Harvard Business School Press

California Bookwatch, August, 2006

Harvard Business School Press

60 Harvard Way, Boston, MA 02163

www.HBSPress.org

If you're a business owner or manager, or a college-level business library, you can't ignore the importance of the message in George S. Day & Paul J.H. Schoemaker's PERIPHERAL VISION: DETECTING THE WEAK SIGNALS THAT WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR COMPANY (1422101541 $29.95). It's easy to ignore subtle signals which indicate change, future trends, and problems: PERIPHERAL VISION outlines such signals and how to recognize them as opportunities for advancement, offering five steps for improving such vision and broadening organizational flexibility. Less than 20 percent of firms have such vision: to stay ahead, you need it--which means you need PERIPHERAL VISION to show how. Peter H. Daly and Michael Watkins work with Cate Reavis in THE FIRST 90 DAYS IN GOVERNMENT: CRITICAL SUCCESS STRATEGIES FOR NEW PUBLIC MANAGERS AT ALL LEVELS (1591399556, $24.95). If you've just been promoted to a government leadership position for the first time, run--don't walk--to the bookstore for this next step in the process: it provides a proven framework for leadership, from clarifying expectations of the job and developing a successful strategy to clarifying short- and long-term priorities and goals and building a team. Many a private sector will find this equally useful, but the tips specific to public sector operations make it simply invaluable.