Lessons from a CEO's Journal

Name: Lessons from a CEO's Journal
Author: Kim E. Ruyle
ISBN: 978-0692223758

LEADING TALENT AND INNOVATION

by Kim E. Ruyle ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 17, 2014

bookshelf

Awards & Accolades

Our Verdict

GET IT

Talented people are the engines that power companies forward, argues human resources consultant Ruyle (FYI for Insight, 2010, etc.).
While Ruyle’s ideas on talent management aren’t new, he conveys them in a novel way: The book takes the form of a fictionalized journal written by “Jack,” an engineer-turned-businessman who just reaped a $70 million windfall from selling his stake in a composite parts manufacturing firm. Jack finds himself a reluctant passenger on a Caribbean cruise, so he uses the time to reflect on lessons he’s learned during his career. With an irreverent wit and no-nonsense practicality, Jack outlines the approach his company used to get the most from his employees. The journal presents a complete, interconnected system of talent management, from recruiting new employees to strategically deploying deep experts. Much-debated subjects such as “onboarding” and “succession-planning” are broken down into easy-to-follow lists, offering managers a template that can be tailored to their organizations. Sprinkled throughout the text are insights into the psychology behind human performance. Here, the book shines because these factors are often overlooked. Jack contends that “learning agility”—the willingness and ability to apply what is learned in one situation to another—is the “single most powerful predictor of success” for aspiring managers. Jack is really a composite of several executives whom Ruyle has encountered, so he has an enviable—some might say impossible—amount of leadership acumen. More could have been included about the onerous side of management, such as motivating and disciplining underperforming employees. While it can be classified under the heading of “Human Resources,” the book also says much about the role of a leader. Jack argues it’s the job of the CEO to spur innovation by creating an environment where employees can thrive. Talent is a source of competitive advantage too important to ignore.
Best practices shared via a catchy narrative, making for an indispensable guide for leaders who want to play the game and win.

Pub Date: July 17, 2014

ISBN: 978-0692223758

Page Count: 206

Publisher: Inventive Talent Consulting

Review Posted Online: Aug. 26, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2014

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

bookshelf

NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

bookshelf

This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

bookshelf

TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

bookshelf

An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.