Here is Cydcor's review of Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors by Michael E. Porter:

About Competitive Strategy: Published in 1980, Michael Porter’s book still resonates with many individuals today and is the basis for much of what is taught in MBA programs regarding Business Strategy. In fact, the author himself is a professor at Harvard Business School and is a lead authority on the subject. The book has nearly sixty printings in English, has been translated into nineteen languages, and has transformed the theory, practice and teaching of business strategy throughout the world.

Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this to future leaders: Competitive Strategy is fantastic in its simplicity, and the analyses provided can be used as powerful competitive tools and examples on how one can being structure to the task of strategic positioning.

Porter provides the framework for predicting competitor behavior and has given rise to the newer discipline of competitor assessment. It’s a must read for managers, consultants, students and those in business who wish to take up leadership roles in businesses—big or small.

Our favorite part: While the first chapter alone is worth the cost of this book, Cydcor recommends it for the wisdom contained in its entirety. The chapters are organized into three parts: General Analytical Techniques, Generic Industry Environments, and Strategic Decisions.

Porter, being an expert on competition, analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of businesses in the very first chapter. His focuses are the threat of new entrants, pressure of substitute products, bargaining power of buyers, bargaining power of suppliers and the intensity of rivalry among existing competitors. These five forces are the roadmap for determining the competitiveness of individual companies, and are truly eye opening.

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Here is Cydcor's review of Thriving in 24/7: Six Strategies for Taming the New World of Work by Susan Helgesen.

About Thriving in 24/7: Thriving in 24/7 takes a look into the “new” work rules in today’s 24/7 environments. Cheap and portable networked technologies have made communication in the professional landscape simple and fast, but at the cost of being flooded with options that can interrupt our own personal lives. Thriving in 24/7 looks to show another way of setting forth new strategies for working and living appropriate for post-industrial lives.

Why Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders: It’s incredibly easy to be on-call 24/7 with cell phones, tablets and laptops coupled with free wi-fi in nearly any public area. This book looks to help one to be successful while still establishing personal boundaries by setting concrete ways of working. The book emphasizes the importance of locating your inner voice and taking inventory on a regular basis.

Thriving in 24/7 demonstrates ways to create your own work by articulating your values and integrating your passions. It also demonstrates how to incorporate renewal into each day by identifying the true sources of your joy, practicing mindfulness, and cultivating the elements of Slow.

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Our favorite part: The author’s first strategy is to start at the core. If someone wants to create work that suits their individual needs and talents, they must be aware of the forces at work in the world. She also explains that we must also develop a thorough knowledge of ourselves and an understanding of what we have to offer.

“We have to know our priorities, values, temperament, character and ambitions. We have to understand where our blocks life, what emotional legacies might be holding us back or pushing us forward. We have to understand what we fear, what makes us feel stuck or overwhelmed.”

Helgesen also states that starting at the core is crucial in an area of new technologies, as we have so many choices to make every day. By narrowing in on ourselves, we can place an emphasis on the niche that gives us more opportunities to create work that reflects our individual interests.

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Here is Cydcor's review of Quiet: The Power of Introverts In a World That Won’t Stop Talking by Susan Cain.

About Quiet: The Power of Introverts: This book looks to explore the “Quiet Revolution” by explaining how one-third of people we know are introverts. Introverts being the ones who prefer listening to speaking, who love being creative and innovative but dislike self-promotion and who favor working independently than in a team.

In Quiet, the author explains how we dramatically undervalue introverts and evidence she provides shows how much we lose in doing so. Cain shows the rise of the “Extrovert Ideal” as it expanded throughout the twentieth century, which praised witty, high-energy public figures. Often the world repeatedly overlooks the quiet introvert, that the author demonstrates through excellent research, and relatable stories of real people in history who were well-known introverts.

Why Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders: A large reason for our selection of this book is to acknowledge that the concept of a ‘leader’ doesn’t always mean someone who is brazen, bold or loud. It can be the quiet ones who offer a game-changing idea or a unique perspective in a team approach.

