5 comments about The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management (Portable Mba Series).

1. Verzuh has done a great job on this subject. He has covered the key topics in a concise yet succient manner. Its a useful read for those interested in gaining some knowledge on Project Management. I highly recommend it.



2. As both a practicing & certified Project Management Professional (PMP), who is also a adjunct professor that teaches project management at both the graduate & undergraduate levels, this is one of the most useful project management books that I have used in the classroom. Unlike many of the project management texts that I have used that spend many pages on project management theory, Eric's book gets to the point of how to practically & successfully manage projects. What I like in particular is that he approaches project management from a "How to get it done right" approach. The many fully customizable templates and forms included as part of the purchase price of the book are absolutely invaluable.
   
   Previously I had successfully used the 2nd Edition of Eric's book in the classroom. Given that success, I am planning on using the new edition. Although understanding some of the underlying project management theory is important, many of the books I have used offer an overly theoretical and statistical approach that does not effectively explain the essential 'soft' project management skills well. In my view, Eric addresses project management theory at the right level, while offering a number of exceptionally useful project management ideas and tools.
   
   Lastly, in preparation for an upcoming class, I did a page-by-page scan of the new edition. Lots of truly substantive changes. Unfortunately, in the case of many of the books that I have used in the classroom, the issue of a new edition means little more than a change of the copyright date.



3. As a very experienced project and program manager, I've been asked to help introduce MBA students to project management. Of all the PMs books out there, a number of which I own, this one is the best I've found to help understand the complexities and challenges of project management. The subject is complex and requires lots of studying and practice but Mr. Verzuh has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of it.



4. This is a very good project management book. Easy to understand and substantial information. There are some PMP exam prep questions at the end of each chapter. However, you should know that the book's material is not quite compatible with the PMBOK Guide by PMI. So, don't use it for the PMP exam prep. Otherwise, to learn general project management, this is a very good book. Recommended.



5. I had purchased this textbook for a on-line class in Project Management.
   The textbook The Fast Forward MBA turned out to be a great investment for me. The textbook is easy to read and understand concepts. It provide great detail of follow along illustration that help with the read the text. I would strongly recommend the textbook for anyone but it is a must for beginniners interesting in project management and techniques used to manage the project life from begiingn to end, helpful in understanding how to initiate a project, and great clear definition of terminology.
   Tracy

5 comments about Crowdsourcing: Why the Power of the Crowd Is Driving the Future of Business.

1. Jeff Howe has done an impressive job of gathering insight into the power of this old adage applied to today's Internet environment. The idea is that by opening up complex problems to the crowd in small chunks, solutions can be found and creative destruction can occur, in diverse industries.
   
   Take the example of iStockphoto, which allowed amateur photographers to undercut professional stock photography companies by opening up the market to anyone with a camera, or Innocentive, where tough research problems are posted and PhD's around the world work on them in their spare time.
   
   Crowdsourcing works, and has blossomed since Howe's original Wired article on the subject. This book has great ideas and case studies that can be applied to give your company, endeavor, or hobby a big leg up. Be the crowdsourcing champion at your organization and buy copies of this book to pass around! Everyone will be happy you did. :)



2. Every significant trend requires a book that defines its key concepts, pioneers and rational. Crowdsourcing is that book for the application of social and community capability to business and society. Jeff Howe has created a readable chronicle of the early adopters who use crowds to replace experts. Coupled with James Surowieck's "Wisdom of Crowds" the two books will be used in corporate offices and marketing teams to look at how to engage crowds in the future.
   
   Executives, marketing professionals, and product managers should read both books to better understand how to tap into this resource. However, do not expect a recipe book, specific solutions, or a road map to crowdsourcing.
   
   Readers will find the book very descriptive and illustrative, which is strength, but its analysis and recommendations are a weakness and hence the reason for a four star review. I still highly recommend this book, but recognize that it comes from a journalistic tradition, rather than a hard core business book. Given the subject matter, I believe that the journalistic approach is more fitting to the subject.
   
   This book is recommended to gain an understanding of this phenomenon, pick up examples and stories, and gain a new vocabulary. Strategists, executives, and marketing types will find examples that they will need to think about in order to gain the answers they are looking for and need.
   
   DETAILED REVIEW
   
   The book focuses on describing how to crowds are creating new sources of value than the specific ways to tap into that value. Chapters 1 through 5, the first half of the book, concentrates on providing examples of the crowd sourcing phenomenon. The second half focuses down on the impact of crowds to economic and business organization.
   
