Tony Alessandra delivers a provocative and relevant program in this 6 CD set. Discussing the 4 major personality types:
*Relaters
*Directors
*Thinkers
*Socializers
Alessandra
provides the listener with clues, cues and techniques for managing
relationships with these individuals, as well as understanding your own
personality type. Funny, fast moving and upbeat, Alessandra can engage,
even on a CD. The program will allow the listener to develop relationship strategies across the continuum of styles, as well as learn
tactics for achieving better communications and flexing styles as well.
There are examples, role plays and other tools in the set to help
practice identification and interaction.
The set also comes with brief but useful written materials that can be used for reference. All in all, a great listen.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Book review - The Pursuit of Wow - 210 Tips Tricks & Observations
4.0 out of 5 stars
Tom Peters is one of the high priests of the 21st Century Business Revolution. This book, now nearly 20 years old, contains still relevant observations on developing your career, leadership, learning and education, management foibles, globalization, innovation, diversity, competition and many other elements of business and life that seemingly struck Peters while he was writing.
The approach of the book itself is a little offbeat, with Peters' common approach of multi-font typesets, photos, quotes and interviews, off the wall comments and seemingly random or disjointed observations. This book, unlike some of his others, suffers a bit from this randomization, and the readability is impacted somewhat.
The content, however, once you get past the organization of the book, is top shelf. The observations Peters made 20 years ago held up to the test of time, particularly his globalization observations on Malaysia and India (though he missed the mark on Indonesia and China). By standing the test of time well, and with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, it gives the book greater gravitas for those elements that you may need to or want to put into practice in your own life, career or business. It also adds credence to Peters more recent works.
This book should be on the reading list of any manager who is looking to move beyond average and pursue a "wow" career.
Tom Peters is one of the high priests of the 21st Century Business Revolution. This book, now nearly 20 years old, contains still relevant observations on developing your career, leadership, learning and education, management foibles, globalization, innovation, diversity, competition and many other elements of business and life that seemingly struck Peters while he was writing.
The approach of the book itself is a little offbeat, with Peters' common approach of multi-font typesets, photos, quotes and interviews, off the wall comments and seemingly random or disjointed observations. This book, unlike some of his others, suffers a bit from this randomization, and the readability is impacted somewhat.
The content, however, once you get past the organization of the book, is top shelf. The observations Peters made 20 years ago held up to the test of time, particularly his globalization observations on Malaysia and India (though he missed the mark on Indonesia and China). By standing the test of time well, and with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, it gives the book greater gravitas for those elements that you may need to or want to put into practice in your own life, career or business. It also adds credence to Peters more recent works.
This book should be on the reading list of any manager who is looking to move beyond average and pursue a "wow" career.
Nelson Mandela - Mandela's health worsens, condition now 'critical'
I recently had the honor of visiting Robben Island, where Mr. Mandela was imprisoned for many years in Cape Town, as well as reading his autobiography. His lungs were scarred by lime mining on the island, and it is truly a testament to his personal strength that he lived through the imprisonment, let alone another 30 years. I truly did not appreciate, as an American, the level of oppression that apartheid imposed on the people of South Africa. I can only wish Mr. Mandela peace and thanks for 94 hard fought years of never giving up.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Important Perspective, March 24, 2013
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Long Walk to Freedom: With Connections (HRW Library) (Hardcover)
Nelson Mandela reminds the reader of the struggles and sacrifices made
within most of our lifetimes by thousands to ensure equality under the
law. I recently returned from Cape Town and a visit to Robben Island,
and was compelled to read this moving autobiography of Nelson Mandela.
What struck me most was the determination and humility expressed by
Mandela during his decades of imprisonment and struggle for the freedom
of his people. The book reads easily, and is close to a page turner in
spots. While history is written by the victors, and I am certain that
there are other sides to this story, the story as presented by Mandela
makes for moving and compelling reading. The fact that apartheid fell
and South Africa moved towards democracy without the same violence as
neighboring Zimbabwe/Rhodesia speaks volumes for all parties in the
struggle, and Mandela gives credit where credit was due. The first hand
perspective provided by Mandela on the centuries long struggle and his
role in it gives the reader access to a modern revolution and modern
revolutionary.Mandela's health worsens, condition now 'critical'
By Ed Cropley | Reuters – 5 hrs ago- View PhotoReuters/Reuters - A car drives into a Pretoria hospital where former South African President Nelson Mandela is being treated June 23, 2013. REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
By Ed Cropley
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Former South African president Nelson Mandela's
condition deteriorated to "critical" on Sunday, the government said,
two weeks after the 94-year-old anti-apartheid leader was admitted to
hospital with a lung infection.
