5 comments about Business Class: Etiquette Essentials for Success at Work.

1. Some stuff is common sence, some stuff is to focused on women, I thought it was good.



2. Ms Whitmore provides the little subleties that we do not think of anymore in our informal society. I purchased several copies for the people I manage.



3. I read this book two days before my internship interview and it was a tremendous help. This book allows you to really inspect and look at yourself with a different perspective. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to become part of the business world. It is a "must have and a must read" type of book.



4. This book is fairly short (~150 pages) which makes it a quick way to brush up on etiquette. I found myself taking notes on some of the tips offered by the author which I'm sure I'll find useful. The book seems geared towards salespeople and small business owners, although others will find the information helpful as well.
   
   The book covers the following topics:
   First, and lasting, impressions
   Small touches equal big business
   Suit up for Success
   Master you mingle-ability
   Small talk savy and effective listening
   Dining for Dollars; The art of the meal
   Techo-etiquette: minding your manners in the electronic age
   Going global: How to avoid an international incident
   The power of positive thinking
   
   There are some things that are common sense, although it doesn't hurt to remind us again. I found the tips on mingling and small talk helpful as those are not areas where I'm particularly skilled. The book also covers the classic "where to put your napkin" and "who pays for dinner out" bits of information that we sometimes forget.
   
   Since the book is so short, I wouldn't call it a comprehensive guide to etiquette - (see "Etiquette Advantage in Business" by Peggy and Peter Post for an enormous guide to etiquette) Also, it doesn't contain as much "office etiquette" (for those of us who live in large cubicle spaces in huge corporations) as I'd hoped (see The Etiquette Edge: The Unspoken Rules for Business Success). Still, I think it's a good quick read and a good starting place for polishing your etiquette skills!



5. I've read a lot of books on etiquette, and this is definetely the most "serious" one: filled with quotes from other books, well written and easy to read, this book makes you feel that business etiquette is made of simple but important rules. I suggest it as THE business etiquette book.

No comments about The Red Rubber Ball at Work: Elevate Your Game Through the Hidden Power of Play.

5 comments about The Heart Aroused : Poetry and the Preservation of the Soul in Corporate America.

1. David Whyte writes in a truly inspiring way. When I worked at the Monterey Bay Aquarium many of us read this book as we struggled to grow better as an organization. This book was the catalyst to many personal "AH HA!" moments. Not just for me, but for many of my colleagues as well. From there I found myself in love with poetry again too. David's poetry is powerful and meaningful. The heart aroused is your own, and worth coming back to.



2. Whyte has a unique capacity to make powerful connections between the inner core that fills us with emotion and caring and the places we do our work, sometimes even at the place where our job is located, though not often. His observation that we leave as much as 55% of our true self "in the car" each day when we go in our office to work is so powerfully true. I dare say there are few among us who cannot relate to that feeling. And yet, it is the 55% of ourselves that the company we work for really wants and needs but rarely gets. Unfortunately because of the patriarchal environments that many organizations (not always corporations or even private sector businesses) create we all too often find no real fulfillment in the workplace. That is sad because I never have read any mission statements that pronounce "We ABSOLUTELY are not going to have fun or like one another around here." That makes me think that the realized, oppressives outcome are not intentional. However, we often find ourselves working in and hating very dysfunctional cultures, even if not by design. Whyte introduces the concept of hope in a effort to replace the all-too-present doubt and hegemony of the workplace. We may not be able to express ourselves freely at work but Whyte allows us some freedom to dream of that possibility during our reading of this book.



3. Brilliant! Brilliant! Brilliant! If you have a soul, buy this book. If you are not sure....buy this book. This book is an excellent exploration into the meaning of life + my job the incubus = a poetic awakening. David Whyte is a wonderful philosopher.



4. How much of our corporate productivity is impeded by pettiness and posturing in the workplace? Seems a corporate healer like David Whyte is needed to stand for finding and reminding folks of a different bottom line.



5. I have some real mixed feelings about this book. On the one hands I really like how Mr. Whyte used such unconventional ways to get his point across (he uses poetry to point out the flaws in the corporate world), but on the other hand, a lot of the points in the book made me scratch my head and go 'huh?!'.
   The material is very deep and even where there is supposed to be just a small, simple message, Whyte seems to make it complicated so that the meaning looks to be more profound.

5 comments about Winning Every Day: The Game Plan for Success.

1. When you read the reviews here, you'd think this guy could walk on water, but this book is long on motivation and short on application. Now, if you want something that will blow the concepts and information in this book right out of the water and, at the same time, get rid of the "Big Daddy" syndrome which this book fosters too, read SUCCESS CYBERNETICS by Uell S. Andersen - a book that's never been out of print since it first appeared in 1966! SUCCESS CYBERNETICS is available from amazon.com too, go see the reviews and get it. Forget the "Raw Raw Raw, Sis Boom Bah" approach that this one contains.



