Engineering Technology

There are no shortcuts to achieving excellence in leadership. Seasoned project managers know that the qualities that bring about successful business results come from experience and daily practice. They also know that measurable improvements can come from simple, positive changes in how people work, interact, and grow together to create meaningful relationships. 9 Habits of Project Leaders is about transforming a good project manager into a great project leader by adding simple yet powerful habits to the project execution toolbox. The authors collected insights from more than 50 top-level project leaders from diverse industries, yielding the top common-sense habits of effective leadership, specifically tailored to the field of project management for the first time. This book provides a path for project managers--who are essentially in the "relationship business"--to engage, energize, and inspire their teams, and ultimately achieve their professional and project goals.

The crucial element separating an exceptional career from a lackluster one is the ability to devise innovative solutions to work challenges. With research showing the direct relationship between ideas and profitability, creative thinking skills are vital to professional advancement. As one of the world's premiere success experts, Brian Tracy knows that creativity can be developed with practice and a few helpful tools. This concise book reveals 21 proven, practical techniques readers can use to immediately begin generating a stream of productive ideas, including how to: Stimulate the three primary triggers to creativity * Inspire a creative mindset in staff through recognition, rewards, and environment * Use methods such as Brainstorming, Zero-Based Thinking, Nominal Group Technique, and Lateral Thinking to solve problems, improve systems, devise new products, and come up with fresh, exciting marketing angles * Ask focused questions to generate elegant solutions * Understand the difference between mechanical and adaptive thinking * Rigorously evaluate new ideas . . .without shutting down the creative impulse Containing mind-stimulating exercises and down-to-earth strategies, this career-changing book helps anyone tap into the root source of their own intuitive genius.

Armstrong on Reinventing Performance Management presents a holistic approach to performance management, drawing on Michael Armstrong's vast research and experience. Most organizations have performance management processes in one form or another, but these are often based on formal annual reviews, forced rankings and directly linked to pay decisions. These traditional approaches are often at the expense of ongoing, continuous feedback and focus on looking back at what has or has not been achieved rather than looking forward. Direct links to pay decisions avert attention from people development, and managers often get lost in the bureaucracy of complex forms rather than fully engaging with their people. Armstrong on Reinventing Performance Management details how to build a culture of ongoing feedback and coaching and provides case studies of how this approach to building performance has been effective in organizations including Deloitte, Gap, Expedia and Google. Filled with practical advice, including how to deal with underperformers, it enables organizations to remove overly bureaucratic and ineffective systems based on top-down judgments and ratings, and demonstrates how to get line managers' support for the process focusing on actionable feedback and growth.

Lead So Your People Speak Freely Candid communication enhances innovation, ownership, engagement, and performance. The benefits of hearing questions and uncertainties, good and bad ideas, and honest feedback are game-changing. Yet research shows that most of the time, people never share their true thoughts with each other-and especially not with their leaders. But what if they did? What if everyone could confidently communicate without fearing a negative response? In Permission to Speak Freely, highly acclaimed leader developers Doug Crandall and Matt Kincaid illustrate the benefits of candor, explain the inhibitors that cause it to feel unsafe, and provide tools for leaders to encourage their people and embed trust and openness into the foundation of their organizational culture.

Drawing on interviews with top creative directors, art directors, and advertising managers, this detailed resource explores how the roles of creative team managers are evolving in response to changing technologies and business models.

They did what?! Workplace war stories you can learn from. From dealing with underperformers to fighting off lawsuits, employee problems are the bane of a manager's existence. So what do most do? Ignore them! And that's a recipe for more problems. Written by a seasoned HR expert and employment attorney, Hard-Won Wisdom takes you inside the messy reality of situations gone wrong, including: * A joking comment taken as a command * An email exchange that escalates ridiculously out of control * A request for confidentiality that backfires in a big way * The right employee...fired the wrong way * The wrong employee...hired the right way These sometimes funny, always cautionary tales reinforce crucial lessons for managers. From failing to give feedback and withholding key information to exercising poor judgment and making faulty assumptions, every story highlights the role management plays in exacerbating (or easing) trouble. And each story suggests simple strategies to turn the situation around. The memorable lessons help managers motivate underachievers, defuse angry employees, discipline without inviting legal action-and handle every tricky-people issue they simply can't avoid.

