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write. As they break down the tactics used by top brands, they offer great suggestions for other companies try- ing to differentiate themselves—and thrive. (Jossey-Bass, $27.95) Geoff Colvin doesn't believe superstar ath- letes, artists, or CEOs were born any more special than ordinary folks. He makes his bias clear upfront by titling his book Talent Is Overrated—and he offers piles of data showing that even so-called prodigies are not gifted with inborn talent or incredible memories that put the rest of us to shame. No, Colvin says, what truly distinguishes wildly successful people in any field is a devotion to what he calls deliberate practice. "It is an activity designed specifically to improve performance, often with a teacher's help; it can be repeated a lot; feedback on results is continuously available; it's highly demanding mentally…and it isn't much fun," he writes. He makes a persuasive case that even Mozart and Tiger Woods became so phenomenally successful because they started training early, under the tutelage of dedicated fathers, and they put in more hours of hard work than any of their peers. Even read- ers who secretly believe they reached the tops of their games a long time ago will find themselves wondering what they can accomplish if they take Colvin's approach and practice for greatness. (Portfolio, $24.95) It turns out you actually can put a dollar value on trust. In The Integrity Divi- dend, Tony Simons offers evidence that managers who demonstrate integrity and keep their promises will run demonstrably more success- ful companies. Simons, an asso- ciate professor at Cornell University, summarizes research he conducted with employ- ees of a large hotel chain. "Where employees reported high integrity on the part of their managers, we saw deeper employee commitment, lead- ing to lower employee turnover and superior customer service, all leading to higher profitability," he writes. A manager's "behavioral integrity" shapes an organization's internal culture and external perception; it even has an effect on how customers feel about the trustworthiness of the brand. But it pays for managers to be concise and explicit about what they offer and expect. "You need to develop a very few values that you will absolutely live by and then repeat them every chance you get," writes Simons. He isn't advocating "draft- ing up a statement of values that sits in a desk drawer," a practice he con- siders toxic. He's merely laying out the payoff a manager can get when "your word of steel is as valuable as gold." (Jossey-Bass, $27.95) James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner don't consider leadership the pre- rogative of the charismatic individu- al—or even simply the adult with a well-paying job. In Student Leader- ship Challenge, they present their leadership lessons in a format designed to appeal to college stu- dents, whether they're taking busi- ness classes, running a volleyball tournament, or organizing a sorority. The basic formula tallies with the one they have described in their other books on the topic—be a role model, share your vision, challenge the status quo, enable others, and offer encouragement—but packaged for somewhat younger readers strug- gling with their first challenges as leaders. "Leadership is everyone's business," they write, and they know that no one is too young to learn it. (Jossey-Bass, $25) What do you wish you'd known before you became CEO? Umesh Ramakrishnan has posed a varia- tion of that question to executives in all industries all over the world, and he distills their answers in There's No Elevator to the Top. Many of the insights he offers are not particularly new: Have a passion for what you do. Never stop learning. Listen. But these curiously disarming CEOs also talk frankly about the benefits of taking a "zigzag" course to the top office, keeping employees in the loop, and maintaining relationships with friends and family. Even so, no one minimizes the challenge of being a CEO in today's busi- ness environment. Ramakrishnan quotes John Kealey of iDi- rect, who says that a career trajectory used to be like hiking up a mountain, with the summit always in view. Today, says Kealey, "we're rock climbing … . We're just kind of work- ing our way up the side not quite sure where we're going or where the next turn is." These CEOs thoughtfully share with others what they've learned about making that uncer- tain journey. (Portfolio, $24.95) ■ z BizEd NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2008 71