Business Audio Programs
Winners Never Cheat (Unabridged)
"Everyone does it". Everyone cheats. Cuts corners. Tells lies. Maybe it was different once. Not anymore. If you want to succeed nowadays, you have to make compromises. Right? Wrong. You can succeed at the highest levels, without sacrificing the principles that make life worth living. The proof? This audiobook.
Jon M. Huntsman built a $12 billion company from scratch, the old-fashioned way: with integrity. There were short-term costs. There were moments when it took great courage. But, ultimately, it wasn't just right; it was the best business strategy, too.
In Winners Never Cheat Huntsman tells you how he did it, and how you can, too. This audiobook is about remembering why you work, and why you were chosen to lead. It's about finding the bravery to act on what you know is right and building teams with the same courage. It's about winning. The right way.
Think about the kind of person you want to do business with. Then, be that person and use this audiobook to get you there.
Lawyers. Accountants. Software Engineers. That's what Mom and Dad encouraged us to become. They were wrong. Gone is the age of "left-brain" dominance. The future belongs to a different kind of person with a different kind of mind: designers, inventors, teachers, storytellers - creative and emphatic "right-brain" thinkers whose abilities mark the fault line between who gets ahead and who doesn't.
Drawing on research from around the advanced world, Daniel Pink outlines six fundamentally human abilities that are essential for professional success and personal fulfillment - and reveals how to master them.
From a laughter club in Bombay to an inner-city high school devoted to design, to a lesson on how to detect an insincere smile, A Whole New Mind takes listeners to a daring new place, and offers a provocative and urgent new way of thinking about a future that has already arrived.
What's the critical difference between Nike and every other shoe company on the planet? Why do some airline executives continue to insist that air travel is great, when we all know better? What has enabled Zildjian, a family business founded outside Istanbul, to thrive for almost 400 years?
In this essential and illuminating book, top business strategist Dev Patnaik tells the story of how organizations of all kinds prosper when they tap into a power each of us already has: empathy, the ability to reach outside of ourselves and connect with other people. When people inside a company develop a shared sense of what's going on in the world, they see new opportunities faster than their competitors. They have the courage to take a risk on something new. And they have the gut-level certitude to stick with an idea that doesn't take off right away. People are "Wired to Care," and many of the world's best organizations are, too.
In pursuit of this idea, Patnaik takes readers inside big companies like IBM, Target, and Intel to see widespread empathy in action. But he also goes to farmers' markets and a conference on world religions. He dives deep into the catacombs of the human brain to find the biological sources of empathy. And he spends time on both sides of the political aisle, with James Carville, the Ragin' Cajun, and John McCain, a national hero, to show how empathy can give you the acuity to cut through a morass of contradictory information.
Wired to Care is a compelling tale of the power that people have to see the world through each other's eyes, told with passion for the possibilities that lie ahead if leaders learn to stop worrying about their own problems and start caring about the world around them. As Patnaik notes, in addition to its considerable economic benefits, increasing empathy for the people you serve can have a personal impact, as well: It just might help you to have a better day at work.
The Facebook Effect (Unabridged)
In a little more than half a decade, Facebook has gone from a dorm-room novelty to a company with 500 million users - and an essential part of the social life not only of teenagers but hundreds of millions of adults worldwide. As Facebook spreads around the globe, it creates surprising effects - even becoming instrumental in political protests.
Veteran technology reporter David Kirkpatrick had the full cooperation of Facebook's key executives in researching this fascinating history. Kirkpatrick tells us how Facebook was created, why it has flourished, and where it is going next. He chronicles its successes and missteps, and gives readers the most complete assessment anywhere of founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, the central figure in the company's remarkable ascent. This is the Facebook story that can be found nowhere else.
Kirkpatrick shows how Zuckerberg refused to compromise, insistently focusing on growth over profits and preaching that Facebook must dominate (his word) communication on the Internet. In the process, he and a small group of key executives have created a company that has changed social life in the United States and elsewhere, a company that has become a ubiquitous presence in marketing, and one that has altered politics, business, and even our sense of our own identity. This is the Facebook Effect.
This special edition also includes an exclusive conversation between the author and Randi Zuckerberg, who offers unique insight as a marketer at Facebook and the CEO's sister. You'll hear them talk about major company milestones, high-profile product launches, and the CEO's growth - emotionally and experientially - as a leader. They also discuss the controversial issues surrounding Facebook's privacy policies.