   Chapter 1: The Rise of the Amateur - discusses the shifting balance between individuals with deep expertise and communities of interest. These differences and the increasing amateur access to information and collaboration are changing the playing field in multiple disciplines for the better.
   
   Chapter 2: From So Simple a Beginning - traces the rise of crowd sourcing back to the open source software movement. Howe details the early history of open source software, an interesting tale, as well as its basic principles of self responsibility, community contribution, and breaking large problems into small units. Howe describes the start of Wikipedia, SETI and the USPTO's use of open software approaches in the chapter.
   
   Chapter 3: Faster, Cheaper, Smarter, Easier - looks at the results that come from employing diversity and crowds to solve complex problems. Examples here range from desktop publishing, viral video, and music. In each case, the shift from centralized to distributed production results in the transformation of markets and the creation of new opportunities.
   
   Chapter 4: The Rise and Fall of the Firm - puts together the principles of the first three chapters and describes their collective impact on modern business and market structures. Howe uses readily accessible examples, like CincyMoms, to illustrate how open access; amateur interest and aggregating intelligence upset traditional markets and organizations. This chapter is well researched and may be the best of the book as it bridges between academic studies (Benkler's "The Wealth of Networks') with real life examples.
   
   Chapter 5: The Most Universal Quality - discusses the role of diversity and the power of crowds to aggregate diversity to match or out perform experts in many different situations. This chapter is the most like the Wisdom of Crowds as Howe explains both socially and mathematically how a crowd of amateurs can be more accurate than an individual expert.
   
   Chapter 6: What the Crowd Knows is an extension of Chapter 5 and concentrates on the channeling of crowd wisdom into collective wisdom through prediction markets and other types of solutions. The chapter also introduces the idea of Marketocracy as a means to find talent in a crowd based on their results rather than their resumes.
   
   Chapter 7: What the Crowd Creates focuses on the creative aspects of communities that require a different set of solutions to the aggregation of collective intelligence. These chapter discuses the notion of user-generated content and its dynamics based on tools, incentives, rewards, and ownership. It dives deep into the operation of iStock as an example of a company that harnesses the creations of a community.
   
   Chapter 8: What the Crowd Thinks recognized the power of personal expression in terms of participatory decision making, reviews and visibility. Howe points out that about 10% of a community provides their opinions and views, setting the tone for the overall community. However those opinions operate as a significant filter for the community. BTW, Howe points out that Amazon reviews are an example of this - so welcome to the crowd. This chapter focuses on phenomenon such as American Idol and Digg as illustrations of crowd opinions.
   
   Chapter 9: What the Crowd Funds is a short chapter that discusses the application of crowd sourcing principles to finance with applications such as peer-to-peer lending, micro-lending and Barak Obama's appeal to large numbers of small individual donors.
   
   Chapter 10: Tomorrow's Crowd highlights the rise of the digital native and the fact that people growing up today expect to work more collaboratively than their parents. This chapter explores how this next generation works, multitasks and collaborates. These traits are largely explained through changes in the media industry, which makes sense since digital natives are currently the target audience in that market. It's just a matter of time before they are the target audience in every market.
   
   Chapter 11: Conclusion - the rules of Crowdsourcing summarizes the book, wrapping its ideas into a few simple and powerful rules:
   
   1. Pick the right model from among collective intelligence, creation, voting, or funding.
   2. Pick the right crowd from the participants to the people who will influence and usher the crowd.
   3. Offer the right incentives to the crowd that are often expressed in recognition rather just money.
   4. Keep the pink slips in the drawer - crowdsourcing is not outsourcing
   5. The dumbness of crowds, or the benevolent dictator principle - crowds need leaders who influence
   6. Keep it simple, break it down - give the crowd something each individual can work on, yet can aggregate into something great.
   7. Remember Sturgeon's Law - 90% of what is created is crap so you will need to allow the crowd to separate the cream from the crap
   8. Remember the 10 percent, the antidote to Sturgeon's law - related to #7 that the crow can do the sorting in a democratic and open forum better than the experts.
   9. The community is always right
   10. Ask not what the crowd can do for you, but what you can do for the crowd - a crowd forms and is most effective when it sis working on something it wants.
   
   Crowdsourcing is among the foundational books for the next generation of commerce, whether you call it Web 2.0, Social Production, or Crowdsourcing, - this book describes the core principles and examples of the way we will work in the future.



3. If you have been paying close attention to the subject of crowd sourcing, this book will contain few surprises. But you just might pick up an insight or two that will make the book of much value. That was my experience.
   
