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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The History of the World's Greatest Entrepreneurs: The Biography of Success Review

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(More customer reviews)I read this book because I heard it was derived from a 7 year study of around 150 of the world's greatest entrepreneurs throughout all time and then condensed down into a selection of just 45.
This book features great entrepreneurs across a 1000 year span from Godric to Gates. For each entrepreneur we're given a mini biography which is written in an entertaining but yet educational fashion. Its a heavy weight book at 500 pages but very easy to dip in and out of. Almost like an encyclopaedia or dictionary of the greatest entrepreneurs.
Napoleon Hill studied all the World's great entrepreneurs before writing his book "Think & Grow Rich". Now the study has been done for us we can pick a success model to work with from this crystallized selection of just 45 of the World's Greatest! If you want to know how some of those deals happened, how to win in business, how to keep getting up each time, get material to support your strategy and mindset going forward then this book is a must! Must! Must!
Just bought 2 for father's day, my son's graduation, my sisters birthday. I think everyone should have one.
(Phew, I suppose you can tell I love it eh!).


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Product DescriptionThe first book of its kind; One thousand years of entrepreneurial history. Napoleon Hill studied many successful men before writing the iconic book Think and Grow Rich which has been a best seller for decades. Now everyone has the opportunity to study dozens of the World s greatest entrepreneurs throughout time as Napoleon Hill did, including entrepreneurs studied by Napoleon Hill, such as Andrew Carnegie. The book also tells the story of Napoleon Hill s life and how created and lost several fortunes throughout his career as an entrepreneur. To have major success we need mentors, people who have successfully done what we are trying to do. This book provides a host of mentors to choose from. Authors that produced books like The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Steve Covey, Think Like a Winner by Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie s How to Win Friends & Influence People, studied the great successes of this world. This book allows the reader to do the same.

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Sports Leaders & Success : 55 Top Sports Leaders & How They Achieved Greatness Review

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(More customer reviews)
Only a brave soul presumes to offer a list of the "greatest," whatever the category. What we have here is a collection of material from Investor's Business Daily's "Leaders & Success" section which focuses on 55 "top sports leaders & how they achieved greatness." Being somewhat of a listmaniac myself, I am always curious to see who makes a given list and who doesn't. Here's the problem which I as well as all other list compilers really cannot solve: Whom to replace? In this volume, Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson are mentioned only briefly. Should one or both replace Nancy Lopez, Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods, or Babe Didrikson Zaharias? What about Sam Snead who isn't even mentioned, nor are several great athletes in other sports such as Wilt Chamberlain, Jack Dempsey, Lou Gehrig, and Pete Sampras? Re the list of 55, should Chamberlain replace Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (yes), Dempsey replace Jersey Joe Walcott (yes), Gehrig replace Jim Thorpe (at least in the baseball section, yes), and Sampras replace Ivan Lendl (yes)? Oh well. All 55 are worthy. Perhaps the most important differentiator is leadership. Even then, I have some disagreements. To repeat, oh well. This is the IBD's list, not mine.
All that said, I enjoyed reading this book. It is filled with relevant information and makes a strong case for certain qualities of character which usually enable those who possess them to succeed, whatever the field of competition may be. For example, "they work hard, they're driven to achieve, they're fiercely determined [Dempsey once said that champions get up when they can't] and they also have a singular approach that sets them apart from the competition." String together a series of adjectives associated with the 55 and you also have a respectable list of what success in other areas requires: studious, focused, stubborn, resourceful, tenacious, passionate for competition, self-assured, mentally as well as physically fit, obsessed with winning (or not losing), fearless, and proud.
The material is organized within six Parts:
Insisting on the Best (e.g. Mays, Hamm, McEnroe, Ted Williams)
Clearing the Toughest Hurdles (e.g. Heiden, Thorpe, Ronaldo, Owens)
Putting the "Work" in "Work Ethic" (e.g. Lewis, West, Erving, Armstrong)
Learning How to Be the Greatest (e.g. Navratilova, Shoemaker, Louis, Spitz)
Without Risk, There Is No Success (e.g. Jackie Robinson, Phil Jackson, Muhammad Ali, Rickey)
Fine-Tuning Focus Yields Excellence (e.g. Auerbach, Jordan, Paige, and Gretzky)
The profiles which I enjoyed most were of those about whom I knew little (if anything) previously. For example, George Haines, Erik Weihenmayer, Jackie Stiles, Peggy Fleming, Paula Newby-Fraser, and Nadia Comaneci. Those who share my high regard for this book should check out Michael Mandelbaum's The Meaning of Sports: Why Americans Watch Baseball, Football, and Basketball and What They See When They Do as well as Rosabeth Moss Kanter's Confidence: How Winning Streaks and Losing Streaks Begin and End.