The 4-Hour Workweek (Expanded and Updated) (Unabridged)
Forget the old concepts of retirement and a deferred life plan. There is no need to wait and every reason not to, especially in unpredictable economic times. For living more and working less, this book is the blueprint.
This expanded edition includes dozens of practical tips and case studies from people who have doubled their income, overcome common sticking points, and reinvented themselves using the original book. Also included are templates for eliminating email and negotiating with bosses and clients, how to apply lifestyle principles in unpredictable economic times, and the latest tools, tricks, and shortcuts for living like a diplomat or millionaire without being either.
Resonant Leadership (Unabridged)
We've all seen it before: the ambitious leader who enjoys great success and then, inexplicably, crashes and burns. Perhaps this leader has been you. Why does this happen, in spite of the leader's vision, talent, and emotional intelligence?
Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee, co-authors, with Daniel Goleman, of the international best-seller Primal Leadership, argue that today's leaders face unprecedented challenges that result in a vicious cycle of stress and sacrifice, with little or no recovery time built in. Consequently, even the most resonant leaders, whose ability to deftly manage their own and others' emotions once drove their companies to greatness, end up spiraling into dissonance.
In this new audiobook, Boyatzis and McKee marshal decades of multidisciplinary research and hands-on consulting work to provide a practical framework for how leaders can create and sustain resonance in their relationships, their teams, and their organizations. To counter the inevitable "power stress" of the leadership role, leaders must consciously manage the "Cycle of Sacrifice and Renewal" by stepping out of destructive patterns and renewing themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally. Through vivid examples, the authors show how three key elements - mindfulness, hope, and compassion - are essential to enabling renewal and sustaining resonance.
Leaders can't sustain effectiveness if they can't sustain themselves. Resonant Leadership offers inspiration, dozens of exercises, and other tools to help listeners become and remain successful leaders in their work and in their lives.
From both an economic and monetary perspective, the United States is a house of cards: impressive on the outside, but a disaster waiting to happen beneath the surface. In a relatively short period of time, the country has gone from the world's largest creditor to its greatest debtor, the value of the dollar has declined, and manufacturing has given way to non-exportable services. While these and other issues could spell disaster for your financial well-being, the situation could also present unique opportunities - if you're prepared.
For more than a decade, seasoned Wall Street prognosticator Peter Schiff has not only observed the U.S. economy, but has helped his clients restructure their portfolios to reflect his outlook. What he sees today is a nation facing an economic storm brought on by growing federal, personal, and corporate debt; too little savings; a declining dollar; and a lack of domestic manufacturing.
Here, Schiff provides you with an insightful examination of the structural weaknesses underlying this impending economic meltdown, and discusses how you can protect yourself during the difficult times that lie ahead. Using common-sense analysis, creative analogies, and easy-to-understand language, Schiff entertains as well as educates and outlines a specific three-step plan that will allow you to preserve wealth and protect the purchasing power of your savings.
Wealth, War, and Wisdom (Unabridged)
In Wealth, War, and Wisdom, legendary Wall Street investor Barton Biggs reveals how the turning points of World War II intersected with market performance. Biggs will help the 21st-century investor comprehend our own perilous times as well as choose the best strategies for the modern market economy.
"The wisdom of the markets" prevails, even in the most turbulent of eras: the British stock market bottomed out just before the Battle of Britain; the U.S. market turned at the epic Battle of Midway; and the German market peaked at the high-water mark of Germany's attack on Russia. Those events turned out to be the three great turning points of World War II - although at the time, no one and no instrument except the stock markets recognized them.
Biggs skillfully discusses the performance of equities in both victorious and defeated countries, reveals how individuals preserved their wealth despite the ongoing battles, and explores whether or not public equities were able to increase in value and serve as a wealth preserver.
Biggs also looks at how other assets, including real estate and gold, fared during this dynamic and devastating period, and offers valuable insights on preserving one's wealth for future generations.
The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets: How to Keep Your Portfolio Up (Unabridged)
The little book that helps investors avoid big losses in an economic downturn.
In the wake of falling stock and real-estate prices, the American economy is poised for a decade-long bear market, so says Peter Schiff. After he accurately predicted the current market turmoil, savvy investors should pay attention - and start protecting their assets now, before the markets take their toll.
