Never Fly Solo: Lead with Courage, Build Trusting Partnerships, and Reach New Heights in Business Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm an authority on sales training and have lost consulting deals over the years. But I have NO IDEA what it would mean to lose as a combat aviator. Think about it. Rob "Waldo" Waldman has to make the best decisions possible or he loses - he doesn't return from his mission.
What an outstanding resource Never Fly Solo is for anyone in the work world.
His thinking reinforces what I believe is the best way to distinguish good from bad business professionals. That is to recognize everyone makes either good or bad decisions. It gets no simpler than that.
Read here how an Air Force officer who flies is humbled to learn he's not the hotshot in the sky, but a part of a team that includes ground crew, mechanics, controllers, wingmen and more.
And from that experience flows wisdom that you can apply in business today.
One of my favorite stories is his description of "chair flying," actually simulating a mission in a chair prior to experiencing it in the cockpit. Mentally running every possible scenario, good and bad, can prepare you to succeed in life, as Waldman did in the air over 60+ combat missions.
I most highly recommend Never Fly Solo.

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The New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestselling book on building powerful, effective teams!

"An amazing book that bucks the old paradigm that maverick leaders and self-madeentrepreneurs set the bar. It will forever change the way you look at leadership."—Marshall Goldsmith, author of The Wall Street Journal #1 business bestsellerWhat Got You Here Won't Get You There

"In Never Fly Solo, Rob ‘Waldo' Waldman shares potent, personal leadership lessonson what it takes to access the power of your wingmen. If you want a former fi ghter pilot with 65combat missions as your wingman and if business success is your target, take flight withWaldo's book and earn your wings. You'll never fly solo again."—Jeffrey Gitomer, bestselling author of The Little Red Book of Selling

"If you are serious about building trusting relationships and launching your business and lifeto new heights, then invest in yourself and buy this book."—Keith Ferrazzi, author of the New York Times #1 bestseller Who's Got Your Back

"Authentic and inspirational, Never Fly Solo is a winning formula for successfulleadership that everyone in business should read."—Howard Putnam, former CEO of Southwest Airlines and author of The Winds of Turbulence

"Waldo does a superb job of applying to the business world the lessons he learned in hismilitary career. His excellent use of vignettes shows how standards and values areapplicable to leading an honorable life."—General Ron Fogleman, U.S. Air Force Retired, former Chief of Staff, USAF

"Waldo the Wingman knows the value of relationships and how to build realpartnerships that benefit everyone involved."—Mark Sanborn, speaker and bestselling author of The Fred Factor and You Don't Need a Title to Be a Leader

Rob "Waldo" Waldmanunderstands one thing better than most businesspeople:You can't reach your highest potential alone.You need wingmen—trusted partners—who canhelp you overcome obstacles, adapt to change, andprepare for success. A decorated former combatF-16 fighter pilot and now a successful entrepreneur,Waldman lives his life by this rule.

Whether you're a senior executive, mid-level manager,or new hire fresh out of college, your success dependson the mutual support of trusted associates. In NeverFly Solo, Waldo helps you maximize your relationshipsto reach your greatest potential. You'll learn how to:
Commit to the core wingman values ofintegrity, accountability, service, and excellence
Transform your relationships with colleaguesinto interdependent partnerships for success
Take courageous action and ask for helpwhen adversity strikes
Communicate effectively in high-stresssituations
Connect with your coworkers and customerson a deeper level

Through compelling, real-world stories, Waldo relateshow his Air Force wingmen helped him overcomechallenges and become successful by teaching himlessons that work in an offi ce as well as in a cockpit.

Like the world of aerial combat, today's high-stakesbusiness world operates faster than the speed ofsound. Teamwork and trust are critical for thwartingthe missiles of fear, change, and risk that too oftensend even the most seasoned professional into adownward spiral.

You can't dodge these missiles alone. Never Fly Solois your flight plan for taking positive action that leadsto greater success.

Find out more at www.neverflysolo.com.

The author will donate a portion of the book's proceeds to veterans charities.

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The Intelligent Negotiator: What to Say, What to Do, How to Get What You Want--Every Time Review

