!But w ords are things, and a sm all drop of ink - fa lling like dew , upon a thought , produces, that w hich m akes thousands, perhaps m illions, think’

Byron

The following are personally recom m ended books that are either specifically about em ot ional intelligence or those t hat we believe m ake an effect ive cont r ibut ion to personal developm ent and leadership effect iveness. Books are listed in author/ editor alphabet ical sequence rather than in any part icular order of preference or recom m endat ion. Please click the book cover to visit relevant site.

Form ula for Success: A core concept of m anagem ent

Lawrence Appley

We like Lawrence Appley’s def init ion of managem ent ( !Gett ing things done through other people’) because it says so sim ply what m any other def init ions st ruggle to say. But there is m ore to Appley than this, and in this seminal book he lays down four basic principles of m anagem ent that are also recognisably relevant to our beliefs. They are that m anagers (and leaders) should be:

responsive to an orderly approach (stop and think — the !red light ’ in 'Mindchange' )dependent upon unique skills and tools guided by a code of et hics cont rolled by disciplines

I t is too easy to think that all that we know about m anagem ent and leadership has been discovered in the last few years. Appley shows that m any of today’s ideas have been around for years and that the challenge is to put them into pract ice.

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Leading quietly

Joseph Badarraco

This is an uncom m on guide to comm on dilem m as, a pract ical, realist ic m odel for m aking tough leadership decisions in today's fast and fluid environm ent by Badaracco, a t rusted authorit y on business ethics and leadership. Present ing a new approach to leadership and ethics, this alternat ive guide is about exercising quiet m oral authorit y. !Leading Quiet ly ’ m akes the case that creat ive, pract ical approaches to everyday situat ions through everyday et hical choices are the essence of effect ive leadership. The book provides a toolkit for quiet leaders, laying out a fram ework for act ion with eightcounterintuit ive st rat egies for m aking et hical decisions.Each st rat egy is grounded in an engaging case study, showing leaders resolving (or failing to resolve) difficult problems. I ncludes surprising answers and

counterintuit ive approaches to “ doing the r ight thing” that include recognizing your own self- interest , buying t ime, and bending the rules.

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The Road to Audacity

Stephen Carter & Jerem y Kourdi

Being audacious and adventurous can be inspiring, but is often subm erged by concerns for com fort and securit y. The authors argue that to be successful in a m ore uncertain environm ent individuals and organizat ions need to adopt a m ore adventurous and audacious approach. The book uses exam ples and cases to show how to go about being m ore audacious and adventurous in our organizat ions and in ourselves.

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Understanding Emotional Intelligence in90 Minutes

Jan Childs

This is anot her in the "I n Ninet y Minutes" ser ies which offers the reader a com prehensive but easily readable and digest ible text covering a specific topic in an hour and a half of study. The concept of em ot ional intelligence as a tool for im proved personal and business perform ance is well established am ongst psychologists, academics, theorists and consultants. However, in the wider com munity it st ill has an air of mystery about it . This concise, pract ical guide explains both the theory and the pract ice in st raight forward term s which anyone can understand. Areas covered include: What is em ot ional intelligence?; Why is it im portant?; a 4-step process for developing em ot ional com pet ence; how to put it into pract ice, including: em ot ional engagem ent , em pathet ic listening, assert iveness without aggression, advanced com municat ion, and team m anagem ent / par t icipat ion; and, the benefit s of EQ - both to individuals and to organisat ions.

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MINDCHANGE: the power of emotionally intelligent leadership

Jan Childs & David Pardey

'MI NDCHANGE' is about challenging leaders at every level to develop and m aintain a mindset based on cont inually being open to learn and change, bot h at a personal and an interpersonal level, within a framework of fundam ental pr inciples, values and applied integrity whether within business, polit ics or the com munity. The authors challenge leadership pract ice that puts expediency and short- term 'quick wins' before et hics, integrity and the development of valued and long-term business and personal relat ionships, and advocat e not only personal benefit s for the people concerned, but also com m ercial profit and polit ical credibility through em ot ional competence (applied EQ) . This is a powerful book that will set new standards for personal and business conduct , put em ot ional intelligence at the forefront of decision m aking, and will persuade leaders to use em ot ional engagem ent equally with their intellectual cont r ibut ions.

