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Sleep While I Sing: Murder in a Small Town (Alberg & Cassandra #2)
by L.R. WrightA murder on Canada&’s Sunshine Coast hits close to home for a former city cop in this crime series—the basis for the Fox TV and Hulu series Murder in a Small Town. Karl Alberg was a big-city cop, for Pete&’s sake. He solved crimes involving gangsters, druglords, real hardened criminals. He couldn&’t possibly be stumped by a murder in the sweet coastal town of Sechelt, British Colombia. Yet here he is, facing one of the most gruesome and baffling murders of his career. The woman was found propped against a tree, her face scrubbed clean, and her neck slit from one side to the other. And that is all anyone can tell Alberg. Her name? No one knows. So Alberg hires a local artist to draw her picture; maybe someone will recognize her . . . without, you know, the sliced-up neck. It&’s a brilliant idea. The answers pour in. And they all point to one suspect, which should make Alberg very happy. Except that the individual requiring Alberg&’s professional focus is the last person he wants to think about.
The Last Namsara (Iskari #1)
by Kristen CiccarelliFrom Kristen Ciccarelli, New York Times bestselling author of the Crimson Moth duology (The Heartless Hunter and Rebel Witch), comes the first installment of a soaring dragon fantasy trilogy about a girl who must hunt the creature that destroyed her town and caused her own ostracism from society. In the beginning, there was the Namsara: the child of sky and spirit, who carried love and laughter wherever he went. But where there is light, there must be darkness—and so there was also the Iskari. The child of blood and moonlight. The destroyer. The death-bringer. These are the legends that Asha, daughter of the king of Firgaard, has grown up learning in hushed whispers, drawn to the forbidden figures of the past. But it isn&’t until she becomes the fiercest, most feared dragon slayer in the land that she takes on the role of the next Iskari—a lonely destiny that leaves her feeling more like a weapon than a girl. Asha conquers each dragon and brings its head to the king, but no kill can free her from the shackles that await at home: her betrothal to the cruel commandant, a man who holds the truth about her nature in his palm. When she&’s offered the chance to gain her freedom in exchange for the life of the most powerful dragon in Firgaard, she finds that there may be more truth to the ancient stories than she ever could have expected. With the help of a secret friend—a slave boy from her betrothed&’s household—Asha must shed the layers of her Iskari bondage and open her heart to love, light, and a truth that has been kept from her.
Past Performance Handbook: Applying Commercial Practices to Federal Procurement
by Joseph W. BeausoleilThe Best Guide to Past Performance Evaluation in Government Contracting Just Got Better!The Past Performance Handbook has long been the resource contracting professionals have turned to for guidance on evaluating contractor performance and making award decisions in competitive acquisitions based on the evaluation results.Now this essential resource has been completely updated and revised to bring readers the most up-to-date information they need to conduct past performance evaluations. Past Performance Handbook: Applying Commercial Practices to Federal Procurement, Second Edition, not only includes a detailed explanation of the process of past performance evaluation, but also presents new approaches to standardizing assessment areas and rating scales, streamlining the source selection process, and ensuring that awards are made to the most qualified offerors.This thoroughly revised second edition offers:• Additional focus on the collaboration between the government and contractors in providing past performance information• Enhanced definitions of numerical scoring, adjectival ratings, color coding schema, and risk assessments — all consistent with the current guidelines issued by the Department of Defense and the Office of Federal Procurement Policy (OFPP)• Updated citations from the Federal Acquisition Regulation, OFPP, and the Government Accountability Office (GAO)• Abridged GAO decisions that provide details for citations included in the text.Contracting officers and contractors working with the government will find value in every chapter of this updated edition.
