Dream Teams


Book Description

Award-winning entrepreneur and journalist Shane Snow reveals the counterintuitive reasons why so many partnerships and groups break down--and why some break through. The best teams are more than the sum of their parts, but why does collaboration so often fail to fulfill this promise? In Dream Teams, Snow takes us on an adventure through history, neuroscience, psychology, and business, exploring what separates groups that simply get by together from those that get better together. You'll learn: * How ragtag teams--from soccer clubs to startups to gangs of pirates--beat the odds throughout history. * Why DaimlerChrysler flopped while the Wu-Tang Clan succeeded, and the surprising factor behind most failed mergers, marriages, and partnerships. * What the Wright Brothers' daily arguments can teach us about group problem solving. * Pioneering women in law enforcement, unlikely civil rights collaborators, and underdog armies that did the incredible together. * The team players behind great social movements in history, and the science of becoming open-minded. Provocative and entertaining, Dream Teams is a landmark work that will change the way we think about people, progress, and collaboration.




Our Team—Our Dream


Book Description

A trip into the world of a Cubs fan, this brilliant collection of photos and insightful essays highlights 15 years with the Chicago Cubs, from the winter Cubs Convention to their springs in Mesa and, finally, to the Friendly Confines during the season. This passionate photo documentary is a must-have for any and all Cubs fans who love to reminisce about past seasons while looking forward to the future with unguarded optimism. Our Team—Our Dream puts the Cubbies and the throngs of fans who flock to Wrigleyville on display in one memorable collection.




The Dream Manager


Book Description

A business parable about how companies can achieve remarkable results by helping their employees fulfill their dreams Managing people is difficult. With disengagement and turnover on the rise, many managers are scratching their heads wondering what to do. It's not that we dont dream of being great managers, it's just that we havent found a practical and efficient way to do it. Until now . . . The fictional company in this remarkable book is grappling with real problems of high turnover and low morale -- so the managers begin to investigate what really drives the employees. What they discover is that the key to motivation isnt necessarily the promise of a bigger paycheck or title, but rather the fulfillment of crucial personal dreams. They also learned that people at every level need to be offered specific kinds of help and encouragement -- or our dreams will forever remain just dreams as we grow dissatisfied with our lives and jobs. Beginning with his important thought that a company can only become the-best-version-of-itself to the extent that its employees are becoming better-versions-of-themselves, Matthew Kelly explores the connection between the dreams we are chasing personally and the way we all engage at work. Tackling head-on the growing problem of employee disengagement, Kelly explores the dynamic collaboration that is unleashed when people work together to achieve company objectives and personal dreams. The power of The Dream Manager is that simply becoming aware of the concept will change the way you manage and relate to people instantly and forever. What's your dream?




Dream Team


Book Description

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER Acclaimed sports journalist Jack McCallum delivers the untold story of the greatest team ever assembled: the 1992 U.S. Olympic Men’s Basketball Team. As a writer for Sports Illustrated, McCallum enjoyed a courtside seat for the most exciting basketball spectacle on earth, covering the Dream Team from its inception to the gold medal ceremony in Barcelona. Drawing on fresh interviews with the players, McCallum provides the definitive account of the Dream Team phenomenon. He offers a behind-the-scenes look at the controversial selection process. He takes us inside the team’s Olympic suites for late-night card games and bull sessions where superstars like Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird debated the finer points of basketball. And he narrates a riveting account of the legendary intrasquad scrimmage that pitted the Dream Teamers against one another in what may have been the greatest pickup game in history. In the twenty years since the Dream Team first captivated the world, its mystique has only grown. Dream Team vividly re-creates the moment when a once-in-a-millennium group of athletes came together and changed the future of sports—one perfectly executed fast break at a time. With a new Afterword by the author. “The absolute definitive work on the subject, a perfectly wonderful once-you-pick-it-up-you-won’t-be-able-to-put-it-down book.”—The Boston Globe “An Olympic hoops dream.”—Newsday “What makes this volume a must-read for nostalgic hoopsters are the robust portraits of the outsize personalities of the participants, all of whom were remarkably open with McCallum, both then and now.”—Booklist (starred review)




