Basic Books

The Power of Pull: How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in Motion

A Paradigm Shift in Information Flow

In a world vastly different from the past, information no longer resides in stagnant silos. It flows freely, like a powerful river, demanding a new approach to knowledge acquisition and utilization. Gone are the days of relying solely on pre-existing knowledge stores. Individuals and companies must embrace the dynamic flow of information and learn to navigate its currents effectively.

Breaking Free from Old Practices

However, many remain entrenched in outdated methods, hindering their ability to thrive in this new landscape. The Power of Pull, authored by three leading figures in the internet age, challenges these outdated practices and reveals the necessary adjustments for success in a world of constant change.

Unleashing the Power of Pull

The authors emphasize the critical importance of "pull" - a force that attracts, connects, and empowers. When understood and utilized strategically, the power of pull can unlock the best in people and institutions, fostering deeper understanding and enhanced effectiveness. This force has the potential to transform uncertainty into opportunity, allowing small actions to yield significant impact.

Embracing the Principles of Pull

Drawing upon groundbreaking research, The Power of Pull provides a practical framework for harnessing the power of pull:

* **Access New Sources of Information:** Discover and tap into previously inaccessible sources of knowledge, expanding horizons and fostering innovation.

* **Attract Likeminded Individuals:** Connect with individuals from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, creating a vibrant network of talent and ideas.

* **Shape Serendipity:** Leverage chance encounters and unexpected opportunities, maximizing the likelihood of positive outcomes.

* **Form Creation Spaces:** Cultivate environments that foster collaboration, creativity, and collective problem-solving, pushing individuals and teams to new heights.

* **Transform Your Organization:** Adapt your organization to the dynamic flow of knowledge, embracing agility and responsiveness.

A Must-Read for Navigating the Networked World

The Power of Pull is essential reading for anyone seeking to thrive in the interconnected world of today. Entrepreneurs, managers, and anyone interested in harnessing the forces of change will find valuable insights and practical guidance within its pages. This book equips readers with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the complexities of a networked world, maximizing individual potential and driving organizational success.

Leading Minds: An Anatomy of Leadership

Unveiling the Cognitive Landscape of Leadership

In "Leading Minds," renowned psychologist Howard Gardner, along with his research associate at Harvard Project Zero, Emma Laskin, embark on a thought-provoking exploration of leadership through the lens of cognition. Drawing upon Gardner's groundbreaking work on intelligence and creativity, the book delves into the fascinating mental processes of leaders and their followers, offering profound insights into the dynamics of influence and power.

A Cognitive Perspective on Leadership

"Leading Minds" challenges conventional notions of leadership by shifting the focus to the cognitive capabilities and thought patterns that underpin effective leadership. The authors posit that effective leaders possess a unique set of mental abilities that enable them to inspire, motivate, and guide their followers. These abilities, they argue, are not merely innate but can be cultivated through conscious effort and development.

Exploring the Minds of Leaders and Followers

Through a blend of case studies, historical analysis, and psychological insights, the book unveils the complex cognitive processes that shape leadership dynamics. "Leading Minds" examines the cognitive frameworks that leaders employ to frame challenges, make decisions, and inspire action. It explores the psychological mechanisms that enable followers to identify, trust, and support their leaders.

A New Introduction by Howard Gardner

This reissue of "Leading Minds" features a new introduction by Howard Gardner, reflecting on the book's enduring relevance in an ever-changing world. Gardner offers fresh perspectives on the evolving landscape of leadership, emphasizing the enduring importance of cognitive abilities and ethical considerations in navigating the complexities of contemporary leadership.

Review: A Must-Read for Leaders and Aspiring Leaders

"Leading Minds" is a compelling and insightful read for anyone seeking to understand the dynamics of leadership. The book provides a valuable framework for analyzing leadership styles, identifying key cognitive strengths, and developing strategies for effective leadership. Whether you're an established leader seeking to enhance your skills or an aspiring leader eager to learn the art of influence, "Leading Minds" offers a wealth of practical insights and thought-provoking perspectives.

<p>The Best Business Books Ever</p>

<p>Every manager could benefit from a solid grounding in the history and evolution of business thinking. The Best Business Books Ever is a uniquely organized guide and an illuminating collection of key ideas from the 130 most influential business books of all time. It places both historical and contemporary works in context and draws fascinating parallels and points of connection. Now fully revised and more than 30 percent bigger, this one book highlights the information you need to know and why it's important to know it, and does it all in a succinct, time-saving fashion. Business moves faster than ever these days. For the businessperson who has a growing list of tomes that they can never quite seem to get to, The Best Business Books Ever is a must-have.</p>

<p>Economic Facts And Fallacies 2nd Edition</p>

<p>Thomas Sowell “both surprises and overturns received wisdom” in this indispensable examination of widespread economic fallacies (The Economist)</p>

