The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most beautiful and most photographed structures in the world. It’s also the most deadly. Since it opened in 1937, more than 1,500 people have died jumping off the bridge, making it the top suicide site on earth. It’s also the only international landmark without a suicide barrier. Weaving drama, tragedy, and politics against the backdrop of a world-famous city, The Final Leap is the first book ever written about Golden Gate Bridge suicides. John Bateson leads us on a fascinating journey that uncovers the reasons for the design decision that led to so many deaths, provides insight into the phenomenon of suicide, and examines arguments for and against a suicide barrier. He tells the stories of those who have died, the few who have survived, and those who have been affected—from loving families to the Coast Guard, from the coroner to suicide prevention advocates.
The Golden Gate Bridge is one of the most photographed structures in the world. It's also the most deadly. Since it opened in 1937, more than 1,500 people have died jumping off the bridge, making it the top suicide site on earth. This title leads us on a journey that uncovers the reasons for the design decision that led to so many deaths.
This work is about the art of living mentally well. Told through the first-hand experience of mental health advocate, activist and speaker Kevin Hines (who has bipolar disorder), the story is an honest account of the struggle to live mentally well, and teach others how to do t...
Every business faces the existential threat of competitors producing cheaper copies. Even patent filings, market dominance and financial resources can't shield them from copycats. So what can we do -- and, what can we learn from companies that have endured and even prospered for centuries despite copycat competition? In a book of narrative history and practical strategy, IMD professor of management and innovation Howard Yu shows that succeeding in today's marketplace is no longer just a matter of mastering copycat tactics, companies also need to leap across knowledge disciplines, and to reimagine how a product is made or a service is delivered. This proven tactic can protect a company from being overtaken by new (and often foreign) copycat competitors. Using riveting case studies of successful leaps and tragic falls, Yu illustrates five principles to success that span a wide range of industries, countries, and eras. Learn about how P&G in the 19th century made the leap from handcrafted soaps and candles to mass production of its signature brand Ivory, leaped into the new fields of consumer psychology and advertising, then leaped again, at the risk of cannibalizing its core product, into synthetic detergents and won with Tide in 1946. Learn about how Novartis and other pharma pioneers stayed ahead by making leaps from chemistry to microbiology to genomics in drug discovery; and how forward-thinking companies, including China's largest social media app -- WeChat, Tokyo-based Internet service provider Recruit Holdings, and Illinois-headquartered John Deere are leaping ahead by leveraging the emergence of ubiquitous connectivity, the inexorable rise of intelligent machines, and the rising importance of managerial creativity. Outlasting competition is difficult; doing so over decades or a century is nearly impossible -- unless one leaps. Ultimately, Leap is a manifesto for how pioneering companies can endure and prosper in a world of constant change and inevitable copycats.
A poignant sequence of poems traces the evolution of a divorce while exploring themes of love, sex, sorrow, memory and freedom as reflected by everyday familiarities and the poignancy of former lovers parting, in a collection by the National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of The Dead and the Living.
These shocking, brilliant, and ultimately beautiful stories chronicle the lives of ordinary people in extraordinary situations. Each tale is laced with enough wit, humor, and imagination to keep the reader constantly amazed. From the young son persuaded to donate his heart to his dying mother, to the girl who befriends a man in a dog suit in post-apocolyptic suburbia, to the man and woman conducting a love affair across a park bench, these characters delight and dazzle.
Leap of Reason is the product of decades of hard-won insights from philanthropist Mario Morino, McKinsey & Company, and top social-sector innovators. It is intended to spark the critically important conversations that every nonprofit board and leadership team should have in this new era of austerity. The authors make a convincing case that the nation's growing fiscal crisis will force all of us in the social sector to be clearer about our aspirations, more intentional in defining our approaches, more rigorous in gauging our progress, more willing to admit mistakes, more capable of quickly adapting and improving--all with an unrelenting focus on improving lives.
