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Rules for Renegades |
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Friday, 17 October 2008 12:05 |
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How to make more money, rock your career and revel in your individuality
Christine Comaford-Lynch
McGraw Hill books
$24.95
 Christine Comaford-Lynch, now a successful millionaire and serial entrepreneur, writes a hard hitting story of her own "school of hard knocks" career. Armed only with guts and determination rather than an MBA, Christine persuaded Microsoft to hire her, thus launching her technology career. The author takes a no nonsense approach; she doesn't mince words and sometimes comes across as one "tough broad" as she tells her rags to riches story. Every chapter is full of stories and examples, many of which I could relate to as a woman who has faced many barriers in a man's business world. The book is well written and an easy read. Readers will appreciate the many useful tactics for success but the challenge will be whether or not they have the guts to implement them.
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Audition, a Memoir |
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Friday, 17 October 2008 12:04 |
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Barbara Walters
Alfred A. Knopf
$29.95
 I have always been an admirer of Barbara Walters, but even more so once I learned about all the trials and tribulations of her life. While the book volume of 579 pages looks quite overwhelming, it is actually an easy read. In fact, you would think that Barbara Walters is sitting across the kitchen table and speaking to you personally. Barbara is surprisingly open with all aspects of her life, both personal and professional -- she opens herself up to the world, warts and all. The book title, Audition, is aptly named as Barbara always felt that no matter where she was or what she did, she was indeed doing an audition. A very enjoyable story about a remarkable career.
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The Truth About Being a Leader |
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Friday, 17 October 2008 12:03 |
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Dr. Karen Otazo
FP Press, 2007
$18.99
 This 233-page book, while rather small in size, is chalk full of advice, one for each of the 52 weeks in our calendar. Written much like my own Free Press articles, the author first explains a leadership issue and then provides numerous solutions for the reader to consider. Topics range from assuming your first leadership role, hiring a good executive assistant to delegating and empowering employees. The solutions are practical and pragmatic. This is a quick read for busy leaders and a book that can be kept nearby as a reference, as each topic is handled totally separately.
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Duct Tape Marketing |
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Friday, 17 October 2008 12:02 |
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The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide
John Jantsch
Thomas Nelson, Inc.
$14.99
 This is a whopping good bargain -- 277 pages of good advice for only $14.99! This is a great "marketing 101" guidebook that walks the reader through every step of developing a good marketing plan. Directed to small business owners, the author teaches owners to view marketing from the customer perspective. Readers begin with the challenging assignment of how to identify the target clients and continue to read topics such as developing your core marketing messages, producing marketing materials and how to generate leads. A very practical "how-to" manual that offers a take-away with every chapter. The advice is simple, practical and proven. Not only that, the author directs the reader to additional resources and focuses on developing an action plan for each idea.
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Succession Planning Toolkit for Business Owners |
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Friday, 17 October 2008 12:01 |
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Leveraging Your Life's Work
By Luanna McGowan, Corina Weigl and David Wilton
Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants, 2006
$29.95
 For all those baby boomer entrepreneurs out there, this book is truly a valuable tooklit. Detailed, thorough and chalk full of helpful checklists and sample scenarios, the book systematically reviews what succession planning is all about and what options are available to transition a family business. To their credit, the authors balance both the cold hard financial issues related to selling a business with the critical human resource and emotional/soft side of change management and transition. This isn't a book you'll read just once; instead, it's a step by step guide that you'll keep at the side of the desk as you develop your succession plan.
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Power at Work |
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Friday, 17 October 2008 11:59 |
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The Art of Making Things Happen
By Jo Owen
Prentice Hall, 2007
$19.99
 No matter that this book was written in England, if you are looking for a practical "how to" book on gaining management influence and succeeding in organizations today, this is it! Owen suggests that high intelligence (IQ) and emotional intelligence (EQ) are simply not enough; instead, smart managers strive to develop solid political intelligence (PQ). In his view, political intelligence is all about understanding how an organization works and developing an ability to make things happen in a world of increasing ambiguity combined with decreasing authority. The author contends that political IQ is a learnable skill and recommends a six step process to develop strategies that deal with the who, what, where, when, how, and why, of organizational power. The book is well laid out, easy to read, practical and straight forward. A quick but powerful read.
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The One Minute Entrepreneur |
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Friday, 17 October 2008 11:58 |
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The Secret to Creating and Sustaining a Successful Business
By Ken Blanchard, Don Hutson and Ethan Willis
The Doubleday Broadway Publishing Group, 2008
$22.95
 At first glance, one might wonder how anyone could become an entrepreneur in just one minute, but that's not what this book is all about. Instead, it's a gentle reminder to entrepreneurs to stop for a moment and reflect where they are at each stage of the business cycle. It's also a reminder to keep focused and grounded, not letting success go to their head. Written in conversational tone, the book is full of inspirations, insights, examples and advice, but is somewhat pricey for such a quick read.
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The Managerial Moment of Truth |
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Friday, 17 October 2008 11:50 |
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The Essential Step in Helping People Improve Performance
By Bruce Bodaken and Robert Fritz
Free Press, a division of Simon and Schuster, Inc. 2006
$30
 It's well known that managers fail to nip performance problems in the bud and avoid the task by stating excuses such as a lack of time. Bodaken and Fritz offer a simple yet disciplined formula to help managers "speak the truth about performance in ways that work". Their four step formula is complemented by good examples and can be applied with individuals, intact and cross functional teams, strategic alliances and repeat offenders. You will learn about the different types of questions to ask and gain tips on analysis of conversations as well as personal skill development. Whereas coaching, mentoring and developing employee capacity should be high on the agenda of any manager, this books looks like one you can't afford to miss.
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Can you imagine a work world where every employee is self managed to such an extent that they control their own work hours and can attend whenever they want as long as they have their work done? Authors Cali Ressler and Jody Thompson believe that the old industrial model of 9-5 work hours is plainly outmoded and out to lunch. Instead, they want to revolutionize the work world with what they call a "Results Only Work Environment" (ROWE). In their view, the industrial model treats employees like children. They purport that a ROWE model where employees are paid for results and not their time or personal presence, can increase employee productivity by 35 per cent and reduce turnover by 90 per cent. This is certainly a controversial approach which if adopted would shake the business world to its very roots. An interesting theory but a devil to implement! Is the world ready for it?
