5 comments about How to Wow: Proven Strategies for Presenting Your Ideas, Persuading Your Audience, and Perfecting Your Image.

1. I really appreciated how the author cut to the chase with much of her advice. It's all very practical and, though I'm just getting started implementing the advice, it gives me confidence just knowing that I have her tips to get me started when I think about presenting or business-socializing in an unfamiliar environment.



2. How To Wow is spot on about how to burnish you presence in the world. Spoken with a humorous and a non condescending tone, Frances Jones easily presents and diffuses some of the most basic yet vexing conundrums of the business of life. Whether you are titan of industry or intern with your first toe in the door "How to Wow", like any good encyclopedia, reminds you of what your mother, teacher or mentor taught you and more importantly explains what they didn't.
   
   Excellent read, open to any page and walk a way a little sharper for it.



3. I've read a dozen or so books of this type, usually when I'm looking for a mental primer or reminder of sorts of what I should do, just before I have to present in front of a crowd or be particularly persuasive in a written presentation. While most books of this genre are useful, I find many are either difficult to read and absorb in an afternoon or two and so I lose most of the message without intense study, or, alternately, they are so light and easy that they provide little new useful information beyond the obvious.
   
   How to Wow, is neither of these extremes, but strikes just the right balance, and represents the best in a crash course in presenting ideas and being persuasive - in making presentations, in "one on one" encounters, in meetings, in interviews, etc. It's full of useful, usable ideas but written in a concise format, using persuasive language (the author puts in practice what she talks about in the "Put It in Writing" chapter). From the "don't-leave-home-without-them" general principles at the beginning of the book, to the "question and answer" information at the end, there is a lot of good useful advice and information in just 200 or so pages, presented clearly, and including a concise summary at the end of each chapter. It's hard not to take a away a lot of good new information, whether you're a seasoned veteran at presenting yourself or brand new in the business world.
   
   If you have a limited amount of time and want to brush up on how to write and present a speech (or powerpoint), make a "one on one" pitch, conduct a meeting or interview, or just be at your best in a social situation, this book is well worth reading.
   
   John Possumato
   Possumato.com
   http://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpossumato



4. Frances Cole Jones knows how to deliver. I wish I had this book 10 years ago. Truly helpful. I love when she says : "What 3 words would you use to describe yourself? ".



5. HOW TO WOW is like having a trusted adviser/wise friend whispering in your ear and guiding you along. This book is a refreshing addition to this genre, and can be read cover to cover, or, thanks to the incredibly detailed and helpful table of contents, you can dip in and out, and easily find the topic that best suits your immediate needs. Frances Cole Jones provides advice that is smart and savvy, but most important of all, TIMELESS. Do yourself a favor and buy this book.

5 comments about Lean Production Simplified.

1. "Lean Production Simplified" is essential reading for anyone new to lean. With a wonderfully clear writing style Pascal Dennis gives an overview of the structure and tools of lean including an excellent short history. Dennis clearly explains the concepts and philosophy of lean - though this is not a "how-to" book and does not give detailed methods for the tools. The book is an excellent introduction to lean. For example, I found its 20 pages on Hoshin planning explained the process better than any other work I've read.
   
   You can tell when an author really understands the lean process - they emphasise the importance of behavioural and cultural aspects of lean and recognise that these are at least as important as the tools. Dennis's chapters on involvement and lean culture are excellent. He clearly lives the lean philosophy. "Lean Production Simplified" is essential reading for anyone wishing to understand lean.



2. This book explains lean manufacturing in the TPS (Toyota Production System) method. The sentences tend to be short and choppy, but if you have a basic understanding of lean this book can enrich knowledge and provide specific examples.



3. Lean Production Simplified provides a great practical guide to the implementation of lean principles. The author gives enough history and background of lean production to put the concepts into context. He then covers all the basic concepts with a unified approach. We are using this book to orient several new team members to the concepts as we implement important lean projects.



4. I thought this book did a good job in giving you an overview of the lean tools. It is a good reference point if you would like to further study lean activities.



5. I've read many of the more popular lean books (see our other reviews), and have been doing lean full-time since 2000. In my view this book has the best, most complete field of view of them all, touching on several concepts that get no attention in any other lean overview text. It should be noted that as far a depth goes however, the name says it all... Lean Production Simplified.
   
   Pro:
   -Shingo prize winner
   -Brief yet complete coverage of lean topics
   -Coverage of several topics not found elsewhere, including the much ignored hoshin kanri
   -Decent chapter summaries, ample examples and figures
   
   Con:
   -I guess about the worst you can say is there's too many misspellings for a 2nd edition.
   -Perhaps too many sentences that start with, "At Toyota" which create some repetitive reading.
   
   Bottom line: Highly recommended for exposure to the basics.

5 comments about Making Sustainability Work: Best Practices in Managing and Measuring Corporate Social, Environmental and Economic Impacts (Business).

1. Making Sustainability work does a significant contribution for practitioners on how to put sustainability principles and ideas into practice. We have seen in the past other important contributions about sustainability. The difference regarding this new book is in putting these ideas in a very explicit way; emphasizing on the challenges of integrating sustainability into the business strategy and in the decision-making that encompasses the implementation of successful strategies at the firm level.
   
   The book goes further giving valuable guidelines in practical methodologies on how to measure social and environmental risks and impacts and in the implementation of systems inside the firms for permanently monitoring such impacts. This has been a weakness in some of the literature we have seen in the past. Making Sustainability Work addresses the necessary evaluation of the impacts of sustainability initiatives on the financial performance to correctly assess the convenience of implementing them in terms of the benefits to both, the firm and the stakeholders. Finally, we have in a very amenable reading style, an important guide for practitioners on how to put sustainability principles into practice.



