New York Times Business Best Sellers for February 2014

February 9, 2014

This Month		Business Books
1		THE WOLF OF WALL STREET, by Jordan Belfort. (Bantam.) The rise and fall of a financial insider.  Also available as a dowloadable eBook.
2		JIM CRAMER'S GET RICH CAREFULLY, by James J. Cramer. (Blue Rider.) Investment advice and an overview of the workings of the stock market.
3		LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence.  (Also available as a downloadable eBook, or eAudiobook, and on CDs.)
4		THINKING, FAST AND SLOW, by Daniel Kahneman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux.) The winner of the Nobel in economic science discusses how we make choices in business and personal life. (Also available as a downloadable Audiobook and on CD.)
5		OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent.  (Also available as a downloadable eBook, or eAudiobook, and on CDs.)
6		POWER OF HABIT, by Charles Duhigg. (Random House.) A Times reporter’s account of the science behind how we form, and break, habits.  (Also available as a downloadable eBook or eAudiobook, and on CDs.
7		FINANCIALLY FEARLESS, by Alexa Von Tobel. (Crown Business.) Financial planning from the founder of LearnVest.
8		PEOPLE TOOLS, by Alan C. Fox. (SelectBooks.) Techniques for building relationships.
9		ON THE EDGE, by Alison Levine. (Business Plus.) Applying leadership principles of extreme adventure to business environments.
10	*	THE TIPPING POINT, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown.) How and why certain products and ideas become fads. (Also available as a downloadable eBook, a downloadable Audiobook, and as an Audiobook on CD.)

About the Best Sellers

A version of this Best Sellers report appears in the February 9, 2014 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending January 25, 2014.

NYT Business Best Sellers for January 2014

---

January 12, 2014

This Month		Business Books
1		LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence.  (Also available as a downloadable eBook, or eAudiobook, and on CDs.)
2		OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent.  (Also available as a downloadable eBook, or eAudiobook, and on CDs.)
3		WOLF OF WALL STREET, by Jordan Belfort. (Bantam.) The rise and fall of a financial insider.  (Also available as a downloadable eBook.)
4		THINKING, FAST AND SLOW, by Daniel Kahneman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux.) The winner of the Nobel in economic science discusses how we make choices in business and personal life. (Also available as a downloadable Audiobook and on CD.)
5		JAB, JAB, JAB, RIGHT HOOK, by Gary Vaynerchuk. (Harper Business.) Business tips on optimizing social media strategies. (†)

Read more »

America's Small Business Summit and the Dream Big Award

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s annual event—America’s Small Business Summit— empowers you to make a big impact. By uniting with small business owners, managers, and entrepreneurs from across the country you will have the opportunity to learn, network, and discuss common legislative and management concerns. The event will be held in Washington, D.C., from June 11- June 13, 2014.  For more information, or to register, check the Chamber's website.

They are proud to provide special recognition to the small business community by hosting the Small Business of the Year Awards program, sponsored by Sam’s Club®. Winners will be acknowledged at the Summit.

Do you know a deserving small business? Do you wish to highlight your own business achievements? If the answer to either of these questions is yes then submit your online nomination or application today.

What investors wish you knew about how to get their backing

Presented by Blue Sky, the Chicago Tribune’s new gathering place for news, analysis and events related to innovation and entrepreneurship.

By James Janega, @JamesJanega , Blue Sky Reporter
Dec. 23, 2013, 12:43 p.m.

  

Pitching investors requires a targeted approach. Why ask an investor focused on biotech to fund a consumer electronics startup? It turns out investors wish startups knew more about what piques their imagination, too. We asked a handful of top investors in Chicago to break down how changes in the funding climate have impacted what they want to hear from founders with big ideas.

Answer? It’s a good time to be focused.

Chicago venture capitalists say inconsistent returns have pushed some investors out and made those remaining more choosy about the startups they support, while angel investors say their smaller investment pots make them selective to begin with. The retreat of individual venture capitalists has meant fewer investments and more frequent funding gaps between investment stages — and more competition for the investment dollars that remain.

