Are you a leader who is tired of your time, attention, and energy getting devoured by team drama? Gossip. Infighting. Complaints. Cliques. Drama is what occurs when team members aren't given the tools or support they need to rise above stress, selfishness, and disagreements. Team drama wreaks havoc on organizational health. It damages morale, productivity, engagement, and retention. Drama leads to customer complaints, lost revenue, and a talent exodus. It also sucks the life out of every manager it touches, monopolizing their time and obliterating their spirit. This is why leaders at every level, in every industry, have a duty to build team unity and prevent team drama. No More Team Drama deftly merges research in psychology, organizational development, and employee engagement with the author's practical experience training front-line leaders from all over the U.S. The result is an indispensable manual on improving the quality of interactions between employees in the workplace. Cure for the Common Leader author Joe Mull describes exactly how to transform a group of employees into a band of collaborators committed to working hard, getting along, and wowing customers. In other words: No. More. Team. Drama. -------- "Yes, yes, yes! Joe has smartly and frankly addressed behaviors that suck the energy out of so many at work, providing us all credible, doable fixes. No More Team Drama should be required for anyone serious about creating healthy company cultures!" - Suzanne Malausky, Director of Culture and Talent Management, MedExpress, an Optum Company "Using proven ideas and presented in a real-world, read-it-and-use-it format, No More Team Drama is a treasure trove of resources and expert ideas to improve employee engagement, customer experience, and co-worker connections." - Vicki Hess, Author, Shift to Professional Paradise and 6 Shortcuts to Employee Engagement "I spent 20 years leading professional baseball organizations. I can attest that this book explains simply how to develop a workforce that models the best, most successful teams in sports. Joe mixes Gladwell-like stories and research with real-world experiences, so that you learn how to develop workplace teams that get along, while getting the job done." - Skip Weisman, Author, Overcoming The 7 Deadliest Communication SINs: A New Standard for Workplace Communication

New York Times bestselling author and leadership trainer says: Getting your employees to do their work shouldn't have to be so much, well, work!

Choice. Power. Speed. Today's leaders continually face these forces. But with too many choices, too much power, and too much speed, leaders often make decisions in a heightened state of emotion (and drama). Hasty decisions are often poor ones and in this climate there is no place to hide. Privacy is a thing of the past; the days of covering up or ignoring a problem are over. In today's transparent culture, the decision making of leaders is more vulnerable then ever-and it is more critical than ever to get it right. Marlene Chism's No-Drama Leadership introduces just the model the corporate world needs. Using case studies, checklists, and examples from various levels of hierarchy in leadership and from a variety of industries, Chism introduces the mindset shifts and practical skills needed to develop enlightened leaders, whose decision making flows from a much more grounded and aligned place. You will learn how to: Identify the signs of misalignment Increase your leadership effectiveness Use four quadrants of change as a catalyst for leadership growth Increase employee engagement Tap into the gifts and talents of your employees Communicate strategically Create a culture of accountability Increase innovation and productivity through empowerment Today's leader needs more than position, power, or business acumen. Today's leader needs more than self-management, communication skills, or emotional intelligence. We need leaders who are aligned, aware, and accountable, who balance choice and power with wisdom and responsibility-leaders who embrace and embody both the inner game of leadership growth with the outer game of business results, modeling both the mindsets and actions that transform the cultures they lead.

Leadership strategies grounded in reality and focused on results Recent polls show that 71% of workers think about quitting their jobs every day. That number would be shocking-if people actually were quitting. Worse, they go to work, punching time clocks and collecting pay checks, while completely checked out emotionally. In Reality-Based Leadership, expert Fast Company blogger Cy Wakeman reveals how to be the kind of leader who changes the way people think about and perceive their circumstances-one who deals with the facts, clarifies roles, gives clear and direct feedback, and insists that everyone do the same-without drama or defensiveness. Filled with dynamic examples, innovative tools, and diagnostic tests, this book shows you how to become a Reality-Based Leader, revealing how to: Uncover destructive thought patterns with yourself and others Diffuse drama and lead the person in front of you Stop managing and start leading, empowering others to focus on facts and think for themselves Equipped with a facts-based, confident approach, you will free yourself from the frustrations you face at work and transform yourself into a Reality-Based Leader, with the ability to liberate and inspire others.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the critically acclaimed author of One of Us Is Lying comes a page-turning mystery about a group of old friends and the secrets that they keep. Four years ago, Brynn left Saint Ambrose School following the shocking murder of her favorite teacher—a story that made headlines after the teacher’s body was found by three Saint Ambrose students in the woods behind their school. The case was never solved. Now that Brynn is moving home and starting her dream internship at a true-crime show, she’s determined to find out what really happened. The kids who found Mr. Larkin are her way in, and her ex–best friend, Tripp Talbot, was one of them. Without his account of events, the other two kids might have gone down for Mr. Larkin’s murder—but instead, thanks to Tripp, they're now at the top of the Saint Ambrose social pyramid. Tripp’s friends have never forgotten what Tripp did for them that day, and neither has he. Just like he hasn’t forgotten that everything he told the police was a lie. Digging into the past is bound to shake up the present, and when Brynn begins to investigate what happened in the woods that day, she uncovers secrets that might change everything—about Saint Ambrose, about Mr. Larkin, and about her ex-best friend, Tripp Talbot. Four years ago someone got away with murder. More terrifying is that they might be closer than anyone thinks.