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(More customer reviews)Charles Craver is the Leroy S. Merrifield Research Professor of Law at George Washington University (Washington, D.C.) where he teaches negotiating. Through his work at the Law School and in workshops throughout the world, Professor Craver estimates that he has taught negotiating skills to some 60,000 attorneys and businesspersons.
The Intelligent Negotiator is a book that fulfills the promise of its title. Craver provides the reader with the techniques and skills to become a true master of the craft.
Unquestionably, The Intelligent Negotiator will prove invaluable for the beginning negotiator and a solid source for refining the skills of the more experienced practitioner. Refreshingly, in a field in which so much has been written and is often unacknowledged, Craver credits and draws upon the research and findings of its authors. Additionally, although he has a preferred approach to negotiations, the author provides a fundamental negotiating skills book that does not rest upon the adoption of a singular negotiating style.
"Don't even try to adopt just one negotiating style or philosophy," Craver tells his reader in the first sentence of his work, "for there is no single approach that can effectively govern all bargaining transactions" (p.3). The intelligent negotiator, in Professor Craver's view, is a person who is comfortable working within a suite of negotiating styles. The reader who understands that premise is on the way to wisdom.
The experienced negotiator knows that no matter what the hopes, not every negotiation expands the pie. Negotiators come in all stripes and are driven by differing motives. Success in negotiations requires that its participants understand and adapt easily to the reality of functioning with an arena encompassing widely disparate styles.
Craver notes three major approaches that the intelligent negotiator must master. The first of these is the Competitive-Adversarial. This is the stuff of win/lose negotiations, the zero sum game in which the pie is presumed to be fixed and one participant wins more if the other loses more. The second he defines as the Cooperative-Problem-Solving approach. In this style, the parties seek to expand the pie through engaging in a joint creative enterprise and thereby enable the participants to realize a win/win outcome. The intelligent negotiator recognizes that this second style has inherent rewards and significant risks of exploitation depending upon the true commitments of the parties at the bargaining table to the cooperative negotiating style.
Both styles remain predominant in negotiating and Craver introduces the reader to some of the research on the effectiveness of practitioners of these two dominant negotiating styles. It is interesting research.
Craver cites a study of the negotiating styles of practicing attorneys conducted by Professor Gerald Williams of Brigham Young University some twenty years ago that may surprise many readers. According to Professor Williams' research, most practicing lawyers do not use an adversarial style in their negotiations. Two thirds of the attorneys, as viewed by their colleagues, used a cooperative approach and only twenty-five percent of the lawyers were seen as practitioners of an adversarial style of negotiations (p.10).
More importantly, peer assessment concluded that cooperative negotiators fared far better than adversarial attorneys in the negotiating arena. Fifty-nine percent of the cooperative style negotiators were viewed as effective negotiators and only a miniscule 3 percent were considered ineffective. Only 25 percent of the adversarial style negotiators were deemed effective by their peers and a staggering 33 percent were judged to be ineffective. A more recent study reported last year by Professor Andrea Kupfer Schneider, found over half of adversarial style negotiators were considered ineffective by their peers (p.10).
There is much that the negotiator can draw from these findings, not the least of which is that the intelligent negotiator must be able to adapt and operate successfully in an arena of diverse approaches. Reliance on a singular style, as Professor Craver well illustrates is a recipe for disaster.
Given this, Craver offers a third style as the best primary style for the intelligent negotiator. The Innovator approach, as the author calls his preferred style, is a hybrid of both of the preeminent negotiating approaches. Its hallmarks are beginning with principled offers, matching one's counterpart on how much and what is disclosed, relying on objective criteria and recognizing that the primary goal of the negotiator is to obtain beneficial results for themselves and secondarily for the opponent.
The core of the book, however, is far from a discourse on a singular approach, but rather the teaching of the underlying fundamental skills and techniques that every negotiator regardless of their approach requires to succeed in practicing the art. The book, therefore, is an intelligent negotiator's guide to the practice of negotiations.
Craver explores the process thoroughly and leads his reader through the tough issues confronting every negotiator with concise and well-reasoned advice. The author shows the reader the importance of setting high goals, even increasing them before negotiations begin. He gives the reader solid advice on how to construct an opening offer and coaches the negotiator on its critical impact on the psychology and course of the negotiations to follow. The reader learns how an opening offer operates as an anchor, its role in bracketing the negotiating settlement range and its use in framing the other party's perception of gain and loss in the potential agreement. If these concepts are not clear to you, they are clearly explained in Craver's work.
There is far more in this volume. You will find strategies for multiple item negotiations, techniques for handling absurd positions, some careful advice on reading body language and a host of topics that the intelligent negotiator must know. You will find it a valuable negotiating skills guide of value for any style of negotiations.
To complete his work, the author turns his attention to some of the more special types of negotiating situations that all readers encounter. You will find some insightful advice in his concluding sections on negotiating employment agreements, automobile purchases and real estate bargaining.
Highly recommended.
John Baker, Ph.D.
Editor, The Negotiator Magazine

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Influencer: The Power to Change Anything Review

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(More customer reviews)The principles in this book have the potential to change the world - by changing behaviors of individuals, families, communities and nations.
The authors teach us how to create the change we'd like to see in the world using a deceptively simple framework (e.g. "Make the Undesirable Desirable" and "Design Rewards and Demand Accountability"). Many of the concepts are intuitive - the problem is that I had never intuited them before, much less put them all together in a framework I could act on. They support the framework with sound theory from behavioral psychology and demonstrate it with real-world examples of people who are solving big, important problems. Throughout it all they use a straight-forward conversational style and a great sense of humor.
But be warned: It's not a self-help, positive-mental-attitude, quick-fix, rah! rah! book, and it's not a fast, easy read - it's not supposed to be. The book deals with powerful concepts and it took me some time to think through the implications and how I could apply them. I re-read some chapters several times and spent time writing out how I could apply the principles (I usually do this in the margins - but with Influencer I ended up using a journal since there was so much to write about).
It's well worth the time and effort - I'm excited by the results I'm seeing personally as I apply the concepts in my roles as a father, husband, church leader and business leader.