The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets shows investors how to stay safe and stay liquid during economic downturns. Using economic history as a guide, Schiff looks at the bear markets that followed the bull markets of the 1920s and 1960s to predict what the American economy will look like after it corrects for the tech and real-estate bubbles of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Combining financial, economic, and political perspectives, Schiff looks at what worked in those earlier bear markets and predicts what strategies are most likely to work over the next 10 years. In the end, Schiff argues that the next decade will most closely resemble the 1970s, complete with inflation, rising interest rates, and soaring commodity prices. This reversal of trends will make past investment strategies obsolete and pose a challenge for investors trying to build and protect their wealth. Smart investing will always pay off; the key lies in using the best strategies for the market at hand.
For investors who see the writing on the wall but don't know what to do about it, The Little Book of Bull Moves in Bear Markets offers a timely, critical answer.
In many ways, Google is the prototype of a successful 21st-century company. It uses technology in new ways to make information universally accessible; promotes a corporate culture that encourages creativity among its employees; and takes its role as a corporate citizen very seriously, investing in green initiatives and developing the largest corporate foundation in the U.S.
Following in the footsteps of her best-selling Warren Buffett Speaks - written in a conversational style that successfully captures the essence of these business leaders - Janet Lowe reveals the amazing story behind one of the most important new companies of our time by exploring the people and philosophies that have made Google a global phenomenon in less than 15 years.
She offers an engaging look at how its founders transformed their vision of a better Internet search engine into a business colossus with about $16 billion in annual revenue. Lowe discusses the values that drive Brin and Page - both living fairly modest lives despite each having a net worth of over $15.9 billion - and details how they have created a culture that fosters fun, yet keeps Google at the forefront of technology through relentless R&D investments and imaginative partnerships with organizations such as NASA.
Examining Google's breakthrough business strategies, which transformed online advertising and changed the way we look at corporate responsibility and employee relations, we see why Google may be a harbinger of where corporate America is headed. Also addressed are controversies surrounding Google, such as copyright infringement, antitrust concerns, and personal privacy.
Inbound Marketing (Unabridged)
To connect with today's buyer, you need to stop pushing your message out and start pulling your customers in. The rules of marketing have changed, and the key to winning is to use this change to your advantage. If you've wondered how to get found in Google or why blogs and social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are important, Inbound Marketing is the audiobook for you.
HubSpot founders Brian Halligan and Dharmesh Shah give you the tools and strategies you need to improve your Google search rankings, build a blog to promote your business, grow and nurture a community on social media sites, and analyze which of your online marketing efforts are working. Stop wasting money blasting the world with marketing messages that nobody cares about. Instead, learn to get found with Inbound Marketing.
Delivering Happiness (Unabridged)
In this, his first audiobook, Tony Hsieh - the widely admired CEO of Zappos, the online shoe retailer - explains how he created a unique culture and commitment to service that aims to improve the lives of employees, customers, vendors, and backers. Using anecdotes and stories from his own life experiences, and from other companies, Hsieh provides concrete ways that companies can achieve unprecedented success. Even better, he shows how creating happiness and record results go hand-in-hand.
He starts with the "Why" in a section where he narrates his quest to understand the science of happiness. Then he runs through the ten Zappos "Core Values" - such as "Deliver WOW through Service", "Create Fun and A Little Weirdness", and "Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit" - and explains how you and your colleagues should come up with your own.
Hsieh then details many of the unique practices at Zappos that have made it the success it is today, such as their philosphy of allocating marketing money into the customer experience, thereby allowing repeat customers and word-of-mouth be their true form of marketing. He also explains why Zappos's number-one priority is company culture and his belief that once you get the culture right, everything else - great customer service, long-term branding - will happen on its own.
Finally, Delivering Happiness explains how Zappos employees actually apply the Core Values to improving their lives outside of work - and to making a difference in their communities and the world.
Built to Last, the defining management study of the '90s, showed how great companies triumph over time and how long-term sustained performance can be engineered into the DNA of an enterprise from the very beginning.
But what about companies that are not born with great DNA? How can good companies, mediocre companies, even bad companies achieve enduring greatness? Are there those that convert long-term mediocrity or worse into long-term superiority? If so, what are the distinguishing characteristics that cause a company to go from good to great?
Over five years, Jim Collins and his research team have analyzed the histories of 28 companies, discovering why some companies make the leap and others don't. The findings include:
- Level 5 Leadership: A surprising style, required for greatness
- The Hedgehog Concept: Finding your three circles, to transcend the curse of competence
- A Culture of Discipline: The alchemy of great results
- Technology Accelerators: How good-to-great companies think differently about technology
- The Flywheel and the Doom Loop: Why those who do frequent restructuring fail to make the leap
Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us (Unabridged)
Forget everything you thought you knew about how to motivate people--at work, at school, at home. It's wrong. As Daniel H. Pink explains in his new and paradigm-shattering book, the secret to high performance and satisfaction in today's world is the deeply human need to direct our own lives, to learn and create new things, and to do better by ourselves and our world.
