Capstone: 1845 books

Volume 1 in the series treats the reader with the definition of a Yes You! Yes Now! Leader including a real-life story, followed by one of the basic skills. Ask Questions, Seek Understanding describes what the title means with two real-life stories illustrating its applications: one of an apparently truant high school student and one of a man who saw the need to help a seriously ill friend.

Yes-you yes-now leaders must realize that confronting a difficult challenge is the only way to grow and improve. Running away from the challenge is the worst thing you can do. Nearly as bad is staying within your comfort zone, to take on only what you have mastered and what you know to be well within your capabilities. This is the status quo, the steady state. You are flatlined.

It’s hard to be a yes-you yes-now leader without knowing your beacon for navigation. Throughout thick and thin, what keeps a person on course? It is often said and it is often true, that people are loyal to a leader. This is a fatal mistake that begs the question, to what is the leader loyal? A Beacon to Guide You is illustrated by a short story about two coaches at Indiana University.

Leadership Basics: Power Distribution. People in a group share power. It resides within members of a team and shifts around constantly. It’s not just about power though, but also about shifts in power to help focus on the goals of the group. Single decision-maker or group consensus extremes can...

There is no simple recipe for being a yes-you yes-now leader, but it is not complicated either. By shaping your views from personal experience, you can distinguish yourself in ways that are uniquely yours. Great Followers Achieve Great Success is illustrated by the story of Presidential Medal of Freedom winner John Wooden’s simple principle of success.

Research has shown that the hurt from loss impacts people more than the pleasure from gain. The leading idea is that it’s a survival instinct, so it would be easy for negative thoughts to slow progress towards goals. A yes-you yes-now leader compensates by making extra effort to accentuate the positive. The true story pits a student versus faculty at MIT -- and the student leads the way!

I grew up during World War II and developed a completely different view of the world from that which applies in most parts of the world nowadays. I was also an inhabitant of Australia, which was a completely different country from today. We had an anglo-saxon population of 5 million people and an...

Are you a creative teacher or notice that there's more to teaching than the rigor of skills and core instruction? Have you wondered what the missing piece is that would allow students to be a member of a team, apply standards in a creative way, and learn skills hands-on? Start here with A Bookbag of...

Discovering Voice is a collection of classroom exercises that helps students deeply understand the reading and writing of complex text. The lessons, which cover diction, detail, figurative language, imagery, syntax, and tone, help students understand voice in what they read and encourage them to develop...

There were many points of anguish in my battle with the psychological and spiritual consequences of the handling of Marjorie’s and my affairs, not the least of which were the gross unfairness and misconstruing of the affairs, particularly after the true cause of her agonizing headaches was clearly...

A chocolate cake A Sunday outing A date of fate   A young accounting student recounts events of certain dates. Are they related in some ‘strange, fateful fashion?’ Weaving through cakes and dates, the story demonstrates the power of belief and the subtle sway of fate.

A Tonic for Gin takes you on a journey through the highs and lows of alcohol dependence. These observations were initially documented on the popular online site Hello Sunday Morning. This collection of thoughts gives you a fresh perspective on life after alcohol, and although excruciatingly raw and...

Brachiosaurus is known for its long neck and legs, but how do we know anything about it at all? Discover how this famous dinosaur was unearthed, beginning with the first finds of its fossils and some mistaken identities a compelling story of science at work and its amazing results. With supports for...

Stegosaurus was tough—in more ways than one! With body plates and a spiked tail, this dinosaur was armored top to bottom. But this small-brained beast was plant-eater, and its armor had a surprising purpose. Discover the mysteries of Stegosaurus and its Jurassic journey millions of years ago.