Eliminate sexual harassment, unconscious bias, ethical lapses and other HR nightmares! Companies spend millions on legal compliance training and initiatives to eliminate workplace drama and the resulting low morale and lawsuits, but don’t always get the results they want. Most organizations understand that simply checking legal compliance boxes around sexual harassment, bias, etc. isn’t enough, but are at a loss on how to implement solutions, especially in today’s post-#MeToo world. Patti Perez is an attorney, HR expert, trainer, and former state regulator, who has conducted over 1,200 workplace investigations. In this unique book, she explains the secret to avoiding all forms of drama, legal exposure, and low morale: A healthy workplace culture. Patti combines the lessons learned from 25 years of professional experience with robust data from behavioral science research to debunk common myths, including the belief that a focus on legal compliance leads to a healthy workplace culture. (In fact, it increases the likelihood of getting sued). The Drama-Free Workplace includes a section with easy-to-understand causes, effects and solutions to problems related to: Sexual harassment Bias and diversity Ethics lapses The book also includes helpful information on: Becoming an organization that values and practices fearlessness, fairness and freedom Anticipating situations that give rise to drama, with detailed advice on how to prevent it from happening Using emotional intelligence to communicate more precisely and persuasively about sensitive, controversial topics in the workplace Finally, the book’s DIY section guides companies on how to: draft and enforce helpful policies (that employees will actually read and *want* to follow) design and deliver powerful and effective training programs investigate and resolve claims of sexual harassment and other types of misconduct. Together, these practical tools will help all your employees feel valued and motivated, and keep drama, disengagement, and lawsuits, away.

Mercy Callahan thought she'd escaped the cult decades ago, but its long fingers are reaching out for her again in this electrifying novel in the Sacramento series by New York Times bestselling author Karen Rose. Seventeen years ago. That was the last time Mercy Callahan saw Ephraim Burton, the leader of the twisted Eden cult where she was raised. But even though she escaped the abuse and terror, they continue to haunt her. When her brother Gideon discovers new evidence of the cult's--and their victims'--whereabouts, Mercy goes to Sacramento to reconnect with him. There, she meets Gideon's closest friend--homicide detective Rafe Sokolov. From Rafe, she receives an offer she never knew she needed: to track down Ephraim and make him pay for everything. But Ephraim, who had thought Mercy long dead, discovers she is in fact alive and that she is digging around for the cult's secrets. And now he'll do anything to take her back to Eden--dead or alive.

An Instant New York Times Bestseller! Winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe for New Talent Author Award Filled with mystery and an intriguingly rich magic system, Tracy Deonn’s YA contemporary fantasy reinvents the King Arthur legend and “braids together Southern folk traditions and Black Girl Magic into a searing modern tale of grief, power, and self-discovery” (Dhonielle Clayton, New York Times bestselling author of The Belles). After her mother dies in an accident, sixteen-year-old Bree Matthews wants nothing to do with her family memories or childhood home. A residential program for bright high schoolers at UNC–Chapel Hill seems like the perfect escape—until Bree witnesses a magical attack her very first night on campus. A flying demon feeding on human energies. A secret society of so called “Legendborn” students that hunt the creatures down. And a mysterious teenage mage who calls himself a “Merlin” and who attempts—and fails—to wipe Bree’s memory of everything she saw. The mage’s failure unlocks Bree’s own unique magic and a buried memory with a hidden connection: the night her mother died, another Merlin was at the hospital. Now that Bree knows there’s more to her mother’s death than what’s on the police report, she’ll do whatever it takes to find out the truth, even if that means infiltrating the Legendborn as one of their initiates. She recruits Nick, a self-exiled Legendborn with his own grudge against the group, and their reluctant partnership pulls them deeper into the society’s secrets—and closer to each other. But when the Legendborn reveal themselves as the descendants of King Arthur’s knights and explain that a magical war is coming, Bree has to decide how far she’ll go for the truth and whether she should use her magic to take the society down—or join the fight.

