-Mobilized Movements (Cambridge Studies in Contentious Politics)
by Grzegorz Ekiert Elizabeth J. Perry Yan XiaojunWhat do states gain by sending citizens into the streets? Ruling by Other Means investigates this question through the lens of State-Mobilized Movements (SMMs), an umbrella concept that includes a range of (often covertly organized) collective actions intended to advance state interests. The SMMs research agenda departs significantly from that of classic social movement and contentious politics theory, focused on threats to the state from seemingly autonomous societal actors. Existing theories assume that the goal of popular protest is to voice societal grievances, represent oppressed groups, and challenge state authorities and other powerholders. The chapters in this volume show, however, that states themselves organize citizens (sometimes surreptitiously and even transnationally) to act collectively to advance state goals. Drawn from different historical periods and diverse geographical regions, these case studies expand and improve our understanding of social movements, civil society and state-society relations under authoritarian regimes.
Rumba Rules: The Politics of Dance Music in Mobutu's Zaire
by Bob W. WhiteMobutu Sese Seko, who ruled Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of Congo) from 1965 until 1997, was fond of saying "happy are those who sing and dance," and his regime energetically promoted the notion of culture as a national resource. During this period Zairian popular dance music (often referred to as la rumba zaroise) became a sort of musica franca in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa. But how did this privileged form of cultural expression, one primarily known for a sound of sweetness and joy, flourish under one of the continent's most brutal authoritarian regimes? In Rumba Rules, the first ethnography of popular music in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Bob W. White examines not only the economic and political conditions that brought this powerful music industry to its knees, but also the ways that popular musicians sought to remain socially relevant in a time of increasing insecurity. Drawing partly on his experiences as a member of a local dance band in the country's capital city Kinshasa, White offers extraordinarily vivid accounts of the live music scene, including the relatively recent phenomenon of libanga, which involves shouting the names of wealthy or powerful people during performances in exchange for financial support or protection. With dynamic descriptions of how bands practiced, performed, and splintered, White highlights how the ways that power was sought and understood in Kinshasa's popular music scene mirrored the charismatic authoritarianism of Mobutu's rule. In Rumba Rules, Congolese speak candidly about political leadership, social mobility, and what it meant to be a bon chef (good leader) in Mobutu's Zaire.
Ruminative Thoughts: Advances in Social Cognition, Volume IX (Advances in Social Cognition Series #Vol. 9)
by Robert S. WyerUntil recently, most theory and research in social information processing has focused attention on the cognitive activity that underlies responses to stimulus information presented in the immediate situation being investigated. In contrast, people's thoughts outside the laboratory often concern life events that either have occurred in the past or are likely to occur in the future. Thoughts about such past and future events can be spontaneous and, once elicited, can affect the ability to respond effectively to the demands of the present situation with which one is confronted.This ninth volume in this series focuses on this type of cognitive activity and examines both its determinants and consequences. The lead article, by Leonard Martin and Abraham Tesser, develops a theoretical formulation of ruminative thinking that conceptualizes rumination as a class of conscious thought with a common instrumental theme that recurs in the absence of immediate environmental demands. The authors also give particular attention to the ways in which perceptions of the consequences of past and present events for long-range goal attainment affect both controlled and uncontrolled thinking about these events. They also examine the implications of their theory for the ability to suppress unwanted thoughts, the interplay of emotion and cognition, and the cognitive consequences or rumination for the performance of daily life activities. The entire formulation integrates a number of cognitive phenomena that are not usually considered within a single theoretical framework.The companion chapters, many written by the field's foremost contributors to the literature on emotion and cognition, suggest important refinements and extensions of the conceptualization proposed in the target article. They also make important conceptual contributions in their own right, covering topics that include the role of mental models in cognitive functioning, the dynamics of thought suppression and attentional inhibition, stress and coping, personality correlates of ruminative thought, and attitudes and persuasion. As a result, this volume makes a valuable contribution to research and theory not only in social cognition but also in numerous other areas.