Build Your Dream Team


Book Description

It's Monday morning and you have a knot in your stomach as you think of going to work. You recently started a new job as a team leader. You were very excited in the beginning, but it has been a tough week. Your team members don't seem too happy with you, people have been skipping meetings, you've been drowning in emails and requests, two of your team members are not even talking to each other and your new boss wants you to present your team's plans for the year when you have barely a plan for next week. You are realizing you actually have no clue how to be a team leader. Sure, you're great at what you do, and you've been a great team player. But nothing in your professional training taught you how to do this. "This" being putting together a team. Actually, putting together an amazing team. How do you bring together disparate characters and create something bigger and better than the sum of the parts? How do you achieve the goals you've promised to the organization and to yourself, goals which can only be accomplished through teamwork? What do you do when conflict explodes? How do you ensure that managing your team's request doesn't eat up all your time? Unless you actually studied for a career in management or business administration, chances are you were never taught anything about team leadership and managing people. This book is for you if: a.You have just started as a team leader (at work, in a sport or a hobby, or when volunteering) but have never learned about leadership and management in your career. b.You have been a leader for a while but are currently facing a crisis period and feel you don't have the tools to resolve it or if you want to learn new ways to strengthen your team, get better results, and build a better work environment. This book is a practical guide to accompany you through the process of becoming a great leader and putting together a dream team. It will show you how to: -Identify the leadership skills you already possess and build on them. -Successfully transition from team member to team leader. -Get rid of overwhelm and learn to manage your time. -Achieve your team goals through smart planning and follow-up strategies. -Manage the team formation process to create a strong, cohesive team. -Maintain smooth communication by establishing solid systems. -Help your team members avoid or overcome demotivation and burnout. -Resolve conflict constructively. This book focuses both on developing the mindset that can help you become a great team leader, and on building the strategies that will help you reach your goals, maintain team spirit and communication, and prevent conflict. This is the book I wish I had when I started as a team leader years ago. I've put together all the best strategies I researched and tested through my own journey as a leader. After reading this book and testing the practical ideas in it, within weeks you'll see positive changes in how your team relates to you and to each other. You'll feel empowered. You'll have a clear vision of who you want to be as a leader and what you want your dream team to look like, and most importantly, the tools and the plan that will make that vision a reality. My goal with this book is that you will find simple, easily-implementable solutions to the problems that now seem insurmountable. That tomorrow, instead of dreading your team meetings, you'll start looking forward to interacting with your team.That in a few weeks from now, the grey cloud of dread, boredom, and stress hanging over you every Monday morning when you have to hit the office will disappear and the sky will look bright blue as you go re-join that dream team of yours for another week of astounding successes. The journey starts here. It's a fun one.




Your Presidential Fantasy Dream Team


Book Description

Draft your own presidential fantasy team, based on these hilarious-but-true profiles of our past leaders, in this fun and funny illustrated book perfect for fans of How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous and Kid Presidents! What if a zombie apocalypse or a robot uprising threatened the nation and you had the power to recruit some of the nation’s finest presidents to help save the day? By studying the most successful squads in history, Daniel O’Brien has identified the perfect ingredients for a victorious team. Which president would you choose for: the Brain, the Brawn, the Moral Compass, the Loose Cannon, and the Roosevelt? Choose wisely—the fate of the world is in your hands! "Aiming squarely at a sports-obsessed, statistics-mad and gross-out friendly audience, the madcap, utterly irreverent Your Presidential Fantasy Dream Team may be on to something." —New York Times "O'Brien takes a non-holds-barred approach to describing each man's strengths, weaknesses, and reputation . . . Rowntree's over-the-top illustrations picture ratchet up the humor even more." —PW "A warts-and-all look at two centuries of presidential leadership and politics." —Kirkus Reviews




