Recommended Books Professional Associations and Services Research Study on the Effectiveness of Executive Coaching We believe knowledge is a very important key to success. Books are an affordable and accessible way for us to increase our knowledge. To reach our potential we must be willing to effectively change what we do and how we do it. Learn from the masters by reading some of our favorites. To help you more easily browse through the list we have categorized our favorites into four special areas of interest. The first focuses on business, the second on management, the third on professionals in transition and the fourth focuses on professional and personal development. To add any of these books to your collection click on the title and you can order through Amazon or directly through the appropriate web sites. Please enjoy! We also list some professional associations and professional services geared to helping you achieve more success. Check them out after the book reviews. Bookstore # 1 Business The One Page Business Plan: Start with a Vision, Build a Company by Jim Horan. The dreaded business plan becomes easy using the format developed by Horan. Many business owners avoid writing a business plan because it seems overwhelming. This book is user friendly and makes planning a doable, flexible, useable process. Do you know where your company is going and how it's going to get there? If not, it's time to create a One Page Business Plan. The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don't Work and What to Do About It by Michael Gerber. You started your business to gain some freedom and now it consumes your life! Gerber tells you how you can change that. Learn how to create a systems approach to growing your business in a predictable and productive way. Let your business work for you instead of you working for it. Marketing Your Services: A Step by Step Guide for Small Businesses and Professionals by Anthony Putman. Ever wonder how to effectively market your business? Discover how to differentiate your business from other similar businesses, how to price and package your service, and how to turn prospects into customers. Do the exercises and worksheets and your marketing efforts will reward you. The InfoGuru Marketing Manual by Robert Middleton. The manual is a wealth of information on how to attract new clients to your professional service business. Each chapter offers practical tips and exercises to help you successfully market your business. Middleton is a marketing consultant and practices what he teaches. Learn how to take your marketing efforts to the next level. The manual is a great resource. I'd Rather Have A Root Canal Than Do Cold Calling by Shawn Greene. If you fear or dread cold calling, this book will jump-start you into action. You will find profitable ideas and real truths mixed with a sense of humor to help you make success cold calls and improve your sales performance. Telemarketing doesn't have to be torture. #2 Management NOW, Discover Your Strengths by Marcus Buckingham and Donald Clifton. It has been said the keystone of high achievement and happiness is exercising your strengths, not correcting your weaknesses. You will not only discover your own strengths and how to use them effectively but also how to better manage people with varying strengths. Individual strengths are an asset to high performing organizations. Each book contains an identification number that gives you access to the StrengthsFinder Profile on the Internet. Complete the profile and receive a report that identifies your strengths. It's both fun and interesting. Get the book and try it out! Working With Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman. Studies show that our IQ, advanced degrees or technical expertise are not what determines our success in the workplace. It's being able to work well on teams and with people using our emotional intelligence. Star performers are self-aware, self-confident and use self-control. They are able to communicate clearly and influence others. According to Goleman, these competencies can be more fully developed at any stage in our career. Discover how to improve your Emotional Intelligence using Goleman's guidelines. The Inner Game of Work by W. Timothy Gallwey. Don't let your inner obstacles sabotage your efforts to achieve your potential. It's time to stop letting the fear of failure, procrastination, and self-doubt control your potential to learn and move to higher levels of performance. Sometimes you need to shift your focus to change your results. Gallwey gives you the tools to reassess what you do and to work in a new way. Love 'Em or Lose 'Em: Getting Good People to Stay by Beverly Kaye and Sharon Jordan Evans. If you are a manager or supervisor, you need to read this book! You will find 26 easy ideas for managing and keeping your valued employees. The book is an easy read giving practical strategies to implement today, not tomorrow. Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D is a delightful, whimsical look at change. If you want to understand how people handle change in your company read this short and insightful book. You might even see yourself! Find out how easily mice adapt to change while adults struggle with the process. Do they know something we don't? In less than one hour you can find out how to more successfully deal with change. #3 Professionals in Transition Transitions: Making Sense of Life's Changes by Williams Bridges. Change is a natural part of life and yet most of us find it difficult to handle. Bridges tells us how to identify and cope with critical changes in our lives. He takes us step by step through the transition process, offering skills and advice for navigating each stage in the process. LifeLaunch: A Passionate Guide to the Rest of Your Life by Frederic Hudson and Pamela McLean. The book is a guideline for creating the next chapters in your life. Too often we operate in the default mode and let events determine what we do. You will find tools to create your own vision and passionate plan. If you want to be proactive in getting what you want, this book is a must! The Artist's Way at Work: Riding the Dragon by Mark Bryan, Julia Cameron and Catherine Allen. Discover how to be more creative in your business and in your life using the powerful exercises found in each chapter. Ride the dragon and create your personal philosophy of excellence. The book will help you become a catalyst for positive change in your life and work. The Power of Purpose, Creating Meaning in Your Life and Work by Richard Leider. Find what key issues will bring meaning and passion into your life. Discover the work you love to do and gain a sense of fulfillment. Be intentional in creating the "why", "what" and "how" of your life. Leider's purpose is helping people create meaning. What is yours? #4 Professional and Personal Development The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey is a powerful book for anyone interested in growth and potential. The principles can be used to enhance every aspect of your life and work. This is not just a book to read, it is a book to live by! You will find practical wisdom to help you gain control of your life, your business and career. Enhance your success and integrate the 7 Habits into your life. The book has become a classic in the human potential field. The Power of Focus by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Les Hewitt. Want to find out how to hit your business, personal and financial targets with absolute certainty? Your ability to focus determines your future. Discover how to focus to get what you want. The authors give specific action steps to help you develop strong focus skills in every part of your life. Read the Power of Focus and prepare yourself to take a quantum leap in your success. Feel the Fear and Do It Anyway by Susan Jeffers, PhD. is an essential book for anyone who wants to get unstuck and live a happier, fuller life. You will find some dynamic techniques and concepts to help you grab hold of your fears and move forward. Achieving your potential means moving beyond fear. Jeffers tells you how using a common sense approach. Please Understand Me: Character and Temperament Types by David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates. Want to know what makes you tick? In this user-friendly book you can take a quick profile and find your style. It's okay to be different, we all are! Keirsey's profile is similar to the Meyers Briggs Indicator and based on Carl Jung's psychological types. Understanding differences allows for more acceptance and appreciation of self and others. Me, Myself, and I, Inc by Shirley Porter, Keith Porter and Christine Bennett gives you a framework for working in the 21st century. Thinking of yourself as an independent business-like economic entity is essential if you want to be successful in this new molecular marketplace. Follow the 10 steps the authors outline to gain career independence. Enjoy the journey of self-discovery as you create your future work life. Recommended Books Professional Associations and Services Research Study on the Effectiveness of Executive Coaching Contact us today! Just send an email to info@coachexecs.com or call our office headquarters located in Northern California at (925)933-1051.