Resources Books

Author: Truskie, Stanley D.
Title: Leadership in high-performance organizational cultures / Stanley D. Truskie.
Publisher: Westport, Conn. : Quorum Books, 1999.
Edition Date: 1999
Language: English
Physical Details: xv, 147 p. : ill. ; 24 cm.
Subjects: Leadership.
Corporate culture.

If you are an executive, business owner, or manager, this book will help you. I always believed company culture was important, but I had no idea about how to create the right culture. This book provides an easy model to follow that makes sense, plus it offers leadership guidelines to make it happen. I have already instituted some of the ideas presented in the book and I have seen significant positive performance results already. I would definitely recommend this book to any leader who wants to improve the performance of his company.

"I have really been struggling with how to shape my company's culture to ensure I am building an effective organization until I read Dr. Truskie's book. His culture model is so clear and makes so much sense that its logic jumps out at you once you realize that there is a "right" organizational culture. I have heard so often that there is no right or wrong culture, but this book's compelling argument clearly dispels that notion.

I have read other books on organizational culture, but quite frankly, they created more questions than provided answers. I did not know whether I wanted a strong culture, an open culture, a sales culture, a driving culture, or a friendly culture. Plus I did not know where to start. Dr. Truskie helps you understand that as a leader, you must establish the direction first, then shape the right culture to achieve your strategic goals and objectives .

At least now I have a model that will help guide me in creating an effective culture ( Dr.Truskie calls integrated and balanced) within my organization. He also provides excellent examples of unbalanced cultures and explains how they negatively affect performance. The changes we now have under way within my company have already resulted in positive performance improvement. But as Dr. Truskie points out, this is a journey, and not a destination so we are still working toward building our high-performance culture.

This is definitely not a "quick" read book but one you should read a chapter at time, think about the message, then read on to the next chapter. But I can tell you it is well worth the time...one of the more meaningful books on leadership available in a crowded market."

I teach Organization Theory and Organizational Behavior. Teaching leadership has the challenge of finding a way to put the theories into practice. Dr. Truskie meets this challenge and offers a reasonable solution to this decision maker's need.

At various points throughout the book, Truskie cautions that there is no one "ideal" style, nor an infallible "model", nor any single combination of leadership traits, characteristics and behaviors which are most appropriate to all organizations in all phases of their development. He urges his reader to absorb and digest the contents of Leadership in High-Performance Organizational Cultures with care, of course, but also with some degree of critical detachment. Then, correlate his observations and suggestions with the specific circumstances of the reader's own organization.

Truskie suggests that "there is a direct link between leadership, organizational culture, and performance." According to his research and analysis, the most effective leader has an impact on "forming the culture of an organization, which further can have an enhancing effect of improving the level, ensuring the consistency, and sustaining the organization's continuing performance improvement." Truskie believes that many leaders are preoccupied with identifying and then manifesting an "ideal" style of leadership when, in fact, no such style exists. That is to say, even the most effective leaders have significant human imperfections; however, they are aware of these imperfections and make every effort to ensure that these imperfections do not have a negative impact on their respective organizations.

For this reader, one of the greatest benefits of Leadership in High-Performance Organizational Cultures is Truskie's explanation of the potential, beneficial implications of the L4 Strategy with specific relevance to creating and then sustaining a high-performance organizational culture. Leaders as well as those whom they lead must constantly monitor the balance of four aforementioned cultural patterns. Imbalances are inevitable. Although Truskie does not discuss it, he would probably agree that an early-warning system of some kind is highly desirable. The model he provides suggests all manner of ways by which to recognize and then respond effectively to symptoms of such imbalances. For the foreseeable future, change will be the only constant. Given that reality, Leadership in High-Performance Organizational Cultures can be of even greater value as all organizations (regardless of their size or nature) proceed into an otherwise uncertain future.

Kennison's book on the Fruit of the Spirit is the best one I have found on this subject. He does a great job of showing how the Fruit fits into the overall Biblical storyline, what cultural and personl obstacles exist today to seeing the Fruit grow in our lives, and some practical ways that we can see the Spirit cultivate this Fruit in our lives. I've taught it in 3 different groups (college, Young Adults, and middle-age couples) and it has been very well accepted in each. Highly Recommended!

