Organizations Books

Effective execution takes coordinated effort. Why is this seemingly obvious fact so difficult to experience? The authors do an excellent job of illustrating how effective listening provides the starting point for a level of interaction that allows disparate views to be heard and valued.

This book allows me to be more aware of and intentional about, creating converations that search for a meaningful launching pad for strategic and tactical execution.


Jim Canfield
President/COO
Renaissance Executive Forums
San Diego, CA

I was introduced to this book by a colleague at a former employer. If you feel like you are building consensus, driving decisions or winning arguments - only to learn later that nothing is sticking "because of the other guy" - then you owe it to yourself to read this book.

The authors do an excellent job covering the theory of creating an authentic dialog where truth is spoken, beliefs are shared, perspectives understood and alignment and consensus are built. One of the key points is that communicating at this level is not always easy or comfortable, but it is essential to constructive communication.

In terms of format, the authors combine theory with a running fictitious story that is more colorful and detailed than a typical case study. Some may think the story is hokey, but I found it useful and entertaining. It also makes the book a hybrid between the cutesy (and somewhat useless - IMHO) parable format that is raging across business publishing, and pure theory, which can become dry and pedantic.

This is a very helpful book if you need to facilitate meetings to produce business results. It has helped me immensely.

The authors have offered a refreshing and effective model for communicating. The search for an intersection of facts, views, and intent makes incredible sense. I am using this model in all of my work and making progress in creating more value and less waste. I love their vocabulary. Buy this book if you want to make a positive and significant difference in the manner in which you communicate to those you want to influence, inspire and transform.

Connolly and Rianoshek take the view that any issue, no matter how seemingly intractable, can be resolved through effective communication. The ideas and tools in this book back up that view. The writing is clear and the organization will make it available to a variety of learning styles. Excellent book!

This is an excellent book that gives a way for individuals to take difficult problems/situations involving people and use communication to resolve the problem. It is well written with good illustrations.

This book goes beyond a must read to a must do. It provides clear, compelling guidance for growing stronger, better performing companies from within. It challenges organizations that compete in the knowledge economy to move beyond "people are our only assets" to "We, the people". But it is not mere smarmy and naive trash that extols empowerment without responsibility. If people are to seize the moment and become companies of citizens -- become contemporary equivalents of "Athenians" -- then they must take responsibility individually and together. They must risk their futures on learning from the distant past so well described in this excellent book.

Whether you are looking for a model of a democratic yet decisive organization or for an example of the timeless lessons of ancient history, you will love A Company of Citizens. The authors, a businessman and a classics professor, deserve a victory wreath for this short, sparkling, and inspiring guide that takes us from the Acropolis to the organization of the future.

History was never my favorite subject so I was a little leery of how much I might appreciate from a book about ancient Athens. How wonderful to find refreshing insights and practical teachings page after page! The authors use Athens as more of an illuminating example or clever case-study than a mantra for what modern managers should do now. They address both historical challenges and modern day dilemmas to get at the heart of how to build community while supporting individuality at the same time. Through stories that could almost seem ripped from today's headlines, they show refreshing ways of working together, learning from one another, and networking for the good of a geographic or business community. I was especially impressed with chapter 5, Practicing Citizenship, because it offered a series of Athenian practices that (as the authors said) "embody the combination of 'doing' and 'learning'--things that modern managers still tend to keep in separate jars." In my work, helping people and organizations discovery alternative ways to learn and work together, I'm sure to surprise people with some fresh approaches that are anything but new.

Ancient Greeks bear gifts to management.
By RICHARD DONKIN.
1,073 words
27 February 2003
Financial Times
16
English
(c) 2003 Financial Times Limited. All Rights Reserved

The authors of a new book argue that the ordered society of Pericles' Athens offers transferable models of organisation for the modern company.

There is a memorable scene in the Monty Python film The Life of Brian, where a group of Jewish resistance fighters asks: "What did the Romans do for us?" before producing an ever-growing list of achievements. It is just as well that the Python team did not include the Greeks or the scene would have run and run.