The author describes herself as an introvert, and when an interviewer asked why she wrote this book, she answered, "For the same reason that Betty Friedan published The Feminine Mystique in 1963. Introverts are to extroverts what women were to men at that time—second-class citizens with gigantic amounts of untapped talent...Our bias against introversion leads to a colossal waste of talent, energy, and, ultimately, happiness."

Quiet is filled with well thought-out research and interesting case studies, and services as a refreshing corrective to decades of unfamiliarity with introverts.

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Our favorite part: It may seem at first that Cain is trying to say that introverts are better than extroverts, but reading through the whole work she does a wonderful job of challenging introverts to grow in certain areas. She also challenges extroverts to consider the benefits that introverts are able bring to the table.

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Here is Cydcor's review of Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End by Rosabeth Moss Kanter.

About Confidence: The book’s title, Confidence, is a tad misleading, as the author focuses more broadly on how to capitalize on a winning streak and how to work around a losing one. Kanter talks of how confidence is only a part of a true leadership formula.

Kanter examines in detail the collective strategies and behaviors of companies and sports franchises. She has traveled around the world to interview leaders of great corporations, as well as observe and interact with them at their most basic operative levels.

Why Cydcor Reviews recommends this book to future leaders: The author acknowledges that leading a turnaround in regards to a company can be a tremendously complex task. However, she identifies and provides the framework to reverse the cycle of potential failures.

1. Invest in people and their work environment. Show confidence in the future, set attainable goals and start winning one step at a time.

2. Promote collaboration and free flow of information and decision-making. (Winning teams are data rich)

3. As the first two improve the ethos of the group/individual, risk taking (innovation) potential is released which further helps build successful products and fuel cycles of growth.

Confidence is a great book for all leaders committed to their personal growth and the success of their organization's mission.

Our favorite part: Kanter speaks at length regarding baseball, by using sports examples and analogies in regards to the business world. She tells the story of the Chicago Cubs during the 2003 pennant race. This was the infamous moment in baseball where a Cubs fan wearing a hat and headphones reached out over the railing and caught a baseball that an outfielder was attempting to reach. The fan inadvertently knocked the ball out of the player’s glove and perpetuated the idea of a “demon curse” which left the Cubs out of the World Series in 2003.

This caused the fan to become a pariah among Cubs supporters; however, Kanter states that there is something far deeper in the losing mentality of the Chicago Cubs, and it can’t be chalked up to one misstep by a fan. She demonstrates how a team can’t throw off decades of losing in one season, as it’s a long struggle that takes time and the correct approach.

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Here is Cydcor's review of Launching The Innovation Renaissance: A New Way to Bring Smart Ideas to Market Fast By Alex Tabarrok.

About Launching The Innovation Renaissance: Launching The Innovation Renaissance is a short read, and examines how innovation is important to economic growth. More specifically, the book is authored by academic economist Alex Tabarrok and delves into how the US performs on innovation and how it can be improved.

Why Cydcor recommends it for future leaders: The main point Tabarrok looks to convey in his book is that the focus should be ending the period of innovative stagnation by improving polices and culture in five core areas: Education, global markets, cosmopolitanism, prizes and patents. He addresses each of these topics, showing how the US could improve if we had more appropriate laws and principles in place.

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The book does not offer solutions, but will allow future leaders to create their own ideas and suggestions, and create their own paths for reaching them. There is no step-by-step instruction on how to generate innovation for these topics, however the framework is provided along with thought-provoking questions that look to inspire the reader.

Our favorite part: Tabarrok speaks at length regarding the US education system, and how an increase in college attendance is not necessarily a benefit to the United States. He shows that while college graduation rates have increased during the years, they have not generated creative majors in the realms of Science, Technology, Engineering and Math fields for the growing demand in the job market.

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Here is Cydcor's review of Radical Openness: Four Unexpected Principles for Success by Anthony D Williams and Don Tapscott.

About Radical Openness: The authors of Radical Openness, Anthony D. Williams and Don Tapscott, are thoughtful leaders on business, government and society, and speak on the technologies that can achieve new opportunities. They offer real world examples to show an application of their ideas and how to fulfill a vision.

The authors also speak on the importance of organizations embracing transparency with customers and society to foster trust. They also speak at length regarding innovation and successful companies that dissolve corporate boundaries.

