Resources Books

This book is well written. It lays the basis for why the reasons people leave is mis-understood. It gives specific guidance on things you can do to bring new employees in and keep them.

This was a very informational book. It was a quick read and a great tool. Managers should be reading this book.

Leigh Branham has done it again. The phrase, "a must read" is probably overused and a bit shopworn today, but Leigh's book truly is "a must read" for anyone who leads, serves or depends upon people to get the work of the organization done. As with his earlier book, "Keeping the People Who Keep You in Business", Leigh's style is highly informative and academic yet warmly conversational and user friendly. His clear and compelling guidance will carry the reader to greater understanding and facility with the talent management challenges that are already upon us. The 7 Hidden Reasons is a comprehensive, no-nonsense and energizing learning experience.

Leigh's years of study, focus and practice in this crucial area of the talent management life cycle is clearly evident. Leigh is one of this Nation's leading experts in the world of retention and engagement.

Leigh's 7 Hidden Reasons really are hidden, quite real and too powerful to ignore. Enjoy reading this one . . .

Branham has given us powerful and practical tips for running a better enterprise. The implications of understanding why good people leave their employer are far-reaching. The 7 Hidden Reasons Employees Leave book tells us what tell-tale signs to look for, and how to conduct exit interviews so that we can collect the real reasons people jump ship and act on them. If you've ever experienced turnover and scratched your head about why folks are leaving (as I have), you will benefit from reading this book. It is very easy to read and a good reference book for the office bookshelf.

I am in the sales department of a top pharmaceutical company. Retention of top performers is a real concern in our industry. This book offers practical steps you can take immediately to improve retention. It not only shows what you need to do to be an employer of choice but also reinforced for us what we were already doing right. A must for all managers who care about the bottom line and know that taking care of your high performers is the way to see the best profits.

This brief, well-documented outline of essential research information is invaluable to parents, teachers and policy makers.

I often am asked where teachers should begin to learn about bilingual learners and their experiences in our schools and now I have a definitive answer! This book is a perfect entry into the field with the comprehensive information necessary for teachers (or anybody really) to begin to understand some of the unique challenges as well as incredible strengths bilingual learners bring to our classrooms and schools. It's fantastic to have so much information couched in such a readable format that isn't bogged down with overly academic jargon. I love this book!

In this book Crawford and Krashen address and answer questions that are on the mind of every teacher in this country. This book is informative and easy to read. This is why it is appropriate for teachers who are beginning to work with English language learners, have many questions and, with the students in their classrooms, need fast answers to begin to be able to work with their students. The book superbly presents solid information backed by research in a manner that enrolls and helps the reader. Definitely, this book should be in every school's lunchroom. It is a good book to begin conversations that will inform from the principal to the janitor. It is a good book for politicians. If Mitt Romney reads this book, he will quickly modify his policies as he will become informed of what schools can do and are not!

I am very grateful for this new book on the topic of English language learners (ELLs). As a veteran teacher of 34 years, having taught grades kinder through eighth, I know first hand about the opportunities and challenges in educating ELLs. Through the years, I have experienced what works and what does not, as hundreds of ELLs in my classroom have shown me. It is indeed affirming to find much of what I have learned from my students in this book.

In English Learners in the American Classroom, James Crawford and Stephen Krashen describe what works and what does not and give the reasons in a clear and concise manner. They pose the many frequently asked questions about instruction and assessment for ELLs and give precise answers with information, research, and history. This is very important for there is no other educational issue that creates more heated debate than the education of and program options for ELLs.

The education of English learners has been a concern since this country's inception in the 1700s. Because our society has always been a nation of immigrants, it is pluralistic with many other languages than English. However, those who attempt to perpetuate myths of the dangers of a pluralistic, multilingual society compound the challenge of the education of immigrant children with simplistic, expedient solutions. This issue is further complicated for teachers by questions regarding the educational goal for ELLs. Is the goal to focus on academic content or on English learning? Can it be both, academic content while learning English? In essence, most educators get entangled in these debates while desiring an unrealistic expedient process in the midst of ever more local, state, and federal mandates, and new curriculum and assessment programs.

In such an environment, Crawford and Kreshen's new book is a welcome assistance to teachers of ELLs. I can envision that it will give them clear answers to the how and why of effective instructional methods and assessment. Teachers will also feel empowered with answers ready at hand as they work towards providing the best education that ELLs can have.

I know that in my last years of teaching, as I prepare to retire, I will use this book as a guide for the continued improvement of my classroom practice and my advocacy for English language learners.