Read more »

Lynda.com comes to the Evanston Public Library

Online software training by Lynda.com

Lynda.com provides a wide variety of online video training.  What can Lynda.com do for you, and your employees?

• Learn how to retouch photos, design web sites, record songs, create spreadsheets, animate 3D graphics, and more.
• Refresh your computer skills or learn something new--including Microsoft products.
• Access all 2,286 courses, with more added every week.
• Watch anywhere—on Macs, PCs, tablets, and smartphones.

EPL cardholders can start learning from home today!  In the library, Lynda.com is available to anyone.

The New York Times Business Bestsellers December 2013

---

December 8, 2013

This Month		Business Books
1		LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence. (Also available as a downloadable eBook, a downloadable Audiobook, and as an Audiobook on CD.)
2		OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent. (Also available as a downloadable eBook, a downloadable Audiobook, and as an Audiobook on CD.)
3		GROUNDED, by Bob Rosen. (Jossey-Bass.) How leaders can stay rooted and become more self-aware by focusing on six powerful personal forces.
4	*	DOT COMPLICATED, by Randi Zuckerberg. (HarperOne/HarperCollins.) Observations on the uses and abuses of social media and technology.
5		EVERYTHING STORE, by Brad Stone. (Little, Brown.) The story of Jeff Bezos and Amazon.
6		THINKING, FAST AND SLOW, by Daniel Kahneman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux.) The winner of the Nobel in economic science discusses how we make choices in business and personal life. (Also available as a downloadable Audiobook and as an Audiobook on CD.)
7		EXTORTION, by Peter Schweizer. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.) A Hoover institution fellow argues that politicians shape legislation in order to extract donations.
8		DUCK COMMANDERS, by Willie and Korie Robertson with Mark Schlabach. (Howard Books.) Behind the scenes at the A&E show “Duck Dynasty.”
9	*	HATCHING TWITTER, by Nick Bilton. (Portfolio/Penguin.) An account of how Twitter came to be focuses on its four founders.
10		THE TIPPING POINT, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown.) How and why certain products and ideas become fads. (Also available as a downloadable eBook, a downloadable Audiobook, and as an Audiobook on CD.)

A version of this Best Sellers report appears in the December 8, 2013 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending November 23, 2013.

NYT Best Selling Business Books November 2013

---

November 10, 2013; Hardcover

1		LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence. Also available as an Audiobook on CD, an  eBook, and a downloadable Audiobook
2		OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell. (Back Bay/Little, Brown.) Why some people succeed — it has to do with luck and opportunities as well as talent. Also available as an Audiobook on CD, an eBook, and a downloadable Audiobook.
3		EXTORTION, by Peter Schweizer. (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.) A Hoover institution fellow argues that politicians shape legislation in order to extract donations.
4		THE EVERYTHING STORE, by Brad Stone. (Little, Brown.) The story of Jeff Bezos and Amazon.
5		FOCUS, by Daniel Goleman. (Harper.) The author of “Emotional Intelligence” relies on research on attention to argue that high achievement requires three kinds of focus.
6		HUNDRED PERCENTERS, by Mark Murphy. (McGraw-Hill Education.) Challenging employees to perform at their highest level. (†)(Not currently held by EPL)
7		DO YOU SPEAK SHOE LOVER?, by Linda Meadow. (Wiley.) Stories from customers and employees of the shoe retailer DSW. (†)(Not currently held by EPL.)
8		CATERPILLAR WAY, by Craig T. Bouchard and James V. Koch. (McGraw-Hill Education.) A biography of Caterpillar Inc., as a tale of successful business management. (†) (Not currently held by any CCS library)
9		THINKING, FAST AND SLOW, by Daniel Kahneman. (Farrar, Straus & Giroux.) The winner of the Nobel in economic science discusses how we make choices in business and personal life. (Also available as an Audiobook on CD, and as a downloadable Audiobook.)
10		STEVE JOBS, by Walter Isaacson. (Simon & Schuster.) A biography of the entrepreneur, based on 40 interviews with Jobs conducted over two years. (Also available in Spanish, and as an Audiobook on CD.

