Resources Books

Another great study by Beth Moore. the shorter 7 week legnth was perfect for us to do over the summer and many in our group are new to Beth Moore so 7 weeks was a great intro.

Beth Moore Studies are absolutely wonderful. Our all-women Bible Study Group are almost Beth Moore junkies. We have done several of her studies and have never been disappointed. Amazon.com was really quick to send it to me as well. I received mine before others that ordered else where but on the same day. Thank you Amazon.com for the great transaction. I will only order from Amazon from now on and Thank you Beth Moore....keep them coming. The Daniel Study was fabulous too!

Another great Beth Moore study. Not as long as the rest of her studies.

I got so much from this study of the feasts of the Lord as told in the Psalms of Assent. I also loved writing the Psalms in my own words. As always Beth was so on fire in the videos. You cannot help but grow in your love of God thru this study.

Excellent study. Very easy to follow. No matter where you are in your faith, you will grow as a result of it. Touches on every emotion you could have. Especially great if dealing with difficult people in your life.

The book begins with a foreword titled: "It's not supposed to be this way." The authors outline the problems and issues that many people have with performance appraisals. Then they make two key points. Here's the first one.

"Rather than a painful yearly event, performance appraisals can be viewed as a discussion, a culmination of small meetings held throughout the evaluation period."

In other words, performance review grows out of supervision. The rest of the book assumes that those "discussions" are going on. They're necessary to the process, but they're not the subject of the book.

The authors also make the point that: "In one form or other, performance reviews will continue to be a fact of our work life. This book is designed to cut through the anxiety and make the process, or series of discussions, more pleasant and productive."

Even though there are some people calling for the abolition of performance reviews as we know them, that's not likely to happen on a large scale any time soon. If the place that you work has a formal performance appraisal process now, you can count on having to deal with it for years to come.

I assume that if you're considering purchasing this book you will either be looking for ways to make your company's performance review system better or you will be looking for ways to make the process of actually doing performance reviews with your subordinates less daunting. For that reason, I'll split my analysis and recommendations into two parts.

Designing the Performance Review System

If you are responsible for designing or re-designing the performance review system in your organization, this is a book you should read. The research that's referred to matches up well with research I've done and read. The authors do a good job of presenting it and drawing conclusions.

They're also thorough. There's discussion of the current state of performance reviews, supervisor-employee relationships, scorecards, compensation, and much more.

Working Managers

If you are a working manager who has to do appraisals within your organization's system you will find some helpful material here, too. There's good discussion of how appraisals go off track. The authors cover different kinds of rating errors. And, there's material on actually conducting the appraisal.

But this part of the book is not as strong as the part about designing formal appraisal systems. There's not much depth or reach to the material on face-to-face discussion of behavior and performance issues.

That's because those are peripheral issues for the authors in this book. If you want more on face to face discussion, read my book, Performance Talk: the one-on-one part of leadership, which deals specifically with that aspect of supervision.

That's a quibble, though. Stress-Free Performance Appraisals is a solid, well-researched and well-written book that can help you improve the performance review process in your company.

Everyone, it seems, hates performance appraisals. Some corporate cultures compel managers to "grade on the curve," which means that even good employees may have to fail. Even in less draconian corporate cultures, performance appraisals require supervisors to tell people about their shortcomings, an uncomfortable exercise for both the appraiser and the appraised. Meanwhile, lurking in the not-too-distant background is the threat of litigation instigated by an employee whose appraiser lets slip an awkward reference to race, sex, age or some other legally proscribed subject. This book tells you how to avoid the stress and anxiety of appraisals by focusing on a few basics. Authors Sharon Armstrong and Madelyn Appelbaum provide valuable counsel - albeit not terribly well organized - for people on both sides of the desk, both the supervisor and the employee. We recommend the authors' useful potpourri of advice, role playing exercises, case histories, evaluation forms and observations about appraisals to everyone who participates in a performance appraisal system and certainly to anybody who runs one.

Sharon Armstrong is a known expert in the field of performance appraisals and human resources training and her latest book does a fantastic job of covering a critical issue for any manager. This is a must read for any manager or would-be manager - its well-written, easily readable, and has the capacity to improve any workplace. Strong reccommend!

