First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 30, 2012

A while back, I spoke for the wonderful folks at The Dallas Foundation. Here is their tag line: Here for Good. It is a great tag line. And the phrase, “Here for Good,” should become some kind of mantra for many more companies and organizations. I thought about this, again, as I pondered the current [.].

Career 110

Career Organization Company Greenleaf 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 23, 2012

There have been literally thousands of questions. But most of them come down to this: What does it take to win? And that is what this book is about – winning. Probably no other topic could have made me want to write again! Because I think winning is great. Not good – great. When companies [.].

Rogers 110

Rogers Books Company Blog 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 20, 2012

America seems to be suffering a decline in innovation advantage. America seems to be experiencing an increase in the number of people who work alone. Is it possible that these are connected? I have read a lot of books on innovation. And a few on creativity. (Bob Morris, our blogging colleague, is good at reminding [.].

Creativity 110

Creativity Innovation Blog Books 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 18, 2012

The Stranger (Calvin Trager): Dana, I’m what the world considers to be a phenomenally succesful man, and I’ve failed much more than I’ve succeeded. And each time I fail, I get my people together, and I say, “Where are we going?” And it starts to get better… — Dana: I don’t even know what the [.].

Sports 110

Sports Blog 110

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 7, 2012

Robert Sherman died yesterday. I am sorry to say that I did not know his name. But I know his music. He, with his brother Richard, wrote some of the most memorable music of the past century. Chitty, Chitty, Bang Bang; Mary Poppins; It’s a Small World; A Spoonful of Sugar; Winnie the Pooh. All [.].

Tips 108

Tips Blog 108

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 26, 2012

We are surrounded by swirling stories of breakthrough ideas, creative moments of genius of one kind or another. And I think it is true that without that right, great idea, there is little chance for that next new, new thing. But how do you turn that idea into an actual, working, effective, profitable business? That [.].

Fashion 106

Fashion Succession Creativity Management 106

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 31, 2012

I’ve read three reviews of Rachel Maddow’s new book, Drift: The Unmooring of American Military Power, and have the sample pages loaded into my iPad. It is on my “I want to read this book list,” which is long and ever-growing… But, sadly, I doubt that this book fits into my “I will present this [.].

Sample 103

Sample Succession Review Books 103

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 31, 2012

In Brilliant Mistakes: Finding Success on the Far Side of Failure, Paul J. H. Schoemaker observes, “Our schools and organizations are designed for efficiency and order. These are fine principles but rarely encourage mistakes, either brilliant or foolish. Students are graded on how much they know, not on the degree to which they learn from [.].

How To 103

How To Efficiency Succession Six Sigma 103

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 16, 2012

News item: Jorge Cauz?, President, Encyclopaedia Britannica: we will no longer print the 32-volume encyclopedia… ————— And Farhad Manjoo leads the charge on why this is a good thing: Expensive, Useless, Exploitative: Why we should celebrate the end of the Encyclopedia Britannica’s print edition. “Good riddance,” Mr.

Books 99

Books Blog 99

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 13, 2012

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Umair Haque 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. * * * So, how’s your 2011 been? Mine: the proverbial best and worst [.].

Review 98

Review Blog Article Resources 98

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 6, 2012

“Forgive us our sins of omission and our sins of commission.” …sins of commission: the things we did and shouldn’t have. …sins of omission: the sins of not doing what we should have. —————- So, I was sitting in church on Sunday, and my mind kept making connections from my thoughts in church to my [.].

Mentor 97

Mentor Training Blog 97

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 8, 2012

News item: The company is selling its cost-savings and margin-boosters, not just its benefits for customers sick of waiting for the bill, to businesses. First and foremost: lower labor costs… Annie Lowery, This Waiter Doesn’t Need a Tip: How restaurants will use tablet computers to replace servers. – Slate.com. ————— In an ongoing series of [.].

