Title: The Virtual Manager : Cutting-Edge Solutions to Hiring, Managing, Motivating, and Engaging Mobile Employees

Author: Kevin Sheridan

Publisher: Career Press, 2012

ISBN-13: 9781601631855, 224 pages

Online networking, video conferencing, file sharing, collaborative work Web sites, email and other technological advances now enable employees to work from remote locations instead of commuting to offices where supervisors await. Human resources expert Kevin Sheridan details numerous best practices for managing remote, virtual employees. Most of his ideas reflect his deep expertise and prove sensible and actionable. getAbstract recommends many of Sheridan’s concepts and his approach to managing virtual workers. Distance is tough on any relationship, especially managing or working for people you rarely see. Sheridan’s book makes it easier.

Title: Serial Innovators : Firms That Change the World

Author: Claudio Feser

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 2011

ISBN-13: 9781118149928, 202 pages

Businesses, like people, follow a natural life cycle: They’re born, they grow, they live and they die. Only 15 percent of all firms reach 30 years, and only 5 percent make it to their 50th anniversaries. Yet some organizations defy the odds, continue to produce and contribute many decades beyond an expected life span. These “serial innovators” go through a constant series of changes, perpetually reinventing and adapting themselves to shifting markets and environments. McKinsey executive Claudio Feser delves into economics, sociology, neuroscience and psychology – one chunk at a time using the connective framework of an engaging business novella. He sets out to help you understand what drives long-lived companies to outperform and outlast their competitors. getAbstract recommends this imaginative, wide-ranging book to executives seeking a strategy for discovering the corporate fountain of youth.

Title: Great Leaders Grow : Becoming a Leader for Life

Authors: Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller

Publisher: Berrett-Koehler, 2012

ISBN-13: 9781609943035, 144 pages

With millions of copies of his titles in print, including his bestseller, The One Minute Manager, Ken Blanchard is one of the business world’s most popular authors. Corporate executive Mark Miller teamed up with Blanchard to create 2009’s The Secret. Their newest collaboration, Great Leaders Grow, is an instructive fable that explains why leaders must keep growing. Readable and easy to understand, this business novella presents a tidy, mainstream message about self-development. Blanchard and Miller discuss the requirements of “servant leadership” and encourage readers to expand their personal and professional understanding. getAbstract recommends this tale to the authors’ dedicated fans and to aspiring leaders seeking an accessible book as a bridge to something a little more challenging.

Title: I'd Rather Be in Charge : A Legendary Business Leader's Roadmap for Achieving Pride, Power, and Joy at Work

Author: Charlotte Beers

Publisher: Vanguard Press, 2012

ISBN-13: 978-1593156824, 256 pages

Legendary advertising executive Charlotte Beers focuses on the qualities and skills women need to pursue leadership roles, but every professional – male or female – can benefit from her perspectives and strategies. She unabashedly dishes up a fascinating, no-holds-barred blend of her experiences and those of the students at her “X Factor” seminars. The result is a solid, workable strategy for tapping into your innate talents. Beers’s mission is to develop females’ leadership potential by helping them avoid being “considered womanly at the expense of being seen as leaderly.” She emphasizes succeeding by tapping into your essential self. getAbstract recommends her informed autobiography for everyone with higher aspirations on the job and in life.

Title: Managing Your Manager : How to Get Ahead with Any Type of Boss

Author: Gonzague Dufour

Publisher: McGraw-Hill, 2010

ISBN-13: 978-0071751933, 222 pages

A stressed-out manager often results in stressed-out employees. You can have a more positive, productive professional life if you understand your supervisors and handle them according to their personality profiles. Human resources executive Gonzague Dufour identifies and explains the six common managerial types. He devotes most chapters to profiling these archetypes, listing identifying traits according to professional tactics that work or don’t work for each manager in specific situations, such as asking for a raise or dealing with a crisis. While many managers manifest characteristics from more than one boss type, and not all leaders are so easy to categorize, you will find yourself nodding in agreement with many of the author’s points. getAbstract recommends this practical, useful book to entry- and mid-level employees, as well as to higher-level executives who wonder, “Am I a good boss?”