Learning to Live in a Different Culture

Going to a foreign country and wondering how you will fit in or adapt to living there? This book will help you. Are you a recent arrival into a different cultural system and are facing difficulties? This book will help you. Want to know how (and why) to do things the way your friends and colleagues of a different culture do? This book will help you. Wondering why other cultures act so differently to yours? This book will tell you. Based on the actual experiences of long-term exchange student sojourners who have been in these situations, this book tells you how they overcame their difficulties. Tested against widely accepted theories and models, the author presents techniques – what to do and what not to do – on how the sojourners featured in this book may have adapted more easily and quickly, and offers his own experiential Cross-cultural Adaptation Process Model (eCAPM) as a tool to use on one’s cultural adaptation journey.

Loving Leadership

When leadership is powered by love, it can change everything…

In his second book, Michael Quigley presents a radical new model for leading using love as the driving force for your leadership. 

Michael will guide you in the six key practices of a loving leader: how to let go of enemies, grow and develop, embrace paradoxes, enjoy sacred relationships, think long-term, and produce meaning that truly matters.

This book contains a combination of inspirational true stories from the worlds of business and education, as well as key insights, unique strategies and frameworks – which you won’t find anywhere else. 

By combining the material in this book with the love in your heart you can become a true loving leader. 

Our world deserves a better kind of leader – are you ready to become one? 

Mark of a Man

In a world where men are told to be strong, to suppress their feelings, to hold it together, Mark Sephton wants to educate today’s man on how he can understand his needs, emotions, responsibilities and his duty not only to those around him but to himself.

Mark wants to lift the lid on the emotions men feel and face, yet lack the understanding and confidence to express and grasp the importance of the masculine energy which creates a frame promoting a positive environment where women can thrive and together we can benefit from the beautiful feminine energy in return.

Mark’s vision is to help men be better men, through the lens and struggle of his own divorce and creating a healthy and open space for men to take a look at themselves in the mirror. Mark’s heart is to help men find a way out through the more difficult paths we must all at some point in our life take. 

N Z Small Business Owners Handbook

The N Z Small Business Owners Handbook is an essential guide for the over 500,000 small business owners in New Zealand. This practical and comprehensive book offers clear and actionable insights that every owner and stakeholder needs to understand in order to succeed.

While many small business owners are skilled at working in their business, they often neglect the crucial task of working on their business due to their busy schedules. This can lead to exponentially increased risks and missed opportunities. Simply working harder is not the answer - knowing how to work on your business is critical.

This book offers an easy-to-understand solution, using the analogy of the popular game ‘snakes and ladders.’ Just like in the game, business life can be full of ups and downs. This handbook provides a clear roadmap to help navigate the challenges and capitalize on the opportunities that arise.

Whether you are an established business owner or just starting out, this handbook is an indispensable resource for anyone seeking to thrive in the dynamic and ever-changing world of small business. With practical advice, real-world examples, and clear action steps, the N Z Small Business Owners Handbook is the ultimate guide to achieving success and realizing your business dreams.

Overcoming Selective Blindness

With a looming cloud of collective defeatism casting an increasing shadow across the NHS, this book offers a potential lifeline to exhausted individuals and organisations. ‘Selective Blindness’ is cited as the reason why the root causes of the NHS’s problems are failing to be addressed and the single biggest risk to the future of the NHS.

Seeking to share experience and learning from a decade of working with trusts to improve services, the pages are packed with practical, simple, and achievable tools and techniques to increase the pace and focus of improvements. The book recognises the need to practically help both those positioned by the bedside and around the board table so that they may be better positioned to address the root cause of local issues to achieve improvements for patients.

Only when this is achieved will they be able to challenge what is described as Selective Blindness present within those in legitimate positions of influencing the future of the NHS.

Please, Don't Trust Me

Discover the truth behind the much-derided world of estate agency in this no-holds-barred account. From gazumping and sealed bids to Dutch auctions and life-affirming philosophy, this brutally honest book delves into all aspects of the housing market that have never been available to the general public.

Written by a local author who may have sold your house or sold one to you, this book sheds light on the mysteries of estate agency and the rationale behind its practices. Is estate agency really just money for old rope? What links it to the dropping of the atomic bomb? What phrase from 1928 is still causing angst in the house buying process?

With fascinating insights into the history of estate agents and even a discussion of the role of the Bible in the industry, this book explores the tall stories and interesting views that make up this complex world. Whether you’re a seasoned property buyer or just curious about the industry, prepare to be stultified and enlightened by this intriguing read.

As any self-respecting estate agent would say, an internal inspection is highly recommended. So read on and discover the secrets of estate agency that have never been revealed before.

