Owning Up. The 14 Questions Every Board Member Needs to Ask

Smart Questions offers an entirely new framework for creating solutions. Drawn from the authors' many years of research and field experience, the Smart Questions Approach reveals how the leading creators of solutions in almost every profession and walk of life—including business, government, education, and even in families—think and approach their assignments. The author’s holistic thinking approach shows how to use three “foundation” questions—focusing on uniqueness, purposeful information, and systems—which must be explored for every problem. These three questions, an essential starting point for exploring problems, in turn lead to other key questions that will ultimately create effective solutions.

Autism is in the public spotlight now more than ever as new research and information appears almost daily. Although in many ways this is a positive development it also presents challenges to families and practitioners who want to keep up with the latest developments and are left to sift through new information by themselves to see what is credible and relevant for them.Each of us needs a personal research assistant who can determine which information we need to pay attention to and let us know how it might affect our daily work and the children we are living with or serve. Since we each don’t have our own research assistants on staff, I am delighted to recommend this wonderful book by Fred Volkmar and Lisa Wiesner. Both of these talented professional leaders have combined their scientific skills and understanding of the field with great practical experience and ideas about how research can be translated into clinical practice. The result is a book that provides the best and most comprehensive information about recent scientific developments and a splendid practical guide for how they are being implemented and what we are learning in the process. The issues are presented in all of their complexity but translated into language that is clear, direct, and easy to follow. The format also lends itself to understanding the complex issues and their implications through excellent charts, question and answer sections, and chapters that vary from describing diagnostic issues to stating very specifically how to expand and evaluate the services one is receiving. The comprehensive references and lists of additional resources also add greatly to the overall package. As a professional dedicated to understanding scientific advances and helping families and teachers to utilize them most effectively, I am very pleased to have an ally like this book available. I am very grateful to the authors for providing a very credible, practical, and relevant addition to our field to help the many advocates and family practitioners to better understand the exciting new developments and how they can be implemented in our day to day work. Those taking the time to read through this superb volume will find it time well spent that pays back dividends in many different ways. —FOREWORD by Gary B. Mesibov, Ph.D., Professor and Director of TEACCH, Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication Handicapped Children University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Praise for The Imperfect Board Member «Finally! A book about boards that isn't boring!» –Patrick Lencioni, author, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team «Everyone wins with good governance–countries, corporations, and community groups. In a compelling style like no one before him, Jim Brown helps leaders understand the keys for boardroom excellence. The Imperfect Board Member ought to be required reading for people on every type of board. The great thing is that it won't need to be required–it's such a fun book, every leader will want to read it.» –Jim Balsillie, chairman and co-CEO, Research in Motion; chair, Centre for International Governance Innovation «I know no board members, myself included, who won't learn valuable lessons from Jim Brown's book The Imperfect Board Member. Don't miss it!» –Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One-Minute Manager and The Secret «Thanks to Sarbanes-Oxley, boards have become active. The Imperfect Board Member clarifies sharply the lines of what boards need to do and what management needs to do. The time has come for the two groups to work together and yet keep independent.» –Ram Charan, coauthor, Execution, and author, Boards That Deliver «The Imperfect Board Member by Jim Brown is a highly perceptive, eminently readable, engagingly human book on how boards and directors can improve their performance. In a breezy conversational style that uses dialogue invitingly and often, the author explores with sensitivity and a light touch not only the standard ingredients but also the more subtle nuances of excellence in both corporate and not-for-profit governance.» –William A. Dimma, author, Tougher Boards for Tougher Times; chairman, Home Capital Group Inc.

Many leaders are unaware of the amazing power of questions. Our conversations may be full of requests and demands, but all too often we are not asking for honest and informative answers, and we don’t know how to listen effectively to responses. When leaders start encouraging questions from their teams, however, they begin to see amazing results. Knowing the right questions to ask—and the right way to listen—will give any leader the skills to perform well in any situation, effectively communicate a vision to the team, and achieve lasting success across the organization. Thoroughly revised and updated, Leading with Questions will help you encourage participation and teamwork, foster outside-the-box thinking, empower others, build relationships with customers, solve problems, and more. Michael Marquardt reveals how to determine which questions will lead to solutions to even the most challenging issues. He outlines specific techniques of active listening and follow-up, and helps you understand how questions can improve the way you work with individuals, teams, and organizations. This new edition of Leading with Questions draws on interviews with thirty leaders, including eight whose stories are new to this edition. These interviews tell stories from a range of countries, including Singapore, Guyana, Korea, and Switzerland, and feature case studies from prominent firms such as DuPont, Alcoa, Novartis, and Cargill. A new chapter on problem-solving will help you apply questions to your toughest situations as a leader, and a new “Questions for Reflection” section at the end of each chapter will help you bring Marquardt’s message into all of your work as a leader. Now more than ever, Leading with Questions is the definitive guide for becoming a stronger leader by identifying—and asking—the right questions.

‘I wish I’d been able to read this book when I was 20. Mind you, it’s never too late’ Clare BaldingIn The Skills award-winning broadcaster Mishal Husain inspires, champions and encourages women to make their ambitions a reality by focusing on practical skills that make a difference.Gathering together advice for women of all ages, whether they are new graduates, working mothers or simply seeking a career change, The Skills explains:How to present yourself to maximum effect, in person and onlineHow to prepare for quick wins, big moments and plan for long-term goalsHow to gain confidence and authorityHow to navigate the ups and downs of a long working life and build resilienceDrawing on Mishal’s own experience, interviews with experts and with inspirational figures from Martha Lane Fox to Malala Yousafzai, The Skills will guide women in honing the abilities they need to thrive in whatever field they choose.

