The Clarity Papers: The Executive's Guide to Clear Thinking and Better, Faster Results


Book Description

Clarity comes first. Most leaders believe they have clarity themselves and in their organization, but how do you know for sure? The Clarity Papers, will help you determine if a lack of clarity is standing between you and greater success and provide specific techniques for creating strategic clarity from the top of your organization to the bottom.




The Power of Clarity


Book Description

An engaging guide on how to bring clarity on both an individual and organizational level and improve workplace efficiency. Organizations are stressed. Innovation and global competition have become the source of relentless pressure and customers have never had higher expectations. Corporate efforts to improve everyday productivity and boost profits are producing diminishing returns. Yet a new frontier of enormous opportunity to improve results is hidden in plain sight. According to a Fortune 500 study, as much as 80% of working time is lost to tiresome meetings, unclear expectations, difficult decisions, and other wasteful delays. Overcoming the lack of clarity behind this waste - on both an individual and organizational basis - would reap huge rewards. In The Power of Clarity, Ann Latham exposes the unrecognized confusion and explains how to eliminate it. This fascinating guide to workplace productivity and effectiveness draws upon extensive research and case studies to demonstrate how you can get better results in far less time while also increasing confidence and commitment.




Think Smarter


Book Description

Train your brain for better decisions, problem solving, and innovation Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills is the comprehensive guide to training your brain to do more for you. Written by a critical thinking trainer and coach, the book presents a pragmatic set of tools to apply critical thinking techniques to everyday business issues. Think Smarter is filled with real world examples that demonstrate how the tools work in action, in addition to dozens of practice exercises applicable across industries and functions, Think Smarter is a versatile resource for individuals, managers, students, and corporate training programs. Thinking is the foundation of everything you do, but we rely largely on automatic thinking to process information, often resulting in misunderstandings and errors. Shifting over to critical thinking means thinking purposefully using a framework and toolset, enabling thought processes that lead to better decisions, faster problem solving, and creative innovation. Think Smarter provides clear, actionable steps toward improving your critical thinking skills, plus exercises that clarify complex concepts by putting theory into practice. Features include: A comprehensive critical thinking framework Over twenty-five "tools" to help you think more critically Critical thinking implementation for functions and activities Examples of the real-world use of each tool Learn what questions to ask, how to uncover the real problem to solve, and mistakes to avoid. Recognize assumptions your can rely on versus those without merit, and train your brain to tick through your mental toolbox to arrive at more innovative solutions. Critical thinking is the top skill on the wish list in the business world, and sharpening your ability can have profound affects throughout all facets of life. Think Smarter: Critical Thinking to Improve Problem-Solving and Decision-Making Skills provides a roadmap to more effective and productive thought.




Presentation Zen


Book Description

FOREWORD BY GUY KAWASAKI Presentation designer and internationally acclaimed communications expert Garr Reynolds, creator of the most popular Web site on presentation design and delivery on the Net — presentationzen.com — shares his experience in a provocative mix of illumination, inspiration, education, and guidance that will change the way you think about making presentations with PowerPoint or Keynote. Presentation Zen challenges the conventional wisdom of making "slide presentations" in today’s world and encourages you to think differently and more creatively about the preparation, design, and delivery of your presentations. Garr shares lessons and perspectives that draw upon practical advice from the fields of communication and business. Combining solid principles of design with the tenets of Zen simplicity, this book will help you along the path to simpler, more effective presentations.