Cost 93

Cost Tips Company Technology 93

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 29, 2012

Here is an excerpt from an outstanding article written by Paul J. H. Schoemaker and featured online by Inc. magazine. To read the complete article, check out other resources, sign up for free email alerts, and obtain subscription, please click here. * * * In the beginning, there was just you and your partners. You [.].

Magazine 89

Magazine Article Resources Technology 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 29, 2012

What do you need to focus on for organizational success? I think the number of issues is small. But so very few organizations master these. Assuming you know and are successfully focused on you actual business (a big assumption — Peter Drucker: “What is your Business?”), here’s my current list: 1) Build leaders 2) Engage [.].

Succession 89

Succession Drucker Organization Blog 89

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

MARCH 2, 2012

On April 3, 1998, Karl Krayer and I presented our first two books at the first ever First Friday Book Synopsis. Here were our first two book choices: • The Circle of Innovation by Tom Peters (Alfred A. Knopf, 1997) – synopsis presented by Randy Mayeux. • The Leadership Engine: How Winning Companies Build Leaders at Every [.].

Kahneman 89

Kahneman Hamel Books Engineering 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 20, 2012

Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here. * * * Most companies want to be the best at what they do. But in the vast majority of business, there is no such thing as [.].

Newsletter 85

Newsletter Tips Review Company 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 19, 2012

Stuart Cross is a consultant, coach, and speaker who helps world-class companies dramatically accelerate profit growth. Since its launch in 2006 his firm, Morgan Cross Consulting, has attracted clients including Avon Cosmetics, Alliance Boots, PricewaterhouseCoopers and GSK plc. Stuart has helped these and other clients to identify and develop new growth opportunities, to maximize the returns from existing operations and [.].

Consultative 85

Consultative Class Operations Development 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 10, 2012

Milestones. They help you gauge and understand interest. This morning, the First Friday Book Synopsis blog, this blog, passed 400,000 page views. There are many blogs with more readers, but for our little corner of the blogosphere, this makes us feel like we provide value. That is our goal. We try to address the world [.].

Blog 85

Blog Goal Books 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 6, 2012

The Radical Leap Re-Energized: A Story That Will Change the Way You Lead Steve Farber No Limit Publishing (2011) “If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? And if I am only for myself, then what am I? And if not now, when?” Rabbi Hillel the Elder What we have here [.].

Review 85

Review Books Goldratt Handbook 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 6, 2012

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Thomas J. Saporito 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. * * * From extravagant compensation packages to heated boardroom clashes to dramatic [.].

CEO 85

CEO Review Blog Article 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 30, 2012

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Steve Tobak for CBS MoneyWatch, the CBS Interactive Business Network. To check out an abundance of valuable resources and obtain a free subscription to one or more of the website’s newsletters, please click here. * * * (MoneyWatch) COMMENTARY Every incompetent employee, lunatic boss and deceitful salesperson [.].

Newsletter 85

Newsletter Resources Article Consultative 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 23, 2012

Power Questions: Build Relationships, Win New Business, and Influence Others Andrew Sobel and Jerold Panas John Wiley & Sons (2011) If you don’t know the right questions to ask and how/when to ask them, you’ll never find the right answers. I do not know of another business thinker, indeed another person, who asks better questions [.].

Power 85

Power Review Books Influence 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 31, 2012

Thinking, Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman Farrar, Straus and Giroux (2011) Why I think this is one of the most important books published during the past decade Given the number and quality of the reviews of this book that have already appeared, there really is not much (if anything) I can contribute…except to explain what [.].

Kahneman 80

Kahneman Review Books Quality 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 30, 2012

Here is another valuable Management Tip of the Day from Harvard Business Review. To sign up for a free subscription to any/all HBR newsletters, please click here. Persuading people to believe in your idea is a critical leadership skill. But too many managers don’t know how. Here are three tactics to try next time you [.].