Federal IT Capital Planning and Investment Control
by Thomas G. Kessler DBA, CISA Patricia A. Kelley DPA, CISAReduce risk and improve the overall performance of IT assets! Federal IT Capital Planning and Investment Control is the first book to provide a comprehensive look at the IT capital planning and investment control (CPIC) process. Written from a practitioner's perspective, this book covers a range of topics designed to provide both strategic and operational perspectives on IT CPIC. From planning to evaluation, this valuable resource helps managers and analysts at all levels realize the full benefits of the CPIC process. •Explore the full range of IT investment principles and practices•Learn CPIC project management techniques including earned-value management, integrated baseline review, cost-benefit analysis, and risk-adjusted cost and schedule estimates •Identify strategies to improve how your organization manages its IT portfolio and selects, controls, and evaluates investments•Discover how to leverage scarce IT resources and align investments with program priorities•Benefit from the in-depth coverage—excellent for the experienced as well as those new to the CPIC process
Leadership Two Words at a Time: Simple Truths for Leading Complicated People
by Bill TreasurerFor newcomers and upper management alike, leadership can be overwhelming and overcomplicated. By building core tenets of leadership around two key words for each chapter, Bill Treasurer simplifies the equation.Congratulations, new leader! You've joined the ranks during an exceptionally complicated time.Our current workplace climate is fraught with political divisions, economic disparities, and ever-shifting social dynamics. Leaders are managing remote teams across larger geographic distances and facing new roadblocks to onboarding, giving performance feedback, and nurturing healthy relationships. Leadership Two Words at a Time speaks directly to the plight of the new leader and is divided into three parts: Leading Yourself, Leading People, and Leading Work. Rather than overintellectualize the practice, Bill Treasurer breaks up the concept into essential and understandable learning nuggets-summed up by two-word headers-that provide the practical guidance and support that leaders often don't get. The result is time-tested wisdom that new leaders can grasp immediately and implement easily-and, with a little practice, master completely. Consider it a personal leadership playbook.This book gives you the basic building blocks to gain both competence and confidence, take on greater responsibility, and learn what it takes to be and stay a leader.
Deepening Community: Finding Joy Together in Chaotic Times
by Paul BornCommunity shapes our identity, quenches our thirst for belonging, and bolsters our physical, mental, emotional, and economic health. But in the chaos of modern life, community ties have become unraveled, leaving many feeling afraid or alone in the crowd, grasping at shallow substitutes for true community. In this thoughtful and moving book, Paul Born describes the four pillars of deep community: sharing our stories, taking the time to enjoy one another, taking care of one another, and working together for a better world. To show the role each of these plays, he shares his own stories—as a child of refugees and as a longtime community activist. It’s up to us to create community. Born shows that the opportunity is right in front of us if we have the courage and conviction to pursue it.
The Government Manager's Guide to The Statement of Work
by Michael G. Martin PMPThis volume offers practical guidance on writing and preparing a description of government requirements, whether the document used is a statement of work (SOW), a performance work statement (PWS), or a statement of objectives (SOO). This description specifies exactly what good and services are being purchased, including their quality, requirements, quantity, and schedule for delivery, and also defines the relationship between the government and the contractor. From an overview of the elements that make a good SOW, to the methods for changing an SOW to meet new conditions, this is a hands-on resource for every government manager who is involved with contracts.
Full-Spectrum Thinking: How to Escape Boxes in a Post-Categorical Future
by Bob JohansenLeading futurist Bob Johansen shows how a new way of thinking, enhanced by new technologies, will help leaders break free of limiting labels and see new gradients of possibility in a chaotic world. The future will get even more perplexing over the next decade, and we are not ready. The dilemma is that we're restricted by rigid categorical thinking that freezes people and organizations in neatly defined boxes that often are inaccurate or obsolete. Categories lead us toward certainty but away from clarity, and categorical thinking moves us away from understanding the bigger picture. Sticking with this old way of thinking and seeing isn't just foolish, it's dangerous.Full-spectrum thinking is the ability to seek patterns and clarity outside, across, beyond, or maybe even without any boxes or categories while resisting false certainty and simplistic binary choices. It reveals our commonalities that are hidden in plain view. Bob Johansen lays out the core concepts of full-spectrum thinking and reveals the role that digital media—including gameful engagement, big-data analytics, visualization, blockchain, and machine learning—will play in facilitating and enhancing it. He offers examples of broader spectrums and new applications in a wide range of areas that will become possible first, then mandatory. This visionary book provides powerful ways to make sense of new opportunities and see the world as it really is.