2. This book provides a detailed model that provides guidance on how managers can implement sustainability at their companies. However, it is excellent not only for managers, but also for consumers who want to know what companies are doing or what they should be doing to improve their social and environmental responsibility. It is easy to read and contains many detailed real world examples to help readers understand what corporate sustainability is and how it should work at global companies.



3. If you want a single book on how to make your company sustainable, this is the book for you. Epstein distills the latest and greatest thinking into a sensible and comprehensive program for delivering environmental, social, and financial excellence. You don't need to look further for a guide to retool the machinery of your organization to create value for all stakeholders. Epstein is a renowned expert in the field of managing for sustainable performance. It's amazing how many insights and examples he fits into this easy-to-ready book. A great contribution to the field.



4. Whereas others have argued for why corporations must attend to social issues, Epstein helps us understand how. Epstein provides in-depth, thoughtful analysis that integrates the relevant research in the field about how to more effectively manage corporate social responsibility. He grounds this analysis in extensive examples of companies actively grappling with these issues. In doing so, he provides a manual for both academics and practitioners to understand what we know today about how to manage corporate social responsibility , and provides a set of questions for the issues that we must grapple with tomorrow. This book is a must read for anyone who cares about the success of companies and who cares about the future of our communities and our planet.



5. The challenges and opportunities facing companies today in the area of sustainability are more complex and have greater potential impact than ever before. Making Sustainability Work fulfills an unmet need for senior executives, board members, and managers seeking better ways to manage these challenges and opportunities. In this book, Epstein provides direction and guidance to help corporate leaders integrate sustainability into their daily decisions and to better understand and manage corporate social responsibilities and corporate performance. Making Sustainability Work is an outstanding contribution to the field. This book will be an invaluable resource for senior executives, boards, and managers searching for the best ways to integrate sustainability into their decision making.
   --Mark L. Frigo, Ph.D., CMA, CPA, Director of the Center for Strategy, Execution, and Valuation, Kellstadt Grauate School of Business at DePaul University

5 comments about Beyond Basketball: Coach K's Keywords for Success.

1. Coach K is a great leader and coach, he thinks beyond the apparent and tries to reach to the need, which many leaders do not ever seek to see. His insight is valuable.



2. Coach K scores a 3 pointer with this book. Words indeed have power to lift up or to tear down. The coach lifts us up to new levels with his short chapters on important words to anyone who aspires to greatness. This is a well written and inspirational book that encourages us all to look at the words that shape a well lived life.



3. Coach Krzyzewski and his Daughter write a wonderfully inspiring book that is so true. Write-on Krzyzewski's!
   
   As much as I loved this gem, Coach Krzyzewski's Leading with the Heart: Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life is my all-time favorite motivational and taking responsibility book - ever written!



4. Beyond Basketball is a collaborative effort by 2008 USA Basketball and current Duke University Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski and one of his three daughters, Jamie Krzyzewski Spatola. The National Bestseller is Coach Kzyzewski's third book and first after his successful "Leading with the Heart: Coach K's Successful Strategies for Basketball, Business, and Life (2001).
   
   In 171 pages, Coach K shares his personal experiences and learning's as a coach, husband, father, friend, teacher, and leader through forty solitary words--Adaptability, Adversity, Balance, Belief, Care, Challenges, Collective Responsibility, Commitment, Communication, Courage, Crisis Management, Culture, Dependability, Empathy, Enthusiasm, Excellence, Failure, Family, Friendship, Fundamentals, Giving Back, Guidance, Imagination, Integrity, Learning, Love, Motivation, Next Play, Ownership, Passion, Poise, Pressure, Pride, Respect, Selflessness, Standards, Talent, Trust, Will, and Work.
   
   Overall, the beauty of this book is that Coach Krzyzewski invites his readers to embark on a journey to write their own book using these forty words as a baseline. Coach K adds that by writing one's own personal experiences and learning's through these and other solitary words, these words would then hold a special meaning to that person.
   
   So don't delay. Read Coach K, and start one today!



5. A great book, even if you're not a Duke fan! A perfect choice for busy people because it can be read a few minutes a day (or in one sitting if you're so inclined). Each short chapter describes a word which is important to success, not just on the basketball court, but in any endeavor. What elevates the book above the ordinary are the real-life situations and examples Coach K uses to illustrate each point. Makes a great choice as a gift with a personal touch for high school or college graduates.

5 comments about The Dilbert Principle: A Cubicle's-Eye View of Bosses, Meetings, Management Fads & Other Workplace Afflictions.

1. Absolutely hysterically tearfully gaspingly chokingly hilarious. But also a very accurate depiction of how the business world can be - now THAT is scary!



2. This book is wacky, zany, and humorous. Sometimes impossible, it portrays the picture of the workplace in the future. Workers are non-traditional and sometimes with out-of-this-world attitude. The elderly will have a hard time to accept the would be scenarios. The conversations are not typical of our grandparents' days. A warning to educators and authorities. They have to rethink their policies and programs if they want to avoid a future society like this.



3. When first Dilbert comics started to appear on newspapers I didn't understand them, they were probably only comics I didn't read. After I started to work in IT industry, Dilbert is the only comics I read.
   
   And the book is even better, it's pretty hard to understand these comics without explanation from Scott Adams.
   
   These comics feel so absurd, but even more absurd is how often you can find yourself in Dilbert-like situations in IT industry.