2. If you are looking for pure Lou Holtz motivation, you will not be disappointed. There are no "silver bullets" here, but the book will do a good job of reinforcing some great principles for creating a successful team or organization.



3. I happened to notice this book one day when I took my daughter to the library. A friend of mine is a personal acquaintance of Lou's so I decided to see what 'Ol Lou is all about for myself.
   
   This is a book of (mostly humorous) stories that makes it a fun, easy read. At the same time, each story has powerful success principles and truths embedded within.
   
   If you want to see powerful leadership in action, this is a great book.
   
   If you want to get more from your interactions and relationships with people in every area of your life, this is a great book.
   
   If you find yourself doubting your abilities and potential, this is a great book.
   
   If you want to be able to learn from someone who started out as a nobody with nothing and ended up as somebody who had something, this is a great book.
   
   If you weren't fortunate enough to have a parent or adult-figure who taught you how to win at the game of life, then I heartily recommend this book to help fill in that void.
   
   If you don't see yourself in the preceding statements, or, if you have read all the success books and you are looking for something brand-new that you have never heard of before, then this probably isn't the book for you.



4. An excellent book that gives the reader a fantastic insight into what makes Lou tick and how to succeed in both sport and life. Filled with humour it is easy to reaad and very informative.



5. This book was easy and enjoyable to read. It contained interesting anecdotes from a man with a very positive attitude. I recommend it!

No comments about Winners Never Cheat: Even in Difficult Times, New and Expanded Edition.

5 comments about How Good Do You Want to Be?: A Champion's Tips on How to Lead and Succeed at Work and in Life.

1. This is one of the best I've read this year. The message applies not only to football, but to everyday living. I bought a copy for myself and my teenage sons.



2. I bought and read this book before Nick Saban left LSU. Regardless of what you think of Nick's subsequent career moves, the lessons presented in the book are solid, relevant and a good read for anyone middle school and upwards.
   
   Since the jacket cover has been changed to reflect Nick's new team, I just wonder if the paperback edition has all references to LSU edited out???



3. This is a good read for students of leadership, with plenty of good ideas that readers can adopt. While most of the components of his philosophy are fundamental (hard work, integrity, communication skills, balance, etc.), there are actually some original ideas that run counter to those pitched in typical success/leadership books. This is where I believe the value lies. Examples include focusing on the process - not the goals, setting a start time but not an end time, and playing to dominate (no matter what the score).
   
   Like him or not, Saban has a unique system that works (assuming he stays around long enough to implement it). This book is worth a read...



4. Amazing that Nick Saban is such a great leader and will improve Alabama's misfortune. Nick will make Alabama the best again!



5. Nick Saban published this book as coach at LSU. Maybe previously, as coach of Michigan St. Or when he roamed the halls of Toledo. I don't think he was the coach at Miami long enough to get the printing presses fired up for another edition.
   
   I don't really care to read the drivel inside of this text, because this man is a blatant hypocrite. Please go read a book written by a man with integrity, rather than a book written by a man without conscience.
   
   How good do you want to be? I'd like to be good enough not to berate my children when they beat me at Go-Fish. How good do I want to be? I want to be good enough to understand when I'm wrong and admit as much. How good do I want to be? Well I'd like to be good enough to be a man of my word, rather than of my wallet.
   
   If you support Nick Saban, you support all that is wrong with college football. It's not about the money. It's not about the changing of allegiances between SEC schools. It's about the content of character, which Saban lacks, but demands of all around him. How good do I want to be? I'd like to be a more complete person than you, Mr. Saban.

No comments about One Year to an Organized Work Life: From Your Desk to Your Deadlines, the Week-by-Week Guide to Eliminating Office Stress for Good.

5 comments about The No Asshole Rule: Building a Civilized Workplace and Surviving One That Isn't.

1. I read this book again recently because it's worth learning from. The accounts here are not a "how to", but a "why not?" Why not shift the dynamic so that it no longer favors butt heads? I keep it on my desk and recommend it to anyone having difficult interpersonal relationships. More import, I used it with stunning success in a prison setting to help an inmate defuse an imminently violent situation by shifting the conflict dynamic and getting other inmates to join him. The would-be perpetrator backed off and was forced to find a different way to relate this inmate in the violent and hyper-masculine setting that is prison.
   
   I'd recommend The No "Butt Head" Rule for use in any kind of confrontation training and behavior management education program you can think of. It's a powerful and empowering tool for anyone who'll take the time to explore it.



