Retreats That Work

Praise for Nonprofit Boards That Work «This book offers a refreshing and candid look at the challenges of nonprofit boards. It moves away from theoretical frameworks to take you inside the real world of nonprofit organizations. . . . A must for any executive director who needs reassurance that building effective boards is tough work, but well worth the effort.»-Sherry Rockey, Executive Director, International Women's Media Foundation «Maureen Robinson is uniquely qualified to help us understand the issues related to boards that are effective, those that are not, and why. It is certain that board members, potential board members, and executive directors who read this book will better understand their roles and responsibilities, and will be better able to avoid common pitfalls. As a result, the impact of their efforts on those whom their organizations exist to serve will be enhanced.»-Ron Burkard, Executive Director, World Neighbors As more than 10 million people in the United States alone say yes to board service, they also expect to see their time and talents used effectively. This invaluable book presents a straightforward approach to understanding the role of the board, tailoring its work to meet the needs of specific organizations, and creating a culture of board productivity that makes participation rewarding for board members as well as the organizations they serve. Nonprofit Boards That Work: * Distinguishes between theory and practice and encourages boards to explore how they genuinely add value to the work of the organization * Goes beyond the hows and whys of nonprofit governance to provide frank advice and real-world examples of what works, what doesn't, what requires a miracle, and what can be achieved through diligent and deliberate effort * Offers practical yet flexible strategies that can be tried by any nonprofit board, whatever its current effectiveness . . . and much more to guide nonprofit organizations and their boards toward accomplishing the goals they seek.

Virtual Teams That Work offers a much-needed, comprehensive guidebook for business leaders and managers who want to create the organizational conditions that will help virtual teams thrive. Each chapter in this important book focuses on best practices and includes case studies and illustrative examples from a wide variety of companies, including British Petroleum, Lucent Technologies, Ramtech, SoftCo, and Whirlpool Corporation. These real-life examples demonstrate how the principles identified in the book play out within virtual teams. Virtual Teams That Work shows how organizations can put in place the structure to help team members who speak different languages and have different cultural values develop effective ways of communicating when there is little opportunity for the members to meet face-to-face. The authors also reveal how organizations can implement performance management and reward systems that will motivate team members to cooperate across multiple boundaries. And they offer the information to determine which technologies best fit a variety of virtual-team tasks and the level of information technology support needed.

Use cognitive diversity to your advantage and transform your organization Work That Works is a guide to building better teams and an exceedingly positive workplace culture. Based on the tools and principles of Emergenetics, this book helps you improve communication, connection, and performance through an enlightening process of self-discovery and sharing. You'll discover the unique combination of strengths you bring to the table, and understand the power of your Thinking and Behavioral Preferences to gain greater clarity and a better understanding of your skills, habits and behavior. As people understand and share their Profiles, the real magic happens—teams can be built synergistically, and team members can collaborate more effectively by «borrowing another person's brain.» Cognitive diversity is a given whenever a group of people work together toward a common goal; the critical factor is whether those differences become an obstacle or a catalyst. By bringing each person's «true self» to light, you provide a window through visible elements of diversity and shine a light on their gifts—and it's only then that those gifts can be leveraged to their utmost capacity. Dr. Geil Browning's second book outlines this process of discovery, effective communication, using thoughtful language, addressing challenges and instituting long-term behavioral change. By honoring the Preferences and Attributes of all employees, you lay the groundwork for enhanced performance and engagement. Learn how changing your language changes your thought patterns, and eventually leads to changes in behavior Dig into the real differences between you and your co-workers at the cognitive and behavioral levels Discover the strengths each person brings to the table, and synergize those strengths to collaborate more effectively Learn how to apply these same principles to social activities and family life to improve all communications and connections Work That Works provides a blueprint for the transformation, and the practical guidance you need to build a better organization.

