Carrie's Busy Nothings: On My Nightstand...

...you will find:

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

The People Project: Your Guide for Changing Behavior and Growing Your Influence as a Leader by Steve Laswell

What are YOU reading?

{In Review}

Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want

by Beverly L. Kaye & Julie Winkle Giulioni

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book because I have had the honor of working with Julie since June. Julie is a genuinely delightful person, and I've been impressed by the fact that she practices what she preaches in this book. She has continually offered encouragement, kind suggestions, and advice as we have moved through the book promotion process, and I'm delighted that I have had the opportunity to get to know her in a professional capacity.

Initially, I was skeptical about reading Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go because I didn't hold a management title, nor did I work in a "normal" business environment, so I wasn't sure how it could be of use to me. And since I believe in being totally honest, the only reason I started reading it at all was because I felt that I could promote it better if I had a general idea of what it was about. I certainly did not expect to be sucked in by it, but that's exactly what happened!

Yes, I now have a close association with the book and the author, but I'm recommending Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go because I actually enjoyed it. Although I do not currently hold a position of leadership, I closed the back cover with lots of new ideas swirling around in my head. Even though I don't have a "management" title, the ideas conveyed in Help Them Grow can be applied in other life situations - including mentoring (whether official or casual), in church positions (like the missions committee that I have chaired for the last two years), or even from a leading-up standpoint.

Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go has a complete lack of technical jargon, and uses a down-to-earth, practical tone throughout the book. Kaye and Giulioni bring the theory of leadership into the realistic realm of day-to-day work, dealing with the usual time constraints and an understanding that projects still have deadlines, but point out that employees still need to grow. I've read books on leadership before, but this was the first one that I felt was truly geared for the needs of the average Joe or Jane, giving ideas and starting points that can be easily incorporated in the workplace.

Help Them Grow or Watch Them Go: Career Conversations Employees Want is launching on Tuesday, September 18th, and will be available for purchase at bookstores everywhere, and online at Amazon.com. I highly recommend that you circle the date on your calendar and pick up a copy on launch day. Trust me, it's worth it!

Julie, thank you for allowing me to be a part of the process. It has been an honor.