Before you read any farther, check the tags in your clothing: if you see any "Made in China" labels, you're about to find out exactly what went into the making of those clothes--and what the consequences are. You are probably aware of the unsafe work practices, meager wages, and cramped conditions--but did you know that some companies show model factories to their Western partners, convincing them of their high standards, but do the bulk of their production in "shadow factories" where conditions are far worse? This account is a must-read for anyone concerned about Chinese goods--and anyone wanting to know what's being done about it.

Sometimes it seems like everywhere you look there's another book aimed at helping you get your finances in order. That's not a bad thing--but how do you pick among them? For those with a Zen-oriented mindset, this one combines modern financial expertise with Buddhist-influenced philosophy. The author (head of a respected wealth management firm) first wants you to figure out your emotional attachment to money (what's your greatest fear?) before identifying with one of eight financial "types" (empire builder, pleasure seeker, and so on). Ultimately, he argues, once you have become more conscious about you want, you'll be able to achieve greater monetary security--whatever that means for you.

Leadership guru John Maxwell has more than 50 books under his belt, including several that have hit the New York Times bestseller list. His latest, Leadership Gold, contains 26 chapters, each of which shares a nugget of wisdom that is "provocative and thought-inducing" (Booklist) and that is supported by exercises and suggestions for use in group settings (next week's management meeting, perhaps?). In addition to Maxwell's professional advice, he shares some personal recollections as well. This collection is a great choice for managers old and new; for more books on leadership, check out the section below.

Though officially founded and named in 1986 when Steve Jobs purchased Graphics Groups from George Lucas, Pixar really hit the news when it started creating animated commercials--and ultimately made its first movie, Toy Story, in 1995. Pixar's history has been turbulent, riding the waves of both changing fortunes in computer animation and the volatile personalities of those at the helm. Meanwhile, the animators kept producing hit after hit. As Kirkus Reviews says, this book is "a heck of a yarn, full of vivid characters, reversals of fortune and stubborn determination: Pixar should make a movie out of it."

If you're curious about what differentiates great companies from merely good ones, you'll want to check out Good to Great, which focuses on how small changes can make critical differences. In this study of 11 Fortune 500 companies that made the leap, author Jim Collins (who also wrote Built to Last) focuses on what he calls the "Hedgehog Concept," which is the product or service that sets a company apart from its competition and drives success. Use this book as a guide and blueprint for turning your company into a spectacular one that can outperform its competition.

Running a large city is no small feat, but running it in the aftermath of a terrorist attack takes serious leadership skills. Former mayor of New York City Rudy Giuliani was writing this book when the World Trade Center was attacked; in the wake of the attacks, "America's Mayor" displayed leadership skills that many would come to admire. In his first book, he describes his management, decision-making, and, yes, leadership skills in "lucid fashion and interspersed with disarming and insightful anecdotes" (The New York Times). Even though Giuliani didn't win the U.S. Republican presidential contest this year, Rudy fans and critics alike will find something here to chew on.

Now for something a little different... For The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, author Patrick Lencioni presents a workplace fable on teamwork and leadership, citing the example of a fictional CEO hired to bring together a dysfunctional staff. The scenarios she is faced with will be familiar to many team leaders, for she's dealing with five "corruptions" that get in the way of effective teamwork--absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability, and inattention to results. In addition to the fable, Lencioni also offers suggestions for how to deal with these five all-too-common situations.

According to leadership experts Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis, the most important aspect of leadership is the ability to make the right call, sometimes in spite of high stakes or limited information. They also identify the three major domains of judgment calls--people, strategy, and crises. In addition to real-world examples of successful (and unsuccessful) judgment calls, Tichy and Bennis go on to explain how those who lack this vital leadership skill can develop their own effective judgment. Publishers Weekly says that Judgment should be "mandatory reading for executives and managers at all levels."

As retired CEO Jack Welch reveals in this primer on leadership, he first joined General Electric as a junior engineer in 1960, but planned to leave the company after his first year due to his distaste for GE's bureaucracy and his paltry raise. Convinced to stay by a young GE exec, Welch moved steadily up the corporate ladder and in 1981 became GE's youngest CEO. Publishers Weekly says that Welch delivers "a brilliant career's worth of consistently astute business wisdom," including details about his controversial practice of employee differentiation and his Six Sigma system of quality control. There's a wealth of advice from the man Fortune magazine named "Manager of the Century."

Family therapist Rosamund Stone Zander and conductor Benjamin Zander may not be what immediately comes to mind when you think "leadership experts," but their backgrounds working with patients and with large groups of musicians make for an energetic exploration of how to turn obstacles into possibilities. Emphasizing such practices as reframing meanings and seeing problems from new perspectives, the Zanders focus on shifts in thinking as paths to transformation. If you want to expand your idea of what's possible, this practical, holistic book might be a good choice for you.