Web addendum for Listen For Success!

By Dodie Ownes -- Library Journal, 10/01/2006

Follow the Leader

The Arbinger Institute. Leadership and Self-Deception: Getting out of the Box. 4 CDs. unabridged. 4¾ hours. Audio Partners. 2005. ISBN 1-57270-444-6 [ISBN 978-1-57270-444-2]. $24.95. available from Audible.com, NetLibrary: $17.47.

Narrated by reader William Dufris in a slightly dramatic style, this fable encourages business leaders to engage in honest self-examination as an aid in identifying destructive patterns that undermine the successes of potentially excellent professionals.

Giuliani, Rudolph. Leadership. 4 cassettes. abridged. 6 hrs. Hachette Audio. 2002. ISBN 0-7868-7069-9 [ISBN 978-0-7868-7069-1]. $25.98; 5 CDs. ISBN 1-4013-9823-5 [ISBN 978-1-4013-9823-1]. $31.98. available from Audible.com: $18.17.

Former mayor Giuliani is credited with helping New York City survive economically and emotionally after the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center. Get inside the head of this charismatic leader as he explains his use of management and leadership skills acquired during a long career in business, law, and politics. Rudy does a fine job of reading the introduction, and actor Tony Roberts kicks it up a notch for the rest of the audiobook.

Stewart, Martha. The Martha Rules: 10 Essentials for Achieving Success as You Start, Build, or Manage a Business. 5 CDs. unabridged. 5½ hrs. Random Audio. 2005. ISBN 0-7393-3233-3 [ISBN 978-0-7393-3233-7]. $29.95. available from Audible.com, Overdrive: $20.97.

Read by Martha herself, this guide offers advice on successfully developing one’s interests, formulating a business plan, managing employees, handling setbacks, and taking risks. Listeners will find the pace and information provided to be very Martha-esque! Recommended for just-starting entrepreneurs as well as seasoned business professionals.

Many Roads to Enlightenment

Allen, David. Ready for Anything: Productivity Principles for Work and Life. 3 CDs. abridged. 3 hrs. S. & S. Audio. 2003. ISBN 0-7435-3530-8 [ISBN 978-0-7435-3530-4]. $24. available from Audible.com, NetLibrary, Overdrive: $14.

This follow-up to Allen’s earlier Getting Things Done breaks down his productivity principles into 52 “chapters”. The author does a good job of reading, conveying his enthusiasm for the content, though at times the delivery is a bit stilted. Beside the expected tips for improving productivity, listeners will also get advice on increasing creativity and achieving balance in business and daily life.

 Blanchard, Kenneth & Spencer Johnson. The One Minute Manager: The World’s Most Popular Management Method. 1 CD. unabridged. 1½ hrs. HarperAudio. 2003. ISBN 0-06-056750-3 [ISBN 978-0-06-05670-7]. $18. available from Audible.com: $13.95.

Updated with a new introduction, this is the classic business guide for managers wanting to get the most from their employees. Short and easy to listen to, the audiobook introduces a wide range of strategies to promote employee morale and job satisfaction and, in turn, heighten productivity and profitability. Consider completing the series with Putting the One Minute Manager to Work (1 CD. abridged. 1 hr. S. & S. Audio. 2002. ISBN 0-7435-2503-5. $14) and The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey (1 CD. abridged. 1 hr. S. &S. Audio. 2004. ISBN 0-671-66077-2. $18).

Teamwork

Blanchard, Ken & others. High Five!: The Magic of Working Together. 3 CDs. unabridged. 4 hrs. HarperAudio. 2001. ISBN 0-694-52486-7 ISBN [978-0-694-52486-0]. $24.

This “organizational tearjerker” of a business parable presents a blueprint for creating a successful team. Alan Foster is an executive who has just lost his job because he wasn’t “a good team player”. When he takes on coaching his son’s losing hockey team, Alan has the opportunity to put teamwork principles into practice. Also recommended for youth sports coaches.

 Fox, Jeffrey J. How To Become a Great Boss: The Rules for Getting and Keeping the Best Employees. 2 cassettes. unabridged. 2½ hrs. Hachette Audio. 2002. ISBN 0-7868-7071-0 [ISBN 978-0-7868-7071-4]. $18.98; 2 Cds. ISBN 1-4013-9671-2 [ISBN 978-1-4013-9671-8]. $21.98. available from Audible.com: $13.29.

This short and practical guide dispenses advice on how bosses can foster teamwork, covering the basics—hiring, management, promotion, firing—with humor and insight. Underlying Fox’s advice is the observation that a good and motivated team doesn’t just make the boss look good, it also contributes to the bottom line and employee satisfaction.

How They did It

Gittell, Jody Hoffer. The Southwest Airlines Way: Using the Power of Relationships To Achieve High Performance. 2 cassettes. abridged. 3 hrs. McGraw-Hill Audio. 2004. ISBN 1-932378-18-9 [ISBN 978-1-932378-18-4]. $24; 3 CDs. ISBN 1-932378-19-7 [ISBN 978-1-932378-19-1]. $28. available from Audible.com: $19.60.

An excellent case study of the airline as well as its competitors, Southwest Airlines insider Gittell reveals the characteristics that make the company shine, finding a coherent set of management and organizational practices that encourage people to think of their jobs as linked to broader process than as a set of discrete tasks.

Lewis, Michael. Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. 4 cassettes. abridged. 6 hrs. Random Audio. 2003. ISBN 0-7393-0815-7 [ISBN 978-0-7393-0815-8]. $25.95; 3 CDs. ISBN 0-7393-1774-1 [ISBN 978-0-7393-1774-7]. $14.99. available from Audible.com: $18.17.

Through his analysis of statistics and management reports, Lewis reveals how the Oakland A’s thrived despite being the most under-budgeted team in professional baseball. Of particular interest to baseball fans, but with a message that resonates for business.

See also: Listen For Success!