by Omar Garcia ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 31, 2013
A compelling road map for creating workplaces driven by engagement rather than earnings, with happier workers and more...
A guidebook for business leaders who want their organizations to be guided by more than just financial gains.
In his first book, former General Motors executive and current consultant Garcia encourages companies to look beyond short-term earnings and other financial measures in order to pave the way for long-term growth and success based on employee engagement and individual sense of purpose. The book draws on both hypothetical examples and real companies, from often cited organizations like Zappos and Whole Foods to less-familiar ones including Semco and New Belgium Brewing. At the heart of Garcia’s prescription for building a driven organization is a committed workforce, one able to make decisions without management involvement and not driven primarily by money. To establish a theoretical base for his argument, Garcia draws on decades of research in psychology, from Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs to studies in reward-influenced behavior. The book’s broad ideas and recommendations for making them work are reasonable, useful and well-explained, making the guide a valuable tool for business leaders willing to overlook the book’s shortcomings, including its questionable formatting. For instance, frequent gray callout boxes tend to repeat parts of the narrative rather than add to it, and QR codes at the end of each chapter are presented without context or information about where they point. Minor inaccuracies (Jane Addams was not the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize) and overgeneralizations (“At least in the United States, these folks grew up in a world in which everyone had a house, a couple of cars, a few TVs, and at least one video game console”; “Having a lot of money isn’t that unusual anymore”) also mar the text. But on the whole, most readers will be won over by Garcia’s enthusiasm for a world of companies in which employees are passionate about their jobs, compensation is distributed fairly, the long-term effects of business decisions are deciding factors, and great things are accomplished.
A compelling road map for creating workplaces driven by engagement rather than earnings, with happier workers and more sustainable outcomes.Pub Date: Oct. 31, 2013
ISBN: 978-0989609609
Page Count: 296
Publisher: Future Approved Works
Review Posted Online: Nov. 4, 2013
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996
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
Share your opinion of this book
More by E.T.A. Hoffmann
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson
BOOK REVIEW
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis
by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955
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.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
Share your opinion of this book
More by Ludwig Bemelmans
BOOK REVIEW
developed by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
by Ludwig Bemelmans ; illustrated by Steven Salerno
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.