First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 26, 2016

Bill Capodagli (pronounced Cap o die) co-authored one of Fortune magazine’s “Best Business Books of 1999,”The Disney Way: Harnessing the Management Secrets of Disney in Your Company. Prior to co-founding Capodagli Jackson Consulting in 1993, Bill held managerial positions at the consulting firms of AT Kearney and Ernst & Whinney (now Ernst and Young).

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 1, 2016

Scott Whitaker is a Partner with Global PMI Partners and has been involved in dozens of mergers and acquisitions totaling nearly $100 billion in value. Industry experience includes healthcare, financial services, telecommunications, gaming, hospitality, chemicals, oil & gas, industrial manufacturing, retail and consumer durables. Scott has worked internationally in Canada, China, Europe, and Africa on… Read More Scott C.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 3, 2016

Jane Aubrey: Do you lose very much? Billy Chapel: I lose. I’ve lost 134 times. Jane Aubrey: You count them? Billy Chapel: We count everything. From the movie, For Love of the Game ——————– There it is , on the front page of this morning’s Dallas Morning News. (I had already seen the article on-line yesterday).… Read More Big Data, Small Data – The More Data, the more we learn that our “Common Sense” may not be all that correc

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 3, 2016

One of the joys of managing others is the ability to delegate tasks and activities to others. Yet, many managers express a reluctance to do so. Bring our DELEGATING FOR RESULTS workshop into your organization and learn how to embrace delegation as a means to increase your effectiveness in managing others. Discover a systematic way… Read More Delegating Remains a Lost Art Skill.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 4, 2016

Let’s state the obvious. Sitting at a table with your team, and/or your clients, eating great food, having wonderful conversation, and learning together…can you think of a better way to spend just over an hour? (OK – waiting in line for the next Star Wars might be better, but…) We have people/companies enjoy such an… Read More Reserve a Table for your Group at a future First Friday Book Synopsis.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 4, 2016

I was reading the sample pages of An Everyone Culture: Becoming a Deliberately Developmental Culture. The book described the difference approaches different companies take with people. They described a practice at Bridgewater, an unquestionably successful company. One of their keys is this: Bridgewater’s leaders believe you become a one-in-ten-thousand company by hiring one-in-ten-thousand-type people.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 2, 2016

As I post for each month this list is available, here is the latest New York Times Business Books Best Sellers list. I prefer the monthly list over other lists that are updated more frequenlty. The Big Short is back at the #1 spot, making this #1 three of the first four months of 2016.… Read More Here’s the New York Times Business Books Best Sellers List for April, 2016 – The Big Short is back at #1.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 3, 2016

The short albums that punctuate these chapters highlight a set of attributes that leaders (both admirable and reprehensible) have demonstrated over the centuries: the capacity for deep attention, a sense of timing and the knowledge of when to delay decisions, an ability to persuade – occasionally to con – others, the exercise of superior judgment,… Read More “Call it a Crisis of Leadership” – Elizabeth Samet Has Compiled a Significant List of Writings in her anthology 

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 3, 2016

Pick your word or phrase: racism; gender inequality; poverty (and homelessness); wealth inequality. All of these are part of our national conversation. And, in many ways, they are part of many local conversations also. For 18 years, each month I have presented synopses of business books at the First Friday Book Synopsis. And for about 10… Read More Why You Might Need a Social Justice/Social Impact Book Club in Your Company or Organization.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 4, 2016

On April 1, I will present my synopsis of the much-awaited second book by Adam Grant. Originals: How Non-conformists Move the World is Mr. Grant’s follow-up book to Give and Take, which I presented at the June, 2013 First Friday Book Synopsis. Sheryl Sandberg (of Facebook) wrote the foreword to this book, and it is already generating much… Read More Originals by Adam Grant; Reclaiming Conversation by Sherry Turkle – Coming for the April 1 First Friday Book Synopsis (the beginning of our 19

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 2, 2016

After being at this a while, I think I’ve got a strong suggestion. First, some news: we’ve had an unusually high interest in two of our recent synopses: Team of Teams by General Stanley McChrystal and Extreme Ownership by former Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin. A bunch of purchases for each… I’m going to… Read More A Strong Suggestion: A Substantive Learning Session, in 20 minutes, Every Week – (You could start with Team of Teams).