Humble Inquiry, 3rd Edition: The Gentle Art of Asking Instead of Telling
by Edgar H. Schein Peter A. ScheinThe global bestseller with over 300,000 copies sold returns in its 3rd edition to continue teaching people how to effectively ask and obtain accurate answers to questions across all mediums.With 30% new material, including how to apply humble inquiry while working remotely, this updated edition is the definitive book on bringing humility back into your life.In an increasingly divisive era where communication is often dominated by assertiveness and directive leadership, this bestselling guide offers a refreshing and essential perspective on the power of asking instead of telling. This updated 3rd edition offers practical advice for how to build relationships based on curiosity and foster collaboration and trust between team members.Lessons in this book will help you:•Build healthy relationships with people from different occupational, professional, and national cultures•Create psychologically safe work climates that allow people to feel safe to share what they know•Foster teamwork and bust hyper-competitiveness through open communication, trust, and coordinationIn this new edition, updates have been made to 30% of the book that delves into the fresh challenges inherent in today's workplace, including new stories and case examples as well as an entire additional chapter with a focus on humble inquiry in the context of remote and hybrid work.
Something to Live For: Finding Your Way in the Second Half of Life (Bk Life. Ser.)
by Richard J. Leider David ShapiroDrawing on ancient and contemporary wisdom, as well as modern research, Richard Leider and David Shapiro provide insightful ways of thinking and being that help us find meaning and purpose in the second half of life. This deeply reflective book uses a safari, (referencing a trip the authors took to Africa in 2006) as a metaphor to show how the second half of life can be a journey of discovery. In what may be their most personal book to date, Leider and Shapiro share dozens of moving stories, from both their own experiences and those of their safari companions, that offer sometimes surprising examples of lives well-lived, lives that exemplify the qualities of authenticity and wholeheartedness that they believe are essential to finding meaning and purpose in the second half of life. There are many pathways to putting our whole selves into life, especially during the second half, and in Something to Live For, Leider and Shapiro explore many routes to vital aging.
Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems: The Catalytic Power of Radical Engagement
by Adam KahaneRevolutionize Your World: The Power of Radical EngagementIn a world crying out for change, Everyday Habits for Transforming Systems is your guidebook for action. Adam Kahane, the best-selling author of Collaborating with the Enemy and a global authority on solving tough problems, delivers game-changing advice for anyone ready to make a difference.This is a manifesto for world-changers. Drawing on decades of work with leaders from national and organizational presidents to front-line managers and grass-roots activists, Kahane distills seven potent habits that enable ordinary citizens to become extraordinary agents of transformation.Imagine:•Cracking open entrenched systems with simple actions•Collaborating across deep divides to achieve the impossible•Uncovering hidden leverage points others miss•Persevering through setbacks with renewed purpose and energyThrough riveting real-world examples, Kahane shows how these habits have sparked revolutions, brokered peace, and reimagined societies. Now he's handing you the keys to that transformative power.Whether you're battling climate change, reinventing healthcare, or simply trying to make your community better, this book is your essential guide. It's time to stop feeling powerless and start creating the change you want to see.Don't just survive in a changing world—step in to transform it.
Creating Personal Presence: Look, Talk, Think, and Act Like a Leader
by Dianna Booher"Personal presence is difficult to define but easy to recognize. People with presence carry themselves in a way that turns heads. When they talk, people listen. When they ask, people answer. When they lead, people follow. Personal presence can help you get a date, a mate, a job, or a sale. It can help you lead a meeting, a movement, or an organization. Presence is not something you’re born with—anyone can learn these skills, habits, and traits. Award-winning speaker and consultant Dianna Booher shows how to master dozens of small and significant things that work together to convey presence. She details how body language, manners, and even your surroundings enhance credibility and build rapport. You’ll learn to use voice and language to demonstrate competence, deliver clear and memorable messages, and master emotions. You’ll learn to think strategically, organize ideas coherently, and convey to others genuine interest, integrity, respect, and reliability. Take her self-assessment to measure your progress. With Dianna Booher’s expert, entertaining advice, you can have the same kind of influence as the most successful CEOs, celebrities, and civic leaders. "
Crunch Time: How to Be Your Best When It Matters Most
by Rick Peterson Judd HoekstraBe Your Best Under Pressure!Learn how elite athletes like Michael Jordan, Sandy Cofax, Tom Glavin, and Pedro Martinez, deal with pressure. In his 15 years as a major league pitching coach, with "Moneyball" Oakland A's, NY Mets, Milwaukee Brewers and Baltimore Orioles, Rick Peterson has coached Hall of Famers, Cy Young winners, and many other elite athletes. In this book, he and bestselling author and leadership expert, Judd Hoekstra make this skill available to everyone. From an insider's perspective, learn how you too can become a Crunch Time performer and perform your best in all situations. With fascinating behind-the-scenes examples from some of the top names in sports and business, Rick and Judd offer six powerful reframing strategies to help you see a pressure situation with a new perspective so that it shifts from a threat that can make you panic to an opportunity for you to shine. With a Forward by "Money Ball", Billy Beane, EVP, Oakland Athletics.