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Must-win Battles: Creating the Focus You Need to Achieve Your Key Business Goals (Financial Times) Review

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(More customer reviews)MWB stands for "Must Win Battles," which is the title and a common acronym throughout this this book. Authors Peter Killing, Thomas Malnight and Tracey Keys use "battle" to refer to competitors and "must-win" to mean these battles must be won. There are a lot of circumstances applicable to the concept of 'battle.' Examples and case studies cover management style, team work, planning, shortlisting, and executing, are noted. One example is Unilever in Africa, Nestle China, and a two-year case study of the CFF business groups from the words of an executive.
Three sections and nine chapters.
Section I: Preparing the Journey
Section II: Engaging the Team
Section III: Making it Happen
The different types of managers listed are the commander, diplomat, thinker, and motivator, who are defined and described. This is followed by the role of Emotional Intelligence in the workplace. EI is just as, and oft-times more vital than IQ. There are questions regarding this that the reader can answer for themselves so they can apply this concept to their own situations in life and in the work place. This book helps the manager and employees as individuals and allows them to reflect on others and themselves.
Different dynamics of MWB, which often may include change. While strategically planning and implementing Must-Win Battles there are Resisters, Bystanders, and Supporters. A time-line is almost always necessary and matrices and diagrams are presented, when planning and executing.
A good reality check is in chapter 4, which lists "Typical Company-Related Myths." Those who've worked in medium or large organizations can identity with the company values and slogans. But they're usually only slogans, because they aren't practiced. :)
At the end of the book there are:
A) The MWB Journey and Road map
B) The Denison Survey: Questions
C) Using the External Assistance
This is helpful for all people who manage and work in organizations of all types and sizes.

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Must-Win Battles shows in a step-by-step way, how to identify the key goals that need achieving and how to win emotional and intellectual buy-in from the employees who make it all happen. By focusing on the right key short-term efforts you attain the twin benefits of delivering in the here-and-now, and making progress toward larger strategic goals.Businesses around the world are struggling for growth and profitability in today's fast-changing world. Those that achieve standout success are characterized by clear vision, focused execution, and commitment by people to doing what counts. But for the 99% of businesses that lack many of these attributes, how do they go about getting them? Should they turn to another management fad? Probably not. Senior managers are now sceptical in the face of "initiative overload". Instead they are looking for inspiration among real-world companies and real leaders.Based on a successful executive programme at IMD, one of the world's foremost executive education institutions and has been tested at some of the world's best-known companies, with intimate and compelling case studies running throughout, Must Win-Battles offers the inspiration and advice that many are looking for. "Enlightening and thought provoking in an era of cluttered agendas. Must Win Battles sets a clear path for leaders to focus their team's head, heart, and hands. Michael D. White, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, PepsiCo InternationalNew York "Moving a company to the next level requires confronting the right challenges, and Peter Killing, Thomas Malnight, and Tracey Keys show how to pick your battles and then how to win them.Their Must-Win Battles provides a practical playbook for unleashing and aligning the intellectual and emotional energies essential for any business triumph." Michael Useem, Director-Center for Leadership and Change Management, The Wharton School and author of The Leadership Moment "In "Must Win Battles" Peter Killing and Thomas Malnight have distilled their richly varied experiences drawn from many organizations over many years.Together they have created a practical handbook for all managers who are interested in re-energizing and improving their business performance.Must Win Battles is easy to read and brimful with practical advise; well worth a few hours of your time".Iain Ferguson CBE , Chief Executive , Tate & Lyle PLC. Named European Businessman of the Year by Forbes Magazine, 2005 "Working with must-win battles has fundamentally changed our approach to where we seek growth in the market and the way we engage our people in realizing these goals. Must-win battles are the glue that ties the business together globally, that everyone understands and can contribute to.The process clarifies for everyone the long-term vision and business direction, where to allocate resources and why it is important to get aligned."Diego Bevilacqua, President, Global Business: Foodsolutions, Unilever"Every executive knows that there are certain battles that must be won for the business tobe successful.This great new book provides a real-world, step-by-step approach to choosing the right battles in a way that helps unleash the organizational will to achieve them.Must Win Battles is a wonderful contribution to the art and science of management!So much so that it's inspired me to launch my own MWB journey."Bob Rieder, President & CEO Cardiome Pharma Corp.

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Doing Both: Capturing Today's Profit and Driving Tomorrow's Growth Review

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(More customer reviews)If this book was a reality TV show, it would be a flattering portrait of a celebrity's life. Initially an intriguing glimpse into the inner world of someone of interest, then realization dawning that, in the end, you're only seeing what the celebrity wants you to see.
The opening chapters are a useful reminder that business folk often get trapped in false choices such as on-time or high-quality, for example. But that's about the extent of the concept, and the remainder of the book is a collection of anecdotes about Cisco senior executives. The writing is strangely mechanical and almost devoid of style and wit, which makes it hard to keep going. I found myself rapidly losing interest in the middle.
The Cisco examples are like a celebrity magazine cover: photoshopped for maximum effect. I worked at Cisco for five years, joining about the same time as Inder Sidhu in the 1990s. It was truly an exceptional place to work, and my experiences there left a lasting positive impression. I was part of some of the product stories he recounts, and this is where my recollection departs from Inder's. He's not trying to be deceptive, merely carefully selective to support his thesis. I did get a little suspicious of the frequent occurrence of the figure "40%". In so many of the vignettes, this is the stated bookings growth achieved as a result of "doing both".
Summaries of the thought processes for some of the major decisions are thought provoking -- made me think about how I could use the same ideas in my business. The most difficult part of corporate decision-making is bringing the rest of the organization along on the journey, though, and there's precious little on how that was achieved.
In short, an interesting glimpse into the inner life of Cisco, a good-but-not-great business book. Another reviewer describes it as a modern The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book that Will Change the Way You Do Business (Collins Business Essentials) -- I can't agree with that. It's too anecdotal, without the rigor and depth of Christiansen's work.


