Keep up the good work

March is National Employee Spirit Month and I imagine every employee, including the self-employed, could benefit from a lift of the spirit about now. So with a nod of appreciation this week’s Book Buzz is dedicated to employees of every ilk. The book list includes new ideas and tools to make work faster, more organized, less stressful and more fun. It also includes some thoughtful or humorous looks at the nature of work itself.

Happy reading.

By Glenn Van Ekeren

650.14 Va

Written in a daily reading format, this simple and to the point book is a toolbox of practical ideas for injecting a new level of passion into your work. Look also for Four Secrets to Liking Your Work: You May Not Need to Quit to Get the Job You Want by Edward G. Musio. Discover what really motivates you and why, and learn how to find the positive feedback you need.

By Michael Carroll

650.1 Ca

Instead of drudgery, frustration and stress, experience satisfaction, fulfillment, and spiritual growth at work. Using his meditation experience the author shares Buddhist wisdom on how to transform the common hassles and anxieties of the workplace into valuable opportunities for heightened wisdom. Offers principles we can use throughout the day to revitalize our work and understand ourselves and others better. From the same background try Training the Samurai Mind: A Bushido Sourcebook Edited and Translated by Thomas Cleary. It is surprisingly apropos to work life. In another spiritual perspective, Thomas Moore’s A Life at Work about finding the right job and uncovering and becoming the person you were meant to be, describes work as a laboratory where matters of soul are worked out.

No B.S. Time Management for Entrepreneurs: The Ultimate No Holds Barred Kick Butt Take No Prisoners Guide to Time Productivity and Sanity

By Dan Kennedy

650.11 Ke

Don’t count time — make time count. In this book the author takes on cell phones, PDAs and e-mails suggesting when to tap them and when to give them the heave-ho. The productivity strategies are straight forward. Time Management: 24 Techniques to Make Each Minute Count at Work by Marc Mancini is blissfully brief with short chapters easy to digest. Or you can try It’s About Time!: The 6 Styles of Procrastination and How to Overcome Them by Linda Sapadin with Jack Maguire.

The One-Life Solution: Reclaim Your Personal Life While Achieving Greater Professional

By Dr. Henry Cloud

650.1 Cl

The author teaches us how to construct and enforce better boundaries against technological devices, bully bosses, and distracting coworkers who may invade our time and space. “From conducting an audit of your time, developing a policy of who you are and what you stand for, to learning to say no, the author provides strategies and scripts for moving toward a more balance life. See also Slowing Down to the Speed of Life by Richard Carlson and Joseph Bailey, to get off the treadmill of anxiety, worry and pressure to achieve a more peaceful and simpler life from the inside out. In The Power of Purpose: Living Well by Doing Good, Peter S. Temes demonstrates how helping others helps you reach your own goals and find enduring happiness.

By Regina Leeds

650.1 Le

Using her friendly, holistic “Zen Organizing” approach, the author and professional organizer shows simple steps to getting more done more quickly. Learn the secrets of tackling stress, disorganization, and time management to make your job easier. Also look for The Personal Efficiency Program: How to Get Organized to Do More Work in Less Time by Kerry Gleeson.

Passion at Work: How

By Lawler Kang

650.1 Ka

Regardless of where you are in your career the author will show you how to bring meaning to your work and provides tools to align your passions, proficiencies and priorities to create a niche only you can dominate. A five-step process to identify, actualize, monetize and sell your passions to relevant stakeholders based on your specific tolerance of risk. See also The Renaissance Soul: Life Design for People with Too Many Passions to Pick Just One. Or Refuse to Choose: A Revolutionary Program for Doing Everything That You Love by Barbara Sher.

A Survival Guide to Working with Bad Bosses: Dealing with Bullies, Idiots, Back-Stabbers, and Other Managers from Hell

By Gini Graham Scott

650.13 Scott

This manual offers practical tips and savvy advice to thrive under common bad boss types and helps new bosses avoid these pitfalls themselves. Laugh and learn. See also The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn’t by Robert I. Sutton. You can also look for Toxic Work : How to Overcome Stress, Overload and Burnout and Revitalize Your Career by Barbara Bailey Reinhold.

By Roxanne Emmerich

658.314 Em

The author reminds us that trust, integrity, accountability and FUN are the cornerstones of real business results. Engaging stories and inspiring ideas help create passion in your organization. See also Listening with Empathy: Creating Genuine Connection with Customers and Colleagues by John Selby, based on the principle that if you feel good your customers will too.

By Spencer Johnson

155.24 Jo

This classic is a simple parable about rats (us) navigating a maze (our world, including work) to get to the cheese (our goals). It reveals some important truths about change. Another good classic is The Peter Principle by Laurence I. Peter states, “In a hierarchy every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.” Why is incompetence so maddeningly rampant and so vexingly triumphant? If you haven’t read this classic, you may also enjoy this tonic full of the joy of recognition.

• Carolyn Larson, head librarian at Lihu‘e Public Library, brings you the buzz on new, popular and good books available at your neighborhood library. Book annotations are culled from online publishers’ descriptions and published reviews.