Hacking Leadership is Mike Myatt's latest leadership book written for leaders at every level. Leadership isn't broken, but how it's currently being practiced certainly is. Everyone has blind spots. The purpose of Hacking Leadership is to equip leaders at every level with an actionable framework to identify blind spots and close leadership gaps. The bulk of the book is based on actionable, topical leadership and management hacks to bridge eleven gaps every business needs to cross in order to create a culture of leadership: leadership, purpose, future, mediocrity, culture, talent, knowledge, innovation, expectation, complexity, and failure. Each chapter: Gives readers specific techniques to identify, understand, and most importantly, implement individual, team and organizational leadership hacks. Addresses blind spots and leverage points most leaders and managers haven’t thought about, which left unaddressed, will adversely impact growth, development, and performance. All leaders have blind-spots (gaps), which often go undetected for years or decades, and sadly, even when identified the methods for dealing with them are outdated and ineffective – they need to be hacked. Showcases case studies from the author’s consulting practice, serving as a confidant with more than 150 public company CEOs. Some of those corporate clients include: AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, EMC, Humana, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, Merrill Lynch, PepsiCo, and other leading global brands. Hacking Leadership offers a fresh perspective that makes it easy for leaders to create a roadmap to identify, refine, develop, and achieve their leadership potential–and to create a more effective business that is financially solvent and professionally desirable.

Not your average business self-help book, Impact! is a 'total person' development guide that says 'who you are impacts everything you do’. It doesn't focus on what's wrong with you but rather what's right with you so that you can turn your potential into performance. The secret to success and fulfillment-both professionally and personally-is that you should stop trying to 'fit in' and become what others want you to be; that you can become more productive, powerful, and passionate by becoming more of who you were meant to be instead. Why? Because no longer is there any separation between who you are and what you do! With step-by-step strategies and smart insight, you will learn how to have significant positive impact in your life and in your career; you'll learn how to unlock your personal power; live your life with purpose; appreciate your family; identify your greatest gifts and talents; value your failures and learn from them; stand up for yourself; give yourself permission to stand out; and start to ask for what you want. Best of all, you will learn how to be seen, heard and celebrated for being authentic – for being exactly who you are. Serious advice for women who want to live passionate, successful, and happier lives at home and professionally Shows you how to re-engage with yourself, figure out what you want and why you want it, and take charge of your career and life Author Nancy Solomon is an expert in the field of personal development and human potential The key to Impact! lies in knowing yourself intimately, leading your life from the inside out, and using your strengths to become happier and more fulfilled. Impact! shows you who you are, where you're going and how to get there. It also helps you to get out of your own way!

MAKE A FORTUNE IN REAL ESTATE-Without Owning Property! Did you know that you don't actually have to own real estate to profit from it? It's true! If you control the paperwork of real estate-the contracts, mortgages, and deeds-you can make money without owning anything. The New Path to Real Estate Wealth offers a step-by-step system that takes you from the basics of real estate investing to the more sophisticated strategies that let you earn without owning. Whether you're a new investor or an experienced one, you'll make big money in the world's safest, most reliable investment with expert guidance on: * Finding great deals * Working with real estate agents * Evaluating and inspecting property * Writing and presenting an offer * Flipping the deal for quick cash Once you understand the basics of real estate investing, you can move on to four proven strategies for making a fortune without owning property. Authors and real estate experts Chantal and Bill Carey show you how to make a bundle by flipping properties quickly, assigning contracts, using options, and buying discounted mortgages and government tax liens for pennies on the dollar. You can control valuable contracts and properties-without the liabilities and hassles of ownership. Packed with real-world examples and proven real estate wisdom, this handy guide proves that anyone can make money in real estate. So start investing today . . . and get on The New Path to Real Estate Wealth!

What can you do to create unlimited wealth? Most of us spend our lives asking the wrong questions and getting nowhere. Ask and You Will Succeed gives you a new perspective on what you can accomplish when you ask the right questions. When you change the questions you ask, there's no limit to what you can do: Unearth Your Truest Desires Define Your Ultimate Vision Discover Your True Purpose Unleash Your Creativity Accelerate Your Pace of Success Realize Your Full Potential «I love this book! Your ability to ask the right questions is perhaps the most important single quality of great success and achievement. This book gives you a series of simple yet powerful questions you can ask to build your courage, tenacity, and resilience to the point where you can achieve any goal you set for yourself.» —Mark Victor Hansen, cocreator of the #1 New York Times bestselling series Chicken Soup for the Soul and coauthor of The One Minute Millionaire «I have tremendous respect for Ken Foster's ability to ask the right questions. This is the most comprehensive book of success questions ever written. It's a valuable read for anyone who wants to succeed in all areas of life.» —Robert G. Allen, New York Times bestselling author of Nothing Down and Multiple Streams of Income and coauthor of The One Minute Millionaire «Ask and You Will Succeed is a stirring book with questions designed to empower you to break through the mundane routines that sometimes make it difficult to succeed in business and in life. Having the right questions is really the secret to success in any endeavor. This book will put you on the right road to a bright future.» —Bob Proctor, bestselling author of You Were Born Rich, star of the hit movie The Secret