Leadership The Barack Obama Way. Make Change Happen.Lessons on team building and creating a winning culture in challenging timesShel Leanne. 2010. ISBN 9780071664028. This is a thoroughly researched book. If you, like me, wondered how Obama seemed to sweep his way to the top so quickly, you will want to read this book. Dr. Leanne has looked at Obama’s history, background and the systems he put in place over the years. What we learn is fascinating.  Obama is likely a singular leader for our time who  truly understands how to release the talents of those around him. If you aspire to lead or have it thrust upon you, this is a very useful book.  A great coast to coast read, it flows very well.  You just may become a fan.

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Switch. How to change things when change is hard. Chip & Dan Heath.2010. ISBN 9780307357274.  The best selling authors of Made to Stick have another winning book. I am going through several books on change at the moment and this one is so far the best.  A couple of early insights set the tone:

• Change requires the exertion of self control
• Self control is an exhaustible resource
• Change is hard because people wear themselves out.

The book then goes on to very simple lay out the critical steps in making change easier, and what one needs to look for.  Also by imbedding case studies that encourage you to use their ideas before reading their suggested answer,  your learning grows.  (The design of the book follows their own findings! ) Lots of great information at www.switchthebook.com/resources.  The ideas that we are driven at the same time by a logical driver ( The Rider) and an emotional one (The Elephant) is a very useful metaphor. Its an easy read but as very valuable one.  C-suite required reading for sure.

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SWAT. Systems working all together. Timothy L. Johnson. 2010 ISBN 9781934417027.  A very good book on using systems thinking. This is a great application of many of the most useful parts of lean and six sigma thinking. I enjoyed how the author has boiled this to a simple to digest and apply process. By using the business fable format, he draws you in as the reader. I read this at one sitting, I could not put it down.  If you run  a business, conduct meetings and want to accomplish things in your life with groups, this is a very useful book!

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Prisoner’s Dilemma. John van Neumann, game theory, and the puzzle of the bomb.William Poundstone. 1992. ISBN 9780385415804.  If you use a computer – you owe so much to Jon Van Neumann.  I confess we called number theory mystery math in university.  No longer – I understand it now.  This little book does a great job on the subject.  The story of van Neumann is fascinating, then you have the explanation of many games like the prisoner’s dilemma and how they apply to nuclear proliferation.  Many world leaders should read this book, but of course politics and ego overshadow logic and rationality.  Well worth the read, but this is not a trivial book but it will help anyone in negotiations.

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Why Teams Win. 9 keys to success in business, sport, and beyond. Dr Saul L. Miller. 2009. ISBN 9780470160435. At some time, I used to notice the large numbers of ex professional athletes I would meet in large multi-national sales forces.  I found their forces more organized, driven andconsistently our performed their competitors. Since then I have   compiled a sports coaching library which has been very helpful. This book is a great addition to my library.

Dr Miller lists the following nine qualities of winning teams:

1. A meaningful goal
2. Talent
3. leadership
4. Strategy
5. Commitment
6. Feedback
7. Confidence
8. Chemistry
9. Identity

He uses great examples from business, sport and life to reinforce the message. As well you will appreciate his easy to read organized style. See www.saulmiller.com

Awesomely simple. Essential business strategies for turning ideas into action. John Spence. 2009. ISBN 9780470494516.  Spence reveals the six key strategies that create a foundation for achieving business excellence:

1. Vivid Vision,
2. Best People,
3. A Performance-Oriented Culture,
4. Robust Communication,
5. A Sense of Urgency, and
6. Extreme Customer Focus.

The book has lots of case studies and clear action items, and easy-to-follow guidelines for implementing the strategies in any organization no matter its mission or size
After breaking down each strategy, Spence gives specific examples, tips, tools, discussion questions and exercises for how to execute them successfully.  He has an easy personable writing style, which makes this a pleasure to read. See www.awesomelysimple.com

The Supervision Solution . Manage performance-not people. John Roulet. 2009. ISBN 9780981683768.  This is a two part book. The first half of the book provides you with a clear understanding of organizational leadership, covering such topics as:

• what leadership is;
• how to measure leadership;
• the leadership system; and
• the universal problem-solving method.

The second half offers the information, tools and methods leaders need to effectively address the supervisory issues they face every day. Those issues include:

• establishing clear employee performance requirements;
• measuring performance; analyzing and resolving performance problems;
• structuring work environments that do not de-motivate employees;
• eliminating policy violations and; and hiring the right people.

