Kindle Pick of the Week: Extreme

Surfing, skateboarding and tech!

Hope Ellson is from the wrong side of the tracks, but her genius transcends class. When Hope joins FearToShred, a Silicon Valley extreme gaming startup, Hope’s mission is to groom the scrappy company for prime time. Enter Doug Wiser, her very married ex. While the two work in tandem, nefarious forces are at work behind the scenes. Adding to the excitement of this thriller are the stars and heroes of surfing and skateboarding. With a keen eye on women in tech, business ethics and dangerous stunts, “Extreme” will leave you breathless.

Winner of the Cervena Barva and Chaffin Fiction Awards, Joan’s work has appeared in The Huffington Post, Vanity Fair, Rattle, Pank! The Meridien Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, The Los Angeles Review of Books, Chicken Soup for the Soul and over 200 literary journals, blogs and magazines.

A member of the National Book Critics Circle, Joan has worked for California Poets in the Schools, Poetry Out Loud, Chiat/Day Advertising and other Bay Area companies. She currently coaches writers and teaches in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Kindle Pick of the Week: Preorder: Courageous Cultures

As workplaces are adapting to sudden and unprecedented changes due to the global pandemic, leaders must find new strengths within their teams. Leadership experts Karin Hurt and David Dye release a timely new book of practical steps leaders can take to adapt fast by tapping into the hidden solutions engine within their organization.

“Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Microinnovators, Problem Solvers, And Customer Advocates”

Karin Hurt and David Dye of Let’s Grow Leaders announce the July 28th release of their inspiring new book titled, “Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Microinnovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates” (HarperCollins, Foreword by Dr. Amy Edmonson.)

Every day, employees are barraged with problems.

They cringe as they try to soothe customer frustrations about problems they can't fix. Or, they face battles with inefficient systems and outdated procedures. As the COVID-19 pandemic transforms the world, new challenges emerge at an unprecedented rate. The research from Hurt and Dye shows that employees have game-changing ideas for how to solve these issues but frequently don't speak up to share them. As a result, organizations waste money and miss opportunities to create better experiences for their customers.

Courageous Cultures is informed by years of executive consultation as well as a research collaboration with the University of Northern Colorado’s Social Research Lab. It provides practical tools to uncover, leverage, and scale the best ideas from every level of an organization.

See why organizations struggle to create healthy cultures that encourage employees to contribute their best thinking.

Re-engage and motivate employees by applying proven models and tools.
Learn how to apply the best strategies and techniques used by successful companies around the world.
Organizations have the opportunity to build a Courageous Culture today and stop missing out on the hidden solutions engine within their organization.

“In our world of rapid change, a Courageous Culture is your competitive advantage. It ensures that your company is ‘sticky’ for both your customers and your employees,” says Hurt. “In our conversations with executives and senior leaders across a range of industries, we know that innovation and solutions aren’t just appreciated—they’re vital,” Dye added.

Praise for "Courageous Cultures"

Daniel H. Pink, #1 New York Times Bestselling author of "When," "Drive," and "To Sell Is Human" says, "Silence isn't always golden. Effective organizations need people to speak up. Courageous Cultures is the ultimate guide to building a workplace environment that values outspokenness. By following the guidance in this savvy book, you'll attract first-rate talent, serve your customer better, and liberate people to perform their best."

Liz Wiseman, New York Times bestselling author of "Multipliers" and "Rookie Smarts" says, "Hurt and Dye offer leaders a wonderfully practical road map for how to get the most from their people – by creating a culture where safe silence dies and small acts of courage compound to increase innovation, problem-solving, and customer advocacy.”

Kevin Kruse, CEO of LEADx and New York Times bestselling author, says, "Imagine if you could cast a magic spell over your entire team and suddenly all the complainers became problem solvers, the safely silent became innovators, and your bystanders became upstanders. "Courageous Cultures," by Karin Hurt and David Dye, will teach you how to cast that spell."

Randy Oostra, President and CEO Promedica Health System, calls Courageous Cultures “a compelling and actionable roadmap for business leaders to tap into the energy and wisdom lying just below the surface within their own organizations. No leaders would be without this valuable resource.”

Sunil Prashara, President and CEO, Project Management Institute says, “Courageous Cultures offers simple steps to nurture a bold organizational culture that encourages people to speak up, take smart risks, innovate, become problem solvers, and seize competitive advantage in a fast-transforming business environment.”

