The West Linn School District -- District Context -- Three Key Leadership Functions -- Transformational Leadership -- The Development and Nurturing of Shared Community Vision -- The Development and Nurturing of an Ethic of Continuous Improvement -- The Development and -- Nurturing of the Organization's Commitment to Productive and Ethical Human Relations -- Quaker Theology: As a Belief System and a Metaphor -- Making a Virtue Out of a Necessity: The Beginnings of the People Strategy -- The People Strategy for School Improvement -- Supervising the Probationary Teacher -- Annual Celebration of Excellence -- Hiring the Very Best -- The Eye of the Proprietor -- Faculty Recruitment/Selection at West Linn High School -- Reflection Questions: Hiring the Very Best -- Making Continuous Professional Learning an Organizational Norm -- Professional Development and the People Strategy -- Professional Development Strategy #1: Budgeted Building and District Funds -- Professional Development Strategy #2: Professional Growth Planning -- Professional Development Strategy #3: Tuition Reimbursement -- Professional Development Strategy #4: Cooperative Master's Program -- Professional Development Strategy #5: Professional Development Fund -- Leading Through Limited Partnerships -- Reflection Questions: Making Continuous Professional Learning an Organizational Norm -- Providing Responsive Developmental Supervision -- Four Key Concepts Governing Supervision -- Supervision When Professionals Are Having Problems -- A Veteran Teacher Struggling With Classroom Management -- Reflection Questions: Providing Responsive Developmental Supervision -- Differentiated Supervision: Evaluation Outside the Box -- Supervision and Evaluation at West Linn High School -- When is Traditional Evaluation Necessary? -- The Proposal for a Differentiated Supervision System -- Reflection Questions: Differentiated Supervision -- The Extended Shadow of the Leader -- An Outside Superintendent -- Example #1: Assigning Students to Classrooms at Cedaroak Park Elementary School -- A Keen Eye for Talent -- Example #2: Multiage Classrooms at Boeckman Creek Elementary School -- Reflection Questions: The Extended Shadow of Leadership -- The Acceptance of Uncertainty -- Scientific Management and Proven Practices -- Feigning Certainty -- Choosing a District-Wide Computing Platform -- Providing Developmentally Appropriate Education at Willamette Elementary School -- Uncertainty and School Culture -- Reflection Questions: Acceptance of Uncertainty -- Hubris: An Ever Present Concern -- The "Worrier in Chief"--The Political Context of Public Schools -- Owning Up To Flaws -- The High School Annual Report: Warts and All -- The Gang of 1,000 -- Reflection Questions: Keeping Hubris at Bay.

Dean Stott made a mistake that he was certain was going to cost him his life. As a former Special Operations soldier, this was not his first mission in Yemen. Yet although he was appropriately dressed head-to-toe as a local, he had neglected to put in brown contact lenses. Stott had been compromised. With thoughts of his family racing through his mind, Stott reached below his automobile seat and took hold of his weapon. In a gripping retelling of his life story to date, Stott shares insight into his esteemed military career in the British army where he conducted deployments to hostile environments, worked within counterterrorism operations in some of the most dangerous places in the world, and survived a horrific parachute accident. As he leads others into his experiences, Stott discloses how he continued to fuel his journey of excellence five years after leaving the military by becoming the first man to cycle the Pan American Highway in under one hundred days while raising over a million dollars for mental health awareness charities. Throughout his retelling, Stott offers an inspiring reminder that we all have the capability to use our inner voices, drive, and instincts to become relentless in our pursuits in life. Relentless is the extraordinary true story of Tier One Special Forces soldier, adventurer, and world-record breaker, Dean Stott.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER From Blackstone chairman, CEO, and co-founder Stephen A. Schwarzman, a long-awaited book that uses impactful episodes from Schwarzman's life to show readers how to build, transform, and lead thriving organizations. Whether you are a student, entrepreneur, philanthropist, executive, or simply someone looking for ways to maximize your potential, the same lessons apply. People know who Stephen Schwarzman is—at least they think they do. He’s the man who took $400,000 and co-founded Blackstone, the investment firm that manages over $500 billion (as of January 2019). He’s the CEO whose views are sought by heads of state. He’s the billionaire philanthropist who founded Schwarzman Scholars, this century’s version of the Rhodes Scholarship, in China. But behind these achievements is a man who has spent his life learning and reflecting on what it takes to achieve excellence, make an impact, and live a life of consequence. Folding handkerchiefs in his father’s linen shop, Schwarzman dreamed of a larger life, filled with purpose and adventure. His grades and athleticism got him into Yale. After starting his career in finance with a short stint at a financial firm called DLJ, Schwarzman began working at Lehman Brothers where he ascended to run the mergers and acquisitions practice. He eventually partnered with his mentor and friend Pete Peterson to found Blackstone, vowing to create a new and different kind of financial institution. Building Blackstone into the leading global financial institution it is today didn’t come easy. Schwarzman focused intensely on culture, hiring great talent, and establishing processes that allow the firm to systematically analyze and evaluate risk. Schwarzman’s simple mantra “don’t lose money” has helped Blackstone become a leading private equity and real estate investor, and manager of alternative assets for institutional investors globally. Both he and the firm are known for the rigor of their investment process, their innovative approach to deal making, the diversification of their business lines, and a conviction to be the best at everything they do. Schwarzman is also an active philanthropist, having given away more than a billion dollars. In philanthropy, as in business, he is drawn to situations where his capital and energy can be applied to drive transformative solutions and change paradigms, notably in education. He uses the skills learned over a lifetime in finance to design, establish, and support impactful and innovative organizations and initiatives. His gifts have ranged from creating a new College of Computing at MIT for the study of artificial intelligence, to establishing a first-of-its-kind student and performing arts center at Yale, to enabling the renovation of the iconic New York Public Library, to founding the Schwarzman Scholars fellowship program at Tsinghua University in Beijing—the single largest philanthropic effort in China’s history from international donors. Schwarzman’s story is an empowering, entertaining, and informative guide for anyone striving for greater personal impact. From deal making to investing, leadership to entrepreneurship, philanthropy to diplomacy, Schwarzman has lessons for how to think about ambition and scale, risk and opportunities, and how to achieve success through the relentless pursuit of excellence. Schwarzman not only offers readers a thoughtful reflection on all his own experiences, but in doing so provides a practical blueprint for success.

