Journals Books

Most working mothers talk to themselves anyway ... it's the best way to work through our issues, conflicts, etc. This book gives a great framework in which to have these conversations so that they are more productive. The book is organized in such a way that I can pinpoint which chapter will best guide me through my current struggle. I recommend this to any woman trying to balance different facets of her life, whether they be work, family, PTA, volunteer work, etc.

As a working mom with a toddler, I have had limited time (and energy) to reflect on the direction of my career. This book gave me the opportunity to organize my thoughts, think beyond the day to day and see the big picture. The topics and questions in the journal allowed me to think and take risks in a safe and structured way. I was able to focus on these issues around my daughter's schedule. I looked forward to writing in the journal with a cup of coffee early in the morning before my daughter woke up or with a glass of wine at night after she went to sleep! I now feel much more connected with what I want from my career and a better plan on how to get there.

Spending a little alone time with this book has helped me really identify whats important to me and how to be happier day to day.
I highly recommend it!!

This is a terrific guide to help working moms gain clarity about their goals - both career and personal. I highly recommend it to any woman struggling with the work/life balance issues most of us face today. This book was a great help to me.

This book is great. A must have for any working mom, aspiring working mom, or working mom in transition who feels overwhelmed, intitmidated or fears her real dream. Taub breaks down the myriad dilemmas and responsibilities we moms/working moms face into little manageable thoughts or questions that almost seem customized for each reader. By asking the reader in a gentle way to look at a particular issue, including taking a look at the reader's past, present and future, Taub passes on a confidence to the reader that you can actually do something about it rather than fear, freeze or get angry. Taub calls these questions "Conversations" and indeed, sometimes it feels like a conversation is being held. By answering these questions, pondering them, or simply reading how Taub resolved her own issues, is inspiring not to mention result-producing. Furthermore, it's the type of book you can read five minutes at a time -- perfect for moms on the go. Taub's success at breaking down the big questions into little ones enables the reader to delve into an issue little by little, as time permits, perfect for all moms. A keeper on any mom or working mom's shelf, counter, car pool line, etc.

THE MOST INTERESTING PART OF JAKE'S JOURNAL IS WHEN JAKE WAS OUTSIND HE HEARD NOISE HE WONDER WHAT IT WAS. BUT HE KEPT WALKING AND WALKING. SUDDENLY HE TRUN AROUND THERE WHERE MOUNTAIN LION'S .HE STARTED THROWING ROCK AT THE MOUNTAIN LION'S THEY GOT SCARED. I LOVE THE BOOK.

This item was a gift to my granddaughter who wanted the book.
As far as I know, she was very pleased with the gift.

I thought Jake's Journal was a wondreful book. I liked how you described the animals and people. The story takes place in the canyon, Jake and Boomer take a hike up to the airplane wreck. I thought that was cool. I hope you make more books like this one and I would like to read some of them.

I work in a Resource Room with eight 5th and 6th graders. Every day each child reads with an adult. While reading with a child the others "listen in" at times instead of doing their work. Well, every child ended up reading this book! It grabbed their attention immeditally and kept it all the way to the end. They wanted to be there with Jake and Petey and not one kid wanted the book to end!! It also kept every adult's interest which does not happen very often with children's books.

The school library is closed over summer and I want to read this book again and I want to read Boomers Journal again which is a book that happens in the same place. I have a little brother too but I am a girl still he always hangs around with me. It is a short book but I could only check it out one time after we moved here and before school was over. So I have to wait. It is the total best!

shes's my art teacher and friend hehehe :) Great book she's great she can really relate to teenagers. Great artist too!

If you want to be more open minded with yourself then you should really pick up journal to the soul for teenagers. It has opened my eyes and now i can really focus on the things most important to me. I love it and I know that anyone that would pick it up and read it would think the exact same thing. It is a beautiful peice of work and I recomend everyone to read it!