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Communicate with Confidence, Revised and Expanded Edition: How to Say it Right the First Time and Every Time Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is very handy, but one should not underestimate the impact that the lack of structure has. After reading the book, you will be overwhelmed by the redundancy and repitition. Yes the book is filled with handy tips, but in the end, that is all they are tips, which treat the symptoms of bad communication; NOT THE CAUSES. Without a structure, explaining the root causes, some tips are contradictory, some say the same thing in a different way and in the end one is stuck with a huge volume of data, but little information. I am afraid the scope of this book works against it, not for it.

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Make your meaning clear, send the right signal, and never miscommunicate again. What do you do when a client calls while you're having lunch with another client? How do you stand out with a persuasive message in a sea of social media? Is tweeting every two minutes aggressive, intrusive, smart, or just friendly? For learning the art of effective communication, there's no better resource than the business communication classic "Communicate With Confidence". Retaining all the information that has made has made this a business communication classic, the second edition is updated to include new rules for conveying a message clearly, politely, and confidently via videoconferencing, teleconferencing, social media sites, and mobile phones. Dianna Booher is CEO of Booher Consultants, a global performance improvement firm that helps organizations increase profitability and market share through more effective communication. She is the bestselling author of several books, including "Communicate with Confidence", "Speak with Confidence", and "The Voice of Authority".

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Of Time, Work, and Leisure Review

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(More customer reviews)What is the ultimate goal of a society? Two possible answers are: Work and Leisure. The goal of current US culture appears to be work, at least for the majority of people. Why shouldn't it be leisure instead?
This book, written in the very early 1960s, is still relevant today for the questions it asks, which are very neglected but of utmost importance, viz., is the "good life" solely constituted of work? This question is analyzed from a 1960s perspective so it is, sadly, fairly dated in that respect (though it is interesting in its analysis of how people spent leisure time four decades ago). The book is also a little plodding, and the argument is presented in a very disjointed and sometimes overly statistical fashion. I had to literally struggle through some of the later chapters. Nonetheless, the issues are still very relevant, and the questions De Grazia asks are still worth asking today (in fact, they may be more pressing today than they were in the 1960s).
The book does include a good historical survey of how the world has looked at leisure since the time of Aristotle. This is how the book begins, and it is completely engrossing for the first few chapters. De Grazia discusses the sticky issues surrounding leisure and slavery in a society, and outlines a history of how we have been gradually progressing "toward the work society."
This could easily have been a book in itself. Unfortunately, the book begins to drag later on. It gets bogged down in details and hard to follow arguments that contrast strongly with the book's beginning. There is, nonetheless, plenty to sink one's teeth into as the book's pace slows (the pace never stops, and it never becomes outright boring, it just doesn't maintain its momentum).
You will not get answers to any difficult questions in this book. What you will get is insight into the issues raised. In short, it is a rewarding but arduous read.

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Building Your Ideal Private Practice: A Guide for Therapists and Other Healing Professionals Review

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(More customer reviews)The first 30 pages alone would have been enough to rank 10 stars! Just by reading this book I became optimistic about my practice and it began to fill. Each chapter gave me ideas I never thought of before. It helped me work smarter - with less effort, much more pleasure. By the time I finished this book I was trying to decide whether to raise my rates or start a waiting list, and I was seeing IDEAL clients, taking no HMO's, charging more than other psychiatrists in my area, and looking forward to going to work each day. This book blends business with integrity and taught me to value myself, my practice and my clients. I recommend it to ANYONE in the health care field. It made it so easy, and helped me to confront business aspects I hadn't been paying attention to. And she gives so may real life examples, it feels do-able. This book is worth a years' worth of high quality business consulting. I recommend it to any of my clients who have private practices from yoga instruction to massage therapists, and to all my friends in the psychotherapy field. I have never made so much money or felt so good about my practice in my life. She even makes talking to clients about money something I can now do in a way that feels both appropriate and respectful - to me and to them. What I have learned has already netted me literally thousands of dollars. I have never written a book review before, but I have to express my gratitude in some way, and this is my attempt to let others know that with the suggestions, tips and encouragement from this book, it is not only possible to make a living doing therapy, but to build an IDEAL practice without having to contract with any insurance companies. What a God-send of a book.

