No comments about Ministerial Ethics and Etiquette.

5 comments about My Life & The Principles for Success.

1. Excellent story about Perots past. Then explaining how one can also be successful. The book is simple ,concise and clear.



2. Although the autobiographical section of the book is interesting, particularly the segments involving Perot's achievements at the U.S. Naval Academy and his subsequent success in sales at IBM and EDS, the most significant portion of the book is Perot's principles of success.

   These principles were originally written as a graduation gift for his son, who is now a very successful businessman in Dallas. Perot's advice is extremely practical, and provokes self-analysis to determine how to play one's strengths to accomplish long-term personal and financial goals. One can actually analyze Junior's recent business deals to see how he has implemented his father's principles.

   If you are looking for a 12-step program or some other motivational book of the "believe and achieve" variety, this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a self-made billionaire's realistic assessment of what it takes to succeed, this book is definitely worth every penny.




3. Although the autobiographical section of the book is interesting, particularly the segments involving Perot's achievements at the U.S. Naval Academy and his subsequent success in sales at IBM and EDS, the most significant portion of the book is Perot's principles of success.

   These principles were originally written as a graduation gift for his son, who is now a very successful businessman in Dallas. Perot's advice is extremely practical, and provokes self-analysis to determine how to play one's strengths to accomplish long-term personal and financial goals. One can actually analyze Junior's recent business deals to see how he has implemented his father's principles.

   If you are looking for a 12-step program or some other motivational book of the "believe and achieve" variety, this is not the book for you. On the other hand, if you are looking for a self-made billionaire's realistic assessment of what it takes to succeed, this book is definitely worth every penny.




4. The first half of this book reads like a "Life's Little Instruction Book" from a rather successful billionaire. Lots of good business and life advice, from a perspective that you would expect -- that of the famous Ross Perot. The second half is an autobiography that could use some more luster -- the first half is what makes this book worthwhile.



5. Along with the book It's Your Ship by Michael Abrashoff, this book should be required reading for business leaders, military officers and non-commission officers, government leaders, college students who are getting business degrees and adults who are getting advanced college degrees. Read the two books and then roll up your sleeves and apply the techniques at in your organization on a continous basis until you die or retire. Don't talk about it, just do it!!!

2 comments about Sensemaking in Organizations (Foundations for Organizational Science).

1. This book has a very academic tone but it has some powerful implications for anyone in business. The book makes a number of points that are not intuitive but that are very powerful. For example, he talks about the advantages of speed, confidence, and plausibility in problem solving and why they may be more important than accuracy



2. Weick's book is thoroughly researched, drawing its insights from psychological and organisational studies.

   It offers new views on how organisations operate, and how they generate meaning. It points out that reality is not something outside the organisation, but something that is constructed by people within the organisation - an empowering insight. Weick also extensively discusses where and how this 'making of sense' happens.

   But the book fails largely in linking this theory to practice. After making sense of 'Sensemaking', (which requires some mental acrobatics!), I still don't know how a leader can influence the sensemaking process to the benefit of the organisation. I'm still left with the basic question: So what?

5 comments about Doing Business by the Good Book: Fifty-Two Lessons on Success Sraight from the Bible.

1. His principles are 'right on' and he is sincere in his message. So relavent for those of us who seek to better integrate our business lives and spritual lives. Every chapter makes the reader eager to see what's next.



2. This book is an excellent example of how servant leadership can really work in the business world. It is a relatively short read, but packed with applicable Christian principles as well as a recipe for implementation in the corporate realm.



3. A wonderful book for anyone interested in running their business, ministry or church using principles that will make you a better boss and a better person.
   
   I highly recommend it to everyone.



4. This book's subtitle, 52 Lessons on Success Straight from the Bible, captures its appeal but also indicates why it might turn away nonreligious readers. David L. Steward's ethical lessons are admirable. He divides his advice into weekly units, making it easy to apply. (This also reflects the book's roots in a weekly church-based study group). However, though Steward sees his lessons as straightforward, many readers might find his logic a little challenging. For example, he draws the lesson of niche marketing from Matthew 6:24, "No man can serve two masters." This makes interesting sense at first. However, while his later expansion into a second niche may offer a good business example, is it Biblical? Not as much. The chapter on the blessings of living in America seems even less scriptural, but many sections of the book do make good use of Biblical values as business guideposts. Steward's felicitous examples from his own successes make it easy to understand his points. We recommend his warm, inspirational guidebook to spiritually inclined readers who are interested in using their beliefs to reinforce ethical business practices.



