Books to Watch: September 2013

Is it really almost September? I feel like it was just yesterday that I was holding a flickering sparkler in one hand while sipping from a perspiring brown bottle of New Glarus. Well it's true; summer really is almost over. And as we page our way toward equinox, it seems that the fall releases just get better and better. I know you're busy and you can't read every new book that hits shelves (or eReaders) this fall, but here are a few you won't want to miss. Thinking in New Boxes by Luc de Brabandere September 10th / Random House / ISBN-13 9780812992953 Boston Consulting Group's Luc de Brabandere presents "a new paradigm for business creativity" with this new book. Thinking in New Boxes offers a five-step method for reshaping the way you think, in order to open the door to big ideas (call them innovations, if you must). To quote the book: "You can't think without boxes, so don't even try." Brabandere takes a well-educated, realistic approach to strategic thinking, and the result is quite convincing. The Passion Conversation by Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church, and John Moore August 26th / John Wiley & Sons / ISBN-13 9781118533338 The Brains of Fire team is back with a new volume of wisdom for marketers. Whether you already align yourself with "word of mouth" marketing philosophy and strategies or not, Robbin Phillips and associates have some inspiration for you. The Passion Conversation presents a few key examples of what can happen when you begin banking serious passion from your clientele. The payoff goes beyond warm fuzzies—prepare yourself. The 5 Essentials by Bob Deutsch, Ph.D September 3rd / Hudson Street Press / ISBN-13 9781594631221 The promotion for this book includes the following line: "Raise the bar to become the best version of you—and have fun doing it." Sounds pretty good, right? Doctor Bob Deutsch (Dr. Bob to friends and colleagues) offers a unique perspective on self-improvement. As it happens, Dr. Bob's 5 essentials are elements that you already possess, and this book is going to help you magnify your essential elements and enlarge your story. Great Work by David Sturt September 3rd / McGraw-Hill / ISBN-13 9780071818353 Everyone wants to have an impact—to do great work. But it's easy to get bogged down and overwhelmed by messaging that tells us we don't have what it takes to do the kind of work that turns heads and changes lives. If this has been your belief, David Sturt has some encouraging news for you. Drawing from an enormous well of research into award-winning work, Sturt and The O.C. Tanner Institute has uncovered some startling truths about where impactful work comes from.