First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 17, 2012

Here is the November, 2012 list of Best Sellers of Hardcover Business Books. As I regularly mention, this is the list that I consider the most valuable. It is not a “one-week snapshot,” as some other lists are, but it looks at the best sellers over an entire month. And, as always, remember the wisdom [.].

Books 106

Books Blog 106

First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 8, 2012

Call this the first of my “business observations” from the 2012 elections debrief. This is just a quick note. I plan to say more later. These won’t be about politics. They will be about what works, what to focus on in this new day and age, this era of the new normal. Lesson #1 – [.].

Politics 99

Politics Planning Blog 99

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 4, 2012

Here is the Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers List for March, 2012 from the New York Times. As I usually mention, this is the list that I pay most attention to because it is a one-month snapshot. Other publications (The Wall Street Journal, for one) put out weekly lists, and, of course, Amazon is updated [.].

Course 89

Course Books Blog 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 6, 2011

We will launch the 2012 First Friday Book Synopsis with the Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs, my selection for January. I am well into the biography, and it is, as all good biographies are, a terrific look into the life and times of Steve Jobs. Where did he come from? It is impossible to [.].

Covey 107

Covey Books Blog 107

First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 10, 2012

This is the second of my “business lessons” from the 2012 elections debrief. These aren’t about politics. They are about what works, what to focus on in this new day and age, this era of the new normal. It is now acknowledged, even by folks from the Romney camp, that the Obama campaign had a [.].

Politics 90

Politics Blog 90

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 7, 2012

Here is the January, 2012 New York Times Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers list. I just presented my synopsis of Isaacson’s Steve Jobs (#1) at the January First Friday Book Synopsis; and Great by Choice (#5), and Switch (#11) at earlier gatherings of the First Friday Book Synopsis.

Books 116

Books Blog 116

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 10, 2012

Here is the August, 2012 Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers List. Steve Jobs still sits atop the list. I presented this early this year at the First Friday Book Synopsis, our monthly breakfast event in Dallas. If you have not yet read it (it is a big book!, but very much worth the read), you [.].

Books 95

Books Blog 95

First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 14, 2012

This is my third lesson from the 2012 election debrief. You spend a lifetime developing expertise, and then, along comes some whole new paradigm, and your expertise is genuinely, fully, antiquated. You don’t really know what you thought you knew. I am staying away from the “politics,” [.].

Education 103

Education Politics Development Blog 103

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 15, 2011

Here is an article written by Deb Busser for Talent Management magazine. To check out all the resources and sign up for a free subscription to the TM and/or Chief Learning Officer magazines published by MedfiaTec, please click here. * * * As the year winds down, talent managers need to address and capitalize on [.].

Trends 80

Trends Talent Management Magazine Resources 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 6, 2011

We will launch the 2012 First Friday Book Synopsis with the Walter Isaacson biography of Steve Jobs, my selection for January. I am well into the biography, and it is, as all good biographies are, a terrific look into the life and times of Steve Jobs. Where did he come from? It is impossible to [.].

Covey 70

Covey Books Blog 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 11, 2012

This blog (and my professional life) kind of revolves around good business books. I read reviews, look at new releases, check best seller lists, and read and listen to our blogging colleague and book reviewer extraordinaire, Bob Morris.

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Review Books Blog Succession 100

First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 2, 2013

Business Leaders report highlights findings from Gallup’s ongoing study of the American workplace from 2010 through 2012. The State of the American Workplace: Employee Engagement Insights for U.S. This is a continuation of Gallup’s previous report on the U.S. workplace covering 2008 through 2010.

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Report Trends Blog Information 125

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 22, 2011

These are not head-snapping revelations. Everything that follows is simply common sense. The suggestions are provided in the spirit of Benjamin Franklin whom Walter Isaacson characterizes as “America’s first Yuppie.” ” Here are ten (10) attitudes, strategies, and initiatives to consider: 1.