<p>Economic Facts and Fallacies exposes some of the most popular fallacies about economic issues-and does so in a lively manner and without requiring any prior knowledge of economics by the reader. These include many beliefs widely disseminated in the media and by politicians, such as mistaken ideas about urban problems, income differences, male-female economic differences, as well as economics fallacies about academia, about race, and about Third World countries. One of the themes of Economic Facts and Fallacies is that fallacies are not simply crazy ideas but in fact have a certain plausibility that gives them their staying power-and makes careful examination of their flaws both necessary and important, as well as sometimes humorous. Written in the easy-to-follow style of the author's Basic Economics, this latest book is able to go into greater depth, with real world examples, on specific issues.</p>

<p>Conceptual Blockbusting: A Guide To Better Ideas</p>

<p>A thoroughly revised edition of the classic on creativity, essential for individuals and teams who want to think outside the box.</p>

<p>Some people are naturally creative and others aren't, right? Wrong. In this classic book on creativity, James Adams takes a unique approach to generating ideas and solving problems that has captivated, inspired, and guided thousands of people from all walks of life to new heights of creativity-whether you are a writer with writers block, or a businesswoman struggling to come up with a new organizational structure.</p>

<p>More than three decades after its original publication, Conceptual Blockbusting has never been more relevant, powerful, or fresh. Integrating insights from the worlds of psychology, engineering, management, art, and philosophy, Adams identifies the key blocks (perceptual, emotional, cultural, environmental, intellectual, and expressive) that prevent us from realizing the full potential of our fertile minds. Employing unconventional exercises and other interactive elements, Adams shows individuals, teams, and organizations how to overcome these blocks, embrace alternative ways of thinking about complex problems, and celebrate the joy of creativity. Completely revised and updated with the latest cognitive science and addressing new subjects such as changes in technology, creativity in large groups, and sustaining creativity over time, Conceptual Blockbusting will introduce a new generation of readers to a world of new possibilities.</p>

<p>The Model Thinker</p>

<p>Work with data like a pro using this guide that breaks down how to organize, apply, and most importantly, understand what you are analyzing in order to become a true data ninja.</p>

<p>From the stock market to genomics laboratories, census figures to marketing email blasts, we are awash with data. But as anyone who has ever opened up a spreadsheet packed with seemingly infinite lines of data knows, numbers aren't enough: we need to know how to make those numbers talk. In The Model Thinker, social scientist Scott E. Page shows us the mathematical, statistical, and computational models—from linear regression to random walks and far beyond—that can turn anyone into a genius. At the core of the book is Page's "many-model paradigm," which shows the reader how to apply multiple models to organize the data, leading to wiser choices, more accurate predictions, and more robust designs. The Model Thinker provides a toolkit for business people, students, scientists, pollsters, and bloggers to make them better, clearer thinkers, able to leverage data and information to their advantage.</p>

<p>Emotional Design : Why We Love (Or Hate) Everyday Things</p>

<p>Did you ever wonder why cheap wine tastes better in fancy glasses? Why sales of Macintosh computers soared when Apple introduced the colourful iMac? New research on emotion and cognition has shown that attractive things really do work better, as Donald Norman amply demonstrates in this fascinating book, which has garnered acclaim everywhere from Scientific American to The New Yorker . Emotional Design articulates the profound influence of the feelings that objects evoke, from our willingness to spend thousands of dollars on Gucci bags and Rolex watches, to the impact of emotion on the everyday objects of tomorrow.Norman draws on a wealth of examples and the latest scientific insights to present a bold exploration of the objects in our everyday world. Emotional Design will appeal not only to designers and manufacturers but also to managers, psychologists, and general readers who love to think about their stuff.</p>

<p>The Simplicity Survival Handbook: 32 Ways To Do Less And Accomplish More</p>

<p>In a world of more-better-faster, the challenges and stresses have never been greater: too much to do, not enough time. And in an economy where worker talent (know-how, energy, attention, commitment, and creativity) is at a premium, everyone is trying to maximize personal productivity. In&nbsp;The Simplicity Survival Handbook, Bill Jensen offers the antidote you're seeking: a practical guide to doing less in a world of more, and making it count. From "How to Write Shorter Emails for Better Results" to "How to Use Your Mentor to Help You Do Less," Jensen offers step-by-step strategies, tactics, and techniques for communicating more effectively, setting priorities, and balancing the competing demands on your time, while avoiding the time-sinkers. He takes on corporate foolishness, walking you through how to be more productive and take greater control of your workday and, by extension, your life.</p>

<p>The Memo : What Women Of Color Need To Know To Secure A Seat At The Table</p>

<p>From microaggressions to the wage gap, The Memo empowers women of color with actionable advice on challenges and offers a clear path to success.</p>

<p>Most business books provide a one-size-fits-all approach to career advice that overlooks the unique barriers that women of color face. In The Memo, Minda Harts offers a much-needed career guide tailored specifically for women of color.</p>