Ancient Greece has so much to offer that it is perhaps surprising that the management book-publishing industry has taken its time to evaluate the Greek city state for ideas that may be applied in the modern company. It is not as if business publishers have been coy about historical studies. We need only look at the exhaustive examinations of the methods of Sun Tzu, the fourth-century BC Chinese general, and Niccolo` Machiavelli, the Florentine Renaissance politician.

The interest in both is understandable, since they had much to say about the dark arts of manipulation and strategy, perceived for so long to be instructive for bosses who wanted to be sure of their power base.

But what could the city state of ancient Athens with its democratic traditions have to offer the autocratically run company?

The authors of a new book* believe the time has come for greater democracy and citizenship in the workplace. They argue that the ordered society of ancient Athens - what they describe as the world's first "company of citizens" - offers transferable models of organisation for the modern company.

It is tempting to dismiss this collaboration between Josiah Ober, a classics professor at Princeton University, and Brook Manville, a chief learning officer in Saba Software, a human resources and management consultancy, as a flight into faddism. But their comparisons provide an intriguing reflection on the modern company.

They do not, for example, explicitly compare today's companies with another Greek model, Spartan society - but there do seem to be similarities. The Spartans were reared as warriors and trained in military systems from childhood. Society was controlled from the centre. What the authors describe as a "grim and joyless military camp" sounds like the pared-down efficiency expected of lean manufacturing or the no-frills office.

There is a big difference, however, between tightly controlled Spartan society and the various degrees of semi-autonomous decision-making work teams in more progressive manufacturing businesses today. Some companies, flush with the ideas of empowerment, do appear to be heading towards more consensual models of organisation. But they have yet to achieve the devolution enjoyed some 2,400 years ago by the citizens of Athens.

As the authors point out, the decision to build the Parthenon, still one of the world's most potent symbols of democracy, emanated from accountable leaders who proposed it in an open forum and had the work plan approved by a citizens' assembly. "It did not spring from the head of an egotistical tyrant," they write. How many corporate decisions today can boast such participative involvement of employees?

The Parthenon remains, say the authors, "a product of tens of thousands of people working together to create something of lasting value and excellence, a reminder to us that similar excellence can be achieved today."

The achievement of such excellence was founded on a strong emphasis on the involvement of citizens in decision-making, the system of poletia that embodied a sense of civic duty, common purpose, learning, governance and community values. If the same spirit could be replicated in a company's workforce, say the authors, it could produce the same kind of sustained dynamic performance that characterised the success of Athenian society.

But, as they point out, the Athenian poletia was not socially engineered from above. "(It) did not start with a strategy, then devise a structure then finally plug the people into the framework. It began with the people themselves, and let values and structure and design emerge through the aligning practices of citizenship." But it relied on the direct involvement of citizens in the direction of society. "We do not say that a man who takes no interest in politics minds his own business; we say that he has no business here at all," said Pericles, the Athenian statesman.

There is a big difference between this view and that of the typical board-run company. It is one thing to communicate decisions to staff. It is quite another to involve those staff in the decision-making process. As the authors acknowledge, most experiments in workplace democracy to date have taken place in village-sized enterprises, such as the St Luke's advertising agency, the Oticon strategic management group and a jet engine plant run by General Electric in Durham, North Carolina.

They argue, however, that the Athenian model of organisation, consisting of "networks of networks" of citizens based primarily on neighbourhood groups called demes, could be scaled up to cover communities of tens of thousands of people.

The authors are not completely starry-eyed about the Athenian model. Ultimately, after 200 years, it was replaced by hierarchical rule after the city's conquest by Macedon. Athenian citizenship was never inclusive. It did not grant citizenship to women and it exploited the practice of slavery, although a small minority of slaves did manage to prosper and some even won their freedom.