For case studies, ar t icles and handouts, including leadership case study ext racts from !MI NDCHANGE’:

EQ REVI EW

!MI NDCHANGE' is recomm ended reading for delegates on MDP Managem ent Consultancy Ltd’s !EQ Execut ive Leadership’ program m e:

OVERVI EW

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The Other 90%: How to Unlock Your Vast Untapped Potential for Leadership & Life

Robert Cooper

Drawing from the latest research in neuroscience, perform ance psychology and work physiology, Robert Cooper, PhD shows how to find and use the 90% of our capacit y and brainpower that , for m any of us, lies dorm ant . The Other 90% explores what Dr Cooper calls the !Four Keystones’: Trust , Energy, Farsightedness and Nerve. This book shows how the m ost excit ing breakthroughs will come not from advances in technology, but from a deeper realisat ion of what it m eans to be m ost hum an and alive.

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Executive EQ: Emotional Intelligence in Business

Robert Cooper & Ayman Sawaf

I n recent years there have been a num ber of research studies and m anagem ent reports showing connect ions between var ious com petencies of em ot ional intelligence and bot tom - line business results. These include significant gains in revenue, product iv it y, innovat ion, team work and profitabilit y. Cost sav ings, reduced cycle t ime, greater m arket share, and increased t rust , loyalty and com mitm ent from co-workers, em ployees, custom ers and clients are further proven benefit s. Many people are beginning to realize that sim ply being blessed with a high I Q does not guarantee a path to career success. Em ot ional I ntelligence, or EQ, is equally, perhaps even m ore im portant . Knowing one's own em ot ions and cont rolling them , recognizing and understanding em ot ions in others and self-m ot ivat ion are the key dimensions of EQ. This pract ical book aim s to show you how to develop and apply EQ in your workplace. I t includes an EQ m ap for self-assessm ent .

!Execut ive EQ' is recom mended reading for delegat es on MDP Managem ent Consultancy Ltd’s !EQ Execut ive Leadership’ program m e:

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7 Habits of Highly Effective People

Stephen Covey

The 7 Habits of Highly Effect ive People is recognised as one of the m ost influent ial books ever writ ten. In this seminal work, Stephen R. Covey presents a holist ic, integrat ed, pr inciple-centred approach for solving personal and professional problem s. With penet rat ing insights and pointed anecdot es, Covey reveals a step-by-step pathway for liv ing with fairness, integrit y, honesty and hum an dignity - pr inciples that give us the securit y to adapt to change, and the wisdom and power to take advantage of the opportunit ies that change creat es. Translated into thirt y- four languages and with phenom enal sales, this book has been the key to the success of legions ofbusiness leaders and individuals the world over.

!7 Habits' is recom m ended reading for delegates on MDP Managem ent Consultancy Ltd’s !EQ Execut ive Leadership’ program m e:

OVERVI EW

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Em ot ions Revealed: Understanding Faces and Feelings

Paul Ekman

Using 40 years of groundbreaking research, Paul Ekm an explores why and when we becom e em ot ional and what happens when we do - the external signs and facial expressions. So much of what we com municat e is non-verbal. I n this very pract ical book, Paul Ekm an helps the reader to observe the underlying, concealed emot ions that we can observe in those around us, and understand why our bodies react in the ways they do. Em ot ions Revealed also helps the reader to ident ify why they m ight feel 'over ly ' em ot ional in som e situat ions, and why som e people wear their heart on their sleeve whilst others m anage to conceal their feelings, even from those close to them . Chapters include 'When do we get em ot ional?' 'Changing what we becom e em ot ional about ' as well as 'Anger ' 'Fear ', 'Surprise' and 'Happiness'. Most im portant ly, it shows how we can apply this understanding to everyday situat ions to improve our quality of life.

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Bully in Sight — How to predict, resist, challenge and combat workplace bullying

Tim Field

Bully in Sight is regarded as the world's leading book on bullying at work. Writ ten in non-academic plain English and based on hard-won pract ical experience, Tim Field wrote and published Bully in Sight in 1996, since when tens of thousands of people worldwide have benefited from its validat ion, insight and reassurance. Regularly described as a "Godsend" , a "bible" and " the best book on workplace bullying" , the book is packed with pract ical inform at ion, guidance and ant i-bully ing st rategies -em powering you to take posit ive, purposeful act ion by m aking sense of the nightm are of t rying to deal with an aggressive dysfunct ional m anager , co-worker or colleague.