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Sports Leaders & Success chronicles how 55 celebrated athletes and coaches rose to the top of their games, uncovering methods that can be adapted to any competitive environment and translated into success. Building on the popular and respected Investor's Business Daily "Leaders & Succes" section, this inspirational, results-focused book examines:

How basketball legend John Wooden won an unsurpassed 10 of 12 NCAA Championship titles
How Mia Hamm's committment made her the all-time leading scorer in women's soccer
How Michael Jordan's dedication won him the NBA scoring title a record 10 times

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The On-Time, On-Target Manager Review

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(More customer reviews)I have always enjoyed Ken Blanchard's management books because they deliver simple and straightforward management principles in an easy-to-learn style. For example, The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey is a classic of proper delegation.
Unfortunately, the Last Minute Manager was not up to the usual standards of this series. The book was not compelling and did not really teach the reader a solution to the problem of procrastination.
*The basic problem was that the book did not have a simple system to teach. Though the system was called The Three P's these were really headings for a complex variety of questions, ideas and principles that made the execution process more complex than it needed to be. The fact that the third "P" started with C was a bit jarring. The book claimed this was a mnemonic device but I see it more as an symptom of the fact that the whole model needed more work.
*The main character is a doofus. I didn't find myself cheering for his success, I simply found myself annoyed with him. The descriptions of him as "Bob the last-minute Manger", "Bob the suddenly-surprised Manager", "Bob the newly-focused Manager" etc were also annoying.*The book had too much theory and not enough tactics. It presented you with high levels questions and ideas about your priorities but it was light on examples of how to use them. For example it shows you a "triage" form but we never see Bob use it.
*There were no examples of how Bob the-highly-annoying Manager used his new found skills to improve his work or productivity. The book did not clearly tie the process in the book to the problem of lateness, poor-quality, and stress.
There is definitely room for a Blanchard book on the problem of time management. I'm afraid that I can't recommend this one. Instead I recommend "First Things First" by Steven Covey for those struggling with this issue. It is much more work to read, but I think it solves the problems that afflict Bob in this story in a more straightforward manner.
Finally there is a pet peeve. Why do all these management book use married men as examples of people who need to be fixed? I agree that the problem of choosing a sex for someone with a problem is vexing, and its most likely that married men will be the least likely to complain. That said, I think there is room for some originality in this realm. The work world has a much wider constituency than married men named "Bob". I hope we see it reflected in future books.

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High Trust Selling: Make More Money in Less Time with Less Stress Review

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(More customer reviews)I'm one of those who likes to read reviews before buying a book. In this case, I concur with all the reviews except for the two who seem to have skipped Duncan's Introduction in the book. After reading the other reviewers' comments, I was a little skeptical to buy "High Trust Selling" at first because of the two reviewers who say Duncan doesn't ever define "high trust." But when I picked up the book and read the Intro, "high trust" was clearly defined there, and then expanded upon in great detail throughout the remainder of the book. In the Intro Duncan writes, "...sales are made when trust exists. But in the sales profession there's more to steady success than being a trustworthy person - although that's certainly where it starts. Long-term sales success happens when HIGH trust exists - when you are a trustworthy salesperson running a trustworthy sales business. When it's clear to your clients that you are a person of integrity who will not only do what you say but who also has the means to deliver. It is one thing to be a trustworthy person with a sales job; it's another to be a trustworthy salesperson with a reliable business.
"A trustworthy person will do everything in his power to follow through on what he has promised - and that's very important. But if a trustworthy person is not ALSO an efficient salesperson running an efficient sales business, trust will only go so far. It may land a sale or two, but it rarely will last beyond that. High trust is necessary to climb to the top, whether you're selling cars or copiers; hats or home loans; footwear or financial services. And high trust happens by design, not by accident. It's earned and preserved, but never finagled. Despite what you've read or been taught to this point in your sales career, it takes more than fortitude and flattery to become great in the sales profession. If you are a trustworthy salesperson running a respectable, reliable sales business, you will succeed in the sales profession . . . in less time than you think and with much less stress than you're accustomed to. More than that, with high trust on your side you will climb to the top of your industry and remain there."
All things considered, this is a very valuable book - even if you're already successful in a sales industry. This book will both teach you and keep you focused on the keys to staying on top as a salesperson. I highly recommend it.