Newsletter 80

Newsletter Tactics Tips Review 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 29, 2012

The Charisma Myth: How Anyone Can Master the Art and Science of Personal Magnetism Olivia Fox Cabane Portfolio/The Penguin Group (2012) Here is a generous provision of “practical, immediately applicable tools with measurable results” Whatever you call it (some call it a “sixth sense”), most of us realize when we are in the presence of people who [.].

Charisma 80

Charisma Review Books Tools 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 28, 2012

I can easily identify with the executive in Frank Cotham’s cartoon that appeared in an issue of The New Yorker years ago. Problems really do seem to multiply like rabbits on steroids. However, experts on decision-making agree that there are three mistakes that seem to make difficult situations even worse…and all can be avoided. 1. [.].

Execution 80

Execution Ishikawa Analysis Magazine 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 28, 2012

Paul Schoemaker is the founder and chairman of Decision Strategies International, Inc., a consulting and training company specializing in strategic planning and executive development. He is also a co-founder and chairman of Strategic Radar Inc. and serves as Research Director of the Mack Center for Technological Innovation at the Wharton School. He specializes in decision [.].

Strategic Planning 80

Strategic Planning Technology Consultative Innovation 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 27, 2012

Here is an excerpt from another outstanding article, written by Bernard T. Ferrari and featured by the website of The McKinsey Quarterly, published by McKinsey & Company. To check out the wealth of free resources, learn more about the firm, obtain subscription information, and register to receive email alert alerts, please click here. * * [.].

McKinsey 80

McKinsey Resources Article Information 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 23, 2012

Congratulations to William Zinsser, winner of this year’s National Magazine Award in the category of Digital Commentary. Zinsser, 89, beat out CNET’s Molly Wood, The Daily Beast’s Michelle Goldberg, The New Yorker writers on Osama bin Laden, and Rolling Stone’s Matt Taibbi. All of Zinsser’s online essays about writing, popular culture, and the arts are [.].

Magazine 80

Magazine Training Blog 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 23, 2012

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman 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. * * * We’ve all heard the claims, the theories, and [.].

Article 80

Article Blog Review Resources 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 22, 2012

Here is an excerpt from another outstanding article featured by The McKinsey Quarterly, published by McKinsey & Company. It was co-authored by Joanna Barsh, Susie Cranston, and Rebecca A. Craske. Granted, this article appeared in 2008 but what it reveals and explains is, if anything, even more relevant — and valuable — than it was [.].

McKinsey 80

McKinsey Leadership Article Company 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 22, 2012

Consumer Shift: How Changing Values Are Reshaping the Consumer Landscape Andy Hines No Limit Publishing (2011) Here’s a GPS for those who now explore the consumer landscape I agree with Andy Hines that “changing values are reshaping the consumer landscape” and that process has been underway since the first marketplaces were established in ancient Greek [.].

Review 80

Review Books Process Blog 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 21, 2012

An entrepreneur and veteran of the computer industry, Frank Moss spent his career bringing innovative technologies to market. Ten years ago he set out to make a broader contribution to the world, leading him to cofound a cancer drug discovery company and then to the MIT Media Lab, where he served as director from 2006 [.].

Entrepreneur 80

Entrepreneur Media Technology Innovation 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 19, 2012

Imagine: How Creativity Works Jonah Lehrer Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (2012) How and why our ability to imagine what has never existed is “our most important mental talent” An abundance of books and articles continues to be produced as research in neuroscience continues to reveal more of what the brain is and does, especially in terms [.].

Books 80

Books Review Creativity Article 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 19, 2012

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Marshall Goldsmith for Talent Management magazine. He explains why globalization, compensation gaps and decreased job security have created a new high-stress environment. 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 [.].

Environment 80

Environment Talent Management Magazine Stress 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

MARCH 17, 2012

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Whitney Johnson 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. * * * Note: This post was co-authored with Bob Moesta, Managing Partner [.].

Innovation 80

Innovation Review Blog Article 80