The worsening of his condition is bound to concern South Africa's 53 million people, for whom Mandela remains the architect of a peaceful transition to democracy in 1994 after three centuries of white domination.
A government statement said President Jacob Zuma and the deputy leader of the ruling African National Congress (ANC),
Cyril Ramaphosa, visited Mandela in his Pretoria hospital, where
doctors said his condition had gone downhill in the last 24 hours.
"The doctors are doing everything possible to get his condition to
improve and are ensuring that Madiba is well looked after and is
comfortable," it said, referring to him by his clan name.Mandela, who became South Africa's first black president after historic all-race elections nearly two decades ago, was rushed to a Pretoria hospital on June 8 with a recurrence of a lung infection, his fourth hospitalisation in six months.
Until Sunday, official communiques had described his condition as "serious but stable" although comments last week from Mandela family members and his presidential successor, Thabo Mbeki, suggested he was on the mend.
Since stepping down after one term as president, Mandela has played little role in the public or political life of the continent's biggest and most important economy.
His last public appearance was waving to fans from the back of a golf cart before the final of the soccer World Cup in Johannesburg's Soccer City stadium in July 2010.
During his retirement, he has divided his time between his home in
the wealthy Johannesburg suburb of Houghton, and Qunu, the village in
the impoverished Eastern Cape province where he was born.The public's last glimpse of him was a brief clip aired by state television in April during a visit to his home by Zuma and other senior ANC officials.
At the time, the 101-year-old liberation movement, which led the fight against white-minority rule, assured the public Mandela was "in good shape" although the footage showed a thin and frail old man sitting expressionless in an armchair.
"Obviously we are very worried," ANC spokesman Jackson Mthembu told Johannesburg station Talk Radio 702. "We are praying for him, his family and the doctors."
"ABSOLUTELY AN ICON"
Since his latest admission to hospital,
well-wishers have been arriving at his Johannesburg home, with scores
of school-children leaving painted stones outside the gates bearing
prayers for his recovery.
However, for the first time, South African media have broken a taboo
against contemplating the inevitable passing of the father of the
post-apartheid "Rainbow Nation" and one of the 20th century's most
influential figures.The day after he went into hospital, South Africa's Sunday Times newspaper carried a front-page headline saying it was "time to let him go".
"He's absolutely an icon and if he's gone we just have to accept that. He will be gone but his teachings, what he stood for, I'm sure we've all learnt and we should be able to live with it and reproduce it wherever we go," said Tshepho Langa, a customer at a Johannesburg hotel.
"He's done his best," he added. "We are grateful for it and we are willing to do the good that he has done."
Despite the widespread adulation, Mandela is not without detractors at home and in the rest of Africa who feel that in the dying days of apartheid he made too many concessions to whites, who make up just 10 percent of the population.
After more than 10 years of affirmative action policies aimed at redressing the balance, South Africa remains one of the world's most unequal societies, with whites still controlling much of the economy and the average white household earning six times more than a black one.
"Mandela has gone a bit too far in doing good to the non-black communities, really in some cases at the expense of (blacks)," Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, 89, said in a documentary aired on South African television this month.
"That's being too saintly, too good, too much of a saint."
(Additional reporting by Pascal Fletcher, Leon Malherbe and Bart Noonan; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
Book Review - The Genesis Factor - I Got Lost at the Dinosaurs
1.0 out of 5 stars
I consider myself to be quite open minded, and certainly more than a bit intellectually and spiritually curious. It was with that intent that I picked up a copy of this book. Between long studied traditions of gematria in Hebrew writings to recent hypotheses on "Bible Codes" of various types, I figured that a used, cheap quick read of this book might provide something to chew on.
Instead, I was greeted with assertions that dinosaurs roamed the earth as recently as 6,000 years ago with men, and statistical probabilities and archeological "discoveries" that support the code that the author purports to have found, without the aid of computers, in the study of various areas of scripture in the Masoretic Hebrew text of the Bible. The dinosaurs caused me enough heartburn, but given that Masoretic Hebrew is only about 1200 years old really began to cast some serious doubt as to the veracity of the findings - especially the computer validated statistics which "proved" the non random nature of the occurrences as noted by the author.
End of the day, the book is quite fantastic, in the "fantasy" fantastic way. I can't get behind the pseudoscience, and there just isn't enough here to overcome the obvious bias of the author toward messianic Christianity.