Strategic Project Management Made Simple


Book Description

When Fortune Magazine estimated that 70% of all strategies fail, it also noted that most of these strategies were basically sound, but could not be executed. The central premise of Strategic Project Management Made Simple is that most projects and strategies never get off the ground because of adhoc, haphazard, and obsolete methods used to turn their ideas into coherent and actionable plans. Strategic Project Management Made Simple is the first book to couple a step-by-step process with an interactive thinking tool that takes a strategic approach to designing projects and action initiatives. Strategic Project Management Made Simple builds a solid platform upon four critical questions that are vital for teams to intelligently answer in order to create their own strong, strategic foundation. These questions are: 1. What are we trying to accomplish and why? 2. How will we measure success? 3. What other conditions must exist? 4. How do we get there? This fresh approach begins with clearly understanding the what and why of a project - comprehending the bigger picture goals that are often given only lip service or cursory reviews. The second and third questions clarify success measures and identify the risky assumptions that can later cause pain if not spotted early. The how questions - what are the activities, budgets, and schedules - comes last in our four-question system. By contrast, most project approaches prematurely concentrate on the how without first adequately addressing the three other questions. These four questions guide readers into fleshing out a simple, yet sophisticated, mental workbench called "the Logical Framework" - a Systems Thinking paradigm that lays out one's own project strategy in an easily accessible, interactive 4x4 matrix. The inclusion of memorable features and concepts (four critical questions, LogFrame matrix, If-then thinking, and Implementation Equation) make this book unique.




Lead Yourself First


Book Description

A guide to the role of solitude in good leadership, including profiles of historical and contemporary figures who have used solitude to lead with courage, creativity, and strength. Throughout history, leaders have used solitude as a matter of course. Eisenhower wrote memoranda to himself during World War II as a way to think through complex problems. Martin Luther King found moral courage while sitting alone at his kitchen table one night during the Montgomery bus boycott. Jane Goodall used her intuition in the jungles of Central Africa while learning how to approach chimps. Solitude is a state of mind, a space where you can focus on your own thoughts without distraction, with a power to bring mind and soul together in clear-eyed conviction. Like a great wave that saturates everything in its path, however, handheld devices and other media now leave us awash with the thoughts of others. We are losing solitude without even realizing it. To find solitude today, a leader must make a conscious effort. This book explains why the effort is worthwhile and how to make it. Through gripping historical accounts and firsthand interviews with a wide range of contemporary leaders, Raymond Kethledge (a federal court of appeals judge) and Michael Erwin (a West Pointer and three-tour combat veteran) show how solitude can enhance clarity, spur creativity, sustain emotional balance, and generate the moral courage necessary to overcome adversity and criticism. Anyone who leads anyone-including oneself-can benefit from solitude. With a foreword by Jim Collins (author of the bestseller Good to Great), Lead Yourself First is a rallying cry to reclaim solitude-and all the benefits, both practical and sublime, that come with it.




A New Way to Think


Book Description

Named one of "10 Must-Read Career and Leadership Books For 2022" by Forbes The ultimate guide to the essentials of strategy and management, from one of the world's top business thinkers. Over a stellar career, Roger Martin has advised the CEOs of some of the world's most successful companies. From the beginning, he noted that almost every executive he talked to had a "model"—a framework or way of thinking that guided their strategy and activities. But these models tended to become automatic, so much so that when one didn't work, the typical response was just to apply it again—with greater enthusiasm. Martin took a fresh, critical approach to helping. When company leaders came to him with fundamental questions—How do you decide where to play and how to win? What is the key to shaping and changing corporate culture? How can you design a successful, sustainable innovation process?—his first response was to break the spell of the current model with a memo articulating a new way to think about the problem at hand and a more powerful and effective way to successfully overcome it. Over time, these ideas worked their way into Martin's many Harvard Business Review articles. Now, for the first time, they appear together in A New Way to Think. With his trademark incisive intellect and clarity, Martin covers the entire breadth of the management landscape—illuminating the true nature of competition, explaining how company success revolves around customers, revealing how strategy and execution are really the same thing, and much more. Reading like a series of one-on-one sessions with one of the world's leading business thinkers, A New Way to Think is an essential guide for any current or aspiring business leader.