The book has  examples from psychology, history, and politics to explain and illuminate key leadership concepts. Easy to read with good graphics and use of white space all assist you in your learning.  I likes the chapter on job performance evaluation a lot. See www. thesupervision solution.com.

Oops! 13 Management Practices That Waste Time and Money.  Aubrey C. Daniels. 2009. ISBN 9780937100172.  The author is a seasoned veteran of this space. He has seen more than his share on errors in mergers & acquisitions, downsizing, stretch goals and performance appraisal.  He is adamant that you should really stop, promoting people nobody likes, overrating smart people, and upsetting everyone with employee of the month programs.  Its a good read as he pulls no punches and has the data to prove it. His 13 targets are:

• Employee of the month
• Stretch goals
• Performance appraisals
• Ranking
• Rewarding things a dead man can do
• Salary and hourly pay
• “You did a good job but,”
• The sandwich
• Overvaluing smart, talented people
• The budget process
• Promoting people no one likes
• Downsizing
• Mergers, Acquisitions and other forms of reorganizing

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Inside the Mind of the Turtles. How the world’s best traders master risk. Curtis M. Faith.  2009. ISBN 9780071602433.  The follow up book to the Way of the Turtle, takes a more rounded view of the role of risk and the impact of risk avoidance on modern life.  He believes one should take control of risk before it takes control of you. This is an  important book. You may remember my review of Covel’s book on Turtles.

Faith followed-up his success as a trader to continue as a software entrepreneur and then a venture capitalist. He found that many decisions in life worked out well if he used the same thought processes he developed as a trader. If you are looking to talk to a venture capitalist his analysis of their approach to risk is mind changing.

Later in the book he points out the reasons why this process would work in education and rebuilding US infrastructure, but that the status quo greatly prevents this.  He even makes a very good case as to why companies buy the “wrong” products, despite many people knowing better.  He has seven guiding principles:

1. Overcome fear
2. Remain flexible
3. Take reasoned risk
4. Prepare to be wrong
5. Actively seek reality ( my personal favorite)
6. Respond quickly to change
7. Focus on decisions, not outcomes (also a favorite)

Well written, just the right length, this book will hold your attention.  Politicians and young people would especially benefit from the insights. Thank you McGraw Hill again.

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Management books part 2

Lead Well and Prosper. 15 Successful strategies for becoming a good manager. Nick McCormick. 2006. ISBN 9780977981335. A small book that would be very useful as a new manager handout. Simple, pragamatic yet as the author points out none of these are easy to do. Its all about execution and commitment. Quick easy read.

Rules of Thumb. 52 Truths for winning at business without losing yourself. Alan M. Webber. 2009. ISBN 9780061721830. Webber was co-founder of Fast Company magazine. Using a friendly conversational style, the author engages you quickly in the 52 truths. after the statement and example he follows with a so what part. I could not put this one down and really enjoyed it. Good for a tedious flight with lots of interruptions.

Living Above the Store.Building a Business That Creates Value, Inspires Change and Restores Land and Community. Martin Melaver. 2009. ISBN 9786023580854. Living Above the Store” brings us into the story of Melaver, Inc., a third-generation, 70-year-old family real estate business, as it evolves toward becoming a thought and product leader in sustainable business practices. It is part business management theory and part case study, where sustainable principles meet sustainable practices, always grounded in day-to-day practice. Very pragmatic and uplifting especially in a time of doom and gloom. .strike another for sustainability.

Jeff Immelt and the New GE Way. Innovations, Transformation and Winning in the 21st Century. David Magee. 2009. ISBN 9780071605878. So how do you follow after Jack Welch? With original ideas and practices to do even better it seems . Have to admire a company that can grow such leaders. Lots to learn here, and its not rocket science after all.

Why Teams Win. 9 Keys to success in business, sport and beyond. Dr Saul L. Miller. 2009. ISBN 9780470160435. Great teams have people workign together through

1. A sense of purpose
2. Talent
3. leadership
4. Strategy/Plan
5. Commitment
6. Feedback
7. Confidence
8. Chemistry
9. Identity

This guide and handbook will take you and your team through these parts to help evaluate and change for the better. I really buy into this material as I have seen it work well on my teams.