Franchising 85

Franchising How To Strategy Examples 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 17, 2012

“There will always, one can assume, be need for some selling. But the aim of marketing is to make selling superfluous. The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well that the product or service fits him and sells itself.” Peter Drucker ———— Call this my next business lesson from the [.].

Marketing 110

Marketing Drucker Productivity Products 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 27, 2011

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Dorie Clark for the Harvard Business Review blog. To read the complete article, check out the wealth of free resources, and sign up for a subscription to HBR email alerts, please click here. * * * I recently got back from a month’s vacation — the [.].

Review 80

Review Blog Article Resources 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 19, 2013

Utrecht Boer & Croon Strategy & Management Group Brilliant Mistakes Brooke Manville Creating New Products The Innovation Expedition Design Thinking Festival (Potsdam 2012) Ernst & Young Consulting FORTH innovation Methodology Gijs van Wulfen: An interview by Bob Morris ISPIM (Barcelona 2012) James O''Toole Judgment Calls Lao Tzu Let’s Play (..)

Wilde 75

Wilde Drucker Consultative Innovation 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 7, 2013

In July 2012 the Associated Press reported that by the end of the year the national poverty rate would grow to 15.7 percent of the population, a number equaling poverty levels present in 1965 during the days of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” and the “War on Poverty.” …Some estimate that poverty is a problem [.].

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Review Books Blog Report 192

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 8, 2012

Randy Mayeux is among those who have responded to that question. I am unqualified to do so. However, I have checked out a few sources, listed below. First, three brief comments: 1. Many jobs required by union contracts (i.e. “featherbedding”) should have been eliminated decades ago. Many other jobs (e.g.

Blog 70

Blog 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 17, 2013

In July 2012 the Associated Press reported that by the end of the year the national poverty rate would grow to 15.7 percent of the population, a number equaling poverty levels present in 1965 during the days of President Lyndon Johnson’s “Great Society” and the “War on Poverty.” …Some estimate that poverty is a problem [.].

Report 160

Report Blog 160

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 14, 2014

I have blogged before about their best-selling works.Please add to their companionship the name of Paul Dickson, whose biography, Bill Veeck (New York: Walker Publishing, 2012), is as thorough and entertaining of this type of book that I have read. […].

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Blog Books 143

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 29, 2012

In April, the First Friday Book Synopsis sponsored by Creative Communication Network is sponsored by Relay for Life. Here is a note from Karl J. Krayer, President of Creative Communication Network: If you have lost a loved one to cancer, I am honored to carry his or her name on an index card with me [.].

Books 80

Books Creativity Class Blog 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 19, 2014

…40 solar manufacturers went out of business or filed for bankruptcy in 2012 alone. Peter Thiel, Zero to One So… When cars made their appearance, many, many car makers competed. Only a few survived – but, ultimately, everyone got a car.

Blog 113

Blog Books 113

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 24, 2015

We saw role modeling of famous non-violent demonstrations from the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., and throughout history, many passive rather than aggressive reactions to perceived unfavorable change. However, […].

Welch 70

Welch Books Blog 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 29, 2012

Practice Perfect: 42 Rules for Getting Better at Getting Better Doug Lemov, Erica Woolway, and Katie Yezzi Jossey-Bass/A Wiley Imprint (2012) How and why ”practice doesn’t make perfect, practice makes permanent” For several decades, Anders Ericsson and his associates at Florida State University have been conducting research on peak (..)

Review 85

Review Books Blog 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 16, 2012

Many years ago, I had lunch with a man who was the head of a national sales force selling new car warranties. (I I had known him back in my college days). When we returned to his office after lunch, there was a piece of paper on his chair. It had the national sales tallies from [.].

Blog 106

Blog 106

First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 12, 2012

inGenius: A Crash Course on Creativity Tina Seelig HarperOne/An imprint of HarperCollins (2012) How and why the tools and techniques of creative thinking are as essential to invention as the scientific method is to discovery There are six components that comprise what Tina Seelig characterizes as an “Innovation Engine.”