Drawing on four decades of scientific research on human motivation, Pink exposes the mismatch between what science knows and what business does - and how that affects every aspect of our lives. He demonstrates that while the old-fashioned carrot-and-stick approach worked successfully in the 20th century, it's precisely the wrong way to motivate people for today's challenges. In Drive, he reveals the three elements of true motivation:
Along the way, he takes us to companies that are enlisting new approaches to motivation and introduces us to the scientists and entrepreneurs who are pointing a bold way forward.
Drive is bursting with big ideas-- the rare book that will change how you think and transform how you live.
A Random Walk Down Wall Street (Unabridged)
More than a million copies of this indispensible investment classic have been sold since its first publication. This fresh version is completely revised by author Burton G. Malkiel to reflect modern financial concerns and trends.
How to Win Friends & Influence People (Unabridged)
You can go after the job you want...and get it! You can take the job you have...and improve it! You can take any situation you're in...and make it work for you!
Simon & Schuster Audio is proud to present one of the best-selling books of all time, Dale Carnegie's perennial classic How to Win Friends and Influence People, presented here in its entirety.
For over 60 years the rock-solid, time-tested advice in this audiobook has carried thousands of now-famous people up the ladder of success in their business and personal lives.
With this truly phenomenal audiobook, learn:
And much, much more!
There is room at the top, when you know...How to Win Friends and Influence People.
Getting Things Done (Unabridged)
In today's world of exponentially increased communication and responsibility, yesterday's methods for staying on top just don't work. Veteran management consultant and trainer David Allen recognizes that "time management" is useless the minute your schedule is interrupted; "setting priorities" isn't relevant when your e-mail is down; "procrastination solutions" won't help if your goals aren't clear.
Allen's premise is simple: our ability to be productive is directly proportional to our ability to relax. Only when our minds are clear and our thoughts are organized can we achieve stress-free productivity and unleash our creative potential. He teaches us how to:
Featuring an exclusive audio interview with Michael Lewis
When the crash of the U.S. stock market became public knowledge in the fall of 2008, it was already old news. The real crash, the silent crash, had taken place over the previous year, in bizarre feeder markets where the sun doesn't shine, and the SEC doesn't dare, or bother, to tread: the bond and real-estate derivative markets, where geeks invent impenetrable securities to profit from the misery of lower- and middle-class Americans who can't pay their debts. The smart people who understood what was or might be happening were paralyzed by hope and fear; in any case, they weren't talking.
The crucial question is this: Who understood the risk inherent in the assumption of ever-rising real-estate prices, a risk compounded daily by the creation of those arcane, artificial securities loosely based on piles of doubtful mortgages?
Michael Lewis turns the inquiry on its head to create a fresh, character-driven narrative brimming with indignation and dark humor, a fitting sequel to his number-one best-selling Liar's Poker. "Who got it right?" he asks. Who saw the ever-rising real-estate market for the black hole it would become, and eventually made billions of dollars from that perception? And what qualities of character made those few persist when their peers and colleagues dismissed them as Chicken Littles?
Out of this handful of unlikely - really unlikely - heroes, Lewis fashions a story as compelling and unusual as any of his earlier best sellers, proving yet again that he is the finest and funniest chronicler of our times.
The Art of Profitability (Unabridged)
What do Barbie dolls, Nokia phones, and American Express credit cards have in common? They all represent a powerful business model called pyramid profit. How about Intel, Microsoft, and Stephen King? They all exploit another model called value chain position profit.
The Art of Profitability reveals the invisible but important governing principles that can mean the difference between business failure and success. Writing with wit and provocative insight, best selling author Adrian Slywotzy tells the story of eccentric strategy teacher David Zhao and his young student. Each of the book's chapters presents a lesson from the exuberant and always challenging master - and a profit paradigm that will open your mind to the many ways to make profit happen.
You'll understand - from a different perspective - how your company and your competitors generate profit, which business models can be best applied to your profit-making strategy, what specific actions your organization can take in the next ninety days to improve its bottom line, and more.
With scores of examples from today's global marketplace, a weekly assignment, and an eclectic business reading list ranging from Obvious Adams to Einstein's Dreams, The Art of Profitability invites anyone in business to engage in the lively exchange between mentor and protégé.
Enter the classroom. Discover the art. And learn which form of profitability will help your company succeed today and grow tomorrow.