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The Power of Slow: 101 Ways to Save Time in Our 24/7 World Review

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(More customer reviews)*****
Is it possible to create time abundance? To cultivate an attitude of experiencing time as slow, time as a friend...as there being more than enough time to accomplish everything that the day should hold? I think that it is possible, and this is what I'm doing, thanks to this wonderful book that takes a fresh and practical look at befriending time and slowing down your life.
Unlike many of the books I've read on this subject, this book goes beyond the philosophy of time abundance and the whole Slow Movement and into practical and concrete ways of implementing mindfulness and the philosophy of slow with a special emphasis on different ways of dealing with technology and information overload. The book covers useful, modern issues such as cell phone multi-tasking, creative ways of handling call-waiting, dealing with time suckers and addictive behaviors, delegating, managing expectations, and so much more. This book is not so much about time management as it is about life management so that each of us can best use the limited and uncertain amount of time that we each have. Since I have viewed time as something to race against, and have felt like time's victim, this appealed enormously to me.
I began to read The Power of Slow with my journal next to me, keeping a list of everything that struck me that I'd want to do differently or think about differently. I came up with a time abundance plan that I've been implementing and tweaking, one that is truly changing my life. If you have been looking for a practical tool that addresses your real-life concerns, look no further. You'll get far more than just a list of 101 things, however. The author shares important ideas about how to think about time differently, perhaps the most important part of the book; without thinking about time in a new way--as a friend--the changes you make won't have the impact they could.
To give you some examples of my personal time makeover: I now limit the number of television shows I keep up with. I have a list of programs I'm willing to give up my time for, and that's it. I hold myself to it. And although I work at home, I have a defined schedule, so that when people ask me for a time commitment, I check my schedule and can say, "I can't do that, I'm working, but I'll be available after 4 p.m." For the last few weeks I've been saying, "No" constantly (but kindly). I keep only ONE browser window open when I'm focusing on something intently. I've delegated work to people who work for me and stopped micro-managing thanks to the idea that if I delegate, the work will never be done the way I would do it, but that's okay, considering what I've exchanged it for--the opportunity for me to complete other work myself that is far more important to me. I've found that, as the author says, small changes can open up enormous energy.
I am learning to view time as my friend and as an opportunity. It is not an overstatement to say that this has changed my life and will continue to change my life. The author writes that our relationship with time determines all other relationships in our life. I now agree with this, and encourage you to find out why this is so by starting your own adventure into "The Power of Slow".
Highly recommended.
*****

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Overwhelmed by electronic gadgets? Buried under an avalanche of e-mails? Juggling too many tasks and responsibilities? Desperately in need of a deep breath and a time-out? For all of us who answer yes to any of these questions, help is on the way. Getting to the heart of our hassled and over-scheduled existence,Christine Louise Hohlbaum cheerfully investigates 101 ways to increase our quality of life and productivityby reevaluating how we perceive and use time. Everyone has their own personal bank account of time, and while we cannot control time itself, we can manage the activitieswith which we fill the time we have available to us. The Power of Slow gives readers practical, concise directions to change the relationship they have with time and debunks the myths of multitasking, speed, and urgency as the only ways to efficiency.Tips include:· When working on a project on your computer, close all the windows, with the exception of the one you need to do your job.· Learn to say no in a polite and constructive way to favors, invitations,and requests.· Manage your own expectations, as well as those of others, by clearly stating what is possible in the time frame given.· Declare gadget-free zones (both geographical and temporal) to really enjoy your leisure time.· Know when your plate is full.· Make commitments to difficult tasks in five-minute increments and gradually increase the increments.· Save your most favorite or the easiest tasks for last to avoid procrastination.The Power of Slow will help readers identify areas in need of improvement and show them how to become more efficient and less frazzled at work and at home---and live a better, more balanced life.