4. This is one of the books that I reread from time to time to remind myself of its insights, because they are important. In fact, recent events have made this book more topical than I'd like. You can probably skip the articles by the usual financial pundits about why the US banking system has tanked. Scott Adams' model explains the incompetence that permeates so many corporations in simple and plausible terms. His conclusions appear quite applicable to what is currently going on.



5. What can I say? Scott Adams has been revealing the "Real-Life-In-The-Office" for a long time and with great success. I have been reading his daily comics (in Canada) religiously. This book covers --and uncovers--many harsh and unpleasant facts about the wild-and-crazy world of the office business wonderfully well.

5 comments about How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market.

1. I dont know if this is a marketing book!!
   
   Too much text for less benefits
   
   Ideas are not integrated with each other specially when connecting science with Marketing
   
   Not too many marketing examples.
   
   Even the examples did not show what where the exact results of the specified theories conducted
   
   At the end of the book he fills it with text about creativity, oh please!!! this is supposed to be a book about marketing and how I am supposed understand customers not how to be creative
   
   One more thing, he argues that products are how they are perceived in the mind of the customer and not what the products are in reality. Well, this is a very old idea, maybe the writer should read books for Al Ries and Jack Trout about Positioning.



2. This book is a great cross between a psychology book and a marketing book.
   
   I was interested in this book because it talks a lot about understanding how and why customers buy. Clearly no business is successful without customers.
   
   One challenge my company, SYNNEX, has is addressing needs of many different customers, many of which have different needs. What might be seen as essential for one customer is not even valued by another. I believe all companies are best for specific types of customer and the more within the target range a customer fits, the happier they are. And the opposite is true. Where I see dissatisfied customers, they normally do not fit the specific ideal customer type. We cannot be everything to everybody.
   
   He uses many examples of optical illusion and how perception in some cases is more important than reality in the mind of the customer.
   
   Marketing can alter perception. And measuring perception can be very difficult.



3. This is a disjointed, rambling and under-edited compendium of topics from market research. The author swings from brand development to product development to service experience as if they were fundamentally about the same thing. The number of U.S. automotive examples in the book is truly dispiriting since last time I checked, the market share loss was continuing unabated in spite of all of these allegedly successful studies. His section on focus group usefulness is far too negative. There are far better topic specific books on the market about brand, product development and service experience development. Buy those.



4. Disappointing. If you have read some bestsellers touching on with recent findings in neuroscience (e.g. Antonio Damasio) and memory (e.g. Daniel Schacter) then what's left of this book for you is largely an advertisement for Zaltman's commercial and patented (!!) market research technique called 'Zaltman's metaphor elicitation'.
   
   Yes there are good reasons to doubt focus groups (more reasons than Zaltman discusses), as well as management intuition, and market research that asks consumers why they bought what they bought. But that doesn't mean we need to resort to Zaltman's consultancy which bears a strong resemblance to some of the excesses of 1960s motivational research. Anyway Zaltman makes a very poor case for this logical leap, he really presents it as a fait accompli (I believe so so should you).
   
   For marketing managers the greatest weakness of this book is the lack of integration with known facts of buying behaviour. The discoveries of even 20th Century marketing science are ignored. So there are no facts in this book about how consumers actually buy, or consume media. And so such facts aren't used as a check against Gerry's ideas. Indeed there is no testing of any ideas.
   
   The marketing examples are purely anecdotal, and often very vague - suggesting a lack of first-hand knowledge (they read as if they were mentioned by 3rd parties to the author at the end of a seminar or over a chat). I can't recall anything convincing about sales results, or anything public that could be externally validated, the anecdotes have to be taken on trust. Even so, surprisingly, they tend to make very weak vague claims:
   
   e.g. "managers at Coca-Cola's German office found that new research on memory contradicted many of their prevailing assumptions about how memory worked and how to design effective advertising campaigns. By applying several key findings about memory.. [they] launched a successful marketing program in that country." You don't say, wow ! What assumptions, what research, what sort of advertising program ? All we readers get is:
   
   "Specifically, the company created more meaning (sic) and effective advertising by understanding the reconstructive nature of memory and the various factors affecting the encoding and retrieval of memory".
   
   It would perhaps be acceptable if that sort of anecdote came at the start of the book - you'd expect more exciting, harder, detailed evidence to come later once the reader was familiar with the book's key concepts. But this example comes from page 258 - this sort of feeble anecdote is about as good as it gets as far as evidence that this book has any real-world application value.
   
   As other reviewers have noted it's also an overly long rather abstract book, with somewhat indulgent structure, for example the third part is about management thinking not "how customers think". This book talks a lot about insight but doesn't deliver much.



5. If a picture tells 1,000 words, and the average person uses 5-6 metaphors per minute, then typical market research is just hitting the tip of the iceberg in accessing the 5,000+ wpm that customers process internally. Zaltman shows how to tap into the subconscious and nonverbal elements by using metaphor-based research methods. The 1st part of the book contains a lot of neat facts although it is written in a rather academic style, but the middle section gives how-to and examples of metaphor-based research. Overall I found the book to be eye-opening, thorough, and useful ... in fact, essential for superior brand/product positioning and customer experience improvement. For a quick read on driving progress of customer programs I also recommend this book with step-by-step tips: Metrics You Can Manage For Success.

5 comments about The Practice of Management.