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Would you like to: Make more money in your private practice? Attract more idealclients? Generate a flow of qualityreferrals? Revitalize your existingpractice? Have increased confidence as abusiness owner?
In this book, psychotherapistand business coach Lynn Grodzki acts as yourpersonal business coach and shows you how tobuild an ideal private practice-one that isboth highly profitable and personallysatisfying.Today, being a talentedprofessional is not enough to ensure the success of your private practice; you also need to be anenthusiastic, talented businessperson.Grodzki's business strategies are effective and immediately useful for a wide range of privatepractitioners, including social workers,psychologists, psychiatrists, massagetherapists, energy healers, life coaches, andchiropractors.Whether you are just startingout as an independent practitioner or looking to revitalize an existing practice, Building YourIdeal Private Practice provides a foundation for business and personal growth that will lead youto a new level of personal and financialenrichment. Presenting innovative businessconcepts in a format specifically adapted forthe therapeutic profession, this book guidesprofessionals at all stages of theircareers.Bringing together years of experienceand the key elements from her Private PracticeSuccess Program with an easy and accessiblewriting style, Grodzki's book will help you not only build a successful practice outside managedcare, but also ensure that your businessreflects your true values and talents.

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Making Your Small Farm Profitable: Apply 25 Guiding Principles/Develop New Crops & New Markets/Maximize Net Profits Per Acre Review

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(More customer reviews)First, let me begin by saying what this book is not. This book gives zero advice to practicing small or large farmers on how to turn a profit. This book is not a how-to guide for those starting out. Nor is it a step-by-step method on how to get rich by working the land. If that were the case, then every small farmer in America would have read the book and gotten wealthy, instead of banks and other creditors foreclosing on family farms and putting them on the auctioning block.
Now, let me elaborate on what this book really is. This book is a very polite warning by two very seasoned, jaded individuals who are aware of the escapist notions and romantic fantasies many people have about farming. They have been around long enough to have become intimately familiar with the Back to the Land Movement, a Return to Simplicity, and Environmental Sustainability/Sustainable Agriculture- aka The New Improved Agriculture. It took me a while to realize this (three readings in fact!) and understand the dangers associated with one pernicious stereotype about farming.
Many of us on the sidelines believe that anyone can farm, and all it takes is a willingness to work hard (the trite saying about hard-working ditch diggers getting rich comes readily to mind). When we think of the farmer, we often have one (malicious) stereotype in mind- that of the dumb country boy with a 'gee aw shucks' outlook on farming and life. Basically, we really do not think it takes brains in order to farm successfully. I mean, after all, you take some seeds, toss in a little fertilizer of your choice, water them and come back in a few months to collect your crop and get your pesos (almost literally)- just how hard could that be?
Well, speaking as someone who is thoroughly new to farming, never once has farmed, and is inquisitive about the practice of agriculture, after considerable investigation I can tell you the prospective reader that no matter how hard they work, dumb people will not be able to stay on the farm for long. We on the sidelines do not think farming is difficult because we do not think about the Practice of Farming and the Business of Farming. If your experience of farming up to this point is shopping at your local natural foods co-op, perusing the stalls at the local weekly farmer's market, or wandering the aisles at some trendy, eco-hip retailer like Whole Foods or Wilds Oats (who have skillfully co-opted environmentalism as a path to insane riches), and you are considering going into farming as a vocation, then I do not think you will hear the polite warning contained in this book. If you are someone stuck in a dead-end or high-paying but otherwise unfulfilling career (like this reviewer), and you are seeking an out, a means of escape (what we politely but laughingly call a 'transition'), then you just might catch the polite warning consistently stated throughout this book.
Farming attracts many people not because of its business or financial aspects but because of the lifestyle many people associate with farming. If you are an MD, then you are in the business of healthcare. Your business and your lifestyle are completely different. In fact, whether your business is highly successful or modestly successful, your lifestyle could be lavish, it could be modest, or it could be parsimonious- it's up to you and your personal preferences. If you don't like your current situation, from where you work, to who you work for (read HMOs) to your clientele base, you can make a change without changing your lifestyle- too much that is.
Now here is the polite warning: if you are drawn to farming because of the lifestyle, and you turn this lifestyle into a business, then it behooves you to make damn certain that your business can pay for itself, because after all, your business is your lifestyle and your lifestyle is your business. The lifestyle will not work out if the business end does not pay. In fact, the business end may place quite severe limitations on the lifestyle you can reasonably expect to achieve, which in many cases will be well below what you are currently accustomed to. Unlike a 9 to 5 gig with some godless multinational, you can not simply just pack up and leave (this assumes implicitly that the heartless .......... have not fired you in the latest round of restructurings), and if the business end does not work out, you lose not only your lifestyle, but also your home.
For me, the true heart of the book and the real message of the text were contained in the Foreword by Budd Kerr Jr and Part I- Getting Started. In terms of content, the book contains little on the techniques of farming, and has eleven chapters divided into four parts- Getting Started, Farming, Planning and Marketing, and Management, with a handy appendix chock full of useful resources on the Business and Practice of Farming. The text is specifically pitched at a level that almost anyone can understand, and there is a noticeable bias towards the environmentally minded reader.
That said, the true purpose of this book is to get you, the prospective reader who may be thinking of getting into farming, to start thinking about the Practice of Farming and the Business of Farming, all romanticism and eco-hip verbiage aside. This book is of no use to someone who is already farming, and in need of help. The best time to read this book is before you get into farming whole hog as they say down on the farm.
Even though it took me three passes to finally get the message, I am glad that I did read it before taking any action.
Read this book several times BEFORE you venture into farming, not during or after.