I consider myself to be quite open minded, and certainly more than a bit intellectually and spiritually curious. It was with that intent that I picked up a copy of this book. Between long studied traditions of gematria in Hebrew writings to recent hypotheses on "Bible Codes" of various types, I figured that a used, cheap quick read of this book might provide something to chew on.
Instead, I was greeted with assertions that dinosaurs roamed the earth as recently as 6,000 years ago with men, and statistical probabilities and archeological "discoveries" that support the code that the author purports to have found, without the aid of computers, in the study of various areas of scripture in the Masoretic Hebrew text of the Bible. The dinosaurs caused me enough heartburn, but given that Masoretic Hebrew is only about 1200 years old really began to cast some serious doubt as to the veracity of the findings - especially the computer validated statistics which "proved" the non random nature of the occurrences as noted by the author.
End of the day, the book is quite fantastic, in the "fantasy" fantastic way. I can't get behind the pseudoscience, and there just isn't enough here to overcome the obvious bias of the author toward messianic Christianity.
Book Review - The Circle of Innovation - Entertaining and Provocative Read
5.0 out of 5 stars
This book is pushing 15 years old. Many of the companies that Peters holds up as pinnacles of performance, such as Sears and Saturn, are a shadow of their former selves - or gone completely. Why, then, does the book still hold relevance? Simple. The principles that Peters spends 500 pages of pictures, crazy fonts and swear words getting you to notice are tried, true and near timeless. Even Peters may disagree on the timeless piece, but the book will certainly provoke creative and innovative thinking among the ossified executives who dare to open the cover.
Peters espouses 15 principles of innovation - circles within circles - and then proceeds to expose, shout, cajole and exemplify these very principles over a quick reading but somewhat lengthy 500 page treatise on innovation. Some of the key 15 principles which resonated with this reader included:
* You can't live without an eraser
* All value comes from the professional services
* The intermediary is doomed
* Become a connoisseur of talent
* Little things are only things
* We're here to live life out loud
Each of these, plus the remaining 9 elements, are entertainingly presented in such a way as to force the reader to think, while enjoying the entertaining, light and colloquial writing style that Peters is known for. The book is an outstanding edition to any manager's library, and should be a must read for anyone working in one of my organizations.
This book is pushing 15 years old. Many of the companies that Peters holds up as pinnacles of performance, such as Sears and Saturn, are a shadow of their former selves - or gone completely. Why, then, does the book still hold relevance? Simple. The principles that Peters spends 500 pages of pictures, crazy fonts and swear words getting you to notice are tried, true and near timeless. Even Peters may disagree on the timeless piece, but the book will certainly provoke creative and innovative thinking among the ossified executives who dare to open the cover.
Peters espouses 15 principles of innovation - circles within circles - and then proceeds to expose, shout, cajole and exemplify these very principles over a quick reading but somewhat lengthy 500 page treatise on innovation. Some of the key 15 principles which resonated with this reader included:
* You can't live without an eraser
* All value comes from the professional services
* The intermediary is doomed
* Become a connoisseur of talent
* Little things are only things
* We're here to live life out loud
Each of these, plus the remaining 9 elements, are entertainingly presented in such a way as to force the reader to think, while enjoying the entertaining, light and colloquial writing style that Peters is known for. The book is an outstanding edition to any manager's library, and should be a must read for anyone working in one of my organizations.
Saturday, June 22, 2013
Book Review - The Portable Plato - Solid Anthology of Platonic Works
4.0 out of 5 stars
This well edited anthology contains four of Plato's most important works:
*Protagoras
*Symposium
*Phaedo
*The Republic (complete)
As noted by several of the other reviewers, this edition doesn't have great explanations, notes, commentary or references. What it does do, however, is provide the introduction to Plato with very approachable translations and a critical selection of key works.
Probably considered by most his magnum opus, The Republic is worth the read - whether in this edition and translation or another. Plato covers the landscape from religion to the arts to music to science and mathematics to the meaning of life itself and the purpose of theology. Written as a Socratic dialogue, The Republic will provide an overview of this philosopher, and the foundations of our modern Western culture and thinking.
The book is available used here, and that seems to be a value that might be just a bit too good to pass up. The book (or at least the contents) are likely foundational for any Western philosophy undergrad course, and if you haven't been exposed to Plato, you probably should give this a go given the easy reading translation and importance of the work.
Book Review - Building Web Reputation Systems--Basic and Too Much Yahoo!
Basic and Yahoo! Centric View of Web Reputation Systems...
The book on web reputation systems is getting a bit long in the tooth, having been written about 4 years ago. Much of the information that is contained in here, including and especially the psychology elements of the users - as well as the pitfalls and design considerations - are still relevant since they apply to basic human psychology and behaviors.