2. Sutton gets right to the heart of what it means to turn the tables so the rest of us can work in ***hole-free zones. Part of the problem in dealing with butt heads is really and truly naming them butt heads and not making excuses for there behavior. Or worse yet, finding fault with ourselves for letting them get under our skin. Well, no more snickering uncomfortably because we don't know what else to do. This should be required reading in business school, conflict resolution training and in behavior management courses. Take the time to plumb the profiles in the book and find yourself rewarded.



3. It is inevitable that we all have to deal with jerks at the workplace or on your team. Sutton does an excellent job of pointing out the consequences of having these individuals in your organization. He also gives you the tools to handle these jerks.
   
   As a team manager, I needed to recognize the ripple effect and toxic implications that one of these egomaniacs was having upon my team. I had been tempted to keep this person on the team because they were a "rock star" and considered one of the most productive people in their field
   
   Through Sutton's book I recognized the toll that this individual was having upon the rest of the team members. My team is now less one "rock star" and performing better than ever. Thank you Dr. Sutton.



4. Sutton (the author of this book) is a management science and engineering professor from Stanford. He suggests (correctly, in my opinion) that we can all be difficult sometimes and that being difficult can, in certain scenarios, actually contribute to our effectiveness as managers. But that's the rare exception because (as he counteracts this argument) the reality is there are plenty of certifiable you know whats who are difficult to fire because they are often in positions of authority and are mistakenly deemed talented and effective by their superiors. It's a fun and readable book, that shows you how to deal with these folks and manage in a work environment that's filled with 'em. I think anyone with people issues at work will benefit from using it to inspire some fresh thinking.
   
   The other gem I recommend strongly because I've found it extremely helpful in these situations (for dealing with difficult people and keeping myself in check in the process) is The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book



5. This book has basic people-management practices and offers fundimantal supervisory tips that every manager should have.

5 comments about Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends.

1. Tim's writing style is simple and to the point, and the book just breezes by as you learn techniques to pass along the knowledge you have acquired in business and in life, How to successfully connect your friends and acquaintances to other friends and acquaintances, and to be a "lovecat" by truly caring about people.
   
   You'll read about building yourself as a brand, how to read books to get the most out of them and how to pay attention to people to clue in on their feelings.
   
   What a great read - you should grab it if you haven't already!!



2. That is a very good book. Looks like brand new. I could not believe that when I receive it.



3. The Big Idea behind Sander's book is very "proverb-esque": You can win business and influence friends by being a lovecat.
   
   So, what is a lovecat? Sanders defines lovecats as those "Nice, Smart People" who cheerfully share their intangibles with others: their knowledge, their network and genuine compassion.
   
   By knowledge, Sanders means any insight or reference which can help another person succeed (or just get ahead) in life and/or business. At the top of the heap is book referrals. Books, he says, should be your diet staple because they are the complete thought-meal. Magazine articles are between meal snacks. The news media are like candy and soda. Books give you knowledge. The news gives you awareness. His advice: Devour as many books as you can and spread the knowledge far and wide.
   
   By network, he refers to your contacts. I couldn't help but wonder as I read this book whether or not "LinkedIn" was inspired by Sanders' book. If you understand LinkedIn (the way it is brilliantly explained by Lee LeFevre of CommonCraft), then you understand the heart of this section in Love is the Killer App. He asserts that the nodes in your network can accomplish almost anything for you. For Sanders, the purpose of collecting contacts is to give them away--to match them with other contacts. Therefore, he says, collect them, connect them and then get out of the way of the new relationship. And do it all with no strings attached.
   
   By compassion, he simply means that you take a genuine interest in others and then show them that you care in whatever manner is appropriate for the particular context. By expressing your compassion, you create an experience that people remember. When people remember you, it's good for your business. The "P.S. I Love You" has a great thought Sanders paraphrased from Dale Carnegie: You can accomplish more in two months by developing a sincere interest in other people than you could ever hope to accomplish in two years trying to get people interested in you.
   
   About a 5-hour read for me. If you haven't read it yet, you should. Broad applicability, whether you are in the 8-5 or not.



4. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R18MNN1JMBP2LC Love Is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends
   
   I highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to grow their personal and business network!



5. I first read Love is the Killer App about 3 years ago. I was just starting RockStar Consulting and I stumbled upon it sitting on a friend's bookshelf. It turned out to be a great book back then and I just reread it after picking up my own copy. As I was rereading it, I found myself wondering, "Was I doing these things all along or did I learn them from this book and just integrate them so deeply I feel like I've always been a lovecat?".
   
   Tim and I share a similar outlook on how to become successful in business, so it's easy to love this book. As I've written before, it's always a treat for me when I come across a book that seems to take the abstract principals that I follow, and makes them vividly concrete (and it saves me the time of having to actually write them myself).
   
