In October, Michael Bremer published a new book entitled Learn to See the Invisible: How to Unlock Your Potential as a Leader, which describes four key foundations and 25 different actions leaders can practice to become more effective in training their eyes to see things tomorrow that are currently invisible. It helps leaders and managers to become better observers of their current reality by practicing getting better at getting better.  When I spoke with Michael this month, I asked him directly: “What does ‘learning to see the invisible’ mean regarding leadership, and how does it ac ..read more

Back in September, Angela Montgomery published a book entitled The Human Constraint: How Business Leaders Can Embed Continuous Innovation, Conflict Resolution, and Problem Solving Into Daily Practice, which explores an increasingly complex, interdependent, and fast-changing world where companies must have a way to overcome obsolete mental models and embed continuous innovation in their operations with a coherent organizational model. When I spoke with Angela recently, I asked her: “How does the Decalogue methodology improve management effectiveness?” Here is her complete respons ..read more

During this past July, Daniel J. Finkenstadt and Tojin T. Eapen published a book entitled Bioinspired Strategic Design: Nature-Inspired Principles for Dynamic Business Environments, which shows that the same three capabilities essential for the survival of living organisms in harsh environments – efficiency, resilience, and prominence – are also critical for organizations in their process of navigating through their own hostile environments. I spoke with both authors shortly after the book's publication, and during our conversation, I asked them: "What are bioinspired strategies and ..read more

At the beginning of June, Chris Butterworth published a new book entitled Why Care? How Thriving Individuals Create Thriving Cultures of Continuous Improvement Within Organizations, which contends that to create a sustainable culture of continuous improvement there must be an organization-wide focus on mental well-being at the individual level. A culture of continuous improvement nurtured in the right way, however, will indeed support mental well-being and help create a thriving organization. When I recently spoke with Chris about his book, I asked him: "How are mental well-being and a culture ..read more

Back in March, David Sharpley published a new book entitled Leadership Principles and Purpose: Developing Leadership Effectiveness and Future-Focused Capability, which provides a fresh perspective on leadership and the steps required to achieve high performance. It explores how we create purpose by moving from vision and values through principles to action. When I spoke with David this month, I asked him directly: "How do principles shape competencies and build motivation and commitment?" Here is his complete answer:  We hear executives talk about "vision" and "values," but there’s less m ..read more

In February, Matteo Zaralli published a new book -- entitled Virtual Reality and Artificial Intelligence: Risks and Opportunities for Your Business -- which focuses on how virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping the way we learn and coach.  When I spoke with Matteo this past week, I asked him: “What are some of the ways virtual reality and artficial intelligence are being incorporated into coaching and training?” Here is his complete answer: Virtual Reality (VR) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are revolutionary technologies with the potential to radic ..read more

This month, Philip J. Gisi published his third book with Productivity Press entitled The Dark Factory and the Future of Manufacturing: A Guide to Operational Efficiency and Competitiveness. His new book provides a view into the future and direction on how to navigate the journey to a more automated, smarter, and continuously learning factory. This book consolidates the major elements of the fourth industrial revolution and describes them in clear terms within the context of integrated manufacturing. It creates awareness and a fundamental understanding of the advanced technologies that are comi ..read more

This past December, Terra Vanzant Stern published the third edition of Lean Six Sigma: International Standards and Global Guidelines. Lean Six Sigma (LSS) is designed to accommodate global challenges and constraints by capitalizing on Six Sigma and Lean Thinking, and her book assumes that the overall goal of operational excellence is to ensure that organizational tasks and activities are being performed to the best of their process capabilities. It defines continuous improvement as activities that support and empower environments to make flexible decisions that lead to ongoing improvement and ..read more

Just this month, Steve Famulari published an important new book entitled Ways of Greening: Using Plants and Gardens for Healthy Work and Living Surroundings. This book focuses on rethinking working and living spaces and understanding how "greening" can make them healthier and their occupants happier. It teaches how to see unique ideas for spaces and some of the materials needed to create the designs. In addition, it gives readers a way to not only understand greening but to understand how to see greening applied to their place.  When I spoke with Stevie this month, I asked her: "What ..read more

In October, Cécile Roche and Luc Delamotte published a book entitled The Lean Engineering Travel Guide: The Best Itineraries for Developing New Products and Satisfying Customers. This book explains many Lean Engineering practices in some detail and the best itineraries to develop better products, discussing the underlying intentions and offering advice for implementation. It includes numerous concrete cases that illustrate this part with case material drawn from the authors’ own experiences. In addition, there is a brief guide to where and how to get started.   When I spoke with  ..read more