When I first got the journal, I remember thinking that this author was the only one that really seemed like she related best to teenagers. She touches on many subjects and situations that happened to me, or feelings I had once had. I started writing in the journal, then I became addicted. I always wanted to come home to fill it out, especially on really good days, or really bad days.This journal was the first journal that truly helped me in my life. It was very helpful and healing. The author did a excellent job creating this piece of art!!!! I believe the Journal could help anyone...

This was a wonderful journal. It's not like any journal, this one helps guide you through and helps you overcome some of your greatest fears. It helps you accomplish things and you find out things about yourself that you didn't know. I love this journal and i think that every teenager should have one. It is very decorative and that helps me a lot. This journal has done a lot for me. You did a great job Rose!

I think this is a really neat book. It has over 30 different topics in it for you to write aboout. It gives you several pages to use for each topic. This book gives you ideas on what to write about, and most of them are interesting topics. Any teenager who enjoys any sort of journal writing would like this book. It gets you thinking, and is a fun way to record your thoughts about different issues, from family relationships, to crushes, to the pressures todays teens face.

i have never owned a book like this before in my life, I am so glad I purched this book. I feel it has changed my life in some ways i never thought it could. Rose offner is such a talented person and the subjects to write about are so real life. This book is incredible.

I have been journaling for over 15 years and this has remained my most cherished one. I have had it for several years, working on it at various times and reviewing it whenever I need a reminder of how important MY story is. It is definately a window to one's soul, and it does it all in an affirming way. I am a therapist and reccommend it to clients often. It was through a client that I learned it was now out of print and scurried to find another. It is a wonderful gift to yourself. I am sure the teenage version is just at great!

I have a hard time just sitting down and writing...so this book was wonderful for me. Beautiful illustrations, gives great topics to write about, which helps you learn more about yourself. This book was very helpful to me in my recovery from anorexia.

Journal to the Soul has opened my life to the numerous possibilites of expressing my true self. I have participated in Rose Offner's workshops as well and have moved through a variety of emotions. This book has gently but powerfully assisted me in opening myself up to the power of my own heart; to the power of Spirit and Love. I have seen beautiful changes unfold in my life since I have fallen in love with journaling. More importantly, Rose Offner has enough love to change and heal this world; she speaks the truth and shares her own personal experiences with candor and joy. I recommend this book as the perfect gift for a loved one.

The pages are so beautiful and the artwork so inspiring that you almost hate to write on the pages. I went out and bought a special pen to write in it with. After all, our words and our memories are the true treasure. The author guides you with probing questions and thought provoking lists. I can't wait to write in it every day!

I Recommend the Jubilee Journal To all parents, grandparents and teachers for there children.This well start them in there daily walk with Christ.This is the perfect daily journal for home and even in the classroom,So teachers when your ready to order your book supplies don't forget to order the Jubilee Journal,perfect for 8-12 age group.
Don't pass this up, Our children need this in there walk,Don't let them walk without it.

A wonderful Idea generator for youngsters, to initiate Bible reading, learn the power of prayer and induce appreciation of friends and family. It's well designed for the age group, 8-12. I've passed it along to several friends in church-program positions as it fits Sunday School programs and other group activities. Great gift also for children or grandchildren!

I found this to be a very good book for helping children to learn about prayer and quiet time to speak to God. It is very well laid out and well written. Parents should consider as a gift for a child age s8 to about 12.

IN THE JUBILEE JOURNAL KATHY BARRETT HAS GATHERED SOME OF THE MOST SIGNIFICANT AND MEANINGFUL THOUGHTS FOR OUR YOUNG PEOPLE THAT I HAVE EVER OBSERVED.
IN THIS TRAUMATIC WORLD THAT WE ADULTS MUST ENDURE IT IS UP TO US TO PROVIDE OUR CHILDREN WITH SOME HOPE THAT LIFE NOT ONLY COULD BUT SHOULD BE BETTER. THOSE OF US WHO REALLY CARE MAY TAKE A GIANT STEP FORWARD BY INTRODUCING OUR YOUNGEST GENERATION TO THIS STELLAR BOOK.