This is a great resource for HR consultants and practioners who are creating innovative performance management systems for their organizations. It addresses the underlying issues that prevent organizations from successfully managing performance and delivering candid and constructive feedback. I highly recommend it to all of my clients.

As an experienced human resources professional, I have dreamed of the day when I could create a succesful performance appraisal program. And I had concluded that there was absolutely no way to please everyone. Cheer up -- Stress-free Performance Appraisals offers a fresh perspective to this tired, worn topic.

The text is, surprisingly, useful for human resources professionals, managers, and employees. It is visually attractive and chocked full of valuable questions, extensive documentation, great examples from well-regarded organizations, and ideas to cover a variety of cultures and performance appraisal philosophies. As examples of their recommendations, the authors weave -- chapter-by-chapter -- the scenarios of three fictional employees with varying performance levels. The book is an easy read in about three hours.

This book provides a resource for teachers of phonics or struggling readers. The presentation is user friendly so busy teachers will want to use it. This has excellent information on phonemic instruction. It has great resources like lists of prefixes, words, roots etc. This book is a tremendous time saver.

This book is an excellent resource for teachers who teach reading to all readers, but especially those who are struggling to understand "the code."
Word lists are very helpful, as are the activities and teaching strategies presented. Only wish there was an index!

As a first year fourth grade teacher I have found this to be an EXCELLENT teaching resource. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn how to use phonics to improve reading and spelling - it has helped me both on a personal and a professional level. The information is in-depth and yet presented in a very user friendly format which has been logical and easy for me to build upon and REALLY USE!

Teaching Phonics And Word Study In The Intermediate Grades by WILLY BLEVINS

Author Willy Blevins has created a very sophisticated introduction to Phonics, but this books is also a WORD STUDY TEXT, emphasizing:

p. 51 Most Frequently Used Words in English Language.
p. The Dolch Word list (250 words)
as well as words classified according to suffix, prefix and word types, and Greek and Latin word Roots.

The Phonics instruction is in the first 50 pages and it is very complete. The entire book is designed with large pages and there are a number of exercises in the book that can be cut out or photocopied.

The book is directed at the elementary school student between the Third Grade and Eighth Grade. I got my copy to use in tutoring a single adult male from Mongolia.

I looked at nearly 20 books on this subject in the store, and bought several. This is the best of all the books I found. It is a complete course within itself.

This book is GREAT for anyone who has a difficult time teaching phonics. It is very easy to understand and gives the teacher in depth knowledge of phonemic elements.
I highly recommend this book!!!

For me, this is certainly one of the best recent books on pastoring. In a world of pastoral theory that is dominated by cut-rate corporate modeling, formulating, and marketing savvy, this work stands as a clarion call for a return to a thoroughly biblical and spiritual description of the pastor's call. A fear of mine is that most evangelical pastors would describe their jobs in terms more appropriate for therapy or corporate leadership than the biblical vision of shepherd. This book is an antidote to that ubiquitous cancer.

Written as a long reflection on the book of Jonah, Peterson writes on what it means to be called as a pastor (and a writer) and not have a congregation or a published work. He takes the reader through his own journey of discovery, what it meant to follow his calling in a biblically and spiritually faithful way, and introduces us to his mentors along the way (unlikely but powerful influences like Dostoyevsky).

This book was a vocation saver for me. I am a pastor and am almost constantly subject to the pressure to conform to a corporate model. Under the Unpredictable Plant helped me see through the flotsam and jetsam of current church-growth jargon to the clear biblical call to be a pastor.

I have served as a pastor in the Lutheran Church for 21 years. Having served a matriarchal, pastoral, and programmatic size church I have seen in myself the subtle slide from spiritual director to program director. Peterson is not only a very gifted writer, but one who pinpoints exactly what we pastors in the United States need to hear. May he who has ears to hear, hear well!

Eugene has a wonderful way of captivating the reader with conviciton and truth. This particular selection is my favorite because it targets vocational pride while providing the God-planned escape route. I will never read the Book of Jonah the same after reading this book. Prostituted vocations are evident all over the church world. This book opened my eyes and is a must read for all clergy.

"Parish glamorization is ecclesiastical pornography -- taking photographs (skillfully airbrushed) or drawing pictures of congregations that are without spot or wrinkle, the shapes that a few parishes have for a few short years. These provocatively posed pictures are devoid of personal relationships. The pictures excite a lust for domination, for gratification, for uninvolved and impersonal spirituality."

