A More Beautiful Question


Book Description

To get the best answer-in business, in life-you have to ask the best possible question. Innovation expert Warren Berger shows that ability is both an art and a science. It may be the most underappreciated tool at our disposal, one we learn to use well in infancy-and then abandon as we grow older. Critical to learning, innovation, success, even to happiness-yet often discouraged in our schools and workplaces-it can unlock new business opportunities and reinvent industries, spark creative insights at many levels, and provide a transformative new outlook on life. It is the ability to question-and to do so deeply, imaginatively, and “beautifully.” In this fascinating exploration of the surprising power of questioning, innovation expert Warren Berger reveals that powerhouse businesses like Google, Nike, and Netflix, as well as hot Silicon Valley startups like Pandora and Airbnb, are fueled by the ability to ask fundamental, game-changing questions. But Berger also shares human stories of people using questioning to solve everyday problems-from “How can I adapt my career in a time of constant change?” to “How can I step back from the daily rush and figure out what really makes me happy?” By showing how to approach questioning with an open, curious mind and a willingness to work through a series of “Why,” “What if,” and “How” queries, Berger offers an inspiring framework of how we can all arrive at better solutions, fresh possibilities, and greater success in business and life.




All You Have to Do Is Ask


Book Description

A set of tools for mastering the one skill standing between us and success: the ability to ask for the things we need to succeed. Imagine you’re on a deadline for a big project, and feeling overwhelmed. Or you're looking for a job, but can't seem to get your foot in the door. Or you're dying for tickets to a sold out concert, and all your leads have gone cold. What do these problems have in common? They can all be solved simply by reaching out to a colleague, friend, or wider network and making an ask. Studies show that asking for help makes us better and less frustrated at our jobs. It helps us find new opportunities and new talent. It unlocks new ideas and solutions, and enhances team performance. And it helps us get the things we need outside the workplace as well. And yet, we rarely give ourselves permission to ask. Luckily, the research shows that asking—and getting—what we need is much easier than we tend to think. Here, Wayne Baker shares a set of strategies—used at companies like Google, GM, and IDEO—that individuals, teams, and leaders can use to make asking for help a personal and organizational habit, including: • A quiz to identify your asking-giving style • SMART criteria for who, when, and how to ask • “Plug-and-play ” routines that make requests a standard component of meetings • Mini-games that incentivize asking within teams • The Reciprocity Ring, a guided activity that allows people to tap into the giving power of a network Picking up where the bestselling book Give and Take left off, All You Have to Do Is Ask shows us how to ignite the cycle of giving and receiving by asking for the things we need. Advance praise for All You Have to Do Is Ask “Asking for help and support has been a key to my success. Wayne Baker expertly shares how everyone can do it.”—Shellye Archambeau, former CEO, MetricStream, and board director, Verizon and Nordstrom “Wayne Baker shares the formula for driving personal, organizational, and social change by tapping the power of our teams and networks for help. This insightful book is a must-read for anyone seeking practical and proven solutions to make our workplaces and world a better place.”—Noel Tichy, professor, University of Michigan, and author of Judgment and Control Your Destiny or Someone Else Will




Why Do You Ask?


Book Description

The act of questioning is the primary speech interaction between an institutional speaker and someone outside the institution. These roles dictate their language practices. "Why Do You Ask?" is the first collected volume to focus solely on the question/answer process, drawing on a range of methodological approaches like Conversational Analysis, Discourse Analysis, Discursive Psychology, and Sociolinguistics-and using as data not just medical, legal, and educational environments, but also less-studied institutions like telephone call centers, broadcast journalism (i.e. talk show interviews), academia, and telemarketing. An international roster of well-known contributors addresses such issues as: the relationship between the syntax of the question and its discourse function; the kind of institutional work that questions perform; the degree to which the questioner can control the direction of the conversation; and how questions are used to repackage responses, to construct meaning, and to serve the institutional goals of speakers. Why Do You Ask? will appeal to linguists and others interested in institutional discourse, as well as those interested in the grammatical/pragmatic nature of questions.




The Art of Asking


Book Description

Rock star, crowdfunding pioneer, and TED speaker Amanda Palmer knows all about asking. Performing as a living statue in a wedding dress, she wordlessly asked thousands of passersby for their dollars. When she became a singer, songwriter, and musician, she was not afraid to ask her audience to support her as she surfed the crowd (and slept on their couches while touring). And when she left her record label to strike out on her own, she asked her fans to support her in making an album, leading to the world's most successful music Kickstarter. Even while Amanda is both celebrated and attacked for her fearlessness in asking for help, she finds that there are important things she cannot ask for-as a musician, as a friend, and as a wife. She learns that she isn't alone in this, that so many people are afraid to ask for help, and it paralyzes their lives and relationships. In this groundbreaking book, she explores these barriers in her own life and in the lives of those around her, and discovers the emotional, philosophical, and practical aspects of The Art of Asking. Part manifesto, part revelation, this is the story of an artist struggling with the new rules of exchange in the twenty-first century, both on and off the Internet. The Art of Asking will inspire readers to rethink their own ideas about asking, giving, art, and love.




