Amazon.com updates its list of the bestselling books every hour. Here is a snapshot of what is hot right now, March 28, in the “Organizational Behavior” section of the “Business and Investing” category.
1. Switch: How to Change Things When Change Is Hard
by Chip Heath and Dan Heath. The authors of Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
contend that our minds are ruled by two different systems — the rational mind and the emotional mind — that compete for control. The rational mind wants to change something at work; the emotional mind loves the comfort of the existing routine. This tension can doom a change effort — but if it is overcome, change can come quickly. In Switch, the Heaths show how everyday people — employees and managers, parents and nurses — have united both minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results.
2. Liar’s Poker
by Michael Lewis. A behind-the-scenes look at a unique and turbulent time in American business. From the frat-boy camaraderie of the forty-first-floor trading room to the killer instinct that made ambitious young men gamble everything on a high-stakes game of bluffing and deception, this is an insider’s account of an unprecedented era of greed, gluttony, and outrageous fortune.
3. Who Moved My Cheese?: An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
by Spencer Johnson and Kenneth Blanchard . This story is about adjusting attitudes toward change in life, especially at work. Change occurs whether a person is ready or not, but the author affirms that it can be positive. His principles are to anticipate change, let go of the old, and do what you would do if you were not afraid.
4. The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement
by Eliyahu M. Goldratt and Jeff Cox. Alex Rogo manages a failing manufacturing plant. When his district manager tells him that profits must increase or the plant will be closed, Alex turns to Jonah, a former professor. With the help of the enigmatic Jonah and the plant staff, Alex turns the plant around while at the same time abandoning many management principles he previously thought were ironclad.
5. The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels
by by Michael Watkins. Whether challenged with taking on a startup, turning a business around, or inheriting a high-performing unit, a new leader’s success or failure is determined within the first 90 days on the job. This hands-on guide offers proven strategies for moving successfully into a new role at any point in one’s career.
6. The Rules of Work, Expanded Edition: A Definitive Code for Personal Success (Richard Templar’s Rules)
by Richard Templar. These rules are guiding principles meant to improve both what you do and how you do it, giving you the unmistakable air of confidence that will win you admiration, respect, and the next promotion.
7. Leading Change
by John P. Kotter. The methods managers have used in the attempt to transform their companies into stronger competitors — total quality management, reengineering, right sizing, restructuring, cultural change, and turnarounds — routinely fall short, says Kotter, because they fail to alter behavior. This book identifies an eight-step process that every company must go through to acheive its goal, and shows where and how people — good people — often derail.
8. The 4-Hour Workweek: Escape 9-5, Live Anywhere, and Join the New Rich
by Timothy Ferriss. Reconstructing your life so that it’s not all about work.
9. The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t
by Robert I. Sutton. Aims to show managers that by hiring mean-spirited employees – regardless of talent – saps energy from everyone who must deal with said new hires.
10. Good Boss, Bad Boss: How to Be the Best… and Learn from the Worst
by Robert I. Sutton. Psychological and management research are combined with compelling stories and cases to reveal the mindset and moves of the best (and worst) bosses.