Every female athlete, her coaches, parents, teachers, and administrators will find Stop The Drama! invaluable as they navigate the stormy waters of team conflict and strive to reach their full potential, on and off the field, and beyond: We are failing young women by not providing them the skills they need to deal with conflict in a productive way. They aren't taught the communication skills needed to have tough conversations, work through issues, and move on. They aren't held accountable to owning their feelings and speaking directly to the person with whom they have an issue. Sadly, the negative communication of cattiness and drama is encouraged and glorified on reality TV. This doesn't serve women well in college and it isn't doing them any favors in the corporate world. Young women need a new set of communication skills to transform the way they handle conflict. To break the cycle of using drama to deal with conflict, young women need to understand the process of developing a team communication fingerprint, addressing existing issues, agreeing on how to work through problems in the future and how to hold each other accountable (to not use gossip, backstabbing, and catty behavior). It isn't easy, but it is possible. In this book, you are going to find tips, ideas, and thought-starters to help you do just that: Stop The Drama!

One of the New York Post's Top 10 Career Books of 2012 and a Booklist Top 10 Business Book DO YOU WORK WITH A MEAN GIRL? A woman’s field guide to the new frontier of professional development—working with other women Women-to-women relationships in the workplace are . . . complicated. When they’re good, they’re great. But when they’re bad, they can ruin your day, your week—even your year. Packed with proven advice from two of today’s leading experts in workplace relationships, this one-of-a-kind guide gives women the tools they need to navigate difficult situations unique to women-to-women relationships—whether with a boss, a colleague, a client, or an employee. Have you dealt with a woman in the workplace who: “Accidentally” excludes you from important meetings? Seems intent on taking you down professionally? Gossips about you with other coworkers? Makes you look bad by missing deadlines? Forms a “pack” of mean girls to make your life miserable? Mean Girls at Work isn’t just about surviving difficult situations. It’s about transforming a toxic relationship into one that benefits and supports both of you. This book is also for women who engage in mean behavior . . . but don’t know it. After all, who hasn’t gossiped about a female coworker? Who hasn’t rolled her eyes in the presence of a woman she doesn’t like? Who hasn’t scanned another woman head to toe—which is just a nonverbal way of saying, “You’ve just been judged”? The authors provide invaluable advice to the more subtle ways of being mean—even if they’re not intended. With a workforce composed of a higher percentage of women than ever, workplace dynamics have changed. Crowley and Elster cover every conceivable scenario, providing critical advice on how to rise above the fray and move forward professionally. Mean Girls at Work is your map to dodging the mines and moving forward in today’s transformed workplace. Praise for Mean Girls at Work “An invaluable suit of armor for surviving nine to five!” —Leil Lowndes, bestselling author of How to Talk to Anyone “If you think the emotional cruelty of comedies like Mean Girls and Heathers doesn’t exist in the real world workplace, think again. In Mean Girls at Work, Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster valuably chronicle female vs. female predators and offer solid defensive strategies.” —Ann Kreamer, author of It’s Always Personal: Navigating Emotion in the New Workplace “Whether you are in your twenties and just starting your professional career, your midcareer forties, when you are supposed to have figured it out already, or a woman in her fifties or sixties who’s seen it all—this book is a must-read. . . . The authors have finally given women the tools and the sound advice necessary to deal with . . . conflicts that keep us all from succeeding. . . . Carry this book with you to work every day!” —Carolyn Cassin, President, Michigan Women’s Foundation “A must-read for women of all ages in today’s workforce. This book offers what we all need to develop the capacities to endure this ever-changing workplace. We know it is all about relationships and you need the skills outlined in this book to survive and thrive when the Mean Girls attack.” —Kim Harrington, Coordinator, Professional Development and Training, Office of Human Resources, California State University, Sacramento