   The strength of Love is the Killer App stems from a two step process. The first step is that Tim tells you why being a nice guy is actually a useful career path, which is quite contradictory to many of the tough-guy business books. It's refreshing to see someone elucidate the value behind being a good person, not just rest on tired cliches. Not that you should be a good person just to get stuff; but if you got to choose between being kind or a jerk, wouldn't you want to choose being nice.
   
   Tim takes the process a step further, though, and goes through how to be a nice guy. When someone gives you nuts and bolts tools, it's an indication that they have really thought their ideas all the way through. For Tim, showing what he calls "bizlove" rests on sharing three resources with other people:
   
   Knowledge - that you've gleaned from reading voraciously.
   Connections - that you've developed through networking constantly.
   Compassion - that you've accessed by accepting and sharing your humanity.
   
   Big Thought:
   
   "Nice, Smart People Succeed. To become successful in business, you must share your business love, which is a combination of your knowledge, network, and compassion"
   
   
   It's great to see someone reinforce what my inner nerd knew already, "...for the student of business, books are the solution...Books give you knowledge, the news gives you awareness. The later is a measurement of today. Knowledge is a measure of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. Awareness is finite. Knowledge is forever."(pgs. 69-70) This echoes Nassim Taleb's ideas in Fooled by Randomness about the signal vs. noise problem. What does it mean for the average person? - read more books!
   
   Tim's section on networking challenged me to reevaluate how many introductions I'm making in my network. I think I make a good effort - but I think I can do a great effort. I do a really solid job of collecting nodes in my network, but I need to do a better job of making those connections. What would happen if I set a goal for myself to do x number of introductions a week?
   
   I know that I need to bring more compassion into my business life, or rather, I need to express it more. I think that, even though I feel the love, if I'm not sharing it enthusiastically with other people it is sterile. I've been doing it haphazardly over the past few years; now I need to do it deliberately. I realize that in the past I have gotten stung by some stand-offishness, and it has made me retreat a little. I can't let those past experiences keep me from "showing the love".
   
   Should you Read this Book?
   
   Absolutely. I think this is a fantastic primer on how to operate in the business world as a loving person focused on the success of yourself and others. It gives the practical tools that are needed to stop being an island and connect with big wide world. As Tim concludes:
   
   "Why do we have to wait for these moments? Why is it only during peak experiences that we offer love? Why does it take a championship to show emotion? Why not reach inside ourselves and, whenever we have an appropriate urge, tap in to that love and express it. It can make a wonderful world of difference to you and to everyone around you." (p. 194).

5 comments about Rich Dad's Advisors: OPM: How to Attract Other People's Money for Your Investments--The Ultimate Leverage.

1. Michael Lechter's book "OPM" Other People's Money is one of the finest books written for creating financial leverage. The information teaches anyone how they can take an idea and truly turn it into a significant financial gain without risking their own capital.
   
   You do not need money to become successful. You need a worthwhile idea and other people's money and or resources to bring that idea to fruition. Don't shelve your dreams due to lack of cash flow. One idea in this book provided me with over $30,000 in other people's resources and I did not give away equity to do so.
   
   After you read this book then lack of cash flow is no longer a reason not to transform your ideas into reality. Apply the knowledge in this book and you have more than a short-lived chance of success. We have all heard the saying that knowledge is power. Once you have learned the information contained within this book you will have the power, you just have to apply it.
   
   The material is straight forward. This is a must read for anyone that considers themselves a true entrepreneur. I learned more about cash flow and understanding how to attract other people's money and resources in this book than I did in six years of college.
   
   If I had this information prior to starting my entrepreneurial life I am sure I would be 50 times wealthier today.
   
   Thank you Michael, You Rock!



2. One of the concepts the Rich Dad series has taught me, and you see this throughout the free enterprise system, is that "he who creates the investment gets most of the gold".
   Bill Gates. Warren Buffett. The real estate developer next door turning five acres into a small strip mall, or an apartment complex.
   
   This book shows how it's done. From concept, to trademarking and patenting, to incorporating, to raising the funds, everything short of filing the IPO is included, albeit briefly. But that's OK, you'll need your own attorneys and professionals to customize these parts for your application, anyway. Just don't cut any corners.
   
   Michael gives you examples throughout the book as to how the process should work... and a few examples of what happens when you cut corners. (it can get ugly at this level, gang!)



3. I am mainly interested in real estate investment, so this book did not have a whole lot for me. It would be really great if you are looking for capital to begin a business. I just wanted money to buy houses with!!



4. If you really want to be a Real estate investor,then this is the book to purchase.The book is an investment in itself.



5. A true entrepreneur knows how to leverage other people's ideas and other people's money to create more wealth for everyone around them. Michael Lechter has outlined several ways to bring other people to the table to combine their investments with yours.
   
   It's not the easiest read on the shelf. But, the content is great and the information is on the money.