Kenneson in Life on the Vine, does more than simply define the fruit of the Spirit, he engages in the art of bilingual theological reflection; enabling us to learn how to cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in a culture that wants to squeeze us into its mold. Kenneson helps us to recognize the grammar of the dominant culture and the grammar of God so that we can better embody the good news in the context of the United States. He wisely uses Raymond Williams working definition of culture - that of shared practices, convictions, institutions and narratives that order and give shape to the lives of a particular group of people - to help us understand the ways in which the dominate culture inhibits the church in bearing the fruit of the Spirit. But he doesn't stop there. He also becomes a capable guide in helping the community of faith to cultivate love, so that the church might embody the fruit of the spirit and thus be a faithful sign and foretaste of God's kingdom.

Life On The Vine is a deeply layered and thought-provoking book which gives significant insights into how Christian fruit would be distinguished from the norms of the dominant culture in North America. The book systematically "unpacks" each of the nine examples of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 5:22-23, then details how each fruit will draw one out of oneself, to live a life that is centred both in God and in others. Kenneson refers to this as the "displacement of the self". Each chapter further provides examples of how the dominant culture in North America creates obstacles to the cultivation of the fruit, and how each fruit may be developed in this context.

The purpose of the book, however, seems unclear. On the surface of it, Kenneson has the concern that the Church has become too far assimilated into North American culture. On closer analysis, however, he writes that "God is in the process of restoring the created order to a state of harmony and order", and that He has a "plan to restore harmony and order to all of creation". This raises the question: what "process" is he referring to, and how does this relate to the fruit of the Spirit? Kenneson would appear to be suggesting that fruit-bearing is significant to historical progress. Further, he by and large does not refer the fruit of the Spirit back to Jesus Christ or to the Holy Spirit - in particular when it comes to his treatment of an ABSENCE of fruit in people's lives. As an example, he surmises that Christians who "abuse their spouses" do so because of the way they are "schooled to think", and because of their "view of justice". Thus he routinely refers people's behaviour back to culture and worldview, rather than the standing of their relationship with Christ.

This having been said, all told, the emphasis of the book is a welcome one, since the subject of the fruit of the Spirit is often marginalised in favour of other aspects of the Christian faith. Also, Kenneson's analysis of the Spirit's fruit is deep and rewarding. If one can overlook the insufficiencies of the book, it does provide a very valuable resource concerning the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

I used this book as the text for a lesson plan I developed on the fruit of the Spirit. While I had preconceived notions about the nature of each fruit, I was unsure of what they 'looked like' in everyday life. Although Kenneson has been castigated by some Evangelicals for his pragmatic tendencies, I found his insights and practical applications to be VERY insightful and well within the pale of orthodoxy (although Reformed Christians will take issue with his synergistic view of sanctification). This book helped me to realize that cultivation of Spiritual fruit is not merely a Pauline concept to be deciphered by exegetes, but is meant to be a lifestyle fleshed out in everyday life. Kenneson's applications of each fruit serve to give cues for further application and cultivation of each fruit for our time. As with every book, it's best to eat the meat and spit out the bones. Here, the meat is so tasty, you won't mind feeling around for a few minor bones. This book would be an ideal text for any retreat, Sunday school class, or small group that wants to study the application and cultivation of the fruit of the Spirit in contemporary life.

This book takes upon itself to critically reflect American society and its relationship to the difficulty of cultivating the fruits of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. In each of the fruits of the Spirit -love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control- Kenneson shows how bearing each fruit will not be without difficulty, as each fruit has something that is trying to choke it out in American culture.

The book as great as it is, has some short comings. Kenneson doesn't really like the term "self-control," and akwardly struggles to define it and look for a better word in the English language. He prefers to call the last of Paul's fruits of the Spirit "continence" instead of "self-control." Kenneson's find's the word "self" a little too bitter for his tasting, thinking it takes away from the work of Christ in some fashion.

However, I think the word "self-control" works just fine if the Christian realizes that "you are not your own." So, if we say "self-control" as a Christian, we simply must understand that it's not that we control ourselves, but rather, we yield control of ourselves over to Christ. Kenneson's alternative translation of "continence" in place of "self-control" I don't believe is warranted, and is too close of a synonym to hardly be considred better replacement.

Also, a somewhat minor beef I have with this book is that while it tries to refrain from being overly academic, it is still academic enough to be "over the heads" of many readers. I admit that as a Jr in Bible college, I had some difficulty reading the book at times because of Kenneson's superior command of the english language (even though I did read the book in about half a week). I had to use the dictionary enough to be minorly annoyed (maybe I should go read again the chapter on patience!). I fear that this book will not have the impact that it could because many people will not be able to read it.