Rumor Mills: The Social Impact of Rumor and Legend
by Veronique Campion-VincentThe goal of this volume is to explore the social and political dynamics of rumor and the related concept of urban or contemporary legend. These forms of communication often appear in tandem with social problems, including riots, racial or political violence, and social and economic upheavals. The volume emphasizes the connection of rumor to a set of social concerns from government corruption and corporate scandal, to racial, religious, and other prejudices. Central to the dialogue are issues of truth, belief, history, public policy, and evidence.Rumor has been recognized as one of the most important contributing factors to violence and discrimination. Yet, despite its significance in exacerbating social discord and mistrust, little systematic scholarly attention has been paid to the political origins and consequences of rumor. Rumor is defined as a proposition for belief that is not backed by secure standards of evidence. Rumor can be traditional or not, and can be expressed as a simple claim of fact. In both instances groups of claim-makers, operating out of their own interests and with a set of resources, attempt to depict reality, and if possible, impact the future.The need for this book is underscored by changing patterns of technology. What in the past was grounded in face- to-face interaction is now often found on the Internet, which is a major source of rumor. An appreciation of how new electronic forms of communication affect communal belief is essential for explicating rumor dynamics. The volume is comprehensive. Essays cover race and ethnicity, migration and globalization, corporate malfeasance, and state and government corruption. While editors and contributors well appreciate the dynamic nature of rumors and legends, the high quality of the effort make it evident that the issues that are raised and reoccur will serve to channel and inspire research in this major field of communications research for years to come.
Rumor, Fear and the Madness of Crowds
by J. P. ChaplinMartians, a reincarnated Irish woman, a dead movie star, an insane anesthetist, and an obsessed U.S. Attorney General - these disparate characters have something in common. Each was at the center of an incident of mass hysteria, in which frightened, grieving, and otherwise disturbed people abandoned their common sense. This fascinating book by a prominent psychologist explores several intriguing case histories of mass hysteria, from "The Great Disappointment" of 1926, in which thousands of believers dressed in white to await Jesus' return, to UFO sightings and other extraordinary phenomena.Author J. P. Chaplin examines historical incidents of mob mentality, including "The Last Days of Rudolph Valentino," which culminated in a New York City riot of 80,000 mourning fans; "The Secrets of the Nunnery," involving the sack of a Boston convent by an angry crowd in search of children's skulls; "The Martians Invade New Jersey," in which a radio drama was mistaken for a news broadcast; and other remarkable instances of mass delusion.
Rumors, Race and Riots (Rumours, Race And Riots Ser.)
by Terry Ann KnopfAre race-related rumors rooted in the personality traits of the individual? Are they a kind of "improvised news" for a community? Do they come and go at random or form definite, recognizable patterns? What role do the news media play in spreading rumors? These and other questions are treated in this classic study, now available in paperback with a new introduction by the author, of how and why rumors emerge in connection with racial disorders.Included is an examination and critique of the three major models of rumor formation: the psychological approach, emphasizing the emotional needs and drives of the individual; the functional approach, which views rumors as a form of "improvised news"; and the conspiratorial approach, which sees rumors as deliberately planted and not spontaneous.The author's "process model" of rumor formation is based on the premise that rumors cannot "cause" violence and that violence cannot "cause" rumors. Both are viewed as parts of the same process. Rumors are seen as just one of a series of determinants, each of which increases the likelihood of a collective outburst. Among the determinants examined are: conditions of stress; a rigid social structure supported by a racist ideology; and a hostile belief system (or negative set of generalized perceptions) held separately by different groups. Race-related rumors are functionally tied to the latter point and crystallize, confirm, and intensify these beliefs by linking them to actual events.Hundreds of pertinent rumors are documented from local newspapers and investigative accounts. An exhaustive, systematic inquiry is made into the series of disorders that occurred between 1967 and 1970. The role played by rumors during these disturbing times is examined and compared to earlier periods of unrest. Implications for public policy are explored along with a hard look at rumor-control centers. The influence of the police and other public officials as well as the news media are
Rumors: Uses, Interpretation and Necessity
by Jean-Noel KapfererRumors may be the oldest medium of mass communication of information or ideas. Even before there were newspapers, radio, or television, rumors communicated by word-of-mouth made and shattered reputations, and set off riots and wars. Yet contrary to predictions, rumors continue to thrive, in spite of and parallel to mass media.What accounts for the puzzling persistence and continuing significance of this little-studied social phenomenon? Jean-No;el Kapferer examines the theory and practice of rumors, focusing on specific areas such as entertainment, criminal behavior, business and finance, and politics. He describes the kinds of conditions that give birth to rumors, why we believe them, and the hidden messages they convey. Kapferer points out that rumors frequently serve useful social purposes and present rich examples. He speculates about how rumors can be controlled, changed, and prevented.Drawing upon contributions of disciplines ranging from psychology to history, and integrating the insights of Europeans with the latest work of American researchers, this is the most comprehensive examination of rumors, gossip, and urban legends yet published. Translated into nine languages, this edition was updated with advances in theory and research since the book's original French publication in 1987. Its brisk, accessible style makes the book of interest to psychologists, economists, political scientists, sociologists, and folklore analysts, as well as the general reader who is curious about the origins of this fascinating social phenomenon.