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Campus CEO: The Student Entrepreneur's Guide to Launching a Multi-Million-Dollar Business Review

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(More customer reviews)It's been 13 years since I graduated college - so I'm definitely past the typical "Campus CEO" age - still, Dr. Pinkett's book taught me so much. I've had a small, side business in addition to my full-time job for almost a decade, however I've never really taken the time to write a full business plan, research how to obtain investors or other funding, hire other employees, etc.
"Campus CEO" has taught me about all of those things, and more.
One of the greatest things about "Campus CEO" is its user-friendly approach and candid, conversational tone. I bought an extra copy to share with my children and recommend others do the same. Dr. Pinkett's book is inspiring and a must-read for anyone - not just those on campus - interested in learning more about starting a business.

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The 4 Disciplines of Execution Review

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(More customer reviews)I attended this training session in person, and purchased the CD's from Amazon to share with team mates who were not able to go. While I believe the CD's are a good reinforcement and reminder for me.... alone, they lack meaning in many areas and would be weak training at best. This is mostly a recording of a live training session, without the benefit of the workbooks or group interaction.

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In business, survival depends on meeting objectives. Most failures in organizations today are not the result of a lack of smarts, they are caused by a lack of execution - things just don't get done. Defining a clear strategy and setting goals is one thing, sticking to strategy and meeting those goals is quite another. The 4 Disciplines of Execution teaches how to focus on your top priorities and get the critical things accomplished. Whether you are a member of a team, lead a team, or lead an entire organization, this workshop will equip you to deliver on your top priorities consistently and introduce you to four universal business disciplines that deliver results again and again:A. Focus on the Wildly Important. B. Create a Compelling Scoreboard. C. Translate Lofty Goals into Specific Actions. D. Hold Each Other Accountable - All of the Time.Each discipline includes a business principle, old thinking, new thinking, and a metaphor that further clarifies the learning. A bonus section on IMPLEMENTING THE DISCIPLINES supported by a special resource CD, gives critical information about activating the power of the 4 Disciplines in your organization.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People Review