Want to read more? Buy the book! This book is practical, has theological depth, and is just plain fun to read. What more can you ask for? Few books are as exciting as this.

This is the third Peterson book I've read, and one of the five books he has penned for pastors. As the title suggests, this book is developed around the story-line of Jonah whose disobedience and running from God parallel similar sins in pastors. Peterson confronts pastors who do not stay rooted in one place, succumb to the lusts of "ecclesiastical pornography" (see the quote in a review below), and serve up religion to parishioners by making golden calves. His playful prose explores multiple dimensions of the pastoral vocation including prayer, spiritual direction, and cultivating (as a farmer cultivates a field, as opposed to a developer excavating land to build a shopping mall) the top-soil of the congregation. A chapter which meanders through the works of Dostoevsky, gleaning numerous insights into the soul-work of pastors, was especially helpful. I found myself rebuked, refocused, revived, and refreshed in my reading of this book over vacation this year. Just what I needed. The exegesis in Jonah may be strained at a few points, but the pastoral theology is sound and I'm grateful for what I gleaned from this book. I plan to return to it again in the future.

There are a growing list of coaching book authors that share their coaching "formula" or model with you - supposedly so that you can learn to be a great coach from reading their book. Unleashed is not that kind of book. Gregg Thompson and Susanne Biro have written a book that shares what goes on "under the skin" of great coaching and reveals not only the guts of coaching, but the guts you have to have to be a great coach that can unleash potential in others. I enjoyed their focus on the qualities of great coaches - things like holding the highest expectation for others, the courage to share the truth, and the willingness to engage in Dangerous Conversations, and more. They share their experiences and their wisdom and I appreciate the courage they had to write a coaching book unlike the others. If you want to know what makes for GREAT coaching, this is your book.

True to their authentic selves, Gregg Thompson and Susanne Biro created a brilliant model, the Great Expectations Coaching Model, which calls us to be who we are as a leader coach. In their book Unleashed they challenge us to use our talents to be in the service of others, to commit ourselves to their success, and to sacrifice ourselves in the name of enabling the very best abilities in those we lead. The call is resounding...soul shaking. You cannot read this book without feeling an up tick in adrenaline and a gnawing curiosity for what is possible. Don't go looking for a "five easy steps how-to" chapter. You won't find it here. What you will find is a challenge to look within yourself, unleash yourself and use the best of you to help others realize their greatness. Daunting? Yes. This book makes the journey doable, purposeful and rich.

I have just finished Gregg Thompson and Susanne Biro's book "Unleashed!" Now this is not my usual read as while I am in the business of coaching people it is at a different level i.e. I am not a professional coach in the normally accepted way those words would give meaning.
However, I would like to comment about the book rather than me. I really enjoyed the principle of "Great Expectations" as described in the book. So much of our lives is about scrutiny and tests. This methodology sets the "Talent" up to be as successful as she or he can be, before any limiting judgements are made.
The book is easy to read while retaining lots of "meaty content". Peppered with interesting and appropriate quotes, the book holds the readers' interest all the way through.
A thoroughly reccommended read............almost textbook quality.
As a New Zealand resident, this is/was a refreshing and instructive read appropriate to our social rules and environment.
Thankyou Gregg and Susanne.

Reviewed by Olivera Baumgartner-Jackson for Reader Views (6/07)

As everybody in the Human Resources field knows all too well, it is time-consuming to find new talent and quite expensive to keep hiring new people all the time. That is why the idea presented by Gregg Thompson and Susanne Biro in "Unleashed!" should prove invaluable to people who are in a managerial/coaching position, regardless of the size of their company. They will show you how to expect greatness, which should open a wealth of opportunities for you and people who work with you.

If the reader is expecting another step-by-step, how-to guide, I would highly recommend he or she picks up another book. This book does not follow such an approach, but rather teaches one the process of becoming the kind of a person that other people would want to receive coaching from.

Thompson and Biro lead the reader through three principles essential to coaching: Earning the Right to Coach, A Perfect Partnership and Dangerous Conversations. Although this book is not a step-by-step guide, as I've already mentioned, it still provides many practical tools and thought-provoking sections. If you want to make sure this is the right book for you, just check out chapter 12. If you can agree with it, buy a copy and I am certain that it will drastically change your approach to life in general as well as your approach to leadership and coaching.

