5 Business Skills Every IT Pro Must Master (Collection)

5 Business Skills Every IT Pro Must Master (Collection)

by Terry J. Fadem, Leigh Thompson, Jerry Weissman, Robert Follett, Stephen Robbins
Released October 2012
Publisher(s): Pearson
ISBN: 9780133353433

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

A brand new collection of indispensable business skills for professionals in any industry… 5 pioneering books, now in a convenient e-format, at a great price!

5 remarkable eBooks help professionals gain the business skills they need to advance in their careers

Today, business professionals need far more than technical skill to advance in their careers: they need a deep understanding of the business, combined with real leadership skills for motivating colleagues and executing on key assignments. This unique 5 eBook package brings together these crucial business skills, helping professionals rise far beyond their current roles. In The Art of Asking, Terry J. Fadem shows how to ask the right questions in the right ways, and get the answers you need to succeed. Discover the core questions you need to master... avoid the mistakes business questioners make most often... master ten simple rules for questioning more effectively… ask questions that give you control over tough situations... use questions to promote innovation, drive change, identify hidden problems, and get failing projects back on track! Next, in The Truth About Negotiations, Leigh L. Thompson reveals 53 proven negotiation principles: bite-size, easy-to-use techniques for becoming a world-class negotiator. Learn how to prepare for a negotiation within one hour… negotiate with people you hate (or love)… clearly identify your "best alternative" if a deal isn't possible… use reason, respect, and reciprocity to extract a deal's maximum potential value, create win-win solutions, and establish enduring relationships. In Presenting to Win, Updated and Expanded Edition, world-renowned presentation consultant Jerry Weissman shows how to connect with even the toughest, most high-level audiences...and move them to action. Drawing on his experience helping the world's top tech executives excel at make-or-break investor presentations, he shows how to dump those PowerPoint templates, tell compelling stories that focus on what's in it for the audience, and get action! In How to Keep Score in Business, long-time CEO Robert Follett helps you capture crucial insights buried in balance sheets, income statements, and other key reports. Follett shows how to apply core tools for analyzing financial reports and investment opportunities and demystifies accounting terms every decision-maker should know. Finally, in The Truth About Managing People, Third Edition, Stephen P. Robbins distills management to its essence, sharing 61 proven principles and real solutions for the make-or-break problems faced by every manager. You'll learn how to overcome the true obstacles to teamwork… why too much communication can be as dangerous as too little… how to improve hiring and employee evaluations… heal "layoff survivor sickness"… manage a diverse culture… lead effectively in a digital world… get past age stereotypes… and much more!

From world-renowned leaders and performance expertsTerry J. Fadem, Leigh L. Thompson, Jerry Weissman, Robert Follett, and Stephen Robbins