1. The multifaceted and dynamic world in which we live obligates the actual management to act and react with leonine fierceness, his capacity for being actually in the multiple areas of knowledge, information, behavior patterns, changing consumer habits, emotional intelligence and the undeniable advances in the informatics technology, require a focused man, concentrated but in the meantime deeply informed about an increasing wave of new advances in this competitive environment where the lesser slip an dictate the irreversible failure.
   Despite the famous article of Henry Mintzberg in 1993 in Harvard Business Review about the fall of the strategic planning, this text is an important guide in which you will find devices, tools to improve your own skills.
   The greatness of this book is its actuality and that goes beyond another virtue, in a world that goes forward with giant steps.
   Go for this admirable book in which you will know important anecdotes, and valuable information about the fascinating and every time much more4 exigent and demanding Management Science (or Art?, perhaps?).



2. This is a must read for anyone interested in management, albeit written 40 years ago, many of the things in this book is part of today's B-School's curriculum.



3. The late Peter F. Drucker is the most influential management thinker of the 20th Century. This book was first published in 1955 and consists of five parts plus a proper introduction and conclusion. Drucker, in the Preface, explains that the first aim of this book "is to narrow the gap between what can be done and what is being done, between the leaders in management and the average".
   
   The Introduction - The Nature of Management - consists of three chapters. Within the first chapter Drucker explains that "the manager is the dynamic, life-giving element in every business" and that management "is the organ of society specifically charged with making resources productive, that is, with the responsibility for organized economic advance." In the second chapter Drucker explains that "management is the least known and the least understood of our institutions" and discusses the three functions of management: managing a business, managing managers, and to manage workers and work. The third chapter states that management faces its first test of its competence and its hardest task in the then imminent industrial revolution called `automation'. Drucker does explain that automation is not `technical', but primarily a system of concepts, a concept of the organization of work.
   
   The first of six chapters within Part I - Managing a Business - uses the Sears, Roebuck & Company as an illustration of what business is and what managing it means. Based upon this illustration, Drucker concludes in Chapter 5 that "there is only one valid definition of business: to create a customer. ... It is the customer who determines what a business is." Chapter 6 introduces Drucker's most famous question: "What is our business - and what should it be?" This does look relatively simple, but it is not simple to answer and the author provides guidance. In the next chapter the objectives of a business are discussed: "Objectives are needed in every area where performance and results directly and vitally affect the survival and prosperity of the business." Chapter 8 discusses the tools that management needs to take make decisions today for the result of tomorrow. But no matter how sound the business economics, how careful the analysis, how good the tools, managing a business always comes back to the human element. This is the subject of Chapter 9, which deals with the principles of production.
   
   The first of the six chapters within Part II - Managing Managers - uses automobile company Ford to explain that the "fundamental problem or order, structure, motivation and leadership in the business enterprise have to be solved in the managing of managers." But he also warns that managers are its scarcest resource. Drucker also introduces the major requirements of managing managers, which are detailed in the next five chapters.
   
   The first of the three chapters within Part III - The Structure of Management - discusses the issue of organization structure. The next chapter is concerned with building the structure. Chapter 18 deals with the small, the large and the growing business, which Drucker breaks down into four stages of business size (small, fair-sized, large, very large business). He discusses the problems and potential solutions for each.
   
   The six chapters within Part IV - The Management of Worker and Work - discuss the human elements of business. Drucker uses IBM as an example to show basic problems in managing worker and work, and some of the principles for their solution. He also emphasizes that the management of worker and work is a complex subject. Within Chapter 20 he discusses the worker as a resource, the demands of the enterprise on the worker, the worker's demands on the enterprise, and the economic dimension. The next chapter explains that although personnel management is not bankrupt ("but certainly insolvent") the relationship between a man and the kind of work he does is known due to the Human-Relations school. Chapter 22 details human organization for peak performance or in Drucker's words "the engineering of the individual job for maximum efficiency." The fourth chapter in this section discusses the economic relationship between enterprise and worker. This is followed by chapters on the first-line supervisor and on the professional employee (who is neither management nor labor).
   
   The title of the final part - What It Means to be a Manager - gives away the subject for the three chapters. Drucker believes that a manager has two specific tasks: "The manager has the task of creating a true whole that is larger than the sum of its parts, a productive entity that turns out more than the sum of the resources put into it. ...This task requires the manager to bring out and make effective whatever strength there is in his resources - and above all in the human resources - and neutralize whatever there is of weakness." This requires the manager to balance and harmonize the three major functions of the business enterprise: managing a business, managing managers, and managing worker and work. Chapter 28 deals with decision making. The five phases in decision-making are discussed. The final chapter discusses the manager of tomorrow. Based upon the new demands required, the manager of tomorrow has to acquit himself of seven new tasks.
   
   The book is concluded with a proper conclusion on the responsibilities of management. "... the business enterprise must be so managed as to make the public good become the private good of the enterprise. ...To make certain that this assertion does not remain lip service but becomes hard fact is the most important, the ultimate responsibility of management: to itself, to the enterprise, to our heritage, to our society and to our way of life."
   
   What can one say about a masterpiece like this? Books by Peter Drucker always deserve five stars since they are eye-openers to most of us, but this one is exceptional and possibly the best I have read by him. Highly recommended to anybody involved with management or working within business enterprise, it provides great insights for employees through to chief executive.



4. A bit dated, but if this book was followed I still think the work place would be much better.



5. To say that this book is remarkably relevant for a publication dating back to 1954 is little better than pointing out that getting out of bed is a prerequisite to a good day's work, or that the 1920 - 1930 architecture of Mies van der Rohe is still the cornerstone of today's architecture. That said, there are many good things to consider with regard to managing a PRIVATE business.
   
