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The Resurrection of the American Dream

By Craig Hall, Linden Gross

"Over the course of the last several decades, the number of new startups in the U.S. has been on a steady decline. In fact, from 2008 to 2011, more U.S. businesses died annually than new ones were started for the first time in recorded history. Add to this that according to the Economic Innovation Group, only twenty counties—out of 3,149—generated half of the net new businesses between 2010 and 2014. Additionally, 75 percent of venture capital in the U.S. goes to only three areas—Silicon Valley, New York, and Boston. This has left much of the United States a wasteland in terms of entrepreneurial activity. And the punches keep on coming."

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Future Proof: Reinventing Work in an Age of Acceleration

By Diana Wu David

"The future of work looks bewildering. The perpetual mention of accelerating change gives us motion sickness. … Exponential change means that everyone is perpetually considering how to re-invent themselves to keep up with shifting careers and mores."

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A Leader's Most Powerful Tool: Choosing When to Say No

By Janelle Bruland

"Isn't it funny that one of the most important words to say is also one of the hardest? One simple word: no. Yet, to say it brings up a flood of feelings—guilt, defensiveness, a fear of offending. … Yet, the ability to say 'no,' to set boundaries and build a structure that works for us, is one of the most important tools we can add to our arsenals to successfully create our best lives."

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How to Stop Procrastinating

By Sam Horn

"Are you a charter member of the Procrastinator's Club? Their motto is 'We're behind you all the way.' I'm a woman on a mission to help people put procrastination behind them. Why is this so important? Because procrastination is a prescription for regrets. When we get to the end of our life, we won't regret the things we did, we'll regret the things we didn't do. That's the purpose of this manifesto: to share best-practices on how to stop procrastinating on the little things, the big things, and the important things so we can prevent regrets. Here we go."

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Does Real Leadership Require Spirituality?

"Spirituality is not a religion; it is guided by practices, not beliefs. It shows through in the decisions you make and the actions you take. Successful leaders embrace spirituality, as well as structure and logic, to move the team and vision forward."

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Leading Loyalty: Cracking the Code to Customer Devotion

By Sandy Rogers, Leena Rinne, Shawn Moon

"You build customer loyalty when the people in your organization show empathy for customers, take responsibility for helping them reach their real goals, and treat them generously. Earning loyalty is much more than teaching good service techniques or giving everyone a copy of Customer Service for Dummies and ordering the team to smile and say, 'Have a nice day.'"

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Reinventing Reinvention: Choosing the Continuous 'Wise Pivot' Over One-Time Transformation

By Omar Abbosh, Paul Nunes, Larry Downes

"The relentless digital disruption of one industry after another has left leaders looking for a new path to the future. In a world of light-speed technological advances and overnight disruption from all directions, the large-scale business 'transformations' of old no longer suffice, if they ever did."

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The Essential Actions to Building Unstoppable Teams

By Alden Mills

"Care is the soil from which teams grow; a leader's focus provides the fertilizer. Unpack that statement, and you'll understand what it takes to grow a group of individuals into an Unstoppable Team."

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Putting People First and Product Second: A New Approach to Sales

By Steve M. Rigby

"'Careers can be difficult, particularly those that involve sales. I know. I've sold sawmill equipment and starved. I've sold automobiles and sucked. I've sold real estate and struggled. You noticing a pattern? Hey, at least I was consistent and persistent. Then, I tried selling new homes and succeeded—succeeded beyond my wildest dreams. So what changed? What was different? Why the turnaround? As corny as it may sound, I learned how to smile."

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Discovering the Power of Positive Transformation

"Opening up to any kind of change takes work and time, but by developing the right tools and skills to cope with it, over time, we can train ourselves to open our arms to welcome almost any change we encounter, whether it be chosen or forced upon us."