Table of contents

  1. Title Page
  2. Copyright Page
  3. Contents
  4. Ask Better Questions, Get Better Answers
    1. Copyright Page
    2. Dedication Page
    3. Praise for The Art of Asking
    4. Disclaimer
    5. Acknowledgments
    6. About the Author
    7. Preface: Corporate Inquisitions
    8. Introduction: Questioning Is the Skill of Management
    9. Common Errors: How to Recognize and Correct Them
    10. Neglected Questions
    11. Misuses of Management Skills: Inquisitions Are Not the Only Abuse of Questioning
    12. Questioning: Improve Your Skills
    13. Signs and Signals
    14. Types of Questions
    15. Use of Skills
    16. Listening
    17. Conclusions
    18. Definitions
    19. Epilogue
    20. References
    21. Questioning as a Spectator Sport: Where to Go to Watch and Learn the Game
    22. Endnotes
    23. Financial Times Press
  5. The Truth About Negotiations
    1. Copyright Page
    2. Praise for The Truth About Negotiations
    3. Introduction
    4. Truth 1. If you have only one hour to prepare...
    5. Truth 2. Negotiation: A natural gift?
    6. Truth 3. Rehearsal might get you to Carnegie, but it won't help you negotiate
    7. Truth 4. The power of making the first offer
    8. Truth 5. What if you don't make the first offer?
    9. Truth 6. Don't be a tough or a nice negotiator
    10. Truth 7. Four sand traps in the golf game of negotiation
    11. Truth 8. Your industry is unique (and other myths)
    12. Truth 9. Identify your BATNA
    13. Truth 10. It's alive! Constantly improve your BATNA
    14. Truth 11. Don't reveal your BATNA
    15. Truth 12. Don't lie about your BATNA
    16. Truth 13. Signal your BATNA
    17. Truth 14. Research the other party's BATNA
    18. Truth 15. Develop your reservation price
    19. Truth 16. Beware of ZOPA myopia
    20. Truth 17. Set optimistic but realistic aspirations
    21. Truth 18. Plan your concessions
    22. Truth 19. Be aware of the "even-split" ploy
    23. Truth 20. The pregame
    24. Truth 21. The game
    25. Truth 22. The postgame
    26. Truth 23. What does "win-win" really mean?
    27. Truth 24. Satisficing versus optimizing
    28. Truth 25. There are really only two kinds of negotiations
    29. Truth 26. Ask triple-I questions
    30. Truth 27. Reveal your interests
    31. Truth 28. Negotiate issues simultaneously, not sequentially
    32. Truth 29. Logrolling (I scratch your back, you scratch mine)
    33. Truth 30. Make multiple offers of equivalent value simultaneously
    34. Truth 31. Postsettlement settlements
    35. Truth 32. Contingent agreements
    36. Truth 33. Are you an enlightened negotiator?
    37. Truth 34. The reciprocity principle
    38. Truth 35. The reinforcement principle
    39. Truth 36. The similarity principle
    40. Truth 37. Know when to drop an anchor
    41. Truth 38. The framing effect
    42. Truth 39. Responding to temper tantrums
    43. Truth 40. What's your sign? (Know your disputing style)
    44. Truth 41. Using power responsibly
    45. Truth 42. Saving face
    46. Truth 43. How to negotiate with someone you hate
    47. Truth 44. How to negotiate with someone you love
    48. Truth 45. Building the winning negotiation team
    49. Truth 46. What if they arrive with a team?
    50. Truth 47. Of men, women, and pie-slicing
    51. Truth 48. Know why the fish swim
    52. Truth 49. It does not make sense to always get to the point...
    53. Truth 50. Negotiating on the phone
    54. Truth 51. Your reputation
    55. Truth 52. Building trust
    56. Truth 53. Repairing broken trust
    57. References
    58. Acknowledgments
    59. About the Author
  6. Presenting to Win: The Art of Telling Your Story, Updated and Expanded Edition
    1. Copyright Page
    2. Dedication Page
    3. Praise for the First Edition of Presenting to Win
    4. Foreword to the Updated and Expanded Edition
    5. Preface
    6. Introduction
    7. One. You and Your Audience
    8. Two. The Power of the WIIFY
    9. Three. Getting Creative: The Expansive Art of Brainstorming
    10. Four. Finding Your Flow
    11. Five. Capturing Your Audience Immediately
    12. Six. Communicating Visually
    13. Seven. Making the Text Talk
    14. Eight. Making the Numbers Sing
    15. Nine. Using Graphics to Help Your Story Flow
    16. Ten. Bringing Your Story to Life
    17. Eleven. Customizing Your Presentation
    18. Twelve. Animating Your Graphics
    19. Thirteen. The Virtual Presentation
    20. Fourteen. Pitching in the Majors
    21. Appendix A. Tools of the Trade
    22. Appendix B. Presentation Checklists
    23. Acknowledgments
    24. About the Author
    25. Index
    26. Financial Times Press
  7. How to Keep Score in Business: Accounting and Financial Analysis for the Non-Accountant
    1. Copyright Page
