Escaping the Build Trap


Book Description

To stay competitive in today’s market, organizations need to adopt a culture of customer-centric practices that focus on outcomes rather than outputs. Companies that live and die by outputs often fall into the "build trap," cranking out features to meet their schedule rather than the customer’s needs. In this book, Melissa Perri explains how laying the foundation for great product management can help companies solve real customer problems while achieving business goals. By understanding how to communicate and collaborate within a company structure, you can create a product culture that benefits both the business and the customer. You’ll learn product management principles that can be applied to any organization, big or small. In five parts, this book explores: Why organizations ship features rather than cultivate the value those features represent How to set up a product organization that scales How product strategy connects a company’s vision and economic outcomes back to the product activities How to identify and pursue the right opportunities for producing value through an iterative product framework How to build a culture focused on successful outcomes over outputs




Man in the Trap


Book Description




The Trap


Book Description

A gripping wilderness adventure and survival story It was getting colder. Johnny pulled the fur-lined hood of his parka over his head and walked towards his own cabin with the sound of snow crunching beneath his boots. "He should be back tomorrow," he thought, as a star raced across the sky just below the North Star. "He should be back tomorrow for sure." Seventeen-year-old Johnny Least-Weasel knows that his grandfather Albert is a stubborn old man and won't stop checking his own traplines even though other men his age stopped doing so years ago. But Albert Least-Weasel has been running traplines in the Alaskan wilderness alone for the past sixty years. Nothing has ever gone wrong on the trail he knows so well. When Albert doesn't come back from checking his traps, with the temperature steadily plummeting, Johnny must decide quickly whether to trust his grandfather or his own instincts. Written in alternating chapters that relate the parallel stories of Johnny and his grandfather, John Smelcer's The Trap poignantly addresses the hardships of life in the far north, suggesting that the most dangerous traps need not be made of steel.




The Trap - FREE PREVIEW (First Three Chapters)


Book Description

Now in paperback, the twisted debut thriller about a reclusive author who sets the perfect trap for her sister's murderer--but is he really the killer? The renowned author Linda Conrads is famous for more than just her bestselling novels. For over eleven years, she has mystified fans by never setting foot outside her home. Far-fetched, sometimes sinister rumors surround the shut-in writer, but they pale in comparison to the chilling truth: Linda is haunted by the unsolved murder of her younger sister, whom she discovered in a pool of blood twelve years ago, and by the face of the man she saw fleeing the scene. Now plagued by panic attacks, Linda copes with debilitating anxiety by secluding herself in her house, her last safe haven. But the sanctity of this refuge is shattered when her sister's murderer appears again--this time on her television screen. Empowered with sudden knowledge but hobbled by years of isolation, Linda resolves to use her only means of communication with the outside world--the plot of her next novel--to lay an irresistible trap for the man. But as the plan is set in motion and the past comes rushing back, Linda's memories of that traumatic night--and her very sanity--are called into question. Is this man really a heartless killer or merely a helpless victim?




Do More Great Work


Book Description

You work hard. You put in the hours. Yet you feel like you are constantly treading water with "Good Work" that keeps you going but never quite moves you ahead. Or worse, you are mired in "Bad Work"—endless meetings and energy-draining bureaucratic traps. Do More Great Work gets to the heart of the problem: Even the best performers are spending less than a fraction of their time doing "Great Work"—the kind of innovative work that pushes us forward, stretches our creativity, and truly satisfies us. Michael Bungay Stanier, Canadian Coach of the Year in 2006, is a business consultant who’s found a way to move us away from bad work (and even good work), and toward more time spent doing great work. When you’re up to your eyeballs answering e-mail, returning phone calls, attending meetings and scrambling to get that project done, you can turn to this inspirational, motivating, and at times playful book for invaluable guidance. In fifteen exercises, Do More Great Work shows how you can finally do more of the work that engages and challenges you, that has a real impact, that plays to your strengths—and that matters. The exercises are "maps"—brilliantly simple visual tools that help you find, start and sustain Great Work, revealing how to: Find clues to your own Great Work—they’re all around you Locate the sweet spot between what you want to do and what your organization wants you to do Generate new ideas and possibilities quickly Best manage your overwhelming workload Double the likelihood that you’ll do what you want to do All it takes is ten minutes a day, a pencil and a willingness to change. Do More Great Work will not only help you identify what the Great Work of your life is, it will tell you how to do it.




When You Trap a Tiger


Book Description

WINNER OF THE NEWBERY MEDAL • WINNER OF THE ASIAN/PACIFIC AMERICAN AWARD FOR CHILDREN'S LITERATURE • #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Would you make a deal with a magical tiger? This uplifting story brings Korean folklore to life as a girl goes on a quest to unlock the power of stories and save her grandmother. Some stories refuse to stay bottled up... When Lily and her family move in with her sick grandmother, a magical tiger straight out of her halmoni's Korean folktales arrives, prompting Lily to unravel a secret family history. Long, long ago, Halmoni stole something from the tigers. Now they want it back. And when one of the tigers approaches Lily with a deal--return what her grandmother stole in exchange for Halmoni's health--Lily is tempted to agree. But deals with tigers are never what they seem! With the help of her sister and her new friend Ricky, Lily must find her voice...and the courage to face a tiger. Tae Keller, the award-winning author of The Science of Breakable Things, shares a sparkling tale about the power of stories and the magic of family. "If stories were written in the stars ... this wondrous tale would be one of the brightest." —Booklist, Starred Review




Trap 3 Little Pigs


Book Description

Can't a wolf just get some bacon? Authored by YouTuber Kyle Exum, Trap 3 Little Pigs is a modern twist of the original Three Little Pigs tale. Complimented by the "Trap 3 Little Pigs" song, the story involves a hungry wolf who just needs an entree for his dinner date, as well as three intelligent and athletic pigs. Although the story is structured as a children's book, the mixture of modern pop culture references and relatable humor is meant to be enjoyed by all ages. The words in this version of the story are modified from the lyrics in the "Trap 3 Little Pigs" song to be friendlier to young readers.




Three Ways to Trap a Leprechaun


Book Description

Includes instructions for builing a leprechaun trap.




The Santa Trap


Book Description

A spoiled, greedy, and naughty boy matches wits with Santa Claus in this hilariously "wicked" Christmas read-aloud. Bradley Bartleby is bad. Very bad. In order to avoid Bradley's wrath, his wealthy parents buy him whatever he wants. All the adults in Bradley's life are running scared―except for Santa Claus, who refuses to give him anything but socks. But Bradley vows to get what he deserves. If Santa won't give him the gifts he wants, Bradley will just have to steal them. He transforms his house into a trap so fearsome even his parents refuse to enter. With dynamite, trapdoors, guillotines, and tigers in his path, Santa doesn't stand a chance. Or does he? Jonathan Emmett gives readers a Christmas tale from a new and devious perspective.




Trap History


Book Description

A look at the Atlanta music scene and birth of Trap music.