Book review - Blake: Leader

Peter Blake was well and truly one of the great leaders, planners and masters of execution within sport in New Zealand.  He was a gentleman and a scholar.  Of that there is no doubt.

What Mark Orams has managed to do is to pull together the real and tangible aspects of Sir Peter's leadership style and has captured then within this book.  There are a multitude of real life working examples that clearly illustrate the points being made.

From what I understand and have learned from this book is that Sir Peter was both a leader as well as an enabler.  The challenges that he faced werent faced by him and him alone but rater the responsibility and accountability was spread around the team.  

As with any book, photo or description of someone - the ability to capture the X factor is nearly impossible.  There is just no simple method of bottling that essence.  What this book does is it lets the reader get a feel for the magic, a sniff if you like of the chemistry.  When reading this book if you open all your senses then you too may sense the spirit Sir Peter as it wafts past on the breeze.

Feek free to dive into this book at any chapter.  Each chapter in it's own is a stand alone manual on excellence in people management and strategy.  The chapters open wih a direct quote from Sir Peter Blake and then the lessons follow on from that point.  And then each chapter finised with a recap of the general main points followed by specific lessons for leaders.

What I really liked most about this book was the can do attitude of it.  It is written in a way that the average person can implement the lessons of leadership directly into their own lives with ease.  This book is a how to manual.  Here's how you do this followed by here's how you do that.  Down to earth, easy to read, practical in every sense of the word.

The other great thing about this book is that it was written by someone who was there.  Having a writer tell and recall stories from a first hand experience carries much weight and also adds a certain depth and reality that supersede's an intellectual or academic approach from someone else.

If I had to choose one word to sum up this book it would be "Spirit".  Read this book and you too may begin to realise some of the spirit that flowed through Sir Peter flows through you too.

 

 

Book review: The Management Mythbuster

I read this book at one speed - FAST!  The best way to describe this book is to use two words - common sense.  And probably this quote as well - :“Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.” C. E. Stowe.

What David Axson manages to do is peel away the veneer and false front of modern management trends and actually get to the heart of the matter.  What this book managed to do was to confirm both my and most likely your suspicions and thoughts on what happens in the shady world of business today.

Here is how the book plays out - each chapter is between 6 and 10 pages long.  The chapters open with a mock company and the playing out of the appropriate scenario.  The author then incorporates the management area he is looking at into the story line.  So there are real examples of how such scenarios would play out within a company.

One thing this book does lack in is positive answers.  There are plenty of examples of what not to do but few examples and explanations of what you should do.  Maybe that will be released in the sequel "The Management Makeover"? 

Yes I enjoyed the book and recommend it.  I especially recommend it to people who are new to the corridors of power and senior management and want to be able to cut through to the true heart of the matter!

The real kicker is the very end of the book  A lot like real life it is a scary proposition...

Book review: The Management Mythbuster

http://davidaxson.typepad.com/american_idiot/2010/01/the-management-mythbsuter-pay-for-performance.html

I read this book at one speed - FAST!  The best way to describe this book is to use two words - common sense.  And probably this quote as well - :“Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are, and doing things as they ought to be done.” C. E. Stowe.

What David Axson manages to do is peel away the veneer and false front of modern management trends and actually get to the heart of the matter.  What this book managed to do was to confirm both my and most likely your suspicions and thoughts on what happens in the shady world of business today.

Here is how the book plays out - each chapter is between 6 and 10 pages long.  The chapters open with a mock company and the playing out of the appropriate scenario.  The author then incorporates the management area he is looking at into the story line.  So there are real examples of how such scenarios would play out within a company.

One thing this book does lack in is positive answers.  There are plenty of examples of what not to do but few examples and explanations of what you should do.  Maybe that will be released in the sequel "The Management Makeover"? 

Yes I enjoyed the book and recommend it.  I especially recommend it to people who are new to the corridors of power and senior management and want to be able to cut through to the true heart of the matter!

The real kicker is the very end of the book  A lot like real life it is a scary proposition...

Book review - Linchpin by Seth Godin

I have heard it said that sometime's there are books that come and find us.  It's like someone wrote a book and it has been sitting there waiting for the right moment to either jump out at us or it places itself in our way so that we have no choice but to trip over it and start reading it.

Linchpin was one of those books for me.  Linchpin is written by one of the most inspiring people of our time - Seth Godin.

Seth Godin is a guru.  Okay - that is debateable but probably true.  What he does he the best is write books, blogposts and give talks that inspire and encourage people to think differently and view the world from a different perspective.

The book Linchpin is no different.  You will not find in this book the three keys to success or easy to follow formulas that will guarantee succcess.  What this book is - is a series of daily, easy to follow challenges for the authentic self to come to the fore.

