There have been books written in the recent past that have addressed the value of drawing wisdom from crowds and emerging social networks. What was needed was a book that could take the discussion one step further, and help people understand how their businesses can profit from crowd wisdom.

While the cover gives authorship to Barry Libert and Jon Spector, this book is more correctly attributed to more than 4,000 business-minded individuals from around the world. These people have shared their personal experiences, along with the knowledge and insight that come from such experiences, to create this unprecedented volume. In keeping with the premise of the book, Libert and Spector realized that the collective “we” could make a much greater impact and produce stronger results.

With case studies in a variety of areas, the book not only reveals what works, but demonstrates the validity of its claims in the lives of actual businesses. Topics like how to balance structure with independence, manage risk, and which functions of your business would be best supported by communities instead of individuals are also covered. Readers are able to see themselves and their situations here, which makes it an important read for any business executive.

Something happens in the very early years of life that affects the way we interact with people as we get older—we figure out how to get our way. If you’ve ever interacted with a toddler, you know the passion with which they fight for what they want.

In his Little Green Book of Getting Your Way, Jeffrey Gitomer offers some suggestions for selling your point of view to others without throwing a tantrum at the supermarket. In typical Gitomer style, the book is an easy-to-read, step-by-step guide to becoming proficient at getting your way. The premise of the book is not manipulation, but rather learning the tactics necessary to present your position in such a way that the listener will understand your position, and will choose to agree with you.

Gitomer has broken the book into 9.5 sections, each dealing with a specific element that must be mastered in the quest to get your way. Topics such as giving presentations, sales-pitch persuasion, using the written word, and being persistent are explained in just enough detail to make the point without exhausting it.

Also true to Gitomer’s other books, this latest work is full of sound bites and quick quips that are sure to roll around in your head as you practice getting your way.

If retirement is supposed to usher in the best years of your life, why does it cause great anxiety for so many people? Baby boomers may have particular reason to be concerned about their retirement if they are relying on traditional retirement savings to carry them through their golden years, which in many cases is 20 or 30 years past retirement age.

Douglas Andrew, owner and president of Paramount Financial Services, Inc., offers hope to boomers, and anyone else for that matter, who feel a bit behind when it comes to retirement savings. His latest book, The Last Chance Millionaire, is the jumping-off point for serious discussions about how to make your money work for you. Whether you have decades or merely years to save, Andrew’s “Three Miracles of Wealth Accumulation: the Miracle of Compound Interest, the Miracle of Tax-Favored Accumulation, and the Miracle of Positive, Safe Leverage,” are sure to get you on the right track.

The easy-to-follow charts and graphs coupled with Andrew’s sympathetic tone make this an encouraging read. There is hope for those who have little to nothing saved, and Andrew is the one to open your eyes to the options.

If you really do "want it all," then Timothy Ferriss is the one to help you get it. His list of life experiences covers all the bases, from holding a world record in the tango to acting on a hit television series in Hong Kong and speaking six languages, all while running a multinational firm.

Ferriss received his BA in neuroscience and East Asian studies from Princeton University in 2000. He studied nonfiction writing with Pulitzer Prize-winner John McPhee, and developed his life philosophies under Nobel Prize-winner Kenzaburo Oe. He has lived a full life, and he’s only 29 years old.

The 4-Hour Workweek is Ferriss’ attempt to show the world that life and business can coexist. The world is changing; technology is making it easier than ever before to conduct business outside of your office. Ferriss is part of a subculture called the "New Rich," which he describes as "those who abandon the deferred-life plan and create luxury lifestyles in the present using the currency of the New Rich: time and mobility."

The goal of his book is to help people realize that life doesn’t have to be an endless drudgery of long hours, short weekends, and brief vacations. In the pages of this book, Ferriss describes a step-by-step process to reinvent yourself and begin living the life you’ve always wanted.

The language you use, whether it’s with your boss, your employees, your spouse, or the person in line at the grocery store, plays an important role in helping you get what you want out of life. No one understands this better than language guru Dr. Frank Luntz. If you want to know how to say something right, Dr. Luntz is the man to ask. He has given his expertise in wordcrafting to more than 1,200 surveys and focus groups in more than 20 countries, and has played a key role in several major corporate and political campaigns.

Words That Work is his attempt to share his thoughts on the importance of language. "The key to successful communication," Luntz writes, "is to take the imaginative leap of stuffing yourself right into your listener’s shoes to know what they are thinking and feeling in the deepest recesses of their mind and heart."

