BobMiglaniwasstressedout,burntout,andstuckuntilherediscoveredtheenduringlessonsofhischildhood:celebrateimpermanence,serveothers,andmoveforwardnomatterwhat.Bob'smessage:chaosisn'tgoingaway--embraceit!

AChristmasCarolinProse,BeingaGhost-StoryofChristmas,commonlyknownasAChristmasCarol,isanovellabyCharlesDickens,firstpublishedinLondonbyChapman&Hallin1843;thefirsteditionwasillustratedbyJohnLeech.AChristmasCaroltellsthestoryofEbenezerScrooge,anoldmiserwhoisvisitedbytheghostofhisformerbusinesspartnerJacobMarleyandtheGhostsofChristmasPast,PresentandYettoCome.AftertheirvisitsScroogeistransformedintoakinder,gentlerman.Inhis"Ghostlylittlebook,"CharlesDickensinventsthemodernconceptofChristmasSpiritandoffersoneoftheworld'smostadaptedandimitatedstories.WeknowEbenezerScrooge,TinyTim,andtheGhostsofChristmasPast,Present,andFuture,notonlyasfictionalcharacters,butalsoasiconsofthetruemeaningofChristmasinaworldstillplaguedwithavariceandcynicism.

LeadingwithCharacterandCompetenceMovingbeyondTitle,Position,andAuthorityLeadershipisanapplieddiscipline,notafoamyconcepttomuseabout,saysthree-timeCEO,Oxford-trainedscholar,andconsultantTimothyR.Clark.Infact,it'sthemostimportantapplieddisciplineintheworld.

ATaleofTwoCitiesisanovelbyCharlesDickens,setinParisandLondonofthe1780sand1790s.Dr.ManetteisincarceratedintheBastilleforeighteenyearswithouttrial.HisdaughterLuciegrowsupinLondon,thinkingthatsheisanorphan.Butherlifechangeswhenherfatherisreleasedfromprison.CharlesDarnayisanemigrantwhohasleftFrancebecauseofhishatredforhisfamily.CharlesandLuciefallinloveandmarry.ButthereisanotherpersonwholovesLuciewithallhisheartandwilldoanythingforhersake.ThestoryissetagainsttheconditionsthatleduptotheFrenchRevolutionandtheReignofTerror.It'sastoryoflove,warandtragicheroism.

Thisisthebestsellingandleadingintroductiontothenewfieldofpositiveleadership,whichhelpsleadersinalltypesoforganizationsreachbeyondordinarysuccesstoachieveextraordinaryeffectiveness,spectacularresults,andpositivelydeviantperformance.

ThisquickreferencepresentsthefundamentalWBSprinciples,pragmaticstepsforthegovernmentmanagertofollowindevelopingaprojectWBS,andachecklistfortheprojectmanagertouseinreviewingaWBS.DODrecommendationsforavoidingpitfallsinconstructingaWBSarehighlighted.

TheCricketontheHearth:AFairyTaleofHomeisanovellabyCharlesDickens,publishedbyBradburyandEvans,andreleased20December1845withillustrationsbyDanielMaclise,JohnLeech,RichardDoyle,ClarksonStanfieldandEdwinHenryLandseer.Dickensbeganwritingthebookaround17October1845andfinisheditby1December.LikeallofDickens'sChristmasbooks,itwaspublishedinbookform,notasaserial.JohnPeerybingle,acarrier,liveswithhisyoungwifeDot,theirbabyboyandtheirnannyTillySlowboy.Acricketchirpsonthehearthandactsasaguardianangeltothefamily.ThetitlecreatureisasortofbarometeroflifeatthehomeofJohnPeerybingleandhismuchyoungerwifeDot.Whenthingsgowell,thecricketonthehearthchirps;itissilentwhenthereissorrow.OnedayamysteriouselderlystrangercomestovisitandtakesuplodgingatPeerybingle'shouseforafewdays.Thejealousoldman,Tackleton,poisonsJohn'smindaboutDot,butthecricketthroughitssupernaturalpowersrestoresJohn'sconfidenceandallendshappily.

