Press Room
2008
Press Contact: Kenya M. Henderson
212-904-3346
kenya_henderson@mcgraw-hill.com
According to Kevin Carroll, acclaimed author of the Red Rubber Ball series of books, activities we played in our childhood were far from frivolous time, but rather were productive (even if as kids we did not realize it). What we thought was entertaining was also instructive. Activities we called soccer, tap dancing, marbles, double-dutch, blocks, and tag were also exercises in resourcefulness, planning, strategy, design, decision making, creativity, and risk taking - the same skills required of us at work. In THE RED RUBBER BALL AT WORK: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play (McGraw-Hill; November 2008; Hardcover: $19.95), Carroll (business motivator and ESPN.com "Power of Sport" columnist) shows business readers how to apply the same skills we used when we played as kids to invigorate 5 key hot-button issues in the workplace: Innovation, Results, Teamwork, Leadership, and Curiosity. He includes over 30 "play profiles" from successful business people, including well-known names like Seth Godin, Malcolm Gladwell, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson as well as everyday people whose success comes from embracing a sense of play at work. The book itself is a playful, 4-color design in a 6 x 7 trim size. The writing reflects Carroll's tremendous energy - he is a positive, enthusiastic person and speaks in a straightforward, genuine manner. Carroll is also the author of Rules of the Red Rubber Ball which took readers on a colorful and visual journey of how he found his professional path through his sense of play and What's Your Red Rubber Ball?!, an inspirational workbook for children. The genesis of all three books is an actual ball that Carroll played with as a boy which helped him discover his athletic ability, a passion for sports, and fueled his personal and professional dreams. He is the founder of Kevin Carroll Katalyst/LLC where he has helped turn creative ideas into reality for organizations such as The National Hockey League, Nike, ESPN, Starbucks (his words appeared on 17 million Grande cups), The Walt Disney Company, Mattel, and more. The Red Rubber Ball At Work is divided into the 5 key hot-button issues in the workplace - Innovation, Results, Teamwork, Leadership, and Curiosity. Then, each section includes 5-7 "play profiles." Each profile artfully describes the person's favorite childhood game, his current job, and how their past play now manifests itself in present work. Finally, each part ends with an action plan that encourages readers to invoke play in each specific topic, including exercises and other mental activities they can use to stretch their play. The Red Rubber Ball at Work shows how the most enjoyable and beneficial elements of childhood play can actually solve some of the biggest problems companies face. Where other management books call for play-like activities away from the office in the form of company-sponsored sporting events, off-site bonding meetings, and isolated brainstorming sessions, Carroll acknowledges that play and work can be one in the same. "Play is serious business, and play is serious in business. Unfortunately, these two simple truths often go unrecognized and result in unhappy, less productive workers."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Visit Kevin Carroll's blog at http://www.kevincarrollkatalyst.com/
THE RED RUBBER BALL AT WORK: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play by Kevin Carroll; McGraw-Hill; November 2008; Hardcover: $19.95; 160 pages; ISBN-10: 0-07-159944-4; ISBN-13: 978-0-07-159944-3.
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