Stewardship: Choosing Service Over Self-Interest
by Peter BlockOne of the most provocative and revolutionary books written on leadership, business, and organizational design, Stewardship remains just as relevant, even twenty years later, to transforming our organizations for the common good of the wider community. We still face the challenge of fostering ownership and accountability throughout our organizations. Despite all the evidence calling for profound change, most organizations still rely on patriarchy and control as their core form of governance. The result is that they stifle initiative and spirit and alienate people from the work they do. This in the face of an increasing need to find ways to be responsive to customers and the wider community. Peter Block insists that what is required is a dramatic shift in how we distribute power, privilege, and the control of money. "Stewardship," he writes, "means giving people at the bottom and the boundaries of the organization choice over how to serve a customer, a citizen, a community. It is the willingness to be accountable for the well-being of the larger organization by operating in service, rather than in control, of those around us." Block has revised and updated the book throughout, including a new introduction addressing what has changed—and what hasn't—in the twenty years since the book was published and a new chapter on applying stewardship to the common good of the wider community. He covers both the theory of stewardship (in particular how it ameliorates the shortcomings of traditional leadership) and the practice (how it transforms every function and department for the better). And he offers tactical advice as well on gearing up to implement these reforms.
Decentering Whiteness in the Workplace: A Guide for Equity and Inclusion
by Janice Gassam AsareYour DEIJ efforts are stagnating because you continue to center whiteness. Creating a truly anti-racist organization requires learning how to identify and rectify the systemic, and often unconscious, centering of white culture and values in the workplace.Corporate America continues to struggle with racial equity in a post-George Floyd world. As the United States becomes more diverse and the public consciousness continues to shift, successful racial equity efforts in the workplace are needed now more than ever. Decentering Whiteness in the Workplace exposes the ways that white culture and expectations are centered in the modern American workplace and the fears within corporate spaces about talking candidly, openly, and honestly about whiteness, white supremacy, and anti-Blackness.Readers will discover: A direct and straightforward analysis about what white-centering is An evaluation of the different ways that whiteness is centered in the workplace, such as bereavement and holiday policies and dress codes A guide on how to recognize and decenter whiteness within oneself and at work Solutions for people to contribute individually and systemically to anti-oppressionDecentering Whiteness in the Workplace provides a crucial guidebook with practical solutions for leaders, DEIJ practitioners, and anyone hoping to truly create an anti-racist workplace.
Guide to Contract Pricing: Cost and Price Analysis for Contractors, Subcontractors, and Government Agencies
by John Edward MurphyPerform Contracting Successfully!This master reference — in its fifth edition — contains everything you need to know about government pricing rules and regulations in one easy-to-use volume.Guide to Contract Pricing: Cost and Price Analysis for Contractors, Subcontractors, and Government Agencies, Fifth Edition, explains how the government conducts business and walks you through every step of the contracting process. This fully updated edition includes a new chapter on the role of auditors in contract pricing as well as five new detailed appendices. You'll be able to:+ Master the steps of the sealed bid process+ Improve your skills at evaluating bids, proposals, and quotations+ Perfect your ability to analyze direct and indirect labor costs+ Improve your chances for securing a fair and reasonable price
Building Resilience with Appreciative Inquiry: A Leadership Journey through Hope, Despair, and Forgiveness
by Jeanie Cockell Joan McArthur-BlairJourney through hope, despair, and forgivenessLeaders cannot predict the complex challenges they are called on to face. Veteran consultants Joan McArthur-Blair and Jeanie Cockell show that Appreciative Inquiry (AI) is an invaluable tool to build resilience.AI is a widely used change approach that emphasizes identifying what's working well in a system. Leaders can use AI to increase their ability to weather the storms they'll inevitably encounter and be resilient. A profound guide, this book features personal accounts from leaders across a variety of settings describing how they've practiced appreciative resilience in the ongoing cycle of hope, despair, and forgiveness.