Although m ilit ary and econom ic m easures often have been taken in an effort to contain terrorism and violent conflict s, long- term securit y cannot happen without dealing with the em ot ional dim ension of conflict . The ideas in !Beyond Reason’, by Roger Fisher and Dr Daniel Shapiro, are the foundat ion of a new Harvard init iat ive, “ I nternat ional Negot iat ion Init iat ive” ( I NI ) , HarvardNegot iat ion Project . aim ed at reducing global violence. This init iat ive researches the em ot ional dim ension of

Beyond Reason: Using Em ot ions as You Negot iate

Roger Fisher & Daniel Shapiro

t errorism and et hno polit ical conflict and offers pract ical ideas to im prove relat ions bet ween divided groups !Beyond Reason’ suggests that negot iat ion is key to hum an interact ion whether at work, hom e or even in the world of polit ics and looks at the psychological techniques that can be used to break deadlock and reach a deal that everyone can live with.

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Man’s search for meaning

Viktor Frankl

A prominent Viennese psychiatr ist before the war, Viktor Frankl was uniquely able to observe the way that both he and others in Auschwitz coped (or didn't ) with the experience. He not iced that it was the m en who com forted others and who gave away their last piece of bread who survived the longest - and who offered proof that everything can be taken away from us except the abilit y to choose our at t itude in any given set of circum stances. Only those who allowed their inner hold on their m oral and spiritual selves to subside eventually fell vict im to the cam p's degenerat ing influence - while those who m ade a victory of those experiences turned them into an inner t r iumph. Frankl came to believe m an's deepest desire is to search for m eaning and purpose.

For inform at ion on 2 websites that m ay be of interest , including reference to 'Man's Search for Meaning' , links as follows: ht tp: / / www.hypnos.co.uk/ hypnom ag/ pdurbin4.htmhttp: / / www.selfhelpnet work.com/ Pages/ Spiritualit yI nspirat ion.html(Links to these plus other websites of interest in EQ4U websites sect ion)Back to top

The Inner Game of Work: Overcoming Mental Obstacles for

This t it le provides principles and m ethods to help us cont rol negat ive influences such as fear of failure and self-cr it icism . The pr inciples have been adopted by m anagers and em ployees of som e of the world's largest com panies, and are a powerful tool for overcoming the inner obstacles to a fulf illing and rewarding career.

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Maximum Performance

Timothy Gallwey

Frames of Mind

Howard Gardner

Intelligences Reframed

Howard Gardner

Fram es of Mind and I ntelligence Refram ed by How ard Gardner

I f you’re st ill doubt ful that it ’s possible to talk about em ot ional intelligence, then these two books by Harvard Psychologist Howard Gardner should help to persuade you. Gardner has used the growing understanding of the brain that is the product of m odern neuroscience’s abilit y to m onitor it s working to develop his theory of m ult iple intelligences, including bot h inter-personal and intra-personal intelligence, both closely allied to the idea of em ot ional intelligence. Perhaps m ost im portant ly, Gardner has started from the perspect ive of debat ing the nature of intelligence and the criter ia that should be used to judge whether or not a part icular facult y can be called intelligence. Most significant ly, he shuns the approach that has dominat ed the I Q debate for years that focuses only on that which can be m easured, to argue that the abilit y to m easure a faculty as intelligence is not a condit ion for defining it as such.

Fram es of Mind is his or iginal ground-breaking book that develops his theory of m ult iple intelligence and I ntelligence Refram ed contains a series of essays that br ing his thinking up to date, including an overview of the effect of using the theory to as part of the educat ion of children.

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blink

Malcolm Gladwell

Malcolm Gladwell suggests that our unconscious m ind is able to find pat terns in situat ions and behaviour and m ake quick decisions based on very narrow slices of experience — a process he describes as !thin-slicing’. And educat ing our m inds to use sublim inal clues for fast problem solving can often be m ore effect ive than applying a prot racted, inform at ion loaded and analyt ical thinking process. A key m essage in !blink’ of interest to all leaders is that through t raining and pract ice, focused and rapid decision m aking ability can be learnt , including dealing effect ively with high st ress situat ions. The !Millennium Challenge — Paul Van Riper’s Big Victory’ , a story of intuit ive decision m aking in a war gam e exercise, will be of part icular interest to

m ilitary leaders.