   While much of the book covered things I know in more detail than Jeff Howe describes, I began to see connections between how one aspect of crowd sourcing could be combined with other aspects to make more progress more rapidly. I intend to apply those insights into my global project for increasing the rate of global improvements by 20 times.
   
   Ultimately, crowd sourcing's significance is determined in the battle between the tendency of crowds to contain wisdom and the average results of crowds to be lousy. If you use crowd sourcing to get lots of ideas, you also need to rely a lot on crowd sourcing to get rid of the junk.
   
   Although Mr. Howe claims to be taking a journalist's approach to the subject, he comes across as more of an advocate than an observer. In particular, he fails to capture the ways that prolific production of content can overwhelm the accuracy of crowd sourcing votes. Highly ranked contributions often reflect popularity and the crowd's agreement with the conclusions more than the quality of the production. As a result, you can often end up with something that looks like what a lot of undisciplined teenagers would produce.
   
   Yet, even that problem can be solved by adding a layer of expert evaluation to the more popular entries. He mentions that point in passing, but misses its significance.
   
   For a book that aims to describe the fundamentals of how crowd sourcing will be used by business, the conclusion section is pretty limited and abstract. If that's why you want to read the book, borrow the book at the library (or read it standing up at a book store) because you'll finish that section faster than a cup of coffee.
   
   To me, the biggest economic impact will be on problem solving. There's plenty in the book on that point, but Mr. Howe fails to explain why so few companies are using crowds for that purpose.
   
   I conducted a worldwide contest two and a half years ago to gain answers, ran the contest for essentially no money, and was astonished at the quality of the results. But I started with no community, built no community, and don't plan to aim the findings back to establish a new community later. As a result, I seriously question his conclusion that crowd sourcing can only be done by people who get benefits from a community. I would argue, by comparison, that participants need to get some benefits . . . but they don't have to be community-based ones.
   
   I suspect that a better book on this subject would emerge from a crowd sourced methodology rather than relying on typical "professional" journalism methods.
   
   Want some good answers? Ask the world.



4. Finished this book up earlier this week and I have to say, I'm a bit disappointed. I feel as though a book by the man who defined the word `crowdsourcing' shouald give me more than just anecdotes about how companies have used crowdsourcing.
   
   I'm not disappointed in the content of the book...it was good. As was the writing. I can't quite put my finger on it but I felt like something was missing. The book is interesting and a good read...but left me looking for more.
   
   That said, there are some excellent stories of companies using crowdsourcing. There is some excellent ideas is this book, but very little actionable information. Well...except for the last chapter. The last chapter provides some `meat' to the ideas behind crowdsourcing.
   
   Before someone jumps on me for giving this book a bad review...I'm not doing that. I think people should pick up this book and read it, if only for the stories of iStockPhoto and other companies that have used crowdsourcing models.



5. The book is written from a journalist view and provides a good overview of the core principals of crowdsoucing using examples from companies that successfully use crowdsoucing. However, the conclusion conclusion was rather abstract and left me wanting more.

5 comments about The Only Investment Guide You'll Ever Need.

1. This is a good read for those of us looking to improve our financial health and know only a little about investing. No magic solutions here: save money and invest wisely. But what does investing wisely mean exactly? Read this book for more. The author reviews concepts we know about the benefits of compound interest and the wisdom of index funds, and he does this by using his own stories to make this dry subject a bit more fun. The version I read didn't have a section on ETFs so you'll have to look elsewhere for that information.



2. I found this book very readable and full of excellent information. Although not all the latest vehicles are included, the information is useful for the typical investor. It is easy to read and understand by the beginning investor.



3. It is funny how several reviewers criticize the author's recommendation to "not lose money", while that is the number one rule from the richest person on the planet, Warren Buffett.
   They miss the fact that there is more to that statement that its simple basic message.
   I too have read a number of investment books and I found this one to shine above the rest for a simple reason: It covers a wide range of basic investment options, without equivocating, and goes into just enough detail to explain the investment without bogging down the reader with unnecessary details. If the reader wants more info, they can certainly continue researching.
   I really like the fact that the author gives definite thumbs-up or thumbs-down to certain investment vehicles (and gives good reasons why), where other advisors hem and haw about even the most ridiculous ideas such as annuities.
   Some reviewers claim this book is for beginners while others say that it's NOT for amateurs. I think it requires some basic knowledge but overall is a great reference and guide to get the average investor on track to a good solid foundation in investing and well on their way to a respectable portfolio. Any expectations beyond that are totally misguided.



