David Novak—one of today’s most engaging, unconventional, and successful business leaders—lived in thirty-two trailer parks in twenty-three states by the time he reached the seventh grade. He sold encyclopedias door to door, worked as a hotel night clerk, and took a job as a $7,200-a-year advertising copywriter with the hopes of maybe one day becoming a creative director. Instead, he became head of the world’s largest restaurant company at the ripe old age of forty-seven.While David never went to business school, he did learn from the greatest of teachers—experience—and plenty of other very smart people as well: Magic Johnson on the secret to teamwork, Warren Buffett on what he looks for in the companies he buys, John Wooden on ego, and Jack Welch on one thing he’d do over. Now he wants to share with you what he discovered about getting ahead and getting noticed; motivating people and turning businesses around; building winning teams and running a global company of nearly one million people; and always staying true to yourself.The Education of an Accidental CEO is filled with David Novak’s street-smart wisdom:From his formative years...• Walking through your anxieties• Avoiding the poison of stereotypes• Staying “right-sized” • Breaking through the clutterFrom his years as an ad executive and chief marketing officer ...• How not to roll over like Fluffy the dog• Seeing yourself as a brand• When to pull the plug on the Super BowlAs the COO of Pepsi Cola and then as president of KFC and Pizza Hut ...• Why a gold watch can have less value than a floppy rubber chicken• Knowing when “the answers are in the building”• Knowing when to do nothing• What it takes to revitalze a companyAnd as CEO of Yum! Brands, Inc. ...• How to “shock the system”• How to avoid the slow-no’s• Managing two up and two downDavid Novak’s ideas for building an entire culture around reward and recognition—getting everyone from division presidents to dishwashers to buy into recognizing the achievements of others—is studied by other companies and discussed here in great detail. Whether you are the CEO of a global conglomerate or a budding entrepreneur, there is something here that will help you get where you want to go.

Make A Quantum Leap In Your Power, Influence and Performance as a Leader. Whether you are an Entrepreneur, CEO, VP, Manager, or want to be one, this book is a must read! In this engaging business fiction debut, Tom Voccola convincingly takes us into the pressured, reactionary world of The Accidental CEO, and delivers a powerful new message for all who aspire to lead. Anyone with leadership experience, or wanting it, will relate to The Accidental CEO in a very personal, if not deeply meaningful way.

For people in the workplace, there is a great deal to learn from Joseph in the book of Genesis. He spent time both at the top and at the bottom—as a leader and as a slave in Egypt. In this new book about faith and work, author Albert M. Erisman shares lessons learned from the frontlines of business, government, and education, and how they connect to Joseph’s life. Through the author’s own work experiences and interviews with business leaders across the world, you’ll learn that Joseph dealt with issues that are still common in the business world today. Studying his life can offer guidance and encouragement in any workplace.

Front-line employees who deal directly with customers are the face of any organization. Not only do they have the most impact on how a brand is perceived, but they are also the most valuable source of insight into what customers want and how to give it to them. Unfortunately, as management experts Chris DeRose and Noel M. Tichy explain, most organizations don't know how to evaluate the risk of giving employees more autonomy. Many of those who are willing to try haven't even invested resources in ensuring that-once the shackles are off-front-line employees make good judgments. Tichy and DeRose offer powerful examples of front-line leadership, such as: How Zappos trusts its people to do anything in service of a customer, including providing free product or reimbursing for mistakes How Mayo Clinic of Arizona enabled its nurses to challenge the hierarchy in order to improve patient care

Rock explains how to identify schools that use action-research to produce outstanding education results.