First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 18, 2013

The New York Times has come out with its first Best Sellers List for 2013 for Hardcover Business Books. At the top of the list is Tap Dancing to Work, “A collection of updated Fortune magazine articles on Warren Buffett, published between 1966 and 2012.” A few “long-timers” are on the list: The Power of [.].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 6, 2013

Here is the New York Times list of Best Sellers for Hardcover Business Books for July, 2013. I presented my synopsis of this book at the April, 2013 First Friday Book Synopsis. (You Lean In is at the number one spot. You can purchase my synopsis of this book, and many others, at our companion web […]. Randy''s blog entries'

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First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 9, 2013

Here’s the February, 2013 Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers list from The New York Times. I regularly mention that I prefer this list of best sellers over others because it is a “once-a-month” list, thus a little more “reliable” in focusing on books that have lasting appeal. And, as I always remind you, and as [.].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 13, 2013

Here’s the March, 2013 New York Times Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers list. Somehow, this slipped past me, so I am late in posting it. Sorry about that. A couple of observations. The Tim Ferris book, The 4-Hour Workweek, is back on. This book came out in December, 2009, so it has “endured.” In addition, Steve [.].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 21, 2013

Here’s the April, 2013 New York Times Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers List. As expected, Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg made its debut at #1. At the First Friday Book Synopsis, our monthly gathering in Dallas, we present synopses of two business books a month. After May, we will have presented #s 1, 6, 9, [.]. Randy''s blog entries'

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JUNE 3, 2013

Here’s the June, 2013 list of Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers from the New York Times. A few observations. First, notice that Lean In is still at number one. Here in Dallas, I know of 2 “Lean In” groups meeting, and I presented my synopsis of this book last week to a gathering of 80 […]. Randy''s blog entries'

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 11, 2013

” (Peter Senge) ————— For 2013, Focus on Your Learning – and on Remembering to Remember What You Learned Earlier (And, you know, don’t you, that until you can do something, and then you actually do [.]. “The only job security is found in your own ability to keep learning!”

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Senge Drucker Blog 90

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 3, 2013

– Here’s the August, 2013 New York Times Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers List. Lean In is still at #1 – Again! But first, let’s talk about such lists. As I have written often, I am more of a fan of this list than any other. A “month” check in sales is more reliable than […]. Randy''s blog entries'

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Books Blog 95

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 3, 2013

Here is the September, 2013 New York Times Hardcover Business Books Best Sellers List – Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg is still at #1. It may be time to call Lean In something close to a once-in-a-decade (once in a lifetime?) Lean In continues to stand at the #1 spot. I remember no other […]. Randy''s blog entries'

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Books Blog 95

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 1, 2013

The New York Times recently published its list of 100 Notable Books for 2013 — The year’s notable fiction, poetry and nonfiction, selected by the editors of The New York Times Book Review. I always love to see this list. I also hate to see this list. I love it because it points me to […]. Randy''s blog entries'

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 7, 2013

We don’t do our best in isolation. We don’t get extraordinary things done by working alone with no support, encouragement, expressions of confidence, or help from others. When leaders expect people to achieve, they do. When they label people underachievers, performance suffers.

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Blog 95

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 3, 2013

We learned how to tune out distractions. It was a magical thing. The Apple Marketing Philosophy that stressed three points. The first was empathy, an intimate connection with the feelings of the customer: “We will truly understand their needs better than any other company,” ?Focus: Focus: “In order to do a good job of those things [.].

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Stress Marketing Company How To 95

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 20, 2013

Accenture conducted its global research study, “Defining Success” for release on International Women’s Day to gain insight into behaviors and attitudes regarding women’s careers.

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Globalization Succession Career Technology 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 8, 2013

On the one hand, we need proven tools that can help people focus their energies strategically and tactically without letting anything fall through the cracks. On the other, we need to create work environments and skills that will keep the most invested people from burning out due to stress. I don’t want to waste time [.].

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Process Organization Tactics Stress 90

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 20, 2013

Chautauqua was an adult education movement in the United States, highly popular in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Named after Chautauqua Lake where the first was held, Chautauqua assemblies expanded and spread throughout rural America until the mid-1920s.

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Education Blog 106

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

I watched the Oscars last night. I did so in my new “connected” environment – with iPad in hand, checking Twitter (though not tweeting myself – maybe one retweet), and some frequent perusing of the IMDB and Wikipedia pagers of nominee and winners. You know: “this was the third win for Daniel Day Lewis as [.].

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Environment Blog 102

First Friday Book Synopsis

DECEMBER 7, 2012

This morning, we had a wonderful gathering of the First Friday Book Synopsis. Guest presenter Larry James, the CEO of CitySquare, presented the book The Energy Bus, and I presented How Children Succeed: Grit, Curiosity, and the Hidden Power of Character by Paul Tough.

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Books Energy CEO Power 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 16, 2013

Here is an introduction to Report 2 in the 2013 Shift Index series, published by Deloitte University Press. Bob''s blog entries Deloitte University Press From Exponential Technologies to Exponential Innovation John Hagel III John Seely Brown (JSB) Michael Lui Report 2 in the 2013 Shift Index series Tamara Samoylova'

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Technology Innovation Report Blog 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 9, 2013

As we face decreasing performance in education, inaccessible mental health services for those in need, and a widening achievement gap between low-income and affluent children, it is clear that something must be done.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 2, 2013

Business Leaders report File 2013 State of the American Workplace Report information about how companies can accelerate employee engagement New Gallup Study: Most Americans unhappy at work the American workplace from 2010 through 2012 The State of the American Workplace' working population an overview of the trend in U.S.