In a very approachable and easy to manipulate digest, Crawford and Krashen introduce any reader to the intricacies of education for English language learners. They include comprehensible responses to the most common questions about students, programs, research, heritage languages, public opinion, legal requirements, assessment and accountability, language politics and policy, history, and response to the criticisms of bilingual education. For seasoned bilingual and ESL teachers, there won't be a lot that is new, but the book does present information in ways that can be easily communicated to people who don't have a deep understanding of the field. I'd recommend this book for anyone who works with ELLs, anyone who makes educational decisions for ELLs and anyone who has responsibility for administering or developing language policy. When you finish, send your copy to one of those folks in government and policy-making positions who think they know what's best for our ELL students.

I just bought this book the other day and it is amazing. It gives you the facts you need for survival. If I get caught in a situation from the book and I don't know what to do, I will be suprized.

This great book teaches you how to survive. It has so many detailed descriptions with graphs. It is so compact that I even carry it everyday in my backpack. It might be really useful when the war starts or an earthquake takes place.

One of my friends bought the big version that had a little more information in it. I read it and when I saw that you could buy a pocket version I was thrilled! Wisemen gives an informative description of everything you need to survive almost anywhere. I'm confident that if I were in a survival situation I would be able to survive.

I've had this book for a few years now and have read it over and over again. The information is amazing. There's not a topic that Wiseman doesn't cover or at least touch on.
Not only is it small, it's tough too. It's been on every camping trip, hike, deployment and just about every other trip with me for the past three years and it's still in great shape.
Friends of mine that could have cared less about a suvival book have read mine on airplane rides and afterwards went and bought thier own.
You can't go wrong

With store shelves overloaded by "SAS" books it's unfortunate that this little, uh, Gem can be lost in that crowd. The original format was more like a coffee table book, but for practical purposes this chunky, compact edition is not only the most convenient of those available, it is also arguably the best on the market.
The manual itself is comprehensive, clearly written and with clear (if sometimes limited) illustrations, including a useful colour section; and here the colour is used for more than mere decoration as it provides essential additional information in identifying plants and animals. There is no philosophical description here, little room for the romance of the wild or the ethics of surviving. Instead, "Lofty" Wiseman's guide is a direct parcel of solid information aimed solely at keeping you alive in the worst of situations. Campers and outdoorsmen will find some interesting and useful sections here, but it requires a degree of knowledge and experience to sift them from those which simply must not be used outside of an emergency. This is a fascinating book to dip into, and doubtless most purchasers treat it as such, but it is also an exceptionally effective, reliable and well-crafted source of possibly vital information.

Much like Gary Hamel's book The Future of Management, one needs to read this book with an open mind. It is an exceptional book and one that I am giving away to my clients this coming Holiday. It is thought provoking and enlightening. Above all it stresses that companies have a need above profit. That profit is the score, not the game itself. Perhaps had the management of Enron and others of that ilk truly believed in a purpose beyond profit, corporate America would not being wearing SOX today.

There's a difference when you fly Southwest vs. United. You feel different shopping at Costco than you feel shopping at Wal-mart. Why? That question is explored and answered in the book Firms of Endearment: How World-Class Companies Profit from Passion and Purpose by Raj Sisodia, Jag Sheth, and David B. Wolfe. This is one of those books that will cause you to think about why you feel as you do towards certain companies, and how those feelings translate into real profits.



Contents: A Whole New World; It's Not Share of Wallet Anymore - It's Share of Heart; New Age, New Rules, New Capitalism; The Chaotic Interregnum; Employees - The Decline and Fall of Human Resources; Customers - The Power of Love; Investors - Reaping What FoEs Sow; Partners - Elegant Harmonies; Society - The Ultimate Stakeholder; Culture - The Secret Ingredient; Lessons Learned; Crossing Over to the Other Side; Acknowledgements



On Wall Street, companies are usually judged on their profit. Squeeze as much out of your business as you can, cut costs wherever possible, and make sure you meet your numbers. To be sure, plenty of companies are successful under those rules (such as Wal-mart). But when you look at their performance over the last few years on the stock market, returns have been stagnant or have trailed the field. The alternative way to run a business is as a "firm of endearment" (FoE). These companies have a passion for what they do/sell, they have a strongly defined purpose for what they want to accomplish, and they look to contribute to society in more ways than just the quarterly dividend to shareholders. These FoEs, like Costco, Whole Foods, Harley-Davidson, and others, include stakeholders to mean all parts of society that they touch... shareholders, employees, the community, etc. The focus isn't on pure profit, but instead on contributing to the well-being of all the stakeholders. That's why a company like Costco can afford to pay their employees a living wage, have low turnover, and *still* turn a substantial profit. They have captured the hearts of their customer base, and that base will go out of their way to shop at Costco whenever possible. That's also why a company like Ikea can propose a new location and have nearly universal acceptance in the community, while a new Wal-mart location brings out protesters in force. There's obviously a lot more that differentiates FoEs from their counterparts in the marketplace, but once you recognize an FoE, you'll understand why they are successful by *not* following the same formula as everyone else.



