5 comments about The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable.

1. As most reviewers have already commented there's not much wrong with the book content-wise. The problem I had with the book was the writing style (too ponderous). Also the author is somewhat too full of himself.
   
   It's too bad that the really good and refreshing points made in the book get almost swamped by these major obstacles. These make reading the book somewhat problematic.
   
   I managed to get through it all, but I can understand that lots of people will stop halfway through.



2. The "black swan" of the title is any of those sudden, unpredictable, and relevant events that happen. Taleb's main point, proven and repeated along the book, is that it is impossible to make predictions with any degree of accuracy. What we DON'T know is much more important than what we do know. And we'll never know how many black swans have not happened by pure chance. Taleb distinguishes between the two areas of life: Mediocristan and Extremistan. In the first one, variations occur within a recognizable range, and therefore in a large group no deviation, large as it may be, significantly alters the average (e.g. the height of people). In Extremistan, things may happen in a different order of magnitude (money or power). It is there in Extremistan that black swans appear. Taleb is very irreverent, and with reason, towards "academic" knowledge, always ossified, beaurocratized, and in the comfort zone. He also attacks the notion of something called "social" sciences, as if they could exist, not to speak of their predictive success. He also distinguishes between those fields in which legitimate "experts" exist (engineering, medicine), and those where experts can't exist (politics, economics, culture).
   
   A following thesis is that we do not properly get ready for black swans because we make mistakes in our thinking. We are always seeking confirmations to our initial hypotheses, instead of trying to disprove them and get on the right path. We fall into the narrative phallacy, where past events look easy to have predicted, and then we look for suspects to blame. Whose fault was September 11? There has to be someone, since now it is very clear to all of us that it would have been easy to predict and prevent. Or First World War, for which any number of reasons and omens have been found. Phallacies. We can NOT predict our own lives, much less History. Another problem is silent evidence. Taleb tells us about a Roman priest who once told Cicero a story: some people who had suffered a shipwreck started to ardently pray to the gods and they were rescued. That's proof that the gods exist. Cicero answered: What about all the guys that have prayed and nevertheless have perished? When looking at that which has worked for some people, we usually ignore the many who have been left along the road ("How to become a millionaire in ten stpes"). Then comes the ludic phallacy, exemplified in game theory. Games occur within a controlled environment, with clear rules; life doesn't. Now, if we can't predict anything relevant, how are we to live? Getting ready. Preparing for black swans. Minimizing the risk of negative black swans, and maximizing exposure to positive black swans.
   
   Very good book, iconoclastical, lucid and innovative. It reminded me of Howard Bloom and his "Lucifer Principle". Maybe the future of philosophy lies outside of cubicles and classrooms, and in the real world of business, politics, live culture. It¿s logical that that may be the case. Universities, institutionalized academia, the media, "experts", etc., have become murderers of free thinking, jails for rational debate.



3. It takes Nassim Nicholas Taleb almost 300 pages to say the following: "$@&% happens. And if you use the classical bell curve to predict when $@&% will happen anywhere outside of a casino, extreme $@&% will happen more than you would expect and you could be hurt by it".
   
   That's it. Read the book if you must, but I'm saving you the cost, and pain of having to find this out yourself. The rest of "Black Swan" is just pointless pontificating by an ego with a 2 book contract whose ideas ran out 3/4 of the way through his previous book.
   
   How I got here:
   Reading John Robb's excellent "Brave New War" left me with a real desire to research the references he used in its creation. Taleb's "Fooled By Randomness" and "Black Swan" articles were among the references listed. I read "FBR" first and found it very enjoyable, informative read. He introduced the black swan concept in that book, and it was self-explanatory within the context. I picked up "Black Swan" to complete the set of Robb's references.
   
   The review:
   "Black Swan" is labor to get through. I had to force myself to finish it, where "Fooled By Randomness" breezed by. Not that it is difficult or too abstract. It's just tedious. Poorly paced, loaded with filler and pointless autobiographical notes, scattered historical references without much relevance to the topic at hand.
   
   There were exactly 2 real-world relevant points in "Black Swan". The first is that in order to protect against financial black swans, individual investors should allocate funds according to their desired risk level, with a majority in safe havens like T-bills, with a small stake in high-risk, high-yield areas. For all of his years in the finance community, Taleb spouts wisdom you can read on a brochure for Fidelity Investments.
   
   His second piece of advice was in a foot note, that as of 2006, he thought Freddie Mac was going to fail. Again, I'm just a nobody, but I saw this in 2003.
   
   Really, the rest of the book is an ego stroke where Taleb uses the book as a sort of "magic mirror" to ask the audience to tell him "is he not the fairest of all?".
   