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This practical, step-by-step guide to operating a small farm in the new millennium examines 20 alternative farming enterprises. Readers will learn how to target niche markets and sustain a farm's biological and economic health.

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Managerial Economics & Business Strategy Review

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(More customer reviews)This book provides an excellent background for learning applied managerial economics. Mr. Baye uses interesting real-world examples, which is difficult when writing about the entirely hypothetical world of micro-economics. I felt that the section on Game Theory was especially useful in explaining real world market paricipant behavior in pricing decisions. Overall, I would highly recommend this book for both students of economics, as well as those non-students seeking a weekend of light reading in the topic of economics.

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Baye's Managerial Economics and Business Strategy remains the best-selling managerial economics textbook.It was the first textbook to provide students with the tools from intermediate microeconomics, game theory, and industrial organization to make sound managerial decisions.Baye is known for his real-world examples, frontier research, inclusion of modern topics not found in other managerial books, as well as balanced coverage of traditional and modern microeconomic tools.The Sixth Edition retains all of these signature features, and it includes a number of new class-tested features.These include enhanced pedagogical features such as learning objectives, new and updated business applications, additional end-of-chapter problems, better prose, and updated data.Additionally, the Time Warner Case, introduced last edition, is strengthened in the Sixth Edition with detailed teaching notes and nine additional end-of-case problems.

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Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose Review

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(More customer reviews)There has been quite a crop of customer service related books recently, as well as the classics in the field. They each have their own angle, and I'm going to use this brief review as a chance to summarize where Delivering Happiness falls in this group as well as how to complement it with a couple of other books with different approaches that make for a very well-rounded outlook in tandem.
As far as [[Delivering Happiness: A Path to Profits, Passion, and Purpose:]]
I was privileged to get a galley of this much-anticipated title. It's the story of an entrepreneur and the different paths he took (or twists in the one path, depending on how you look at it). A fascinating story, and not just because of the bezillion dollars he got selling the company to amazon. (And: how can you not like a guy who calls his warehouse WHISKY (WareHouse Inventory and Supply in Kentucky -- Page 118)? Heavy emphasis on his pursuit of happiness for himself and his staff -- very admirable and inspiring.
If you're looking to directly transform your customer service/customer experience, you may want to add to Tony's inspiring autobiography some directly actionable books to help you turn his ideas into techniques you can put into practice right away -- and that are highly consonant with Tony's pro-employee, pro-customer, outlook -- I suggest two books --one a classic, one that's new this Spring -- that can take care of this for you.
1. Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Five-Star Customer Service Organization
This, like Tony Hsieh's book, is a new title this Spring. Practical, useful insights from the insiders who created high-tech startups and The Ritz-Carlton. Contains specific prescriptions for how to handle many different customer situations like they're handled at the companies profiled inside (incl: Zappos, Ritz-Carlton, Netflix, Charlie Trotter's, Lexus,), appendices with scripts you can use right away, etc.
2. [[Customers For Life: How To Turn That One-Time Buyer Into a Lifetime Customer]]
This is an older title, and a classic: how a texas cadillac dealer, of all people, mastered great customer service. Extremely simple, but never simplistic. Has inspired many business leaders since it was written. Many pages have usable, actionable insights. If you don't have this in your library (and in your psyche) yet, why not? You can probably grab it used for next to nothing, and the wisdom is timeless enough that you hardly need the "latest revised edition" if you need to save a few dollars.


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Project Power: How to Get a Business Project Done Right the First Time Review

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(More customer reviews)This book appeals to everyone from a student to an experienced project manager. It is just as easy to read as "People Power" yet contains the important phases and activities required for a successful project without losing the reader with technical jargon. Dr. Kovach provides a sample project methodolgy which guides the reader through the differnt phases of a plan. I would recommend this book to anyone who is part of a project within an organization as it touches on many aspects that anyone can learn from.

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The Secrets of Economic Indicators: Hidden Clues to Future Economic Trends and Investment Opportunities, 2nd Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)On any given weekday, stocks and bonds gyrate in response to some economic announcement.
Bernard Baumohl, a Time magazine economics writer with more than 20 years of experience, has written a guide to these indicators and their importance to the financial markets.
The book promises to become dog-eared quickly. In concise language it explains what Baumohl indicates are the most influential U. S. and International Economic Indicators. Beginning in Chapter 2, the author defines the phrases and concepts essential to an understanding of the indicators.
In Chapter 3 he jumps into the heart of the matter: U. S. economic indicators. Each indicator is evaluated using the following criteria:
*Why is it important?
*How is it computed?
*What does it day about the future?
*How might stocks, bonds and/or currencies react to its announcement?
In Chapter 4, he examines the 10 most influential foreign indicators using the same criteria.
In the final two chapters, Baumohl provides a list of web sites that compile economic data. What in the past costs thousands of dollars is available on the web at no cost.
If any facet of your life is effected by these indicators, you owe it to yourself to keep a copy of this book nearby.