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First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 1, 2016

Well, wouldn’t this be nice?… In this book I’m interested in Carl Jung’s commitment to the following skill, which almost certainly played a key role in his accomplishments: Deep Work: Professional activities performed in a state of distraction-free concentration that push your cognitive capabilities to their limit. These efforts create new value, improve your skill, and… Read More It Takes “Distraction-Free Concentration” to do Deep Work – Quite a Challenge in this

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First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 31, 2015

Recently, President Obama was interviewed by Steve Inskeep of NPR. (Listen, watch, and/or read the transcript of the interview, here). Here’s something our President said that is worth pondering on the last day of the year. He was speaking of our efforts against ISIS, but it is pretty transferable: But what I would say to my… Read More “It is important not just to shoot but to aim” – Long-held wisdom, this time repeated by President Obama.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 30, 2015

#1 – You will be depleted. It will happen more often than you realize. You have to become an “am I depleted?” observer of your own life. #2 – This depletion has an impact on each part of your life. In other words, depletion at work depletes the energy you have at home, for home,… Read More Expend Energy; Deplete Energy; Replenish Energy – The Full Engagement Formula from Tony Schwartz; But, the Problem is the Implementation Problem.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 29, 2015

Where shall we start? I had a problem that needed to be fixed inside my bank. I now do so much of my banking with my iPhone, and at the drive-through. But, the drive-through computers were down, and there was another problem with a replacement debit card, and I had to go inside my bank.… Read More The Slow Decline of Customer Service by Humans.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 1, 2015

It’s tough to maintain a good, everyone-wants-to-be-a-part-of, corporate culture. It’s tough to maintain this in the best of circumstances. It may be practically impossible when the leader who built such a culture, who nurtured it over the long haul, is no longer around. And, sometimes, “outside” investors can destroy what it took years to build.… Read More On Hedge Funds, Outside Investors, and Corporate Culture – (with a story about George Zimmer).

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First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 30, 2015

I read quite a few business books. There are themes, pieces of wisdom and advice, that are repeated in many books. Like this one: when you’ve got someone on your team who is actually harming your team, and they have resisted all attempts at changing their destructive behavior, there is only one solution – get… Read More Start with Why – So that the Team will “Believe” and Accomplish the What – (Insight from Navy SEALs Jocko Willink and Leif Babin).

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First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 29, 2015

As CEO of POSSIBLE, Shane Atchison leads the the digital agency’s long-term strategic vision of working with leading financial service organizations, consumer brands, start-ups, nonprofits, and community-based organizations, helping each realize the potential of the Internet and its impact on their business. He continues his advocacy for creating meaningful, effective visitor-centric digital strategies through media… Read More Shane Atchison and Jason Burby: An interview by Bob Morri

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First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 22, 2015

These are a handful of people I have known, and currently know, who are just…inherently smarter than the rest of us. I think of a Pastor I knew. In his most productive years, his church grew in attendance to be the largest church in his denomination. I met with him after he retired, and asked… Read More Know What to Do; Do it Well – If you don’t know what to do, where will you learn it from?

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First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 21, 2015

“I personally am deeply sorry that we have broken the trust of our customers and the public.” Martin Winterkorn , CEO, Volkswagen ——————– I have so many friends tell me, in different ways, that we have too many regulations. They say, in one way or another, that we should trust the integrity of the people… Read More “We have broken the trust” says the CEO of Volkswagen – Anybody think this is the only company to break o

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First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 20, 2015

Daniel Korschun is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Drexel University’s LeBow College of Business. He works with companies to develop innovative CSR practices that generate value for both the company and society. Korschun’s academic research appears in the Journal of Marketing, MIT Sloan Management Review, Academy of Management Review, Journal of the Academy of… Read More Daniel Korschun: An interview by Bob Morris.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 19, 2015

In this Twitter/Instagram/short-readings-over-more-substantial-content world we live in, who has time for reading books – big books, substantive books? One person who does is Mark Zuckerberg. We are now well into the 8th month of his “A Year of Books.” And when someone as influential as Mark Zuckerberg has a book club, it is worth noting.… Read More Mark Zuckerberg’s Book Club (his “A Year of Books”) is up to Book #16 – How many have you read?