The Storytelling Edge


Book Description

"A terrific and timely book that makes a compelling case for fundamentally rethinking how your business communicates. Recommended!" —Jay Baer, founder of Convince & Convert and author of Hug Your Haters "Once upon a time, storytelling was confused with talking at people. Not anymore. Shane and Joe are your narrators in a journey that will transform how you talk to other human beings to be more believable, relevant, compelling and unforgettable." —Brian Solis, experience architect, digital anthropologist, best-selling author "Shane Snow and Joe Lazauskas spend the overwhelming majority of their time thinking, writing, and theorizing about brand storytelling - so you don't have to. They're smart and they know this topic inside out (and sideways). Read their book. While I can't guarantee you'll rise to Shane and Joe's ridiculously obsessive level, you will be infinitely better prepared to tell your own brand's story. Promise!" —Rebecca Lieb, Analyst, Author & Advisor "The Contently team understands the power of story, and how to craft and spread a great narrative, like no other. In an era where brand, design, and mission are a competitive advantage for every business, Contently underscores the importance of stories and how they transform companies and industries." —Scott Belsky, Entrepreneur, Investor, & Author (Founder of Behance, bestselling author of Making Ideas Happen) "I can't think of a better way to illustrate the power of story telling than by telling great stories. This book should be required reading not just by those with content in their titles, but by anyone in Marketing AND Sales. Then, when you're done, give it to your CEO to read... but make sure you get it back, because I guarantee you'll refer to it more than once." —Shawna Dennis, Senior Marketing Leader "Neuroscience, algorithms, illustrations, personal anecdotes and good, old-fashioned empathy: This entertaining and informative tome journeys to the core of how we communicate and pushes us, as marketers and humans, to do it better, "speeding the reader through and leaving us wanting more." —Ann Hynek, VP of global content marketing at Morgan Stanley Transform your business through the power of storytelling. Content strategists Joe Lazauskas and Shane Snow offer an insider's guide to transforming your business—and all the relationships that matter to it—through the art and science of telling great stories. Smart businesses today understand the need to use stories to better connect with the people they care about. But few know how to do it well. In The Storytelling Edge, the strategy minds behind Contently, the world renowned content marketing technology company, reveal their secrets that have helped award-winning brands to build relationships with millions of advocates and customers. Join as they dive into the neuroscience of storytelling, the elements of powerful stories, and methodologies to grow businesses through engaging and accountable content. With The Storytelling Edge you will discover how leaders and workers can craft the powerful stories that not only build brands and engage customers, but also build relationships and make people care—in work and in life.




Your Dream Needs a Team


Book Description

"Every dream needs a team." Timogi Jackson has penned a book that is the epitome of life and business success.Your Dream Needs a Team takes you through every aspect as to why you need a team to make your dream and your vision become a reality.In this book Timogi shows you how teams empower your dream. Her definition of TEAM (The Entity (of) Aligned Members) will become the staple of how to connect the right people with the right components of your dream.Timogi has uncovered the secret of how the right TEAM allows you to serve more. When you apply Timogi's TEAM philosophy, you will have more time to operate within your element, and separate yourself from the crowd! Timogi shows you how.Dr. Saundra Wall Williams




The Science of Dream Teams: How Talent Optimization Can Drive Engagement, Productivity, and Happiness


Book Description

WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLER From the CEO of The Predictive Index, the leader in talent optimization, comes Moneyball for HR and people management How do you find the perfect person for the job in a stack of hundreds of resumes? Why do some teams succeed while others—made up of equally talented people—stumble? If the quality of your workforce is your company’s most important asset, then why are your managers still basing these critical decisions primarily on interviews and their gut instincts? In The Science of Dream Teams, Mike Zani details a data-driven approach to talent optimization that makes hiring, motivating, and managing people more efficient and effective than ever. It employs sophisticated assessments, tools, and software that enable leaders to: measure the traits and characteristics that predict success in a role or fit on a team build finely tuned project teams and well-balanced leadership teams boost employee productivity, engagement, retention—and happiness unlock the hidden potential of individual workers and your organization as a whole Whatever the business or industry, this game-changing approach has the power to unlock an unbeatable competitive advantage. The Science of Dream Teams will show you how.




Someone Builds the Dream


Book Description

Buildings, bridges, and books don't exist without the workers who are often invisible in the final product, as this joyous and profound picture book reveals from acclaimed author of The Christmas Boot Lisa Wheeler and New York Times bestselling illustrator of Love Loren Long All across this great big world, jobs are getting done by many hands in many lands. It takes much more than ONE. Gorgeously written and illustrated, this is an eye-opening exploration of the many types of work that go into building our world--from the making of a bridge to a wind farm, an amusement park, and even the very picture book that you are reading. An architect may dream up the plans for a house, but someone has to actually work the saws and pound the nails. This book is a thank-you to the skilled women and men who work tirelessly to see our dreams brought to life.