I found this book an enlightening read, written in a fluid, easy-to-follow and easy-to-understand style. My favorite parts were the "Try This" sections, which I found applicable not only to the work situations, but quite often to the general life. The 60 Big Coaching Questions found in Chapter 12 were truly eye-opening and I would have bought this book just for those pages. There are also some great photographs, notably the one on page 98 (and no, I am not going to tell you what is in it!), that complement the writing very well.

Overall I found "Unleashed!" to be a provocative read that delivers. I surely hope a similar description (provocative, but delivers...) would be used for anybody who reads it and applies it to his or hers approach to coaching.

Gregg Thompson and Susanne Biro hit pay dirt with a great read for those that want to unlock the secret of coaching - Unleash the Talent in those you lead. It's in them. Know it and believe in them and great things will happen.
After coaching executives for over 24 years and having read everything I could find on the profession of coaching I would place this book in the top 3 books about coaching on my shelf!

It was not what I thought. I thought it was a book to read to kids, instead it is a WONDERFUL workbook with ideas, activities, etc. Definately for teachers but very useful even for this grandma!

A great book for parents and kids on anger management; filled with strategies and activities. Put this on your bookshelf. Another outstanding resource for parents and educators is Bully-Proofing Children: A Practical, Hands-On Guide to Stop Bullying. It not only helps kids to deal with feelings of anger but expression of all feelings; it provides activities and detailed classroom-tested lessons on how to manage these feelings, assertiveness vs aggressiveness; conflict resolution; getting along; being kind and helping others.

I am an Elementary School Counselor. I got this book to help me put together small groups for some of my students. The book is wonderful. It is full of great and effective ideas. I bought many resources in the past, and this is by far the best one to help children understand and work through anger.

The premise of the book is that anger is okay and natural, and you do not need to feel ashamed or scared when you are angry. You can talk about your anger, and try to physically calm your body, but you cannot be abusive and hurt yourself, others, or property.

If you are a parent hoping to help a child with anger issues, this is probably not the best book for you. It is basically a series of lesson plans designed for teachers/counselors to use when teaching students about anger and constructive ways to manage their anger.

OTOH, I do plan to adapt a few of the lessons for my family. There are a few useful stories and worksheets that could reinforce some of the messages I am trying to get through to my children, such as: using "cold water" words to diffuse someone else's anger; figuring out "what lit the fuse" for an outburst of anger; slowly escalating your words "using your muscles" to explain when someone is bothering you, rather than exploding all at once; and coming up with "safe ways" to express anger, among others.

Excellent short workbook for kids with anger problems. Probably most appropriate for kids between 5 and 9. Highly reccomended.

When God Builds a Church: 10 Principles for Growing a Dynamic Church is Biblically solid and has the potential to revolutionize the way we do church...if we will apply them. Russell is easy and entertaining to read and will connect with anyone who is in the trenches trying to allow God to lead them in ministry and church leadership.

Our church purchased 40 copies of this book for an adult study group. We wanted to take a close look at the principles for growth as outlined by Mr. Russell and compare them to our local growth potential. We have been pleased with the discussions and results of that study. We have been encouraged by some of the things we have been doing and challanged to do better in some areas. We recommend using this book as a base to take a look at your local church and see how God might use you to reach others more effectively for His kingdom.

This book reminds us that a church can grow with out compromising spiritual values. This book is not a management book. It provides 10 principles that have worked for South East Christian Church, and can be adapted and used by any one. In fact we are encouraged not to try to use a cookie cutter approach. If I were to recommend two books for church growth, they would be The Purpose Driven Church, and When God Builds a Church.

This book, "When God Builds a Church," contains biblical principles and real-life examples for building a strong, evangelistic church. Although I am opposed to the mega-church model and much of the church growth movement for doctrinal reasons, I recommend this book because the general principles it advocates are sound and can be adapted for use in congregations anywhere, without necessarily embracing the big church idea. As a missionary in Brazil, South America I found this work to be encouraging, and hope to implement many of its ideas in a new church work here.