"Jubilee Journal" is a journalizing system and Bible study aid for children. Each page starts with the date at the top followed by a place to put your prayer requests, a Bible verse, an activity related to the Bible verse, and a place to put how God answered the prayer. This is a wonderful system for children to develop faith in their prayer life. It gives the parent an opportunity to discuss the prayers and why some may not have been answered the way the child expected (such as why the prayer to win the soccer game did not work). Journalizing gives the child the opportunity to go back and see how prayers were answered, how they may have been answered in an unexpected way, and when they were answered. It also gives them the opportunity to reexamine their prayers as they grow and learn how to pray effectively. To teach your child to pray, to teach them how to pray, to teach them how God answers prayer, and to see the world again through the eyes of a child, I cannot think of a better book.

I heard about Kate Cumming at a Celtic festival in Virginia where Irish singer and songwriter Jed Marum (SOUL OF A WANDERER) told her story, talked about her diary and sang two beautiful songs that her life inspired him to write. I knew I had to read the book, and I was NOT disappointed!

Kate's devotion to her adopted homeland and her deep faith are inspiring. Her thoughts and feelings about the war and her battle front experience evolve over the 3 years of the diary - and they are eloquently expressed in its pages. This book is a treasure!

Kate's is a remarkable story, and this journal in her own words unfolds over the difficult days of the US Civil War. Kate Cumming is a fine, educated, intelligent and articulate woman. She is a woman of deep faith and lasting patience. Her journal passes on to us the daily routine, the sufferings of war and the deepest reflections of this noteworthy woman. The text is riveting, moving, thought provoking. The book is history from a very personal perspective - one well worth reading.

This book is the masterfully written journal of Kate Cumming. Miss Cumming was a confederate
nurse during the Civil War. Like Clara Barton in the north, Kate cares for hundreds of the suffering soldiers. Miss Cumming works at Corinth, Mississippi toward the start of the book. Here at Corinth men are brought in every day from the bloody battlefield of Shiloh. She works in Chattanooga for a few months. Also she did her duty as a nurse in Mobile, Alabama(her hometown) Kate relates in her flowing writing the many thoughts that ran through her mind during those long, hard, years. She tells of how much faith in God these men had. This really touched me. Kate said, while speaking of the men's faith, that she had not met one man in her hospital that did not know the Lord. This is quite a statement! To think of all that these men went through at Shiloh, Stone's River, and so many others! I would highly recommend this book because it reveals the true history from a woman who lived at the time and was a witness to these events in our country's history.

Excellant Book covers areas of the war not gone over by others, I do Confederate Cemetery Research and she has in her Journal name of men who did and some unit information, that has help to lead to I.D.ing 5 Soldiers not listed in to N.Ga. cemeteries before

Kate's journal is amazingly well-written, and, as I said in my title, it is obvious from reading it that she is a true Southern lady.

When I consider how I write any old thing, any old way, in my own journals, I am impressed by the way Kate kept all the wartime news- both on the battlefield and in her private life- so nicely organized. Don't let the word "organized" fool you, though, into thinking it is boring. This journal is anything but dull. Kate's writing style is intelligent, personal, detailed, and extremely interesting; the amazing part is that most of it is written whenever she can snatch a moment to herself from her nursing duties.

From reading Kate's journal one quickly sees her devotion to the South and its "cause" for freedom. She was not a nurse before the war, but when the war began she volunteered to become one. As a nurse, she showed great compassion for the soldiers, doing everything in her power to alleviate their suffering and to make their stay in the hospital as pleasant as possible, under the terrible circumstances in which she worked. Sometimes her burden would seem too heavy, and she would almost make up her mind to quit, but her determination to be patriotic and her compassion for her patients would change her mind.