   Historical figures and movements like Sixtus Empiricus and his Pyrrhonian skepticism, Henri Poincare and Bertrand Russell are mentioned but how they are integrated into the concept of extraordinary events happening in life beyond an "it's better to reserve judgment because you just... can't... tell.. what... could ... happen". Why bring these people in? Were they the only skeptics who advocated such thoughts? Or were they chosen to emphasize a fault in the author? (Ah ha! See my "Sins of the author point #3)
   
   The author's sins:
   But really, what put me over the top was his sloppy egotism. After the success of "FBR", Taleb must've thought he could stretch the black swan concept into an entire book. But once he got into the actual job of writing, he found he had to pad the text with many of the sure signs of reading an egomaniac's work:
   
   1. The author refers to himself in the third person. Several times, Taleb asks himself questions "If you ask me, 'NNT, what should I do?' Well, the answer is clear ..."
   
   2.The author uses archaic terms to describe his ancestry, to enhance his social standing. Despite clearly stating growing up amid the Lebanese Civil War, Taleb insists on calling himself of "Levant origin". While this is technically true, it's an obscure term in modern language used mostly in archaeology and history to describe the region during the Crusades. It's similar to the way that modern Iranian expatriates insist they are Persian, and not Iranian, thus creating a more romantic and mysterious character. Taleb intentionally uses "Levant" to conjure up a time when the eastern Mediterranean was populated by "gentlemen of leisure" with a high social standing, and not "Lebananese" with all of the current western-associated imagery that goes with it. I see it as a pathology of self-loathing to not admit the country you came from. I don't walk around saying I'm Prussian because I find it more romantic than saying I had German grandparents.
   
   3. The author paints himself fighting a lonely fight against "the man/the system/the machine". What a load. Countless examples in "Black Swan" of Taleb being a rebel for the sake of being a rebel grow so tiring and again, pointless. "I never wear neck ties at my job." "I don't read the newspaper." Super Taleb. Fight the power. What about black swans again? Even his historical references are chosen to be figures who were seen as rebels in their time, because they advocated a viewpoint contrary to at-the-time popular dogma. His choice may also be almost deliberately obscure, to invoke a "I know someone you don't" childishness.
   
   4. The author goes to lengths to paint himself as a man of the people. His assertions about of his choice of friends and who he spends his time with (and thus, implicitly assures the reader that this person is therefore more worthy of success) are "Brooklyn types" rather than stuffed-shirt Ph.Ds who Taleb imagines deserving nothing better than "a rat stuffed down their collar". This seems more Homer Simpson than "Wall Street wizard". Within the context, I understand his 2-D caricatures, but where he goes at great lengths to invoke complexity into everyday life, to paint personalities with such flat, stereotypical attributes is almost insulting. It's hack writing at best.
   
   5. But still the author is a stuffed shirt who knows much cooler people than you do, dear reader. Guess who hung out with Umberto Eco? Benoit Mandelbrot? Various Nobel laureates? Not you. Taleb. Uh huh. Taleb, can we force you to take your arm and stop patting yourself on the back and use it to write something worthwhile? Pretty please? With some Brooklyn sugar on it?
   
   There are more, to be sure, but let's just leave this review at "Read 'Fooled By Randomness', skip 'Black Swan'"



4. ... but Dr. Taleb goes too far by claiming that the quantitative analysts, including statisticians, are (or even were) mesmerized by the Gaussian curve or any other quantitative concept, for that matter. Even the undergrads here at Purdue are taught to understand that the mean and standard deviation are not always descriptive of the distribution and that a single outlier can have a great impact on the fit of simple linear regression. As for PhD-level people, there are enough of us able to handle data with care and who are well aware that Pareto & Barabasi is not a cool label of Italian fashion. By the way, how come that Extreme Value Theory (at least 60 years old) is never mentioned in the book dedicated to the extreme?
   
   I don't believe that such people as Markowitz, Scholes, or Samuelson thought even for a second that their job was to create models that would alleviate the hardship of the long-suffering investment banking community. That was never a requirement for academic promotion or the Nobel Prize, which was their ultimate goal, whether they admit it or not. Therefore, any "quant" who took those models at face value deserved all he got.
   
   Most importantly, I believe such misguided model-worshippers have always been few in the industry, especially after 1998. MBA graduates, too, have enough sense to know what is what even after being through a Modern Portfolio Theory course. Courses like that, according to Dr. Taleb, have to be wiped out along with the academic disciples of Markowitz and Samuelson. But will that "ethnical cleansing" do any good?
   
   Perhaps the sad truth is that in the industry both MBAs and PhDs quickly realized that claiming they can quantify any financial product generates a fat stream of immediate bonuses, although at the expense of possible (but surely very distant :) blowup. If that is the case, all those people consciously use bogus models as a front. Hence, contrary to what Dr. Taleb thinks, Nobel Prize winners and their followers in the academia are hardly to blame. So, why don't we leave the distinguished professors alone and turn to those who set the malign short-term incentives in financial institutions.