It's tempting to think that all the FoEs covered in this book can do no wrong. That's not the case. JetBlue was/is an FoE that badly damaged their reputation during the winter when storms caused massive cancellations. It even led to the resignation of the CEO. Like other business books of this genre (In Search Of Excellence, From Good To Great), only time will tell how these companies will fare over the long term. It may well be that a decade from now, the stars of this book will have all fallen to the wayside. But I would venture to guess that the companies covered here will have a much larger margin of forgiveness than would other companies that are just focused on the next quarter...



This is a book that is highly recommended for anyone running a business. It should cause you to rethink the factors of success for your company, as well as point you in directions that could lead you to become an FoE in your niche.

This book identifies a batch of companies that have oriented their business model to providing a superior feeling in the minds of their customers. In many cases I absolutely agree with them.

Wegman's supermarkets for instance presents an excellent shopping experience. I particularly love their cheese department where knowledge people stand ready to discuss their magnificant array of choices and even to giving you samples to taste seemingly without end or sales pressure. In turn I buy far more cheeses than I would otherwise. We both win.

But then they turn to Wal-Mart and repeat a litany of alleged problems with employees, suppliers, and communities. My own experience with Wal-Mart is limited to one store in the small town where I live. But my experience doesn't match the alleged problems. I go there, the people, from the greeter at the door to the most junor sales clerk are friendly and willing to walk halfway across the store to help me find something. I talk to people who work there (away from the store) and they universally say that it is the best job they've ever had. Does the Wal-Mart experience depend on the store? Are the alledged problems just that, allegations? And for that matter, does every Wegman's have such an excellent cheese department? And what about Microsoft? Everyone (nearly) uses their products and most people hate the company. What does this say about their future? I guess we'll just have to watch and see.

This is a book that describes one way of doing business that has worked for a lot of companies. It provides a good insight into what these companies do.

What is a Firm of Endearment? The authors argue that their example companies share a common set of core values, policies, and operating attributes which include:

1. aligning the interests of all stakeholder groups (customers, employees, partners, investors, and society) rather than seeking profit optimization

2. below-average executive compensation

3. open-door policies

4. employee compensation and benefits are above average for their industry

5. above-average employee training

6. empower employees to satisfy customers

7. hire employees who are passionate about the company's purpose

8. humanize customer and employee experiences

9. enjoy below-average marketing costs

10. honor the spirit as well as the letter of laws

11. focus on corporate culture as a competitive advantage

12. are often innovative in their industries

Companies identified include extensive examples drawn from Commerce Bank, Container Store, Costco, Harley-Davidson, Honda, IDEO, IKEA, jetBlue, Johnson & Johnson, Jordan's Furniture, New Balance, Patagonia, Southwest Airlines, Starbucks, Timberland, Toyota, Trader Joe's, UPS, Wegmans, and Whole Foods.

These companies are often contrasted with Wal-Mart and the Good to Great Companies identified by Jim Collins in 2001 in terms of stock price growth.

The authors argue that there is a new level of consciousness emerging that rewards those who do good while doing well. The implication is that all firms should shift to stakeholder optimization and the cultural values identified in the example companies.

While they don't make this argument, it's clear that the authors have identified many of the mindsets that lead a company to seek optimizing results for all stakeholders.

Before you assume total cause and effect, I would like to raise some issues not fully addressed in the book:

1. This is an after-the-fact evaluation. As such, (like Good to Great), we may mostly be seeing what the leaders are proud of . . . rather than what caused their success. For example, Southwest's success is focused on their corporate culture. But the company also has a better business model than almost any other airline (Ryanair's is better) and does a better job of fuel cost hedging than any other U.S. airline. Those factors aren't mentioned.

2. These companies are almost all in consumer products or services. A class of socially conscious consumers has sprung up who look hard for such firms. It's not clear that OEM and industrial buyers have evolved their preferences nearly to the same extent. So many of the lessons may only apply consumer goods and services (except for those validated by Gallup for having a motivated and effective group of people working for you).

3. Almost all of these firms are highly effective business model innovators who have gained enormous advantages over competitors who seldom innovate their business models. As a result, they can afford practices that may or may not pay off in profit without incurring any negative reaction. The next business model innovation will pay for the cost.