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The Tipping Point

Malcolm Gladwell

The idea of !The Tipping Point ’ is quite sim ple. I t is that m any of the problem s we face - from cr im e to teenage delinquency to t raffic jam s - behave like epidem ics. They aren't linear phenom ena in the sense that they steadily and predictably change according to the level of effort brought to bear against them , but are capable of sudden and dram at ic changes in direct ion. Years of well-intent ioned intervent ion m ay have no im pact at all, yet the right intervent ion - at just the r ight t im e - can start a cascade of change. Many of the social ills that face us today, in other words, are as inherent ly volat ile as the epidem ics that periodically sweep through the hum an populat ion: lit t le things can cause them to 't ip' at any t ime and if we want to understand how to confront and solve them we have to understand what those 'Tipping Points'are. In this revolut ionary new study, Malcolm Gladwell explores the ram ificat ions of this. Not sim ply for polit icians and policy-m akers, his m et hod provides a new way of viewing everyday exper ience and enables us to develop st rat egies for everything from raising a child to running a com pany.

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Destructive Emotions and how to deal with them — a dialogue with the Dalai Lama

Narrated by Daniel Goleman

This work brings together ancient Buddhist wisdom and contem porary breakthroughs in a wide variet y of fields, from neuroscience to child developm ent , to offer insights into how we can recognize and t ransform the dest ruct ive em ot ions that pose grave dangers to our individual and collect ive fate. Out of a week long discussion between the Dalai Lam a and leading figures from the worlds of neuroscience and psychology, Golem an weaves together a narrat ive account of what the dest ruct ive emot ions are, where they com e from , how the child and then the adult brain is shaped, how these dest ruct ive em ot ions (craving, anger and delusion, known in Buddhism as the three poisons) can be t ransform ed and how they m ust be t ransformed if they are not to threat en hum anity 's collect ive safet y and it s future.

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The New Leaders

Daniel Golem an, Richard Boyatzis and Annie McKee

Golem an, the great populiser of em ot ional intelligence and Boyatzis, the m an who did m ore than anyone to develop the concept of m anagem ent com pet ences, com bine with McKee to develop six leadership styles that dem onst rate how em ot ional intelligence affects leadership behaviour. What they em phasise, that effect ive leadership is all about EQ, provides further ev idence for the im portance of developing your EQ in order to becom e effect ive as a leader.

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Emotional rollercoaster

Claudia Hammond

With the help of scient ists, art ists, therapists, philosophers and even the faithful prair ie vole, Claudia Hamm ond examines the physiological and sociological or igins of em ot ions. Why do we feel bet ter after a good cry? What m ight the length of your earlobes have to do with jealousy? Claudia Ham m ond takes nine universal em ot ions in turn and looks at the science behind them , com bining the latest theories and discoveries from neuroscient ists and psychologists with everyday hum an experience. In a highly entertaining and thought -provoking journey through the science of feelings, Em ot ional Rollercoaster asks how the brain and body interact to produce em ot ions, and what , if anything, we can do to harness them .

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Harvard Business Review on Leadership

What does it t ake to be a leader in a global econom y? In the face of the current worldwide econom ic slum p and recent internat ional upheaval, this quest ion has becom e increasingly difficult to answer. This collect ion of classic art icles by, am ongst ot hers, Henry Mintzberg and John Kot ter, is designed to help anyone new to the role of leadership, to ref lect on the nature of the role and the skills and behaviours they need. I t ’s probably t rue to say that there is m ore to challenge your thoughts about leadership in this collect ion than in m any books two or three t im es the size.

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The Leadership Challenge

James Kouzes and Barry Posner

Further proof, if proof is needed, that effect ive leadership is based upon a few, really im portant , behaviours. This best -selling book em phasises the importance of vision and values, of behaving in ways that ref lect those values, and of engaging people’s hearts and not just their minds. Building on the knowledge base of their prev ious books, the third edit ion of The Leadership Challenge is grounded in extensive research and based on interviews with all k inds of leaders at all levels in public and pr ivate organizat ions from around the world. I n this edit ion, the authors em phasize that the fundam entals of leadership are the sam e today as they were in the 1980s, and as they 've probably been for centur ies. This rev ised edit ion is designed for leaders in business, government , educat ion, com munit ies and all across societ y. I t focuses on leadership as a cr it ical aspect of hum an organizat ions and aim s to dem onst rate that leadership is everyone's business. This book features stories and the authors' personal insights into the fundam ental aspects of leadership.

