First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 29, 2011

In the process of doing my own thesis – not for a Ph.D., because I never took a graduate degree, but just my undergraduate honors thesis — the single most formative experience in my career took place. It was not a tutor or a teacher or a fellow student or a great book or the [.].

Library 97

Library Career Books Process 97

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

Here is an excerpot from an interview of Carol Dweck by Gary Hopkins, editor-in-chief of Education World magazine. To read the complete interview, please click here. * * * What can teachers do to help develop students who will face challenges rather than be overwhelmed by them? Why is it that many students seem to [.

Development 95

Development Motivation Succession Magazine 95

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

Here is an excerpt from an article co-authored by Derek Dean and Caroline Webb for The McKinsey Quarterly (January 2011). To read the complete article, check out other resources, and obtain subscription information, please click here. * * * Always-on, multitasking work environments are killing productivity, dampening creativity, and making us unhappy.

Information 93

Information McKinsey Creativity Article 93

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 29, 2011

Just before noon, eastern time, on January 28, 1986, on a subfreezing day on Merritt Island, Florida, the space shuttle Challenger exploded in a cloudless sky 73 seconds after take-off. None of the seven crew members survived. That night, a visibly shaken President Ronald Reagan addressed the nation and the world with a speech now [.].

Bond 92

Bond Blog 92

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

I am grateful to Danny Stern and his associates for the material that follows. * * * “Entrepreneurship” is derived from the French word meaning “the act of undertaking an endeavor” and it represents many things to many people. But according to Daniel Isenberg – Babson Global Professor of Management Practice and leading authority on [.].

Globalization 89

Globalization Management Project Blog 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Here is an excerpt from an article written by Melissa J. Anderson (New York City) for The Glass Hammer (January 19, 2011), an online community designed for women executives in financial services, law and business. “Visit us daily to discover issues that matter, share experiences, and plan networking, your career and your life. Get a [.

Hammer 89

Hammer Career Article Planning 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 31, 2011

WordPress 3 Site Blueprints: Ready-Made Plans for 9 Different Professional WordPress Sites Heather R. Wallace Packt Publishing (2010) This book has prepared me well to work with technical and graphics specialists whom I have retained to transform my website into ”fully-functional, dynamic” WordPress website. That is to say, Heather Wallace and her colleagues have provided [.].

Books 89

Books Review Planning Directory 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 30, 2011

Here is an article written by Margaret Heffernan for BNET (January 27, 2011), The CBS Interactive Business Network. To check out an abundance of valuable resources and obtain a free subscription to one or more of the BNET newsletters, please click here. * * * When I meet with CEOs, I like to find out [.].

Newsletter 89

Newsletter Leadership CEO Resources 89

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

Ignore Everybody…and 39 Other Keys to Creativity Hugh MacLeod Portfolio/Penguin (2009) As I began to read this book, I recalled a situation years ago in which a little girl (probably seven or eight years old) announced that her foot was asleep. What does it feel like? “It feels like ginger ale.&# I also recalled the [.

Books 85

Books Review Creativity 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Once a lender sold a mortgage, it no longer had a stake in whether the borrower could make his or her payments. McLean and Nocera, All The Devils are Here, on one unintended consequence of modern mortgage practices. ————— “No one is left from the Glenn Valley, Pennsylvania Bridge Club who can tell us precisely [.].

Crisis 85

Crisis Blog 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 31, 2011

Steve Denning, Annette Simmons, and Doug Lipman have written brilliant books about storytelling; more specifically, the business narrative. It is worth noting that CBS’s 60 Minutes is the longest running prime-time television show in history. In fact, its #1 ranking for five consecutive years has been equaled only by All in the Family and The [.].

Storytelling 85

Storytelling Power Books Blog 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 30, 2011

Adam Bryant conducts interviews of senior-level executives that appear in his “Corner Office” column each week in the SundayBusiness section of The New York Times. Here are a few insights provided during an interview of Michael Lebowitz, founder and C.E.O. of Big Spaceship, a digital marketing and communications agency based in Brooklyn. He says that [.].

Marketing 85

Marketing Execution Blog 85

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Bo Burlingham, author of Small Giants: Companies That Choose to Be Great Instead of Big, introduces a lesson in the power of design from CAD Monkeys, Dinosaur Babies, and T-Shaped People: Inside the World of Design Thinking and How It Can Spark Creativity and Innovation, by Warren Berger. Bernie Goldhirsh, the founder of Inc. magazine, [.

Magazine 80

Magazine Creativity Innovation Power 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

Here is an excerpt from a profile of Ci Ci Holloway (Managing Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Americas, UBS Investment Bank) written by Melissa J. Anderson for The Glass Hammer, an online community designed for women executives in financial services, law and business. “Visit us daily to discover issues that matter, share experiences, and plan networking, [.