5. David Steward does an excellent job presenting biblical principles that any CEO, leader, or follower of Christ should not only follow in the business setting, but also to lead their life.
   
   Each lesson (chapter) is 2-3 pages long and are supported through David's real world experience and stories.

5 comments about Work 101: Learning the Ropes of the Workplace without Hanging Yourself.

1. In an easy-to-read format and with spunk and wit fully intact, Ms. Freedman addresses the "how to" of making a new work situation a successful one for both you and your employer. She offers answers to a lot of those questions professionals have that frequently go unanswered, such as what is "business casual" attire anyway and what is the best manner in which to handle a difficult colleague or boss. There is also a lot of wisdom to be found in those sections addressing appropriate uses of email, how to make good (and sustained) impressions on your boss and fellow employees, how to discuss salary increases, and leaving a job gracefully.
   
   Having worked with both undergraduate business majors and long-time professionals, I think all of us can benefit from the information in "Work 101". These are not the lessons learned in college courses but life lessons many of us require, whether we're fresh out of college or have been climbing the corporate ladder for some time. Ms. Freedman acknowledges something that most of us prefer not to admit: that doing well in the workplace isn't just about how well you do your job but that success in the workplace is judged on dozens of other aspects as well, including the flip-flops you wore on casual Friday.
   
   A must-read for anyone striving for a long and prosperous career.



2. As a career counselor working with many seniors I was very interested in diving into this book after meeting Elizabeth Freedman at a workshop. I read Work 101 in just a weekend and couldn't have been more impressed. Elizabeth has a great way of organizing the book, easy to read, and kept my attention the whole way through-- very entertaining for a book on professionalism! PERFECT for anyone entering or new to the work place-- her writing style and examples are exactly what our students can relate to and learn from!!



3. I bought this book for my niece who is in her final year of college and has a job to go to when she graduates. Having been in the business world for a very long time and having interviewed many college students seeking employment, I know there are so many challenges and questions that someone new to the workforce faces. Everyone has the same goal in a new job; be successful while avoiding making unintentional and stupid mistakes that may create negative impressions. This book is a great guide as to what to expect in the working world and how to be successful. The book covers many topics that new professionals will find extremely valuable and will make them feel more comfortable walking into that new job. The book actually drew me in and I read many chapters. I found the advice to be very appropriate even for those in the workforce who are facing challenges getting ahead and those trying to differentiate themselves from their peers. I highly recommend this book.



4. Work 101 helped me to see how I could network more effectively and how I could use the opportunities I now have at work. For example, I never thought about how to use meetings to my advantage. I suppose I always assumed that just being good at my job is enough--but not how to let my supervisor know that. Work 101 has lots of useful suggestions for someone who's been in the workforce a while as well as for someone just getting started in a career. The writing style is engaging and entertaining.



5. A friend gave me this book to read and since I have already been in the workforce for well over 10 years I thought to myself, how can this help me? Well I am glad I decided to read this book because it not only offers a step by step guide for those recent graduates, but more importantly it offered great advice and ideas to anyone in today's Corporate America. It put things in perspective for me like how little things you can do to promote yourself and how making your efforts visible can really go a long way. Now instead of me keeping my head down at work I make sure to hold meetings with my boss, create visibility to the executives on the projects I work on and it has helped me lead meetings with more success. As someone who goes to a lot of lunch meetings it was nice to have Elizabeth clarify some things that I always questioned. Who orders first? Do I get a beer with lunch? What should I wear? I not only have this book on my desk at work but I recommend it to all new hires I bring into my company. As someone recently engaged I am now just waiting for her next book: Marriage 101, learning women without getting slapped.

5 comments about PeopleSmart.

1. I did not finish the book - it is more like a 'workbook' than a book. I was hoping to get some insight into how to deal with people in the workplace - this book is full of material that I consider to be common sense. Little emperical or formal evidence is offered.
   I suggest 'The Secret Handshake' by Kathleen Kelley Reardon for readers interested in improving their polical skills in a business setting.
   That's my take - loopster - Chicago, IL



2. The author outlines 8 useful and neccessary skills to become People Smart:
   
   1)Understanding People. Author provides a succinct explaination and usefulness of MBTI indicators such as ENTP.
   2)Expressing yourself clearly. I didn't find this chapter too useful. As long as you speak clearly and choose your words carefully, you are at least a decent speaker.
   3)Asserting your needs. Useful only to for those who can't assert themselves).
   4)Exchanging feedback
   5)Influencing Others. This is the best chapter by far. Influencing others involve making a connection and figuring out what their needs are (security, acceptance, ego, self actualization) and then making a persuasion in align with their needs.
   6)Resolving Conflict. This is only if you argue with people all the time.
   7)Being a team player.
   8)Shifting Gears.