Kate Cumming was a true lady, and this fact also made her journal enjoyable. She is well-mannered; for instance, when she does dislike someone she exercises reserve in writing about them, even though she is writing in her private journal. She does greatly dislike "Yankees", but instead of simply raving bitterly about them, she relates the incidents that cause her to dislike them. Overall, Kate is quiet and observant, and likes to write about the better things that occur in her life (something as simple as meeting a friend on the train, or having something extra nice for dinner) rather than dwell negatively on the hardships that she was experiencing.

I highly recommend this wartime journal for anyone interested in a truly personal account of a nurse during the Civil War. The fact that Kate was a Southerner makes it even more interesting, because on the whole she went through more than her Northern counterparts did. She was a patriotic lady, and her attitude throughout the war makes her journal a pleasure to read.

Carl Panzram was a serial killer in the 1910s-20s and wrote this book while in prison. He was subject
to incredibly cruel treatment in jail until a prison guard who felt sorry for him gave him $1. I guess
Panzram was touched so he offered to write his bio for the guard, if he could smuggle him pen and
paper. He did and what results is the most penetrating study on the mind of a criminal I think that
is available. The recounting of the disgusting crimes is one part of the book but his analysis can only
be made by one who has experienced what he has. One of the most important things I remember from
this book is that he says if a child is not taught the right way by age SEVEN, he is LOST FOREVER and
cannot be rehabilitated.

KILLER has been out of print for years, yet it is one of the finest studies ever done of a serial killer. Panzram was one of the handful of such killers who possess any real intelligence, and the book includes long excerpts from the diary he wrote in prison while cheerfully awaiting execution for his murder and rape of so many young men. I had heard a rumour in Poland last week that the book had been reprinted. Is it so? No library on the subject is complete without it.

As the writer in 1997 said, a movie has been made, written and directed by Tim Metcalfe, can be rented in most video stores. Its a powerful drama and the only reason i can think of that it didn't get the attention "Monster" is getting today is that the public wasn't ready for it since the quality of the writing, directing and certainly James Woods acting should have been nominated for an Oscar.

Why this has not been made into a movie or mini-series eludes me!Anyone who reads this book will see how far our prison system has come but how far it yet needs to go. It is the true story of a life wasted. Carl Panzram was not created evil...he was a created evil by mans inhumanity to man. I believe he possessed a great intellect as one can tell from his writings but this same intellect was disgarded to fester and rot from a very early age. Imagine...this man was deprived of any real kindness until it was already too late to make a difference in his life. Unbelievable, you say? Read this book and you will believe!

An excellent read that penitrates the mind of a serial killer. What's more shocking is that it actually happened! Panzram details his life from childhood through the hardships of adulthood which made him the hardcore savage animal that he ultimately became. I loved every minute of this book! It's a shame that it's so hard to find though or I'd buy my own copy and read it every night before I go to bed. I suggest that anyone who wants something new and exciting to read should pick up this work and start reading. The public library should have it. Get moving!

This journal was the best item I took on my trip to Europe. It was easy to write in and easy to carry on daily road trips. I also used it draw and post pictures. My journal is full of memories I will never forget.

I ordered this journal for myself just to have something to write in over my Christmas holidays. I was highly surprised when I opened it to discover gorgeous leather binding with hand-made paper on the inside; higher quality than anything I've been able to find in stores. It's a perfect size for travel, can fit easily into a carry on or purse, and makes writing into a luxurious experience. This is a top of the line item.

It writes itself; truly amazing. Whether you're sad, happy etc. It puts its own words on the page. Brilliant!

This journal has a special feel to it...just as special as the memoirs it will keep.

When I first started looking for a journal, I was utterly lost. I didn't know what I wanted or what I was willing to pay for. The choices are seemingly infinite, and it's hard to know until you begin to work with a journal whether or not it will stand the test of time and meet your needs. This journal is wonderful. It's bound so that, when opened, it lies relatively flat, making it easy to write in. The hand made paper has character, with no two pieces exactly alike, yet the writing surface is generally smooth enough to sketch on. These journals are literally so beautiful that I was almost afraid to write in them for fear of messing them up, but don't let that stop you! I have this journal as well as the maroon cover Lama Li. I like this one because of its style and durability. I read another review that described the journal well by saying, "They seem so exotic, you can imagine yourself in Egypt or Burma scribbling away about the day's adventures." That's very true. The maroon cover journal is a bit less expensive, yet contains extra pages. Both are worth the money, but this one's my favorite.

