It’s Not Luck by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

This is a “management” novel that shows how to put powerful logical tools into effect at work to produce win-win solutions to seemingly impossible problems. The author also wrote “The Goal”.

About the Author

 

One of the world’s most sought after business leaders – author and educator, Dr. Eli Goldratt. Eli Goldratt had been described by Fortune Magazine as a “guru to industry” and by Business Week as a “genius.” His charismatic, stimulating, yet sometimes unconventional style has captured the attention of audiences throughout the world. Eli is a true thinker who provokes others to think.Eli Goldratt is the creator of the Theory of Constraints (TOC) and is the author of 8 books, including the business best sellers The Goal, It’s Not Luck, and Critical Chain. Goldratt’s Theory of Constraints is used by thousands of companies, and is taught in hundreds of colleges, universities, and business schools. His books have sold over 3 million copies and have been translated into 23 languages. Goldratt’s fascinating work as an author, educator and business pioneer had resulted in the promulgation of TOC into many facets of society and has transformed management thinking throughout the world. –This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title

Biography

Eli Goldratt is an educator, author, scientist, philosopher, and business leader. But he is, first and foremost, a thinker who provokes others to think. Often characterized as unconventional, stimulating, and “a slayer of sacred cows,” Dr. Goldratt exhorts his audience to examine and reassess their business practices with a fresh, new vision.

He obtained his Bachelor of Science degree from Tel Aviv University and his Masters of Science, and Doctorate of Philosophy from Bar-Ilan University. In addition to his pioneering work in Business Management and education, he holds patents in a number of areas ranging from medical devices to drip irrigation to temperature sensors

 

The Goal: A Process of Ongoing Improvement Paperback by Eliyahu M. Goldratt

Alex Rogo is the manager of a failing manufacturing plant who receives an ultimatum from corporate headquarters: Turn the situation around in three months or the plant will be scrapped. With help from a mysterious mentor, Rogo discovers a revolutionary new way to do business—a way for people in any field of endeavor to increase productivity, profitability, and personal fulfillment.

A business book disguised as a novel, a love story about the manufacturing process, and an exhilarating adventure in human potential, The Goal is changing how America does business. First published in 1984, it became an underground bestseller; today it’s used by thousands of companies and taught in hundreds of business schools. Includes the author’s personal story, “My Saga.”

This third edition includes case study interviews. Professional readers recreate interviews that David Whitford, Editor at Large with Fortune Small Business, conducts with the author Eli Goldratt and with business professionals from General Motors, Thomson-Shore, Security Federal Banks and others who put the principles of The Goal into action.

About the Author

Freelance author and journalist Jeff Cox is a contributing editor to Organic Gardening magazine, The Wine News, and is the host of Grow It! on the Home & Garden Television Network. He has written 13 gardening books, including the Storey title From Vines to Wines as well as Seasonal Celebrations, The Perennial Garden (with his wife, Marilyn Cox), The Spirit of Gardening, and Flowers For All Seasons. Jeff is a member of the Author’s Guild of America, Garden Writers’ Association of America, and the San Francisco Professional Food Society. He lives in Kenwood, California.

ELIYAHU M. GOLDRATT is an Israeli physicist, inventor, and philosopher whose unconventional approach to business management has made him one of the most sought-after consultants in the world today. Through his lectures and writings, as well as his work with such corporations as General Motors, Ford, Proctor & Gamble, and AT&T, Dr. Goldratt continues his crusade to teach businesses to re-examine their basic assumptions in order to compete effectively in the new global market place. –This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From AudioFile

A novel, business lesson, and wake-up call for leaders whose companies are bogged down by complacency, sloppy thinking, and bureaucratic stupidity, this 1984 text is anchored by the comforting voice of Eric Conger and a strong cast of voice actors who handle the material with immense skill. They deftly balance between the need to jazz up the dry business content and the temptation to succumb to the story’s melodrama. The heroic story line seems hindered by extraneous dialogue and subplots, but the voice performances make the production hard to fault as a listening experience. The main point is that companies are profitable when archaic habits are persistently reexamined with fresh eyes for constraints and bottlenecks. T.W. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine– Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine –This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Strengths Based Leadership: Great Leaders, Teams, and Why People Follow by Tom Rath

For decades, Gallup scientists have researched the topic of leadership. They’ve surveyed a million work teams, conducted more than 50,000 in-depth interviews with leaders, and even interviewed 20,000 followers to ask what they admired in the most important leader in their life. The results of that research are unveiled in Strengths-Based Leadership. Using Gallup’s discoveries, authors Tom Rath and Barry Conchie identify three keys to being an effective leader and use firsthand accounts from highly successful leaders — including the founder of Teach for America and the president of The Ritz-Carlton — to show how each person’s unique talents can drive their success. A new version of Gallup’s popular StrengthsFinder assessment helps readers discover their own special gifts, and specific strategies show them how to lead with their top five talents. Loaded with novel research, inspiring stories, and actionable ideas,Strengths-Based Leadership offers a new roadmap for leading people toward a better future.

From the Publisher

A unique access code (enclosed in the back of this book) allows you to take a new leadership version of Gallup’s StrengthsFinder program. The new version of this program provides you with specific strategies for leading with your top five strengths and enables you to plot the strengths of your team based on the four domains of leadership strength revealed in the book.Key findings from Strengths Based Leadership:

* The most effective leaders are always investing in strengths. In the workplace, when an organization’s leadership fails to focus on individuals’ strengths, the odds of an employee being engaged are a dismal 1 in 11 (9%). But when an organization’s leadership focuses on the strengths of its employees, the odds soar to almost 3 in 4 (73%). When leaders focus on and invest in their employees’ strengths, the odds of each person being engaged goes up eightfold.

* The most effective leaders surround themselves with the right people and then maximize their team.While the best leaders are not well-rounded, the best teams are. Strong, cohesive teams have a representation of strengths in each of these four domains: executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking.

* The most effective leaders understand their followers’ needs. People follow leaders for very specific reasons. When we asked thousands of followers, they were able to describe exactly what they need from a leader with remarkable clarity: trust, compassion, stability, and hope.

About the Author

Tom Rath

Tom Rath is one of the most influential authors of his generation. His #1 international bestsellers have sold more than 5 million copies and made over 250 appearances on the Wall Street Journal’s bestseller list.

Tom’s new book, EAT MOVE SLEEP: WHY SMALL CHOICES MAKE A BIG DIFFERENCE is already receiving critical acclaim as his next “blockbuster book,” a “transformative work,” and being described as the new “operating code for human health.” To learn more, read an exclusive preview of Eat Move Sleep, or request and Advance Copy, visit: tomrath.org

Tom serves as a Senior Scientist and Advisor to Gallup, where he previously spent 13 years leading the organization’s work on employee engagement, strengths, and wellbeing. Tom also served as Vice Chairman of the VHL cancer research organization. He earned degrees from the University of Michigan and University of Pennsylvania, where he is now a guest lecturer. Tom and his wife, Ashley, and their two children live in Arlington, Virginia.

Barry Conchie 

A renowned Leadership Consultant, Gallup’s Barry Conchie is sought after by CEOs around the world to assist in aligning business and talent strategies that drive performance. As an expert in executive assessment, team diagnostics, and succession planning, he brings objective measurement and insight to these important leadership areas.Conchie was a public sector leader in the UK before joining Gallup in London. In 2002, he brought his extensive global experience to Gallup’s Washington, D.C. headquarters, where Conchie now leads Gallup’s executive leadership consulting. He and his wife, Nicola, and children, Amy and Thomas, live in Maryland.