<p>Drawing on knowledge gained from her past career as a fundraising consultant to top colleges across the country, Harts now brings her powerhouse entrepreneurial experience as CEO of The Memo to the page. With wit and candor, she acknowledges "ugly truths" that keep women of color from having a seat at the table in corporate America. Providing straight talk on how to navigate networking, office politics, and money, while showing how to make real change to the system, The Memo offers support and long-overdue advice on how women of color can succeed in their careers.</p>

<p>The Rise Of The Creative Class</p>

<p>World-renowned urbanist Richard Florida's bestselling classic on the transformation of our cities in the twenty-first century -- now updated with a new preface</p>

<p>In his modern classic The Rise of the Creative Class, urbanist Richard Florida identifies the emergence of a new social class reshaping the twenty-first century's economy, geography, and workplace. This Creative Class is made up of engineers and managers, academics and musicians, researchers, designers, entrepreneurs and lawyers, poets and programmer, whose work turns on the creation of new forms. Increasingly, Florida observes, this Creative Class determines how workplaces are organized, which companies prosper or go bankrupt, and which cities thrive, stagnate or decline.</p>

<p>Florida offers a detailed occupational, demographic, psychological, and economic profile of the Creative Class, examines its global impact, and explores the factors that shape "quality of place" in our changing cities and suburbs. Now updated with a new preface that considers the latest developments in our changing cities, The Rise of the Creative Class is the definitive edition of this foundational book on our contemporary economy.</p>

<p>The Story Factor: Inspiration, Influence, And Persuasion Through The Art Of Storytelling</p>

<p>Fully revised, updated, and expanded, this modern classic will teach you to use the art of storytelling to persuade, motivate, and inspire in life and business</p>

<p>Anyone seeking to influence others must first know their own story, and how to tell it properly. Whether you're proposing a risky new venture, trying to close a deal, or leading a charge against injustice, you have a story to tell. Tell it well and you will create a shared experience with your listeners that can have profound results.</p>

<p>In this modern classic, Annette Simmons reminds us that the oldest tool of influence is also the most powerful. Fully revised and updated to account for new technology and social media, along with two new chapters on the role of stories in the development of civilization and how to adjust your story to your specific goal, Simmons showcases over a hundred examples of effective storytelling drawn from the front lines of business and government, as well as myths, fables, and parables from around the world. Whether writing a screenplay, or announcing a corporate reorganization, Simmons illustrates how story can be used in ways that cold facts, bullet points, and directives can't. These stories, combined with practical storytelling techniques, show anyone how to become a more effective communicator and achieve their goals.</p>

<p>How Boards Work: And How They Can Work Better In A Chaotic World</p>

<p>A New York Times bestselling author and veteran board member offers an insider's view of corporate boards, their struggles, and why they must adapt to survive.</p>

<p>Corporate boards are under great pressure. Scandals and malpractice at companies like Theranos, WeWork, Uber, and Wells Fargo have raised justified questions among regulators, shareholders, and the public about the quality of corporate governance. In How Boards Work, prizewinning economist and veteran board director Dambisa Moyo offers an insider's view of corporate boards as they are buffeted by the turbulence of our times.</p>

<p>Moyo argues that corporations need boards that are more transparent, more knowledgeable, more diverse, and more deeply involved in setting the strategic course of the companies they lead. How Boards Work offers a road map for how boards can steer companies through tomorrow's challenges and ensure they thrive to benefit their employees, shareholders, and society at large.</p>

<p>In The Design of Future Things</p>

<p>In The Design of Future Things , best-selling author Donald A. Norman presents a revealing examination of smart technology, from smooth-talking GPS units to cantankerous refrigerators. Exploring the links between design and human psychology, he offers a consumer-oriented theory of natural human-machine interaction that can be put into practice by the engineers and industrial designers of tomorrow's thinking machines. A fascinating look at the perils and promise of the intelligent objects of the future, The Design of Future Things is a must-read for anyone interested in the dawn of a new era in technology.</p>

<p>Finance and Accounting for Nonfinancial Managers</p>

<p>Packed with step-by-step examples and illustrative case studies, and updated to reflect the latest changes in economic policy and the financial landscape, Finance and Accounting for Nonfinancial Managers is a nuts-and-bolts guide for managers, entrepreneurs, seasoned executives, teachers, and students alike. William G. Droms and Jay O. Wright's definitive guide to financial analysis and management is now revised throughout and features a new chapter on the Dodd-Frank Act and JOBS Act, bringing the book up to date for the post-recession economy while still covering all major aspects of financial management, including: Reading a Balance Sheet Mastering the Accounting Cycle Making Long-term Investment Decisions Conducting Breakeven Analysis for Profit Planning Calculating the Cost of Capital Evaluating Closely Held Companies and much more.</p>