I was surprised that this book didn't look at the study I made from 1992-2001 that identified continuing business model innovation as the single best factor for explaining high levels of corporate performance (see The Ultimate Competitive Advantage). The books share some examples in common (including Jordan's Furniture and Timberland), but many of FoE's examples are also superior business model innovators (Amazon, BMW, CarMax, Caterpillar, Container Store, Costco, eBay, Google, Harley-Davidson, IDEO, IKEA, jetBlue, Patagonia, Starbucks, Trader Joe's, UPS, Wegmans, and Whole Food).

4. It often pays better to serve stakeholder interests than to ignore them. Why? Because ignoring stakeholders often burdens both the company and the stakeholder with costs and experiences that neither want. This economic case for stakeholder focus isn't fully developed outside of the customer arena.

5. The book emphasizes sustainability, but much of that argument is built around companies disappearing from the Fortune 500 (something that happens whenever a merger happens . . . which doesn't mean that the organization goes away, just the corporate headquarters in most cases). In the research of my students on environmental sustainability (see Hiroshi Fukushi's work, A Strategic Approach to the Environmentally Sustainable Business, for example), it's apparent that making the environment cleaner than when you touched it is economically advantaged in most situations. The idea of sustainability is based on the outmoded notion of not doing too much damage rather than finding profits in making the world better than you found it.

But it's a good book that creates more questions than it answers. This one will probably stimulate some more careful thinking in the area of where seeking to be more considerate of others is going to create better results as well as better sleep.

In the Prologue, when discussing The Age of Transcendence through which the contemporary business world is now proceeding, the co-authors (Rajendra S. Sisodia, David B. Wolfe, and Jagdish N. Sheth) suggest that it is "a cultural movement in which physical (materialistic) influences that dominated culture in the twentieth-century are ebbing while metaphysical (experiential) influences become stronger. This is helping to drive a shift in the foundations of culture from an objective base to a subjective base: People are increasingly relying on their own counsel to decide what the truth is...That shift acknowledges a long-suppressed idea in a world largely guided by Newtonian certainty that chemistry Nobel laureate Ilya Prigogine says is scattering to the winds: Ultimately, everything is personal."

Thus do the authors establish a frame-of-reference for the thesis of their book: That each stakeholder in an organization tends to thrive best when all stakeholders thrive. That is, no stakeholder group is more important than any other. "It is disciplined dedication to the well-being of all stakeholders that separates firms of endearment from their competition." Stakeholder relationship management (SRM), the authors suggest, can achieve and then sustain superior business performance that, in turn, will create n a decisive competitive advantage. They are convinced that SRM business models will increasingly be seen "as the most efficacious way to achieve sustained superior business performance in years to come" but only if (huge "if") the interests of all stakeholder groups are brought into strategic alignment.

Two Questions: Are all stakeholder groups of equal importance and do they have the same interests? Also, are all members of a stakeholder group (e.g. shareholders) of equal importance and do they have the same interests? These questions occurred to me as I read the first chapter, especially the brief discussion of the "distinctive" core values, policies, and attributes that firms of endearment (FoEs) share in common. Eventually, Sisodia, Wolfe, and Sheth provide answers to these questions, answers best revealed within the narrative.

If indeed "endearing companies tend to be enduring companies," how do the 28 FoEs that "made the final cut" for this book compare with the 11 companies praised by Jim Collins in Good to Great? "Over a 10-year horizon, FoEs outperformed the Good to Great companies by 1,026 percent to 331 percent (a 3.1-to-1 ratio). Over five years, FoEs outperformed the Good to Great companies by 128 percent to 77 percent (a 1.7-to-1 ratio). Over three years, FoEs performed on par the Good to Great companies: 73 percent to 75 percent." (FYI, there are no duplicates on the two lists.) As with the exemplary companies discussed by Thomas J. Peters in Robert H. Waterman, Jr. in In Search of Excellence, not all companies on any such list continue to meet the criteria that were the basis of their initial selection.

For me, some of the most interesting material is presented in Chapter 11, "Crossing Over to the Other Side." At one point, the authors cite Oliver Wendell Holmes's observation "I would not give a fig for the simplicity this side of complexity but I would give my life for the simplicity on the other side of complexity." They then quote one of my favorite passages in James O'Toole's The Executive's Compass:

"To move beyond the confusion of complexity, executives must abandon their constant search for the immediately practice and, paradoxically, seek to understand the underlying ideas and values that have shaped the world they work in. Managers who clamor for how-to instruction are, by definition, stuck on the near side of complexity."