However, this book could still be a useful tool for any church bible study on the fruit of the Spirit, and I would highly recommend it. This is the second book I've read by Kenneson (previously read the must-read "Selling out the Church"), and am amazingly refreshed to see that there are still good Christian reads out there. I look forward to reading this book again.

This book is unique in that the author did a great job of honestly talking about his successes AND failures owning and running an amazing diversity of businesses and what he learned along the way. The experiences described in the book range over many years and many different businesses including day care, plumbing, dentistry and lawn care. All of the stories are written in a light-hearted self-deprecating style and are a quick enjoyable read. Every one of stories has at least one important business lesson. Unlike so many other business success books, this one gives you the good, the bad and the ugly and is next best thing to having a wise, experienced business adviser at your side. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to start or buy a business or someone just interested in being entertained with a few business war stories.

Whether you are just starting a business or are a seasoned entrepreneur, this book is a must read. Within its short, often humorous stories it is packed full of knowledge and learned wisdom from an experienced business man. The tools presented in this book are a must for anyone in the business world. Entertaining and insightful, I highly recommend this book to anyone in the high paced world of entrepreneurship.

The author's vast knowledge through experience not only highlights the practical aspects of finding, starting, maintaining and exiting a business venture, he also demonstrates the personal strength of character that is needed to weather not only the successes but also the failures he encountered on his journey. The journey is 'Inspiring'! A truely 'American' story!

The real bonus the author has provided to those who purchase this book are the appendixes. The appendixes provide a logical proven blueprint to help evaluate, operate and exit a business venture.

It is so refreshing to read a book about an entrepreneur who is so candid about his successes and failures. I like to hear stories about what it takes to make a business work and some of the pitfalls. Lee is not above speaking about his mistakes. The great thing is that he learns from his mistakes.

Since most new businesses that are being created today are going to remain a small business for their lifetime, this book speaks directly to those business owners, like myself.

This is a wonderfull book and the perfect give for the budding entrepreneur.

This book is a great example of learning through stories. If you are a manager, employee, entrepreneur, or looking to learn more about business and working with people, this book will teach you the secrets. Written in sequence with the author's life story, the reader gets the tips that will save your career and business. Definitely the things they don't teach in colleges today. Lee Thomas is a true entrenpreneur and tells not only how to succeed but what not to do with fun, fast moving, and true life stories.

This book also has a great list of quotes from about 20 of the best books on these subjects, and will remind you of what you already know, and give you the insight and the confidence that you can control your life, and be a part of your own business.

I have given 3 copies as gifts and this book will appeal to everyone that wants to better themselves and doesn't want to make BIG mistakes in the process.

I can't say enough about this book. It truly has changed my life. I have tried christian counseling and numerous bible studies on stress, depression, anger,etc. trying to figure out why I was having emotional problems. I could find no answers because everything was just surface studies. This book goes deep and I am finally understanding myself. I am understanding my past and how it has effected me now. It has given me the tools to move beyond the past and focus on changing myself now. I would not recommend doing this study alone. The past can be painful and it has been so helpful to have the other ladies in my bible study to discuss each issue and also the prayers and support by safe, caring people is invaluable. If you are not having problems yourself this book will help you to understand friends and family better. I have had tremendous change in my heart too concerning family members and friends that I didn't get along very well with.

I have had the privilege of participating in a support group where this book was used, and now have facilitated three other groups. I plan to continue to facilitate these groups using Tim Sledge's Making Peace with Your Past, because I have found nothing on dysfuntional families so insightful and penetrating as this study. Tim Sledge has allowed God to make good of evil in his life, by using his own dysfunctional family experiences to create a life changing study. No matter what you have read before or how much counseling you may have had, you will gain tremendous insight from this study. I have experienced this personaly and have witnessed many others' lives changed by God through this book.

This book was a tremendous catalyst for personal growth and breakthrough for a small group of women. Over the holidays we each gave a hand-made gift to another member of the group whose name we drew. The gift was to affirm them in the issues they were dealing with. We each gave it to the person in front of the whole group. It was like dynamite. We cried and laughed together. Overall, this book has produced tremendous results for us and I thank Mr. Sledge for writing it!