Rumsfeld's Rules
by Donald RumsfeldThe legendary leadership guide, distilled from a lifetime of wisdom and experience in government and businessThroughout his long and distinguished career--as a naval aviator, a U. S. Congressman, a top aide to four American presidents, a high-level diplomat, a CEO of two Fortune 500 companies, and the only twice-serving Secretary of Defense in American history--Donald Rumsfeld has collected hundreds of pithy, compelling, and often humorous observations about leadership, business, and life. When President Gerald Ford ordered these aphorisms distributed to his White House staff in 1974, the collection became known as "Rumsfelds Rules. "First gathered as three-by-five cards in a shoebox and then typed up and circulated informally over the years, these eminently nonpartisan rules have amused and enlightened presidents, business executives, chiefs of staff, foreign officials, diplomats, and members of Congress. They earned praise from the Wall Street Journal as "Required reading," and from the New York Times which said: "Rumsfelds Rules can be profitably read in any organization. . . The best reading, though, are his sprightly tips on inoculating oneself against that dread White House disease, the inflated ego. "Meanwhile, the collection continued to grow as Rumsfeld added new rules derived from things he read, heard, or observed in more than eight decades of a remarkable life. Now these legendary rules are made available for the first time to corporate executive. Rumsfeld has selected his most useful and important rules for effective leadership, enhanced with fresh insights and entertaining anecdotes, and discusses them in the blunt and witty style that made his Pentagon press conferences "must-see TV. "Distilled from a career of unusual breadth and accomplishment, and organized under practical topics like hiring people, running a meeting, and dealing with the press, Rumsfelds Rules can benefit people at every stage in their careers and in every walk of life, from aspiring politicos and industrialists to recent college graduates, teachers, and business leaders. The book provides unprecedented insight into leadership, management, strategy, and life--thinking that not only helped Rumsfeld lead the Pentagon in wartime, but earned him a reputation as one of Americas toughest and most effective CEOs.
Run Like a Girl: How Strong Women Make Happy Lives
by Mina SamuelsRun Like A Girl is about the impact that participating in sports has on women-how the confidence and strength that it helps to build spills over into all of our experiences, making us stronger and better prepared for life's many challenges. In this inspiring book, Mina Samuels uses the varied personal stories of women and girls of all ages and backgrounds-as well as her own-to take a broad look at the power that sports have to help us face, and to overcome, obstacles in all arenas of life.Myriad voices fill the pages of Run Like A Girl: a US-ranked amateur triathlete who's raising an autistic son; a thirteen-year-old girl who discovers and falls in love with cross-country running; a woman who runs her first marathon at age sixty; an investment banker who quit her job to become a yoga teacher and adopt a daughter on her own; a young mother with scoliosis who cycled her way back to health and became a jewelry designer along the way; and countless other women-including Kathrine Switzer, Rebecca Rusch, and Molly Barker-who have been changed by their experience with sports. Run Like A Girl makes the important argument that physical strength lends itself to psychological strength, that lessons learned on the field (or track, or slopes) can help us face challenges in other areas-and that for many women, participating in sports translates into leading a happier, more fulfilling life.
