Business

  • September 21st, 2009

    Thriving on Pressure: Mental Toughness for Real Leaders

    Graham Jones, PhD

    This is not another book on how to lead; there are tons of those books out there already! Instead, this is a book on how to deal with the pressure that is an inevitable and inescapable part of being a leader, and how you can use it to your advantage. But first you must make a choice about how much you are willing to put on the line as a leader.

    This book is aimed at “real” leaders – those in business and organizations of all kinds who have the guts to put themselves out there and make a real difference to the organization they work for, as well as the teams and people they lead – a must-read for leaders in business and organizations.

    “Graham’s expertise on mental toughness and helping executives grow into real leaders is second to none. This book is a must read for all business leaders during these competitive and turbulent economic times.” – Mark Schortman, Chairman,
    Coca-Cola Bottlers’ Sales & Services Company LLC

    “This book is an extraordinary read. Jump into it and fasten your seat belt! THRIVING
    ON PRESSURE brings the feel and the lessons of that driving, intense world of “A” players, those who consistently deliver top performance and results under the kind of pressure that makes most others buckle.” – Gene Boccialetti, PhD,
    ILR School, Cornell University

    Graham Jones’ experience of consulting with high-level performers spans more than twenty years. It includes working closely with Olympic and world champions from a variety of sports, military personnel, and senior leaders and their teams in Fortune 500 and FTSE 100 companies.

    Formerly Professor of Elite Performance Psychology at the University of Wales, Bangor, Graham has more than 150 publications in the area of high-level performance. Among these are three books, numerous ground-breaking studies in scientific journals, and articles that demystify and unravel complex concepts and theories in human performance psychology, making them easy to apply in the workplace. His article “How the Best of the Best Get Better and Better,” published in Harvard Business Review, received wide acclaim for capturing the essence of sustained high performance that all business leaders aspire to.

    Graham is a founding director of Lane4 Management Group Ltd, a leading performance development consultancy with offices in the United States, England, and Australasia. Lane4 specializes in helping organizations create high-performance environments in which individuals and teams can thrive. Graham leads Lane4’s U.S. business in Princeton, New Jersey.

    Published by Easton Studio Press – 978-1935212072 – Paperback – 256 pages – $17.95

  • June 22nd, 2009

    Biscuitville – The Secret Recipe

    Phil Johnston

    Biscuitville is the ultimate American success story, which you’ve probably never heard of. It’s a company that had humble beginnings in the American South, making and selling the best-tasting biscuits in the land. Now, it is quickly on its way to becoming the quick service equivalent of L.L. Bean in its growth and business ethics. In contrast to corporations shamed by recent financial misfortunes, Biscuitville, the company, is a model for how America should do business in the future. Biscuitville, the book, is packed full of insights into how companies must operate in order to be successful as America and, indeed, the world, emerges into a new business environment. CEO’s can no longer operate in the charismatic, imperial way that brought them to their current ruin. Corporations, regardless of size, cannot arrogantly go about “business as usual” without regard for appropriate financial controls and the interests of employees and stakeholders. Biscuitville: Our Secret Recipe For Building A Sustainable Competitive Advantage is for anyone who is serious about managing a profitable, ethical company that values people and profits through participatory leadership utilizing “soft power.”

  • June 18th, 2009

    The New Data Imperative: Managing Real-Time Risk in Capital Markets

    Raj Nathan, Irfan Khan, Sinan Baskan

    The new structure of financial markets that will emerge from the recovery and reforms will be shaped by a triad of new regulations, new methodologies and practices, and new technology. The New Data Imperative focuses on the interaction of practices and technologies and the limitations and shortcomings that have prevented successful risk management and distorted the assessment of risk distribution across asset classes and portfolios.

    Technology innovations and improved design of systems and processes, however, can help build a single image of data so that a holistic view of market activity, capital flows, and liquidity and risk profiles can be made available to decision makers.

    In the years ahead, the successful financial firm will have developed a capability to understand, track and quantify risk factors across all portfolios and assets and a capacity for agility when volatility in financial markets rises. Mastering the data capture and flow and continuously transforming data into information, insight and profitable decisions will be the new competitive advantage, and information technology will be a critical contributor to success. The New Data Imperative charts the path to meeting that challenge.
    About the Authors
    Dr. Raj Nathan

    As senior vice president for worldwide marketing and business solutions operations and the company’s chief marketing officer, Dr. Raj Nathan is responsible for all marketing initiatives for Sybase and its subsidiaries, Sybase iAnywhere and Sybase 365.

    Under his leadership, Sybase continues to be known for visionary technologies that meet the direct needs of customers and partners. In recognition of his decade-long contributions to Sybase technology innovations, he was recently selected by VARBusiness magazine as one of its “Technology Innovators: Top 50.”

    Irfan Khan

    As a Sybase vice president and the company’s chief technology officer, Irfan Khan oversees all the technology offices in each of Sybase’s business units. Together with the architects residing within the technology offices, he is chartered with ensuring that the voice of Sybase’s customers and the needs of the market are reflected within the company’s innovation and product development. In addition to his CTO responsibilities, he oversees technology evangelism efforts for Sybase.

    Sinan Baskan

    As director of business development for financial markets at Sybase, Sinan Baskan is responsible for developing solutions for lines of business in the financial services sector. He has held various positions in the product engineering, professional services and marketing organizations at Sybase. Previously, he worked at HSBC Corporate Investment Bank on risk analytics.