The perception that others have of you is even more powerful than the perception you have of yourself. One way people form their perception of you is through the words you use. It stands to reason, then, that the words you choose have a profound impact on your personal success. Luntz believes this to be true, and his book helps readers make syntax decisions that enable them to tap into the power of communication.

A second chance to discover your strengths and how to make them work for you. It’s been six years since Now, Discover Your Strengths hit bookstore shelves. During those six years, the book spent five years on bestseller lists and has helped millions of people discover their key strengths. The book, which was geared toward managers, was so well received by a broad audience that the Gallup Organization decided to publish a second version that is less manager focused. The new book, StrengthsFinder 2.0 by Tom Rath, takes the original ideas presented by Gallup in Now, Discover Your Strengths and expands them to include practical steps for putting your strengths to work. Perhaps the most useful part of the book is the suggestions given by hundreds of individuals about what they are doing with their strengths. The team at Gallup, along with Tom Rath, compiled the 10 best suggestions for each of 34 themes, which enable readers to assemble a profile that goes beyond a mere description and provides action steps to grow their key talents.

In many ways, the StrengthsFinder assessment works against the idea that if you try hard enough, you can be anything you want to be.

True to his personality, Lee Iacocca tells it like it is. When you’ve lived through the Great Depression, two World Wars, and presidents of every persuasion, you deserve a platform on which to share your feelings about it all. And, when you’ve met with more corporate and political leaders than almost anyone else alive, you’ve earned the right to speak about the future of the country if the leaders don’t start leading. Lee Iacocca does just that in his newest book, Where Have All the Leaders Gone? At 82 years old, this former CEO of Chrysler Corporation is taking an opportunity to share his thoughts about the current state of leadership in the United States, and let’s just say he’s not too happy.

Iacocca has a passion to see real change in the United States—a change in the current leadership culture that will change the direction of the country. In the book, he recounts several interactions he has had with various leaders, from Fidel Castro to Snoop Dogg, and encourages people to vote, get involved, and choose leaders carefully.

His no-nonsense approach is reminiscent of his bestsellers Iacocca: An Autobiography and Talking Straight. His honesty, however, should not be construed as pessimism. These are the words of a man who has been there, done that, and wants to tell you his opinion about it.

Check your pulse. Is it still there? That’s good news. Not only are you still alive, you are someone who could benefit from a reading of Marshall Goldsmith’s book What Got You Here Won’t Get You There. Goldsmith has built a career out of helping people recognize the challenges of interpersonal conduct, especially as it relates to leadership behavior in the workplace. And while his newest book deals with workplace issues, his "20 Habits that Hold You Back from the Top" are applicable in both your career and your personal life. The principles are about becoming a more successful person, not just a more successful employee.

Goldsmith’s no-nonsense approach to helping people recognize their bad habits and improve their behavior stems from the years he has spent as one of the world’s most recognized business coaches. When it comes to curbing self-destructive behavior, Goldsmith’s advice is to admit it’s a problem and simply stop doing it.

The book is filled with anecdotes and examples that provide the right amount of direction for anyone looking to take the next step toward greater success as a leader and as a person. It is a page-turner that is sure to provide practical tips for all readers.

There is no direct path to becoming a great leader. Personal tragedies, emotional issues, failures, and regrets—each one has the power to knock you off the typical career path. And yet, it is often these life events that empower individuals to become great leaders. Bill George and Peter Sims understand this concept, and have written a remarkable book to help you discover "the internal compass that guides you successfully through life." Written as a sequel to Bill George’s book Authentic Leadership, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership stands alone as a book that points readers toward becoming an authentic leader.

The book is broken down into three sections. The first is comprised of a series of anecdotes of individuals who have followed their internal compass and become authentic leaders, and some who have lost their way.

The second section focuses on the five key facets of a successful leadership plan. Arguably the most pragmatic section in the book, the authors take the reader through the necessary steps of creating a unique leadership plan.

In the third section, the reader is treated to more stories from the 125 men and women who provided candid peeks into their journeys to authentic leadership. True North is a valuable book for anyone who wants to point their compass in the right direction.

Whatever happened to honesty in business? That’s what your clients and customers are asking, even if your company is above reproach. For decades, corporations have talked at their customers and called it "communication." Now comes the blog—and an opportunity for your company to talk with customers, and let them talk back.