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!You can change your life — a future different from the past w ith the Hoffm ann Process’

Tim Laurence

The Hoffm an Process is an intensive course of em ot ional healing now pract ised in 14 count ries around the world. The Process helps you face your dem ons from the past -often rooted in your childhood and upbringing - and forgive, heal and m ove on. A synthesis of Freud, Jung and other leading psychologists' work, the Process aim s to help you achieve: renewed enthusiasm for life; increased self-confidence; a clearer sense of purpose; greater spiritual ident it y; bet ter relat ionships with others; and relief from anger and depression.

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Group Dynamics for Teams

Daniel Levi

Although academic in places, this is ( in our view) by far the best overview of m ost of the research and writ ing about how people perform in team s, and why they behave that way. I f you are a m anager in an organisat ion that uses team s as the basis for its operat ions or want to int roduce team working into your organisat ion, then this is an ideal way of get t ing to grips with the wide range of issues that you need to address. Despite the lack of direct reference to EQ, the clear m essage of the book is the need to understand how relat ionships in teams are shaped by the need to be aware of others and their expectat ions and em ot ional react ions.

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The Field

Lynne McTaggart

A fascinat ing and intensely thought provoking book that could change the way you think about hum an connect ivity. First published in 2001, Lynne McTaggart ’s !The Field’ tells the story of respected front ier scient ists all over the globe who have produced ext raordinary evidence to show that an energy field - The Zero Point Field -connects everything in the universe, and we ourselves are part of this vast dynamic cobweb of energy exchange. The Field also reveals a radical new biological paradigm - that on our m ost fundam ental level, the hum an mind and body are not dist inct and separate from their environm ent , but a packet of pulsat ing energy constant ly interact ing with this vast energy sea. For associated web- links, go to !Websites’ sect ion: ht tp: / / www.eq4u.co.uk/ websites.htm

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Movement & Making Decisions

Carol- Lynne Moore

Along with the r ight physical working environm ent , const ruct ive (and enjoyable) working relat ionships are achieved and sustained by having the right people in the r ight roles who work effect ively as a team . This applies as m uch to the execut ive team as it does to the people involved in product ion or service delivery. The m anagem ent decision m aking profiles ident if ied as a result of m ovem ent analysis and the three stage fram ework of m anagem ent init iat ive out lined in !Movem ent and Making Decisions’ provides a pract ical m odel with the potent ial to influence personal and professional developm ent that cont ributes not only to m ore effect ive execut ive decisions but to bet ter physical and psychological health. The book provides overall, an insight ful overview of the theory and pract ice of

m ovem ent analysis and its im pact on working pract ices and product ivity from the perspect ives of both em ployers and em ployees. I t s part icular value is in cont ribut ing to a wider understanding of the relat ionship between psychological and physical health and the pot ent ial for achieving not only com m ercial benefits but a happier , healthier and m ore product ive workforce.

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Happiness — the science behind your sm ile

Daniel Net t le

Everybody wants it . But what exact ly is happiness? The pursuit of happiness has been recognized by everyone from poets to polit icians as what m akes the world go round. !Happiness — the science behind your sm ile’ is the first com prehensive book to address this m ost basic of hum an desires. Daniel Net t le explores why we want to be happy, how we assess our levels of happiness, and the different ways that happiness is interpret ed in different cultures. Using stat ist ical inform at ion from the Nat ional Child Developm ent Study, a project that has collected social and em ot ional data from thousands of people since 1958, Net t le shows the ways in which definit ions and sources of happiness have changed over t im e.

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Making a Difference

Bruce N ixon

This inspiring and pract ical book deserves to be read widely by leaders at every level, especially those at the top. I t is full of wisdom and comm on sense about how to lead strategic change, so essent ial in this era of rapid t ransform at ion and global compet it ion. I t is unusually honest , easy and enjoyable to read, with hardly any jargon and creat ive in it s approach. This ground-breaking, yet fr iendly and inclusive book is about t ransform at ion. In our global, technological age everyone is involved in t ransform at ion and innovat ion, be it in business, other t ypes of organisat ions, the world com munity, polit ics or the family. !Making a Difference’ provides ways of looking at things and tools to help people cope, thr ive, and play their unique par t , what ever it is, in leading, influencing and easing t ransform at ion - in short , how we can m ake a difference.