According to Sisodia, Wolfe, and Sheth, the big challenge of the times is to transcend the zero-sum mindset because, given the profusion of new opportunities, absolutes (by nature limiting) are found everywhere on the near side of complexity. "They emerge from people's perennial quest for pat solutions, or `silver bullets,' as they are sometimes described. This is a key point because, as Sisodia, Wolfe, and Sheth explain, a zero sum mindset leads to the conclusion that one stakeholder group can only benefit at the expense of the other stakeholder groups...However, opportunities increase by an order of magnitude when the mind breaks free of zero-sum thinking."

There are specific reasons why endearing companies tend to be enduring companies and one of the most important is their having "the ability to transcend ruthless competition and embrace the fruits of cooperation [which is] the essence of evolved humanness."

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Bill George's Authentic Leadership: Rediscovering the Secrets to Creating Lasting Value and his later book, True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership, co-authored with Peter Sims. Also Michael Ray's The Highest Goal, Adrian J. Slywotzky's The Upside: The 7 Strategies for Turning Big Threats into Growth Breakthroughs, Enterprise Architecture As Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson as well as Ram Charan's Know-How: The 8 Skills That Separate People Who Perform from Those Who Don't, Lynda Gratton's Hot Spots: Why Some Teams, Workplaces, and Organizations Buzz with Energy - And Others Don't, Robert J. Herbold's Seduced by Success: How the Best Companies Survive the 9 Traps of Winning, Jack Alexander's Performance Dashboards and Analysis for Value Creation, and Michael Useem's The Go Point: When It's Time to Decide--Knowing What to Do and When to Do It.

In "Good Intentions" Duke Robinson offers the distilled essence of his faith journey. In language that cuts across the exclusiveness of cultic talk he speaks in an inclusive way about life and the role grace and truth can play in its living. In our family there is a wide spectrum of religious orientations and of no orientation at all. We have given copies of "Good Intentions" to each one confident that it will meet them where they are and add a dimension of richness to their lives.

Always being "nice" looks so good from the outside, but oh, the pain that is there inside. Duke Robinson's touching book guides you through simple, yet challanging steps to relieve that pain forever.

My first intention was to read this book as a self-help guide in learnng how to deal with my mistakes. I found my "niceness" in many chapters and immediately began trying some of the suggested changes. They do work and I feel better!

Being a believer that continuing education is a lifelong process, I want to share this book with others. Using the author's study guide, I plan to introduce "Good Intentions" to an adult study group at my church.

This is one Oprah should have picked up on -- solid and witty advice on how to stop making those same mistakes, and start getting a grip on your own life. I read it slowly, absorbing its wisdom in increments...I recommend it to anyone who has a berth on this crazy ship called Earth.

We do not have to expect
that this book can completely change our life,
but it will surely help !

Reading "Good Intentions" evoked feelings similar to those when I first read Emerson's "Self Reliance" in college. The power of the book comes from reading in print what I have experienced, fell prey to, and have had similar thoughts on in the areas of personal relationships, anger and trying to always do the "right" thing. The pleasure of the read is having my own inner-examination verified and examined in an easy to read manner.

I found the sections on anger and reasoning with irrationality excellent reference guides for healthy management of these (nearly) everyday occurences. This book will be kept on my shelf as a reference book for life. Thanks for writing it Duke!

This book is a great resource tool. A fairly inclusive area guide with historical, geological and physical details. More than adequate for most visitors to choose an advanced plan of daily activities. It is not attempting to be a USGS map nor a hikers bible. It is a fairly descriptive summary of things to see, do and where they are.

I purchased this book for helping us plan a 5 day stay in Stove Pipe Wells. Well worth the money spent.

This is a really good comprehensive guide that doesn't give away too many secrets. All the standard destinations are well covered, plus many out in the sticks, but it leaves plenty for you to discover on your own. Will definitely stay in my library, get loaned to friends, get destroyed or lost...all signs of a worthwhile guide.

A rare guide that is so complete i can stop looking further. I don't know how he has covered so much ground in one lifetime. Digonnet's love of Death Valley shines through. A pleasure to read but heavy for the backpack...i am ordering a fresh copy cuz the old one is beat up and has many pages torn out. Also, take care to assess your idea of strenuous against his to avoid finding yourself in over your head.

Be aware that Digonnet omits a few common destinations in this book. But it's by far the best guide to the huge number of hikes that he does include. Rely on this book for the majority of your destinations, but get another guide to fill in the gaps. Also keep in mind that areas described as "easy scrambles" for someone with a technical climbing background like Digonnet may be more difficult for flat-ground hikers.