Measuring and Improving Social Impacts: A Guide for Nonprofits, Companies, and Impact Investors
by Marc J. Epstein Kristi YuthasPhilanthropic NGOs, foundations, and corporations face endlessly competing needs when deciding to invest or donate for maximum social impact. This book fills an enormous gap by providing a system to measure, operationalize, and improve any organization's impact investments.
Believe-in-You Money: What Would It Look Like If the Economy Loved Black People?
by Jessica NorwoodOffering a revolution in Black business financing, this book centers the entrepreneur and responds to the systemic failures surrounding Black wealth building.America has a huge racial wealth gap today. Owning a business is one of the best ways to build wealth-but entrepreneurs need capital. And investing in Black companies is obstructed by systemic racism and implicit biases that continue to create barriers to success. Merging historical information and data with tactical examples and explanations, this practical guide shows us what needs to be done to change the way we support Black companies and how we think about wealth.Norwood calls for investors to move away from extractive, individualistic, and exploitative approaches to capital and entrepreneurship. She asks us to move toward transformational, restorative, regenerative, and interdependent relationships to repair the impacts of systemic racism. Investors, large and small, need to say to Black business owners, We believe in you.With an entrepreneur-centric approach, Believe-in-You Money challenges the systemic failure surrounding Black companies. This book is a guide on how Black entrepreneurs can be supported in sustainable ways and offers a shift in the way we think about who can be an investor while also aiming to change our personal relationships with money.
The Economics of Higher Purpose: Eight Counterintuitive Steps for Creating a Purpose-Driven Organization
by Robert E. Quinn Anjan V. ThakorTwo distinguished scholars offer eight steps to help organizations discover and embrace an authentic higher purpose—something that will dramatically improve every aspect of any enterprise, including the bottom line.What does a lofty notion like purpose have to do with business basics like the bottom line? Robert E. Quinn and Anjan J. Thakor say pretty much everything. Leaders and managers are taught that employees are self-interested and work resistant, so they create systems of control to combat these expectations. Workers resent these systems, and performance suffers. To address the performance issues, managers double down on the coercion, creating a vicious cycle and a self-fulfilling prophecy. But there is a better way. Quinn and Thakor show that when an authentic higher purpose permeates business strategy and decision-making, the cycle is broken. Employers and employees see themselves as working together toward an inspiring goal, not just trying to hit quarterly targets. They fully engage, become proactive contributors, and, ironically, easily exceed those quarterly targets. Based on their widely acclaimed Harvard Business Review article, Quinn and Thakor offer eight sometimes surprising steps for shifting from a transaction-oriented mind-set focused on constraints to a purpose-oriented mind-set focused on possibility. This iconoclastic book will help any organization discover its authentic purpose and weave it into the fabric of everything it does, leading to unprecedented levels of personal satisfaction, service and product innovation, and economic growth.
The Power of Disability: 10 Lessons for Surviving, Thriving, and Changing the World
by Al Etmanski"This book reminds us of what we have in common: the power to create a good life for ourselves and for others, no matter what the world has in store for us." —Michael J. FoxThis book reveals that people with disabilities are the invisible force that has shaped history. They have been instrumental in the growth of freedom and birth of democracy. They have produced heavenly music and exquisite works of art. They have unveiled the scientific secrets of the universe. They are among our most popular comedians, poets, and storytellers. And at 1.2 billion, they are also the largest minority group in the world.Al Etmanski offers ten lessons we can all learn from people with disabilities, illustrated with short, funny, inspiring, and thought-provoking stories of one hundred individuals from twenty countries. Some are familiar, like Michael J. Fox, Greta Thunberg, Stephen Hawking, Helen Keller, Stevie Wonder, and Temple Grandin. Others deserve to be, like Evelyn Glennie, a virtuoso percussionist who is deaf—her mission is to teach the world to listen to improve communication and social cohesion. Or Aaron Philip, who has revolutionized the runway as the first disabled, trans woman of color to become a professional model. The time has come to recognize people with disabilities for who they really are: authoritative sources on creativity, love, sexuality, resistance, dealing with adversity, and living a good life.
