THE STARFISH FILES
Alex Hiam, 2006
Published by Trainer’s Spectrum
150 pages, paperback

Written in the form of a novella, this thoughtful book follows the downs (and eventually, ups) of a young manager who fears his plant will be shut down and the jobs exported. How he rallies his team and overcomes the challenges makes for a good lesson in the art of great leadership. How he learns to be a great leaders is somewhat controversial—he claims to have met a very unusual mentor while walking along the beach one day. (You’ll just have to read it if you want to know any more than that.)

Note: This book is required reading at the U.S. Coast Guard’s Leadership and Management School.