Rajiv J. Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation and former administrator of President Barack Obama's United States Agency for International Development, shares a dynamic new model for creating large scale change, inspired by his own involvements with some of the largest humanitarian projects of our time. Rajiv J. Shah is no stranger to pulling off the impossible, from helping vaccinate 900 million children at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to a high-pressure race against the clock to stop the spread of Ebola. His secret? A big bets philosophy--the idea that seeking to solve problems rather than make incremental improvements can attract the unlikely partners with the power and know-how to achieve transformational change. Part career sweeping memoir, part inspirational playbook, Big Bets offers a master class in decision-making, leadership, and changing the world one bet at a time. Shah animates his strategic insights with vivid behind-the-scenes stories, memorable conversations with household names that helped shape his approach to creating change, and his own personal growth as an Indian-American from an immigrant family looking for a way to belong. He distills his battle-tested strategies for creating change, arguing that big bets have a surprising advantage over cautious ones: a bold vision can attract support, collaborations, and fresh ideas from key players who might otherwise be resistant. Throughout the book, Shah traces his unlikely path to the Rockefeller Foundation across a changing world and through some of the most ambitious, dramatic global efforts to create a better world.

Big Bets: How Large-Scale Change Really Happens

Business & Money

Shah, Rajiv

Management & Leadership

Simon Element / Simon Acumen

Think Faster, Talk Smarter: How to Speak Successfully When You're Put on the Spot

Develop the life-changing ability to excel in spontaneous communication situations--from public speaking to interviewing to networking--with these essential strategies from a Stanford lecturer, coach, and host of the popular Think Fast, Talk Smart The Podcast. Many of us dread having to convey our ideas to others, often feeling ill-equipped, anxious, and awkward. Public speaking experts help by focusing on planned communication experiences such as slide presentations, pitches, or formal talks. Yet, most of our professional and personal communication occurs in spontaneous situations that creep up on us and all too often leave us flustered and stumbling for words. How can we rise to the occasion and shine when we're put on the spot? In Think Faster, Talk Smarter, Stanford lecturer, podcast host, and communication expert Matt Abrahams provides tangible, actionable skills to help even the most anxious of speakers succeed when speaking spontaneously. Abrahams provides science-based strategies for managing anxiety, responding to the mood of the room, and making content concise, relevant, compelling, and memorable. Drawing on stories from his clients and students, he offers best practices for navigating Q&A sessions, shining in job interviews, providing effective feedback, making small talk, fixing faux pas, persuading others, and handling other impromptu speaking tasks. Whether it's a prospective client asking you an unexpected question during a meeting or all eyes turning to you at a dinner party, you'll know how to navigate the situation like a pro and bring out your very best. Think Faster, Talk Smarter is an accessible guide to communication that will help you master new techniques in no time.

Abrahams, Matt

Personal Finance

In the vein of Get Good with Money and The Black Girl's Guide to Financial Freedom, an accessible, witty, and necessary guide from the beloved creator of The Broke Black Girl that addresses the unique financial issues of Black women and others shut out of traditional finance conversations. Dasha Kennedy grew up in a family where finances were not discussed. At fifteen, she already had bad money habits that would follow her into adulthood. At nineteen, she realized that the Fortune 500 executives who promote financial literary did not look or sound anything like her. And she knew she couldn't be the only person who felt as lost and overlooked as she did when it came to money management. So, she started the website The Broke Black Girl and discovered an entire community of people who were desperate for money advice and understanding. Now, Kennedy provides the ultimate user-friendly resource, featuring engaging and relatable stories from her own personal finance journey. With actionable advice and an engaging voice, she helps us take control, move past shame and anxiety, build family wealth in a single generation, and become financially independent forever.

