This month's book selections raise awareness of the jobs, skills, and work ethic that is needed in this new world to succeed. With authors from Gallup and the White House, these books offer a strategic look at the workforce and its immediate needs to stay relevant.
The Coming Jobs War
by Jim Clifton
Gallup Press
Drawing on 75 years of Gallup studies and his own perspective as the companys chairman and CEO, Clifton explains why jobs are the new global currency for leaders. More than peace or money or any other good, the business, government, military, city, and village leaders who can create good jobs will own the future. Clifton sees the problem as one where leaders dont know how to create jobs, especially in America. The world is in a war for jobs, he explains, and for organizations to win, leaders need to compete. Leaders need to recognize that universities, mentors, and cities are the key to job creation.
Decade of Change: Managing in Times of Uncertainty
by Geoffrey Brewer
Gallup Press
Change is often an abstract concept, discussed in business conferences and academic seminars. But its been all too real this past decade, according to Brewer. The momentousness of change during the past 10 years has inspired the Gallup Management Journal, an online business magazine that posts articles weekly for nearly 300,000 subscribers,to review how it covered and evaluated events during this period; how it tried to make sense of rapid change right as it was unfolding; and most importantly, how Gallups most visionary people, as well as the great minds with whom Gallup regularly
associates, helped organizational leaders navigate the most tumultuous years in memory. In this book, youll find insights and wisdom into how to manage, and make the most of, change. The book includes insights from Nobel Prize winner Daniel Kahneman; Lieutenant General Russel Honor of Hurricane Katrina fame; Vinton Cerf, one of the creators of the Internet; and visionary executive Ray Anderson. Decade of Change is as much a look backward as it is a roadmap for what lies ahead.
What Is Global Leadership?: 10 Key Behaviors that Define Great Global Leaders
by Ernest Gundling, Terry Hogan, and Karen Cvitkovich
Nicholas Brealey Publishing
What is global leadership? It is distinctly different from the leadership skills needed in a hierarchical, command-and-control domestic operation. The global economy requires a new set of leadership skills—vertical, cross-functional, and across cultures and nationalities—that was not as critical even a decade ago.
In What Is Global Leadership?, the authors draw on cutting-edge research conducted by Aperian Global (a global training and consulting firms), as well as first-hand interviews with successful global leaders. The book highlights 10 key behaviors critical to international settings. Whether one is leading an entire organization, a business unit, or a geographically dispersed team, this essential guide provides an important resource for developing global leadership talent.
Back to Work: Why We Need Smart Government for a Strong Economy
by Bill Clinton
Knopf
In Back to Work, Clinton details how we can get out of the current economic crisis and lay a foundation for long-term prosperity. He offers specific recommendations on how we can put people back to work and create new businesses, increase bank lending and corporate investment, double our exports, and restore our manufacturing base. He supports President Obamas emphasis on green technology, saying that change in the way we produce and consume energy is the strategy most likely to spark a fast-growing economy and enhance our national security. Clinton also notes that we need both a strong economy and a smart government working together to restore prosperity and progress. There is no evidence that we can succeed in the twenty-first century with an antigovernment strategy, writes Clinton, with a philosophy grounded in You're on your own rather than We're all in this together.