Taking the Leap provides relevant and practical advice from 24 well-known coaches who have built sustainable coaching businesses while doing what they love: helping people. What do the most successful coaches in the world all have in common? They all started from nothing. If you've not yet reached the level of impact and income that you want as a coach, then Taking the Leap is the handbook you have been searching for. For the first time ever, the world's top coaches are sharing their core success strategies in a groundbreaking book. With unique, original contributions from coaching legends like Marshall Goldsmith, Jack Canfield and John Demartini, this is the ultimate guide for becoming a successful coach. Practical, step-by-step business and marketing advice is merged with inspirational material about attitude and mindset. Combined, the chapters in this book add up to a rock solid recipe for building a lucrative business simply by helping others and following your passion. "Many of the people in the coaching profession are really good coaches, but they are awful business people." --Marshall Goldsmith If you're a new coach, the advice in this book will help you take your leap and build a business with confidence, following proven strategies from the best of the best. If you're an industry veteran, the success stories, techniques and advice in this book will give you renewed motivation and drive you to reach even greater heights. This book provides practical advice from 24 globally recognized coaches: MARSHALL GOLDSMITH on becoming a better businessperson JACK CANFIELD on continuous improvement KIERON SWEENEY on promoting yourself HEATHER RAMSEY on selecting a business model MARK THOMPSON on partnering with industry leaders KELVIN LIM on specialization PATRYK WEZOWSKI on scaling your business MARC STEINBERG on inner wisdom MIRNA BACUN on leveraging LinkedIn VISHEN LAKHIANI on building a visionary business RELLY NADLER on emotional intelligence DAVID TAYOR-KLAUS on self-mastery SAM MARKEWICH on passion and influence BETH MASTERMAN on honing leadership skills MELINDA FOUTS on mastering change KATHERINE MCINTOSH on following your intuition JOANN LYSIAK on creating a vision of your future CLINTON CALLAHAN on pushing your own boundaries PETER SAGE on confidence PATRICK JINKS on working with nonprofits KASIA WEZOWSKI on devolving the mindset of success JOHN DEMARTINI on creating a work-life you love ROBERTO RE on defining your unique value MELISSA TIETS on persistence
A new, tenth anniversary edition of the leadership classic that was hailed as one of the 100 Best Business Books of All Time. In his exciting and timeless business parable, The Radical Leap, Steve Farber explores an entirely new leadership model, one in which leaders aren't afraid to take risks, make mistakes in front of employees, or actively solicit employee feedback. His book dispenses with the typical, tired notions of what it means to be a leader. Farber's modern parable begins on a sunny California beach where he has a strange and unexpected encounter with a surfer named Edg. Despite his unassuming appearance, the enigmatic Edg seems to know an awful lot about leadership and this brief interaction propels Steve into an unforgettable journey. Along the way, he learns about Extreme Leadership--and what it means to take the Radical Leap: Cultivate Love Generate Energy Inspire Audacity Provide Proof Geared to people at any level who aspire to change things for the better, The Radical Leap is creating legions of Extreme Leaders in business, education, non-profits and beyond.
The true history of a legendary American folk hero In the 1820s, a fellow named Sam Patch grew up in Pawtucket, Rhode Island, working there (when he wasn't drinking) as a mill hand for one of America's new textile companies. Sam made a name for himself one day by jumping seventy feet into the tumultuous waters below Pawtucket Falls. When in 1827 he repeated the stunt in Paterson, New Jersey, another mill town, an even larger audience gathered to cheer on the daredevil they would call the "Jersey Jumper." Inevitably, he went to Niagara Falls, where in 1829 he jumped not once but twice in front of thousands who had paid for a good view. The distinguished social historian Paul E. Johnson gives this deceptively simple story all its deserved richness, revealing in its characters and social settings a virtual microcosm of Jacksonian America. He also relates the real jumper to the mythic Sam Patch who turned up as a daring moral hero in the works of Hawthorne and Melville, in London plays and pantomimes, and in the spotlight with Davy Crockett—a Sam Patch who became the namesake of Andrew Jackson's favorite horse. In his shrewd and powerful analysis, Johnson casts new light on aspects of American society that we may have overlooked or underestimated. This is innovative American history at its best.