3. This is a helpful book. Unfortunately, I think it would have been better, though, if it was a little more generic and not so business-oriented. I found myself tempted to skip quite a few of the sections. It is definately worth a read.



4. The book is beautifully simple, straightforward, and practical. Very helpful. A great resource for interpersonal communications and human relations. Well-written and user-friendly. I highly recommend it.



5. Provides an excellent step by step approach to working with people. Exercise at the end of each chapter reinforces the concept and is very practical. I would suggest this book to any one who wants to express themselves well and understand why people sometimes behave strangely.

2 comments about Emotionomics: Winning Hearts and Minds.

1. A fascinating read about how emotions affect the choices we make in purchasing decisions. As a designer I used this book to help clarify (or justify) design choices that I always understood to be intrinsically valuable. I can now explain to left brain people why these emotional choices are so valid. Lots of clearly presented information. I enjoyed the illustrations, quotes and little asides that the author included to help explain points about brain science, business and human relationships.



2. Dan Hill is far ahead of his time. I have read hundreds of books on sales and marketing and have been hard pressed to find solid data around emotions and how they relate to the buying process. When I found this book, I felt like I hit the jackpot. Dan Hill compiled reseach that would take years for any of us to compile on our own. He fills in many of the missing pieces of the puzzle for buying behavior. Emotion is where it is at and Dan Hill is ahead of his time. It pains me to see books out there that don't hold a candle to Mr. Hills work selling thousands more copies. Take it from someone who eats breathes and drinks human motiviation to buy, Mr. Hill has a book chock full of valuable data here to choose from. If you want meat to chew on when reading a great book, it is in this book. I have never met Mr. Hill but if I do, it will be to ask him for a job in his organization. He knows his business. Period!

5 comments about Outsmart!: How to Do What Your Competitors Can't.

1. Outsmart was a good quick read that provides real examples of how existing companies were able to reinvent themselves or start-up companies were able to take advantage of new market opportunities. The book provides context for the types of questions leaders and managers need to ask when looking to "outsmart" their competition or how to redefine their market.



2. Champy looks at several case studies and draws overarching lessons from them: never forget the value of a brand and make good use of it( the turnaround of Smith and Wesson); widen your frame to see posssibilites but focus your resulting efforts(MinuteClinic saw the need for people needing a quick medical fix but didn't try to be all things to all people); talk to what you may see as potential competitors and make them allies(MinuteClinic reached out to hospitals and doctors and educated them on what they did and more importantly did not do); look to piggy back on an exisitng phenom(a company that started a decorating service for those buying Crocs). He ends up with a good summary of points he has made and reminds us to be flexible, have a bias to action, and to value your gut. The book has easy to read type, lots of bullet points and checkmarks, and a clean and fresh look.



3. "Outsmart" is a series of short studies describing eight fast-growth companies. Readers can hopefully generalize from the thinking involved to create new ideas for themselves.
   
   The first involved a new company called "Sonicbids," where music promoters (about 10,000) can list the events for which they need musicians, and the 120,000 musician-members can look over the list and make their contacts. The total market involved is estimated at $15 billion, with about 90% too small for the standard approach to the business. Yet, there is about $2.5 billion in wedding business/year alone. Musician-members pay an annual fee to Sonicbids, as well as a small per event fee to promoters who guarantee they will review the submitted material.
   
   The second example is about "Minute Clinic" - kiosks staffed by nurse-practitioners to provide easily accessible basic medical care at low costs. Software directs strict protocols and screening procedures to confirm a diagnosis and rule out really serious conditions. Each kiosk also has a physician on-call for any doubts or special concerns. Most patients are treated within 15 minutes; those delayed receive pagers allowing them to shop in the surrounding store. CVS Pharmacy has since bought out the concept - obviously benefiting from the prescriptions written as an outcome of the process.
   
   An interesting set of mini-case-studies involving new thinking in today's world.



4. Mr. Champy puts his finger right on the basics that are missing from my current employer. I learned something from every one of the examples provided. The summary could be used as the basis for a multi year overhaul of our business planning.
   Easy, but instructive and practical read. Excellent value for money.



5. I am a fan of Jim Champy so that I am certainly biased toward his books and ideas. This book is a worthy read. The title alone should get you off and running. You've GOT to outsmart your competitors! Champy's ideas are always valuable fodder to help us make that happen.

5 comments about The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success.

