Colleen Hermann

Ryan Blair, author of "Nothing to Lose, Everything to Gain: How I Went from Gang Member to Multimillionaire Entrepreneur," did not always dream of making money or being successful. He grew up as an average kid with less-than-average ambitions.

The book, "10 Critical Strategies for Finding Fulfillment in a Hectic World," provides insights on how to gain control over crucial decisions, strategize to be less fearful, balance priorities, develop resiliency and plan for adversity.

In his book, "Unfair Advantage," author Robert Kiyosake challenges people to invest in the one thing they can control: themselves.

During times of economic stress and rapid change, customers are more difficult to please than ever. Customers have lost a tolerance for errors, and in the era of social networking and blogging, disappointment with your business can spread over the Internet quicker than ever.

In their book, "Make Talent Your Business: How exceptional managers develop people while getting results," authors Wendy Axelrod and Jeannie Coyle say managers that successfully develop people shape their work environments to drive that development process. By studying successful managers, the authors found five basic practices common in exceptional development managers.