Linchpin takes a central theme of life being art.  And based on the art theme - everyone is an artist.  The question is - are you creating art?  I won't give too much away but the whole art theme is both a metaphor and a literal sense of what we do with our time.  Artist or cog - the choice is yours.  Whether you are a cleaner or a CEO the questions and the challenges are the same.  Bring your authentic self to your work, create art and let the good times roll!

The book is super easy to read and understand but at the same time it cuts straight to the heart of the matter.  There are no mysteries or hidden messages.  In this book what you see is what you get.  Simple.

My overall rating for this book - 4 and 1/2 stars.  Yes, it is that good.

Book review: Barack, Inc.: Winning Business Lessons of the Obama Campaign

This is a neat and tidy little management book that describes and explains the hows and whys of the strategies used in Barack Obama's successful presidential campaign.

Common sense approaches to management - people and campaigns.  That is the easeiest way to describe this book.  There is nothing to flashy or gorund breaking about this book.  Rather it neatly captures the essences of what President Obama did right in his campaign.  There are plenty of anecdotes and nice stories that back up what the authors have written all the way through.

Here are the three core things I got from the book -

• Keep cool.  Temperament is vital.
• Keep in touch.  Social media is where it is at for allowing people to interact with you.
• Keep in front.  This relates to both leadership and direction.

It is a simple book that has been well written.  A good reader could complete this book in 3 to 4 hours.

Book Review - The Time Trap

Any book that manages to make a fourth edition is well worth reading.  The book must have - readability, credibility and be practical.  'The Time Trap' by Alec Mackenzie fills all of those criteria.

Common sense and practical tips abound.  There are a myriad of time management strategies for both new and old players.  There are tips on project management, delegating and assignment assessment amongst others.

This is a no frills book that gets to the point and does not include language that is flowery or superfluous. (not like this sentence at all).  I particularly enjoyed the no-nonsense approach to time management that is explained.

There are no silver bullets or magic formulas in this book.  Rather the author lays out everyday tips and practices that can aid people in all manner of different industries.

I recommend this book to anyone and everyone I know.  Easy to read, packed full of sound advice and common sense.  This book would make for 'the perfect Christmas present'.  =)

Book Review - How to Do Business in China

Following on from my recent trip to China I thought I would expand my knowledge of the way business works in China.  I searched our local library and found a book that sounded like it would fit the bill perfectly (according to the title anyway).

So I picked up the book - "How to Do Business in China" by Nick Dallas (McGraw-Hill).  Subtitled - 24 lessons in Engaging the Dragon.

So what did I think?  Given that there are 49 pages of content - you can probably guess my thoughts.  This book is big on taking a common sense approach to doing business and launching yourself within the country.  The problem is that most of the lessons in this book are true for any foreign country that you may decide to launch in. 

This is a lightweight book that does little to actually school a person in what you will be walking into when you go to China.  There are plenty of great quotes and anecdotes but there is very little substance in this book.

One commendation I do have is the fact that the writer points readers towards subject areas and topics that will be worth their while if they are considering China as a future potential business partner or frontier.

Final thoughts - this is a nice, compact, short book that is an interesting starting point.  If you are searching for more depth and knowledge about business practice in China then you would be best to find a more specific book that will fit the bill.

Book Review - Getting From the Cubicle to the Corner Office

This book reminds me of an excellent cook book.  It is filled with how to recipies and illustrations to empower you to achieve success.  The author Joel Weiss is a guy that has gone places and has acheived great things and has the credentials to say what he does in this book.

In this little and light book Joel reflects and focuses on the little things that can make the difference to your career and can help you to get to the job and position you really want. 

The book is made up of a bunch of short chapters and looks at a different aspect of the business life and provides clear how to hints and thoughts on how to be a better manager, co-worker and employee.

Topics covered include - communication, reporting techniques, how to get a promotion.   Short punchy chapters that get straight to the point and leave you with clear and precise directions.

My overall impression - this is a great little book filled with helpful hints and easy to understand directions.  This is not a book that deals with the vague ideas and possibilites of strategy and management theory but is written (just like this blog) for the everyday people out there who want to be the best that they can be (without the bs).

It is a book however that if you should choose to heed the lessons will assist you to get ahead.

You can purchase a copy of the book through Amazon by clicking on this link - http://www.amazon.com/How-Get-Cubicle-Corner-Office/dp/1586855247

Book Review - This Little Kiddy Went To Market

"This Little Kiddy Went To Market" is a very sobering and interesting book that looks at the effects of business management practices in and on educational systems.  The author has conducted and collated  a survey and review of practices across a number of western world school systems including countries such as - USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.

What this book does is assess the impacts on children and school management in action due to the increased involvement of businesses in the education arena.  The book covers subject areas including the supply of branded resources by big business, the results of private businesses managing schools and the teaching of consumer values to school children.