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(More customer reviews)As the title of the book implies, Covey describes the seven habits of highly effective people and techniques for adopting the seven habits. Covey makes clear that an individual must make a paradigm shift before incorporating these habits into his/her own personal life. A paradigm is essentially the way an individual perceives something. Covey emphasizes that if we want to make a change in our lives, we should probably first focus on our personal attitudes and behaviors. He applies different examples via family, business, and society in general.
This book's focal point is on an approach to obtain personal and interpersonal effectiveness. Covey points out that private victories precede public victories. He makes the example that making and keeping promises to ourselves comes before making and keeping promises to others.
Habits 1, 2, and 3 deal with self-mastery. They move an individual from dependency on others to independence. Habits 4, 5, and 6 deal with teamwork, cooperation, and communication. These habits deal with transforming a person from dependency to independence to interdependence. Interdependence simply means mutual dependence. Habit 7 embodies all of the other habits to help an individual work toward continuous improvement.
Habit 1 discusses the importance of being proactive. Covey states that we are responsible for our own lives; therefore, we possess the initiative to make things happen. He also points out that proactive people so not blame various circumstances for their behaviors but they realize behavior comes from one's conscious. Covey also explains that the other type of person is reactive. Reactive people are affected by their social as well as physical surroundings. This means that if the weather is bad, then it affects their behavior such as their attitude and performance.
He also explains that all problems that are experienced by individuals fall into one of three categories, which are direct control, indirect control, or no control. The problems that are classified under direct control are the problems that involve our own behavior. The problems classified as indirect control encompasses problems that we can do nothing about. The problems classified as no control are those that we can do nothing about.
Habit 2 focuses on beginning with the end in mind. Covey wants the reader to envision his/her funeral. This may sound disheartening but his goal is to help you think about the words that you wish to be said about you; it can help the individual visualize what you value the most.To begin with the end simply means to start with your destination in mind. That gives an individual a sense of where he/she presently is in their life. One has to know where they are going to make sure that they are headed in the right direction. Covey also mentions that the most effective way to begin with the end is by developing a personal mission statement. After doing that, you should identify your center of attention. Are you spouse centered, money centered, family centered, etc. The he tells you depending on you core of interest, your foundation for security, guidance, and power.
Habit 3 is the practical fulfillment of Habits 1 and 2. Covey accentuates that Habits 1 and 2 are prerequisite to Habit 3. He states that an individual cannot become principle centered developing their own proactive nature; or without being aware of your paradigms; or the capability of envisioning the contribution that is yours to make. One must have an independent will. This is the ability to make decisions and to act in accordance with them.
Habit 4 deals with the six paradigms of interaction, which are win/win, win/lose, lose/win, lose/lose, win, and win/win or no deal. Win/win is a situation in which everyone benefits something. It is not your way or my way; it is a better way. Win/lose declares that if I win then you lose. Simply put, I get my way; you don't get yours. Win/lose people usually use position, power, possessions, or personality to get their way. The win/lose type of person is the person that feels that if I lose; you win. People who feel this way are usually easy to please and find the strength of others intimidating. When two win/lose people get together both will lose resulting in a lose/lose situation. Both will try to get the upper end of the stick but in the end, neither gets anything. The person that simply thinks to win secures their own ends and leaves it up to others to secure theirs. The win/win or no deal person means that if there is not a suitable solution met that satisfies both parties then there is no agreement.
Habit 5 deals with seeking means of effective communication. This habit deals with seeking first to understand. However, we usually seek first to be understood. Most people to not listen with the intent to understand but with the intent to reply. The act of listening to understand is referred to as empathic listening. That means you try to get into the person's frame of mind and think as they are thinking.
Habit 6 discuses combining all of the other habits to prepare us for the habit of synergy. Synergy means that the sum of the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Possessing all of the habits will benefit an individual more than possessing one or two of them. Synergism in communication allows you to open your mind to new possibilities or new options.
Habit 7 involves surrounds the other habits because it is the habit that makes all of the others possible. It is amplifying the greatest asset you have which is yourself. It is renewing your physical, emotional, mental, and social nature. The physical scope involves caring for yourself effectively. Spiritual renewal will take more time. Our mental development comes through formal education. Quality literature in our field of study as well as other fields help to broaden our paradigms. Renewing the social dimension is not as time consuming as the others. We can start by our everyday interactions with people.
Moving along the upward spiral requires us to continuously learn, commit, and do on higher planes. This is essential to keep progressing. At the end of each habit, there are application suggestions or exercises that help you become a more effective person. This is definitely not a quick fix it book. The concepts should be studied in order to be fully achieved. I think if you learn to use these 7 habits, it will change your life.
This is a must-have book.

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The Generosity Plan: Sharing Your Time, Treasure, and Talent to Shape the World Review

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(More customer reviews)The Generosity Plan: Sharing Your Time, Treasure, and Talent to Shape the World
Kathy LeMay's book, The Generosity Plan, is for everyone who has seen the television and print ads, articles and stories of the great need in the world and felt overwhelmed.
Yes, we are able to help!
This wonderfully written book has stories of folks just like us and plans for everyone. You know how you are helping by following the advise in this book.
Read this and give copies as gifts!
Together we can change lives for better and feel good while doing it!

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This Time I Dance: Creating the Work You Love Review

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(More customer reviews)As I read this book I felt like I was along on Tama Kieve's journey. Her book is like a "permission slip" which allows the ability to get off the crowded, usual path and onto the extraordinary path... the different, less traveled way AND the way back to our true selves.
Especially heart warming is the truthfulness of the writing.
Just because Kieves is a "Harvard Lawyer" doesn't mean this whole process was a piece of cake... not at all! Her doubts, her fears, her wonderings, musings and continuings are similar to the ones I have felt as I have traveled my "unconventional path."
As you seek your perfectly unique, beautiful -- and perhaps unconventional path -- you will, like me, laugh in recognition and delight to hear of the first Creative Writing class where Tama writes in amazement, "She had plumbing and plumbing problems! Then she yawned, revealing silver fillings. As if all that weren't enough, I happened to notice that a part of her hem hung longer than the rest of her denim, made-in- America, made-on-my-planet, skirt." followed by her HUGE a-ha "This writing guru was an ordinary woman!"
This book is wise, hilarious, inspiring, thought evoking and much much more than can be put into words.
Kieves chooses her words with artful thought. She literally seems to have lodged herself in my thoughts regularly. I know it is a book I will return to repeatedly.
Read this one now. You won't be disappointed.