5. Black swans are rare, unpredicatable events that pack a big punch. As Teleb explains, they are not accounted for by modern financial theories. Black Swans are particularly relevant to today's market calamity...and they will likely arise many times in the remainder of our lifetimes...to our benefit...if we are prepared. The lesson is to prepare for these events...and to exploit them.

5 comments about A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the Future.

1. The chapter on abundance,asia,and xxx was actually somewhat confused but Insightful. The left brain right brain discusions were old hat. But his contention that Right brain cognitative processes are the salvation of the western world is so far beyond left feld(in foul territory) that only Gore would believe."Left brained", word based thought is what seperates humans from aninimals. It also led to western civilization, including the age of reason, the industrial revolution, modern agriarian reform,Information technology, Democracy, Motherhood, the atom bomb and the pursuit of Hapiness. What this country needs is more and better left brainers. smoke if you like.



2. This whole right-brain-left-brain thing is soooo left brain. Right brainers have no idea what the issue is about and perhaps it's better that way. But us left brainers have to sort and organize and categorize.... it's obsessive! The truth is that big-picture, extraverted, emotive people already are in the highest ranks of management. Check out our president. They may still be left-brained but far more right-brained than the lowly programmers and IT staffers. This is nothing new; while the techies labor long and hard to learn and problem solve, the right-brainers are smoozing and golfing their way up the corporate ladder. Now as to nurses and graphic artists ruling the world.... problem is these may be right brained jobs but the barriers to entry are low and so will be the salaries. An MFA may be the next MBA but it doesn't pay as well....



3. I loved this book. Very interesting. Very insightful. Like eating something nutritious and delicious.
   
   [...]



4. This book is an excellent argument for the need for creativiity, decision making and other right brain functions in our current economic system. It points out that left brain functions can be sent overseas or computerized but the right brain functions add the most value. An easy read. We used it for the foundation of an arts leadership class.



5. A Whole New Mind is written for those who are looking to increase their abilities and engage their brain. The book offers a holistic approach to changing your life and changing how you see the world and approach problems. Pink makes the argument that we all need to incorporate more empathy and play into our lives because it enables one to relax, enjoy life more and engage the unused capacity of one's intellect. He makes a strong argument that our society pigeon holes us into thinking a certain way and approaching life without the tools we really need to enjoy it and get the most out of it. I can't do justice to his theories here, but
   the book is full of useful tips and strategies in addition to a call to action in your own life.
   
   Another great book I read this week that I strongly recommend because it changed how I think is The Emotional Intelligence Quick Book

5 comments about Six Disciplines® Execution Revolution: Solving the One Business Problem That Makes Solving All Other Problems Easier.

1. While the ultimate message put forth in this book is about executing your plans and how to go about that, it is very much based on what needs to be done first - and that is Planning, Goal-Setting. Without this foundation in place first, any actions in business will be haphazard, directionless and misguided.
   
   Six Principles Execution Revolution is an excellent business source that offers some unique insights into how to put your business goals into action. Having a plan is one thing. Being able to make it happen is something else altogether. This book helps you do that.
   
   How To Keep Your Man: And Keep Him For Good
   
   Real Life Dramas - Volume One
   
   Darren G. Burton



2. In my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit, I urge leaders and managers to "Avoid Management-by-Bestseller Syndrome." That's why this book gets my high-five rating. It fits with my Management Buckets system--and it's all about execution. As Peter Drucker said, "Vision without execution is delusion." Plus, the author's recommended books (in the resource section) give you a synergistic context. The book won't take you off-course. It's a complementary tool to help you walk the next steps.
   
   "The first premise of this book is that what most business leaders think is their greatest challenge really isn't," says Harpst, who implemented more than 60,000 business management systems. "In most of my 20-year tenure as CEO of Solomon Software, I was in react mode, moving from one crisis to the next." So he makes the analysis simple with four quadrants focused on strong or weak strategy, coupled with strong or weak execution. The four quadrants: 1) growth wave, 2) fire-fighting, 3) profit wave, and 4) balanced and predictable.
   
   It's all about getting to his quadrant of excellence: balanced and predictable. "This sounds easy," he writes, "but most organizations don't have the framework, the will, or the persistence to make the hard choices it requires." He adds, "Sustainable excellence isn't possible unless an organization learns to systemically increase its capability to execute, and to do so faster than the rate at which its challenges are growing. It's ironic that the better an organization executes today, the bigger its challenges will be tomorrow." (Been there, done that, right?)
   