Dublinersisacollectionof15shortstoriesbyJamesJoyce,firstpublishedin1914.TheyformanaturalisticdepictionofIrishmiddleclasslifeinandaroundDublinintheearlyyearsofthe20thcentury.ThestorieswerewrittenwhenIrishnationalismwasatitspeak,andasearchforanationalidentityandpurposewasraging;atacrossroadsofhistoryandculture,Irelandwasjoltedbyvariousconvergingideasandinfluences.TheycentreonJoyce'sideaofanepiphany:amomentwhereacharacterexperiencesself-understandingorillumination.

Theauthorsdeftlybustinvesting’smyths—whattheycallinvesting'sSevenDeadlyTemptations—anddispensewithallthatcomplicated,confusing,andself-servingadviceoftheWallStreetwolves.

WivesandDaughtersisanemotionalnovelbyElizabethGaskell,firstpublishedintheCornhillMagazineasaserialfromAugust1864toJanuary1866.WhenMrsGaskelldiedsuddenlyin1865,itwasnotquitecomplete,andthelastsectionwaswrittenbyFrederickGreenwood.TheheroineofthenovelisMolly,anattractiveandratherunworldlyyoungwoman.HerfathersendshertostaywiththeHamleysofHamleyHall,agentryfamily.MollyformsacloseattachmentwithMrs.Hamley,whoembracesheralmostasadaughter.Mollyalsobefriendstheyoungerson,Roger.MollyisawarethatshewouldnotbeconsideredasuitablematchforthesonsofSquireHamleybecauseofherstatus.However,shehasalwayspreferredRoger'sgoodsenseandhonourablecharacterandsoonfallsinlovewithhim.Unfortunately,Rogerfallsinlovewithothergirl.Mollyisheartbroken,andstruggleswithhersorrowandherknowledgethatthegirllacksaffectionforRoger.

TheIdiotisanovelbythe19th-centuryRussianauthorFyodorDostoevsky.ItwasfirstpublishedseriallyinthejournalTheRussianMessengerin1868–1869.Thetitleisanironicreferencetothecentralcharacterofthenovel,PrinceLevNikolayevichMyshkin,ayoungmanfilledwithgoodness,open-heartedsimplicityandguilelessness,butmanyofthemoreworldlycharactersheencountersassumethathelacksintelligenceandinsight.InthecharacterofPrinceMyshkin,Dostoevskysethimselfthetaskofdepicting"thepositivelygoodandbeautifulman."Howerver,returningtoRussiafromasanitariuminSwitzerland,theChrist-likeepilepticPrinceMyshkinfindshimselfenmeshedinatangleoflove,tornbetweentwowomen—thenotoriouskeptwomanNastasyaandthepureAglaia—bothinvolved,inturn,withthecorrupt,money-hungryGanya.Intheend,Myshkin'shonesty,goodness,andintegrityareshowntobeunequaltothemoralemptinessofthosearoundhim.Thenovelexaminestheconsequencesofplacingsuchauniqueindividualatthecentreoftheconflicts,desires,passionsandegoismofworldlysociety.

thisisacollectionofshortstoriesbyD.H.Lawrence(11September1885–2March1930),anEnglishwriterandpoet.whichwereoriginallywrittenbetween1913and1921,manyofthemagainstthebackgroundofWorldWarI.Mostoftheseversionswereplacedinmagazinesorperiodicals.ThefirstUKeditionwaspublishedbyMartinSeckerin1924.Normally,volumesofshortstoriesfrequentlysharethetitleofoneofthetalesinthecollection.Oftenthefirststoryisdignifiedinthisway,andoftenthat'sbecauseitannouncesathemeortopicthatrunsthroughoutthevolume.Inthe"EnglandandOtherStories,"thetitlestoryis"England,MyEngland".Thestoriesincludedinthecollectionare:England,MyEngland;Tickets,Please;TheBlindMan;MonkeyNuts;WintryPeacock;YouTouchedMe;SamsonandDelilah;ThePrimrosePath;TheHorseDealer'sDaughter;FannyAndAnnie.

