“A fresh perspective on work and life . . . [a] highly reassuring volume that makes Dr. Peale’s mission surprisingly fresh.” —Publishers WeeklyOne of the most powerful forces in business today is the positive psychology movement—overcoming self-defeating attitudes and developing our talents and positive traits. Much of the new thinking, in fact, stems directly from the concepts in Norman Vincent Peale’s great classic bestseller, The Power of Positive Thinking, which has been translated into forty-two languages and has sold over 22 million copies.Now, after years of extensive research and field testing, working in cooperation with the Peale Center and major corporations nationwide, Scott Ventrella has adapted those concepts into a systematic program for people in business to achieve greater levels of personal and professional performance. The Power of Positive Thinking in Business provides a practical way for each of us to develop and actually strengthen the ten traits of a positive thinker. Inevitably, our performance rises to new levels when we learn how to overcome negative attitudinal barriers such as fear, lack of self-confidence, and low self-esteem, and instead develop the traits that characterize a positive thinker: optimism, enthusiasm, belief, integrity, courage, confidence, determination, patience, calmness, and focus. Together, rational thinking and the ten traits of a positive thinker can turn defeatist behavior into productive actions that will overcome the toughest of challenges with powerful, positive results.Best of all, these practical yet powerful concepts are applicable to businesspeople at all levels, disciplines, and functions within an organization, and have been adapted to appeal to people of all faiths.

2024 Axiom Award Silver Medalist in Independent Thought LeadershipHow do we embrace being generative to sustain excellence in the workplace?The modern working world doesn't leave much time for reflection. Leaders in particular are encouraged to speed ahead, make quick decisions, and seek swift solutions to any problem that may arise. However, the full-speed-ahead approach can backfire. By taking time to pause and reflect, it’s possible to notice new pathways and develop innovative solutions that allow for impactful results.Executive coach Janet M. Harvey has worked with leaders and teams around the world to explore the common tensions that arise in the workplace. Her conclusion? Tension in the workplace is inevitable. It’s how you navigate it that determines whether you will sustain excellence—or flame out.In this book, Janet explores the vehicle of generative change as one way to navigate tension in the workplace. Using real-life case studies and personal anecdotes, she compiles decades of her work as a coach to introduce readers to the vehicle of generative change. Each chapter includes activities and reflection exercises, making this an actionable guide that anyone can use to explore the value of generative change for themselves.

Two startup company founders and angel investors go inside eighteen companies founded by Harvard Business School graduates, uncovering surprising lessons for success and unexpected pitfalls essential for aspiring entrepreneurs.Conventional “wisdom” holds that the most successful entrepreneurs in the world are born with a genius for starting companies, experience one lightning-bolt moment of inspiration after another, follow a tried-and-true process to scale to a billion dollars, and attract deep-pocketed investors at every turn.The real story is a bit more unconventional—and much more interesting.Would-be-entrepreneurs Catalina Daniels and James Sherman, hungry to study and apply the best practices of startups to their own ventures, studied the nuts-and-bolts of entrepreneurship as classmates at Harvard Business School. Years later, after successfully founding and exiting several companies, and as angel investors in start-ups, they were surprised to realize that their experiences greatly differed from what they had been taught in school. HBS provided a world-class education in the basics. But there was so much they learned the hard way—working in the trenches—that, looking back, they wished they’d known before starting up.Inspired, Daniels and Sherman interviewed eighteen HBS graduates and entrepreneurs about their experiences founding companies such as Blue Apron, Rent the Runway, Gilt, and AdoreMe, probing them  about what they discovered along the way and what they wish they had known beforehand.  The authors bring  these insights to life by showcasing the founders in their own words and giving readers the experience of chatting with these remarkable entrepreneurs over a cup of coffee   No other book has unearthed advice from so many HBS entrepreneurs. The result is wisdom that challenges assumptions, destroys preconceived notions, crystalizes hunches, and articulates perceptions with a depth possessed by few people in the world.Starting a business is hard. Seventy percent of startups today fail after their seed round, and less than ten percent achieve success for founders and investors. Faced with such a daunting threshold, aspiring entrepreneurs need all the advice, wisdom,  and inspiration  they can get. Smart Startups is written for them—a timeless record of essential knowledge that can help them avoid failure and achieve success.

The author of Pioneering Portfolio Management shows individuals how to avoid the for-profit mutual fund industry and get better returns on their money.In Unconventional Success, investment legend and bestselling author David F. Swensen offers incontrovertible evidence that the for-profit mutual fund industry consistently fails the average investor. From excessive management fees to the frequent “churning” of portfolios, the relentless pursuit of profits by mutual fund management companies harms individual clients. Perhaps most destructive of all are the hidden schemes that limit investor choice and reduce returns, including pay-to-play product-placement fees, stale-price trading scams, soft-dollar kickbacks, and 12b-1 distribution charges.Even if investors manage to emerge unscathed from an encounter with the profit-seeking mutual fund industry, individuals face the likelihood of self-inflicted pain. The common practice of selling losers and buying winners (and doing both too often) damages portfolio returns and increases tax liabilities, delivering a one-two punch to investor aspirations.In short: Nearly insurmountable hurdles confront ordinary investors.Swensen’s solution: A contrarian investment alternative that promotes well-diversified, equity-oriented, market-mimicking portfolios that reward investors who exhibit the courage to stay the course. Swensen suggests implementing his nonconformist proposal with investor-friendly, not-for-profit investment companies such as Vanguard and TIAA-CREF. By avoiding actively managed funds and employing client-oriented mutual fund managers, investors create the preconditions for investment success. Bottom line? Unconventional Success provides the guidance and financial know-how for improving the personal investor’s financial future.“Reveals why the mutual fund industry as a whole does a disservice to the individual investor.” —Booklist “What he has to say is worth listening to.” —The New York Times

Positivity is contagious.Sometimes it seems that too many people are suffering from a crisis of identity, not sure what they stand for or what they want to do with their lives. The Goodwill Jar answers this problem.It teaches that when we focus on the good, offer the benefit of the doubt, and open our hearts to love, we can all live a richer life full of meaningful relationships.After all, humans are social creatures. Imagine what kind of world we would live in if everyone shared the goal of leaving others better than we found them. The world would be a better, happier place forever!Follow the path of a typical person as they navigate the relationships that occur in every stage of life, from childhood to the grave. It starts with the foundational values of our youth, proceeds through those tumultuous teen years, on to early adulthood, mid-life, and finally ends at retirement. Every choice builds a legacy.