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"This is the real deal. Baumohl miraculously breathes life into economic indicators and statistics."–The Wall Street Journal"This is the most up-to-date guide to economic indicators and their importance to financial markets in print. The coverage of less-reported indicators, especially those from nongovernment sources, is hard to find elsewhere. The inclusion of the actual published tables helps the newer student of the markets find the data in the public release. For anyone trying to follow the economic data, this should be next to your computer so that you can understand and find the data on the Internet."–David Wyss, Chief Economist, Standard and Poor's"I find Baumohl's writing fascinating. In addition to the famous indicators, he includes many that I hadn't heard of. I really appreciate that he tells you exactly where to find each indicator on the Web. Just about anyone who's serious about understanding which way the economy is headed will want to read this book. It could be a classic."–Harry Domash, Columnist for MSN Money and Publisher, Winning Investing Newsletter"Bernie Baumohl has accomplished something of real value in The Secrets of Economic Indicators. He has successfully demystified the world of financial and economic news that bombards us in our daily lives. Both professional investors and casual observers of the world of finance and economics will be grateful for what he has done. The constant stream of heretofore bewildering news from the world of business and finance can now be easily understood. Every businessperson or investor should keep a copy of Baumohl's book close at hand as he or she catches up on the business, stock market, and economic events of the day. It is great, at long last, to have someone who has eliminated what may have been so perplexing to so many and to have done so with such remarkable clarity."–Hugh Johnson, Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of Johnson Illington Advisors"Bernie Baumohl has written a must-read educational and reference book that every individual investor will find indispensable for watching, monitoring, and interpreting the markets. The daily flow of high frequency economic indicators is the stuff that makes financial markets move and that can signal the big trends that make or break investor portfolios. Most important, Bernie's long experience in reporting economics for Time Magazine helps make the 'dismal science' lively and interesting."–Allen Sinai, President and Chief Global Economist, Decision Economics, Inc."Baumohl has a gift for taking a complicated subject and allowing it to read like a fast-moving novel. My confidence in reading and understanding economic indicators as portrayed in this book made me realize the possibilities this information holds for improving my personal net worth as well as navigating my business toward higher profits. I recommend this book if you care about your future finances."–Morris E. Lasky, CEO, Lodging Unlimited, Inc.; Manager and consultant for $6 billion in hotel assets; Chairman, Lodging Conference; Chairman, International Hotel Conference"I think this is an excellent book. It's well written, accessible to a variety of readers, deals with an interesting and important subject, and covers the topic well. It deserves to get a lot of notice and use."–D. Quinn Mills, Alfred J. Weatherhead, Jr., Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School"Economic statistics, employment data, Federal Reserve surveys. Think they are boring? Think again! They can drive markets into a frenzy, causing billions of dollars to be made or lost in an instant. Bernie Baumohl brilliantly, clearly, and, yes, entertainingly describes what every investor and business manager should know about economic indicators: which ones move markets, how to interpret them, and how to use them to spot and capitalize on future economic trends. The Secrets of Economic Indicators is an extraordinary and insightful work–an enormously important contribution to the body of financial literature. Read it and then keep it on your desk. Consult it the next time you are deluged with a flurry of economic statistics. Your understanding certainly will be enhanced, and your portfolio will likely be as well."–Robert Hormats, Vice Chairman, Goldman Sachs (International)"If you want to make money investing, this is an essential trend-tracking tool that will help get you to the bank. This book is the real deal. Bernard Baumohl miraculously breathes life into deadly economic indicators and boring statistics . . . he knows what he's talking about, and his expertise proves it."–Gerald Celente, Director, The Trends Research InstituteCOMPLETELY UPDATED! THE PLAIN-ENGLISH, UP-TO-THE-MINUTE GUIDETO ECONOMIC INDICATORS: WHAT THEY MEAN, AND HOW TO USE THEM!Every day, investments bounce wildly in response to new economic indicators: statistics that provide crucial clues about the future of the economy and the markets. Now, you can use these indicators to make smarter investment decisions, just like the professionals. You don't need an economics degree, or a CPA–just The Secrets of Economic Indicators, Second Edition!Using up-to-the-minute examples and real-world stories, former TIME Magazine senior economics reporter Bernard Baumohl illuminates every U.S. and foreign indicator that matters right now. You'll learn where to find them, what their track records are, how to interpret them, and how to use that information to make better decisions. Baumohl has thoroughly updated this best-seller with new data, new examples, new indicators, and revised analyses–including a new assessment of the value of yield curves in predicting business cycles. Thousands of investors and business planners swore by the First Edition: these updates make it even more valuable.• New! Today's 10 most crucial leading indicatorsBetter ways to predict economic turning points in time to profit• Get ahead of the curve with the latest U.S. indicatorsNew insights into U.S. employment, monetary policy, inflation, capital flows, and more• Emerging foreign indicators you need to trackFrom China to India, Europe to Brazil...and beyond• Making sense of indicators in conflictWhat to do when the numbers disagree• Finding the dataFree Web resources for the latest economic data• Which economic indicators really matter right now?• What do they mean for stocks, bonds, interest rates, currencies...your portfolio?• How can you use them to make faster, smarter investment decisions?• Simple, clear, non-technical, friendly, usable...the only book of its kind!• By Bernard Baumohl, renowned economic analyst and former award-winning TIME Magazine financial journalistNew edition, with extensive new coverage:• Many new U.S. and global indicators, from new employment reports to box office receipts• New examples and up-to-the-minute data• Updated analyses of yield curves and other key metrics• More international coverage• New rankings of leading economic indicators, and much moreAbout the Author xiiiWhat's New in the Second Edition? xvPreface xviiAcknowledgments xxiiiChapter 1 The Lock-Up 1Chapter 2 A Beginner's Guide: Understanding the Lingo 17Chapter 3 The Most Influential U.S. Economic Indicators 25Chapter 4 International Economic Indicators: Why Are They So Important? 325Chapter 5 Best Web Sites for U.S. Economic Indicators 373Chapter 6 Best Web Sit...