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Report Trends Blog Information 125

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 19, 2013

Klein PublicAffairs (2013) A brilliant explanation of what triggers insights, what interferes with recognizing them, and how to nourish them Long ago, I realized that the true value of most (if not all) breakthrough insights is best determined by the nature and extent […].

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Review Books Tips Creativity 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 4, 2013

But destiny is for storytellers; football coaches deal in reality. This was a victory for and about one of the best organizations in the league. To understand why, look at the Ravens’ biggest play of the night: The 108-yard kick return by Jacoby Jones. During the break between the AFC championship game and the Super [.].

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Storytelling Innovation Organization Blog 95

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 6, 2013

When I was a young boy, I got it fixed in my mind that the New York Yankees were always automatically in the World Series, and the rest of the year was just to see who they would play. I’m beginning to feel the same way about Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to […]. Randy''s blog entries'

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First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 7, 2013

Martin’s Press (2013) “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Beyond the Idea: How to Execute Innovation in Any Organization Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble St. Martins Press The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the Execution Challenge Thomas Edison Vijay Govindarajan'

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Govindarajan Review Books Innovation 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 1, 2013

Martin’s Press (2013) “Vision without execution is hallucination.” Beyond the Idea: How to Execute Innovation in Any Organization Vijay Govindarajan and Chris Trimble St. Martins Press The Other Side of Innovation: Solving the Execution Challenge Thomas Edison Vijay Govindarajan'

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Govindarajan Review Books Innovation 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

OCTOBER 6, 2013

Bob''s blog entries "McKinsey Quarterly: Top Ten Newsletter (Third Quarter 2013)" "Six Lessons for Managing CEO transitions" "The Corner Office" "The luck factor in all human experience" Adam Bryant Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos Had His Top Execs Read These Three Books Are you a Diminisher or a Multiplier?

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Wiseman CIO McKinsey Blog 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 26, 2013

2013 Distinguished Achievement Awards Shortlists – Thinkers 50 Best Book Award Shortlist The award winner will be announced in London at their Gala, November 11, 2013. Well, the first “list” of the year has appeared. And it is a good one. Here’s the shortlist of books.

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First Friday Book Synopsis

AUGUST 22, 2014

Bob''s blog entries Albert Einstein and Challenges: Massive Open Online Courses in Colleges and Universities Brilliant Mistakes Brooke Manville Impacts James O''Toole Judgment Calls Lao-Tse Michael Nanfito: An interview by Bob Morris MOOCs: Opportunities Oscar Wilde Paul Schoemaker Peter Drucker Tao Te Ching the ideology of comfort and the tyranny (..)

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Wilde Drucker Tools Course 90

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 10, 2013

{On April 5, 2013, we will celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the First Friday Book Synopsis, and begin our 16th year. During March, I will post a blog post per day remembering key insights from some of the books I have presented over the 15 years of the First Friday Book Synopsis. We have met [.].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 17, 2013

Uncategorized "I would not give a fig for simplicity on this side of complexity but I would give my life for simplicity on the other side of complexity" Albert Einstein Beyond the Idea Chris Trimble Companies must shift time and energy from this side to the other side of innovation fundamental incompatibilities between innovation and ongoing operations (..)

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Govindarajan Innovation Execution Energy 70

First Friday Book Synopsis

APRIL 11, 2013

But… {During March, 2013, I wrote 30 blog posts — “30 Books in 30 Days.” Our 15th Anniversary was on April 5, 2013). You can skip this paragraph, and jump down to the content. These were to remember and celebrate our 15 years of the First Friday Book Synopsis. (Our I have presented a synopsis of [.]. Randy''s blog entries'

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First Friday Book Synopsis

NOVEMBER 2, 2013

The New York Times has made some changes to its monthly Business Books Best Sellers List. Before, they provided two lists: Hardcover, and Paperback. Now, it is simply one list. Thus, I assume (though, I could be wrong) that this list now includes best sellers from both Paperback and Hard Cover sales. In addition, I […].

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First Friday Book Synopsis

JULY 27, 2013

The long run at # 1 for LEAN IN by Sheryl Sandberg (2013, Knopf) has ended. In today’s (7/27/2013) Wall Street Journal list of best-selling hardcover nonfiction books, LEAN IN has been unseated. At # 1 is a book by Phil Robertson with Mark Schlabach entitled HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY, published by Howard Books. It was […].

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Books Creativity Blog 92

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 4, 2014

Michael Dear has traveled the entire length of the border between the United States and Mexico, partly on a grant from The National Geographic Society. His experience, and plenty of history and reflection, is found in his book Why Walls Won’t Work: Repairing the US-Mexico Divide (Oxford University Press. I am presenting my synopsis […].

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Travel Blog Books 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

MAY 4, 2013

I presented my synopsis of Decisive: How to Make Better Choices in Life and Work by Chip Heath and Dan Heath at the May 3, 2013 First Friday Book Synopsis. Another good book by the Heath brothers! (In In earlier First Friday book Synopsis sessions, I presented their first two books, Made to Stick and Switch). [.]. Randy''s blog entries'

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First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 18, 2013

{On April 5, 2013, we will celebrate the 15th Anniversary of the First Friday Book Synopsis, and begin our 16th year. During March, I will post a blog post per day remembering key insights from some of the books I have presented over the 15 years of the First Friday Book Synopsis. We have met [.].

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Books Blog Leadership 133

First Friday Book Synopsis

SEPTEMBER 27, 2013

This morning at the 2013 Changing the Odds Conference, David Yeager stepped in to pinch hit for the scheduled speaker Carol Dweck, who was ill. He was a fine substitute. David Yeager has worked with Carol Dweck, and advanced her research, and his knowledge and grasp of the challenge was impressive. Randy''s blog entries'

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