Whew, April sure blew by, didn't it?
Here at Berrett-Koehler, we were busy bees! First, we were at the Forum for Workplace Inclusion, where we were proud to congratulate BK author Frederick Miller on winning the Winds of Change Award. Then we visited with new friends (and shared tons of great ideas about publishing) at the Pengiun Random House 12th Annual Client Summit. We rounded out the month at the Bay Area Book Festival, where we enjoyed warm weather, great authors, and, of course, great books.
Speaking of great books, check out our top ten bestselling books for the month of April—you might just find your next favorite!
1. The Arbinger Suite
At the top of our list in April are three phenomenal bestsellers from The Arbinger Institute: Leadership and Self-Deception, The Anatomy of Peace, and The Outward Mindset. Get used to seeing these books here on a regular basis!
All three books offer profound guidance and tools in a time where many of us are scrambling for quick-fix solutions to issues at work, in our relationships, and in ourselves. With a new edition due out this fall, Leadership and Self-Deception shows how we blind ourselves to our true motivations and unwittingly sabotage the effectiveness of our own efforts to achieve success and happiness. The Anatomy of Peace explores how we often misunderstand the causes of our conflicts, perpetuating the very problems we are trying to solve, and shows the paths to achieving true reconciliation. The latest book of the three, The Outward Mindset, enables individuals and organizations to make the shift from an inward to outward mindset to dramatically improve performance, spark collaboration, and accelerate innovation.
All three books are available on Audible!
Leadership and Self-Deception | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore
The Anatomy of Peace | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore
The Outward Mindset | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore
2. Eat That Frog! Book and Card Deck
Another mainstay bestseller, Eat That Frog! has sold over 2 million copies since its release in 2001. In April, the book is joined on the bestseller list by the Eat That Frog! card deck, released in 2017.
You may have heard the old saying that if you eat a live frog first thing in the morning, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you're done with the worst thing you'll have to do all day. According to productivity expert and bestselling author Brian Tracy, this is what productivity is all about!
Brian Tracy cuts to the core of what is vital to effective time management: decision, discipline, and determination. This life-changing book will ensure that you get more of your important tasks done—today!
Eat That Frog! | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
Eat That Frog! card deck | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore
Check out the Eat That Frog! workbook and video training course!
3. The Serious Business of Small Talk
Making its second appearance on our bestseller list this month is Carol Fleming's latest book The Serious Business of Small Talk. We all know that small talk is important, but many of us avoid it at all costs. In this book, Fleming builds on the momentum of her previous bestseller It's the Way You Say It to show how small talk is actually a crucial step to get help, information or support from others. She offers strategies to help readers overcome their distaste for small talk and to build the skills they need to embrace it.
The Serious Business of Small Talk | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore
4. Trauma Stewardship
“Reading this book,” says Zen Master Thích Nhất Hạnh, “is like looking into a mirror.”
Trauma Stewardship is for people who work to make the world a better place, and in doing so must constantly confront pain, suffering, crisis, and trauma head-on. To keep from being overwhelmed or from getting burnt-out, Author Laura van Dernoot Lipsky, a pioneer in the field of trauma exposure, shows how to respond to suffering not by hardening our hearts or by internalizing others’ struggles as our own, but by developing a quality of compassionate presence.
Trauma Stewardship | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
5. Faster Together
New to the bestseller list in April, productivity expert Laura Stack’s latest book Faster Together shows how to maximize the efficiency of your team. With countless emails, constant communication, cascading deadlines, and seemingly endless meetings, it’s a wonder any of us gets anything done these days. What really makes the difference, Stack shows, is “teaming well.”
Stack's FAST model mobilizes teams to work together Fairly, accept Accountability, apply Systems Thinking, and maximize available Technology. The book also includes an interactive assessment to help you evaluate your team’s current speed and rate of acceleration.
Faster Together | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
6. The Body Is Not an Apology
Staying strong at number 6 on our bestseller list this month, The Body Is Not An Apology is not your average body-positivity book. Hailed by Bustle as one of the 11 feminist books that could totally change your year, by Bitch Media as one of February's must-reads , and by Girlboss as one of 6 Kinda-Self-Help Books By Women of Color That Everyone Needs To Read, Stat, Sonya Renee Taylor's book calls for a movement of radical self-love to create a more just, equitable and compassionate world.
Available on Audible—narrated by Sonya Renee Taylor herself!
The Body Is Not an Apology | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore
7. The New Leadership Literacies
According to noted futurist Bob Johansen, the next decade will usher in a huge shift in the way business is done. Anything that can be distributed will be distributed: workforces, organizations, supply webs, and more. Rigid hierarchies will give way to liquid structures. The tired practices of centralized organizations will become brittle. Most leaders—and most organizations—aren’t ready.
Luckily, Johansen has presented a framework for the types of skills and practices leaders of the future need to cultivate in his latest work, The New Leadership Literacies. As he demonstrates how the future will place new and different demands on leaders, he also describes the ideal talent profile of future leaders, which he bases on five new leadership literacies—combinations of disciplines, practices, and worldviews. A wide range of organizations including the likes of Cigna, Procter & Gamble, and even the military are already using The New Leadership Literacies to develop their current and future leaders. Are you?
The New Leadership Literacies | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
8. Humble Inquiry
Communication is essential in a healthy organization. But all too often when we interact with people—especially those who report to us—we simply tell them what we think they need to know. This shuts them down. To generate bold new ideas, to avoid disastrous mistakes, to develop agility and flexibility, we need to practice Humble Inquiry.
Known as the "Father of Organizational Development," author Edgar Schein defines Humble Inquiry as “the fine art of drawing someone out, of asking questions to which you do not know the answer, of building a relationship based on curiosity and interest in the other person.” In this seminal work, Schein contrasts Humble Inquiry with other kinds of inquiry, shows the benefits Humble Inquiry provides in many different settings, and offers advice on overcoming the cultural, organizational, and psychological barriers that keep us from practicing it. Stay tuned for Schein's next book Humble Leadership, available this fall!
Humble Inquiry | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
9. Servant Leadership in Action
Hailed by INC Magazine as "one of the most anticipated leadership books ever published," Ken Blanchard's edited collection of essays on servant leadership is on our bestseller list for the second month in a row.
The world is in desperate need of a new leadership model. The negative consequences of self-serving leadership reverberate through every sector of society. In this book, lifelong servant leader Ken Blanchard shows that there's a better way.
With contributions from the likes of Brené Brown, Stephen Covey, Liz Wiseman, Raj Sisodia, Cheryl Bachelder, Michael Bush, Jim Kouzes, and more, Servant Leadership in Action teaches readers how to cultivate a practice of servant leadership to build better relationships, achieve better results, and ultimately contribute to a better world.
Servant Leadership in Action | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore
10. Change Your Questions Change Your Life
Based on decades of research and experience by bestselling author, organizational consultant, and executive coach Marilee Adams, Change Your Questions, Change Your Life shows how the kind of questions we ask shape our thinking.
We can ask questions that open us to learning, connection and success. Or we can ask questions that impede progress and keep us from getting the results we want. For instance, the question "What great things could happen today?" creates very different expectations, moods, and energy than the question "What could go wrong today?"
Using a fun narrative, Adams shows how to quickly recognize any undermining questions that pop into your mind—or out of your mouth—and reframe them to achieve amazingly positive and practical results.
Change Your Questions, Change Your Life | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