About the Best Sellers

A version of this Best Sellers report appears in the November 3, 2013 issue of The New York Times Book Review. Rankings on weekly lists reflect sales for the week ending October 26, 2013.

Read a full explanation of our methodology.

Small Business Reception at the Evanston Public Library

Monday, November 18, 5 pm, Community Meeting Room, Main Library 

InSync Consulting Services, Inc. is sponsoring a reception and networking event for small business owners. Lindsey Croasdale of the Shriver Center will deliver the keynote address, focusing on the Affordable Care Act and what it means for small business.  Light refreshments will be served.  Call the Reference Desk at 847-448-8630 for more information.

New York Times Business Best Sellers for October 2013

---

October 13, 2013

		Hardcover Business Books
1		LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence.[Also available as a downloadable eBook, and as a downloadable audiobook.]
2		DUCK COMMANDERS, by Willie and Korie Robertson with Mark Schlabach. (Howard Books.) Behind the scenes at the A&E show “Duck Dynasty.”
3		BEFORE HAPPINESS, by Shawn Achor. (Crown Business.) Five tips for achieving positivity.
4		LOOPTAIL, by Bruce Poon Tip. (Business Plus.) A vision for linking social responsibility and business practices, from the founder of the travel company G Adventures.[Currently not held by the Evanston Public Library.]
5		GREAT WORK, by David Sturt. (McGraw-Hill.) Five skills that help people innovate, make a difference and garner attention for their work. (†) [Currently not held by the Evanston Public Library.]
6		MISSION IN A BOTTLE, by Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff. (Crown Business.) The founders of Honest Tea tell the story of how they created their business, including lessons for those who would follow in their path. With illustrations by Sungyoon Choi.
7		SYSTEM, by Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian. (Doubleday.) The corruption and abuse behind big-time N.C.A.A. college football. [Currently not held by the Evanston Public Library.]
8		YOU FIRST, by Liane Davey. (Wiley.) A plan for transforming your team into a happier, more productive group.
9		VALUE OF DEBT, by Thomas J. Anderson. (Wiley.) An argument that debt can provide long-term benefits in the management of individual and family wealth. [Currently not held by the Evanston Public Library.]
10		THE POWER OF HABIT, by Charles Duhigg. (Random House.) A Times reporter’s account of the science behind how we form, and break, habits. [Also available as a downloadable eBook, a downloadable Audiobook, and on CD.]
11		STRENGTHS-BASED LEADERSHIP, by Tom Rath and Barry Conchie. (Gallup.) Three keys to being a more effective leader. (†)[Currently not held by the Evanston Public Library.]
12		TOTAL MONEY MAKEOVER, by Dave Ramsey. (Thomas Nelson.) Debt reduction and fiscal fitness for families, by the radio talk-show host. (†)
13		WINNING FROM WITHIN, by Erica Ariel Fox. (HarperBusiness.) How you get in your own way and what to do about it.
14		LEAN STARTUP, by Eric Ries. (Crown Business.) An approach to creating start-up companies inspired by lean manufacturing methods. (†)
15		4-HOUR WORKWEEK, by Timothy Ferriss. (Crown.) Reconstructing your life so that it isn't all about work. (†) [Also available as a downloadable eBook.]

About the Best Sellers

A version of this list appears in the October 13, 2013 Sunday Business section of The New York Times. Rankings reflect sales for September 2013.

An asterisk (*) indicates that a book's sales are barely distinguishable from those of the book above. A dagger (†) indicates that some bookstores report receiving bulk orders.