The Lama Li Travel Journal must be one of the most unique blank journals I have found. I bought the larger 7x9 size and cannot believe how lightweight it is. It is covered in a heavy crinkled paper with a flap secured by an elastic band; the paper seems sturdy but not enough to withstand heavy abuse or the elements. The signatures (sections) are sewn together and allow the book to lie nearly flat when open. Inside are over a hundred sheets of slightly textured paper that has a soft almost fabric-like feel.

I was excited when the package containing it arrived. But to my disappointment I can't use it in the capacity I had intended, as a journal. The problem is that the paper cannot handle fountain pens or roller balls. I put a dot in the lower back corner of the page and it bled through to the backside and expanded to nearly twice the size. Ball pens or pencils are not option for me when it comes to journalling. Both lack the smooth and nearly effortless flow of a fountain pen. So keep that mind if you manage to find one of these journals.

I bought this journal for myself just prior to an extended journey overseas. I love it! The size is perfect, easy to take everywhere, and the handmade paper is very interesting/beautiful. It is not smooth (as stated in the description), but irregularly textured like cloth with fine inclusions of wood. (Not irregular enough to make writing difficult, however.) The binding is well designed; flexible, not rigid, for easier writing. There is a small pocket along the inside edge of the wrap-around cover that holds stamps very neatly. The elastic band over the whole book helps keep it together, a definite plus.

I collect blank journals and this one is one of the most wonderful, unique ones that I have found. The texture on the paper is absolutely beautiful. My teenage daughters were crazy about it. Now what to find that is worthy of using this exquisite journal for!

You'll love the handmade feel of this travel journal. Every time you handle it you always know it's hand-made from the paper to the finished journal.

The texture is great. Each page is unique because of the process used to make it. There is actual 'texture' to the page which makes it fun to write in.

And, of course, it closes for protection with the elastic band. Great product and well worth it's price...just make sure to use it and stop admiring it's beauty and uniqueness!

When I first started looking for a journal, I was utterly lost. I didn't know what I wanted or what I was willing to pay for. The choices are seemingly infinite, and it's hard to know until you begin to work with a journal whether or not it will stand the test of time and meet your needs. This journal is wonderful. It's bound so that, when opened, it lies relatively flat, making it easy to write in. The hand made paper has character, with no two pieces exactly alike, yet the writing surface is generally smooth enough to sketch on. These journals are literally so beautiful that I was almost afraid to write in them for fear of messing them up, but don't let that stop you! I have this journal as well as the leather-bound Lama Li. I like this one because of its price and extra pages, but the leather journal seems more durable and more classically styled. Both are worth the money.

Hesselbein and Cohen have assembled and brilliantly edited "enduring insights on leadership" from the Drucker Foundation's award-winning journal. What a superb selection of essays they offer! The Introduction by Hesselbein (all by itself) is well worth the cost of the book. As for the 37 individual essays, they are organized within seven Parts:

I. On Leaders and Leadership (eg Peter Drucker, Max DePree, and Herb Kelleher)

II. Leading Innovation and Transformation (eg Peter M. Senge, John P. Kotter, and Douglas K. Smith)

III. Leadership in the New Information Economy (eg Esther Dyson, Margaret Wheatley, and Kevin Kelly)

IV. Competitive Strategy in a Global Economy (eg Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Ann Winblad, and Keniche Ohmae)

V. Leading for High Performance (eg Steven R. Covey, Jim Collins, and Noel Tichy)

VI. Building Great Teams (eg Warren Bennis, Jon R. Katzenbach, and J. Richard Hackman)

VII. Leadership Across the Sectors (eg John W. Gardner, Regina Hetzlinger, and James E. Austin)

I know of no other single volume in which so many great business thinkers are represented by so many of their landmark essays. The editors are to be commended for the selections; also for the structure within which those selections are organized. This is "must reading" for leaders and, especially, for whose who aspire to be leaders.