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Age of Conversation 3: It's Time to Get Busy Review

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(More customer reviews)Most business books take 200 pages to explain one basic notion. Not Age of Conversation. Since this is a collaborative book by over 170 people, pretty much every page contains a stand-alone insight. This is a perfect book to pick up in lost moments to quickly read a couple of thought-starting entries. Even better, because the 170 marketing, PR and communications experts actually communicated whiel they were writing this, after a while it turns out the stand-alone insights are all connected to form an interesting collection where many ideas build one greater story. Very cool.

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Following the success of the first two editions, Age of Conversation 3: It's Time to Get Busy! again kick-starts the discussion about how the global marketing landscape is changing. With over 170 of the world's leading marketers, writers, thinkers and creative innovators contributing chapters, this collaborative work investigates the roles that community, conversation, experimentation, engagement, and collaboration play in shaping the 21st century's economy of ideas. As businesses, public and private organizations, and individuals realize that there's much more to social media and its impacts than meets the eye, Age of Conversation 3 shows us which platforms, tools, and approaches truly work, as well as those that simply don't. "Social media" may be the business buzzword (or, buzz-phrase) of 2010, but what's happening beyond the hype? What new practices and guidelines is social media imposing on business-as-usual? And what makes this type of media so much different than the media we're all used to?From the boardroom to the locus of customer interaction, social media is transforming the way we do business. The impact of this is being felt in every customer interaction, each business decision, and even in the way we source, retain and engage our staffs. This third book in the Age of Conversation series is crowdsourced, bringing together the world's leading practitioners to share their stories, perspectives, observations, and strategies. Their diverse insights and varying approaches are a reflection of the global, changing nature of business today.

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The One to One Future: Building Relationships One Customer at a Time Review

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(More customer reviews)Peppers and Rogers may be the pioneers of one-to-one marketing techniques (or maybe even not), but they're terrible book writers. I've read their articles on the same topics, and they're much more concise. In the book, you learn all you really need to know in the first few paragraphs of each chapter; the rest is just regurgitation. I eventually gave up; I just couldn't read it anymore. You'd be better off reading a few articles, or someone else's books, unless you have an extremely high attention span or no background whatsoever in the concepts they discuss. They're very smart people, but if you've already learned the basics, this book will waste your time.

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All Moms Work: Short-term Career Strategies for Long-range Success (Capital Ideas for Business & Personal Development) Review

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(More customer reviews)ALL MOMS WORK does just what it's subtitle suggests: It offers short-term career strategies for long-rang success! And that's what any career-minded mother needs who decides to make raising her children her first priority. The book suggests ways to keep your resume fresh, earn money through part-time jobs, and/or study for a new career while being a parent. What I really liked was its nonjudgmental attitude and its realistic career strategies because, let's face it, most mothers will return to work when necessity or timing is right. Sharon Reed Abboud is obviously a mother who is a skilled career strategist and a knowledgeable friend.

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More Mortgage Meltdown: 6 Ways to Profit in These Bad Times Review

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(More customer reviews)The first half was an excellent analysis of the mess we are in and how it will only get worse. Second 1/2 advice was fair, but not why to buy the book. Should have had more evaluation of what happens as a consequence of this problem, rather than his case studies. Worth the first 1/2 but a bit disappointing after that. Read it, then HS Dent's "The Great Depression Ahead" and you will have a real game plan.

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A clear look at how to capture investment profits during difficult financial times

The U.S. economy has become crippled by the credit and real estate catastrophe. Even though we've all been affected by the calamity and have heard no shortage of news about it, it still seems unfathomable and utterly incomprehensible to most people that the actions of certain mortgage brokers, bankers, ratings agencies, and investment banks could break the economic engine of the world.
Now, for the first time, and in terms everyone can grasp, noted analysts and value investing experts Whitney Tilson and Glenn Tongue explain not only how it happened, but shows that the tsunami of credit problems isn't over. The second wave has yet to come. But if you know catastrophe is looming, you can sidestep the train wreck-and even profit. You just need to understand how bad times present opportunity and where to look. More Mortgage Meltdown can help you achieve this goal.The book
Breaks down the complex mortgage products and rocket-science securities Wall Street created
Addresses how to find investment opportunities within the rubble and position your portfolio to take advantage of the crisis
Explains exactly how the combination of aggressive lending, government missteps, and Wall Street trading practices created the perfect economic storm
Shows you why the crisis is not yet over and what we can expect going forward

More Mortgage Meltdown can help you understand the events that have unfolded, and put you in a better position to profit from the opportunities that arise during these tough financial times.

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