In this interesting and highly readable book, the author identifies and discusses "ten principles for growing a dynamic church." They are:

1. Truth: Proclaim God's Word as Truth and Apply it to People's Lives
2. Worship: Worship God Every Week in Spirit and in Truth
3. Leadership: Develop Christ-Centered Leaders Who Lead by Example
4. Excellence: Do Your Best in Every Area of Service
5. Faith: Be Willing to Step Out with a Bold Faith and Take Risks
6. Harmony: Maintain a Spirit of Harmony
7. Participation: Expect the Congregation to Participate in Every Area of Ministry
8. Fellowship: Continually Practice Agape Love for One Another
9. Stewardship: Give Generously of God's Resources as a Church and as Individuals
10. Evangelism: Commit Enthusiastically to Evangelism as Your Primary Mission

The author devotes a separate chapter to each of these principles in which he describes its scriptural basis and discusses its implementation in real life settings. This discussion includes a wealth of very practical information and advice on how to apply the principles effectively, and how to avoid or overcome stumbling blocks and problems.

Although one may disagree with the precise way in which the principles have been applied in the author's own "mega-church," the principles themselves appear fundamentally sound and can profitably be adapted in other congregational settings.

In beginning to read the orientation, it turned me off completely when it began with the fear of females. It's so overdone. But hasn't been tackled is the fear of men who have a completely different style when they meet fear, and often become aggressive because of it. Is there any more insulting rejection to a women than hearing, "there are plenty of more fish in the sea?" This proves not only the lack of integrity of the presumed lover but also the lack of mature perspective in appreciating the fact of one so committed and enamored. Just as men prefer to be the "one and only," so also women expect to be the "one and only." The fear of being alone doesn't necessarily produce the anxiety of feeling excluded if the flaws are seen in those who exhibit them, and operate more as malice than rejection. There is a huge difference. Faced with love that is generated within, and not because of trophyism and a misperception of external comfort may be frightening to men because it makes them dependent on the emotional consistency of that secure feeling, and delight in its glory. Fear of loss inevitably follows. But mature love accepts loss graciously in knowing that if love is not reciprocal within the range of adequacy deemed honorable and pure, generated from inside not outside, the result of well considered contemplation of strengths as well as weaknesses, flaws as well as perfections, the result hopefully of a really long and committed second, third or fourth look. Most of the rest is merely the passing of time for lifestyle comfort, and always subject to a tenuous existence, focusing upon quantity not quality of the relationship. It is the reason women wait, and it is the reason men refrain from being steered to other momentary pleasures. Isn't all real love like that?

I have not even read half of this book yet, and I can already say that it has helped me change my self and my life. It has such insight and wisdom in it - I can't say enough about how wonderful it is. I have been working on the issues in this book for around twenty years, and I only wish I had bought it twenty years ago. If you are dealing with any of the problems this book is about (and if you are human, you probably are to some degree), do yourself a favor and get this book!

Having first read Richo's "How to be an Adult," calling When Love Meets Fear: How to Become Defense-Less and Resource-Full his "best book" is quite a statement. The former is a wonderful and life changing tome that teaches the keys to meaningful relationships with others.

When Love Meets Fear builds on that message with a book expressly on the subject of fear. The root of anger, frustration and stonewalling in relationships, understanding and accepting our fear is our greatest journey in life.

One caution: This book takes many sittings to read properly. I was able to read only a few pages then I needed to put the book down and spend a day or two thinking about what I had just read. Almost like magic, I found myself time and again reading just the few pages I most needed to hear as I worked my way through.

This book simply explains the key to happiness. It is to let go of our fears, which is at the root of unhappiness, hate, aggression, apathy, and everything negative in the world. Once we are able to do that, we can open our hearts and embrace each other with love, respect, empathy, hope and forgiveness. It is a simple idea but something very difficult to do because our fears run very very deep within us all. Once we are able to do this to some extent, we try to help others do the same. It is simply the mission of all of our lives, whether we are aware of it or not. When you think about it, nothing else really matters as much. This is what this book tries to help us understand. It is a wonderful message! In another excellent book called "The Ever-Transcending Spirit" by Toru Sato, the author explains how this works in relation to human development and evolution. It shows us how we consciously begin living this life when we are naturally ready for it. These books are absolutely exquisite!

I cannot say enough good things about this book. I have tried a lot of self-help techniques but the ones contained in this book are unlike any I've encountered.