   Much is made of management's responsibilities toward society. But this seems to me to be proposed from the context of fear and/or reprisal if management doesn't accept such a responsibility. Furthermore, as the example of `the mystery of the washroom doors' made clear, the managed are content to axe down a washroom door in preference to spending twenty cents of their own money to purchase a new key to replace a lost key, and let the thousands of dollars worth of repair bills fall to management whose fault it was for making a claim for new keys too difficult. `That'll learn em!'
   
   The biggest impediment to management as advocated in this book, is government. Government in consort with a myriad of non-elected bodies now compels a business, through draconian legislation, to conform to a specified role in society. In Drucker's day, this was more a matter of choice. However, with the politically sound MBA acting as the government's executive we have returned to a situation very similar to that of post-revolution Russia where the business was an adjunct of government. This is why the disparity in executive pay compared to the general labour is so acute today. And why this book is outdated.

5 comments about Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive: Outsell, Outmanage, Outmotivate, and Outnegotiate Your Competition (Collins Business Essentials).

1. Wily ol' Harvey MacKay is a prototypical midwestern multimillionare. This means that even at his most Machiavellian, he comes across as a charming, down-to-earth folksy everyman - just the sort of person James Stewart used to play. This is Mr. MacKay's first book and it's well-worth reading for anybody who'd like to know more about why some people succeed in business while most fail. Some may dismiss many of Mr. MacKay's advice as merely 'common sense' but given that so many of us fall short of financial and personal success I doubt that the knowledge in here is all that common.
   
   On the positive side, we have a successful business leader who stresses the importance of ethics, personal integrity, and steady hard work. I've rarely encountered a management or business-oriented author who stressed strength of character as much as Mr. MacKay does. He also tells personal anecdotes with a refreshing lack of swagger. This book may have first been written in the 1980s but Harvey MacKay does not reflect the Era of Greed at all. It's little wonder he's in demand as an inspirational public speaker, and that he still publishes a weekly advice/inspiration column.
   
   Of course, in any book this old, there are bound to be dated sections and those are the only real negatives. Mr. MacKay's hiring practices (in which employees are visited and interviewed in their own homes so that he can learn more about their family values, yet in which no one calls to verify personal references) would raise a lot of eyebrows today. There's also an over-reliance on sports analogies. Other reviewers have noted this but I would like to add that Mr. MacKay's love of sports anecdotes reflects his age, because sports heroes and coaches of the past were not the money-driven free agents of today.
   
   In sum, this would be a good graduation gift, or a welcome present for anyone beginning a job within the corporate world. Unlike many advice books, I left this one not only with good advice but also with a sense of who the author really was. And, I have to say, I enjoy Harvey MacKay a lot.



2. Unlike many successful businessmen who had a new product or technological innovation create their success, Harvey Mackay had only envelopes. As the owner of an envelope manufacturer, he had to make his success by selling well, building relationships, and always coming through on his promises. His experience is invaluable to anyone in the business community. His advice on networking and sales is excellent. Overall, this is a no-nonsense, pragmatic book on how to succeed in business.



3. I'm amazed books like this aren't part of a college pack of books to read prior to graduation. I learned maybe 1/3 of what's in this book from my parents, and experience- and was fascinated with the rest. THis is a book I give to relatives starting out in the work world. All of MacKay's books are good. No it doesn't cover everything, but it's useful



4. You might think that a business book where the typical chapter is only one or two pages makes for very light reading. However when it comes to Harvey Mackay's, "Swim With The Sharks", you would be wrong.
   
   
   The book is a quick read, but you may not catch all of the insights the first go round. Mackay passes the majority of his insights along in the form of stories, anectdotes and tips you can use right away.
   
   Some readers may dislike his "folksy" style (he is from Minnesota, not the coasts), while others may think the book is unlike many other business books somewhat "light". Mackay is not an academic, consultant or theorists, but the owner of a manufacturing entity (Mackay Envelope) battling it out on the frontlines of Capitalism.
   
   That is the true value of the book, he is a business man, running his own business. Something many business authors cannot claim.
   
   Read it once. Re-read it. Then read it all over again.
   
   Part business wisdom, part motivation, all good business sense.
   
   Recommended.
   
   Bernie



5. I first bought a copy of this book when it came out in the 80's. It's somewhat dated now (there's no references to email or the internet) but it really is my BUSINESS BIBLE! I buy used copies where ever I find them and any time I like an interviewee I give them a copy and explain the importance of reading this book before the 2nd interview. Some do, some don't...some get hired and some don't... they don't last 5 minutes into the 2nd meeting. I tell people, "Want to know how to deal with me? Want to know what to expect from me? It's all in this tome!" How about a re-write for the new century Harvey? Now on my 50th+ purchase.

5 comments about Napoleon Hill's Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement.