   I appreciate his comment that excellence is "the enduring pursuit of balanced strategy and execution." Harpst also reminds us that excellence is the "journey that never ends." I agree.



3. With our struggling economy, the crisis with rising prices in energy and the continual, increasing rise in food prices, a large percentage of American businesses are struggling. The timing of this book could not have been better.
   
   This book details a strategy execution program for your organization. The guides in this book with will assist any manager at any level with moving into a proactive stance rather than reactive. Surprises - some small, some business killers - are around every turn. This book deals with these issues head on in an open and honest way.
   
   The field testing that was performed along with the best practices of know organizations takes a lot of pressure off for those who wish to pursue the advice in this wonderful new book. I can assure you that you will not have buyer's remorse. Buy copies for all of your managers and leaders. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author ofWingtips with Spurs



4. The principles for success in business are not unlike the principles that support and create success in many of life's endeavors. What Gary Harpst has tapped into, and what makes this book and the ideas behind it so unique, in comparison to others like it, is the bringing of a real world, dynamic involvment in everything that works its way toward effective strategy and "execution".
   
   I have told people that the closest analogy I can come up with, to sum up my experience with Six Disciplines, is to reference a comparison of Bruce Lee to a classical Karate instructor. -- Where the Karate instructor would measure his talent by his ability to perform and display increasingly complex and difficult techniques, Bruce Lee would excel at becoming amazingly effective in the very simplist and most direct of movements. Bruce Lee was all about stripping away what is useless and absorbing what is useful and so, it seems, is Six Disciplines. The magic formula for success in Lee's makeup was his unwavering commitment to striving for excellence in the simple things that many other's tend to shrug off and take for granted as they search for the pursuit of excellence in complexity. That and Lee was a superb example of success through well balanced strategy and execution.
   
   There's a vast amount of knowledge behind the scenes in this book and the good part is that Gary Harpst has managed to harvest the fruits of so much labor for all of us to benefit from, and in a way that can transform "pretty good" into "Great!"



5. How does one make their particular business excel past all their competitors? "Six Disciplines Execution Revolution: Solving the One Business Problem That Makes Solving All Other Problems Easier" is a thoroughly 'user friendly' and practical guide to help business owners answer that very question. Promoting 'The Excellence Business Model', which pushes balanced strategy and execution, successful entrepreneur and author Gary Harpst helps new business owners deal with anticipated and unexpected challenges as they occur and how they to avoid failure before such difficulties become an insurmountable problem. "Six Disciplines Execution Revolution" is a excellent pick for anyone looking to make their business venture an enduring success.

5 comments about Now, Discover Your Strengths.

1. The book is very interesting and very effective. The internet test is very accurate. Nevertheless each strength profile should be discussed more in depth. Let's say you get an idea of who you are but you would like to get more of it. Anyway, the price is worth the stuff you find in the book!



2. Nice concept that could have been handled with a 10 page paper. Clearly authors had to have some volume to prove value so they drone on and on and on. Very tedious reading. Then at every turn they continue to try to sell other products or services. The major killer is having an online exam to evalute your strengths; however, the code is only good once - so DON'T buy a used book as your code will be invalid. If the exam is a work related exercise, you'll be forced to buy a new book just for the code. Also, DON'T let your spouse read the book. If you do, they'll want to take the exam and suprise suprise, you would need another new book just to take the test.



3. [As a corporate human resources director, I often work on developing the latent talents and skills of various managers. Years ago, I taught a class where I had each participant to look into a hand-held mirror and ask the question, "Would you want to work for this person?"
   
   This book takes this exercise to a completely different level. To discover your own inner strengths (and weakness) ensures that you will become the very best manager possible. As a fan of First, Break All the Rules, I was very satisfied that this follow-up was as timely and useful as the first book. I highly recommend you purchase a copy of this book for yourself and for all of your managers. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of
   [ASIN:1897326882 Wingtips with Spurs]]



4. I think the subject of the book is good, however a big part of dicovering your strengths is taking the on line strength finder quiz. Unfortunatley for me the code provided on the inside of the jacket is either invalid or has been used by someone already.
   So as I read this book I will be left to wonder "what are my strengths..."



5. Probably the best management and personnel development tool around! Four staff members were each given a copy to read and to follow the instructions for getting an analysis. Each was asked to bring the analysis for their annual job review. They expected the typical "this is good and that is bad" comments but found that when they reviewed their positive traits they were asked "how can you apply that in your job?" Ar real morale and performance builder.

5 comments about Rich Dad, Poor Dad: What the Rich Teach Their Kids About Money--That the Poor and Middle Class Do Not!.

1. Kiyosaki made up the character "Rich Dad", he never existed period.
   
   Kiyosaki is a failed businessowner who excels is lying and exploiting peoples dreams of becoming rich.
   