    2. Acknowledgments
    3. About the Author
    4. 1. Introduction
    5. 2. Glossary of Key Financial Accounting Terms
    6. 3. The Balance Sheet
    7. 4. More Balance Sheet
    8. 5. Still More Balance Sheet
    9. 6. The Income Statement
    10. 7. Return on Investment (ROI)
    11. 8. Changes in Financial Position
    12. 9. Cash Flow Budget
    13. 10. Other Analysis Ratios and Tools
    14. 11. A Summary of What You Have Learned
    15. A. Acme Widget Company
    16. B. Present Value Tables
    17. Index
    18. Financial Times Press
  8. The Truth About Managing People, Third Edition
    1. Copyright Page
    2. Dedication Page
    3. Preface
    4. Part I: The Truth About Hiring
      1. Truth 1. First Impressions DO Count!
      2. Truth 2. Forget Traits; It’s Behavior That Counts!
      3. Truth 3. Brains Matter; or Why You Should Hire Smart People
      4. Truth 4. When in Doubt, Hire Conscientious People!
      5. Truth 5. Want Friendly Employees? It’s in the Genes!
      6. Truth 6. Realistic Job Previews: What You See Is What You Get
      7. Truth 7. Throw Out Your Age Stereotypes
      8. Truth 8. Match Personalities and Jobs
      9. Truth 9. Hire People Who Fit Your Culture: My “Good Employee” Is Your Stinker!
      10. Truth 10. Good Citizenship Counts!
      11. Truth 11. Manage the Socialization of New Employees
    5. Part II: The Truth About Motivation
      1. Truth 12. Why Many Workers Aren’t Motivated at Work Today
      2. Truth 13. Telling Employees to “Do Your Best” Isn’t Likely to Achieve Their Best
      3. Truth 14. Not Everyone Wants to Participate in Setting Goals
      4. Truth 15. Professional Workers Go for the Flow
      5. Truth 16. When Giving Feedback: Criticize Behaviors, Not People
      6. Truth 17. Managing Across the Generation Gap
      7. Truth 18. You Get What You Reward
      8. Truth 19. It’s All Relative!
      9. Truth 20. Recognition Motivates (and It Costs Very Little)
      10. Truth 21. There’s More to High Employee Performance Than Just Motivation
    6. Part III: The Truth About Leadership
      1. Truth 22. Five Leadership Myths Debunked
      2. Truth 23. The Essence of Leadership Is Trust
      3. Truth 24. Experience Counts! Wrong!
      4. Truth 25. Effective Leaders Know How to Frame Issues
      5. Truth 26. You Get What You Expect
      6. Truth 27. Charisma Can Be Learned
      7. Truth 28. Charisma Is Not Always an Asset
      8. Truth 29. Make Others Dependent on You
      9. Truth 30. Successful Leaders Are Politically Adept
      10. Truth 31. Ethical Leadership
      11. Truth 32. Virtual Leadership: Leading from Afar
      12. Truth 33. Adjust Your Leadership Style for Cultural Differences, or When in Rome...
    7. Part IV: The Truth About Communication
      1. Truth 34. Hearing Isn’t Listening
      2. Truth 35. Listen to the Grapevine
      3. Truth 36. Men and Women Communicate Differently
      4. Truth 37. What You Do Overpowers What You Say
      5. Truth 38. The Value of Silence
      6. Truth 39. Watch Out for Digital Distractions
    8. Part V: The Truth About Building Teams
      1. Truth 40. What We Know That Makes Teams Work
      2. Truth 41. 2 + 2 Doesn’t Necessarily Equal 4
      3. Truth 42. The Value of Diversity on Teams
      4. Truth 43. We’re Not All Equal: Status Matters!
      5. Truth 44. Not Everyone Is Team Material
    9. Part VI: The Truth About Managing Conflicts
      1. Truth 45. The Case FOR Conflict
      2. Truth 46. Beware of Groupthink
      3. Truth 47. How to Reduce Work–Life Conflicts
      4. Truth 48. Negotiating Isn’t About Winning and Losing
    10. Part VII: The Truth About Designing Jobs
      1. Truth 49. Not Everyone Wants a Challenging Job
      2. Truth 50. Four Job-Design Actions That Will Make Employees More Productive
    11. Part VIII: The Truth About Performance Evaluation
      1. Truth 51. Annual Reviews: The Best Surprise Is No Surprise!
      2. Truth 52. Don’t Blame Me! The Role of Self-Serving Bias
      3. Truth 53. Judging Others: Tips for Making Better Decisions
      4. Truth 54. The Case for 360-Degree Feedback Appraisals: More IS Better!
    12. Part IX: The Truth About Coping with Change
      1. Truth 55. Most People Resist Any Change That Doesn’t Jingle in Their Pockets!
      2. Truth 56. Use Participation to Reduce Resistance to Change
      3. Truth 57. Employee Turnover Can Be a Good Thing
      4. Truth 58. In Cutbacks: Don’t Neglect the Survivors
      5. Truth 59. Beware of the Quick Fix
    13. References
    14. Financial Times Press

Product information

  • Title: 5 Business Skills Every IT Pro Must Master (Collection)
  • Author(s): Terry J. Fadem, Leigh Thompson, Jerry Weissman, Robert Follett, Stephen Robbins
  • Release date: October 2012
  • Publisher(s): Pearson
  • ISBN: 9780133353433