Business (and Life) Self-Help

Napoleon Hill (1883–1970), one of the all-time best-selling motivational authors, began his career in "success philosophy" with this title, first published in 1928 as an eight- volume series and reprinted here as one large paperback, newly indexed. It reads as a fascinating amalgam of what has since become familiar—interviewing notables and learning their means of success, thus formulating key principles for others to use—and what has not, e.g., Hill's assumption that self-help readers will take on hundreds of pages of text, complete with dollops of Shakespeare and Leigh Hunt, plus Hill's own allegories, none of it predigested or accompanied by worksheets. The book's original constructs, many with the biases of another era, are allowed to stand. There's no new intro explaining the dated mindset. Yet much may be as useful now as it was 80 years ago. For consideration by public libraries and for academic libraries supporting historical collections of such guides.

Carroll's diminuitive Rules of the Red Rubber Ball was more a gift book than one for library shelves. Then came his Dr. Seuss-sized What's Your Red Rubber Ball?! Professional speaker and "agent for social change," Carroll (former head athletic trainer, Nike) now brings his red rubber ball to business, with 33 "play profiles" of notable individuals, organized by theme ("Innovations," "Results," "Teamwork," "Leadership," and "Curiosity") to show how achievers from the arts, business, and social activism have each channeled their own variety of "purposeful play" into work success. With annotated suggestions throughout, not just for further reading but for means of "looking" and "doing" that will help guide one's "play" toward success. For public libraries.

Selk (owner/director, Enhanced Performance, Inc.), directs sport psychology for the St. Louis Cardinals. Here he presents his mental workout designed to show readers, whether athletic or not, how to act without being impeded by the disabling weight of pressure. His ten-minute daily mental exercises, applying athletic training concepts to all who seek success at their work, aim both to foster and to maintain a connection between talent and successful outcome, This is a notably concrete and clearly written guide, of use for all readers who want to become their own mental coaches, in or out of the business or sports world.

Using the FBI as his organizational model—with limited resources, the FBI is charged with accomplishing much—Carrison, another professional speaker and business writer, divides his book into eight different aspects of management, with text boxes giving specific examples of the FBI's approach. The FBI examples often relate to investigating specific violent crimes, which can strain the correlation between FBI procedures and business management success. But Carrison doesn't stint on content, and there are sure to be readers who take to the concept.

Sisterhood, Knowledge, Integrity, Respect, Tenacity and Substance = SKIRTS. Marshawn's all-woman entrepreneurial team won Season Four on The Apprentice. Her advice here is promoted as "savvy, shrewd, and straightforward" for "today's sassy yet sensible modern woman." The chapters themselves each start with a c-word, such as Confidence, Class, Captivation, and offer their own subcategories of acronym-based advice, all of which may crowd the reader with too many disparate concepts, from "The Four Ds of Branding Mistakes" to "T.A.G.S. #1: Target Your TALENTS" and "Lessons for ME (Motivations & Empowerment)." Readers who absorb the book in small portions may find just the advice they seek for a specific challenge.