Practical Management Skills

The author has been a manager for longer than she has been a mother and a wife. Thankfully, no one carries out an annual review on your performance as a wife or a mother, yet you are constantly evaluated when you are a manager. Therefore, it is crucial to understand and focus on the criteria that make you a successful manager. For her, a successful manager is one who is able to gain respect, build a strong team, retain talent, develop people, manage others and work well within a team of other managers. These goals thus make up the backbone of this book.

The genesis of the book came whilst the author was on a maternity leave, when she found herself searching for a hobby that would draw on her strengths and address something that she was personally invested in. After being a manager for a decade, she realised that her passion lay in teaching others how to become better managers and progress their careers, as much as it did with her own ongoing learning and development as a manager.

Although the author's decade of management experience comes from the financial sector, she strongly believes that her teachings are applicable to all industries. English is her third language and writing a book is a new venture for her; however, she thinks that this actually works to the benefit of the book as she uses simple, jargon-free language that helps any readers to easily grasp the managerial concepts raised. The book therefore makes an easy read, whether it is read from beginning to an end, or dipped into to address specific themes that the reader may want to turn to, depending on which part of their managerial experience they currently need help with.

The author hopes the reader finds the book engaging and interesting as well as educational.

Problem Solving For Individuals and Companies

This book is a life-changing experience that will project yourself forward by solving problems at all levels both for individuals and companies.

You will find that it entitles you to further enhance your lifestyle with increased opportunities as well as health improvements.

It will also propel you into something that allows you to escape from all types of problems that have perhaps held you back from moving forward, in assisting you to achieve the life that you desire. This will also explain the magic and power that can be achieved from the universe, as well as teach you how to negotiate anything that you desire.

You will also begin to understand and use the hidden untapped power that lies within you.

The Art of Sales

I consider the art of sales to be a chess game well-thought, strategically planned and played carefully. One needs to know the rules of the game and the ethics. It is not only a matter of how well you know the game or play it but also a matter of human psychology, soul, character (which includes the elements of patience), fear, insights, instincts and correct observation without being hasty or careless which will help you prevail. It is a matter of how we behave when we are under pressure, when we are surprised and when we realise that we are not going to win. Can we control our nerves? Can we take it easy? Can we look for a different plan and adapt quickly when things go wrong? This is an art and it is more important than the knowledge. It comes with experience. The more you play, the more you are in control. The Art of Sales is based on exactly the same thinking. Play safely.

The Blue Mist

The science of human factors is often overlooked, yet it is pivotal in the pursuit of safety. Understanding what makes us tick, our behaviours and how we interact with others, and the ability to visualise potential threats and errors has many advantages. Such as developing better interpersonal and communication skills, which can assist in growing your leadership or team working skills. The ability to see threats and errors can improve safety, reduce costs, and increase productivity.

The Blue Mist is a personal guidebook on human factors; through the author’s experiences and research, the reader can explore and learn the basic human factor concepts. Extensive research in well-known disasters such as the Ladbrook Grove rail disaster, The Costa Concordia Grounding, and the Irish Coast Guard helicopter accident, together with the author’s accounts of incidents and accidents, combine to give an informative and fascinating insight.

The field of human factors developed by the aviation industry is becoming recognised as a critical element in many other sectors. Adopted as a safety element in the shipping, rail, and medical sectors, it has increased safety and reduced accidents. This book assists both novice and experienced human factor advocates and is an excellent tool in exploring the human factor concepts and values.

The Chocolate Elephant Part 1

Putting Information Technology first and the business second is putting the cart before the horse.

In most organisations, there seems to be a disconnect between the business and Information Technology, and in some regards, IT is looked on as the silver bullet that can be used to resolve all problems and issues. This has occurred due to Information Technology becoming so embedded in organisations and being required for the execution of most business processes.

It should be noted that Information Technology is a tool used to enable the execution of a business process. It is an important tool, but nonetheless, it is only a tool.

Organisations need to shift the focus back to the business and ensure that the technology they are using fits in with the requirements of their business processes. This will ensure that businesses become more efficient and effective and that they are only using and being supported for the technology that they require. Only in very exceptional circumstances, should a business process be altered to fit in with Information Technology.

The Decision Paradigm

Decisions, decisions, decisions… Throughout history, people have had to step up to the plate, and make tough decisions. Sometimes they have had time to plan, but often they have had to act spontaneously, knowing that the choices they make there and then are quite likely to be sifted over for months and years after should the outcome be ‘wrong’. In today’s litigious, ‘trial by media’ society, it is little wonder that people are less willing to put themselves in the firing line. But what if there was a better way? The Decision Paradigm gives an insight into that world. Using a step-by-step approach, the ‘Problem Oriented Decision System’ (PODS) leads to better problem analysis and provides a clear, evidence-based approach which enables the user to explain how they came to make the choice they did, and not just why? The Decision Paradigm is an essential handbook for anyone in the public or private sector who needs to take their organisation forward with accountable decision making.