1. There are thousands of self-help books out in the market and hundreds of self proclaimed "gurus" who have made a living by copying the wisdom in Napoleon Hill's books. As I went through some of those books I realized that there was not much in them that Hill had not already written about. I recommend quality over quantity. Instead of reading through many books, I recommend that you study the following works of Hill and internalize his wisdom:
   1. The Think and Grow Rich Action Pack (1937) - I recommend the Action Pack edition,
   2. Napoleon Hill's Keys to Success: The 17 Principles of Personal Achievement - this book,
   3. Your Right To Be Rich [Unabridged] - this consists of 12 hours of live lectures covering the 17 principles, that Hill conducted in Chicago in 1954.
   By internalizing, I mean studying in depth - analyzing the ideas, making notes and summaries. I own more CDs by Hill, but I believe that these 3 items make the perfect study plan on the Philosophy of Personal Achievement.
   This philosophy is the end product of two decades of research conducted by Napoleon Hill. His research started when Andrew Carnegie (the steel tycoon who was then the richest man on earth) gave him the assignment of organizing a Philosophy of Personal Achievement. Hill, who was a poor journalist, armed with just an introductory letter from Carnegie, set out to interview over five hundred successful people including Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, John D. Rockefeller, George Eastman, William Wrigley Jr. and Charles M. Schwab. Hill then revealed the priceless wisdom of his research in the form of the thirteen steps to success (in Think and Grow Rich) and the seventeen Principles of Personal Achievement (in courses and lectures he conducted).
   This particular book goes beyond the 13 steps in Think and Grow Rich. It covers the following 17 Principles of Personal Achievement (also known as the 17 Keys to Success):
   1. Develop a Definiteness of Purpose
   2. Establish a Mastermind Alliance
   3. Assemble an Attractive Personality
   4. Use Applied Faith
   5. Go the Extra Mile
   6. Create Personal Initiative
   7. Build a Positive Mental Attitude
   8. Control Your Enthusiasm
   9. Enforce Self-Discipline
   10. Think Accurately
   11. Control Your Attention
   12. Inspire Teamwork
   13. Learn from Adversity and Defeat
   14. Cultivate Creative Vision
   15. Maintain Sound Health
   16. Budget Your Time and Money
   17. Use Cosmic Habitforce
   The concepts taught by Napoleon Hill transformed my life. Everything he wrote about or talked about is thought provoking. He was wise, humble and funny. His philosophy is universal; he did not mix it with religion. The riches he referred to were more than money, for the Philosophy of Personal Achievement can be applied to anything in life.
   Hill was well ahead of his time. "Think and Grow Rich" has a chapter dedicated to some of today's most important issues - Specialized Knowledge, Decision Making, Imagination and Organized Planning (in which he deals with Leadership). And his principles deal with Teamwork, Creative Vision, Health, etc.
   I am greatly indebted to Napoleon Hill. The purpose of my writing this is to spread awareness of his work so that more people can benefit from it. This, I believe is the best way in which Hill would have liked to have been repaid.
   If my review was helpful to you, I request you to select "Yes" so that the rating is improved and more readers will get to read it. Please also see the website of the Napoleon Hill Foundation, naphill dot org, which has helpful resources.



2. Sure, this is a wonderful starter kit (yes, I do have this book...) in addition to Hill's other books like "Think and Grow Rich", "The Master Key To Riches", et al. But more than that, it is a primer that makes you hungry for the mental nourishment of his full "Law Of Success" which I have just ordered through Amazon. And why am I giving this distillation five stars? C'mon, isn't it obvious, through these *distilled* principles you get a pretty good taste of the "spirit-voice" of Napoleon Hill. And when he says in later versions of "Think and Grow Rich" - 'through these pages we have met'. You know what he means here, even though it is shortened and edited. So, I've said enough, get started, happy reading.
   
   Captain Josh/Joshua Clayton



3. The first batch of significant books that had the greatest influence on me in terms of attaining personal achievement includes mostly Napoleon Hill's books:
   
   - The Law of Success;
   - Think & Grow Rich;
   - The Keys to Success;
   - Success through a Positive Mental Attitude;
   - Succeed & Grow Rich through Persuasion;
   
   The others were from Clement Stone, Dale Carnegie, & Earl Nightingale.
   
   That was the early 70's when I had just started work as a young engineer.
   
   The author, Napoleon Hill, had impressed me most by his relentless dedication in spending some two to three decades of his life in pursuing & researching the success secrets of the rich & famous...with a little help from Andrew Carnegie, of course.
   
   As matter of fact, many of the famous people he interviewed were also favourite role models of mine e.g. Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, just to name a few
   
   Till this day, I have never forgotten what he said:
   
   "The most powerful instrument we have in our hands is the power of our mind."
   
   I have never ceased to be fascinated by the simplicity & the potency of his ABCs of personal achievement: CONCEIVE, BELIEVE & ACHIEVE!
   
   It is certainly enlightening to note that even Stephen Covey had drew inspiration from Napoleon Hill's work even though he never made that credit. He only admitted that the 7 Habits had its origins from "200 years of success literature in the United States." That remark itself is self explanatory.
   
   Anthony Robbin's Mastery program as embodied in his books as well as his audio/video resources is no exception, even though he has been influenced in larger extent by NLP.
   
   If you look at & compare the 17 principles of personal achievement in 'The Law of Success' &/or the 13 Steps to Riches in 'Think & Grow Rich', one can obviously see the uncanny resemblance of the 7 Habits & the Mastery principles...in one way or another.
   
   At this juncture, let me outline the principal theme of each book:
   
   The Law of Success: the original course on the fundamentals of success - all the seventeen essential principles of personal achievement;
   Think & Grow Rich: The seventeen essential principles are reframed & condensed in terms of thirteen concrete steps to wealth creation (in actuality, this is a condensation of the Law of Success);
   The Keys to Success: a further elaboration of the seventeen essential principles with concrete suggestions, exercises & advice;
   Success Through Positive Mental Attitude: joint authorship with Clement Stone, with a further emphasis on developing a positive mental attitude;
   Succeed & Grow Rich Through Persuasion: joint authorship with Clement Stone, with a further emphasis on developing master salesmanship & networking;
   [It is pertinent to note that Clement Stone actually built his insurance business empire with these principles.]
   
   My most productive, personal learning experience from Napoleon Hill's work is the understanding - & application - of his success principle #1: Develop Definiteness of Purpose.
   
   [Very surprisingly, J Y Pillay, former Chairman of Singapore Airlines, - who had been credited for building the airline to what it is today, A GREAT WAY TO FLY! - also credited his work axiom to this same success principle, but he attributed it to an ancient Hindu scripture known as Bhagavad Gita.]
   