Runaway Inequality: An Activist's Guide to Economic Justice
by Les LeopoldRunaway inequality is now America’s most critical economic fact of life. In 1970, the ratio of pay between the top 100 CEOs and the average worker was 45 to 1. Today it is a shocking 829 to one! During that time a new economic philosophy set in that cut taxes, deregulated finance, and trimmed social spending. Those policies set in motion a process that greatly expanded the power of financial interests to accelerate inequality. But how exactly does that happen? <p><p> Using easy-to-understand charts and graphs, Runaway Inequality explains the process by which corporation after corporation falls victim to systematic wealth extraction by banks, private equity firms, and hedge funds. It reveals how financial strip-mining puts enormous downward pressure on jobs, wages, benefits, and working conditions, while boosting the incomes of financial elites. <p><p> But Runaway Inequality does more than make sense of our economic plight. It also shows why virtually all the key issues that we face―from climate change to the exploding prison population―are intimately connected to rising economic inequality. <p><p> Most importantly, Runaway Inequality calls upon us to build a common movement to tackle the sources of increasing income and wealth inequality. As the author makes clear, the problem will not cure itself. It will take enormous energy and dedication to bring economic justice and fairness back to American society.
Running Amok: Our Grandchildren Will Curse Us!
by Dave RosenakA Call to Action: The Whats, Wheres, Whys, and Hows for us as a Society to form a more Perfect Union and a Brighter Future.
Running Meetings (20-Minute Manager Series)
by Harvard Business ReviewWhether you're new to running meetings or a seasoned executive with no time to waste, leading effective (and even pleasant!) meetings is a must. Running Meetings guides you through the basics of: Crafting a useful agenda Inviting the right team members Making sure everyone's voice is heard while avoiding conflict Capturing decisions, ideas, and follow-up tasksAbout HBR's 20-Minute Manager Series:Don't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic.Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives-from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.
Running Out: In Search of Water on the High Plains
by Lucas BessireFinalist for the National Book AwardAn intimate reckoning with aquifer depletion in America's heartlandThe Ogallala aquifer has nourished life on the American Great Plains for millennia. But less than a century of unsustainable irrigation farming has taxed much of the aquifer beyond repair. The imminent depletion of the Ogallala and other aquifers around the world is a defining planetary crisis of our times. Running Out offers a uniquely personal account of aquifer depletion and the deeper layers through which it gains meaning and force.Anthropologist Lucas Bessire journeyed back to western Kansas, where five generations of his family lived as irrigation farmers and ranchers, to try to make sense of this vital resource and its loss. His search for water across the drying High Plains brings the reader face to face with the stark realities of industrial agriculture, eroding democratic norms, and surreal interpretations of a looming disaster. Yet the destination is far from predictable, as the book seeks to move beyond the words and genres through which destruction is often known. Instead, this journey into the morass of eradication offers a series of unexpected discoveries about what it means to inherit the troubled legacies of the past and how we can take responsibility for a more inclusive, sustainable future.An urgent and unsettling meditation on environmental change, Running Out is a revelatory account of family, complicity, loss, and what it means to find your way back home.
Running Remote: Master the Lessons from the World’s Most Successful Remote-Work Pioneers
by Liam Martin Rob RawsonWall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly BestsellerLearn success secrets from original remote work pioneers on the mindset and strategies they developed to build and grow successful organizations from the ground up.With the unprecedented rise in remote work due to the pandemic, many businesses have struggled with how to effectively transition to a distributed format. Meanwhile, companies who had always been remote-first had a unique advantage: a highly scalable set of work processes, a unique communication style, and the proper &“async mindset&” required to succeed without an office. This groundbreaking guide unlocks the secrets and the lessons discovered by those pioneer entrepreneurs and founders who have figured out how to harness the async mindset and grow their businesses remotely in the most the seamless, freeing, and cost-effective ways.Once you accept and master some fundamental differences, remote work can fuel higher productivity, eliminate time-wasting meetings and treacherous commutes, and strip away the ugly politics that often undermine the most talented employees. It also leads to great cultural inclusivity and richer cultural exchange. Running Remote is for ventures of all stripes—companies small and large, one-person operations, mom-and-pop shops, and global mega-corporations. The lessons herein are as valuable for on-premises organizations as they are for the tech worker. Readers will:Master the fundamentals of the async mindset by exploring three overarching principles—deliberate overcommunication, democratized workflow, and detailed metrics.Learn nuts-and-bolts techniques and real-life lessons from remote work trailblazers who built successful all-remote organizations prior to the pandemic.Gain a better understanding of why hiring, on-ramping, and managing in a remote context is totally different—again with methods and first-hand stories from the founders and leaders that did it first.Lean how moving to a remote business model impacts traditional management and work processes.