My counselor recomended this book to me to help me heal my past of growing up in a dysfunctional family. It has been a life saver!! I have read many books and not one of them has helped me as much as this one!! I feel as if this book was wrote especially for me. It was written beautifully and with the grace of God I know it can help you too! I highly recommend this book!

Awesome book...this book has changed my life. God has used this book as a tool to help me learn about my feelings of my past and how it affects me today. I have learned that I don't need to be perfect, only God is and that the things that happened in my past don't have to make me who I am today. The author recommends doing this book in a group setting so that you have the support of each other when working through very difficult issues. However, I had chose to go through it on my own relying on God to teach me how to change and give me the courage I needed. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is struggling with their past and would like to have a more joyful life. It is possible!

I spent my summer researching mentoring as an independent study project for my PhD program. This guide incorporated much of what I found to be essential in an effective mentoring program: incorporation of adult learning theory, focus on the responsibilites of the mentee, practical exercises and reading for the mentors, and much more. I have used the exercises with great success and highly recommend this book to anyone considering implemeting a mentoring program.

This book provides the best definition of a mentor that I have come across thus far with the statement "...and at there best they inspire us to reach beyond ourselves; they show us how to make a positive difference in a wider world". It is an easy to read reference tool filled with applicable information about how to prepare for and what to watch for during your journey as a mentor. The author does an excellent job of inspiring a can do attitude by giving the reader the ability to use this book as a workbook to be able to work through real life experiences. This book is a must have for anyone desiring to be in a mentoring relationship.

I just finished my thesis on mentoring child care center directors. The Mentor's Guide was the best resource. My thesis quotes many authors but there was non better than Lois Zachary. Her book is the easiest to read and she puts into words what I was thinking. I can't say enough about the wealth of information, ideas, quotes and straight comments that I found useful in this book. If you are embarking on a mentoring relationship this book is a must read. Thank you Lois.

This book provides mentors the tools they need in order to develop and maintain a mentoring relationship. In order to develop a successful mentoring relationship, it is important that the mentor have a good foundation in the purpose of the mentor/mentee relationship and then how know how to develop the relationship. The Mentor's Guide, by Lois J. Zachary, gives mentors this foundation and provides them with support in developing the mentor/mentee relationship.

Lois goes on to provide mentors with the information they need in order to be successful. Learning, according to Lois, is the primary goal of the mentoring relationship. In order for learning to occur, the relationship must be learner centered. The book provides guidelines on creating a learner-centered environment.

The book provides information as well as worksheets that help mentors develop their mentoring skills. Worksheets on developing goals and priorities, confidentiality, boundaries, planning, cross-cultural mentoring, assessing the quality of interactions, skill assessment, as well as strategies to develop successful reflections are a few of the worksheets provided by the book.

This is an excellent book that provides mentors will the tools they need in order to be successful.

This book provides mentors the tools they need in order to develop and maintain a mentoring relationship. In order to develop a successful mentoring relationship, it is important that the mentor have a good foundation in the purpose of the mentor/mentee relationship and then how know how to develop the relationship. The Mentor's Guide, by Lois J. Zachary, gives mentors this foundation and provides them with support in developing the mentor/mentee relationship.

Learning, according to Lois, is the primary goal of the mentoring relationship. In order for learning to occur, the relationship must be learner centered. The book provides guidelines on creating a learner-centered environment.

The book provides information as well as worksheets that help mentors develop their mentoring skills. Worksheets on developing goals and priorities, confidentiality, boundaries, planning, cross-cultural mentoring, assessing the quality of interactions, skill assessment, as well as strategies to develop successful reflections are a few of the worksheets provided by the book.

This is an excellent book that provides mentors will the tools they need in order to be successful.

As a Training Manager for a large wireless company I was charged with rolling out our online learning system. As you would expect, I and my company, did a good deal of research before we purchased our system. Michael Allen's book was very helpful in identifying the questions we needed to identify, as a company, before we took the step.

I highly recommend this book. Even though you will likely experience some frustration in your search for the most effective online learning system, his book will make the process less painful.

The book really focuses on the "how to" of developing and designing your online courses. It honestly lays out the pros and cons of online learning. You will find it helpful.

This book is a must have for the aspiring e-Learning developer. It reviews enough theory to make the point and directs the reader quickly through the logic and science of good e-Learning design.

This book takes e-learning to its core mandate, that of engaging and involving the learners, so that they learn the key skills and knowledge required.