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The Best Business Books Ever: The Most Influential Management Books You'll Never Have Time To Read Review

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(More customer reviews)BBBe provides a two-page summary of the hundred most influential business books. The mix is eclectic, including modern authors, such as Peter Senge and Peter Drucker, as well as historical writers, such as Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz and John Stuart Mill.
Probably someone will complain that this is just another `Cliff Notes' of business books, but it provides an interesting history of attitudes towards business and a starting point for anyone looking for a guide to business books worth reading.

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How to Be a Fierce Competitor: What Winning Companies and Great Managers Do in Tough Times Review

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(More customer reviews)
Apparently Jeffrey Fox agrees with Susan Scott (author of Fierce Conversations and then Fierce Leadership) that the word "fierce" has positive as well as negative synonyms, such as robust, intense, strong, powerful, passionate, eager, unbridled, uncurbed, and untamed. It is important to add that, for both Scott and Fox, fierce competitors are highly-principled, play by the rules, welcome challenges, follow what Bill George characterizes as their "True North," embrace opportunities, and consider it a privilege to serve those entrusted to their care, especially customers. According to Fox, fierce organizations are defined by key people - at all levels and in all areas -- who enable their companies to compete fiercely but with principles for sales, profits, market share, and especially talent at a time when competition for them is greater than ever before.
Here are mosaics of brief excerpts to suggest the thrust of Fox's crisp thinking and the flavor of his lively writing style.
On Competitive Companies: "These companies are ethical, honest, compliant with regulations, and model citizens. They are sometimes feared and always watched by their competitors. They are loved by their customers. They are easy to do business with, but they never take it easy...The savvy, smart, well-led companies see bad times as a good time to gain market share, to out-fox the competition...aggressively pursue underserved customers, market to brand-indifferent customers and work mightily to make them brand-loyal, go after other companies' dissatisfied, angry customers, buy under-priced hard assets, build capacity, hire newly available human talent, and acquire product licenses, anxious good suppliers, undermarketed products, new wholesalers and distributors, and core relevant acquisitions."
It is no coincidence that most of the companies that are annually ranked by Fortune magazine among the most admired and best to work for are also among those annually ranked by Fortune among those most profitable and having the greatest cap value.
In several of his previously published books (notably How to Become a Rainmaker and Secrets of Great Rainmakers), Fox duly acknowledges the nature and extent of difficulty that aspiring rainmakers experience when attempting to end a "drought" of sales and profits. Those who aspire to become fierce competitors encounter comparable difficulty. Hence the relevance of Dempsey's observation.
However, Fox, observes, more than courage is required. Those who aspire to be Fierce Competitors must never let anyone else outwork them. "It is noteworthy that he or she who is in the proverbial `right place at the right time' is the hardest worker." They also believe that everyone is a possible customer. "Don't be biased against a possible customer by the way they talk, what they wear, or where they live." Here in Texas, many people "wear a big hat but have no "cattle." Fierce Competitors work hard and smart to know who are the "cattle owners." Then they make the sale and get the business. "Figure out how and when to deliver later. Getting the sale is the hard part." And finally, Fierce Competitors "always answer the phone" whenever it rings and are then well-prepared to provide the information requested or the solution needed.
Fox also has much of great value to say about those who lead Fierce Competitor companies (Pages 9-12, 30, 36, and 44) and also about those who tend to be underappreciated, if appreciated at all: "The `third shift' is a metaphor for those people and those groups of people who toil in relative anonymity in the organization. They may be the workers on the night shift; the scientists in distant labs, behind locked doors. Working on the next breakthroughs; the customer service people dealing with problems and one irate customer after another; the field repair people fixing critical customer machinery on a weekend or holiday; the caregivers that empty bed pans. These people may not be omnipresent, but they are critical to the continuing success of the company. Great managers recognize such people, give them credit, give sincere thank-yous." Whatever the size and nature of an organization may be, it will never have enough people who are not only willing and able but also eager to go "the extra mile" to do whatever must be done...and done right.
As indicated earlier, with all due respect to Fox's previously published books, I think this one is his best, his most important...thus far. I cannot think of a better gift to give to those who will soon graduate from schools, colleges, and universities as well as to those who have only recently embarked upon a career. In fact, I highly recommend this book to all others who share Jeffrey Fox's compelling faith in the power of passionate and principled competition. As his riveting narrative clearly indicates, the most valuable "business principles" are also the most valuable "life principles."