From a technology perspective, as noted by a few of the more recent reviewers, the information is now getting dated and the Web 2.0+ technology architecture that is out there today is not contained in this book at all. So, while the principles hold, the practices will need to be updated. Additionally, because the book was published by Yahoo Press, the case studies and many of the elements of the examples are very focused on Yahoo. In and of itself, that's not a problem, but the book may have been more interesting and relevant by really pulling in a much broader example base, and different case studies that weren't so Yahoo centric.
All in all, if you have an interest in the topic, it is probably an interesting read for background, overview and psychologic/behavioral purposes.
3.0 out of 5 stars
The book on web reputation systems is getting a bit long in the tooth, having been written about 4 years ago. Much of the information that is contained in here, including and especially the psychology elements of the users - as well as the pitfalls and design considerations - are still relevant since they apply to basic human psychology and behaviors.
From a technology perspective, as noted by a few of the more recent reviewers, the information is now getting dated and the Web 2.0+ technology architecture that is out there today is not contained in this book at all. So, while the principles hold, the practices will need to be updated. Additionally, because the book was published by Yahoo Press, the case studies and many of the elements of the examples are very focused on Yahoo. In and of itself, that's not a problem, but the book may have been more interesting and relevant by really pulling in a much broader example base, and different case studies that weren't so Yahoo centric.
All in all, if you have an interest in the topic, it is probably an interesting read for background, overview and psychologic/behavioral purposes.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
How To Define Success?
I wanted to share this article I found on LinkedIn by
Jeff Haden. It is poignant and will get you thinking. A few
excerpts:
“There is only one real way to define success.
Just one.
Granted success in business and in
life means different things to different people, and should mean
different things to different people. Whether or not you feel successful
depends on how you define success -- and on the tradeoffs you are willing to
not just accept but embrace as you pursue your individual definition of
success.
Still. Determining whether you are
successful is based on answering one question: How happy am I?
Your level of success is based
solely on your answer to that question.”
“That's because your profession,
your family and friends, your personal pursuits... no aspect of your life can
(or should) ever be separated from the others. Each is a permanent part of a
whole. Putting more focus on one area automatically reduces the focus on
another area
Want to make more money? You can,
but something else has to give.
Want more time with family? Want to
help others? Want to pursue a hobby? You can, but something else has to give.
Think about what motivates you. What
do you want to achieve for yourself and your family? What do you value most,
spiritually, emotionally, and materially? Those are the things that will make
you happy, and if you aren't doing them you won't be happy.”
“So forget traditional definitions
of success. Forget what other people think. Ask yourself if you feel happy --
not just at work, not just at home, not just in those fleeting moments when you
do something just for yourself, but overall.
If you are, you're successful. The
happier you are the more successful you are.
If you aren't happy it's time to
rethink how you define success, and start making changes to your professional
and personal life that align with that definition, because what you're doing
now isn't working for you.
And life is way too short for
that.”
You can read the whole thing
here:
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Book Review - The Spiritual Universe: One Physicist's Vision of Spirit, Soul, Matter, and Self (Paperback)
Neti Neti,
This review is from: The Spiritual Universe: One Physicist's Vision of Spirit, Soul, Matter, and Self (Paperback)
The book contains an interesting premise - that the soul can be
scientifically described, along with spirit, matter and self, utilizing
quantum physics theory. The book itself is relatively easy to read, and
provides the basics for someone who is looking to explore some of these
theories. Unfortunately, it is neither a spiritually oriented book with
some minor QM theory, or a QM book with some spiritual elements.
Rather, Wolf has created a neither this nor that book, that is probably a
bit too technical for one audience, and a bit to "woo woo" for the
other. Like other readers, I found the book interesting, and many of
the premises were worthy of deeper introspection. However, the book
felt disjointed and a bit tough to pull together.Find the book here:
Book Review - Reality Is Broken - Half A Billion People Can't Be Wrong!
The shock starts at the start. There are nearly half a billion regular
gamers in the world - almost 200 million in the US alone. The author
digs into this amazing phenomenon, and the cultural and psychological
elements driving these trends, as well as the elements that can be
gleaned from it to improve the world we live in today.
While acknowledging that "Reality is Better", the author identifies 14 elements, or "fixes" to reality that will allow us to take advantage of and integrate the game phenomenon into our daily lives. These 14 fixes are the results of the psychology lessons that she observed in the gaming world, and are applicable to almost any aspect of reality.