4. I've read a lot of personal finance books and this one has some of the best information I've found. If you are interested in personal finance and investing, you should definitely read this book!
   
   Tobias writes in a witty style to keep the reader's attention while providing detailed information on investing that I haven't found anywhere else. He begins with information on how to save money on personal expenses like dining out and vacations. There are several good tips in this section. Then he moves on to retirement accounts and saving for education. He explains each type of account in detail and includes every kind I know of.
   
   His sections on bonds and stock investing are really informative. He explains items like treasury bills and TIPs and their advantages. He explains all kinds of bonds (I-bonds, corporate bonds, municiple bonds) and provides his recommendation on whether you should own them or not and why. I especially found his section on stock market investing useful. He has explanations of a stock's beta, buying on margin, options, selling short, LEAPS and penny stocks and explains the pitfalls that often get investors into trouble.
   
   The last portion of the book talks a bit about estate planning and also some very clever methods of teaching your kids about saving and investing.
   
   I like the author's philosophy on investment strategies and agree with most of his advice. This book covers a lot of topics in personal finance and is both a great reference and a fun read. I highly recommend it to others!!!



5. I bought this book in 1999 and read it annually. I always laugh out loud and recommend it to everyone I meet who is not and does not want to be an "expert" in the market but does want honest, forthright, expert advise on what's what in personal finance and investments. I re-read it recently and 10 years after it's release it's still dead on. I hope he updates it again soon cause the internet is even better than it was when he wrote this and there are even more investment "schemes" out there to AVOID!

5 comments about Rich Dad's Real Estate Advantages: Tax and Legal Secrets of Successful Real Estate Investors.

1. Very informative. This book is full of great strategies of how to maximize your return and how to protect your real estate investments and retire comfortably. You will learn how to choose the right asset protection for your investments, how to maximize your real estate investments to your retirement advantage, the use of 1031 exchange to pass on assets to your kids without paying capital gain tax, how to mix and match business entities if you have multiple RE investments in different states, learn the advantages and disadvantages of a Nevada, Wyoming, California, Texas corporation or LLC. After reading this book, I attended a seminar with the co-author lawyer, Garrett Sutton, at a National Real Estate Investment Club Expo in L.A Convention Center. We had a Q&A after his presentation. This guy really knows his stuff. He seems to be a nice and humble person. If you are a RE investor or thinking of becoming one, I highly recommend this book. I also recommend that you consult with his office for asset protection. He does business over the phone for all states. You can also get lots of tips and info in Garrett Sutton's websites.



2. This book does for real estate investing what Pimsleur does for language learning: it teaches you to speak the real estate language, to ask knowledgeable questions, and to make informed decisions.
   
   I have been through dozens of books, tapes, and CD programs on investing in real estate. Some are strictly motivational with little useful information. Others are like reference works and cannot be read from beginning to end. Still others hope to be meaningful forever and so dare not give you anything too current, or disputable and likely to change. Lechter and Sutton, however, wrote a book to turn a dreamer into a real estate investor. If that's what you still want at the end - but you have all the info to make the decision. Other reviewers might say that there are no "secrets" in this book - true, I suppose - but if YOU don't have a tutor for the subject, then for YOU common knowledge is a secret!
   
   The authors give separate advice for dealing with primary residence and for investment properties. Most other books blur these separate cases. Special cases where individual state law might differ from the general situations are pointed out. Case studies and repetition are used throughout - much like Pimsleur uses conversation in each language lesson. The reader brings everything learned earlier to each case, but is stretched just a bit to see why each case is unique. Each chapter builds on prior chapters. Included is the required amount of math, but this is clearly not a math book. On the contrary, it is an enjoyable read cover-to-cover. Some of the material is current as of 2006 and this is clearly noted. I hope this book gets updated every few years.
   
   While technically part of the Rich Dad series, the book stands on its own. The reader is fully aware of the few tacked-on references to the Rich Dad philosophy.
   
   This book is a must-read for anyone thinking about a career in real estate investing in all its forms. Consider it the second book you read - after something like "Home Buying for Dummies."



3. It certainly should be in your library. You're sure to find at least one or two nuggets that will more than pay for the book.
   
   Perhaps you'd like to look into this one too:
   
   The WealthLoop Series Beginner's Guide to Building Wealth Buying Houses: The Foolproof Roadmap to Real Estate Riches Without the Risks and Hassles of Landlording.