   This book WON'T make you rich, it contains no guides on how to become rich, just general advice that's been around for decades.
   
   His advice to speculate on real estate may very well been the cause of the financial crisis US is currently in, Kiyosaki effectively fueled the housing bubble the taxpayers are now paying for in trillions of dollars.
   
   This book is so irresponsible, wrong and full of lies that it sickens me. If you want someone to blame for all those foreclosures and subprime disasters, Kiyosaki is your best bet.



2. I had heard of this book before, but "assumed" it was a book on working hard, saving and being financially responsible, blah, blah. I was so wrong and so pleasantly surprised that it was nothing like that! It was much better than I thought and I'm so glad to have read it! I discovered I'm a mix of rich dad and poor dad, but definitely now have a better idea of what it takes to become a rich dad and have already started down this path. Having two teens to share this with over time is going to be fun and rewarding too. I've already offered my son (19) $3k if he researches and opens a stock trading account. That's when he said "yeah, I'd like that. Did I tell you I finished 3rd in my HS class in the stock trading contest last year?" And my daughter is doing the same stock trading contest this year in her HS class and she told me on Sunday that she's "short" a stock considering the market. Wow!! This book is just the spark that I needed to confirm what I need to continue doing working toward being a rich dad and also how to encourage and support my kids in their efforts. I just bought the next book...cash flow quadrants...can't wait to dig in!!



3. If you want to be rich, start by asking someone who is!
   
   I enjoyed Robert's book and recommand it to anyone who wants to get their finances straight and start accumulating wealth. It's a simple concept that most of us know-but we sometimes need that "ah hah moment" for us to start doing it.
   
   This book is great for anyone that doesn't like the "boring" statistical business/investing books, because it explains the ideas through a story. Robert references the book, Richest Man in Babylon-which is a great book to pair with Rich Dad,Poor Dad because it identifies the strategy of "paying yourself first".
   
   In this book the phrase, "Everyone wants to go to heaven, but know one wants to die", was used to reference how everyone says they want to be rich but no one wants to do what they have to become rich-they want it handed to them. We all know that doesn't happen! This phrase really connected to me and I applied it to more than just my finances but really my life and how important it is to go after what you want. So often we put things off in our life "until we have the money",(kids, marriage, school, business). In most cases you have to take a "little risk to get a gain", or it passes by us.
   
   I highly recommend this to anyone that might need that little extra push. Have a plan and go for it!
   
   Enjoy the book!



4. For me this book started it all. My Mother-in-Law sent this book to my wife to read, I took it and consumed it in 1 day. I've never read a book so fast. This book changed the way I view money and business. I have read hundreds of business books since, but they all started with this one.



5. When I first purchased this book, it was for the simple purpose of trying to educate myself more on the concepts of how the millionaires create their success. While I was not disappointed in any way with the context, what surprised me was that many of the fundamentals written about how to attain prosperity are spiritually based. Robert has done a great job in explaining the "negative reality" his biological father had, as compared to his more trusting and "expecting success" friend's father. For me, the book is an easy to read and easily understood map towards pointing everyone in the right direction. Jim Fargiano, author of The Spoken Words of Spirit: Lessons From The Other Side

5 comments about The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable.

1. As a corporate human resources director, I am continually searching for material that will enhance our organizations team skills. Somewhat like another management book that I recommended Our Iceberg Is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions, the author uses fictional tales to deliver truthful insights into our business practices. I found the book to be a very intertaining and fun read along with a ton of valuable information. The concepts within the book can be easily implemented and will result in continual improvement in your team building endeavors. The value of teamwork within the modern corporate structure is sometimes a hard sell in the real world. Managers need reference material and books that contain much needed advice if they are going to `prove' the value of teamwork to the CEO. Like communication, everyone says it is important but the rubber rarely meets the road.
   
   The part of the book that details the "five dysfunctions" is a great reference guide and also a topic that sounds eerily familiar as all seasoned managers have been down that road. The `five' are:
   
   1. Absence of trust,
   2. Fear of conflict
   3. Lack of commitment
   4. Avoidance of accountability
   5. Inattention to results.
   
   Buy this book. It will be a valuable addition to your bookshelf and certainly one that will be referenced again and again through the years. Michael L. Gooch, SPHR Author of Wingtips with Spurs



2. We are launching Strategic Planning for the next 5 years...our facilitator of our Strategic Planning suggested that all 16 employees read this book before we launch our planning sessions...it was terrific! Gave everyone a volcabulary and context in which to work as we journey forward to make our own organization totally functional!!!!



