Edgy Conversations. How ordinary people can achieve outrageous success.  Dan Waldschmid. 2014. ISBN 9780989533102. I have received a few of these Git up and Go types of books over the years and invariably as an optimist I find lots of value in them.  The book comes with a small workbook and some motivating  book markers. The content hits hard and it makes a whole lot of sense.  You will enjoy his case studies of folks who achieves despite all sorts of obstacles.  I really appreciated the chapter on giving ( The g of edgy) as it is very true and it is not a tit for tat thing. You give because you like giving. Full stop.  There a few pages on what some people achieved at ages 1 through 100. Awesome.

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Hire Right, Higher Profit$ The executive’s guide to building a world-class sales force. Lee B. Salz. 2013. ISBN 9781493762620. This concise very readable volume packs in a lot of game changing information on hiring top quality sales people. These is just so much great common sense that I was surprised that someone else had not done this work before.  The ideas and strategies the author puts forth are practical and I know they work.   Why not have marketing help you write your sales ad?  They know  how to attract customers,  a salesman is another type of customer.   I have seen the hiring done very poorly and not often well.   This book will help you immensely in doing the job very well. Every sales manager needs this book on their desk. Once you read it you will keep it close to hand.

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Enlightening Moments. Living Beyond the Frustration Cycle. Gary & Radha Bello. 2011. ISBN  9780615526621.  I was introduced to Gary and his work by a mutual friend. After sitting with them for a few hours I was very intrigued by his views on life and living. Our meeting had to do with the present interest in Mindfulness in home and workplace. Gary has been helping people become more aware his whole life.  And Mindfulness is seeking to become more aware.  After our meeting Gary presented me with this book. It took me awhile to get to the thin but powerful book but I am glad I did. First he helped me see the difference between between aware of a situation vs reacting to it. Awareness allows you to surf the wave of the situation and come though it in a state of control and well being. Reacting leads to frustration, distracting and issue related behaviors.  Most of us are reacting. And let me say reacting does not work.  I also appreciated his weaving in of mediation and reflection in small doses/activities that really worked for me.  I am passing this book onto my sons as I feel it will be very valuable to them as much as it was to me.

The Smartest Kids in The World . and how they got that way. Amanda Ripley. 2013. ISBN 9781451654424.  The author ( a journalist)  became interested in this subject when she found that the US   elementary and high school students were not improving their academic scores at all over 40 years of different initiatives, whereas  countries like Finland, Poland, Korea and Canada made dramatic improvements. Also in the countries with the better results, the  business world is blossoming The insult to injury point was that the US is the second highest spender on education in the world.  How can this be?

A recent Macleans article  was titled The Dumbing Down of Education. Yet US high school students already are often graduated with inadequate skills to be useful citizens. How does this happen was her question? so she traveled to S Korea, Poland and Finland to talk with and observe students. The observations will impress you.

Its not because these countries have the best and most technology in the classrooms, just the opposite.  Its not due to a very regimented top down system – students have more choice in  these countries and are not always in school with only a focus on the 3Rs.  ( In the US math scores are decline steadily). They actually have free time.

Its not because the arts are downplayed to the sciences . Again the reverse is true, students obtain a well rounded eductionIt is true that these countries have very high admission requireemnts for teaching schools and often require the teachers to obtain a masters degree before teaching.  The teaching  schools have high standards and thus do not train way more teachers than they need.  And they pay teachers quite a high scale – often near that of a doctor.   So these countries attract and keep the best teachers – who can challenge students in the classroom

From Kindergarten on,  school is deemed very important with parents involved with their children mostly in the early years and much special education  available  so no student gets left behind.  Sports takes a decided back seat to none at all.

Prior to school leaving there is a very long and comprehensive high school graduation test that students must take to move onto other education.  In Finland it is over 5 days. In Korea it is over 2 days.  And they are serious tests.  You fail you can take it again next year. Full stop.

You will enjoy this book and if you have children it will give you lots to think about.

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Soccernomics.  Why England loses, Why Spain, Germany and Brazil win, Simon Kuper & Stefan Szymanski. 2014. This is Freakonomics for soccer an updated edition by experts in the field.  How data analytics are driving soccer  forward toward a high skill, high strategy game, leaving  Canada, Africa, and England a bit behind.  The authors trace the impact of strategists and statisticians as well as the Dutch total soccer movement.  They look at all facets of soccer all over the world and pick Iran and the US as ones to watch , depending on what they do after the World Cup.  The impact of a World Cup on a country is surprising ( Its really a big party so everyone feels good – pretty poor Roi). A fascinating and insightful yet easy to read book.  You will learn a lot.

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Unlimited Sales Success. 12 simple steps for selling more than you ever thought possible. Brian Tracy and Michael Tracy. 2014. ISBN ISBN  9780814433249.  Michael is the godfather of sales training , as well as being a self made millionaire in the field. If you ever needed an all–in-one sales book for the neophyte and the expert I recommend this book . He has such a clear easy going writing style that he draws you into the content.  Everything he talks about makes so much sense.  This is a book to read and reread, drawing the timeless ideas out to savour.  On top of this, he had made it really relevant to today’s sales challenges.

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