4. What can you say? It's another rich dad book. Very informative and written primarily by professionals with an in-depth view. The book is a good read for anyone. It gave me a lot to think about and some things to discuss with my team. No dull spots in this book. Read it cover to cover in a few days. Worth reading twice.



5. I bought my first property just before I purchased this book. I received it just before an international business trip, and didn't get any sleep on the flight because I was pouring over the basic concepts and ideas that fill this wonderful book.
   
   If you are already in real estate and know the basics, you may not need this book. If you already have your team of advisors and know who to go for when you have questions, you may not need this book. If you understand the differences between LLCs and LP and why one is better in California than in Nevada, you may not need this book.
   
   For most beginning real estate investors, this book is just the right amount and just the right speed to get started. Garrett and Sharon don't look at the buy-and-flip models, but rather at the advantages of staying in real estate, building a portfolio, and intelligently upgrading your properties (1031 Exchanges). They also go over the long-term planning aspects of inheritance and how to move your properties to family members with minimal taxes. They don't profess a silver bullet, but rather a rational plan to financial success through real estate.
   
   Verdict: Highly recommended.

5 comments about Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution.

1. The book is really great and deserves 5 stars.
   
   I am an Application Architect working for one of the biggest financial companies in the world and we are using this book as a starting point for improving our Enterprise Architecture.
   
   I whish this book was thicker or maybe had a second volume.



2. It was highly prized by a co-worker.
   Therefore, I assume that it's just not my type of reading:
   barely dragged myself to the midstream and drowned there.
   
   Try to sample it first.
   Hope that helps.



3. Our company is big on this book. our IT CIO has distributed several copies of it to several key people in the organisation.



4. Was very please with the text book I bought. I will buy from seller again.



5. In much the same way that the classic "The Mythical Man Month" by Frederick P. Brooks (see my review) has repeatedly been sighted across two decades by numerous publications, this work by Ross, Weill, and Robertson has been referenced so many times in industry periodicals over the last couple years that it needs to be read at least once by everyone in the business world involved in this space. A cursory review of the texts currently available on enterprise architecture shows quite simply that this subject is still rather new. And experience has shown that the topic of enterprise architecture itself can at times cause confusion, misunderstanding, and even divisiveness within a firm, with reasons ranging from difficulty of definition to business or IT politics. The authors of this book tackle the subject well, and provide many examples throughout the discussion. In fact, the quantity of text associated with examples far outweighs the overall discussion in a majority of the chapters. Given that the reader audience here is primarily the executive, and especially executives who are unfamiliar with enterprise architecture, it makes sense that this is the case, but for readers who are already rather familiar with enterprise architecture strategy the heavy weight toward examples can be a bit much. Unlike some of the other books available on this subject, the tables and figures dispersed throughout are presented very simply so that anyone following the text can grasp their meaning, although occasionally these are reminiscent of what one might find in Computerworld magazine (especially those involving surveys of CIOs, where the survey sample is very low, leading one to wonder whether the implications drawn truly reflect the industry). According to the authors, this book is "a call to action for those companies that have not yet started on this journey [building a foundation for execution] and a handbook for those who are in the midst of building their foundation", and the following main steps are discussed: defining an operating model, designing and implementing an enterprise architecture, and adopting an IT engagement model. The discussion of the first step is a strong area of the book, in which diversification, coordination, replication, and unification are presented to help the reader decide in which quadrant their company or business unit belongs. According to the authors, assessing one's business in this manner is important since these operating models position companies for different types of growth. In the mind of this reviewer, another strength of this book is a discussion on the stages of enterprise architecture maturity: business silos, standardized technology, optimized core, and business modularity. While the engagement model and level of enterprise architecture maturity can and should evolve in many cases to achieve corporate success, the authors stress that stages should not be skipped due to the high risk involved with such a strategy. The third strength of this book is the discussion on benefits of enterprise architecture. Successful implementation of each stage of an enterprise architecture, the authors demonstrate, generates new or expanded technology and business benefits: reduced IT costs, increased IT responsiveness, improved risk management, increased management satisfaction, and enhanced strategic business outcomes. One of the best quotes included in "Enterprise Architecture as Strategy" is the following, by Doreen Wright, the first corporate CIO of Campbell Soup Co.: "Looking at the IT function is like having the company look at itself in the mirror: Whatever's wrong with the company will show up in the IT function." Another, by Albert Einstein, might already be familiar to you: "The significant problems we face cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them." One premise behind enterprise architecture is that business and IT need to work together, and the ability of this book to drive home this concept is what makes it required reading.

5 comments about Managing The Professional Service Firm.