"People both in this country and around the world also have an enormous hunger for ideas; that's why three years ago the Drucker Foundation launched 'Leader to Leader', a journal of ideas by leaders for leaders."Frances Hesselbein writes, "this hunger among millions of working executives demonstrates their concern for the future and a commitment to make a difference. The incisive thinkers and remarkable leaders who have contributed to the journal and to this book open doors, spark ideas, raise signal flags, and help satisfy that universal hunger."

In this context, I partially summarized only five of the thirty-seven essays written by thirty-seven talented thinkers.

I. Peter F. Drucker writes: "the three people from whom I learned the most in my work were all very different. The first two were exceptionally demanding; the third was exceptionally brillant. All three taught me a lot...Five lessons I learned from those remarkable men still apply today:

1. Treat people differently, based on their strengths.

2. Set high standards, but give people the freedom and responsibility to do their job.

3. Performance review must be honest, exacting, and an integral part of the job.

4. People learn the most when teaching others.

5. Effective leaders earn respect-but they don't need to be liked.

II. Doris Kearns Goodwin lists ten lessons from the stories of Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt for leaders of today's organizations:

1. Timing is (almost) everything.

2. Anything is possible if you share the glory.

3. Trust, once broken, is seldom restored.

4. Leadership is about building connections.

5. Leaders learn from their mistakes.

6. Confidence-not just in oneself-counts.

7. Effective partnership require devotion to one's partners.

8. Renewal comes from many sources.

9. Leaders must be talent brokers.

10. Language is one's most powerful tool.

III. John P. Kotter argues: "No organization today-large or small, local or global-is immune to change. To cope with new technological, competitive, and demographic forces, leaders in every sector have sought to alter fundamentally the way their organizations do business. These change efforts have paraded under many banners-total quality management, reengineering, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, turnarounds. Yet according to most assessments, few of these efforts accomplish their goals. Fewer than fifteen of the one hundred or more companies I have studied have successfully transformed themselves." Hence, he lists eight critical steps to transform your organization:

1. Establish a sense of urgency.

2. Form a powerful guiding coalition.

3. Create a vision.

4. Communicate the vision.

5. Empower others to act on the vision.

6. Plan for and create short-term wins.

7. Consolidate improvements and produce still more change.

8. Institutionalize new approaches.

IV. Warren Bennis argues: "I believe that behind every Great Man is a Great Group, an effective partnership. And making up every Great Group is a unique construct of strong, often eccentric individuals. So the question for organizations is, How do you get talented, self-absorbed, often arrogant, incredibly bright people to work together?" And he suggests ten principles common to all Great Groups:

1. At the heart of every Great Group is a shared dream.

2. They manage conflict by abandoning individual egos to the pursuit of the dream.

3. They are protected from the "suits".

4. They have a real or invented enemy.

5. They view themselves as winning underdogs.

6. Members pay a personal price.

7. Great Groups make strong leaders.

8. Great Groups are the product of meticulous recruiting.

9. Great Groups are usually young.

10. Real artists ship.

V. J. Richard Hackman identifies a number of mistakes that managers make in setting up and leading work teams.

Mistake 1. Use a team for work that is better done by individuals.

Mistake 2. Call the performing unit a team but really manage members as individuals.

Mistake 3. Fall off the authority balance team.

Mistake 4. Dismantle existing organizational structures so that teams will be fully empowered to accomplish the work.

Mistake 5. Specify challenging team objectives, but skimp on organizational supports.

Mistake 6. Assume that members already have all the skills they need to work well as a team.

I highly recommend this excellent collection as a whole.

This is a collection of outstanding contributions from the Journal of the Drucker Foundation, by leaders and thinkers. Key sections focus on: leaders and leadership; leading innovation and transformation; leadership in the new information economy; competitive strategy in a global economy; leading for high performance; and building great teams.