Review 139

Review Engineering Books Creativity 139

First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

To read the complete article, check out all the resources, and sign up for a free subscription to the TM and/or Chief Learning Officer magazines published by MedfiaTec, please click here. * * […].

Magazine 75

Magazine Talent Management Delegation Survey 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 6, 2013

Cunningham Tap Dancing to Work: Warren Buffett on Practically Everything (1966-2012) The Charlie Rose Show The Essays of Warren Buffett: Lessons for Corporate America (Third Edition) Warren E. Bob''s blog entries "chairman''s letter" to Berkshire Hathaway shareholders Carol Loomis Carolina Academic Press Lawrence A.

Letter 80

Letter Review Books Blog 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 4, 2012

How do we keep getting better at what we do? One way is to keep a commitment to the task, the discipline, of life-long learning. And so we keep learning, and then try to put this learning into practice. To quote Peter Drucker, we all need to cultivate and maintain the “habit of continuous learning.” [.].

Drucker 93

Drucker Power Books Commitment 93

First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 15, 2013

Bob''s blog entries Alex Osborn (1888-1966) Applied Imagination: Principles and Procedures of Creative Problem-Solving BBDO design thinking Explaining Creativity: The Science of Human Innovation (2012) fact finding idea generating Invaluable perspectives on the brainstorming process Keith Sawyer IDEO solution evaluating Tom Kelley Zig Zag: The Surprising (..)

Brainstorming 75

Brainstorming Osborne Process Idea Generation 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 4, 2012

Creating Innovators: The Making of Young People Who Will Change the World Tony Wagner Scribner/A Simon & Schuster Imprint (2012) Why and how to nurture the creativity of all children As Tony Wagner explains, “This book is about how we can develop the capacities of many more young people to be creative and entrepreneurial. This [.].

Innovation 75

Innovation Simon Books Review 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 29, 2013

Bob''s blog entries Albert Einstein Boston University''s School of Management Advanced Executive Studies Program Brilliant Mistakes Brooke Manville CNBC fassforward Consulting Group Forbes'' 2012 “Top 10 Women Business Leaders of New York” Gartner Harvard Business School Inc.500/5000

Wilde 80

Wilde Drucker Consultative Tools 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 19, 2016

Hill, you may recall, wrote two other best-sellers, Mrs. Kennedy and Me (Gallery, 2012), and Five Days in November… Read More Hill’s Masterpiece Includes Sound Father’s Day Advice. Secret Service, when he served under Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, and Ford.

Advice 70

Advice Books Blog 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 24, 2013

I found the 2012 CitySquare Annual Report. Saturday — more “stacks to go through.” ” (Always more stacks to go through!). CitySquare exists to fight the root causes of poverty by partnering with those in need. Randy''s blog entries'

How To 106

How To Blog Report 106

First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 24, 2012

The 4 Disciplines of Execution: Achieving Your Wildly Important Goals Chris McChesney, Sean Covey, and Jim Huling Free Press/A Division of Simon & Schuster (2012) “Vision without execution is hallucination.” ” That is perhaps what [.].

Covey 128

Covey Execution Simon Wilde 128

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 8, 2012

“Needy politicians, like Bill Clinton, recharge at political events,” says Alter. But, for Obama, they deplete rather than create energy.” Maureen Dowd, The Ungrateful President, 8/8/12 ————— Call it what you want. The ability to schmooze. The ability to network.

Definition 106

Definition Politics Energy Succession 106

First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 6, 2012

(Scroll down to see the actual list). After a few month’s absence, the New York Times has returned with its list of Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers. As I always note, this is the list that feels “most accurate” to me. The weekly lists, and the hourly updated Amazon lists, represent too narrow a time [.].

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Books Blog 115