The New York Times Business Books: Current Bestsellers

---

August 11, 2013

This Month		Hardcover Business Books
1		LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence.
2		THE DUCK COMMANDER FAMILY, by Willie and Korie Robertson with Mark Schlabach. (Howard Books.) Behind the scenes at the A&E show “Duck Dynasty.”
3		ELEVEN RINGS, by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. (Penguin Press.) An autobiography by the coach who led the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers to multiple N.B.A. championships.
4		BREAKPOINT, by Jeff Stibel. (Palgrave Macmillan.) A neuroscientist and entrepreneur shows how the brain can act as a guide to understanding the future of the internet. (†)
5		THE POWER OF HABIT, by Charles Duhigg. (Random House.) A Times reporter’s account of the science behind how we form, and break, habits. (Also available on CDs;  as a downloadable eBook; and as a downloadable AudioBook.)
6		ONE THING, by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan. (Bard.) Narrowing your concentration and becoming more productive. (†)

Read more »

Customer Service Star #5: Visual Effects

Title: Visual Effects: A clear vision

Author(s): Lisa Bertagnoli

Source: Crain's Chicago Business. 35.40 (Oct. 1, 2012): p0022.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2012 Crain Communications, Inc.

http://www.crain.com/about/index.html

Full Text: 

Byline: Lisa Bertagnoli

Chet Steinmetz knows what customers are looking for in eyeglass frames before they do.

Correction: Dr. Steinmetz, an optometrist and owner of Visual Effects eyewear boutique in the Clybourn Corridor, knows what he would like to see on customers' faces, minutes after they walk in the door.

Dr. Steinmetz, 56, embodies a lesser-known principle of supreme customer service: You can't be all things to all people. "I have strong opinions," he concedes, and those opinions have earned him loyal fans--and customers who walk away frustrated, vowing never to return.

For him, the most enjoyable part of his practice is stepping onto the sales floor--1,150 square feet of 1980s-style glitter and silver, its glass shelves lined with stylish, expensive eyewear--and helping customers choose new glasses. He schedules appointments every hour, rather than every half-hour, to give himself and customers ample time to sort through options.
 

Dr. Steinmetz describes his practice as "an art and a science--the science is the eye exam, what I do in the white coat, and the art is being able to look at someone's face and decide what would look good on that face." Although he employs two opticians, Dr. Steinmetz helps customers decide which frames to buy. "What I do out here is as enjoyable as the eye exam," he says.

Read more »

Customer Service Star #4: RL

Title: RL: Classic style rewards its regulars

Author(s): Lisa Bertagnoli

Source: Crain's Chicago Business. 35.40 (Oct. 1, 2012): p0017.

http://www.crain.com/about/index.html
 

Full Text: 

Byline: Lisa Bertagnoli

The service at RL, the restaurant adjacent to the Ralph Lauren boutique on North Michigan Avenue, is smooth as a perfect Hollandaise. Captains, waiters and busers glide around the room, taking orders, refilling water glasses and coffee cups, dropping checks, doing whatever needs to be done. Customers seated at the white-clothed tables get whatever they want, whether it's cottage cheese (it's not on the menu), sauce on the side or half a club sandwich.

Overseeing the clubby dining room is Rich Varnes, RL's general manager since 2001. Elegantly clad in a Ralph Lauren suit, he patrols the room, greeting regulars, picking up stray napkins, brushing microscopic bread crumbs from tables, changing light bulbs if need be, and listening, always listening, to customers. When some regulars told Mr. Varnes that they disliked leaving the restaurant smelling like cooked meat, he decreed that steak Diane, a signature dish traditionally prepared tableside, would be cooked in the kitchen instead.

Mr. Varnes, 48, delights in upending popular notions of customer service, and these upside-down notions anchor the service philosophy at RL.

To start, he's hardly a boss. "I'm a servant," Mr. Varnes says. "They put me in a suit and call me a GM but I'm a servant." Customers, he insists, are customers: To Mr. Varnes, the euphemism "guest" symbolizes how "watered down" restaurant service has become.

Waiters at RL are waiters. They aren't anybody's buddy, and they certainly aren't salespeople. RL waiters do not "up sell," that is, suggest appetizers, desserts, top-shelf liquor or side dishes. Waiters, in fact, are judged not by sales but by how many people ask to sit in their sections. "That's the Holy Grail of service for us," Mr. Varnes says.