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Time Warrior: How to defeat procrastination, people-pleasing, self-doubt, over-commitment, broken promises and chaos Review

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(More customer reviews)Most reviews I write, which aren't many, tend to be in enthusiastic support of an item, simply because I just don't take the time to write something unless I REALLY feel that it's a great item. (Once in a while I'll take time to write a negative review but since there's already enough negativity to go around, I try to avoid it!).
Well, this review is no different - this is an excellent tool - not a book, not a "read", etc. It's a tool that I have personally used to get "unstuck" from the habit of continuous email checking, internet ADHD sydrome, pausing to play scrabble on my iPhone every 5 minutes, you name it! With short, easy to digest chapters, I was able to return to a place of calm, focusing on a single item until it's completed, then move on to the next one with ease. Yes, I still take a pause every once in a while to do some of those old activities, but they're a choice and not a distraction and it feels good to know that I accomplished my necessary items first, the ones that propel me toward my goals.
So, simply put, this is an enthusiastic review of a great tool - one that you should find as useful as I did if you'll take its advice seriously and put it into action.

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Time Warrior is a revolutionary, non-linear approach for dealing with time, as bold as it is fresh and new. What is non-linear time management?Non-linear time management is a commitment to action in the present moment. It's looking at a task and choosing NOW or 'not now." If it's not now, it's got to be NEVER, or placed in a time capsule that has a spot on the calendar and therefore out of the mind.The mind must remain clear and empty of all future considerations.In non-linear time management there is no line extending from my mind into the future. No tapeworm of unfinished business coming out of my body.Non-linear time management is best expressed by Elvis Presley when he sings, 'It's now or never, come hold me tight."The old-fashioned time management programs had a huge, burdensome focus on the future. The line of tasks stretched out forever into the future. It was fear-based and it was overwhelming to have so much of a future to carry around with you.It resulted in massive, pathological procrastination. Everything got put off in the name of perfectionism. Nothing was bold or reckless anymore. Therefore there wasn't much astonishing success happening for the world-weary practitioner.But when Chandler teaches people to go non-linear, a strange thing happens. New life and energy come in. When they open their emails they don't get to save them for later. They have to deal with them if they open them. Like little attackers in a computer game, there is no longer anywhere to hide. Life becomes a great game and everything is handled right now on the spot.All fear comes from picturing the future. Putting things off increases that fear. Soon we are nothing but heavy minds weighing down on weary brains. Too much future will do that.Only a warrior's approach will solve this. A warrior takes his sword to the future. A warrior also takes his sword to all circumstances that don't allow him to fully focus.Chandler is a coach by profession, and when he works with a client who is 'overwhelmed" with too much to do and not enough time to do it he will often ask them to give him an example of one of the things they are burdened by every time they think about it. The client will give him an example and they will do that thing right now. The client is amazed. The only thing missing in this client's life was a bias for action.Most people think too much. Then they compound that problem by studying the feelings that come up for them as a result of that thinking.All this time that they spend thinking and feeling they could have been taking action. In a non-linear way. Linear time starts with your birth and ends (at the end of the line) with your death. Along that long linear line it's just one damn thing after another. Then the lights go out. What was the point?Non-linear time management stops all that weary nonsensical treading on the road to one's destiny.Rather than inching along horizontally you must simply rise up. Your life can now become vertical. Now you don't postpone challenges, you rise to them. You become a warrior. And it works.How, exactly, does it work? This book will show you exactly how it works.

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Forbes Greatest Business Stories of All Time Review

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(More customer reviews)A great book about the people who made a real difference in shaping the present that we live in and influencing the future as it will become.
From Robert Morris to Bill Gates; the books takes you on a promonade into their kingdoms. Explaining to the reader many valuable information about each "tycoon's" personality, enterprise, industry, and the general business environment in his particular era.
I personally enjoyed the chapters on David Ogilvy, Ray Croc, Sam Walton, Walt Disney, Joseph Wilson, Henry Ford and Harley Davidson.
The book portrays many successful personalities and companies that will be of interest to people in varying specializations within Business.
An enjoyable read and a good reference.
Also read "Lessons from the Top" and "Radical Marketing"

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