The biggest lesson I got out of this book is that so many of our problems nowadays occur because we had painful experiences earlier in life but instead of facing them and accepting the ramifications - we chose to lie to ourselves instead. Richo explains the most common lies: life is just, suffering is avoidable, things don't change, etc.

I understand from this book that it is much better to just experience those original painful feelings instead of spending your life overanalyzing every minute of every day trying to make the world something it is not.

Recently finished reading Joe Watson's book -- what a gem! It is smartly designed and quickly gets you on top of the diversity learning curve, whether you're looking to unlock your organization's full potential or are considering whether a prospective employer is "real." I bought a second copy and gave it to the Corporate Director of Diversity at my workplace, who in turn, is going to recommend it to our Corporate Diversity and Leadership Councils -- it's that good! Frankly, I'm surprised at the extent to which Joe Watson shares his own "trade secrets" in this book. It speaks volumes about his passion for diversity, not to mention candor.

Mr. Watson has developed a recipe for success when it comes to a hiring process that makes your company better. It should be required reading for all HR departments and senior level management. It should not be a secret that the employers who follow the process laid out in the book are performing better than their industry peers.

If you're responsible for hiring talented employees in a competitive business, Mr. Watson's book is a must read. I plan to keep it on my desk next to my HR manual and my Webster Dictionary! Thanks for shedding light on a crucial issue, Mr. Watson.

Mr. Watson has provided a smart yet practical guide for building diversity in the workplace. He has an open style and talks comfortably about race and its implications in the workplace. This step-by-step guide is applicable to large and small organizations - for- and not-for-profits. Mr. Watson will help you recognize that there is just "no excuse" for not diversifying the workplace - a viewpoint that is long overdue. Should be mandatory reading for every MBA program in the country.

America has waited too long for Without Excuses. Joe Watson is the master of "keepin' it real," and his cutting-edge strategies are welcome additions to the "corporate American mindset." As a young, minority entrepreneur, I have no doubt that if a company follows the guidelines in this book, they will see some VERY positive results. Yes, it encourages people to take a long, hard look at recruiting/hiring/retention strategies, but from my perspective it also encourages diverse job candidates to go the extra mile to try to attract the attention of companies that will value me for who I am. I am a young black female, and I don't expect people to ignore that fact. But I am also a triple-degree bearing, magna cum laude, contentious, hard-working person. I want my work to speak for itself, but I also want to be employed where I feel valued and respected for being myself. There are many diverse job-seeking candidates out there who are just like me. Without Excuses should be in the personal libraries of every person who understands good business sense.

This is one of the best business books ever! Five stars is to low for such an outstanding work as 100 ways to motivate others. Steve Chandler and Scott Richardson have a writing style that really hit home for me. Order this book now and your return on investment could be huge. I loved every word. I have already ordered all of Steve Chandler's books as a result of my satisfaction with this effort. . 10 Stars - 2 hour 40 minute very easy read. This book offers steps leaders can take to increase composure and results.

John Halloran
CEO [...]
CEO [...]

Great tips and ideas for motivating others, especially in the business world. Some of them include, "Know Where Motivation Comes From, Teach Self-Discipline, Stop Criticizing Upper Management, Keep Giving Feedback, Get Input from your People, Accelerate Change, Don't Confuse Stressing Out With Caring, Manage Your Own Superiors, and Manage Agreements, Not People." If you want to become a great leader, I highly recommend this book.

I've listened to these CD's more than once while driving. There are lots of great tips - and a couple opened my eyes to some areas where I had been stuck. Not every point was new to me. I have recommended it to others and shared some of the individual points with friends.

Steve Chandler drives home the keys to becoming a great leader in a way that is easy to understand and implement. This should be required reading for anyone in a leadership role. David Otis Author of "Walk Fast, Talk Loud and Smile."

If you are a reader on leadership, Steve Chandler is not stranger to you. In "100 ways to motivate others:", he condenses several years worth of work into a handbook for the new generation of leader.
Do not be confused by the fact that the book is not large. Steve has crammed years worth of fundamental truths about motivation and management into a compact tome.
The hardest part of using these techniques is making the initial leap of faith that these steps actually work. And they do work. If you buy a book on motivation or leadership this year, it must be this book.