Clear, proven solutions for virtual project management challenges Projects Without Boundaries offers project managers a clear framework for bringing both project management practices and project team leadership principles to the virtual space. Written by a team of authors with years of experience managing nationally and internationally distributed teams, this book provides a suite of best practices, checklists, and actionable strategies for managing a project and building a high-performing team in a virtual and multicultural environment. Real-world examples illustrate the application of the concepts discussed, and the Virtual Project Readiness Assessment facilitates both team evaluation and transformation planning for virtual project management improvement. Each chapter focuses on the critical challenges encountered while managing virtual projects and details proven solutions that improve a virtual organization, boost project performance, and facilitate positive outcomes. Globalization and technological advances have merged to create dynamic, productive teams that work together from around the globe; this opportunity can bring great difficulty for project managers, who must negotiate hurdles that do not exist on traditional projects. This book provides ready-made solutions specific to distributed and multicultural teams, to help you achieve the full potential of the global talent pool. Overcome common challenges of virtual projects with distributed teams Navigate complex team dynamics to ensure effective collaboration Work seamlessly across borders, time zones, and cultures Determine optimal virtual communication and collaboration tools Apply traditional project management practices in a virtual setting A team fails or thrives on the strength of its management. Fitting the group's needs, expectations, personalities, and skills into a cohesive whole is seldom simple -- and distance adds an additional layer of complexity. Projects Without Boundaries provides expert guidance on keeping it together, with proven practices, tools, and virtual team leadership strategies.

Manage without giving up the work you love and discover the leader within. Conventional management thinking says that to manage effectively you must delegate. It implies that managers fall into a dangerous trap when they continue to perform tasks they love from a previous role. And it says that to not "let go" is to give in to a controlling tendency that robs staff of development opportunities. But not everyone agrees. Today's increasingly knowledge-driven, cost-competitive work world is changing the way management gets done. More and more, people in management roles are becoming can-do leaders who must continue to practice their specialty while managing and developing the skills of others. But this group has had few guidelines to follow--until now. In Becoming a Can-Do Leader, executive coaches Frank Satterthwaite and Jamie Millard say it's time that management thinking catches up with reality. Their extensive experience training and coaching player-managers at all levels has shown that successful managers both delegate and do. Whether you're trying to survive your first promotion or coaching executives who yearn to keep up with their field, essential guidelines for can-do leadership are inside this book. You'll find workplace examples that ring true, as well as unique strategies and tools that both help you identify your values and provide insight into your natural leadership style. Don't let your knowledge and skills decline by stepping completely out of the professional picture. It's time to get productively and selectively involved in the work, enabling you to manage more effectively and keep up with important advances in your field--all while developing and leading your team to success. Discover how to work strategically with staff while continuing to grow expertise in your profession. That's can-do leadership.

Face the future on the crest of the wave while the rest are pulled under The Future-Proof Workplace is a survival guide for the new realities of business. The future is no longer some far-off destination; it is here, right now, and already changing the way we work. Historically, the sea-changes have advanced humanity and inspired us to reach even further; from the Dark Ages to the Age of Enlightenment, from agrarian to industrial societies--and today is no different. But only those who are ready for the changes will come out thriving. This book highlights the changes already taking place around us: the transition from skills to knowledge, the neuroscience approach to leadership and motivation, galloping technical advances, and more. Whether you're a CEO, a leader or manager, or just trying to survive the chaos, this invaluable guide is your wake-up call--the future is now. The new forces emerging must be understood now if your organization is to succeed. This book details the transformation every business must make to turn upheaval into opportunity. Discover how emerging technologies and neuroscience research are already impacting the way we work Learn how yesterday's biases are being replaced by modern values, culture, and relationships Consider the "heart" of your organization, and whether it can stand up to the purpose-driven paradigm of the future Find new achievement in the new organizational structure, and examine models that are already emerging Everyone knows that changes are needed--and fast. The question is: which changes, and how? The Future-Proof Workplace maps the transformation, and gives you an itinerary for each step of the way.

Is that one guy dragging you all down? The control-freak, the narcissist, the slacker, the cynic... Difficult people are the worst part of a manager's job. Whether it comes from direct reports or people above, outbursts, irrational demands, griping, and other disruptions need to be dealt with-and it's your responsibility to do it. Leading the Unleadable turns this dreaded chore into a straight forward process that gently, yet effectively, improves behaviors. Written by an insider in the tech industry, where personality issues routinely wreck projects, the book reveals a core truth: most people actually want to contribute results, not cause headaches. Once you realize the potential for change, the book's simple steps, examples, and scripts explain how to right even the most hopeless situations. You'll learn how to: * Master the necessary mindset * Explain the problem calmly in a short feedback session * Get a commitment to change, and follow up * Coach others to replicate the process * Develop the situational awareness required to spot trouble even earlier in the future Every manager has "problem people." What sets great managers apart is how they turn them into productive team players. Prepare to transform the troublesome into the tremendous.

In this third edition of her international hit time management book, WORK LESS, DO MORE, sociologist/productivity and relationship coach and expert Dr. Jan Yager offers a 7-day plan to get more done in less time. This revised and updated book covers everything from assessing how productive you are right now, goal setting, prioritizing, to getting over procrastination, perfectionism, poor planning, poor pacing, decluttering, work-life balance, and lots more. Well-written, and filled with anecdotes, examples, self-quizzes and worksheets, Dr. Yager also shares the intriguing results of her original time management surveys of more than 250 men and women.

