Step into the heart-pounding world of “Taj’s Sabbatical,” a gripping novel that unravels the intense saga of an enforcer’s relentless pursuit against a villain who casts a long, ominous shadow over his family. Become a part of this cosmic odyssey where bravery, loyalty, and commitment are tested.
Artell Smith has enjoyed an extensive business and human resources career, holding key leadership roles in large, multifaceted organizations. His expertise spans a broad range of HR functions, including senior executive support, talent management, generalist services, operations, employee engagement, technology integration, recruitment strategies, and the implementation of offshoring initiatives. Artell’s proficiency extends to spearheading transformational projects globally, showcasing his adeptness in navigating the complexities of HR work.
In addition to his corporate roles, Artell is a consultant and educator at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Wisconsin School of Business, Center for Professional & Executive Development, and Principal and Managing Director of WatchWorks Management Consulting LLC.
His literary contributions include two leadership books, “No Time to Waste – Microbehaviors: Leveraging the Little Things to Become a Better Leader” and “Engage.Coach.Develop – Building Strong Relationships That Drive Individual and Team Performance.” He has also delved into fiction, co-authoring “Taj’s Sabbatical: Book One, Sol System Enforcer Chronicles” with his son Troy Smith and writing “A Death at Christmas and Other Wondrous Events.”
Success is arrived at together, not alone, according to the succinct leadership book Engage. Coach. Develop.
Human resources professional Artell Smith’s concise but practical leadership book Engage. Coach. Develop. includes instructions for forging strong relationships with one’s employees to boost a business’s performance.
With tidy recommendations for building successful teams and guiding one’s employees, this is a book concerned with realizing a business’s full potential by taking advantage of individuals’ strengths. Its work is targeted toward managers at all levels and occupations, with field-tested tips for employee engagement, connection, and rewards. In turn, it promises that employees who are treated as it suggests will themselves attain a sense of professional fulfillment, winding up both happier and more productive.
Casual and conversational, the book dishes out anecdotes and dollops of humor that make its familiar advice more personable: Smith recalls a workplace interaction in which he was told that the company didn’t like smart alecks (“except she didn’t say aleck”); of a senior leader who once forbade the use of the word “feel,” he quips “I don’t think butter would have melted in [his] mouth.” Indeed, the book’s sympathy for those facing common workplace struggles is humanizing. Smith notes that most employee complaints related to managers are about managers being too critical, not acknowledging good work, and not listening, and he shares advice for avoiding these pitfalls by working to understand one’s employees better. The book’s leadership method is rooted in positivity and balanced by the keen acknowledgement of variables like employees’ emotional states.
Interaction models and diagnostic tools are included for greater context, alongside useful lists of tips, questions, and behaviors for mnemonic reinforcement. Encouragements to listen for potential, speak with intent, dance toward insight, and create new thinking are used to illuminate the nuances of employee interactions. The book’s suggestions for possible topics of conversation are expansive too.
Despite its compressed length, the book’s chapters run long and lose focus too often. Still, the basics of engagement, coaching, and development are handled in logical order, and the final chapter does an able job of synthesizing Smith’s insights (alongside the points of view of other authors, including Patrick Lencioni, Daniel Pink, and Steve King, who are referenced to increase credibility throughout, and whose expertise is reflected in the book’s lengthy bibliography).
The leadership guide Engage. Coach. Develop. draws on personal experiences to make suggestions for motivating one’s employees and maximizing success
JOSEPH S. PETE
Business managers are often urged to “not sweat the small stuff.” Management consultant and educator Smith disagrees. Smith, who has a background in HR, believes that the “small stuff,” or micro behaviors, can drive organizational performance. A range of practices make up Smith’s micro behaviors, from how managers greet employees, to how they open a meeting, to the questions they ask employees, to the posture they use in one-on-one meetings. Employees are watching and reacting to everything managers do, Smith writes, advising managers to consider their own worldviews and how they influence micro behaviors. Smith also explores the impact of micro behaviors on DEI and much more. This short book is written in crisp, relatable prose, peppered with dialogues based on real situations, a composite of Smith’s reimagined conversations with an ideal mentor. Business managers, especially those in HR-related functions, will find a worthy collection of tips here for improving employee relationships and communications by paying attention to the “small stuff.”
“I don’t know how he does it, but the author delivers what he promises and in style.
Taj’s Sabbatical is unlike any book I have ever read before. It’s unique and keeps you hooked till the end.”
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