1. I have 10 years experience in managing consulting company. When I red just first chapters of this book I immediatelly have started to implement some ideas described there and it gave greate results!
   No matter if you plan to start new business or you are mature partner with many years of experiane in professional services business - this book is a must and greate reading. Enjoy!



2. I purchased this book out of sheer luck, by reading a review to law firm start up book that recommended professional services firm management books.
   
   I am a East European Lawyer and feel empowered and enlighted when reading this book. Its style is user-friendly. In particular, I liked and appreciated the chapter on what clients expect from professional servicepersons.
   
   I have not yet read all its chapters, but those I did, I read several times and each time new helpfull skills come to my attention.
   
   As a lawyer, new tothis type of source of information, I was not expecting I could find such a book, of such a high quality.



3. Before you bother to build or "scale" a professional services firm, you must read this book. One of my mentors recommended this book to me in 1995 and it was a "must read" then. David's experience and "real talk" about the basics and then the art of building a services firm saved me many nights of lost sleep.
   
   Specifically, I used the "brains, grey hair, and masses" model to help me understand and commit to the right business model and level of service delivery for my line of business. Other key concepts include how to market and develop business, develop and leverage talent within your organization, and consulting protocols that dictate your perception of value to your clients. Now, my firm, Performance Change Initiatives, Inc., is steadily growing and expanding because of the solid foundation beneath it. We practice in the evolving Change Implementation Consulting field, and, we have used many of David's concepts to define and differentiate ourselves in our market. By bringing the art of the "process for organizational change" together with the science of hard core business process redesign and integration, we have found the recipe for delivering tangible business results that last. I have read David's book 3-4 times over the 9 year evolution of our firm and each time, I have "caught" a potential error and taken advantage of other perspectives and practice. You cannot substitute for experience and I am positive that I will read it again.
   
   Additionally, I recommend David's famous book, The Trusted Advisor, for all constituents of the firm. It is imperative that everyone understands the power of building authentic relationships with your clients and the negative impact of the hard sell. People work with you because they trust you and have confidence in your work. This book lays out many of the components and practices of this "art".



4. While the book lacked some of the details I was looking for, it has excellent information on running a service firm. This books should be required reading for those wanting to become partners.



5. I was recently elected as managing partner of a law firm. I found much of the book very helpful, especially the information about leverage and under-delegation. It also provided good leadership thoughts. This gives me a good framework to make decisions and communicate information. I highly recommend it.

5 comments about Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing.

1. It's a good read, but there is a page and half that has had a major impact, showing me where I have a huge blindspot in business and how I stop my own progress. This page and a half is possibly the most important material I've read in a book in several years (for me it applies directly).
   
   The author talks about the Fallacy of Planning in a business setting. He ranks plans in this order:
   
   1. Very Good
   2. Good
   3. Best
   4. Fair
   5. Poor
   
   Why is Good ahead of Best? Simple, to arrive at Best takes orders of magnitude more planning than Good. Also, who defines Best? How much time is spent creating the Best plan? Will Best stand the test of time? Can everyone agree on Best? Would Good work just as well as Best in the real world? Is Best satisfying the client's need better than a Good plan?
   
   Choosing the "Best" plan leads to Paralysis by Analysis. Good plans allow for quick action and constant improvement. The most successful people in the world have acted on Good plans that they have refined over time. An actionable plan is more successful than a plan that never leaves the drawing board!
   
   Personally, I've fallen into the Best trap many times. There is no such thing as a "Best" plan. Going forward the "Best" plan will be the "Good" plan that I can put into action and refine over time!
   
   A lightbulb went off in my head when I got this concept. Thank you Harry for this valuable lesson.



2. Nutshell review - This little book has +/-200 tips and points about marketing in service businesses. These are presented in a collection of short stories or mini-chapters of a paragraph or two with a bullet point note at the end - a field guide indeed. It's a bit like drinking from a fire hose with almost too many points being made but if just a few points help your cause then it will have been a worthwhile read.



3. The excellent book Selling the Invisible: A Field Guide to Modern Marketing by Harry Beckwith makes many great points about service marketing, including that a good solution today is better than a perfect solution tomorrow. A ready-fire-aim approach (implement first, then iterate to fix mistakes) is generally better than a ready-aim-fire approach (wait for the perfect solution, then implement). You've still got to aim. You've still got to fire. But you may need to reconsider the order.



4. This is one of the better books I have read. I purchased several additional copies to give to friends.
   
   My purchase through Amazon was very good and I will use Amazon again.