"Children have never before been under such pressure to 'succeed, conform and look good'.  It is little wonder that so many children grow into youths who are unhappy, stressed, fat, delinquent or self-destructive"  (Excerpt from introduction: Sharon Beder).

If you want to know how and why the author reached these conclusions - read the book.  Every one of those statements can be backed up by well researched information and facts from the public arena.

So what did I think?  This book will make you think. The facts are presented in a clear light and very little personal opinion is recorded.  Rather the book requires the reader to draw their own conclusions on every matter listed.  I was astounded at some of the areas of interaction and even learnt some interesting marketing techniques should I ever choose to start marketing to children.


My give this book a two thumbs up rating.  This book is easy to read, broad in scope and definitely worth a read.  Your thinking will be challenged and think you will review your position on topics that up until you now you may not have considered important in your childs education.

Book Review - Scroogenomics

A great book?  No.  A good book?  Yes.  An interesting book?  Absolutely.

Joel Waldfogel, wrote a book called Scroogenomics exploring the pro's and con's of purchasing goods and spending money at Christmas time. 

The pro's - people get stuff.  The con's - people get stuff they don't want or need that has bought by other people who have sent their time looing for and buying stff that could very well have been a waste of ther time.  Time that could have been far better spent pursuing productive outputs.

So what's the problem?  Too much stuff is given by people to others with either little thought or no thought at all.  The solution?  Give cash.

There you go - 146 pages of book content condensed into 4 paragraphs. 

It's worth reading.  Seriously.

Book Review - Pains In The Office

Following on from their previous two best sellers - 'Pains on Trains' and 'Pains in Public', Andrew Holmes and Dan Wilson have gone on to write another great book - 'Pains in the Office'.

The 'Pains' series looks at everyday situations where people interact with other people and attempts to create character profiles for them. For this book the authors have identified 50 personality types that frequent the offices of all company's the entire world around.

Here are some examples -

• The Ball Breaker. Females who want to emulate men and copy some of their worst traits in order to try and be one.


• The Competitor. Failure is not an option. Kisses the butts of those in power and kicks those of everyone who is not.


• The Little Big Man. Short people who attempt to make up for their height deficiencies by being bossy and absolutely unhelpful.


• The Moaner. Some people are just never happy.

Included in each chapter are - ratings on the strength of the pain, the rarity factor, seasonal variations and some fun strategies for dealing with the pains.

This book is a bit of fun. As with its subject matter you can't take it too seriously. I recommend picking it up, having a read and moving on. When you're finished - keep it on your shelf for future reference. You'll need it!

Great Reads

If you live in the South Pacific and are wanting to read something that is local and relevant, check out the following publication -

"BOSS" by the Financial Review. It comes out of Australia and constantly has excellent articles and interviews.

From what I can see the magazine has re-engineered it's content over the past year or so and is now capable of competing with other top line management magazines that are out there in the market place.

The October issue has the following article highlight's - Top bosses: the missing link, i feel motivated, The boiler room.

Grab a copy - you won't be disappointed.

Education, Trends and Job Currency

In order to be relevant and to keep relevant you need to keep in touch with current trends, philosophies and approaches.

How can you do this? Here are the simple methods -

1. Read. Join your local library and borrow books. Readers lead and leaders read. Good libraries update their books often. If your library doesn't - ask! Your local librarian might just need some good ideas of what people want to read.


2. Surf. Jump on the Internet and seek out teaching and lessons from the top leaders of our time. There are a lot of websites that exist with top content.


3. iTunesU. Download the latest lessons from the worlds best Universities every week!


4. Listen. Often times the language that is being used by the 'guru's' doesn't take long to permeate into everyday language.

If you are able to keep current with modern thinking and activities - you position yourself well for tomorrow.

Management Reads

I picked up a copy of "Lead To Succeed" written by Craig Lewis. This is great book that centre's on the sporting achievements that Craig was able to help engineer with leading New Zealand sports teams and individuals.

The thing I liked most about this book was the openness and frankness of the writer. He dealt with real people in real situations and Craig does an excellent job of walking the line between sports leadership and business leadership.

The book is essentially based upon a few major themes -

• kaizen - the drive for constant improvement;
• fun - enjoying what you do;
• trust - knowing those around you.

It is a great read filled with stories of achievement and overcoming what others think are insurmountable odds - and doing it anyway!

The other book I am reading is "Follow The Roar" by Bob Smiley. What does Tiger Woods have to do with management? Everything!

This is a very humorous and candid story from an impartial observer of what Tiger Woods does, and even more importantly how he does it. There are a number of very potent observations that the writer makes that can teach the average person a lot about how to approach life and be a winner.

Excerpt "He walks slowly; nothing is rushed. He actually appears to relish the pressure of the moment".