Running Virtual Meetings (HBR 20-Minute Manager Series)
by Harvard Business ReviewFrom crackly conference lines to pixelated video, virtual meetings can be problematic. But you can host a productive conversation in which everyone participates. Running Virtual Meetings takes you through the basics of: Selecting the right virtual venue Giving participants the information and support they need to connect and contribute Establishing and enforcing a common meeting etiquette Following up from afarDon't have much time? Get up to speed fast on the most essential business skills with HBR's 20-Minute Manager series. Whether you need a crash course or a brief refresher, each book in the series is a concise, practical primer that will help you brush up on a key management topic. Advice you can quickly read and apply, for ambitious professionals and aspiring executives-from the most trusted source in business. Also available as an ebook.
Running the Numbers: Race, Police, and the History of Urban Gambling (Historical Studies of Urban America)
by Matthew VazEvery day in the United States, people test their luck in numerous lotteries, from state-run games to massive programs like Powerball and Mega Millions. Yet few are aware that the origins of today’s lotteries can be found in an African American gambling economy that flourished in urban communities in the mid-twentieth century. In Running the Numbers, Matthew Vaz reveals how the politics of gambling became enmeshed in disputes over racial justice and police legitimacy. As Vaz highlights, early urban gamblers favored low-stakes games built around combinations of winning numbers. When these games became one of the largest economic engines in nonwhite areas like Harlem and Chicago’s south side, police took notice of the illegal business—and took advantage of new opportunities to benefit from graft and other corrupt practices. Eventually, governments found an unusual solution to the problems of illicit gambling and abusive police tactics: coopting the market through legal state-run lotteries, which could offer larger jackpots than any underground game. By tracing this process and the tensions and conflicts that propelled it, Vaz brilliantly calls attention to the fact that, much like education and housing in twentieth-century America, the gambling economy has also been a form of disputed terrain upon which racial power has been expressed, resisted, and reworked.
Running the Room: The Teacher’s Guide to Behaviour
by Tom BennettGood behaviour is the beginning of great learning. All children deserve classrooms that are calm, safe spaces where everyone is treated with dignity. Creating that space is one of the most important things a teacher needs to be able to do. But all too often teachers begin their careers with the bare minimum of training – or worse, none. How students behave, socially and academically, dictates whether or not they will succeed or struggle in school. Every child comes to the classroom with different skills, habits, values and expectations of what to do. There’s no point just telling a child to behave; behaviour must be taught. Behaviour is a curriculum. This simple truth is the beginning of creating a classroom culture where everyone flourishes, pupils and staff.Running the Room is the teacher’s guide to behaviour. Practical, evidence informed, and based on the expertise of great teachers from around the world, it addresses the things teachers really need to know to build the classrooms children need. Bursting with strategies, tips and solid advice, it brings together the best of what we know and saves teachers, new or old, from reinventing the wheels of the classroom. It’s the book teachers have been waiting for.
Running the Room: The Teacher’s Guide to Behaviour
by Tom BennettGood behaviour is the beginning of great learning. All children deserve classrooms that are calm, safe spaces where everyone is treated with dignity. Creating that space is one of the most important things a teacher needs to be able to do. But all too often teachers begin their careers with the bare minimum of training – or worse, none. How students behave, socially and academically, dictates whether or not they will succeed or struggle in school. Every child comes to the classroom with different skills, habits, values and expectations of what to do. There’s no point just telling a child to behave; behaviour must be taught. Behaviour is a curriculum. This simple truth is the beginning of creating a classroom culture where everyone flourishes, pupils and staff.Running the Room is the teacher’s guide to behaviour. Practical, evidence informed, and based on the expertise of great teachers from around the world, it addresses the things teachers really need to know to build the classrooms children need. Bursting with strategies, tips and solid advice, it brings together the best of what we know and saves teachers, new or old, from reinventing the wheels of the classroom. It’s the book teachers have been waiting for.