"That's smart," says Bonnie Riggs, a Rosemont-based restaurant industry analyst at NPD Group Inc. "Customers don't want to be pressured. They want to be in the driver's seat."

At RL, they are. The restaurant's back-to-old-fashioned-basics approach to service, paired with meticulous attention to detail, has earned it an army of regulars. Locals, as Mr. Varnes calls frequent customers, account for 70 percent of business. They are seated where they want without asking: Mr. Varnes, who reviews the reservation list every day, knows to place friendly ladies who lunch near each other, business competitors and some politicians, far apart.

Read more »

Customer Service Star #3: Vive La Femme

DISCLOSURE:  Vive la Femme announced last week that they are closing.  

Title: Vive la Femme: Be the customer

Source: Crain's Chicago Business. 35.40 (Oct. 1, 2012): p0023.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2012 Crain Communications, Inc.

http://www.crain.com/about/index.html

Full Text: 

Byline: Lisa Bertagnoli

Stephanie Sack, owner of Vive la Femme, a plus-size clothing boutique in Bucktown, has developed a cult following among women like Myisha Hill.

"Stephanie understands us," says Ms. Hill, 30, founder of Plus Fashion Week Chicago, a fall expo for designers and retailers. "Stephanie makes women feel good in their own skin."  No wonder. Ms. Sack, 38, who loves clothes, loves to shop and wears a size 12 to 14, fits her boutique's demographic. She is the main saleswoman, the model for the store's Facebook page--its chatty postings generate 20 percent of sales--and the author of the store's newsletter, emailed every Friday to 5,000 customers.

Her efforts have earned her 250 regular customers, 103 Yelp reviews, almost all of which are five stars, and about $400,000 in annual sales. Ms. Sack also owns Violette, a 1,200-square-foot shoe and accessories store tailored to plus-size women, down the street in Bucktown.

Read more »

Customer Service Star #2: Waldorf Astoria Chicago

Title: Waldorf Astoria: Keep workers happy

Source: Crain's Chicago Business. 35.40 (Oct. 1, 2012): p0020.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2012 Crain Communications, Inc.

http://www.crain.com/about/index.html

Full Text: 

Byline: Lisa Bertagnoli

Travel & Leisure magazine ranks the Waldorf Astoria Chicago the best large-city hotel in the continental U.S. and the 22nd-best hotel in the world. Meanwhile, Conde Nast Traveler readers give the Waldorf Astoria a 98 percent service score; the next-highest in Chicago is the Peninsula Hotel, at 95 percent.

Waldorf Astoria managers know they have plenty of competition in Chicago.  "We're in the luxury market," says Richard Evanich, 54, general manager at the Gold Coast hotel, which until earlier this year was the Elysian. "Everyone has great rooms, great bedding and beautiful suites. What will separate us from the competition?"

The answer is personal, focused service. The trick to carrying out that service: hiring people who delight in making others happy, and hiring a lot of them. The hotel employs 308 people, making the ratio of staff to customers about 2-to-1, which is the standard in the luxury hotel market.

The hotel hires painstakingly. Only 30 percent of applicants make it through the first interview, during which Kathryn Day, head of guest services, tries to discover whether the applicant has "a servant heart."

She asks them the nicest thing they've done for anyone and how they react when someone's angry. Then she listens for detail and observes how candidates "process" the question.

Experts say it's the right way to hire in the hotel business. "That impulse to care about someone isn't something you can teach," says Reneta McCarthy, senior lecturer in operations management at Cornell University's School of Hotel Administration in Ithaca, N.Y.  Promising applicants sit for as many as six interviews, and the last is with Mr. Evanich. "I want to see everyone's face," he says.

Read more »

Customer Service Star #1: Fleet Feet

Title: Fleet Feet: Passion first, shoes second

Source: Crain's Chicago Business. 35.40 (Oct. 1, 2012): p0018.

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2012 Crain Communications, Inc.

http://www.crain.com/about/index.html

Full Text: 

Byline: Lisa Bertagnoli

About four years ago, when minimal and barefoot running shoes started to become popular, David Zimmer, owner of two Fleet Feet Sports stores in Chicago, didn't rush out to stock them. Rather, he started to hold minimal-shoe running classes for his customers. "We didn't feel we could bring (the shoes) in without getting a feel for them," says Mr. Zimmer.