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Why Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders:  This is a good introductory read for anyone who is considering the implications of openness and transparency for either themselves or their organization. It also focuses on dynamic platforms to provide opportunities for people to collaborate with and contribute ideas to one another.

The book also speaks about digital technologies and how they reduce costs by allowing new ecosystems of companies and organizations to work together in a new way. Today, companies are able to tap into global talent pools via social media—something that was never so easily possible in the past.

Our favorite part: Tapscott and Williams offer example after example of how people are harnessing contemporary communication, consumer engagement and transparency tools.

Tapscott also acknowledged that there may still be proprietary information that needs to be protected, but increasingly companies default "toward an open position." They cited Ikea, which engages customers in co-designing its products.

“It's called 'prosumer.’ You turn your consumer into a producer, by engaging customers and providing them with information they need to produce."

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Here is Cydcor's review of Instant Analysis: How You Can Understand and Change the Most Common Self-Defeating Behaviors and Habits By David J. Lieberman.

About Instant Analysis: This book is a unique look into the self-help and pop-psychology category, providing a practical formulaic approach for improving your life in a very readable format. It looks to offer practical suggestions and strategies for transforming one hundred of the most common self-defeating behaviors and habits, including fear of failure, procrastination and superstition.

Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because: There’s a wealth of information that the author brings that is useful for every reader, especially those looking to be involved in leadership positions. No one is immune from the emotional fragilities that accompany life, and while some people are more stable than others, each person has experienced self-doubt. Lieberman addresses many of these circumstances by identifying the problem, analyzing the situation and offering a solution.

Thus, when you are able to identity and admit self-defeating habits, you have taken the first step to conquering the problem. As he writes, “This is accomplished by looking objectively at specific behaviors that usually go unnoticed or unexamined. As you begin to question these behaviors, you will get in the 'habit' of not being in the habit."

By going through 100 chapters, you will be able to with many unnoticed behaviors you yourself might do.

Our favorite part: Lieberman is very clear about the intended audience for Instant Analysis. “Most people are almost happy. They’re so close to being the kinds of people they want to be, living the kinds of lives they want to live, yet they are stuck in a mental rut.”

The author acknowledges the difficulties of direct introspection and concentrates on assisting the reader by “cutting away the clutter” and illuminating behaviors that have become an automatic response mechanism. He also has a plain and engaging writing style. The nutshell summaries are well written and provide a good overview of the topics. The suggestions for change are simple, powerful, and (theoretically) easy to implement.

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Here is Cydcor's review of Identity Economics: How Our Identities Shape Our Work, Wages and Well-Being by George Akerlof.

About Identity Economics: Identity Economics bridges the gap in the social sciences. It brings identity and norms to economics. People’s notions of what is proper and what is forbidden, and for whom, are fundamental to how they work and how they learn, spend and save. People’s identity—their conception of who they are, and of who they choose to be—may be the most important factor affecting their economic lives. And the limits placed by society on people’s identity can also be critical determinants of their economic well-being. This is important for people to understand.

Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because: Identity Economics provides an important and compelling new way to understand human behavior, revealing how our identities—and not just economic incentives—influence our decisions.

It is admirably short and not difficult to read, and it makes a compelling case that and individual’s identity completely shapes their decisions about schooling and investments. The book offers better ways of understanding the consequences of public polities and business practices.

The book provides a new language and is a useful apparatus that takes measure of ‘real people in real situations.’

Our favorite part: The authors examine the popular topics of gender wage inequality and occupational segregation and put them into the perspective of identity economics. Women are significantly underrepresented in engineering and certain other science fields, while there are low percentages of men working as secretaries, nurses, or elementary school teachers.

There are plenty of examples the book discusses, as well exploring the best ways to analyze a situation using theory from identity economics. If the topic of identity economics is one that holds interest for you, we certainly recommend giving this a quick read.

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Here is Cydcor's review of The Myths of Innovation by Scott Berkun.

About the Myths of Innovation: Author Scott Berkun explains how to transcend the false stories that many business experts, scientists, and much of pop culture foolishly use to guide their thinking about how ideas change the world. He asks readers to question where ideas come from, and what people focus on when discussing those ideas.