Running the Tapes: Finding the Courage to Speak Up When Organizational Leadership Fails Us
by Royce SparksThis practical and accessible exploration of ethics in organizational leadership contains several underlying themes: first, that even the most morally stalwart organizations are vulnerable to the ethical challenges that come from failings of leadership, particularly executive leadership. A great focus today is being paid to the idea of toxic work environments, and while explorations of culture, team building, and language are all valuable pieces of this discussion, at its heart this is a question of leadership. Stripping away authority as a requisite for leadership empowers everyone at all levels of an organization to take a higher level of ownership over their leadership skills, to become a voice of action and protection for their teammates and the organization when the conventional safeguards of the workplace fail them. The common term for these individuals may be whistleblowers, but rather, are they instead models of leadership that organizations should be paying closer attention to? By drawing a constant dividing line between ethics and organizational interests, have we been missing a key middle ground this entire time? By redefining the boundaries of leadership through the lens of how to take action in a hostile workplace environment, this book offers a series of accessible strategies, principles, and examples that can be easily followed regardless of rank or position. Based on his consulting work, the author recounts actual ethical investigations of egregious workplace violations. To make this book even more valuable, the author offers strategies for how to parse grievances from genuine wrongdoings, make decisions about how to handle delicate information, choose allies wisely, and prepare for both the consequences and sometimes benefits of bringing organizational wrongdoings to light. Finally, this book aims to inspire courage, nurture leadership growth at all levels, and offer leaders in positions of power a clear case for why opting for environments of ethical accountability is synonymous, rather than at odds, with an organization’s self-interest.
Running to the Mountain: A Midlife Adventure
by Jon KatzJon Katz, a respected journalist, father, and husband, was turning fifty. His writing career had taken a dubious turn, his wife had a demanding career of her own, his daughter was preparing to leave home for college, and he had become used to a sedentary lifestyle. Wonderfully witty and insightful, Running to the Mountain chronicles Katz's hunger for change and his search for renewed purpose and meaning in his familiar world. Armed with the writings of Thomas Merton and his two faithful Labradors, Katz trades in his suburban carpool-driving and escapes to the mountains of upstate New York. There, as he restores a dilapidated cabin, learns self-reliance in a lightning storm, shares a bottle of Glenlivet with unexpected ghosts, and helps a friend prepare for fatherhood, he confronts his lifelong questions about spirituality, mortality, and his own self-worth. He ultimately rediscovers a profound appreciation for his work, his family, and the beauty of everyday life--and provides a glorious lesson for us all.
Running with Purpose: How Brooks Outpaced Goliath Competitors to Lead the Pack
by Jim WeberDiscover how Brooks Running Company CEO Jim Weber transformed a failing business into a billion-dollar brand in the ultracompetitive global running market. Running with Purpose is a leadership memoir with insights, inspirational stories, and tangible takeaways for current and aspiring leaders, entrepreneurs, and the 150+ million runners worldwide and those in the broader running community who continually invest in themselves.This leadership memoir starts with Jim Weber's seventh-grade dream to run a successful company that delivered something people passionately valued. Fast forward to 2001, Jim became the CEO of Brooks and, as the struggling brand's fourth CEO in two years, he faced strong headwinds. A lifelong competitor, Jim devised a one-page strategy that he believed would not only save the company but would also lay the foundation for Brooks to become a leading brand in the athletic, fitness, and outdoor categories. To succeed, he had to get his team to first believe it was possible and then employ the conviction, fortitude, and constancy of purpose to outperform larger brands. Brooks' success was validated when Warren Buffett made it a standalone Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary in 2012. In the pages of Running with Purpose, you will find:Brooks&’ bold strategy and unique brand positioning that fueled its move from the back of the pack to lead.The key to building a purpose-driven brand that is oriented around customer obsession, building trust, competing with heart, and having fun along the way.The six clear leadership lessons Jim has learned along his path and applies at Brooks to develop staff into authentic leaders.How Berkshire Hathaway's support and influence provided a tailwind for Brooks' business and brand to surge.An inside look at the ups and downs of Jim's personal journey, which led to his conviction that life is too short not to enjoy what you do and the people by your side.