The book will be available for purchase on Amazon.com, iBooks, Barnes and Noble Booksellers, and all major outlets, and is available in audible read by the authors. "Courageous Cultures" includes fifteen chapters with titles like "How Courage Works—According to Research" and "People Are Different: How to Leverage Your Diverse Talent to Build a Courageous Culture." For more information on "Courageous Cultures," (including a free sample chapter, pre-order bonuses,  details on the authors, the book trailer, advanced praise, press coverage, and purchasing information), visit CourageousCulturesBook.com.

Karin Hurt and David Dye are the Founders of Let's Grow Leaders, a leadership training and consulting firm in Maryland, and the authors of 5 books including  Winning Well: A Manager's Guide to Getting Results Without Losing Your Soul as well as the soon to be released Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Microinnovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates. Recently named on Inc's list of Most Innovative Leadership Speakers, Karin and David work with leaders around the world who want to achieve breakthrough results and build highly innovative, courageous cultures.  They are also dedicated to their philanthropic initiative, Winning Wells, building clean water wells in Cambodia.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Courageous-Cultures-Karin-Hurt-ebook/dp/B081N21G8Z/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Kindle Free Pick of the Week: Animal Energies

In many Native American traditions, animals are considered to be our older, wiser brothers and sisters. Their behavior can help us better understand ourselves, heal old wounds, adapt to new situations, or warn us of dangers. Animal Energies shows us how to interpret our physical and spiritual encounters with animals in ways that enable us to achieve balance in the natural world.

Colorfully illustrated and easy-to-reference, the book presents little-known facts about the habits of fifty-eight North American animals, including their strengths and vulnerabilities. By using these ancient animal energies, we are guided gently through life's challenges and obstacles. We may soar with the eagle and run with the wolves, yet even the earthworm has something to teach us.

This updated edition of Dancing Otters and Clever Coyotes includes more personal animal encounters and an updated foreword from the authors. Join them as they share what they've learned from Native American elders and from their own personal journeys, reminding readers of the inherent bond that humans have with all things in nature.

Kindle Pick of the Week: The Kid's Guide to Birds of Georgia

A great book on the many species of birds in Georgia. And it's not just for kids.

Stan Tekiela’s famous Birds of Georgia Field Guide has been delighting bird-watchers for years. Now, the award-winning author has written the perfect bird identification guide for children!

The Kids’ Guide to Birds of Georgia features 85 of the most common and important birds to know, with species organized by color for ease of use. Do you see a yellow bird and don’t know what it is? Go to the yellow section to find out. Each bird gets a beautiful full-color photograph and a full page of neat-to-know information―such as field marks, calls/songs, a range map, and Stan’s cool facts―that make identification a snap.

Make bird identification a snap. Fun bonus activities for the whole family, like building a birdhouse and preparing your own bird food, make this a must-have beginner’s guide to bird watching in the Peach State!

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/Kids-Guide-Birds-Georgia-Activities-ebook/dp/B087Y4SBMJ/ref=tmm_kin_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

Kindle Pick of the Week: Yellow A Novel

A new novel from Jeane Charters.

The Eighties...that time of glittery greed, unbound sexuality and political degeneracy when all that stood between Americans and fake news was a free press...and one strong woman.

A great Kindle buy right now.

Yellow skillfully takes readers into a newsroom of the 1980s at the highest-rated television station in Pennsylvania. Finley Smith is its principled news director. When she learns from her top reporter that the Pennsylvania Governor has hired a mob-owned construction company to repair a bridge in Pittsburgh, she plans to report it. Her unscrupulous station manager orders her to “leave it alone.” But when a reporter’s probe reveals dangerous truths about the construction company’s shoddy work, Finley opts to buck the system and run the stories. This sets in motion a deadly dispute.
 
Although Finley’s reputation is irreproachable, making it difficult to fire her, the station manager and corporate president conspire to have her eliminated. Between the covers of Yellow, Charters expertly weaves a suspenseful web of ambition-fueled deceit, financial desperation and corruption that ultimately culminates in a grisly crime. A veteran of broadcast television, Charters draws from her own experiences to inform the character development and story arc, lending authenticity to every page.