The book is a short yet still fun read. Berkun has a witty, and at times hilarious, writing style, and his personal experiences help to explain some of his counter-intuitive demythologizing.

Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because:  True leadership requires a great deal of knowledge and understanding of trends in many different areas. Being innovative is not only for lone geniuses, but is also for anyone who looks to improve himself or herself by being realistic and observant.

This book, if nothing else, will remind you that the world is not as simple as we think it is.

Our favorite part: Berkun begins the book with a great story of when he visited Google's headquarters and joined a tour group. He describes the moment when two of his co-tourists whispered to each other, pointing over to a group of programmers, saying, “I see them talking and typing, but when do they come up with their ideas?"

This lays the groundwork for the rest of the book. It's a question many people ask of any creative/innovative person. Scott Berkun continues to explore the fascination with innovation and the desire to find the “hidden secrets.” Like all myths, the ones behind innovation are derived from quaint stories from history like Newton's Apple and Archimedes' bathtub.

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The following is Cydcor's review of The Good Listener: Better Relationships through Better Communication by Hugh Mackay.

About The Good Listener: Now in its second edition, the Good Listener is a guide to communication within relationships by social researcher Hugh Mackay.  Originally published as “Why don’t people listen?” the book discusses communication and why it is difficult for most people to properly communicate ideas to others.

One of the more interesting ways that Mackay teaches communication skills is by creating a fictional, and rather dysfunctional, family.  As Mackay explains it, “most of us learn about communication from our families,” and by illustrating communication problems through the issues of a single family the reader will hopefully retain the lessons more completely.

Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because:  Communication is one of the most important skills for a leader to learn.   Not only does clear communication help leaders to motivate and inspire their people, but it also helps organizations to promote discipline and strategic alignment.  The very best leaders are good communicators and many otherwise excellent companies struggle based on communication issues within their leadership.

Mackay does an excellent job of explaining why listening is important to improving relationships, and provides practical advice on how to listen and resolve conflicts through communication.

Our favorite part: Our favorite passage appears rather early in the book and sets up the entire premise for Mackay’s thesis:

“The real mystery is why, when we are so keen to communicate, we so consistently fail to take into account what our experience should have taught us at a very early age: the fact that, generally speaking, people only pay close attention to things which directly concern them- things which are relevant to their own situation, their own needs, their own interests- and, even when they do listen, they will be listening to everything in their own way.”

Mackay goes on to explain that people are not blank slates on which we can write our messages, rather every person has their own mechanism for viewing the world.  Everyone sees the world very differently, and because of this we often communicate in a way that makes sense for us but not to others.   It’s an eye-opening look at why communication fails, and how it can be repaired.

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Here is Cydcor's review of The Personal MBA: Master the Art of Business by Josh Kaufman.

About The Personal MBA:  This is a pocket version of what you would learn in business school.  Getting an MBA is a big commitment of both time and money.  One book can’t replace an education, but The Personal MBA provides tools and resources to get you in the right direction to become a successful business leader.  Josh Kaufman founded PersonalMBA.com as an alternative to the business school boondoggle. His blog has introduced hundreds of thousands of readers to the best business books and most powerful business concepts of all time. Now, he shares the essentials of entrepreneurship, marketing, sales, negotiation, operations, productivity, systems design, and much more, in one comprehensive volume.  The book argues that true leadership comes from self-driven individuals and not from school.

Cydcor recommends this book to future leaders because:  It explains the big concepts of navigating both the corporate world and the path of entrepreneurship.  These concepts include The Iron Law of The Market (being limited to the size of your market and how to identify large, unsaturated ones), The 12 Forms of Value (many ways to create value for customers), The Pricing Uncertainty Principle (knowing how to support charging more), and 4 Methods to Increase Revenue (the ways in which you can earn more money for your business).  The book covers the nuts and bolts of running a company, large or small.

Our favorite part: Kaufman provides a long list of examples of people who did not need an MBA to succeed in business.  Quotes from prominent businessmen to motivate you is also a great help, and when you want more information, the book also contains a list of the “99 Best Business Books” for further learning.

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