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Chasing Daylight : How My Forthcom ing Death Transform ed My Life

Eugene O’Kelly

!Before this light in my m ind faded and the shadows lengthened too m uch for m e to see anym ore. I chose at last to be m aster of my farewell’ - A m oving m em oir by one of the m ost powerful businessm en in America, who when diagnosed with brain cancer, described how his preparat ions for deat h taught him about his life. I t s inclusion on the booklist was inspired by an ext ract pr inted in the Tim es on 14th March. For link to Tim es Online — !booksfirst ’ sect ion: Click Here For an editorial review: Click Here

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Team Leading

David Pardey

(Foreword by John Adair)

How can a team achieve and even surpass it s goals? How can team m em bers work well toget her , be happy in doing so, yet st ill respect the needs of individuals? These are just a few of the topics tackled by Leading Teams. I f you are a team leader — or aspire to that role — Team Leading fills in m any of the det ails about the nature of teams and team leadership and the range of skills and knowledge you need to be able to be effect ive in the role. Writ ten specifically to m eet the requirem ents of the I LM Cert if icate in Team Leading, the book also m eets the needs of anyone want ing to develop their all round perform ance in this dem anding role.

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The Effective Director: The Essential Guide to Director and Board Development

Although m ost directors are experienced, well-qualified m anagers, m any find that when they are appointed to the board there is lit t le guidance available to them about their new role. This volume offers advice on what a board of directors is supposed to do. Using extensive real- life case studies from indust ry, business and the not - for-profit sectors, the writers show how to develop the director role and im prove the working m et hods of the board as a whole. Quizzes, t ick boxes and bullet points appear throughout the text .

!The Effect ive Director ' is recomm ended reading for delegat es on MDP Managem ent Consultancy Ltd’s !EQ

Edited by Chris Pierce Execut ive Leadership’ program me:

OVERVI EW

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The Trouble with Testosterone

Robert Sapolsky

Professor of biology and neuroscience at Stanford Universit y and author of !Why zebra don’t get ulcers’ , Robert Sapolsky’s !The Trouble with Testosterone’ is a wit t y, authoritat ive and engaging collect ion of essays about the hum an condit ion. Chapter t it les such as !How big is yours?’ and !t he night you ruined your pyjam as’ (about recognising kinship in neurochemist ry) and (about biology and societ y) respect ively, analyse the links between biology and hum an behaviour in an enter taining and inform at ive way.

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W hy Zebras Don’t get Ulcers

Robert Sapolsky

The third edit ion of Robert M. Sapolsky's !Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers’ features new chapters on how st ress affects sleep and addict ion, as well as new insights into anxiety and personality disorder and the im pact of spiritualit y on m anaging st ress. As Sapolsky explains, the diseases we fear are illnesses brought on by the slow accum ulat ion of dam age, such as heart disease and cancer . When we worry or experience st ress, our body turns on the sam e physiological responses that an anim al's does, but we do not resolve conflict in the sam e way - through fight ing or fleeing. Over t im e, this act ivat ion of a st ress response m akes us literally sick. Com bining cut t ing-edge research with a healthy dose of good hum our and pract ical advice, Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers explains how prolonged stress causes or intensifies a range of physical and mental afflict ions, including depression, ulcers, colit is, heart disease, and more. I t also provides essent ial guidance to cont rolling our st ress responses.

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The Fifth Discipline —

The Art & Practice of the Learning Organisation

Peter Senge

Occasionally there is a book that has such an im pact that thinking on m anagem ent and leadership is changed significant ly. The Fifth Discipline will possibly be seen, in years to com e as just such a book. Senge argues that there are five disciplines (Personal m astery, m ental m odels, building shared vision, team learning and — the fift h - system s thinking) that com bine to enable organisat ions to learn and develop. The issues he addresses are very similar to those of need to be self-aware and aware of others, to be able to com municat e with others and be reflect ive to m ake things happen. The Fifth Discipline is about why organisat ions need people with these abilit ies, whereas 'MI NDCHANGE' ( the Jan Childs & David Pardey book listed above) is about what you can do to develop the skills needed to pract ice m any of Senge’s disciplines.