Research into leadership often focuses on standard business organizations. We know little about these proposed models apply to leadership in other contexts, such as the military, sports, film and television industries or religious organizations. Here, we deliberately reverse the idea of investigating how standard models fit into non-standard contexts; we want to know what leadership lessons can be drawn from compelling yet understudied contexts. Research and theory from four types of contexts are presented: Those characterized by high levels of competition, such as sport, those in which the generation of innovation and creativity is crucial e.g. film and television, high-risk contexts such as the military and aviation, and those where fostering the well-being of others is at the core. To summarize, as much as we can learn about leadership from standard business organizations and apply it to unusual contexts, the same applies the other way round: Idiosyncrasies of compelling contexts teach us fundamental lessons about leadership which are also applicable to other settings.

Are you the type of leader people want to follow? You can be--but first, you've got to understand what sets great leaders apart from all the rest. Certainly, leaders need people skills, execution skills, a deep knowledge of industry trends, the ability to articulate a vision, and more--they must be competent--but that's just the tip of the iceberg. What's below the waterline? What's deep inside the best leaders that makes them different? Mark Miller contends it is their leadership character. In his latest enlightening and entertaining business fable, he describes the five unique character traits exhibited by exceptional leaders and how to cultivate them. The Heart of Leadership begins with young and ambitious Blake Brown being passed over for a desperately wanted promotion, despite an outstanding individual performance. Confused and frustrated, he turns to his former mentor, Debbie Brewster. Rather than attempting to solve Blake's problem for him, she sends him on a quest to meet with five of his late father's colleagues, each of whom holds a piece of the puzzle he's trying to solve. As Blake puts the pieces together, he discovers that in the final analysis, a lack of skills isn't what holds most leaders back; skills are too easy to learn. Without demonstrated leadership character, however, a skill set will never be enough. Most often, when leaders fail to reach their full potential, it is an issue of the heart. This is Blake's ultimate revelation. This book shows us that leadership needn't be the purview of the few--it is within reach for millions around the world. The Heart of Leadership is a road map for every person who desires to make a difference in the lives of others and become a leader people want to follow.

Negativity in the workplace costs businesses billions of dollars and impacts the morale, productivity and health of individuals and teams. "In The No Complaining Rule: Positive Ways to Deal with Negativity at Work, Jon Gordon, a bestselling author, consultant and speaker, shares an enlightening story that demonstrates how you can conquer negativity and inspire others to adopt a positive attitude." Based on one company's successful No Complaining Rule, the powerful principles and actionable plan are practical and easy-to-follow, making this book an ideal read for managers, team leaders and anyone interested in generating positive energy.

The Energy Bus, an international best seller by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, forward thinking that leads to true accomplishment - at work and at home. Jon infuses this engaging story with keen insights as he provides a powerful roadmap to overcome adversity and bring out the best in yourself and your team. When you get on The Energy Bus you?ll enjoy the ride of your life!

Why it matters who's stirring the pot Soup offers an inspirational business fable that explainsthe "recipe" you can use to create a winning culture and boostemployee morale and engagement. The story follows Nancy, the newlyanointed CEO of America's Favorite Soup Company. She has beenbrought in to reinvigorate the brand and bring success back to acompany that has lost its flavor and profit and has fallen on hardtimes. Fatefully, while eating lunch at a local soup shop, Nancydiscovers the key ingredients to unite, engage, and inspire herteam and create a culture of greatness. From the bestselling author of The Energy Bus, The NoComplaining Rule, and Training Camp Find out how culture drives behavior, behavior drives habits,and habits deliver results Create relationships that are the foundation upon whichsuccessful careers and winning teams are built Features quick takeaways you can use to invest in your people,build trust, create unity, and enhance engagement A turnaround tale like few others, Soup will inspire youto work in your own company to unleash the passion that deliverssuperior results.

Successful leaders don't rest on their laurels because leadership is not a title on a business card. Leadership is a living process--and life means growth. As Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller write in the introduction, "the path to increased influence, impact, and leadership effectiveness is paved with personal growth.... Our capacity to grow determines our capacity to lead. It's really that simple." Great Leaders Grow shows leaders and aspiring leaders precisely which areas to focus on so they can remain effective throughout their lives. Debbie Brewster--the protagonist from Blanchard and Miller's international bestseller The Secret--returns in this book to mentor her mentor's son, Blake, as he begins his career. Now an accomplished leader herself, Debbie shows Blake how growing as a leader and as a human being are inextricably linked. "How well you and I serve will be determined by the decision to grow or not," she says. "Will you be a leader who is always ready to face the next challenge? Or will you be a leader who tries to apply yesterday's solutions to today's problems?" As Blake confronts the challenges of business in the real world, he turns to Debbie for guidance. Step by step, Debbie and Blake explore the GROW model--four ways that leaders must challenge and stretch themselves, both on the job and off, to fulfill their highest potential. Whether you're a CEO or an entry-level employee, this book will inspire you to reflect on your life and design your own long-term growth plan--a plan that can lead not only to continuing professional success but to personal fulfillment as well.