Hissupportersfollowedhimbecausetheywantedto,notbecausetheywerecompelledto.Over2,000yearsafterCaesar'sdeath,thisisstillthekindofloyaltyeveryleaderwantstoinspire.BarlagshowshowanyonecanlearntoleadlikeCaesar.

ThePosthumousPapersofthePickwickClub,betterknownasThePickwickPaperspublishedseriallyin1836–1837,isthefirstnovelbyCharlesDickens.Thisnarrativeofcoachtravelprovidesavividportraitofaworldthatwassoontovanishwiththecomingoftherailroads.ReaderswerecaptivatedbytheadventuresofthepoetSnodgrass,theloverTupman,thesportsmanWinkle,aboveall,bythatquintessentiallyEnglishQuixote,MrPickwick,andhiscockneySanchoPanza,SamWeller.FromthehallowedturfofDingleyDellCricketClubtotheunholyfracasoftheEatanswillelection,viatheFleetdebtor'sprison,charactersandincidentssprangtolifefromDickens'spen,toformanenduringlypopularworkofebullienthumourandliteraryinvention.Itsrousingsuccesslaunchedhislastingfame.

TheAccidentalAmericancallsforaboldnewapproachtoimmigration:afreeinternationalflowoflabortomatchglobalization'sfreeflowofcapital.Afterall,corporationsareencouragedtomoveanywhereintheworldtheycanmaximizetheirearnings.

Inthepastfewdecades,sciencehasshiftedfromseeingthenaturalworldasakindofcosmicmachinebestunderstoodbyanalyzingeachcogandsprockettoasystemsperspectivethatviewstheworldasavastnetworkoffluidcommunitiesandstudiestheirdynamicinteractions.

Thefranticdemandsofa24/7worldleavemanyonautopilot,toowearytopauseandsavorsimpleideasthatcanmakelifelesscomplexandmoremeaningful.Inspiredbytheperspectivesgainedfromhiking,theauthorofferspracticaladviceandprofoundwisdomwithinthisillustratedgiftbook.

Asaresult,theybecomestuckinmicromanagementmode.DiannaBooherwantstopreventmicromanagementbeforeithappensbyprovidingyouwiththerightleadershipcommunicationskills.

WhatdoWal-Mart,Dell,FidelityInvestments,Boeing,andCabela’shaveincommon?They’reallpartofa$50billionayearscaminwhich—inthenameof"jobcreation"—corporationsplaystatesandcitiesagainsteachothertowinheftytaxpayersubsidiesthatroutinelyexceed$100,000perjob.

MaryBartonisthefirstnovelbyEnglishauthorElizabethGaskell,publishedin1848.ThestoryissetintheEnglishcityofManchesterbetween1839and1842,anddealswiththedifficultiesfacedbytheVictorianlowerclass.Itissubtitled'ATaleofManchesterLife'.ThenovelbeginsinManchester,whereweareintroducedtotheBartonsandtheWilsons,twoworking-classfamilies.JohnBartonisaquestionerofthedistributionofwealthandtherelationsbetweenrichandpoor.Soonhiswifedies—heblamesitonhergriefoverthedisappearanceofhersisterEsther.HavingalreadylosthissonTomatayoungage,Bartonislefttoraisehisdaughter,Mary,aloneandnowfallsintodepressionandbeginstoinvolvehimselfintheChartist,trade-unionmovement.Gaskell'sdesiretoaccuratelyrepresentthepovertyofindustrialManchesterisevidentinarecordofavisitshemadetothehomeofalocallabourer.ItisasubjectofsomedebatewhetherthefirstpersonnarratorinMaryBartonissynonymouswithGaskell.