Bringing Out The Leader In You; Juggling Your Work And Your Family; Tapping Into Your Creativity

With business videotapes often costing hundreds of dollars, it's nice to see a company offering programs in a more affordable budget range. Produced by the American Management Association, these three programs follow a similar format. An on-camera host introduces the subject, and then talks to both experts and working people, using a large television (somewhat like the nightly news). Bringing Out the Leader in You is the most business-oriented tape of the trio, which begins by noting the changing definitions of the term "leader" (originally, leaders were thought to be born, not made), and then interviewing some managers in the field, while identifying the major principles which constitute good leadership. The interviewees range from Bill Jones, an Executive Vice President for Coppus Engineering to Suzanne Anderson, a housewife who spearheads a local anti-toxic waste movement called "Coalition for a Safe Environment." While the material is entry-level, the neverending demand for management materials ensures that this program will get plenty of use. Juggling Your Work and Family examines a common dilemma faced by many families where both parents work: namely, who takes care of the family? Several couples are interviewed in this program which seeks to outline the options working parents face when the baby comes. In addition, psychologists and pediatricians address the problems of guilt and stress that many mothers feel upon placing their young children in the care of others. Options such as flex-time, on-site daycare, and job sharing are discussed as well as the more traditional caregiver options. In Tapping Into Your Creativity, we meet "found object" artist Bob Rindler, who creates visually appealing multimedia collages out of pop culture objects from the past; and Jerry Ellis, a creative retailer, who runs a large department store, and consistently employs creative ways to advertise his wares (when he received a shipment of fly swatters with a defective hole in the center--he ran a selling campaign based on the slogan "give a fly a sporting chance," and sold a bundle). While the principles of creativity (imagination, intuition, humor) sound reasonable, a section on corporate America getting assistance from a psychologist is a bit laughable. Sport-coated, necktied businessmen sit at a table and play games with children in order to "rediscover the child within," a posited feature of creativity. It's not the fact that big boys are playing with blocks that's really so humorous, as the fact that they're paying big bucks to do so. All of the titles are nicely packaged and presented, and would make good additions to current business video collections. A 15% discount is available with the purchase of all three titles, and interested libraries may want to weight this against the fact that Juggling Work and Family covers information readily available in a number of child care videos. Recommended. (Available from: AMA, Video Customer Service Center, Nine Galen St., Watertown, MA 02172; 1-800-225-3215.)