Banking 80

Banking Hammer Diversity Planning 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 3, 2011

Here is an excerpt from an article written by John Hagel III and John Seely Brown for the Harvard Business Review blog. To read the complete article, check out other articles and resources, and/or sign up for a free subscription to Harvard Business Review’s Daily Alerts, please click here. * * * We are all [.

Tips 80

Tips Article Review Blog 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

For those who planned to attend this Friday’s First Friday Book Synopsis (February 4, 2011), we have cancelled the event. The weather and road conditions looked just a little too uncertain. We will move the books for February forward, and present these two books in March. Sorry for the inconvenience — and thanks for your [.

Books 80

Books Planning 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Unthinking: The Surprising Forces Behind What We Buy Harry Beckwith Business Plus/Hatchette Book Group (2011) In this, his latest of five bestselling books, Harry Beckwith shares a number of especially valuable insights. His objective is to share with his reader what he has learned about the process that “leads us to choose what we choose, [.

Books 80

Books Review Objective Process 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Many of you will enjoy the new insights and data about teamwork that I will present on Friday at the First Friday Book Synopsis in Dallas from The Orange Revolution: How One Great Team Can Transform an Entire Organization by Adrian Gostick and Chester Elton (Free Press, 2010). If you miss the synopsis or live [.].

Teamwork 80

Teamwork Books Team Organization 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 2, 2011

Here is an article written by Steve Tobak for BNET, The CBS Interactive Business Network. To check out an abundance of valuable resources and obtain a free subscription to one or more of the BNET newsletters, please click here. * * * Never before in history has a society bought and sold so much stuff. [.

Newsletter 80

Newsletter Resources Article 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

Here is an article featured by the Drucker Exchange, sponsored by The Drucker Institute. To check out the wealth of free resources and sign up for the DX newsletter, please click here. * * * Of all the news making headlines today—civil unrest in Egypt, the Dow briefly topping 12,000 on Wednesday, Toyota’s latest vehicle [.].

Drucker 80

Drucker Newsletter Resources Article 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

Here is an excerpt from a profile of DiAnne Calabrisotto (Chief Operating Officer and Chief Compliance Officer, The Williams Capital Group, L.P.) written by Elizabeth Harrin (London) for The Glass Hammer, an online community designed for women executives in financial services, law and business. “Visit us daily to discover issues that matter, share experiences, and [.].

Chief Operating Officer 80

Chief Operating Officer Compliance Officer Hammer Compliance 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 31, 2011

In the latest of five bestselling b0oks, Unthinking: The Surprising Forces Behind What We Buy, Harry Beckwith shares a number of especially valuable insights and I have consolidated several of them in these two mosaics of excerpts: “We could excuse our foolishness…by recognizing that most of what we call thinking really isn’t. During our decision [.].

Process 80

Process Company Organization Blog 80

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Here is an excerpt from article written by Kelly Goldsmith and Marshall Goldsmith for BNET, The CBS Interactive Business Network. To check out an abundance of valuable resources and obtain a free subscription to one or more of the BNET newsletters, please click here. * * * Talent is never out of fashion. But high-impact [.

Fashion 75

Fashion Newsletter Resources Article 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 4, 2011

So, why did we cancel the First Friday Book Synopsis for this morning? Here’s a hint… and, yes, there are people all over the country who read this blog who would remind us that they drive in this all the time. But underneath the snow, there are still plenty of patches of ice – so, [.

Books 75

Books Blog 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 4, 2011

Just some thoughts on a snow day… Ok, I’m trapped inside… and getting just a little crazy… So… I’m “thinking” about stuff. And here is one of my thoughts. There are times when circumstances overtake and overrun and trump all other considerations. Take the First Friday Book Synopsis. We have gotten better at marketing this [.

Planning 75

Planning Marketing Books 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

FEBRUARY 1, 2011

Selling to the C-Suite: What Every Executive Wants You to Know About Successfully Selling to the Top Nicholas A.C. Read and Stephen J. ephen J. Bistritz McGraw-Hill (2010) Although Nicholas A.C. Read and Stephen J. Bistritz claim that the approaches they recommend are “simple,” that is certainly not the word I would use to describe [.

Review 75

Review Books Execution Succession 75

First Friday Book Synopsis

JANUARY 31, 2011

Leadership is all about trust… If people trust their leader(s), anything is possible. If people lose trust in their leader(s), almost nothing can hold against the onslaught. This Friday at the First Friday Book Synopsis, I will be presenting my synopsis of All The Devils are Here by Bethany McLean and Joe Nocera. This idea [.].

Leadership 75

Leadership Books Blog 75