An excellent and easy read, with lots of good examples and non-examples, nicely compared side by side.

Dr. Allen is a champion of learner-centric design - and has written a refreshingly reader-centric book about the topic. He understands that learning is an "internal, personal, and ultimately individual act." His words reveal his passions and opinions in such an authentic manner that you can quickly understand his perspective, and extract points of meaning that can directly apply to your work. As a producer and designer of interactive media, I continually find his insights an inspiration.

I purchased this book as I was beginning to design an eLearning curriculum for my company. The book was a great jumpstart to helping me structure the program, consider ways to involve the learners in eLearning, and remember to find ways to make the course material memorable. I found the accompanying online and CD-based demos to be good stimulators, too. Although I won't be using an authoring tool like the one Michael Allen invented, it was easy to take and apply several of Allen's ideas to my project.

Mirage is a work of science and passion. The writer has focused on that most important, scarce, and necessary resource: fresh water. She explores the political decisions and the business decisions that have affected the water supply in Florida and the rest of the East Coast of the United States. Her research is extensive; her prose is crisp; and her cause is sanity in the management of growth. I recommend this book for any reader who has an interest in science, nature, or business.

A very thoughtful, well-written book that delves into the science, history and politics of water in Florida and manages to do so in an interesting and readable manner. Cynthia Barnett clearly indentifies the problems and offers reasonable solutions without becoming judgemental or dogmatic. A must read for anyone living in the State of Florida or planning to do so and highly recommended for everyone else!

Discussions of America's water problems usually are limited to the West, so it's eye-opening to view a title which is the first to call attention to the disappearance of fresh water from Florida to the Great Lakes. From the high demands of newly-sprawling Florida subdivisions to freshwater aquifers which are disappearing elsewhere, MIRAGE blends investigative journalism with environmental and science history to prove an essential survey of problems and solutions. A 'must' not just for Eastern U.S. libraries, but for any collection on environmental issues and challenges.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

'MIRAGE': This book is a fascinating read. It is shocking, frightening, and sad. We in the East who think water is plentiful and inexhaustible and that 'water battles' occur only in the West will see a very different picture. The book is full of facts and extensively footnoted. It should be the 'call to arms' not only for the experts but for the silent majority. (eg the 'Silent Spring' of water). A tidbit: Pinellas County Florida (St. Petersburg) has no remaining drinkable ground water!) Don Miles, Raleigh, NC. Layman in 'Water' but I love the stuff!

Perhaps you're like me. You live in a water rich region of the U.S., on top of one of the nation's most productive aquifers and a stone's throw from the Great Lakes -- one of the world's great reservoirs of fresh water.

Water scarcity is not your problem, right? Let all those fools moving to Florida, Texas, California and Nevada worry whether FEMA will have to roll into towns during the next drought and pass out bottled water. You can still turn on your grass sprinkler and catch fish in the local pond without worry.

If that's where you are when it comes to water, Cynthia Barnett has news for you -- someday Las Vegas and Miami will be coming for your water, too. And they'll set their sights on draining your fish pond dry.

If you're already in Florida and can't understand why water bills are going up in a subdivision surrounded by water-soaked scenery, Barnett has some tough love for you, too.

Reading Mirage will open your eyes. Barnett's writing is so (pardon the pun) fluid that even the most unsophisticated novice will come away with the ability to confidently explain why bottled "spring" water may actually be less safe to drink than what comes out of your kitchen tap.

The book is a must read for Floridians. It uses the state -- an extreme example of water policy gone bad -- to instruct readers in the basics tenents of environmental protection and why it matters to everyone. Why should Floridians care if Atlanta suburbanites water their lawns? Because in a drought the rivers that begin in Georgia won't have enough water to feed Florida's bays down stream. And without the perfect freshwater/saltwater balance at the outlet to the Gulf of Mexico, valuable shellfish are completely wiped out. Suddenly there's an economic problem, too.

The most important lesson of Mirage is that water scarcity is a national problem. Consider the water wealthy Great Lakes. Even residents of the upper Midwest can't relax. Barnett shows how southern lawmakers, becoming more powerful by the day thanks to population shifts and redistricting, have been plotting to pipe, truck and barge Lakes region freshwater south. Others have already tried to export it beyond the U.S. You'd think the Lakes have plenty of water to share, but as Florida has proven, even the most water-rich region can see its eco-system wrecked once the water starts getting pumped out.