5. `Selling The Invisible', by Harry Beckwith, teaches us how to increase our perceived value. In these modern times, marketing is even more relevant than the actually quality of a product when it comes to sales numbers. We only need to look at the music industry for a fine example of this fact.
   
   One of the most difficult things to sell can be yourself. Even if you know what you are worth to an employer, do you know how to present this in an easily-digested way?
   
   Beckwith shows us how to simplify access to our work, so people can see how valuable we are. He tells us to not just be the best at what we do, but change the definition of best! He tells us to execute with passion.
   
   Knowing how to sell yourself and accurately demonstrate your worth as an employee is an excellent tool to have at hand as a jobseeker. This book has some very useful advice on one of today's most crucial skills to have, self-marketing.
   
   Danny Iny
   Author of the free eBook "Forget Everything You Know About Looking For a Job... And Actually Find One!"
   HuntingToHired, www.HuntingToHired.com

5 comments about Financial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean.

1. The concepts are presented clearly. I have a solid background in accounting and finance and this was a welcome refresher. I learned some new things in the process as well.
   
   There are several chapters that I think need further elaboration. These are the ones that deal with cash flows and the Statement of Cash Flows. The latter is the last of the four financial statements (after the Income Statement, the Statement of Retained Earnings, and the Balance Sheet, in that order).
   
   The Statement of Cash Flows has always been the most difficult one to prepare and, yet, in one sense, it is probably the most important one. Managers have leeway to fudge their numbers with the first three statements but they can't with the Statement of Cash Flows. Analysts recognize this and make significant conclusions from their interpretation of this statement.
   
   Warren Buffett, arguably history's most astute investor, begins with this statement and emphasizes it so much that he coined his own term to describe it: "Owner Earnings." According to the book, "Owner earnings is a measure of the company's ability to generate cash over a period of time. ... is an important measure because it allows for the continuing capital expenditure that will be necessary to maintain a healthy business."
   
   Read it if you want a layman's level of comprehending financial statements. Its more important than you might think!



2. I like the book, but it is very basic. If that is what you are looking for, then it does its job. I was looking for a little more meat, but overall a good book. Also, the real-life examples are excellent.



3. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who desires to understand financial concepts. If you are considering opening or starting a business this should be a must read for you.



4. I got this book for a leadership course and was surprised that I learned a lot about my own finances, stocks, etc. A quick and easy way to learn about finance. I would recommend for anyone that has to look at financial statements for any reason.



5. I bought this book in order to better understand financial statements and financial ratios for investing, even though the authors wrote it more for managers and not investors. Other books I have purchased for this purpose usually fell into one of three categories: the book defined only the very basics and took such a simple approach with regards to interpreting statements it was a waste of time, the book was for professionals and so far advanced that it didn't bother to have a helpful introduction, or the book started slowly and did a good job at the beginning but then went into overdrive with few explanations after a good introduction and I ended up getting lost.
   
   "Financial Intelligence" is by far the best book from start to finish on interpreting financial statements, what they mean, and how they apply to business that I have read. In the first part of the book, the authors take the reader slowly through each type of statement (income, balance sheet, and cash flow), what the different categories mean on each sheet, and give examples of what these numbers actually mean. Sunbeam, Enron, and Worlcom are used throughout the book as examples where numbers can be fudged or hints of abuse could have been detected ahead of time. The authors continue this dissection further by showing the different financial ratios derived from the statements, what they mean, and how they can be used as indicators of how a business is doing. The last part of the book then deals with how a business actually functions and its realtion to the statments; it shows how a company can show a profit but still go broke, how cash flows are "king", and what working capital is and the cycle it goes through. Again, very good examples are given durng each topic so that the reader can get a good handle on the subject. The only section that seemed out of place was how managers can discount cash flows to try and determine the return on projects; this subject would have been better in a true corporate finance book.
   
   Overall, this is by far the best, simplest book I have read on financial statements and how to interpret them. The things that sets it apart from the others is the straightforward, easy writing style and the great examples given to demonstrate each accounting concept. The best thing is not only did I finally understand the statements and how they are interconnected, but I gained a better understanding of what makes a good company with respect to generating cash and managing inventories. This is a great book for beginners; if you do have trouble with it, try working the Schaum books on financial statements first and then come back.

5 comments about LEADERSHIP AND TRAINING FOR THE FIGHT: A FEW THOUGHTS ON LEADERSHIP AND TRAINING FROM A FORMER SPECIAL OPERATIONS SOLDIER.