Ask a Manager


Book Description

From the creator of the popular website Ask a Manager and New York’s work-advice columnist comes a witty, practical guide to 200 difficult professional conversations—featuring all-new advice! There’s a reason Alison Green has been called “the Dear Abby of the work world.” Ten years as a workplace-advice columnist have taught her that people avoid awkward conversations in the office because they simply don’t know what to say. Thankfully, Green does—and in this incredibly helpful book, she tackles the tough discussions you may need to have during your career. You’ll learn what to say when • coworkers push their work on you—then take credit for it • you accidentally trash-talk someone in an email then hit “reply all” • you’re being micromanaged—or not being managed at all • you catch a colleague in a lie • your boss seems unhappy with your work • your cubemate’s loud speakerphone is making you homicidal • you got drunk at the holiday party Praise for Ask a Manager “A must-read for anyone who works . . . [Alison Green’s] advice boils down to the idea that you should be professional (even when others are not) and that communicating in a straightforward manner with candor and kindness will get you far, no matter where you work.”—Booklist (starred review) “The author’s friendly, warm, no-nonsense writing is a pleasure to read, and her advice can be widely applied to relationships in all areas of readers’ lives. Ideal for anyone new to the job market or new to management, or anyone hoping to improve their work experience.”—Library Journal (starred review) “I am a huge fan of Alison Green’s Ask a Manager column. This book is even better. It teaches us how to deal with many of the most vexing big and little problems in our workplaces—and to do so with grace, confidence, and a sense of humor.”—Robert Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule and The Asshole Survival Guide “Ask a Manager is the ultimate playbook for navigating the traditional workforce in a diplomatic but firm way.”—Erin Lowry, author of Broke Millennial: Stop Scraping By and Get Your Financial Life Together




All You Gotta Do is Ask


Book Description

All You Gotta Do Is Ask explains how to promote large numbers of ideas from your employees, something most organization do very poorly, if at all. In many organizations, the people who manage are either unaware of the power of employee ideas, or they don't know how to tap into them. This easy-to-read book will show why it is important to have a good idea system, how to set one up, and what it can do for you, your employees, and your organization.




Essential Skills for a Brilliant Family Dog, Books 1-4


Book Description

Is your dog driving you up the wall? Discover simple but effective games you both enjoy, and get just what you want in your family pet. 🐕 Is your dog stealing and destroying anything that’s not nailed down? 🐕 Pulling your arm out of its socket on walks? 🐕 Racing off into the blue yonder, deaf to your calls? As a professional positive dog trainer Beverley Courtney knows just what you’re up against! She’s taught thousands of new owners how to work with their puppies and dogs - entirely without force. You got your pet to be your companion - and yet all you seem to do is yell at her! Let’s change this right away: instead of focussing on what you don’t want your dog to do, focus on what you do want. Instead of having unnecessary battles over trivia, build up terrific games your dog longs to play with you. Soon your unruly dog will be saying, “Yes? What would you like me to do for you?” And so begins a wonderful partnership. Beverley takes you by the hand and leads you through the games and lessons, step-by-step. There’s no strange jargon, no “Thou shalt not’s”, and every time you get stuck, another solution pops up. Her years of experience in face-to-face classes as well as her popular online programs shine through. 👉 Book 1 shows you how to find your dog’s off-switch! You’ll wonder how you managed before you learnt this skill. 👉 Book 2 has you teaching your dog impulse control, so that by being trustworthy around food and doorways he gets greater freedom. 👉 Book 3 brings you the Holy Grail of dog ownership - walking nicely on the lead. In just a couple of games a day, you’ll get the calm walks you yearn for. 👉 Book 4 teaches your dog the life-saving and sanity-preserving skill of coming back instantly on one call. He’ll have such fun he’ll be halfway back to you before he knows it. Buy this engaging, readable, jargon-free, complete series right now, and turn your dog into your Brilliant Family Dog!




Intellectual Warfare


Book Description

A hundred-thousand years ago one of the biggest differences between humans and the rest of the animal kingdom was that we were better at catching them than they were at catching us. Today things have changed...somewhat. Thinking is easy. Anyone can think. What's important is thinking intelligently. The problem is that a battle for our minds is taking place, and most people don't even notice. We're influenced from the news, social gatherings, what we read, what we are told, and what everyone else is thinking. Salespeople, marketers, and politicians know thousands of ways to push our minds in one direction or another. The result is that society is littered with people who retain beliefs they cannot explain for reasons they do not know. What you think matters. People fight for their beliefs, defend them, and in some cases even die for them. Lesser minds might be content with easy answers and poorly thought out explanations. But if you seek a strong mind, you first must ensure that you are capable of overcoming the elements that influence the way you think. Intellectual Warfare is designed to equip you with the tools necessary to win the battle for your mind. The book spans a host of topics ranging from the human ego, natural biases, cognitive illusions, and an entire section on the weapons of persuasion constantly attacking your thought process. Aimed at anyone seeking to improve their intellect, this book will ensure you are making the most of your mind.




Women Don't Ask


Book Description

The groundbreaking classic that explores how women can and should negotiate for parity in their workplaces, homes, and beyond When Linda Babcock wanted to know why male graduate students were teaching their own courses while female students were always assigned as assistants, her dean said: "More men ask. The women just don't ask." Drawing on psychology, sociology, economics, and organizational behavior as well as dozens of interviews with men and women in different fields and at all stages in their careers, Women Don't Ask explores how our institutions, child-rearing practices, and implicit assumptions discourage women from asking for the opportunities and resources that they have earned and deserve—perpetuating inequalities that are fundamentally unfair and economically unsound. Women Don't Ask tells women how to ask, and why they should.




Four Bullets and a Notebook


Book Description

A kid, first time out of home, goes to college hoping to find the fun life he was waiting for. Instead, he encounters a college life interlaced with politics at each and every turn. Student Unions, College Federations, Community, Politics and what not? He must change the system by becoming a part of the system. But the real question is – will he survive?