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Mind-Body Medicine —

A Clinician's Guide to Psychoneuroimmunology

Edited by Alan Watkins

(You may this book surprising as a recommendation, but despite the fact that it’s written ostensibly for clinicians, it provides a valuable insight into the links between psychological and physical health that is of relevance to us all .)

Psychoneuroim munology (PNI ) or mind-body m edicine is an exploding area of interest in the USA and is becoming of increasing interest worldwide. New and excit ing research from both these fields shows that percept ions and em ot ions direct ly affect immunity and health. This book assesses the research in this area and assesses the im plicat ions of PNI and it s applicat ion to general m edical pract ice. I t looks at the evidence support ing the concept that mind-body connect ions have an im pact on the developm ent and progress of illness, and at how health care providers can take advantage of this ev idence to im prove the well-being of their pat ients. This is a pract ical text and reference which gives a good general int roduct ion to the concept of m ind-body m edicine as it has developed to date.

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Human Instinct

Robert Winston

Whether we recognize it or not , inst inct shapes our daily lives. I t fashions the decisions we m ake m om ent to m om ent and our interact ion with the people around us. From the am bit ion to be successful in our careers to what we will have for lunch today, inst inct is the invisible m ot ivat ing force that shapes our world. Our inst incts have been program m ed into us since the dawn of m odern m an. They played a huge role in our successful evolut ion as a species. The fight or flight response and the dr ive to reproduce were crucial to the survival of our cavem an ancestors. But how well do these inst incts, our m ost basic m odes of interact ing with the world, equip us for m odern life? We are driven to pursue m at erial wealth and status. We have an innat e im pulse to find a m at e, to fight to protect our young and to find food and shelter. Do our inst incts help or hinder us as we deal with large anonym ous cit ies, low- level st ress, fast food, addict ive drugs, and the fracturing of com munal life? In "Hum an I nst inct " , which accom panies a BBC1 television series, Robert Winston takes us to the forefront of m odern science in search of the answers to these quest ions and m ore. Through this accessible and entertaining scient ific journey we explore our inst incts and gain a deeper insight into the wonderful com plexit y of hum an nature.

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The Luck Factor:

The Scientific Study of the Lucky Mind

Richard Wiseman

Why do som e people lead happy successful lives whilst other face repeated failure and sadness? Why do som e find their perfect partner whilst ot hers stagger from one broken relat ionship to the next? What enables som e people to have successful careers whilst apparent ly similar others find them selves t rapped with jobs they detest? And can unlucky people do anything to im prove their luck -and lives? Ten years ago, Dr Richard Wisem an decided to search for the elusive luck factor by invest igat ing the actual beliefs and experiences of lucky and unlucky people. Looking at the result s, Wisem an was able to ident ify four m ain factors which explained living a lucky and unlucky life. He was then able to show a group of people that considered them selves unlucky, how to think and behave like lucky people. The result s were astounding with alm ost all part icipants report ing significant life changes: including increased levels of luck, self-esteem , physical well-being, confidence and success. In this study of luck, Dr Wisem an not only ident if ies !The Luck Factor ’, but shows us how we can all br ing m ore luck into our lives.

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An Open Heart: Practising Compassion in Everyday Life - The Dalai Lama

Edited by Nicholas Vreeland

I n the Dalai Lam a's own words: " it is m y hope that the reader of this sm all book will t ake away a basic understanding of Buddhism and som e of the key m ethods by which Buddhist pract it ioners have cult ivated com passion and wisdom in their lives. The m ethods discussed have been taken from three sacred texts of Buddhism . I would like to st ress at the outset , however, that one doesn't have to be a Buddhist to make use of these m editat ion techniques. Meditat ion is m erely the process whereby we gain cont rol over the mind and guide it in a m ore virtuous direct ion. Meditat ion may also be thought of as a technique by which we diminish the force of old thought habit s and develop new ones. Yet the techniques them selves do not lead to enlightenm ent or a com passionat e and open heart . That is up to you, and the effort and m ot ivat ion you br ing to your spiritual pract ice".

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