Necessary Endings

Much of what we do each day is an unnecessary waste of time and energy. This book will challenge you put a stop to things that have been getting in your way for a long time.

- Tom Rath, Bestselling Author
Strengths-Based Leadership

Endings are not a tragedy to be first feared and later regretted but a necessary stage on the way to growth, says clinical psychologist and bestselling author of The One-Life Solution. Endings are a crucial way to get what we desire by shedding those things whose time has passed. The author addresses the benefits of concluding unsatisfying work or personal relationships, and he advises readers on diagnosing when the situation can be resuscitated or must be shut down. This “pruning” process can spark readers out of passivity or paralysis, getting them motivated and energized for change. With many examples of people moving on from untenable circumstances and through specific strategies for ending things well, Cloud advocates for powerful personal changes just in time for the New Year, and will give many readers the fresh start they crave.

Integrity

[Integrity] lays out a transparent way to be a terrific leader by drawing on and improving your best traits.

- New York Times

Integrity—more than simple honesty, it’s the key to success. A person with integrity has the ability to pull everything together, to make it all happen no matter how challenging the circumstances. Drawing on experiences from his work, Dr. Henry Cloud, a clinical psychologist, leadership coach, corporate consultant and nationally syndicated radio host, shows how our character can keep us from achieving all we want to (or could) be.

In Integrity, Dr. Cloud explores the six qualities of character that define integrity, and how people with integrity:

• Are able to connect with others and build trust
• Are oriented toward reality
• Finish well
• Embrace the negative
• Are oriented toward increase
• Have an understanding of the transcendent

Integrity is not something that you either have or don’t, but instead is an exciting growth path that all of us can engage in and enjoy.

9 Things For Leaders

Why do some leaders get and accomplish what they want as a matter of routine, while others seem to regularly experience frustration and setbacks? Why do some leaders achieve their goals and reach new heights, while others barely “hang in there” and survive? Based on his groundbreaking psychological study of the ways that successful individuals think and behave, Dr. Henry Cloud presents a simple yet profound roadmap to help leaders-and those who want to become leaders-arrive at greater levels of personal growth and corporate influence than they previously thought were possible. The good news for all of us is that leadership success is not limited to vague notions of “charisma” nor traditional advantages like graduate degrees and connections, but much more to a pattern of thinking and moving forward that learns from mistakes and stays focused on goals.

One Life Solution

The balance of work and personal life can cause a myriad of problems-but they all boil down to a single issue, argues Cloud (Boundaries). Many career-inhibiting problems-from shoddy management skills to unclear focus to slow growth-can be attributed to a breakdown of boundaries necessary to maintain balance between work life and personal life, especially as technology makes it possible for individuals to be on-call every moment of the day. Cloud espouses the virtues of self-definition and self-control, and his series of engaging analogies and examples helps readers conduct an internal self-audit by identifying core values, visions, missions and goals. The authors hones in on common weaknesses-overdeveloped needs for security, approval and perfectionism-and leads readers through a plan for regaining control of themselves, their work and their lives with easy-to-follow activities to implement changes as personal policies. Unfailingly encouraging, Cloud is a fine advocate for the benefit of gaining control and protecting boundaries and his book is a must-have life management bible.

White Board | Red Couch

We all know that. And we all know the difficult situations and circumstances that we must face in our daily leadership. However, we often over complicate and sometimes even avoid these challenging scenarios. The difference between successful leaders and those who aren’t, is that successful leaders quickly diagnose and effectively deal with these difficult situations. Not asking these tough questions, not making these challenging decisions, and not having these painful conversations are actually the very things that can hold us back as leaders.