1. I was surprised and disappointed to find The EQ Edge was just an "infomercial" for Reuven Bar-On's emotional intelligence test. Steven Stein is the publisher of the test AND the book's senior author. The book's content is largely a series of testimonials and unsubstantiated claims which have the same credibility as the latest diet fad.

   I am a practicing Industrial/Organizational Psychologist who would love to have a genuine test of emotional intelligence; but, in my opinion, Bar-On's EQ-i test fails to measure up to basic professional standards of validity.

   In a nut shell, it is under researched and over hyped. At this point in it's development, the test is definitely not something I would dare use for real world personnel decisions.




2. I bought this book because it was rated the #3 best business book of the year in the Globe and Mail (Canada's National Newspaper), Wednesday, December 15. - even higher than "Who Moved My Cheese?".

   I was not disappointed. I found it easy to read and quick to get into. The book gives a great overview of emotional intelligence - I now have a better understanding of what it really is. A few different definitions are given, but the focus is on Bar-On's theory.

   While the book's research data, presented at the beginning and end, is based on Bar-On's test, it is not the focus of the book. The bulk of the book deals with each of the 15 areas of emotional intelligence - how you can gauge yourself, and how you can improve.

   The examples are very good. After I finished the book, my 12-year-old son picked it up. He started to flip through it and ended up reading it - and he doesn't get through too many books.

   I've recommended it to a few people at work and they weren't dissapointed.




3. I was not sure what to expect when I started to read this book. The second author is a psychiatrist and an organizational consultant. The first author, Steven Stein is a psychologist, but also well known for heading up a very successful test publishing company. Was the book going to be an advertisement for his tests? Would his success as a businessperson enhance the credibility of the message?

   The book was very easy to get into. The writing is engaging. It starts with a brief history and definition of emotional intelligence (something Goleman avoids in his first book on the subject). It focuses on Reuven BarOn's definition but also includes Peter Salovey and John Mayer's definition - the originators of the concept.

   The book, to my pleasant surprise, does not focus on the test (Emotional Quotient Inventory -EQ-i), but on how to gauge yourself (using exercises provided in the book) and work on improving yourself in the 15 specific areas of emotional intelligence. For the most part the exercises are taken from well-validated methods of cognitive-behavior therapy. As a psychologist I have no problem recommending this book to clients. In fact, there is more data behind this approach than what is proposed in many of the "best-selling" books out there. (For the academically oriented professional, please read the EQ-i test manual.)

   Most interesting to me were some of the studies in the last chapter. It is very unusual for self-help books, and books on emotional intelligence to include original research on the importance of the concept. This makes the book great for those people you know who doubt the importance of E.I. To see how E.I. has made a difference to the U.S. Air Force, and companies like American Express and the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce is impressive.

   I've actually reviewed the research on the EQ-i, the test that much of the research is based on. The normative group is bigger and better than many tests in the marketplace: almost 42,000 people in 36 countries. There are also some good scientific publications on it. While there is no "perfect" test of E.I., I haven't found anything that even comes close to this one. In fact, I've come across many tests being used by companies that don't even come close to having the research that this one has. But the book is not about the test. You can't even get the test unless you are a psychologist or qualified management consultant or vocational counsellor.

   Was the book an advertisement? Not really. The examples, which are very realistic, cover work and home situations.




4. This books is very easy to read, it goes through all the stages and criteria of being 'Emotionally Intelligent', while showing examples/stories on different situations and how one could handle it with greater EQ-i ability.

   Although I have some backgrounds on this subject, I still find this book encouraging, and it's good to refer back to once in a while.

   I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to better their EQ-i or just curious.




5. Useful summary of what EQ is all about. Describes how to understand the connection to success in relationships and business. Practical exercises help learn ways to apply the theories to improve emotional intelligence quotient (EQ).

5 comments about Difficult Conversations.

1. This book is a wonderful tool to assist you in crafting a good response to a difficult conversation or work on training your management team to converse well. The contribution ideas are priceless, its a bargain for the price and a must have in any executive's library.



2. This book helped me to recognize where some of my previous conversations have gone wrong and should help me gain the foresight I need to avoid repeating the same mistakes in the future. Also a book that have a great chapter about this topic is I Love You. Now What?: Falling in Love is a Mystery, Keeping It Isn't



3. It is intense with good information, should be read slowly in order to incorporate suggested language into daily routine.



4. Good reference book with some good advice in it. I would recommend it for someone having to deal with some really difficult folks!



5. Definitely on my recommended book list. A must read for women in business.
   
   Susan Bock
   The Success Coach for Women in Business
   www.SusanBockSolutions.com