But there is no doubting the power of involved citizens in democracy or that of involved employees in a genuinely democratic enterprise. Even so, can we really expect the chief executives of traditional businesses to become more accountable to employees? Recent developments in corporate governance are forcing boards to become more accountable to shareholders. Moreover, increasing numbers of organisations appear to be acquainting themselves with the stakeholder concept of the organisation. But this has yet to extend to any sophisticated understanding or practice of corporate citizenship.

Greek civilisation emerged in a turbulent world of warring nation states. Athens discovered that the organisational power unleashed by its system of governance endowed it with a real competitive advantage. That alone is enough to justify a more active experimentation in corporate citizenship today.

A Company of Citizens is concerned with two themes. First, "workers in today's Knowledge Age," mindful of their contributions and responsibilities, increasingly expect to become full citizens of their organizations with rights to self-govern and to develop practices of cooperation. Secondly, the Greek city-state of Athens in the fourth and fifth century B.C. is presented as the most significant example of a large organization/society that operated as a thoroughgoing democracy, and, as such, is suggested by the authors as the best practical model for modern firms desirous of a transformation to democracy. But the connection between the democracy of Athens which existed primarily at the level of the state and participatory democracy in modern, private enterprises is hardly straightforward. The authors contend that reality for today's employees is one of being forced to "check their values and sense of purpose" at the door to their firms, much to the detriment of the firms.

A large portion of the book consists of a discussion and breakdown of what the authors term the core elements of the Athenian democratic system: "democratic values, governance structures, and participatory practices." The basis of the widespread participation by Athenian citizens in the affairs of state was an unprecedented freedom and equality. There was not a layer of elites that trumped the various citizen assemblies, and any leaders chosen remained accountable to those assemblies. There was frequent rotation of citizens among the various bodies performing legislative, executive, and judicial functions. The art and responsibility of governing was widely distributed among Athenian citizens.

The authors focus on the Athenian concerns for defense and the domination of neighboring city-states as evidence of the positive workings of the Athenian democracy. But the authors make little mention of the economy of Athens, which is surprising since this book attempts to address the relevance of the Athens model to modern private enterprises. They make the claim that redistribution of private assets was not part of Athenian policies. But the redistribution of power or economic goods in the name of fairness and the wellbeing of communities is invariably part of democracies. That is a fundamental principle of modern social-democratic states, and, one guesses, of the Athens city-state.

For both communities and organizations, issues of "who can be members" and "the permanency of membership" are primary. An oddity by today's standards, citizenship in the Athens city-state was limited to native-born males. Unfortunately, the authors seem to have been unduly swayed by that restriction by pondering whether levels of membership will need to be established in firms employing workers with varying degrees of importance to their firms' success. However, a caste system is a dubious proposition for a modern democratic community. As a further consideration, in most genuine communities, members are protected by the group and not cast aside in difficult times. Yet the authors see "downsizing" as a possible action by democratic communities, though perhaps distasteful. The damage to an organization's fabric is not discussed.

The oft-repeated, hollow slogan of modern companies, "the people are the company," certainly had validity in Athens. There can be no state without citizens. But modern companies have legal, independent standing and are generally owned by outside shareholders, not workers. The reality is that workers are more like "wage slaves," not citizens of their companies with long-term, essential standing, legal or otherwise. The authors briefly touch on the necessity of redefining and reprioritizing the concept of "stakeholder" in modern companies. Obviously, a company of citizens cannot be trumped by absentee owners and still be a democratic community.

Closely tied to the issue of ownership of a firm is the role of management. The difficulties in transforming a company being operated by a managerial elite backed by a board of directors to one governed by employee-citizens cannot be exaggerated. A company of citizens cannot simply be mandated with power being retained by some overriding authority, no matter how enlightened. The authors point out that a democracy evolves through experimentation and mistakes by citizens. It is difficult to envision a modern CEO permitting his authority to be eliminated, let alone diminished, or allowing himself to be rotated out of the job. In addition, a huge issue is whether modern workers can really embrace and accept the responsibilities of democracy.

