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 working 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.

Related articles

• Building Business Value. How to command a premium price for your midsized company. Martin O”Neill. (regnordman.com)

October 22, 2009 – Ban Krud, Day 2 (Reg is too laid back to write anything, so Amanda is doing the work.)

Reg was parked on his hammock on the beach under the coconut trees most of the morning until I threw him out of it and dragged him for a walk along Ban Krud beach road taking in the country life of this little village. It was hot but the palm and coconut trees did provide lots of shade. Stopped for lunch at a local beachside restaurant and had a wonderful meal of spicy papaya, squid and shrimp salad, and a green shrimp curry washed down with 2 ice cold Singha beers. Had a few laughs with the waitresses who were trying to teach us Thai. The weather has been wonderful so far but would certainly welcome more ocean breezes which are nearly non-existent. After our walk back from lunch, Reg parked in his hammock again and wasn’t moving for the rest of the afternoon!
A swim and shower and then a quick stint on the net while savouring a delicious sautéed squid appetizer with 2 sauces accompanied with iced tea before Gai came to suggest our dinner menu, based on what the cook had found in the market today. It just couldn’t get any better than that!
Chatted with a lovely couple, John Rolfe (teacher), wife Belle with 3 beautiful children Becky, Benjamin and baby daughter. They normally reside in Pattaya but were enjoying the peacefulness of Ban Krud and away from the dozens of expats that reside in that city. Becky, their oldest child, personality plus, and precocious, kept us entertained most of the evening, especially with her precise boarding school, English

October 23, Ban Krud, Day 3

Reg was back in his favourite hammock again after breakfast, getting his fill of escape novels. After some coaxing, we decided to bicycle ride and explore more of the village. We noticed a number of new resorts popping up in this area…..soon it won’t be a tranquil haven but a touristy area like Phuket & Phi Phi which would be too bad. Half way through our ride, Reg was overcome by the heat and had to turn back. We stopped again at the beach side restaurant for a cold drink and lunch, then headed back to the resort for a dip in the pool and a snooze in our air conditioned bungalow. Another lazy day, just relaxing and reading. Dinner was a Thai buffet…..the chef out did herself and provided all the guests with a sumptuous feast, many dishes we had never tried before nor will probably ever see again. After dinner Becky, Benjamin and the owner, along with a few other guests led us down the back trail to the canal where we saw a mass of fireflies, it was like a lit up Christmas tree.
A really tough life!

October 24, Ban Krud, Day 4

Our last day in Ban Krud before we catch the bus back to Bangkok tomorrow morning. There is so much to see but we couldn’t tear ourselves away from our hammocks. If you stay here you will understand. We bade farewell to the Rolfe family as they headed back to Pattaya, sending them off with all our chocolates saved from the ship (for the kids) and a couple of completed novels to lighten our baggage. At noon we dragged ourselves out of our hammocks and headed in for lunch. Lunch was another feast of delicious Penang curry with roti, stir fried vegetables and a seafood noodle dish, accompanied by iced tea. Unlike the Thai restaurants in Vancouver, the flavours here are so rich and scrumptious they just burst in your mouth. We even recommended these dishes to a German mother and daughter Zabina & Lina who loved it. We look forward again to tonight’s feast, this last night at this charming place.
According to locals, the weather in Bangkok has been wet and stormy, we are hoping that our day in Bangkok will be sunny so that we can take in some of the sights in the short time we have here.