   I am certainly gratified to note that Napoleon Hill's work had casted so much influence on - & empowered - so many people in the world, including myself.



4. "Each night I burn the records of the day; At sunrise every soul is born again" WOW! That was not written by Mr Hill, but he was smart enough to add it to his book. There is so much good stuff in this book I do not know where to start. Other reviewers here have written more on the contents of the book, read theirs to get an idea.
   
   All I can say is that if you read and understand this book, then follow what you have learned, there is no way you cannot succeed in life. This book is filled with wisdom. If you are struggling in your life or on the job and need help, the help you need is in this book. Good luck on your journey!



5. Napoleon hill is the recognized expert on all things success. In this excellent book he discusses the 17 principles of personal achievement, including:
   
   Using the Mastermind Principle
   Focusing Your Attention
   Learning From Defeat
   Going the Extra mile
   Improving Your Mental Attitude
   
   This book is well worth reading. For more information on creating personal wealth, try "The 17 Principles of Creating Wealth," by Phillip Collinsworth.

5 comments about Bonds: The Unbeaten Path to Secure Investment Growth.

1. In Hildy and Stan Richelson's opening chapter they break old financial premises and myths we had come to accept without question in "Bonds, The Unbeaten Path to Secure Investment Growth". They refute the dogma that we had to diversify and that the best returns are in the stock market, and they do it clearly and brilliantly.
   
   Bonds were as remote to me as Sanskrit. Yet after reading their book, the veils were lifted. I caught their vision. They simplified the bond market. The book is inspiring and motivating. I learned bond calculations and was directed to many informative and revealing websites, all of which were essential to round out my bond comprehension. There is consciousness and a generosity of spirit in their writing.
   
   Through their clear thinking they challenged me to relook at previous beliefs, and surprisingly turned around my whole way of seeing. It's quite masterful. There is no smoke and mirrors here, but real fact turned into a new vision.
   
   They offer well thought out, safe and secure, investment solutions. In this extreme buyer beware climate I feel they are on my side, the side of the individual investor.
   
   Thank you Hildy and Stan for your wisdom.
   
   J. J. Tanner, Arizona



2. 
   
   This is the best book on investing anywhere. For the past two years I have searched long and hard for a book that would give practical advice to a conservative investor--that is, one who does not want to lose money but rather wants to earn a predictable return on investments. Having read dozens of books on investing, including many of the most highly touted, I have concluded that Bonds: The Unbeaten Path to Secure Investment Growth is the best thing out there. Most of my savings and investments are in an employer plan, and thus are in funds of one sort or another, leaving little opportunity to invest directly in the type of bonds that the Richelsons discuss here. However, what has been invaluable to me is (1) their philosophy of investing and, having digested that, (2) their recommendations for the type of funds in which to invest, recommendations that can be found on page 315. That one page of recommendations, when supplemented by the Richelson's carefully laid out philosopy, is worth many times the price of the book. Since studying and applying the Richelsons' approach, I have had a year of strong returns and a year of sleeping well. To the critics of the book, I would respectfully recommend that you re-read it and then answer the question, over the past year have I had positive returns on my investments and have I slept well? If the answer is "no" to either of those questions, read this book again.



3. I read 300 pages before being told to buy plain vanilla bonds. The book is a yawner that makes a boring subject even more sleep inducing.



4. A little background on myself. I have read over 200 books on investing. When I started investing back in 1979, I went 100% stocks. Back in 1979, the financial press was full of stories about retired people with bonds that were decimated by the high inflation of the late 1970's. Bonds were probably the worst investment back in that high inflationary environment. I stayed 100% stocks for 20 years, and then switched to 10% bonds in 1999. In late 2007, I switched to a 60:40 portfolio. I evaluated my need to take risk against my willingness to take risk...and settled on the time honored 60:40 portfolio of pension funds.
   
   The authors of this book try to make the case for a 0:100 or all bond portfolio. They assert the 10% return of stocks is really 6-7% because of taxes, expenses, and bad timing.
   
   Taxes reduce stock returns because of excessive trading by active mutual fund managers.
   
   Expenses reduce stocks returns because of transaction costs and annual fees. Their assertion is 2% on large cap, 4% on small cap and foreign stock funds, and 10% on micro-cap and emerging markets.
   
   Bad timing reduces the return of stocks because investors chase the winners and they buy high and sell low. The Dalbar studies have shown for years that most investors do not really get the market return of stocks. The authors cite the fact that the S&P 500 returned 12.8% from 1983-2003..while the average investor only got 6.3%. The author cites a Dalbar study where the market returned 12% and investors really got 4%.
   
   The authors claim that a 100% bond portfolio solves all the issues that lower the return of stocks. They assert bonds are low cost if you buy them at their initial offering. They assert low fees if you hold the bonds to maturity. There is also no risk of bad timing if you hold the bonds until maturity. They also assert a laddered bond portfolio protects against rising interest rates (which I assume they also mean rising inflation). Tax free municipal bonds can also reduce taxes.
   
   The authors also assert that future returns will not be 10% because this historic return is based upon higher dividend payout than we have today. Dividend yields used to be 5%, but in recent years have been about 1.8%. A recent Business Week article said about 40% of the total return of stocks from 1926-2008 was from dividends.
   
   The authors asset that the longer you hold stocks, the higher the risk. Asset bubbles take a while to build, but eventually a Bear market arrives and wipes out the gains. But Bear markets are a part of investing.......we have had about 13 of them since WWII....or 1 Bear market ever 5 years on average.
   
