Leadership Plays

In 1984, soon-to-be college dropout Michael Dell hid signs of his fledgling PC business in the bathroom of his University of Texas dorm room. Almost 30 years later, at the pinnacle of his success as founder and leader of Dell Technologies, he found himself embroiled in a battle for his company’s survival. What he’d do next could ensure its legacy — or destroy it completely.

Power Play reveals the unvarnished realities of any workplace where power disparities and gender politics collide: from the unequal opportunities, casual sexism and systemic misogyny, to pressures around looks, age and family responsibilities, and the consequences of speaking out. Julia shares personal stories, practical advice, and a resounding argument for why women aren't the problem – but why more women in decision-making positions will help us find the solution.

In Impact Players, New York Times best-selling author and researcher Liz Wiseman reveals the secrets of these stellar professionals who play the game at a higher level. Drawing on insights from leaders at top companies, Wiseman explains what the most influential players are doing differently, how small and seemingly insignificant differences in how we think and act can make an enormous impact, and why - with a little coaching - this mindset is available to everyone who wants to contribute at their highest level.

Self-awareness is key for new and seasoned leaders who want to avoid micro-managing, handle criticism with grace, and give others the credit they deserve. Maxwell also aims to help current and new managers looking to identify their strengths, become a better learner, and improve listening skills.

Whether you are a CEO, senior executive, manager or an employee looking to raise his or her performance, The A Player is packed with proven strategies to get you to "A Player" status. Businesses filled with "A Players" are not only more profitable and able to share in that prosperity, but those "A Players" are happier and lead more purpose-filled lives as well. The A Player will teach everyone on your team the required steps to achieve and sustain "A Player" performance and lead the charge in creating remarkable steps both personally and professionally.

Companies are fighting the wrong battle. The consensus has been to learn the best practices from Big Tech and imitate them. But new paths for growth aren't created by imitation; they're forged by radical differentiation. In Smart Rivals, Harvard Business School professor Feng Zhu and former Bloomberg journalist Bonnie Cao show business leaders how to create new competitive advantages by offering product features and benefits that tech giants and other competitors cannot match.

All Work No Play: A Surprising Guide to Feeling More Mindful, Grateful and Cheerful is a practical and rewarding handbook for reconnecting with joy and happiness daily. The book shares strategies for play-based mindfulness, empathy, and gratitude exercises that will help listeners rediscover their inner child; promote good mental health; build and foster more meaningful connections with others; and help combat loneliness and deep-rooted toxic behaviors and thoughts.

Throughout her career in the super-competitive, male-dominated media industry, Gail Evans, one of the country's most powerful executives, has met innumerable women who tell her that they feel lost in the workplace, almost as if they were playing a game without knowing the directions. In this book, she reveals the secrets to the playbook of success and teaches women at all levels of the organization - from assistant to vice president - how to play the game of business to their advantage.

This audiobook offers insights from sports, health care, business and government to help leaders get better outcomes.

NOBODY CARES ABOUT YOUR CAREER is a real playbook. It’s about how work really works and how you can get work to work for you. It’s about thank you notes and thankless tasks, the energy in meetings and energy vampires, how to pick a boss and how to get a boss to pick you. It’s about being all in (but not bringing your whole self to work—some of you is better left at home) and becoming valuable to your workplace. It’s about participating—with your brain, your skills, your experience, and your willingness to pitch in and offer yourself up for something you may not even know how to do yet.

The best bosses know this, and they know how to make it happen by thoughtfully designing people’s jobs around the skills they have today as well as the skills they'll need to be even more valuable tomorrow. That's how entire organizations stay competitive in an unpredictable, rapidly changing business environment. In this book, Johnson explains how to become one of those bosses and how to build your A-team.

Organizations that provide opportunities for employees to playfully connect, bond, and build friendships see improvements in retention, engagement, and innovation. Intentional play at work creates a culture that benefits all employees’ physical and mental health and the company’s bottom line. It Pays to Play is a rich resource filled with ideas for play at work—whether in person, hybrid, or remote—and illustrates how the ROI from play is multifaceted and exponential. Learn the ways play can be easily and affordably implemented regardless of your industry.

The multi-award-winning SmartPass study guide with and without commentary options. Full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play. Hear "A little touch of Harry" whenever you want to! Examine and appreciate the powerful language of leadership in this guided history play, considered to be Shakespeare's greatest creative statement about war.

Power Play is the powerful and practical 21st century guide to mega-impact and influence, providing business leaders with explosive influence strategies to move people into action and results. Influence, like gravity, pulls success into your orbit and gives you the power to make real changes in your relationships, your organization, and the world. This audiobook explores the different types of power and you will learn when to coerce, when to collaborate and when to connect.

After over four decades of leading from the middle of the pack, I want to make the case that second chair just may be the best seat in the house! Second-chair leadership matters. Who we are, what we do, and how we do it as second chair leaders may determine the success or failure of our team, our mission, or our longevity. I am inviting you to journey with me through a comprehensive tour of the multifaceted world of leadership from the second chair in the grand hope that you will thrive from wherever you sit in your organization.

Recognized as the leading expert on executive compensation, Robin Ferracone combines her own 20 years of experience with interviews with executives and compensation committees to provide a clear examination of and guidance on determining pay packages, actions, and designs.

Are you tired of getting outmaneuvered in business deals? Wish you could read your opponents like a seasoned poker player, knowing when to hold firm, bluff, or walk away? This book is your ultimate guide to mastering negotiation by applying the strategies of professional poker players.

Biography of Play, by CEO Nicolas Breedlove, offers strategies on topics ranging from choosing the best domain name for your company and protecting it under copyright to negotiating partnerships with companies both domestically and internationally. Written from the perspective of a goal-driven CEO and industry leader, this book provides a wealth of insights bound to boost your standing.

Leadership coach Susan Drumm unveils a groundbreaking process that outlines how our childhood wounds influence our ability to lead others and how music can heal those wounds. Maybe you’re having a hard time retaining or engaging your people. Or perhaps you’re feeling burnout or that you can’t delegate or trust your team to deliver. These problems and other leadership challenges can be addressed by shifting how you show up as a leader, and music is the catalyst.

The multi-award winning SmartPass full-cast, unabridged performance with comprehensive commentary and analysis for any student to fully understand and appreciate the play.