Using more than 50 interviews with people at all levels and types of business, the authors demonstrate in a fresh and thought-provoking way how blogs can repair corporate image and rebuild lost trust. And they show you how to do it right.

Bill Gates, who uses blogs to communicate with Microsoft customers, says, "You are letting people have a sense of the people [at Microsoft]. You’re building a connection. People feel a part of this. Maybe they’ll tell us how we can better improve our products."

The authors put forth a convincing case that businesses large and small need to take blogging seriously. Corporate blogging can also provide excellent return investment, particularly in terms of search-engine rankings. Can your organization afford not to blog? Read this book, and decide for yourself.

Do you have a signature order at Starbucks? Something you always pick up on your way to the office? You may even have it in your hand as you read this. Have you ever stopped to consider just what makes you go back day after day? Joseph Michelli, author of The Starbucks Experience, may be able to give you a few reasons for your devotion, while at the same time providing you with ways to create similar appeal at your own company.

Having been granted unique access to personnel and other resources at Starbucks, Michelli made the discovery that its success is ultimately driven by the people who work there and the experiences they create for each individual customer. In the book, Michelli contends that any company can institute a similar philosophy, and provides step-by-step strategies to encourage the reader.

These strategies are rooted in five key leadership principles. Michelli uses a variety of stories and anecdotes from behind the Starbucks counter to flesh out these principles and make them accessible to a wide audience. The Starbucks Experience is a robust brew of great ideas that can make a difference in your company.

Do you have trouble making your ideas stick? Do you feel like you’re wasting your time trying to get your message across? Do you wonder if your idea really isn’t worth promoting?

Every day, worthy ideas get tossed in the trash by people who have simply given up on being heard. This tragedy is precisely what led brothers Chip and Dan Heath to explore the notion of making ideas "stickier." Their book, Made to Stick, sets out to help people find ways for their ideas to be understood, remembered, and have a lasting impact.

Early on in the book, the authors write, "It’s the nature versus nurture debate applied to ideas: Are ideas born interesting or made interesting? Well, this is a nurture book."

In the book, the authors take apart sticky ideas, things like urban legends, folk remedies, conspiracy theories, and found out what elements in these messages make them stick. Then, they give practical steps for using these sticky elements to craft your own ideas. Made to Stick acts as a great complement to Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point. It is an enjoyable read that is sure to get the wheels turning when it comes to creating ideas that stick.

Where were you when the world went flat? While it is common knowledge that the physical earth is not actually flat, the social, economic, and political world is getting flatter by the day. How can this be? Thomas L. Friedman unravels the mystery in his book, The World Is Flat.

Friedman is not suggesting that the geology of the earth has changed. What has changed, however, is the way in which the earth’s inhabitants interact with one another. By "flat," Friedman means "connected." His book takes a look at the present state of the world, at how political barriers and trade blockades are being lowered, and at how technology continues to take society to places it never dreamed of, including the ability to do almost anything instantaneously with people on the other side of the planet. Friedman has not set out to write a book about the wonders that may come in our lifetime, but instead to shed light on the incredible things that are already taking place.

Friedman takes the concept of globalization and blows it wide open, exposing the hows and whys of this current trend. He contends that your business is going to be trampled if you don’t keep up with it. This is an important read for executives and business leaders who wants to keep pace with the world around them.

If the most difficult part of your job is dealing with the people you work alongside, you are not alone. Empowering yourself to take control of your work life by learning how to pinpoint and deal with relationships, and resulting emotional distress, that hold you back on the job will enable you to face each day with confidence. Psychotherapist Katherine Crowley and business consultant Kathi Elster have teamed up to write "Working with You Is Killing Me: Freeing Yourself from Emotional Traps at Work" as a tool for people who find themselves in need of a little empowerment.

Emotional distress at work sets the stage for elevated stress levels, physical discomfort, and ultimately failure, if it is not brought under control. The goal of this book is to provide clear escape strategies for anyone who feels trapped by their emotions. Each chapter paints a picture of specific situations at work in which people often find themselves, such as unclear boundaries, confused roles, and difficult or extreme bosses, and, through a series of case studies, quizzes, and illuminating scenarios, offers a way to deal with each situation.

Whether or not you are in an emotionally distressing situation at work, chances are you will be at some point, and this book will prove to be an invaluable resource.