I have been visiting Death Valley for 35 years, and I have been there more times than I can remember. This includes many back-country and dirt road trips thoughout the region. I love the place. I have also been an avid hiker, backpacker, mountain climber and general wilderness enthuthiast for 40 years.

I got this book a few years ago, and it was a revelation of new opportunities and information about Death Valley backcountry. It was also one of the best hiking guides I have ever read. I cannot recommend it higher for someone interested in taking their exploration of Death Valley to a new level. It also has enough easy hikes that someone interested in dipping their toe into the world of desert wilderness exploration can still get a good taste of it, and also know that the particular hike will not expose them to dangers beyond their skill level.

It is not an ideal guide for a beginner, nor is it sufficient in and of itself to enjoy Death Valley. You would need a good overall map of the park -- the NPS topo map of the whole park is ideal for that purpose. You should also have some familiarity with the rigors of exploring desert wilderness -- the book seems to assume that the reader already has some of this background, though it does have a useful discussion of this subject. But for the enthuthiast who alrady has this info or is already familiar with it, the book is incredible.

If you are a neophyte, don't be intimidated and not buy this book. It will serve as a wonderful portal to a world that you have heard about -- just be careful since desert wilderness exploration can be daunting.

This book contains good insight on leadership. With the retirement of the baby boom generation, there will be a significant shift in leadership in most organizations. This book addresses some of the issues that this dynamic will create.

This book uses the fictional journey of one person to explore a number of important leadership issues. It is an easy read with good truths for those entering new leadership roles.

I have found that how-to books on leadership too often are predictable, cliched, or simply poorly written. Few are memorable. So it was genuinely refreshing to discover that "The Journey of the Accidental Leader" avoided those traps. At each stage of the fictional protagonist's journey, the leadership lessons highlighted go well beyond conventional wisdom and especially come alive in the context of the story. Best of all, the fictional parable itself is a work of well-written fiction: I cared about Sam, the protagonist, and consequently the lessons illustrated by Sam's plight had real sticking power.

The Journey of the Accidental Leader provides excellent pointers and insight for the new person on the job to the head of an organization or company. Its fable format makes it a quick and enjoyable read. Having supervised for several years, the book made me appreciate what I have done well as a leader and made me think hard about what I could do better. It also gave me some ideas that I have already put to use at work. This book will not be buried in my bookshelf collecting dust. I have already shared it with some of my colleages and pulled it out the other day to use one of the lessons. Enjoy and learn!

This is exactly the kind of book I wish I had read years ago, when I found myself accidentally in a leadership position. In Dr. Gladis's business parable, leadership lessons come alive through the journey of Sammy, an Accidental Leader. The Ten Leadership Lessons Learned are reinforced through Sammy's experiences as a new CEO, and are clearly summarized at the end of each chapter, for effective retention. Recommended for both accidental and intentional leaders.

Steve translates leadership into action steps you can implement immediately after reading the book. Extremely well written. Terrific book for a new leader or someone who wants to become a more effective leader. Well done!

As a former Thelemic briother and now baptized Lutheran, I have to say that Christianity is a lot more gothic and the all around best religion in the world today. This book is for the baptized or church going Lutheran. What's really great in real terms is that this book is used by Lutheran ministers for adult confirmation, which I am currently attending. Anything you give your church is considered a donation. They ask for none of your income whatsoever. Behold the glory of the crucifix.

Beautiful new cover and color. Inside the new page color(cream or tan) makes the print just jump off the page. Very easy to read.
Everyone should read this book, and find out what Lutherans believe and why.

This is an excellent version of Luther's Small Catechism with Explanation, with very good supplemental materials added. This book would be a great resource for Protestants of all denominations, and is required reading for all Lutherans. Essential aspects of Christian doctrine are concisely reviewed with the scriptural basis provided for these beliefs. This book is highly recommended to everyone seeking insights into the foundations of Christian doctrine.

I have been a Christian for quite a few years. And I went through two years of confirmation classes as a teen. But over the last few years as I spent more time in God's Word, I found I had a lot of questions. I asked my pastor, but never got satisfactory answers. I recently joined a Lutheran (LCMS) church and read this book and the Book of Concord. I found both to be very helpful, but in particular, I enjoyed how the Small Catechism answered so many of the questions I had previously been unable to answer. All of the points are backed up with quotations from scripture (NIV translation) which I also liked. All in all, I highly recommend this book. I think it is appropriate for all Christians, not just Lutherans.

This small catechism, though not a deal clencher on its own, certainly played a vital role in my move from the contemporary American evangelical movement to the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. If you're looking for solid teaching on the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, The Apostles Creed, the Lord's Supper, baptism, and Confession and Absolution, then the writing in this book will aid you along very nicely. For those who desire a deeper look at the Lutheran Confessions I would recommend purchasing a copy of the Book of Concord, which has a copy of the Small and Large Catechisms. That said, I highly recommend this version of the small catechism as it's nice to have as a resource when questions come up.