1. This is the best book on military leadership and training I have ever read and I have read a few on this subject. All of my team leaders are reading it now after hearing nothing but great reviews from myself. I think all NCO's in the Army, reguardless of MOS, should read this book.



2. Very good book, well structured, pleasant to read. The examples are clear, and the theories easy to apply, even if you aren't L.E. or military.



3. Outstanding book by a true professional. MSG Howe is the real deal and an outstanding authority in his field. Would recommend this for any law enforcement or military professional.



4. There seems to be no shortage of leadership books available to our self-help addicted society. How many people do you know who brag about having read "The Art of War"? This is not one of these types of books. I mention "The Art of War" because I find it helpful to draw parallels between life and battle. I find that if I approach my life's commitments and challenges like all-out warfare, I tend to get after it with aggression and a hunger for success.
   If you feel the same, this book might be for you. In truth, this book is geared mostly for soldiers and police specifically combatants of the special ops variety and swat officers. In short it is by and for modern Spartan warriors.
   You will have to work to draw your own connections between how you run your organization, business, or life, but if you are not inspired by some of the greatest men to walk among us, you are dead inside.
   If you are in charge of or lead anything and you are interested in developing your leadership skills, you will find it here. If you think that leadership in the world's harshest conditions when the bullets are flying and men are dying doesn't apply to how you run your small business, ask yourself this, "Is there a difference between kinds of leadership, or is good leadership in concept more or less the same everywhere?" The only real difference is that if you are a shooter, your failures in leadership can cost lives, in business it is only money.
   If you are considering this book, take the journey and trust the author to share his ideals and wisdom with you.
   This book feels aggressive and extreme in it's intent to convey to the reader not just leadership skills, but in philosophy towards life.
   We all want to be like the guy in the movies who remains calm and wins in the chaos of extreme conditions, this book shows you how. If you could do this imagine how you could attack your own life.



5. This is one of the best books I have ever read on leadership. The author outlines a realistic approach with proven techniques. I've grown tired of all the silly communication methods and manipulations, found in the flood of many books on the market, on how to motivate those under your supervision. Paul Howe knows how to lead. If you are truly interested in leadership, this book is highly recommended. On the other hand, if you are looking for quick fixes and feel good techniques, you should move on to a management in corporate America style book. There are many to choose from.

5 comments about No More Mondays: Fire Yourself -- and Other Revolutionary Ways to Discover Your True Calling at Work.

1. Author Dan Miller offers an inspiring and practical pep talk for those who want to escape the corporate rat race and pursue a path of entrepreneurship. The book title is drawn from the universal feeling of dread that so many workers feel on Sunday night, heading back to the office.
   
   Miller flavors his chapters with a Christian perspective on finding your purpose. Some might find this out of place and a turn-off; I did not. His aim is to stimulate thinking about alternatives to the "conventional" corporate path, paths that can lead to a greater sense of meaning through work and even more money.
   
   What I found best about "No More Mondays" was the concepts of and distinction between linear income and residual income,. The former is swapping hours for dollars. The latter involves developing intellectual property and content which you can sell again and again and again.
   
   If you are considering career changes or are at a career crossroads - or want to see how to view yourself as You, Inc. - I would recommend "No More Mondays."



2. What a dud! Another reviewer that categorized this as milk vs. meat has it right. I'm tempted to take my copy back for a refund. If you want to read a book that has real substance on the topic of self-employment, try Timothy Ferriss's "The Four Hour Workweek." Also, the international bestseller, "The 80/20 Principle" by Richard Koch provides sound insight for tapping into your talents.



3. This book is inspiring offering a new perspective on approaching work rather than just the same old job & career books. He offers a lot of ideas on different ways to think about doing what you love and be able to earn a living doing those things. I've read all of Dan Miller's materials and been part of the 48 Days community. If he were touting MLM and get rich quick, I would have given it about 2 seconds. I've read all the materials only because he offers such valuable insights, tips and tools by which to see things through a new lense, a different perspective rather than the same old, tired career advice of 1000 other books.



4. This book may help you to focus your thoughts, if your thoughts are taking you to finding a better solution to the "9 to 5" job. I would really recommend it to those in their thirties who have not yet found the job they feel comfortable in, those who feel there is really something else out there but don't know where to look. But regardless of age, there is good information in it, even for us Baby Boomers, maybe even especially for us Baby Boomers.



5. I would recommend reading this book whether you are happy in your job or not. It is so positive, I am reading it again. I am finding I naturally default to being negative, this book is helping me change my outlook.