Clarity


Book Description

LEARN TO CLEAR YOUR MIND AND THINK LIKE A WINNER We all have so much going on. A million different projects, to-do lists longer than your arm. We all worry about things – money, deadlines. With all this buzzing around in our heads it’s often a nightmare trying to concentrate on one thing. What if someone could show you how to empty your mind of all the noise? If you could be shown how to de-clutter your mind and concentrate on one important thing? Well Jamie Smart, state-of-mind specialist, can do just that – with Clarity he will show you how to get real clarity of thought. You’ll learn how to clear your mind and become less stressed and more productive – and as a result, more confident in your abilities. Clarity will help you to: • Greatly improve your concentration and ability to think clearly • Reduce stress levels and increase productivity • Grow your confidence and self-belief • Find innovative solutions to problems and make progress on goals and dreams • Trust your intuition and improve your decision-making • Build stronger relationships through better communication Praise for Clarity: “Thought-provoking, entertaining, and potentially life changing – highly recommended!” Michael Neill, Radio Show Host and Author of The Inside-Out Revolution: The only thing you need to know to change your life forever “A powerful, positive book that can help you to achieve more than you ever thought possible, in every area.” Brian Tracy, Author of Goals and Eat That Frog “I highly recommend this book to anyone trying to deal with life stressors and find true wisdom and well-being." Mark Howard, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, ThreePrinciplesInstitute.org “Take your time reading this profound book. Jamie Smart is about to blow apart every circumstantial excuse you ever came up with. He’s about to put the steering wheel back in your hands.” Garret Kramer, Founder of Inner Sports and Author of Stillpower “The insights you’ll get whilst reading Clarity will resonant in how you manage day to day but, more importantly, provide a framework for refreshing your priorities, goals and drive.” Peter Lake, Group Business Development Director, JS Group “The world of leadership, sales and customer engagement has changed radically over the past ten years. People are more savvy, better informed and sick of the same old story. Jamie Smart cuts through the noise of the marketplace and shows you what really works. Profound, practical and instantly applicable; Clarity is essential reading if you want to make your mark in the 21st century.” Paul Charmatz, Former Managing Director, Camelot “Jamie, you really hit the bullseye with this brilliant book; it’s a must-read for everyone who wants clarity of mind.” Joe Stumpf, Founder of By Referral Only and Author of Willing Warrior “Jamie Smart takes an outdated paradigm of success and turns it on its head. Pull up a chair, get a copy of Clarity and discover how you can experience an exponential increase in clarity and quality of life.” Rich Litvin, co-author of The Prosperous Coach and Founder of The Confident Woman’s Salon “Jamie Smart is brilliant! In his book Clarity, he has unlocked an insight into the real-life matrix. Be ready to have your world turned inside-out because, as Jamie so effortlessly demonstrates, this is how it works.” Richard Enion, Dragon’s Den Winner, BassToneSlap.com and RichEats.TV




Conversational Intelligence


Book Description

The key to success in life and business is to become a master at Conversational Intelligence. It's not about how smart you are, but how open you are to learn new and effective powerful conversational rituals that prime the brain for trust, partnership, and mutual success. Conversational Intelligence translates the wealth of new insights coming out of neuroscience from across the globe, and brings the science down to earth so people can understand and apply it in their everyday lives. Author Judith Glaser presents a framework for knowing what kind of conversations trigger the lower, more primitive brain; and what activates higher-level intelligences such as trust, integrity, empathy, and good judgment. Conversational Intelligence makes complex scientific material simple to understand and apply through a wealth of easy to use tools, examples, conversational rituals, and practices for all levels of an organization.




The Little Book of Results


Book Description

'It is easier to complicate than to simplify' - this book takes up that challenge and aims to refine and clarify the theories in the original Results to produce a more succinct route to clarity and better results for the reader - because we all want to see results at home, at work and in life! Using transformational coaching techniques, examples, exercises and metaphors, Jamie talks the reader through the three key changes they need to achieve the results they are after and inspire others to do the same. Based on the principles of The Clarity Coaching Model, the reader will learn how to de-congest their mind to think more clearly, make better decisions and improve performance – achieving the ‘flow’ state attributed to the results of top-flight individuals. Clearer thinking removes the stress and anxiety from decision making and allows you to focus on your goals. Rather than a step-by-step process, the reader is encouraged to form a deep understanding of themselves to awaken their inner potential and improve their innate abilities including better listening, deeper connections, more motivation and greater innovation and creativity.