Management books part 1

The Management Gurus. Lessons from the best management books of all time. Chris Lauer. 2008. ISBN 9781591842088. A good one from Portfolio books. Includes summaries of such works as Peter Drucker’s Managing for the Future, Ken Blanchard’s Mission Possible, and Tom Peters’s Liberation Management. Useful for your reference shelf. See more at www.summary.com

Beyond Booked Solid. Michael Port. 2008. ISBN 9780470174364. Getting things done meets the four hour workweek. A good grow your business guide- useful pragmatic and practical.

Saving the World at Work : What Companies and Individuals Can Do to Go Beyond Making a Profit to Making a Difference. Tim Sanders. 2008. ISBN. Using extensive interviews with hundreds of employees and CEOs, plus countless stories of people who are making a difference in the workplace and in the world, Sanders offers practical advice every individual and company can use to make the world a better place–now and in the future. Well written and good for a four hour planbe ride, you will come away with some actions steps to follow.

Chasing the Rabbit: How Market Leaders Outdistance the

Competition and How Great Companies can Catch Up and Win. Steven J. Spear. 2009. ISBN 9780071499880. Clayton M. Christensen says this is no silver bullet full of f luff book. Spears finds the causes of high performance companies by going beyond the artifacst such as lean manufacturing to dig deeper. He looks at Toyota, Alcoa, Pratt & Whitney, the US Navy’s Nuclear Power Program, and top tier teaching hospitals. He finds they share an ability to skillfully manage complex internal systems to generates constant, almost automatic self-improvement at rates faster, durations longer, and breadths wider than anyone else does.

81 Challenges Smart Managers Face. How to oversomce the biggest challenges facing managers & leaders today. Tim Conner. 2007. ISBN 9781402209024. Thorough! He collects the 81 challenges under a eight recognizable threads, like planning, hiring, delegating, feedback and so on. Take the quiz at the front of the book – you will come face to face with your own issues. The author is a very seasoned writer, so this one just flows- but it is not a trivial book.

The World in Six Songs. How the musical brain created human nature. Daniel J. Levitin. 2009. ISBN 9780452295483.

If you enjoyed his, This Is Your Brain On Music, here is the next one to extend your learning.  It is about six types of songs and how they perhaps came about as we evolved   The six fundamental forms:

• knowledge,
• friendship,
• religion,
• joy,
• comfort, and
• love

His work  fascinates me as he weaves songs that I grew up with along with many others I do not   know of, to illustrate exactly his points.  As he makes his point I hear the song(s) playing in my head to really reinforce the idea.  And then he shows you exactly why that is happening with the scientific proof.  This could be one of the most interactive books you will read.  Learning should be this much fun all the time.  This book will really have use to you if you lead people, sell to people and/or need cross cultural awareness.  Check out www.sixsongs.net.

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Customer Service books

The Starbucks Experience.  Joseph A. Michelli.  5 Principles for turning ordinary into extraordinary.  “This book gives you a series of practical, proven ideas and strategies that you can apply immediately to build a more successful business. Key the five steps are:

Reach out to entire communities
Listen to individual workers and consumers
Seize growth opportunities in every market
Custom-design a truly satisfying experience that benefits everyone involved

The five steps are:

1. Make it your own
2. Everything matters
3. Surprise and Delight
4. Embrace Resistance
5. Leave your mark

Take Their Breath Away.How Imaginative Service  Creates Devoted Customers. Chip R. Bell & John R. Patterson. 2009. ISBN 9780470443507.  A prolific pair of writiers in thi space.    I agree with their core belief that the key to a successful enterprise is value-added service, and the secret to great customer service is surprising customers with a value-unique experience. Take Their Breath Away provides ideas and insights for all who want to create a stunning, mind-blowing customer experience. Lots of case studies and stories from their experiences. A good read.

The New Gold Standard.  The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.  Joseph A. Michelli 2008. ISBN 978

0071548335.  The author emerged with the key principles leaders that any company can use to provide a customer experience unlike any other, such as:

• Understanding the ever-evolving needs of customers
• Empowering employees by treating them with the utmost respect
• Anticipating customers’ unexpressed needs and concerns
• Developing and conducting an unsurpassed training regimen

His five key principles are:

• Define and refine
• Empower through trust
• Its not about you
• Deliver Wow!
• Leave a lasting footprint.

Another thorough book – lots to learn here.

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