First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 21, 2012

In “The Bell Curve,” an article written for The New Yorker (December 6, 2004), Atul Gawande uses the term “positive deviant” to describe unusually effective performers in the field of medicine. In fact, there are outliers in all fields. To Gawande, it is highly advisable to study outliers and learn from them to improve our own [.].

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Positioning Article Sample Blog 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

In his 2004 book The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz tackles one of the great mysteries of modern life: Why is it that societies of great abundance — where individuals are offered more freedom and choice (personal, professional, material) than ever before — are now witnessing a near-epidemic of depression?

Books 108

Books Report Cost Marketing 108

First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 8, 2012

Mind Wide Open: Your Brain and the Neuroscience of Everyday Life Steven Johnson Scribner/Simon & Schuster (2004) How and why the brain sciences can help to “open wide the mind’s caged door” I read this book before Steven Johnson’s later works, The Ghost Map (2006) and Where Good Ideas Come From (2011) and then re-read [.].

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Open-book Simon Books Review 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 9, 2012

The Secret: What Great Leaders Know and Do Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller Berrett-Koehler Publishers (2009) The power and privilege of leadership as service to those entrusted to one’s care In this second edition of a book first published in 2004, Ken Blanchard and Mark Miller make skillful use of the business narrative when offering [.].

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Blanchard Books Review Power 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 1, 2011

Grant: The American Presidents Series: The 18th President, 1869-1877 Josiah Bunting Times Books (2004) Every year about this time, probably because of Presidents Day, I re-read brief biographies. This year, I selected Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), 18th President of the United States.

Books 93

Books Review Politics Blog 93

First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 26, 2011

Newly Revised and Updated) Jeff Thull John Wiley & Sons (2004/2010) Complex sales are those which involve a lengthy process of cultivation and solicitation, a “circle of influence&# within which the purchase or pass decision is made, a product or service [.].

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Review Books Influence Process 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 2, 2011

He was a member of the faculty of the Harvard Medical School from 1983 to 2004. . (“Ned&# ) Hallowell is a child and adult psychiatrist and the founder of The Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health. He is considered to be one of [.].

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Welch Collins Project Creativity 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 13, 2011

The Toyota Way Jeffrey Liker McGraw-Hill (2003) To understand Toyota’s success, first understand its DNA I read this book when it was first published in 2004 and recently re-read it, curious to know how well Jeffrey Liker’s explanation of Toyota’s management principles and lean production values have held up. My conclusion?

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Lean Production Books Review Productivity 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 8, 2011

The Oz Principle: Getting Results Through Individual and Organizational Accountability Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Caig Hickman Portfolio/Penguin Group (2004) Note: I recently re-read this book while formulating questions fir an interview of its co-authors and found it even more relevant now than I did when first reading it.

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Rogers Books Review Commitment 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

A Fable of Leadership through Storytelling Stephen Denning Josey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint (2004) Nuts R Us Think about it. Squirrel Inc.: Who are among the greatest storytellers throughout history?

Storytelling 70

Storytelling Review Books Leadership 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 16, 2011

Aaker Free Press (2004) Note: I read this book when it was first published and recently re-read it. Brand Portfolio Strategy: Creating Relevance, Differentiation, Energy, Leverage, and Clarity David A. If anything, Aaker’s insights are even more valuable now than they were then.

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Aaker Brand Strategy Books 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 3, 2011

Grant: The Unlikely Hero Michael Korda Atlas Books/HarperCollins Eminent Lives Series (2004) Every year about this time, probably because of Presidents Day, I re-read brief biographies. This year, I selected Ulysses S, Grant (1822-1885), 18th President of the United States.

Books 75

Books Review Politics Blog 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 30, 2012

Mass Affluence: Seven New Rules of Marketing to Today’s Consumer Paul Nunes and Brian Johnson Harvard Business Review Press (2004) Lead, Follow, or Get Out of the Customer’s Way Nunes and Johnson help to increase our understanding of an especially powerful trend in contemporary marketing: creating or increasing demand for customized products (..)

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Review Books Trends Marketing 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 17, 2012

Toby Lester is a journalist, an editor, and an independent scholar. In addition to writing books, he is a longtime contributor to The Atlantic, for whom he has written extensively, on such topics as the reconstruction of ancient Greek music, the revisionist study of the Qur’an, and the attempt to change alphabets in Azerbaijan. Between [.].

Books 75

Books Wilde Efficiency Drucker 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 9, 2011

Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler are assoviates in the VitalSmarts firm, “An innovator in corporate training and organizational performance, VitalSmarts helps teams and organizations achieve the results they care about most.”

Influence 89

Influence Training Innovation Team 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 13, 2011

Slywotzky is a consultant and author of several books on economic theory and management. He graduated from Harvard College and holds a JD from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has worked as a consultant since 1979 and is currently a partner at Oliver Wyman.

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Slywotzky Consultative Books How To 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 12, 2011

The Best Business Books Ever: The Most Influential Management Books You’ll Never Have Time to Read Basic Books (2011) Note: This review is of a book published earlier this year. It is a sequel to one published in 2003. What we have here is a series of brief discussions “the most influential management books you’ll [.].

Books 85

Books Review Management Ansoff 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 21, 2011

Every two years, the Thinkers50 publishes their definitive list of management thinkers. Below are the results for 2011. For classic HBR content from this year’s winners, please click here. Christensen is the Kim B.

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Christensen Management Definition Content 75