We’re halfway through the year, but we aren’t slowing down just yet. This month, we went to ATD in Washington, DC, where we shared our books with attendees, saw our authors speak and lead sessions, and took away insightful learnings.
We also published a ton of exciting new books, including Diversity Beyond Lip Service by La’Wana Harris (who recently wrote about inclusion coaching for our blog), Courage Goes to Work by Bill Treasurer (who also reflected on the 10th anniversary edition for our blog), How Wealth Rules the World by Ben Price, and From Sabotage to Support by Joy L. Wiggins and Kami J. Anderson (which was featured on 800-CEO-READ’s Business Books to Watch list)! A few of our May releases even made their debut on our bestseller list! Read on to learn which ones made the cut.
1. The Arbinger Institute Suite
The Arbinger Institute’s bestselling books follow true stories of leaders who tackle personal, professional, and global conflict. At the heart of their books is the notion that we must break out of our self-imposed boxes and look outwards. In doing so, we become better leaders, family members, and people in and out of the workplace. The simple but profound guidance and tools imparted by Arbinger continue to inspire and impact readers from around the world.
Leadership and Self-Deception | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
The Anatomy of Peace | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
The Outward Mindset | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
2. Networking for People Who Hate Networking, Second Edition
Our first May release to make its debut on our bestseller list, the new edition of Devora Zack’s classic shows the mingling-averse how they can leverage their strengths to up their networking game. While other networking books advise simply acting like an extrovert even if you're not, this book dispels the old rules to prove there's a better way. The very traits that make many people hate networking can be harnessed to achieve better results.
Networking enables you to accomplish the goals that are most important to you, but you can’t adopt a style that goes against who you are—and you don’t have to. As Zack writes, “You do not succeed by denying your natural temperament; you succeed by working with your strengths.”
Networking for People Who Hate Networking, Second Edition | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
3. Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths—and How We Can Stop!
Another May release making debuting on our list is Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths—and How We Can Stop! by bestselling author, therapist, lawyer, and mediator Bill Eddy. Dangerous, high-conflict personalities have gained power in governments worldwide, and this book provides insight into what citizens can do to keep these people out of office.
Too many countries have come under the sway of high-conflict people (HCPs) who have become politicians. Most of these high-conflict politicians have traits of narcissistic personality disorder, antisocial (i.e., sociopathic) personality disorder, or both. Drawing on historical examples from Hitler, Stalin, Mao, and Nixon to Trump, Maduro, and Putin, this is the first and only guide to identifying and thwarting them.
Why We Elect Narcissists and Sociopaths—and How We Can Stop! | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
4. Trauma Stewardship
"Anyone who works with traumatized people can be caught in the grip of anxiety, irritability, or overwhelming sadness...You wish for wise words and a fresh perspective. You long for an understanding heart. You can find all that and more in Laura van Dernoot Lipsky’s terrific book...It will get you through hard times. It will help you feel better and work smarter. No trauma worker should be without it.
—Ginny Nicarthy, counselor, educator, and author of Getting Free: You Can End Abuse and Take Back Your Life
To keep from being overwhelmed, we need to respond to suffering in a thoughtful, intentional way, not by hardening our hearts or by internalizing others’ struggles but by developing a compassionate presence. Lipsky offers a variety of practices, drawn from modern psychology and a range of spiritual traditions, that enable us to look carefully at our reactions and motivations and discover new sources of energy and renewal.
Trauma Stewardship | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
5. Eat That Frog!
You’ve probably noticed Brian Tracy’s time management classic on our bestseller list before. What’s the secret behind this book’s enduring success? Tracy’s frog-eating methodology really works!
Eat That Frog! helps you take control of your time and your life by changing the way you think, work, and manage your overwhelming load of responsibilities. After all, there is never enough time to do everything that you have to do. And the fact is that you are never going to get caught up. So, get your most important tasks done with the time that you do have.
Eat That Frog! is available in multiple interactive formats, including a card deck, workbook, video training, and audiobook.
Eat That Frog! | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
6. On the Brink of Everything
On the Brink of Everything continues to touch hearts and stir souls. Written by beloved author Parker Palmer, who was recently featured in Oprah’s SuperSoul Conversations, this book pairs poetry with honest reflections on aging.
AudioFile Magazine recently reviewed the audiobook version of On the Brink of Everything: “Palmer says he aims to use his personal experience of aging to help others approach it ‘as a period of discovery and engagement rather than decline and inaction.’ With narrator Steve Carlson’s vocal engagement and relaxed delivery, this is a listening experience that will provoke thoughtful reframing of what it means to live fully in one's later years.”
On the Brink of Everything | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
7. The Body is Not an Apology
Radical self-love is the balm that will heal wounds affected by the violent systems surrounding us. Sonya Renee Taylor calls upon us to reconnect with the radical origins of our minds and bodies and celebrate our collective, enduring strength. Once we realize that body shame has been indoctrinated in us, we can work to awaken others and to interrupt the systems that perpetuate body shame and oppression against all bodies. When we act from this truth on a global scale, we usher in the transformative opportunity of radical self-love, which is the opportunity for a more just, equitable, and compassionate world—for us all. The Body Is Not an Apology is the perfect gift for a recent graduate, family member, friend, or even to yourself.
The Body Is Not an Apology | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
8. Bedtime Stories for Managers
“Enough of heroic leadership, it's time for engaging management!” is the rallying cry from management and leadership giant Henry Mintzberg. Mintzberg establishes this theme in the first story in the book, about the CEO of a failing airline who always flew comfortably in first class, blithely unaware of the terrible things happening with his customers in coach (in this case, being served famously inedible scrambled eggs). Managing can't be about sitting where you have become accustomed—it has to be about eating the scrambled eggs.
In forty-two succinct essays, Mintzberg urges leaders to call their own call centers, work with their workers, and expect extraordinary ideas from ordinary people. He writes that he captures “a lifetime of learning about managing and organizing and strategizing, while getting out many of the ideas that I buried in obscure publications... If some strike you as outrageous, please understand that my most outrageous ideas tend to be my truest.” This is Mintzberg at his most playful, but with serious intent.
Bedtime Stories for Managers | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
9. Decolonizing Wealth
“We have to be honest about the sources of wealth and how wealth was accumulated in this country—a great part of it was on the backs of people of color, and now those communities are benefiting from just a very small percentage of dollars… Once you know, how can you not be equitable about how you’re distributing the money?” Edgar Villanueva asks in Decolonizing Wealth.
In the book, Villanueva offers insight into how wealth can better serve the needs of communities of color and repair relationships. Although there is no quick fix for the traumatic complexity of colonization, Villanueva’s “Seven Steps for Healing” outline a process to follow, from taking responsibility to inviting the perspectives and wisdom of people most excluded and exploited by today’s broken economy, to investing with integrity and making reparations. There are roles for everyone involved, whether they’re rich or poor, funder or recipient, victim or perpetrator.
Decolonizing Wealth | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible
10. Help Them Grow Or Watch Them Go, Second Edition
Beverly Kaye, coauthor of the bestselling Love ’Em or Lose ’Em, and Julie Winkle Giulioni return with the second edition of Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go.
“Study after study confirms that [the] best-in-class managers—the ones who consistently develop the most capable, flexible, and engaged teams able to drive exceptional business results—all share one quality: they make career development a priority,” the authors write. By prioritizing career development, you’ll not only combat turnover, you’ll also boost results.
Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go, Second Edition | Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Indiebound | BK Bookstore | Audible | Card Deck