More than 3,000 people have taken the class, and many have credited it--and, by proxy, Mr. Zimmer--with shaving minutes from their marathon miles, clocking personal bests and, best of all, making running more fun.

That customer focus governs most everything that happens at Fleet Feet. In addition to selling lots of shoes--Mr. Zimmer's Old Town store is the top-grossing in the 95-store Fleet Feet franchise system--Fleet Feet Chicago sponsors 350 events and races a year. It holds meditation and yoga classes and women's running groups. Staffers hand out free water and Gatorade--325,000 cups this year, Mr. Zimmer estimates--at local races.

"I don't want happy customers; I want 'raving fans,' " says Mr. Zimmer.

Mr. Zimmer, 47, who owns the stores with his wife, Lisa, also 47, crafted his service philosophy 25 years ago, when he sold loans to first-time homebuyers at Citibank. "I realized I was helping people achieve their greatest dream," he recalls. He has taken what he calls an "It's a Wonderful Life" approach to the sports-gear business. "I am helping people fulfill their dreams," he says. "Shoes are a byproduct of that."

Read more »

What are the secrets to top-notch customer service?

Crain's Chicago Business asked this question, and came up with this answer:

MASTERS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE; A 'servant's heart,' a clear vision: 5 standouts reveal the keys to transcendence

Source: Crain's Chicago Business. 35.40 (Oct. 1, 2012): p0017.

Document Type: Article

Full Text: COPYRIGHT 2012 Crain Communications, Inc.

http://www.crain.com/about/index.html

Byline: Lisa Bertagnoli

Hire good people, treat them like family, let them work their magic with customers. Then watch the accolades--and the dollars--roll in.

If customer service is that easy, then why isn't every business in Chicago like Vive la Femme in Bucktown, which has 103 glowing Yelp reviews? Or like the Waldorf Astoria Chicago, rated the 22nd best hotel in the world? Or Fleet Feet Sports, where fitness nuts pay full retail for the newest in running shoes?

The first: focus
 
"It takes focus," says Ken Blanchard, a San Diego-based management expert and author of "Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to CustomerService." "It takes focus and energy and you can't have a lot of mistakes."

By "focus," Mr. Blanchard means deciding what experience a business wants to deliver to what kind of person. "You have to set parameters for what you're trying to do," he says, and that, by definition, means not being all things to all people. There's the first secret of customer service.

The second: zeal.

Read more »

Affordable Care Act 101 Weekly Webinar Series

The Small Business Administration has created a webinar to help small business owners understand the Affordable Care Act and what it will mean for them.    Each week, SBA representatives will walk through the key pieces of the law so that small business owners can understand the facts and make the most informed decisions they can about providing health insurance for their employees. This free series will focus on both federal and state provisions to help small business owners understand how the law will affect them. 

The Affordable Care Act 101 will take place every Thursday from now through the opening of the marketplaces in October.

New York Times Business Bestsellers for July 2013

---

July 14, 2013

This Month		Hardcover Business Books
1		LEAN IN, by Sheryl Sandberg with Nell Scovell. (Knopf.) The chief operating officer of Facebook urges women to pursue their careers without ambivalence.  (Also available as a downloadable eBook or Audiobook).
2		ELEVEN RINGS, by Phil Jackson and Hugh Delehanty. (Penguin Press.) An autobiography by the coach who led the Chicago Bulls and the Los Angeles Lakers to multiple N.B.A. championships.
3		THE DUCK COMMANDER FAMILY, by Willie and Korie Robertson with Mark Schlabach. (Howard Books.) Behind the scenes at the A&E show “Duck Dynasty.”
4		COLLAPSE OF DIGNITY, by Napoleon Gomez. (BenBella.) The head of a Mexican miners’ union describes the explosion that killed 65 miners in 2006, and his subsequent fight against corporate greed and political corruption. (Not currently available in library system.  Can be borrowed by Evanston patrons via Interlibrary Loan.)
5		RUMSFELD'S RULES, by Donald Rumsfeld. (Broadside.) Leadership lessons in business, politics, war and life, from the former defense secretary.
6		FINERMAN'S RULES, by Karen Finerman. (Business Plus.) Advice for women on making good decisions both personally and professionally.
7	*	THE ONE THING, by Gary Keller with Jay Papasan. (Bard.) Narrowing your concentration and becoming more productive. (†)
8		FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH, by Les Gold. (Portfolio/Penguin.) Business advice from the Detroit pawnbroker and reality TV personality.
9		YOUTILITY, by Jay Baer. (Portfolio/Penguin.) A marketing plan to provide free, useful information as a way of building customer relationships. (†)