The most instructive chapter in the book is called "Priceless." Barnett demonstrates that perhaps the best strategy to protect water is to price it right, to make it really worth something to us. But Americans so far refuse to accept the notion of drinking water for anything but a dirt cheap price. Consider the story of Tuscon, Ariz. After a drought, the city council tried to add the cost of finding future water reserves into consumers' bills. Within a year every council member was voted out of office.

But as Barnett shows, Americans can't pretend forever that water is a right and should be nearly free. We have to be taught to conserve. We're doing better in some ways. But Mirage proves we still have a lot of work to do.

This is a fantastic book. I have always felt a little inadequate as a writing teacher. I can write, but I don't know where to begin on the road to teaching children to write. This is a step-by-step plan and it is fantastic!

I have reviewed many books about how to teach children to write stories, and this one is by far the best! To begin with Mariconda is the only author I've read who distinguishes between character-problem-solution stories and what she calls "personal narratives." Personal narratives are more about an experience than a character, are usually heavily descriptive, and there is no "problem." The character-problem-solution mantra had always bothered me, because we all know that there are wonderful stories that are more "mood pieces" than solutions problems.
More importantly, the book consists of specific lessons on teaching the elements of story writing, in isolation. It can be done! Look at the Table of Contents to see exactly what is covered. These lessons are explained so well explained that you feel fully equipped to teach them, now!
Additionally, the author herself writes with "voice," unlike the usual dry, anonymous style of textbooks. When I leafed through the book and saw an entry that said something like, "getting students to elaborate with detail is the bane of most English teachers' existence," I bought it then and there. What we all need is to hear about teachers' experiences, not just "programs" that seem to spring from nowhere.
Lastly, her approach works! When this program was implemented at the school she taught at, the percentage of students passing the state writing assessment rose from 47% to 92% in four years. That is amazing! I am planning on using this book for my high school students as well as elementary and middle school!

I used this book to teach 3rd and 4th graders in Watts how to write. This book has lesson plans that teach step by step. All kids have wonderful ideas but sometimes do not know how to express these ideas on paper. This book shows you how to teach them. It was incredible to read the stories my students wrote after learning the techniques in this book! All my students became amazing authors! They were so proud of their stories and I was so proud of them! Thank you for writing this amazing book!

I have used this book with 3 schools in two states to help teachers teach writing and to help students prepare for state writing tests. This book shows you many simple ways to help kids understand narrative writing. The diamond graphic organizes the students's thinking and writing. The mini-lessons are great, and the test prep advice, the paced prompt, works. why should anyone take a test they aren't prepared for? the paced prompt shows the students how to organize their time and thougths, and the scores showed it. If you or your teachers are using Write Traits this will fit beautifully, but the book also stands alone. I've bought copies for all my teachers!

A book that, incredibly, lives up to its title! This is my 13th year of teaching elementary school and this book does what no other book has been able to do: it works! I found myself reading the entire thing in the teacher's store where I first found it. I suggested to my entire 3rd grade team that we implement it and they whole-heartedly agreed. If you want to teach kids to write narrative that A. makes sense, and B. is interesting, you cannot go wrong. Haven't you tried the formula of character, setting, problem, solution, one too many times and not been satisfied with the results? I know I have. This approach is much better, and shows you how to teach beginnings, elaboration, suspense (the best part), main event, resolution, and satisfying ending. The beauty is you teach it by parts using real literature examples, modeling, and then students practice. You will find yourself nodding your head as the author relates the same kinds of frustrations you have when reading elementary school writing and shows you how to change them. This book is the best I've ever seen to help you teach writing. There is no fluff and many great insights. Your students will write amazing stories and you'll never teach writing the same way again!

I worked with Brad together in Asia and found his book to be something that the HR community, as well as, clients of HR have been waiting for for a long time. His book brings together his wealth of experience and knowledge into practical tips and guides that everyone can use. While a lot of other HR practitioner books are based on theories, I know from reading this book that the case studies and guides provided in this brilliant book are based on real business problems.

Basically, I highly recommend this book for those looking for implement-able and practical guides for building up your organization.

Brad Hall's book, The new Human Capital Strategy, brings a much needed level of structure and discipline to managing Human Resources and People. While most companies claim that people are their most important asset, Hall correctly points out, that most companies don't have HR management programs that are consistent with that claim.

The brilliance of Hall's book is the way he distills this broad subject down to the few specific dimensions that truly need attention.