This is an amazing little book. It teaches you the most important financial aspects that you need to know to run your business. I've always dream of starting my own business, and one of the things that was holding me back, was not knowing enough about business finance. I tell you, now I'm very confident and excited. If you own a business or starting one, Please, Please, Please do yourself a favor and read this book.

10x the cover if I knew the value it'd bring.

I got this book as part of "Birthing of Giants". It's a three year retreat for entrepreneurs held for a week in the summer. You get a reading list and they are kind enough to send you books.

It sat in the box until Charles Kremer came to speak to our class. What he presented made the material so clear.

Before, I'd set barriers as to what was comfortable from a cash management point of view. My goals would actually cause pain when they'd be reached.

The relationships between balance sheet, income statement and cash statement are clear. "Beginning position" +/-non cash part of transaction +/- cash part of transaction = "Ending position"

Want to know the effect of retained earnings on the balance sheet or MSGA expense on the income statement or where the Interest expense paid should fall? Consult the "Magic Square".

Don't look at this book as a substitute for CPA knowledge but rather as a cheat-sheet for financial goal setting and cash management of a business.

The book is well written with a non accounting audience in mind. A greater understanding of how accounting savvy people utilize the information within balance sheets, P&L's and cash flow statements can be achieved. An enjoyable and worthwhile read for those who want to try and get to grips with the irksome task of understanding their accountant, or even better to use the accounting information available to IMPROVE their business.

This was the first book that I've read that makes this type of material easy and interesting. Definitely, check this book out. I always recommend it to friends.

EXCERPTED From Chapter 3 (The Numbers That Count: Acknowledge the Rules), Page 72*

At the end of this chapter, I refer to several terrific books that delve into much greater detail of these aspects, and I highly recommend that you read them. At the bare minimum, you need to understand the basics.

Folks who speak the language of finance use three financial statements; the income statement, the balance sheet, and cash flow.

Each set of numbers tracks a different function. Each one is important for your business. (Note: I highly recommend the terrific book Managing by the Numbers by Chuck Kremer et. al.-see "Resources" at the end of the chapter.)

The balance sheet provides what experts call a "snapshot" of your business's financial condition at one particular point in time. Think of this statement as what your business owns and what it owes. This statement lists your assets (what the business owns or is due), your liabilities (what the business owes), and difference between assets and liabilities, which is called owner's equity. This sheet is constructed so that your assets minus your liabilities necessarily equal the owner's equity; thus, when it is produced correctly, the sums are balanced.

The income statement tracks your company's profitability over a given period of time. It says whether, in a specific period, you made money or didn't. But, and this is a huge but, it's an abstraction. It shows the promises that people have made to pay you money, and the agreements you have made to pay others. "It shows whether you're making money on the goods and services you provide, once you have taken all your costs and expenses into account. But it isn't real," write Kremer et al. It doesn't show how much cash you've put in you bank account or how much cash you spent." Income statements are subject to manipulation. Because income statements are subject to intangible factors such as depreciation (which tracks how an asset loses value over time), you can show a profit-or loss-that is not directly tied to your activities in that span of time. Moreover, income statements count promises that others have made to you as actual income, while the daily reality may be quite different. So these statements indicate profitability-which is good-but they don't necessarily reflect your daily, actual situation.

For that you have cash flow. Cash flow is, very simply, the difference between your cash receipts and your cash expenditures. It's what you have left after you spend the money that you take in. Consider this measure to be your business checkbook; what cash is actually coming into your business and what is actually being spent? There is no fudging cash. It's what you have on hand-the balance in your account.

EXCERPTED FROM Chapter 3 (The Numbers That Count: Resources), Page 93*

Managing the Numbers by Chuck Kremer and Ron Rizzuto with John Case (Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2000)
This gem limns the theory and practice of financial management for small companies. Set aside the fact that some of the basics may apply to larger or slightly more mature companies than yours. Read this to understand how to use the financial life of your company as the basis for critical operational decisions. Kremer et al. show how you need to understand three financial statements (the balance sheet, the income statement, and cash flow) to truly evaluate your company's performance. Moreover, you really start to control this function when you learn how the three statements fit together.

*Tom Ehrenfeld, the startup garden (New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002).

This is an intense, psychological drama, and a page-turner to boot! What's so great is the wonderful language, the "lofty" writing. I just loved every page, and our poor, tortured hero.