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First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 19, 2015

Judith Humphrey is the Founder of The Humphrey Group, a Toronto-based firm that teaches leaders at all levels how to be influential and inspiring communicators. Since its establishment in 1987, The Humphrey Group has expanded globally and is recognized as a premier leadership communications firm that works with clients in Canada, the US, Mexico, Europe,… Read More Judith Humphrey: An interview by Bob Morris.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 18, 2015

I’ve heard two really ghastly stories in the last week about poor (make that practically non-existent) customer service. They were both in the health care arena – both from hospitals (two different hospitals). They involve stories about inattentive, uncaring nurses; inattention to patient needs; obliviousness to the pain and discomfort of patients. We all know… Read More Some thoughts on Talent Shortages – and Customer Service.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 18, 2015

Many of our blog readers do not live in DFW – the home of the First Friday Book Synopsis. If you didn’t get to read the editorial by Michael Landauer about the merits of audio books, I wanted to give you the link here: [link] He is a columnist for the Dallas Morning News, and […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 16, 2015

Here is the June New York Times Business Best Sellers list. As I have often mentioned, this is the list I pay most attention to, partly because it is a once-a-month list. Weekly best-sellers lists seem to have a lot of titles appear, and then disappear, in a hurry. Again, there are “long-timers” on this […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 16, 2015

(Note: if you actually read all the books you want/intend to read, then good for you, and read no further. For the rest of us…) ——————– There are times when a little clarity hits us pretty strongly. Like – when a particular pair of slacks seems especially tight, and I realize that my battle with […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 15, 2015

I’m slowly reading the life-changing magic of tidying up: the Japanese art of decluttering and organizing by marie kondo. (The author puts everything in lower case, including her name – except for the word “Japanese.” Maybe to make it all look more tidy). I’m not actually tidying up yet – I’m just reading it slowly. […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 15, 2015

{I think I will be back to a more normal blogging schedule starting today. It’s been a fully-scheduled few weeks away from my computer, making regular posting quite a challenge. But, back at it…} A couple of thoughts for a Monday. #1 – Have you prepared your summer business-book reading list? I just read this […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 14, 2015

In his own words… I’m an entrepreneur who writes. I’ve written three books. The End of Nice: How to be human in a world run by robots: This is a manifesto for human creativity in the age of machines, big data and automation. I wrote Stop Talking, Start Doing: A Kick in the Pants in […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 15, 2015

As James MacGregor Burns taught in his classic 1978 text, Leadership, the practice of leadership is not the same as the exercise of power. If I put a loaded gun to your head, I can get you to do things you might not otherwise do, but I’ve not practiced leadership; I’ve exercised power. True leadership […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 15, 2015

Named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News and one of TIME’s 100 “Innovators for the 21st century,” Linda Rottenberg is considered among the world’s most dynamic experts on entrepreneurship, innovation, and leadership. Her pioneering work also earned her a host of nicknames: ABC and NPR declared her “the entrepreneur whisperer,” Tom Friedman dubbed […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 3, 2015

'Back in my preaching days, there was an oft-repeated story told among preachers. It was about a preacher who left his notes up on the pulpit, only to be discovered by a younger minister. In the margin, next to one of his main points, the preacher had written: “THIS POINT IS WEAK. SHOUT LIKE HELL!!!” […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 1, 2015

'Caroline Arnold has been a technology leader on Wall Street for more than a decade, managing some of the financial world’s largest software development teams and leading some of the industry’s most visible and complex initiatives. A dynamic and engaging speaker, she has appeared before groups as large as 5,000 people. Caroline is a recipient […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 2, 2015

'Maybe the world isn’t quite as flat as we imagined… I’ve been reading in World 3.0: Global Prosperity and How to Achieve It by Pankaj Ghemawat, and I’ve watched his TED Talk: Actually, the World Isn’t Flat. Mr. Ghemawat describes four “Worlds” – World 0.0 – absolutely local; clans; tribes; no nations World 1.0 – nations; national borders […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 28, 2015

'Slate.com has an occasional “You’re doing it wrong” article. What a smart, good, right-on-target series. Their articles are usually on day-to-day tasks, like “You’re doing it wrong: scrambled eggs.” I thought of this Slate series as I was reading Wiser: Getting Beyond Groupthink to Make Groups Smarter by Cass R. Sunstein and Reid Hastie, my […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 27, 2015

'I won’t spoil the presentation next week at the First Friday Book Synopsis in Dallas, but if you attend, you will certainly find Rory Vaden‘s approach to time management very different from every traditional approach you have ever seen. Vaden’s best-seller, which debuted last month, is entitled Procrastinate on Purpose (Perigee Books, 2014).

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