Boat to Boardroom, Alex Alley & Paula Reid

ISBN 978-1-84426-612-8

Published by Fastprint Publishing

Global Challenge to Business Challenge

Alex Alley and Paula Reid took part in the 2004/5 Global Challenge round the world yacht race. This book tells the story of that adventure and is worth the cover price for that alone.

But the race story takes up only 1/3rd of the book (don’t worry you may be short-changed, that accounts for 135 of the 362 pages). The balance concerns relating the experience and lessons learnt from crewing a yacht on one of life’s extreme adventures to running a business. Remarkably, it is almost completely successful. Admittedly there are stretches required here and there to shape the two contrasting realities, but the main thrust of the dialogue crosses the divide believably.

The ‘business end’ of the book encompasses ideas to apply to leadership, teamwork, communication, motivation and more. Unsurprisingly, Messrs Alley and Reid now provide workshops and sailing experiences to business through their company, Velocity Made Good Ltd.

So, would you like to read an exciting, exhilarating, frightening even, tale of eighteen months before the mast? Then this is as good an account of the Global Challenge experience as you will find.

Or would you like to see how these experiences translate to the world of business and discover some valuable ideas that will, if applied diligently, almost certainly improve your, and your firm’s, performance? Then this is as good a set of metaphors as you will find.

Creating Magic, Lee Cockerell

ISBN 978-0-09-192912-1

Published by Vermillion

10 common sense leadership strategies

Lee Cockerell dropped out of college and joined the army where he learned to cook. After military service he went to work at the Washington DC Hilton where he entered the management training programme. Later he went to work for Marriott before being headhunted by Disney for its new Paris resort. He eventually spent over a decade running Walt Disney World Resort operations before becoming an independent consultant. So he should know what he is talking about – and he does!

First a word of congratulation for avoiding the dreaded ‘seven’ syndrome. Mr Cockerell offers us no less than ten strategies, from remembering that everyone is important through advice on training, staying ahead and more to developing character.

By all accounts the author was an outstanding and inspirational leader and he shares his insights and stories in a straightforward and immensely readable manner.

Is there anything world-shakingly new or revolutionary in these pages? Probably not but Lee manages to avoid management-speak and brings a sense of reality to the proceedings. Well worth a couple of hours – and you will certainly find at least some of his advice worth following.

Drop Dead Brilliant, Lesley Everett

Published by McGraw-Hill

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

So, how’s your brand looking?

“I never really found what I truly wanted to do and what I’m good at until I was 30!” Well, thank goodness that Ms Everett did not stick with the law or software development, two of her earlier careers, because then we would have been deprived of her significant input into the topic of personal branding.

Keynote speaker, media personality and branding coach, Lesley is an international businesswoman who distils the essence of her considerable knowledge into her latest book.

As Lesley says, “You have a brand whether you are aware of it or not.” The job of this book is to help you make the most of that brand.

Nothing is overlooked; from style tips to nasal hair to casual ‘power’ by way of body talk, real talk and self-selling, Lesley leaves no pin ungilded, no shirt unpressed, no shoe unpolished, no stone unturned.

With plenty to think about for both sexes (despite the cover picture this book is for women too), you will learn what to wear and how to wear it for every occasion and how to create, or recreate, your personal ‘package’. You’ll learn about interviews and presentations, including those dreaded TV and videoconference sessions and you’ll pick up some tips on vocal quality as well. There is even advice for dealing with other cultures.

By the end of these 200 pages you will be ready to create a new image, perhaps a new you – you will certainly have all the tools necessary. (Me, forget the business world - I’m really looking forward to not hearing my wife say, “You’re not thinking of going out looking like that, are you?” ever again!)

How to manage People. Michael Armstrong

Published by Kogan Page

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

Latest from the Sunday Times ‘Creating Success’ series

Michael Armstrong, management consultant and author of a number of management books, here offers practical advice for managers, supervisors and team leaders on how to get the best results from their teams.

Acknowledging that managers rely on their teams as much as teams rely on their managers, he covers all the main aspects of leadership, motivation, delegation and organisation succinctly and clearly.

This book will be especially valuable for those in managerial positions who do not have the luxury of formal HR support thanks to sections on selection, performance management and rewards.

Though concise (just 150 or so pages) it is comprehensive and the author manages to include ideas on helping individuals develop as well as providing useful advice on dealing with problem behaviour, absenteeism and underperformance.

A useful book for the manager pressed for time – so that would be pretty well all of them.

Excellence in Coaching, edited by Jonathan Passmore

Kogan Page - £24.95

Buy it now from Blackwell Books

A handy guide to the industry

Fancy being a coach? Don’t fancy paying a small fortune to some dubious ‘institute’? Here is the answer to your prayers! A helpful industry guide that the experienced coach will also find invaluable.

Excellence in Coaching is a comprehensive guide covering what coaching is and how to set up a coaching business. It explains eight different approaches to coaching (including my favourite ‘GROW’ model) and it examines the ethical issues involved. Lastly there is a section on supervision (or coaching for coaches).

You will also find this book revealing if you are on the other end – a ‘coachee’. It will help you decide what kind of coaching you need, rather than just accepting what is on offer. And the articles can also help you understand whether your current coach is doing a good job or not.

The book is made up of thirteen chapters, each by a different author or authors and each covering a different topic. The list of contributors (all leaders in the field) is impressive and includes Sir John Whitmore (Coaching for Performance) and Ian McDermott (The NLP Coach).

Published under the auspices of the UK’s Association for Coaching, Excellence in Coaching lives up to the Association’s slogan of ‘promoting excellence and ethics in coaching’. The coaching profession is exploding and has needed a handbook of best practice for some time. This book fulfils the role admirably.