It's a fabulously written book about love instigated by pitty, which can be very dangerous. Worth reading as this kind of thing still happens every day.

...no, not the book by Dave Eggers, but this masterpiece by Stefan Zweig. I came upon this by accident, and bought it, intrigued by the story outline and the reviews below. Only very, very rarely does a book have the power to draw me into the lives of the characters, probably because they're usually just that - characters. Not so here. Here we have flesh and blood and all that entails. I'm still amazed at Zweig's story telling. He's the kind of writer who could make a shopping list fascinating. I lived and breathed every single word in this incredibly beautiful book, and, as has been said elsewhere, the tension becomes almost unendurable. I can hardly do justice to it in a few words. Weirdly, I often found myself smiling, not because it's a funny book, far from it, but just through an appreciation of Zweig's supreme mastery of his art. This is one of those books appearing only a few times in your life that wring emotion out of you whether you like it or not. A heart-breaking, unforgettable and life-enriching experience.

I'd also like to praise the translation, by Trevor and Phyllis Blewitt. At no time is there even a hint that you're reading a translation - something that occurred to me only after finishing the book. On the contrary, it seems to me that the elegance of the language and all the magnificent virtues that contribute to Zweig's humanity and genius have been faithfully rendered. The proof is in my twin disappointments; coming to the end, and learning that there are no further full-length novels by Zweig. I'll definitely be reading all his other works, though.

In the introduction to this book Joan Acocella tells Zweig's story as a writer. One of her claims is that despite his enormous popularity as biographer, essayist, writer of great novellas and stories, this novel is his masterpience. The novel is in essence the story of a feeling, of 'pity' of how it becoming the obsession and duty of the main character turns self- serving and destructive. Briefly , the book revolves around the relationship between a poor Austrian officer Hoffstein and a crippled seventeen year old daughter of a wealthy family Edith Kekesfalvas. After he has inadvertently insulted her by having asked her to dance he becomes bound into a relationship with her, in which she falls deeply in love with him without his truly reciprocating. This is how Acocella reads the protagonist's reasoning and its result after her doctor informs him that it would be disastrous for him to abandon her.

"So he descends ever deeper into hypocrisy. In the process, Zweig gives us a piercing analysis of the motives underlying pity. Gradually Hofmiller realizes how much he enjoys the courtesies paid to him for his emotional services, how it pleases him that when he arrives at the Schloss his favorite cigarettes--and also the novel (its pages already cut) that he had said in passing that he wanted to read--are laid out on the tea table. Nor is it lost on him that his own sense of strength is magnified by Edith's weakness and, above all, by his growing power over the Kekesfalvas, the fact that if he, a poor soldier, does not present himself at teatime, this great, rich household is thrown into a panic, and the chauffeur is dispatched to town to spy him out and see what he is doing in preference to waiting on Edith. Beyond the matter of power, however, Hofmiller finds that the emotion of pity is a pleasure just in itself. It exalts him, takes him to a new place. Before, as an officer, he was required only to obey orders and be a good fellow. Now he is a moral being, a soul."

This end in destruction is somehow a foreshadowing of what would happen to Zweig.Having been betrayed with the rise of the Nazis by the Europe he loves, tried to make a new home and life with his second wife in Brazil. But it does not work out and the both of them are found after having taken fatal overdoes of drugs hands intertwined.

An Austrian lieutenant becomes the victim of the strong emotions of a crippled young girl from a wealthy family, who takes his pity for love: 'the outcasts, the branded, the ugly, the withered, the despised and rejected love with a fanatical, a baleful, a black love.'

The lieutenant doesn't have the strength to cut the links with the girl and her family, partially because he is impressed by their wealth. He continues to give her hope, although he feels that 'anyone who identifies himself with the fate of another is robbed to some extent of his own freedom.'
He is warned against the poison of pity: 'if they were all to give way to their pity, the world would stand still ... You take on yourself a confounded amount of responsibility when you make a fool of another person with your pity ... for the weak, sentimental kind (of pity) is really no more than the heart's impatience to be rid of the painful emotion by the sight of another's unhappiness.'
His undecidedness creates a disaster, also for himself: 'No guilt is forgotten so long as the conscience still knows of it.'

Stefan Zweig is the master of the unexpected U-turns, the eye opening revelations, the surprising upheavals, the passionate endgames, the arousing question marks. While he used his strengths in short novels and historical evocations, he shows here that he also was capable of using them in a longer work.
His insight in the basics of human nature is outstanding: 'Have you ever heard of logic prevailing against passion?'

This story is perhaps partially influenced by Theodor Fontane's 'Irrungen, Wirrungen'.

Not to be missed.