For classroom teachers at all levels, here is a unique collection of practical, proven-effective techniques and ready-to-use tools for managing classroom behavior and creating the positive environment that students and teachers need to promote learning. Each classroom-tested strategy is presented in a simple-to-use format for quick reference that shows: What the technique or idea is, Why you need it, and How to make it work. Plus, the techniques are complemented by support ideas, time-saving reproducible forms, lively illustrations, and interesting, reproducible quote about teaching. For easy to use, it s all printed in a big, 8-1/2" x 11" lay-flat format for easy photocopying and its organized into 10 sections: PHILOSOPHY provides a philosophical framework for the strategies presented in the book, such as «The Three C s of Teaching.» KNOW YOU «CLIENTS» features activities and surveys, including «Icebreaker: Backpack Introductions» and the «student Survey,» to help you learn about your students and their needs. HOME AND SCHOOL gives you support ideas and reproducible forms for improving the home school connection, such as «Newsletters» and «Parent Homework Letter.» THE FIRST WEEK OF SCHOOL offers tops and ready-to-use tools for getting the school year off to a positive start, including «Classroom Rules Checklist» and «Classroom Welcome Sign.» VOCABULARY presents effective techniques for modifying student behavior, such as «Grandma s Law,» which motivates students with a payoff («desert») for completing a task. TECHNIQUE, STRATEGIES, AND GOOD IDEAS is packed with easy-to-use ideas, including «Noise Level Control» and «One-Minute Correction,» for solving discipline problems. TEACHING SKILLS provides practical procedures that enhance your teaching and decrease disruptive behavior, such as «Transition Time» to reduce the time spent between activities and a «Teacher Self-Assessment» to help you evaluate and improve your teaching techniques. GREAT «LITTLE GEMS» offers a variety of helpful discipline and teaching strategies. For example, «Token Economies» shows you how to use a pint system to reward good behavior. SURVIVAL SKILLS gives you invaluable ideas for conserving energy and relieving stress, such as «Crisis Management» and the «24-Hour Rule» for handling difficult situations. FORMS features time-saving, reproducible forms, including «Substitute Teacher Form,» «Office Discipline Ticket,» and «Student/Teacher/Parent Action Contract.» In short, One-Minute Discipline is a practical guide providing effective, easy-to-implement approaches to the many classroom management and discipline challenges that teaches face every day.

This fun and friendly book looks at real-life PR stunts that will blow your mind and inspire you to develop innovative and creative ways to get your company noticed. PR guru Peter Shankman chronicles the most ridiculous, outrageous, and possibly crazy PR stunts of all time—explaining why some work and others don’t. This is a funny, insightful guide to winning the PR game.

Finally, the first research-based book of sound strategies and best practices to help instructors motivate students to complete their online courses. Although studies support the effectiveness of learning online, students often fail to complete online courses. Some studies have found that as many as 50–70% drop out of their online courses or programs. Retention is not only a growing expectation and imperative, but it is also as opportunity for faculty members to take the lead in innovating, researching, and implementing new strategies while demonstrating their effectiveness. Designed for instructors and instructional designers, Motivating and Retaining Online Students is filled with empirical research from the authors’ study of motivation and retention strategies that can reduce online learner dropout. Focusing on the most important issues instructors face, such as course design; student engagement and motivation; and institutional, instructional, and informal student support strategies, the book provides effective online strategies that help minimize student dropout, increase student retention, and support student learning. While helping to improve the overall retention rates for educational institutions, the strategies outlined in the book also allow for student diversity and individual learner differences. Lehman and Concei??o’s proven model gives instructors an effective approach to help students persist in online courses and succeed as learners.

Trading Rules that Work introduces you to twenty-eight essential rules that can be shaped to fit any trading approach—whether you’re dealing in stocks, commodities, or currencies. Engaging and informative, Trading Rules that Work outlines the deeper psychology behind each of these accepted trading rules and provides you with a better understanding of how to make those rules work for you.

A straightforward guide to successfully trading options Options provide traders and investors with a wide range of strategies to lock in profits, reduce risk, generate income, or speculate on market direction. However, they are complex instruments and can be difficult to master if misunderstood. No-Hype Options Trading offers the straight truth on how to trade the options market. In it, author Kerry Given provides realistic strategies to consistently generate income every month, while debunking many myths about options trading that tend to lead retail traders astray. Along the way, he makes a conscious effort to avoid complex strategies that are appropriate only for market makers or professional traders, and instead focuses on low-risk strategies that can be easily implemented and managed by a part-time trader. Shows how you can use option spreads in conjunction with stocks to produce a regular stream of income Each chapter includes exercises to help you master the material presented Examines how you can adjust option positions as market conditions change in order to maintain an optimal risk/reward profile Written for anyone interested in successfully trading options, this reliable resource cuts through the hype and misinformation that surrounds options trading and presents a realistic path to profits.

Organization structures do not fail, says Jay Galbraith, but management fails at implementing them correctly. This is why, he explains, the idea that the matrix does not work still exists today, even among people who should know better. But the matrix has become a necessary form of organization in today's business environment. Companies now know that if they have multiple product lines, do business in multiple countries, and serve many customer segments through a variety of channels, there is no way they can avoid some kind of a matrix structure and the question most are asking is «How do we learn how to operate the matrix effectively?» In Designing Matrix Organizations That Actually Work, Galbraith answers this and other questions as he shows how to make a matrix work effectively.

Projects can go over budget, exceed deadlines, or deliver restricted features and quality. This can result in economic damage for companies and their clients. The difficulties arise at source. Established metrics and management methods slow projects down by creating conflicts in operations and decision-making. A radically new approach is needed; one that features • simple, constraint-oriented management, • clear, robust priorities, • company-wide rather than locally focused optimization, • a focus on speed, on ProjectsFlow. Discover how you can: • complete more projects with the same amount of resources, • reliably deliver all projects to specs, • significantly shorten project lead times.