Read more »

Have you thought about hiring an English major?

In a recent article published on Open Forum, a business-to-business website owned and operated by American Express Travel Services, Inc., contributor Bruna Martinuzzi outlines a persuasive case for hiring English majors and other holders of degrees in the Humanities.  See if you agree:

Why English Majors are the Hot New Hires

Bruna Martinuzzi

Author, Presenting with Credibility: Practical Tools and Techniques for Effective Presentations

After years of emphasis being put on math and engineering degrees, here's why English majors may be in high demand.

Years ago while interviewing an English major, I mentioned that—for many reasons—I liked hiring individuals who have a degree in the humanities. When I finished speaking, I noticed that the applicant was slightly choked up. He said, "You are the only person who has made me feel good about my degree." It's not uncommon for English majors—or anyone majoring in the humanities for that matter—to get a bad rap. Even Marc Andreessen, founder of Netscape, not too long ago said that people should get math-oriented degrees; otherwise, they will end up working in shoe stores.

We place a great value on a STEM education (degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics). But are the tables turning? Are hiring managers beginning to see the value that a liberal arts education—and an English major in particular—brings to the workplace? Recently, some high-profile businesspeople came out in favor of hiring English majors. Bestselling author and small-business expert Steve Strauss, for example, has admitted that "English majors are my employee of choice." And Bracken Darrell, CEO of Logitech, had this to say: "When I look at where our business is going, I think, boy, you do need to have a good technical understanding somewhere in there, to be relevant. But you’re really differentiated if you understand humanities."

Read more »

Booklist's Top 10 Business Titles of 2013

The following list was first published July, 2013 in Booklist, and was compiled by Brad Hooper.

"The economy surrounds us like a fog. Whether or not you really understand the theories and mechanics of what makes the economy work, it’s a part of all of our lives: death and taxes and the economy. Many dimensions of the ubiquity of the economy are discussed in the following excellent books, all reviewed in Booklist from July 2012 to June 15, 2013."

The Art of Selling Yourself: The Simple Step-by-Step Process for Success in Business and Life. By Adam Riccoboni and Daniel Callaghan. Tarcher,
The authors present the components of a business philosophy that they posit as the fundamental and overarching key to success, based on the sentiment that “learning how to ‘sell yourself’ is the most important skill you can have in your working life.”

Bend, Not Break: A Life in Two Worlds. By Ping Fu and MeiMei Fox. Penguin/Portfolio
As founder and CEO of Geomagic, a “3-D digital reality solution company,” Fu speaks to the need for humanity to practice love in business relations in order to avoid inflicting pain on future generations.

The Betrayal of the American Dream. By Donald L. Barlett and James B. Steele. PublicAffairs.
The authors address key elements in the betrayal of the American dream (including globalization, outsourcing, and taxes) and offer suggestions for reversing them, including fair trade and progressive tax reform.  (Also available as a downloadable eAudiobook.)

The Click Moment: Seizing Opportunity in an Unpredictable World. By Frans Johansson. Penguin/Portfolio.
Consider this book the millennial response to carpe diem, along with pretty explicit instructions on taking advantage of Lady Luck; Johansson emphasizes following one’s curiosity to reach personal momentum and high intensity levels.

Read more »