Madam Secretary. Madeleine Albright. 2013. ISBN 9780062265470. What a testament to a ground breaking woman. First woman US ambassador to the UN ( Clinton), first woman US Secretary of State (Clinton). Albright has been through it all. It’s a full autobiography that reads well, and spares no details. She came from a war wrought in Europe and settled in the US at a young age. My takeaway is her descriptions of diplomacy and how the UN can effect change in countries through assistance as well as sanctions. And it takes a long long time. Eg Milosevich in Serbia. So, there is room for optimism but a requirement for patience. Worthwhile reading as you learn a lot about Europe, the Middle East and the US.

Sales Coaching Essentials. How to transform your sales team. Mark Garrett Hayes. 2022. ISBN 9781788603324. A very clear and well written guide to sales coaching. The author makes a clear distinction between training (teacher led) and coaching (partnership). In the sales environment coaching is a must-do for sales leaders. In my practise I see it as a journey of the sales leader and the sales team together toward better practices in their market. Your clients can help you find what works. Thus book touches all the bases in sales and gives you approaches, questions and concrete examples on what to do in any sales situation. Buy this book, read it, make notes and ensure it is on your desk for when you need it.

Value(s). Building a better world for all. Mark Carney. 2021. 978-1-5417-6871-0. I have been impressed with Carney’s career ((from Ft Smith, NWT to Governor of Bank of England and now his Un posting wrto Climate Change. The book is thorough, deeply researched and timely.  His chapters on Climate change and Covid are worthwhile reading for all of us.  His explanations on how we got here to present and different definitions of value are prescient.  It should be required reading for all politicians and bureaucrats. He is a straight shooter and you can see how he could guide Canada through the financial crisis and the UK to be prepared for Brexit. He is a thinker and a planner.  He would be a stellar PM for Canada but I doubt he would take on the job.  The book is engaging, and not trivial.

Triage Sales Coaching. Shianne Sampson.. 2020   A succinct guide to effectively coaching sales people.  The author references several well known sales coaches and puts them in context.  This is a solid book that works for newer sales managers/coaches.  Sales people are interested in books etc. that get the job done and this book will be useful. I liked his regular summaries and checklists,   Buy, read and go back to this book regularly

The Splendid and the Vile. A saga of Churchill, family and defiance during the blitz. Erik Larson. 2020.  ISBN 9780385348713.  A very well and tightly written story of the 57 days and nights of the relentless bombing of Britain by the Germans in WWII.  You see how Churchill and family ( and other govt ministers)  worked and lived through these horrendous days.  Lots of pathos and emotion in the pages as well as insights into the English upper-crust life. The author has researched diaries, written reports and memoirs of the English, American and German leaders at the time.  Well worth the read with the bonus of Churchill’s descriptive prose throughout the book.

Serve,Lead, Succeed! How servant leaders are reaching breakthrough sales. Max Cates. 2020. ISBN 978-1-64718-615-9. I have a lot of time for books by this author.  This is the third book of his I reviewed and as ever, he is right on the front edge of sales leadership writing.  With the COVID pandemic I am working with many companies who are having a real struggle in this different marketplace.  WFH puts a traditional top down sales model out the window.   You need sales reps to be more independent, assertive and confident enough to take ownership of their success. I like the servant leadership model (Simon Sinak) and have been using it in our sales consulting practice.  Max’s book now gives me something to give to the sales leaders so they can recognize themselves and see how this approach will help them.  I really took my time with this book as it deserves a thoughtful read.  Could be a nominee for sales book of the year.   Buy it, read it and read it again.

How Design Makes the World. Scott Berkun. 2020.  A journey into design literacy

The author poses  four powerful questions for us:

1. What are you trying to improve?
2. Who are you trying to improve it for?
3. How do you ensure you are successful?
4. Who might be hurt by your work, now or in the future?

In explaining design and the world around us he makes very telling and simple arguments.

What to ask of things you see around you:

What were they trying to improve?
Who were they trying to improve it for?
How successful were they?
What hidden constraints could explain its weaknesses?
Who were the powerful people who made these decisions?
Who paid for it?
Did people come first, or a technology, or an organization?
What message is the style sending to you? Who is included
or excluded from participating?
What systems is this design a part of?
Where in the natural world, or in another culture, might
there be a better solution for this problem?
Does this design create flow or conflict
What new problems does this design create if it’s
successful?
What are you going to do about all of this? (If in doubt,
start a conversation.)

Very useful book to anyone who designs and builds.

Sell More Faster. The ultimate sales playbook for startups. Amos Schwartzfarb. 2019. ISBN 9781119597834.   A concise yet insightful books for the startup world.  The author has carried the bag in sales in companies from startup to growth and been successful at it.  Each chapter has good meat in it that any startup CEO should read and implement with care. I particularly enjoyed how to select the first sales hire  and then grow your sales force including a thoughtful no nonsense examination of compensation models.  After sales support ot reduce churn and to realize the growth of along term book of business was clearly laid out.

run_frictionless. Free a founder from a sales role. Antony Coundouris. 2018.  A concise road map and workbook on how to build a sales system that allows a founder to step away from daily driving sales. Using four quadrants to lay out the building blocks with many examples and a  full case study the author takes you through all the work and stages needed to be followed.   The quadrants are

• Who we serve
• What we serve
• Who we are
• How we serve

Under each are many statements of work to be done, how to do it and why you do it.

This is a useful book for any startup founder or those who are still driving all the sales after many years.

There is a better  way.

Trillion Dollar Coach . The leadership playbook from silicon valley’s Bill Campbell. Eric Schmidt. Jonathan Rosenberg. Alan Eagle.  2019. ISBN 9780062839268. A very timely book. Its a book that should be the basis of  every leadership seminar and a well read reference on all leader’s bookshelves.  As sports coaches ourselves, my partners and I see the applicability of high performance sports coaching to technology companies. Whether if its in a non profit board community committee or a business, these “lessons’ are applicable and very useful.  This book is deserving of the kudos it has been receiving.  I enjoyed it so much I read it in two session and intend to reread it often.