Here’s OUR monthly top picks for you (and your field) for reading, listening to and utilizing in order to stay engaged, informed and one step ahead.
AUDIO BOOK / The Deadly Sins of Employee Retention: New Edition to Solve the Great Resignation, Quiet Quitting, Burnout and More
By Mark Murphy and Andrea Burgio-Murphy, Ph.D.
Did you know that nearly half of employees are currently looking for another job? In a post-pandemic world with over ten million openings nationwide, it’s become much more difficult to find (and retain!) good people. Despite this challenge, New York Times bestselling author Mark Murphy has studied over a million leaders and identified seven common mistakes that destroy an organization’s efforts in employee retention. Consider sharing this book with your leadership and HR teams to form an airtight retention plan.
TECH DEVICE / Cubii Total Body+
The Cubii Total Body+ is a compact elliptical machine that fits under your desk, allowing you to burn calories while taking conference calls. With an LCD display, 12 resistance levels and a Bluetooth fitness tracker that syncs to the Cubii app, you can customize your workout and see your progress measured in calories, strides, distance and/or time. In between meetings, try the built-in resistance bands for an upper body, rowing-style workout. Best of all, the Cubii weighs less than 20 pounds for easy transport—which means no more excuses!
PRODUCT / The Unstuck Box for Teams
Utilized by thousands of top-performing corporate teams (including Google and Amazon!), The Unstuck Box for Teams is a collection of thought-provoking conversation starters, questions and ideas to get your team talking and collaborating on a deeper level. The box contains six individual card decks that cover different topics, such as workday wisdom, interviews, motivation, one-to-ones, team building and more. A QR code is included with the boxed set, which allows your team to download the decks digitally for easy reference.
BOOK / The Three Laws of Performance: Rewriting the Future of Your Organization and Your Life
By Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan
As organizational and management consultants, authors Steve Zaffron and Dave Logan have worked with hundreds of corporations across the globe. The two biggest issues they see leaders struggling with are lack of buy-in and absence of ownership among their employees. In their book, The Three Laws of Performance, the authors outline a system for rallying employees around a common vision and making it stick. Help your field engage their teams and boost performance with this practical guide.
VIDEO / The Science of Persuasion
By Robert Cialdini, Ph.D.
In this entertaining and informative 12-minute video, noted social psychologist and author Dr. Robert Cialdini narrates this overview on the concept of influence—the main subject of his bestselling books. In his decades of research regarding how we are persuaded, Dr. Cialdini identifies six universal shortcuts that guide human behavior: reciprocity, scarcity, authority, consistency, liking and consensus. It’s easy to see why they are crucial to direct selling and how they could be leveraged by your field to optimize success.
PODCAST / Unbeatable with Jeff Struecker
As a decorated soldier and an inductee to the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame, Jeff Struecker knows a thing or two about overcoming challenges and breaking through to success. That’s why he launched the Unbeatable podcast: to encourage people to keep going instead of giving up. Through interviews with inspiring individuals who overcame the odds in business, sports, music, military service and more, Struecker’s message is clear: “When life becomes unmerciful, be unbeatable!”
From the May 2023 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.