A fascinating insight into how Toyota conceived, developed and launched its own luxury car brand - Lexus. This remarkable success story will explain how the Japanese giant went from zero to 25% share of the luxury car market in the space of only ten years.

When Locke High School opened its doors in 1967, the residents of Watts celebrated it as a sign of the changes promised by Los Angeles. But four decades later, first-year Teach for America recruits Rachelle, Phillip, Hrag, and Taylor are greeted by a school that looks more like a prison, with bars, padlocks, and chains all over. With little training and experience, these four will be asked to produce academic gains in students who are among the most disadvantaged in the country. Relentless Pursuit lays bare the experiences of these four teachers to evaluate the strengths and peculiarities of Teach for America and a social reality that has become inescapable.

“Weaves together thoughts, stories, and quotes from top performers in music, business, and sports to help you achieve excellence” (Jeff Janssen, founder and president of the Janssen Sports Leadership Center). Does excellence relentlessly drive you? Does mediocrity constantly bother you? In Working Toward Excellence, Clemson University professor Paul Buyer identifies eight values for achieving excellence in work and life including hunger, effort, process, quality, consistency, leadership, time, and perseverance. Each chapter features inspiring stories, questions, and quotes from respected professionals who have achieved uncommon success in business, sports, education, and the arts such as John Maxwell, Jim Collins, Stephen Covey, John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski, Wynton Marsalis, Isaac Stern, and many others. Also included is a Working Toward Excellence Evaluation to help you and your organization reach your true potential and further develop, improve, and measure these essential attributes of success. “Working Toward Excellence has captures my attention in a big way. It is filled with valuable and practical information. It will make a major difference in your life.” —Pat Williams, Orlando Magic, senior vice president, author of Leadership Excellence

An award-winning trainer draws on experience with such top athletes as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Ken Griffey, Jr. to explain how to tap dark competitive reflexes in order to succeed regardless of circumstances, explaining the importance of finding internal resources and harnessing the power of personal fears and instincts.

The Power of Goal ZERO is a powerful new book for leaders and aspiring leaders at all levels to improve personal effectiveness, organizational efficiency, and motivation of people. The principles enable rapid transformation in any organization. Through personal stories and experiences, a proven roadmap is provided for demonstrating strong leadership, motivating people, creating a culture of excellence, implementing organizational change, developing effective management systems, and achieving superior performance. In today's competitive environment, individuals and organizations must be best-in-class to compete and win.The book is a condensed version of successful techniques learned in a 50-year career of driving improvement in multinational organizations. It describes a practical way to be a results-focused leader and drive safety, reliability, and quality improvement. The book has value for people in any type of organization regardless of the product produced or service provided. Leadership and organizational concepts are universal. Beginning employees, front-line supervisors, mid-level leaders, department managers, C-Suite executives, small business owners, and CEOs can all benefit. The Power of Goal ZERO builds on each of the following elements necessary for achieving Operational Excellence: Operational Excellence = Leadership + People + Culture + Systems + Assets Thousands of management and leadership books have been written. Why is this one any different? All of the examples presented in this book are not idle theories; they have all been tested and proven in major global corporations. This book summarizes best practices in a manner that readers can easily understand and implement. A clear roadmap is provided for how to design, utilize, and maintain a good management system that will increase an organization's performance and productivity. Simplicity is a prevailing theme; it doesn't have to be complicated.

Discover new strategies for maximizing performance and profit across your organization through the concept of operational excellence. Companies must learn that you cannot fire and budget-slice your way to sustainable growth. Our world is too complex, too interconnected, and technology too quick-evolving for organizations to achieve dramatic results simply by eliminating waste and increasing standardization. Maybe these methods worked before--occasionally--but not anymore. Redefining Operational Excellence boldly claims that the old ways of hunkering down and refocusing the business strategies are no longer viable. Operational excellence is about a mindset, and a company culture that questions current models and focuses not on slashing and subtracting but on adding value, making improvements, and increasing speed. This groundbreaking guide covers it all--processes, people, and operations--and shares specific strategies to: Drive innovation and collaboration Engage customers Attract and retain top people Align strategy and execution Optimize speed Operational excellence is about finding money and performance boosts in hidden areas businesses don't normally look. With this indispensable, all-encompassing resource, you’ll discover where!