Interestingly, the book's premise dispels the notion that gamers are a lazy bunch, munching snacks and avoiding the reality of work. In fact, the author shows quite convincingly that the gamer actually enjoys the challenge of the work, and it is the feedback loop, the engagement mechanisms and the social and challenge aspects of the gaming environment that drive the behavior. If harnessed for positive impact to the world or work, it could help us find solutions to cancer, environmental crisis, or business problems through a game oriented "multiplayer" crowdsource.
The book is easy to read, extremely engaging and thought provoking. As a 40 something executive who grew up on Ultima II and Dungeons & Dragons, the premises resonate, and are probably much stronger with my younger colleagues. It's time to stop fighting the premises in the book and instead harness them to improve the world we live in.
You can find the book here: http://amzn.to/11ELcnP
While acknowledging that "Reality is Better", the author identifies 14 elements, or "fixes" to reality that will allow us to take advantage of and integrate the game phenomenon into our daily lives. These 14 fixes are the results of the psychology lessons that she observed in the gaming world, and are applicable to almost any aspect of reality.
Interestingly, the book's premise dispels the notion that gamers are a lazy bunch, munching snacks and avoiding the reality of work. In fact, the author shows quite convincingly that the gamer actually enjoys the challenge of the work, and it is the feedback loop, the engagement mechanisms and the social and challenge aspects of the gaming environment that drive the behavior. If harnessed for positive impact to the world or work, it could help us find solutions to cancer, environmental crisis, or business problems through a game oriented "multiplayer" crowdsource.
The book is easy to read, extremely engaging and thought provoking. As a 40 something executive who grew up on Ultima II and Dungeons & Dragons, the premises resonate, and are probably much stronger with my younger colleagues. It's time to stop fighting the premises in the book and instead harness them to improve the world we live in.
You can find the book here: http://amzn.to/11ELcnP
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Is the Golden Rule Relevant?
“Following the ‘Golden Rule’ will cause more conflict than chemistry.”
I heard this on my way in to work on Friday, and it almost caused me to stop the car (I was on 405 in traffic, so I was already at a standstill…). Really? How can that be? The Golden Rule, or variants thereof, form a foundation of many of the world’s religious and ethical norms – from Animism to Humanism to Zoroastrianism, and everything in between.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Rule
Most commonly heard is the version: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”
It was the next statement that brought it all to a point that made sense:
“We should do unto others as they would like to be done unto.”
If we interact with others in a way that THEY can relate to, we will be far more successful than if we interact with others in a way WE can relate to. It’s analogous to traveling to a foreign country and “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. We need to flex to each other, and interact in a way that is most effective for the other person, not just focus on ourselves and our style.
In order to have chemistry in our interactions with our co-workers, customers, friends, loved ones or total strangers, we need to try and understand what they want, how they want to be treated and communicated with, and treat them that way.
If we just stick to the “my way or the highway” communications style – even though that style may work best for us and is how WE want to be treated, it may cause big conflict with our counterpart.
This is certainly an area that I need work on, as I learn to deal with many cultures and companies globally – some with very different cultural norms than the New York style that I “like”.
Sometimes it is important to not just take these well worn and tired maxims at face value (or take quite so many things so literally), and think about the real message...
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Stress and the art of sleep
«
If you can’t sleep, then get up and do something instead of lying there
worrying. »
Dale Carnegie
It’s true. There’s nothing that is accomplished by worry, except more worry. The secret to moving past worry is to DO. Do whatever you need to do to end the worry. If what you are worried about is beyond your control, it will do you no good to worry about it. Do something instead. Bring it under your control as best you can, or release the worry, and expend that energy on something you CAN control. The only thing worse than doing the wrong thing (making a well-intentioned mistake), is doing No Thing.
With great responsibility comes great stress. And mountains of work. And people. And people who generate mountains of work. And there is nothing more rewarding than watching people grow. Having staff reporting to you is like being a parent - with all the joys and heartaches. Being a parent, I know that it's different. I can leave the people. Or fire them. And hire new people. And pick who I work with and for. Can't do that as a parent...
Anyway, the thought from Carnegie really resonates. There is always so much to do if you are a parent. It's worse if you are a parent and a manager. It is THE WORST when you are a parent, manager, and expected to also be a full time individual contributor - with all the production that brings. We have some of them here at work. Some aren't parents, but might as well be. The only time they can work is during normal sleep time. They are burning the candle at both ends, and in the middle. With a blow torch.
At some point, we need to lie down and stop worrying. Or get help to take the stuff off the plate. No thing is bad. No sleep kills...
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