- Separating HR as a strategic function, and thus a source of competitive advantage, from HR as an administrative function.

- A focus on business results - Not activities or HR programs

- The importance of defining and measuring business results to gauge the true effectiveness of HR programs.

- Year over year improvement in the real return companies get from their investment in people.

From here, Hall goes on to address some of the barriers and keys to success in the practical implementation of the principles he discusses - executive engagement, organizational structure issues, team structure, measurement techniques, and many real life examples.

This book is a great read for any business leader (not just HR professionals) who seriously believes that people are an important asset for their success.

Hall's book is the best written on human capital development. Hall
provides a practical and compelling methodology for measuring year over year improvement in human capital. The book is well-researched and includes numerous charts and graphs that make a complex topic accessible to managers outside of human resources. I recommend this book to any manager looking to improve the performance of his/her people.

Bradley Hall's book takes a different approach than other HR books. He focuses on developing an HR strategy that creates a competitive advantage through your people. He understands that HR departments are normally measured on the programs they administer but not on whether those programs actually lead to improving the organization's skills and ability to win against their competitors. Hall is more focused on the results and not the programs. That's a departure from many other business books and breaks new ground.

Hall understands that striving to have each employee equal or exceed the competitor's employee in a similar job will yield huge success and this book lays out a program to measure and develop your people.

Hall's business anecdotes are not only fun but appropriate and emphasize his points perfectly. This is an interesting and worthwhile read for anyone wanting to improve their HR strategy and make their companies more competitive.

As an HR practitioner, this book has become my symbol of hope for the profession. I've always known there was "something wrong" with how HR is being practiced in organizations today, but never clearly identified the root of the problem, much less offered a method for addressing it. Brad Hall's book provides that insight.

Through current research and his industry experience, Hall provides ample evidence that despite decades of seeking and gaining "a seat at the table," HR overall has not progressed beyond the traditional administrative "personnel" function. Accordingly, Hall argues it's time to "blow up today's model and replace it with a fundamentally new Human Capital Strategy."

Hall begins with thought-provoking questions such as "has your human capital improved year over year?" which demonstrate that HR has not delivered on its responsibility to ensure human capital is managed as a business asset. He builds towards his human capital approach which centers around four key elements; building effective executive teams, building leaders who deliver sustained business results, ensuring employees in key positions outperform their peers in competitor organizations, and a fourth, designing a disciplined approach for improving workforce performance, which serves as the structure and environment within which the first three can flourish.

The model challenges fundamental elements of current HR practice, such as the focus on supporting "internal customers" (management and employees), arguing instead for a focus on meeting the expectations of external clients and stakeholders. At a more granular level, it challenges the merit of current practices (e.g., forced ranking of employees, aggressive "performance management", and annual performance reviews) and offers a method to meet the objectives of these practices through a roadmap for building high performance organizations.

This is a fresh read and I highly recommend it to all professionals who have a stake in improving their organization's performance.

This product full of ideas on setting up and teaching Kindergarten. With the continious changes in education I was a little unsure about where to start. The author offers great ideas and input using the NCTM Standards. This is a great resource for new teachers, and teachers who are new to teaching Kindergarten.

I have had the honor of seeing Ms. Leuenberger adapt the very principals that she writes about in her book in her own classroom on "The Vineyard". Believe me, these strategies and lessons work. I suggest that each school have this book available for their Kindergarten teachers. The suggestions and ideas in this book make "Meeting the Standards" easy and fun.

I love how this teacher writes about how she sets up her classroom and keeps it organized. She also has some helpful strategies for setting up learning centers, journal writing and how to make your morning message fun, and much more!
I think the ideas in this book will be really helpful in the years to come.

This is a 'must have' book for any teacher at any number of years teaching experience. What I really like about this book is 'at a glance' one can pick up ideas/tips that are ready to try 'NOW'.

Constance Leuenberger's book is an excellent combination of educational philosophy coupled with ideas, ideas, and more ideas!
An easy read that would be a GREAT resource for ALL new Kindergarten teachers and a wonderful resource to help experienced teachers remember how important developementally appropriate strategies are.
This book is full of great ideas, strategies, and tips that are simple and ready to implement. Another strength is how the author shares thoughts for teachers of half day and/or full day programs.
Constance understands how young children learn. She knows that we must teach the "whole" child....from their academic to their social well being.
This book is an excellent addition to your professional library.