Moving Beyond Broke: The Power of Perseverance in Personal Finance

Kennedy, Dasha

Economics

A comprehensive, step-by-step guide to creating a forward-thinking blueprint for dynamic company growth from executive chairman of the internationally renowned wealth management firm Investcorp, Mohammed Alardhi. In 2015, when Mohammad Alardhi became the executive chairman of Investcorp, a leading global manager of alternative investments, he arrived with a transformative mindset that would set the company on a path to unprecedented growth. Within three years of Alardhi taking control of the company, their wealth management grew from $10B to $25B, and three years after that, it had grown to a remarkable $42B. After seven years under Alardhi's leadership, Investcorp was managing an astounding $50B in wealth. In Connecting to the Future, Alardhi speaks candidly about the big thinking needed to succeed at such a large scale. From setting bold goals for your organization to questioning the status quo to recognizing that your greatest asset will always be a motivated and passionate team, he walks you through his blueprint not just for growth but for leadership, awareness, and fundamental change. The challenge Alardhi describes in Connecting to the Future is familiar to every business leader: adapt or die. But Alardhi also answers the perennial question of how to not just succeed, but to exceed expectations on your way to continually redefining your company's strength.

Connecting to the Future: A Blueprint for Dynamic Leadership

Alardhi, Mohammed

Finance

For fans of Billion Dollar Whale and Going Infinite and from the Time correspondent who covered this remarkable story, a perceptive, eye-opening chronicle of the human side of the fallout from the cryptocurrency bubble. As cryptocurrency rose in popularity during the pandemic, new converts bought into the idea that crypto would not only make them rich, but usher in imminent revolutions across art, finance, politics, and gaming. This male-dominated, overhyped industry caught the zeitgeist through people like FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried, now convicted of one of the most calamitous acts of financial fraud of the last century. During his meteoric rise, Bankman-Fried outflanked idealists in the movement like Vitalik Buterin, who sought to use his creation Ethereum to build fairer systems. But Bankman-Fried's growth-obsessed, by-any-means approach to crypto proved far more intriguing to people who just wanted to get rich--which led to the creation of a slew of insanely risky financial instruments that mirrored those of the 2008 financial crisis. Now, based on in-depth reporting and research within an extensive network in the global crypto community, the full, shocking story of the battle for crypto's soul is revealed as never before. Engaging and accessible, Cryptomania reveals the wrenching human cost of this economic and cultural meltdown--from the conmen and eccentrics driving the bubble to the victims caught up in their current.

Cryptomania: Hype, Hope, and the Fall of FTX's Billion-Dollar Fintech Empire

Chow, Andrew R

This accessible guide expands upon the "well-written, cogent, and useful" (David Allen, author of Getting Things Done) bestselling Building a Second Brain with actionable advice on how to improve your digital life in just a few minutes. Living a modern life requires juggling a ton of information. But we were never taught how to manage this information effectively so that we can find what we need when we need it. In The PARA Method, Tiago Forte outlines a simple and intuitive four-step system that will help us sort all the information flooding our brains into four major categories--Projects, Areas, Resources, and Archives--allowing us to manage our commitments while achieving our goals and dreams. -Projects are specific, short-term efforts that you are actively working on with a certain goal in mind, such as completing a website or renovating your bathroom. -Areas are the larger, ongoing areas of responsibility (health, finances, etc.) that encompass those specific projects. -Resources include content on a range of topics you're interested in or that could be useful for your projects and areas. -Archives include anything from the previous three categories that is now inactive, but you want to save for future reference. With his easy-to-understand and engaging voice, Forte outlines his best practices and tips on how to successfully implement PARA, along with deep dives on everything from how to adopt habits to stay organized to how to use this system to enhance your focus. The PARA Method can be implemented in just seconds but has the power to transform the trajectory of your work and life using the power of digital organization.

The PARA Method: Simplify, Organize, and Master Your Digital Life

Forte, Tiago

In the vein of #Girlboss and Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, discover how to thrive at work from the head of the Global Innovation Coalition for Change at UN Women with this “passionate, practical roadmap for addressing inequality and finally making our workplaces work for women” (Arianna Huffington). For years, we’ve been telling women that in order to succeed at work, they have to change themselves first—lean in, negotiate like a man, don’t act too nice or you’ll never get the corner office. But after sixteen years working with major Fortune 500 companies as a gender equality expert, Michelle King has realized one simple truth—the tired advice of fixing women doesn’t fix anything. The truth is that workplaces are gendered; they were designed by men for men. Because of this, most organizations unconsciously carry the idea of an “ideal worker,” typically a straight, white man who doesn’t have to juggle work and family commitments. Based on King’s research and exclusive interviews with major companies and thought leaders, The Fix reveals why denying the fact that women are held back just because they are women—what she calls gender denial—is the biggest obstacle holding women back at work and outlines the hidden sexism and invisible barriers women encounter at work every day. Women who speak up are seen as pushy. Women who ask for a raise are seen as difficult. Women who spend hours networking don’t get the same career benefits as men do. Because women don’t look like the ideal worker and can’t behave like the ideal worker, they are passed over for promotions, paid less, and pushed out of the workforce, not because they aren’t good enough, but because they aren’t men. In this fascinating and empowering book, King outlines the invisible barriers that hold women back at all stages of their careers, and provides readers with a clear set of takeaways to thrive despite the sexist workplace, as they fight for change from within. Gender equality is not about women, and it is not about men—it is about making workplaces work for everyone. Together, we can fix work, not women.