A few of the contributors include: Peter Drucker, Charles Handy, John Kotter, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Steven Kerr, Noel Tichy, Stephen Covey, Warren Bennis and Peter Senge. This book offers an enormous amount of rich content. Recommended. Reviewed by Yvette Borcia, Managing Partner, Stern & Associates, co-author of Stern's Sourcefinder: The Master Directory to HR and Business Management Information & Resources, Stern's CyberSpace SourceFinder, and Stern's Compensation and Benefits SourceFinder.

"People in both in this country and around the world have an enormous hunger for ideas; that's why three years ago the Drucker Foundation launched 'Leader to Leader', a journal of ideas by leaders for leaders."Frances Hesselbein writes, "This hunger among millions of working executives demonstrates their concern for the future and a commitment to make a difference. The incisive thinkers and remarkable leaders who have contributed to the journal and to this book open doors, spark ideas, raise signal flags, and help satisfy that universal hunger."

In this context, I summarized partially only four of the thirty-seven essays written by talented thinkers as follows:

I. Peter F. Drucker writes: "The three people from whom I learned the most in my work were all very different. The first two were exceptionally demanding; the third was exceptionally brillant. All three taught me a lot...Five lessons I learned from those remarkable men still apply today:

1. Treat people differently, based on their strengths.

2. Set high standards, but give people the freedom and responsibility to do their job.

3. Performance review must be honest, exacting, and an integral part of the job.

4. People learn the most when teaching others.

5. Effective leaders earn respect-but they don't need to be liked.

II. Doris Kearns Goodwin lists ten lessons from the stories of Lyndon Johnson, John Kennedy, and Franklin Roosevelt for leaders of today's organizations.

1. Timing is (almost) everything.

2. Anything is possible if you share the glory.

3. Trust, once broken, is seldom restored.

4. Leadership is about building connections.

5. Leaders learn from their mistakes.

6. Confidence-not just in oneself-counts.

7. Effective partnerships reqire devotion to one's partners.

8. Renewal comes from many sources.

9. Leaders must be talent brokers.

10. Language is one's most powerful tool.

III. Warren Bennis argues: "I belive that behind every Great Man is a Great Group, an effective partnership. And making up every Great Group is a unique construct of strong, often eccentric individuals. So the question for organizations is, How do you get talented, self-absorbed, often arrogant, incredibly bright people to work together?" And he suggests ten principles common to all Great Groups:

1. At the heart of every Great Groups is a shared dream.

2. They manage conflict by abandoning individual egos to the pursuit of the dream.

3. They are protected from the "suits".

4. They have a real or invented enemy.

5. They view themselves as winning underdogs.

6. Members pay a personal price.

7. Great Groups make strong leaders.

8. Great Groups are the product of meticulous recruiting.

9. Great Groups are usually young.

10. Real artists ship.

IV. J. Richard Hackman identifies a number of mistakes that managers make in setting up and leading work teams.

1. Use a team for work that is better done by individuals.

2. Call the performing unit a team but really manage members as individuals.

3. Fall off the authority balance team.

4. Dismantle existing organizational structures so that teams will be fully empowered to accomplish the work.

5. Specify challenging team objectives, but skimp on organizational supports.

6. Assume that members already have all the skills they need to work well as a team.

Not only these essays, but all of the book as a whole is strongly recommended.

The Leader to Leader magazine, from The Drucker Foundation, is consistently one of the best magazines for insightful leadership thinking. Now the 'best of the best' has been gathered for this handbook. Harvard Business School Professor John Kotter's insight into the four most common mistakes that cause change efforts to fail are superb and right on the money -- and his chapter is just one of thirty-seven. I wish this book had been available when I started my leadership journey many years ago! Whether you are just beginning your leadership journey or you are well on your way to becoming a SmartLeader, this book is a resource that you will benefit from today and in the days ahead.