3. I think I enjoyed the concept of this book more than the actual implementation. Told like a fairy tale, the book tells the story of a team in trouble and a company facing internal failure. A professional "team builder" is hired as CEO to restructure and revitalize the team.
   
   The new CEO struggles to establish a team mentality among her newly acquired executives. Rampant mistrust and confidence issues are paralyzing them. The author chronicles the steps Kathryn takes to overcome these obstacles and begin establishing a self-sufficient group.
   
   In theory, if your team is suffering these sorts of issues, the book should work. This book was required reading for my workplace, and while I found it to be an easy, entertaining, and perhaps even insightful read, I couldn't quite relate to it. Yes, the same sorts of issues are prevalent on my own team at work. However, Kathryn was dealing with eight or nine team members. There are many more on mine. Technically, it should work no matter the size of the team. The problem is convincing everyone on board that this is a good plan.
   
   I would recommend reading the book if for no other reason than to gain more insight into the workings of a team...particularly the ones that aren't working.



4. This was a great book, an easy read that was packed with information and suspense. After reading the fictional part of the book, I found the in depth descriptions of each dysfunction at the end of the book very important and informative. Also what makes this book so good is the fact that almost anyone in any team building situation can relate to the book. As a high school senior who is involved in sports, is involved in many activities at my school and who has a weekend job that is focused around teamwork, reading this book has been beneficial and inspirational to me. As I look back at things I have done and been involved with and also ahead to future endeavors, I realize not only the importance of teamwork but how to take the idealistic thought of a perfectly functioning team and turn it into reality. Almost anything that you do has some sort of team aspect. If you can conquer the 5 dysfunctions by taking conflict head on and trusting others while at the same time doing not what is best for you but what is best for the team, I think that you will truly understand and retain the true meaning and importance of this book.



5. This is an easy read. The principles are applied within a story. Useful tool to use for improving team moral.

5 comments about A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, Third Edition (PMBOK Guides).

1. The Project Management Book of Knowledge is a Must-Have book for any Project Manager, whether or not your goal is to become PMP certified.



2. The book is necessary to get your Project Management Certificate but it is very boring so you may have to read it twice to comprehend.



3. As a professional Project Manager and member of the PMI, this book is a must for all persons either, as a reference tool, or a text book to obtain qualifications in Project Management. Not the easiest to read but none the less, an invaluable asset.
   Barry Conroy
   Impact Project Management,



4. It's a great book for all who intend to acquire knowledge in Project Management. It gives knowledge of widly used & practiced management theories, concepts & formulae etc. It's very helpful and probably the key book for getting PMP certification.



5. 
   Good Seller. Is always available to help, if we have any questions regarding the delivery he acknowledges via email within 6-12 hrs.
   Overall, would say a good quality service.

5 comments about Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't.

1. I did not finish this book. Many may argue reviewers should not review books that they have not read entirely, but I think it would ultimately benefit potential readers if even those who started books reviewed them. Maybe then Amazon book reviews would not be so skewed to 5-star reviews. Now on to why I did not like this book.
   
   As a former management consultant, I appreciated the techniques the author used to make what he was saying sound important such as using fancy charts and graphs and writing in business lingo with little substance. The author also sets the stage by self-aggrandizing. In the first page he ruminates about how much someone would have to pay him in order not to publish the book. Apparently even 100 million dollars would not stop him from publishing his work. Now if this were a truly amazing book and research, why not let the readers decide instead of telling them how great it is going to be? Mr. Collins is smart, however. He knows self-aggrandizing works. Human beings fall for those pretensions all the time. Sales people use those strategies all the time. I don't believe that the author is trying to deceive readers and I am sure he genuinely believes his own material. "The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool." (quote by physicist, Richard Phillips Feynman).
   
   Collins looks at 11 companies that have achieved success and tries to explain what drove them to that success. This is a meaningless exercise. Every situation is unique and more importantly it has little application to the real world. If it did, then why hasn't he been able to predict the future successful companies and become rich by investing in them? If you are not convinced by my review, consider this: one of those "good to great" companies that is studied in the book is Fannie Mae. Enough said!



2. After many years of ignoring the hype about this book (it admittedly has a great name) I buckled and read it. It was o.k. I did find some useful facts and anecdotes in it but for the most part it reminded me of esoteric research papers that I was forced to read in med school and residency -- crammed with #'s and statistics and graphs, but relatively little in the way of real-life applicable insights. Worth a quick perusal. The books by Trout and Ries are much better.



3. I don't need much to write here as hundreds of people has written review for this book.
   In simple terms the book is easy to read & understand. Analyze how best companies manage to retain their position by innovative & intelligent leadership. Research is sound & findings are really interesting. This book would be useful for any leader (or follower) even if they are not into financial sector.
   The concept of "Good is the enemy of Great" struck me the most
   Definitely worth for its price.