   I really thought the authors made a lame argument when they said that retirees can run out of money in retirement if they withdraw 10% per year and they have a Bear market early in retirement. The authors must not be aware of Bengen and the Trinity studies. Bengen demonstrated back in 1994 that 4% is about the maximum safe withdrawal rate in retirement......not 10%.
   
   In my opinion, the authors could have made the case that from 2000 until 2008....investors should have tilted their portfolios more towards bonds than stocks. Because of the build-up of prices (PE ratio) in the 80s and 90s, history tells us future returns will be lower. The 1980's and 1990's were the glory years of stock returns.....with the S&P 500 with dividends reinvested returning compound growth rates of 18%.
   
   After 2000, John Bogle and William Bernstein both predicted single digit returns about 6-7% nominal for stocks. Bernstein argued that if stocks return 6-7%, then investors should tilt more towards bonds because the extra risk of stocks is not going to compensate you with higher returns. John Bogle has been consistently advocating that investors should hold their age in bonds (age 70 equals 70% bonds). Neither Bernstein nor Bogle ever advocated 100% bonds.
   
   With the S&P 500 now at 873, the dividend yield is up to 2.86%. The PE ratio is down from 23.6 in Nov 2007 to 16.5 in Nov 2008 (trailing PE). Stocks are now relatively cheap and I predict both Bernstein and Bogle will raise their predicted future returns of stocks.
   
   In my mind, the authors failed to address the biggest issue with bonds......their failure to deal with inflation. A laddered bond portfolio doesn't really deal with an unexpected increase in inflation. Only a small fraction of the portfolio comes due each year and can be reinvested at a higher interest rate. The balance of the portfolio loses value with unexpected inflation.
   
   Both Bengen's 1994 seminal study and the Trinity study showed that retirees can withdraw a maximum of an inflation adjusted 4% from their portfolio each year using 50% to 60% stock portfolios. I have run Monte Carlo simulations and have duplicated their results. What you find when you run Monte Carlo is that low stock portfolios (or high bond portfolios) don't deal with inflation.....and high stock portfolios are too volatile and you risk the chance of outliving your money. There is a sweet spot in the middle (maybe 40:60 to 70:30) which does the best.
   
   As a fan of index funds, I could argue that using low cost index stock funds and staying the course should outperform an all bond portfolio. Vanguard has rock bottom expense ratios on the order of 0.18% on their S&P 500 fund. Taxes are extremely low on stock index funds because there is relatively low turnover compared to actively managed funds. A 60:40 portfolio comprised of 40% total US stock market, 20% total foreign stock market, 20% total US bond fund, and 20% TIPS is a very robust portfolio.
   
   The author's recommendation of a 100% bond portfolio only makes sense if you are an investor who chases the winners and you achieve low stock returns per the Dalbar study. I guess in this situation you might be as well off using an all bond portfolio.
   
   I would suggest you learn more about index fund investing by reading some of the books below. I'm sticking with my 60:40 portfolio. I don't think a 100% bond portfolio is the way to go because I know how to stay the course through the Bear markets that occur about every 5 years........and I don't think a 100% bond portfolio deals well with inflation.
   
   
   Index Mutual Funds: How to Simplify Your Financial Life and Beat the Pro's
   The Richest Man in Babylon
   Bogle on Mutual Funds: New Perspectives for the Intelligent Investor
   The Millionaire Next Door
   The Four Pillars of Investing: Lessons for Building a Winning Portfolio
   A Random Walk Down Wall Street: The Time-Tested Strategy for Successful Investing, Ninth Edition
   The Coffeehouse Investor: How to Build Wealth, Ignore Wall Street, and Get On With Your Life
   The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing



5. We expect more return from our personal investing than can be delivered. Because of this disconnect between expectations and reality, we are vulnerable to buying a bill of goods. We reject reality because reality is not to our liking.(Don't we listen to Warren Buffet?)
   
   This book is about more than bonds. It is about reality.
   
   It is about you and me and how we want to get by on the cheap. We want the good deal. We want the free lunch. We want the bargain. We want to get 2 and pay for 1. We want the out-sized return with no downside risk.
   
   What Stan and Hildy Richelson are saying is what we do not want to hear: There are limits to what investing in any financial instrument can deliver. And, at the end of the day, bonds are not only cleaner than stocks but produce a more reliable, competitive return.
   
   Look, what this book tells us is that some investments present a more honest picture of their upside and downside than others. Stan and Hildy believe bonds are safer, more transparent and compete favorably with other investments which are less transparent and reliable. That's all they're saying (which is a lot!). And I agree.
   
   They are not saying bonds transcend the limits and inherent risks of investing. No. They are saying we have become conditioned to the lunacy of talk show pundits who dummy-down the complexities of navigating the treacherous waters of financial investing.
   
   As much as broadening access to investment markets has been a boon to capitalists, it has not been a commensurate boon to naive 401(k) participants required to become sophisticated investors overnight in order to retire. Basically, broadening access has been a sham. It has been sold as a blessing to the producers of real value but really it has simply been a gimmick to substitute investing for saving. Popularizing stock investing and promoting individually directed investment choices (instead of offering guaranteed income from a pension) exploits workers. Freedom does not equal making your own investment choices when you are unsophisticated in sophisticated investments. Freedom does not equal transferring a known income in retirement to an unknown investment return.
   
   Given the structural dysfunction in our system, this book adds a modicum of sanity. True, it does not relieve all the financial woe facing us today. However, it is a step in the right direction, it demythologizes investing. It presents a sane alternative for the few willing to transcend the noise and panic of the moment. I recommend it.