The Fix: Overcome the Invisible Barriers That Are Holding Women Back at Work

King, Michelle P.

Business Culture

A guide to successful community moderation exploring everything from the trenches of Reddit to your neighborhood Facebook page. Don't read the comments. Old advice, yet more relevant than ever. The tools we once hailed for their power to connect people and spark creativity can also be hotbeds of hate, harassment, and political division. Platforms like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter are under fire for either too much or too little moderation. Creating and maintaining healthy online communities isn't easy. Over the course of two years of graduate research at MIT, former tech journalist and current product manager Anika Gupta interviewed moderators who'd worked on the sidelines of gamer forums and in the quagmires of online news comments sections. She's spoken with professional and volunteer moderators for communities like Pantsuit Nation, Nextdoor, World of Warcraft guilds, Reddit, and FetLife. In How to Handle a Crowd, she shares what makes successful communities tick - and what you can learn from them about the delicate balance of community moderation. Topics include: -Building creative communities in online spaces -Bridging political division--and creating new alliances -Encouraging freedom of speech -Defining and eliminating hate and trolling -Ensuring safety for all participants- -Motivating community members to action How to Handle a Crowd is the perfect book for anyone looking to take their small community group to the next level, start a career in online moderation, or tackle their own business's comments section.

How to Handle a Crowd: The Art of Creating Healthy and Dynamic Online Communities

Gupta, Anika

Business Development & Entrepreneurship

Thrive in your career with this radical, future-proofed approach to work in a world where automation, globalization, and downsizing are an urgent and threatening reality—from experts in workplace mental health, Gabriella Kellerman, CPO of BetterUp, and world-renowned psychologist Martin Seligman.\nIn recent years, workplace toxicity, industry volatility, and technology-driven turnover have threatened the psychological well-being of employees. When we can’t flourish at work, both personal success and corporate productivity suffer. As we sit on the cusp of some of the most turbulent economic changes in history, many of us wonder how we can not only survive but flourish in our careers.\nNow, Tomorrowmind provides essential plans and actionable advice for facing the uncertain future of work. With in-depth and clear-eyed evidence, it offers key skills on everything from resilience and innovation to social connection and foresight. Cultivate a workplace that fosters connection and meaning for yourself or your employees with this timely and crucial guide that is destined to inspire generations of workers.

Tomorrowmind: Thriving at Work with Resilience, Creativity, and Connection―Now and in an Uncertain Future

Seligman, Martin E.P.

Kellerman, Gabriella Rosen

Building a Second Brain: A Proven Method to Organize Your Digital Life and Unlock Your Creative Potential

A revolutionary approach to enhancing productivity, creating flow, and vastly increasing your ability to capture, remember, and benefit from the unprecedented amount of information all around us. For the first time in history, we have instantaneous access to the world's knowledge. There has never been a better time to learn, to contribute, and to improve ourselves. Yet, rather than feeling empowered, we are often left feeling overwhelmed by this constant influx of information. The very knowledge that was supposed to set us free has instead led to the paralyzing stress of believing we'll never know or remember enough. Now, this eye-opening and accessible guide shows how you can easily create your own personal system for knowledge management, otherwise known as a Second Brain. As a trusted and organized digital repository of your most valued ideas, notes, and creative work synced across all your devices and platforms, a Second Brain gives you the confidence to tackle your most important projects and ambitious goals. Discover the full potential of your ideas and translate what you know into more powerful, more meaningful improvements in your work and life by Building a Second Brain.

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Simon Element / Simon Acumen publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Simon Element / Simon Acumen