4. Great practical ideas. How refreshing it is to see a passionate individual pursue an idea to completion and take the time to fully investigate all possibilities.
   It's been a great addition to my book club at work.



5. This book is easy and interesting reading. Not only is it required text for my class, but the Vice President of the company that I work for actually told me to read it. Imagine her surprise when I informed her that it was required reading for my masters in social work class.

5 comments about Crash Proof: How to Profit From the Coming Economic Collapse (Lynn Sonberg Books).

1. I read this book when I saw the writing on the wall back in 2006. Obviously Schiff was correct about the problems facing America but staring at problems does not create a workable solution.
   
   The fear began to hit in 2006 and that's when commodity stocks exponentially increased. Sorry people, but that boat has already sailed. Hoarding physical gold will not help your finances.
   
   2006/2007 was the worst financial years of my life because I worried and was afraid of the future and doing so led me to make some stupid decisions. Now, when I think about my financial goals and put them on paper I tend to pick good quality stocks/investments.
   
   In the midst of the crisis that Schiff and others predicted I just focus now on my own financial goals for this year and have seen a substantial increase in wealth in a new business. This is due to the fact I, on an individual basis, do what corporations have done all along. The result is nothing short of amazing.



2. Today I watched Peter's cogent and ever-consistent message concerning the economic crisis we're in (CNN 10-4). Contrast that with Stephen Leeb's naive view on how the bailout is a must need for us: "the house is already on fire." Well, I'd agree with Dr. Leeb but the last thing I'd be doing now is giving more power to the arsonist (the FED and the government). I've found that one of the best ways of determining the efficacy of any theory is to see how it's predictions align with reality. From that perspective, Schiff has been spot-on throughout (as exemplified in CRASH PROOF), all the while facing CONSTANT derision from a never-ending stream of idiots paraded in front of our tv screens as expert minds. Dr. Leeb's website reveals his own misunderstanding of our situation as recently as his 2008 market outlook: "Looking ahead, we can't help but be somewhat optimistic. The stock market itself is perhaps the best indicator of what's happening in the economy, and the message it's throwing off is fairly bullish.".
   
   Leeb typifies the same people who never saw the severity, much less the cause, of the issue..when it became too big to Pollyanna away, they blindly promote solutions that will invariably lead to even greater and more certain disaster.
   
   In the spirit of analogies, I liken our economic situation to a pot of chili simmering away on a stove. The privileged among us (the FED cowards and affiliated Wall Street beneficiaries) indulge until there's half the pot missing. They then add water--taken from OUR own well --(liquidity) to try and put back what they stole away with initially. These idiots would have us believe that adding a gallon of water to the remaining chili would somehow leave it spicier!
   
   HERE IS WISDOM--IF YOU WANT TO BEST PREPARE YOURSELF FOR THE CERTAIN & COMING PURGE OF OUR ECONOMY, CRASH PROOF IS A MUST READ!!
   
   In all, I'm SO THANKFUL that we have a voice in the wilderness like Peter Schiff! Peter, you and your father are TRUE AMERICAN PATRIOTS and this nation owes you a sincere debt of gratitude! Thanks so much & God Bless you/r family!



3. What does Peter Schiff, Ron Paul and Al Gore have in common? All three of them got ridiculed for speaking inconvenient truths.
   
   Al Gore was ridiculed when he spoke of Global Warming, but it didn't take long for the public to wise up and award him the Nobel Prize - while President Bush lead us towards environmental and economic melt down.
   
   During the 2008 political debates, Ron Paul spoke of reducing the size of government, restoring the dollar and retreating from needless wars abroad - and got laughed at by the other Republican candidates. Who got the nomination? John McCain - the person who admitted to be most clueless about the economy and most bullish in prosecuting the war in Iraq.
   
   This leaves us with Peter Schiff and this book. I've seen Peter Schiff on television talking about the real estate bubble, our out-of-control government spending, the debasement of the dollar etc. which he predicted would lead us to our financial Armageddon. A what did the talking heads on television do? They ridiculed him - and later turned around and backed Paulson's risky, futile bailout scheme ("it will be good for Main Street").
   
   So, if you want to know what is really going on with the economy, and what you can do to protect your investments from all the nonsense going on around you - buy this book.
   
   The only question I have is - is it too late?? Gold is already at record highs. Do we believe that gold prices will reach $3,000, $4,000 or $6,000 per ounce? If Peter is right - there will be more nastiness, finger pointing and further economic melt down. This could turn out like the wreck of the Titanic - your safe in your own financial lifeboat as you watch others moan and drown in the fog around you.
   
   I digress - read the book!