The Five Legends: A Journey to Heal Divided Hearts
by Anasazi FoundationDrawing on 30 years of helping families in-crisis, this profound fable by the Anasazi Foundation illustrates the anguish of conflict and shows how we can end war within ourselves, within families, and even between nations.The Five Legends tells the story of two estranged brothers, leaders of their people, who find themselves on an unexpected journey. Struggling against each other, they stumble and fall into a great and terrible canyon. Trapped, the two brothers are rescued by an old man—"the last of a people"—who offers to guide them out of the canyon if they agree to learn the five legends of peace. The brothers agree and begin a journey that may not only save themselves, but also their people.The brothers learn that to heal any conflict we must first look within ourselves. As this fable beautifully puts it, "War does not begin or end with armies and leaders. In truth, war begins and ends within each of us—within our hearts. When we choose to war with others, we turn our hearts away from them and blind ourselves to their light. …To have a heart at war is to invite war into your life." The path to peace begins when we stop thinking about "me" and start thinking about "WE."This poetic and moving allegory is written for all ages. Its message is both timeless and desperately needed for our own time
The Power of Appreciative Inquiry: A Practical Guide to Positive Change
by Amanda Trosten-Bloom Diana D. WhitneyNEW EDITION, REVISED AND UPDATED The Power of Appreciative Inquiry describes the internationally embraced approach to organizational change that dramatically improves performance by engaging people to study, discuss, and build upon what’s working – strengths – rather than trying to fix what’s not. Diana Whitney and Amanda Trosten-Bloom, pioneers in the development and practice of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), provide a menu of eight results-oriented applications, along with case examples from a wide range of organizations to illustrate Appreciative Inquiry in action. A how-to book, this is the most authoritative and accessible guide to the newest ideas and practices in the field of Appreciative Inquiry since its inception in 1985. The second edition includes new examples, tools, and tips for using AI to create an enduring capacity for positive change, along with a totally new chapter on award-winning community applications of Appreciative Inquiry.
99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality Is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do about It
by Chuck CollinsOver the past thirty years, we’ve seen a radical redistribution of wealth upward to a tiny fraction of the population. Here, activist Chuck Collins explains how it happened and marshals wide-ranging data to show exactly what the 99/1 percent divide means in the real world and the damage it causes to individuals, businesses, and the earth. Most important, he answers the burning question, what can be done about it? He offers a common-sense guide to bringing about a society that works for everyone: the 100 percent. This is a struggle that can be won. After all, the odds are 99 to 1 in our favor.
Practical Innovation in Government: How Front-Line Leaders Are Transforming Public-Sector Organizations
by Dean M. Schroeder Alan G RobinsonThis book is a comprehensive guide to an exciting new approach that managers at any level can use to transform their corners of government.Whether people want more government or less, everyone wants an efficient government. Traditional thinking is that this requires a government to be run more like a business. But a government is not a business, and this approach merely replaces old problems with new ones.In their six-year, five-country study of seventy-seven government organizations-ranging from small departments to entire states-Alan Robinson and Dean Schroeder found that the predominant private-sector approaches to improvement don't work well in the public sector, while practices that are rare in the private sector prove highly effective. The highest performers they studied had attained levels of efficiency that rivaled the best private-sector companies.Rather than management making the improvements, as is the norm in the private sector, these high-performers focused on front-line-driven improvement, where most of the change activity was led by supervisors and low-level managers who unleashed the creativity and ideas of their employees to improve their operations bit by bit every day.You'll discover how Denver's Department of Excise and Licenses reduced wait times from an hour and forty minutes to just seven minutes; how the Washington State Patrol garage tripled its productivity and became a national benchmark; how a K8 school in New Brunswick, Canada, boosted the percentage of students reading at the appropriate age level from 22 percent to 78 percent; and much more.