4. I bought this book when I was somewhat zealous of gold and the potential of an economic collapse. You can get a feel for the nature of this book from its title "how to profit" from the coming economic collapse. This is not a book about political or economic theory. It is an emotionally stirring book that directs you toward investing a) in gold and b) in foreign stocks. Schiff even advises borrowing at a fixed rate to invest in gold and foreign stocks to beat the rate difference, setting up a mini hedge fund with your personal equity.
   
   I already had bought some gold and was looking for a clearer picture. I only found the same radical rhetoric typical of "gold bugs" - that Gold has value as money and nobody knows about it and when the dollar busts Gold is going through the roof.
   
   The problem with this rhetoric is obvious in retrospect. Gold is not used as money anywhere in the world, nor is there any serious "back to gold" movement. Gold moves up when there is uncertainty and "flight to quality," but that is a reflection of "perception is reality" (ie. gold is also a form of illusory wealthy that can be stripped in an instant) and mass psychology. It is not because of any intrinsic value gold has as money.
   
   That is gold will go up, but won't skyrocket. It is a gamble and it is uncertain. It trades like a commodity and can act as a hedge against inflation. It is not, however, a bedrock inflation free currency as Schiff and other gold bugs would like to present it. Gold has no academic followers and fiat currency works fine when it is managed right. A return to gold money is as likely as a return of the U.S. to libertarianism and the constitution.
   
   Schiff's second play, is foreign stocks. According the Schiff the best and cheapest way to buy these is through his brokerage firm. I don't know much about buying foreign stocks and Schiff didn't give much advice. Just give his brokerage firm a call. Schiff barely acknowledges that we live in a global economy so much so that a failure in the U.S. will lead to a failure overseas regardless of what sort of business you choose.
   
   
   The U.S. dollar holds up the entire world economy, if it fails then everything fails.
   
   The world is ending so you should buy gold and foreign stocks.
   
   The substance of this book is nothing more than a shill for Schiff's company (the intro was nicely written though).
   
   
   I have to add that I met Schiff personally (when I was more zealous of libertarianism) and did not like him. He did not come near my expectations, just like Ron Paul. Libertarianism has no soul. That is my opinion.
   
   If the world is really ending give up all your money and follow Jesus Christ.
   
   The pessimism you find in Schiff's books is really found in your own soul and no amount of money will save you.
   
   For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?
   
   Acts 17:30-31, "The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent, because He has fixed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He has appointed; and of this He has given assurance to all by raising Him from the dead."



5. This is an excellent book. It is very easy to understand and explains what is happening with the economy and how to protect your money. I believe it is a necessity in these troubled times.
   
   Shera RAel

5 comments about StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths.

1. We are a strength based organization and basically had all of our staff read this book and take the online test. THe results were so accurate in describing each individual and, as well, in explaining why each person was excelling in their work, that we have started a policy of having new employees, in the interview process, read the book and take the test. No, it is not a fortune teller. Rather, it shows tendencies and areas where a person can see the world from the power rather than as an observer... Yea! Great book!!



2. Really an excellent improvement in the test compared to the original Strengthfinders test. The new test takes a combination of your factors to determine how each factor applies to you. I recently had my team go through the new strengthfinders and even people with the same strengths had different descriptions about how they were impacted and the types of ways the various strengths show themselves for each individual. The book itself is not as impactful as Now Determine Your Strengths, but the test is the primary value, so I'd recommend Strengthsfinder 2.0. I also highly recommend Marcus Buckingham's Go Play to Your Strengths.



3. Sorry to all who really liked this book, but I have to disagree. I read it for a management class and it was so short and general, it really did not d anything for me. It has a typical "personality" type assessment test, but instead of really giving you a great interesting test it was composed of a very simple, short test that took about 10 minutes. From that, Rath's website examines where your strengths are. My test was probably only 50% accurate. Don't buy the used copies, more than likely someone ha already used the code in the back of the book and then the book is virtually useless....geee, wonderful sales gimick! This type og general test taking to "Discover Your Strengths" is giving the world false impressions. Combined with a formula of Talent X Investment = Strength, Rath hopes that he can convince people to not waste their time if they have no natural talent for something. These types of books only want ot sell to the public and do not really offer much of any analysis.



4. We loved the concept behind this book (and its Christian companion, "Living Your Strengths"). Our church staff took the (included with book) online StengthsFinder assessment and all found it very accurate and helpful in providing insights on what drives our fellow co-workers. It brings to light strengths you may not have identified previously and validates them - empowering you to explore and utilize them in new ways. We just ordered enough for our ministry leaders and church council and will be recommending it to our congregation as a very helpful tool not only for self-discovery, but also insight on others who have taken the StrengthsFinder assessment.



5. This is a good book, if you buy it new and have access to the online test. Otherwise the book is rather pointless.