The emphasis on the Athens city-state is instructive from the standpoint of describing a "strong" democracy, despite some of its shortcomings. But one could ask whether it is even necessary to turn to ancient history to shed light on employees trying to find empowerment within their workplaces. The labor movement has struggled since the beginnings of industrialization to gain a voice for workers within enterprises. The authors do not present in the main text any examples of companies where employees are full citizens. It would have been interesting for the authors to comment on the well known example of the Saturn Corporation as to its fit as a company of citizens. Or perhaps the works council systems found in Europe could have been mentioned.

The authors repeatedly make the point that a company of citizens must be concerned with a "steep performance challenge," but why the condition? One would think that those advocating for democracy would do so on the fundamental basis of citizens controlling their destiny and not on the existence of some unusual circumstance. The book is thought provoking. But far too much space is devoted to the Athens city-state and the attempt to capture its workings in a set of textbook-like generalizations. There is little in this book that leads one to believe that the U.S. will be establishing companies of citizens any time soon. Nor is the book much in the way of a blueprint of how to do so. In some respects this book can be added to a large list of management books that talk employee empowerment, but don't quite get it.

I teach a class in fundraising and I use this book as my text. Great book, good examples. It's a comprehensive introduction to development for non-profits.

Even though I have not been able to read the Guide in full or use the CD Rom, all the special topics I have checked out thus far have been highly informative. I especially like the detailed charts and exhibits which provide an "at-a-glance" guide.

Having been a management consultant for 15 years, although not in the Arts Funding Area where I now toil as a volunteer, I have a good eye for serious data. And, having read several other books on the subject of nonprofit organizations, I can honestly say this book by Stanley Weinstein provides the kind of nuts and bolts data that is essential to fundraising.

Finally, since I had to pay for this Guide out of pocket, I can honestly say that I feel I got my money's worth even at this early stage of the fundraising process. It's a winner.

Please give me an opportunity in the future to provide another review...after our fledgling group...The Westlake Arts Center in Westlake, OH...implements some of the suggestions.

Weinstein does a good job representing the many facets of fundraising development today. The CD-ROM is a helpful addition. Highly recommended.

I loved this book. It covers so much about nonprofit fundraising in such detail that I'm so glad I came across it a few years back when I was learning about the subject. I was working as an associate capital campaign consultant and found it kind of hard to find fundraising books that covered much of anything about capital campaigns. Then I found this book.

Most of the hardcover books I buy and read I don't bother to make notations using a pencil. I used this book so much to learn the basics of nonprofit fundraising that I broke tradition and used a pencil on it quite extensively. As a result, I have a few recommendations as to how the next edition could be improved. First, and foremost, I think the chapters should be reordered as follows:

PART 1. Fundraising Basics
1. (1.) The five major fundraising principles
2. (2.) Your organization and the nonprofit world
3. (3.) Managing the resource development function
4. (5.) Managing information
5. (15.) Human resources
6. (6A.) Prospect ID, research, and segmentation
7. (9.) Direct and select mail fundraising
8. (10.) Telephone solicitations
9. (7.) Nurturing relationships
Part II. Major Gift Fundraising
10. (4.) The Case for Support and fundraising materials
11. (6B.) Prospect ID, research, and segmentation
12. (8.) Major gift programs
13. (13.) Planned giving
14. (14.) Capital and endowment campaigns
Part III. Add-on ways to generate funds
15. (11.) Special event fundraisers
16. (12.) Grantsmanship
Part IV. An appendix
17. (16.) Evaluation

The numbers above in parenthesis are the actual chapter numbers. I would have liked the book much more if Chapter 6 had been split into two chapters. As far as I know, prospect identification differs significantly when working an annual campaign and soliciting funds using direct mail and the telephone. This topic could and should have had its own chapter. There is also the prospect identification, research and segmentation I am initimately used to that relates to major gift solicitation and capital campaigns. That topic should have had its own chapter (maybe even two chapters?).

I would have liked the book better if the content at pages 247 and 248 were reworked. I would reword the text as follows:

"Resource development professionals who have had years of capital and endowment campaign experience have come to recognize FIVE fundamental prerequisites indicating institutional readiness:

1. Does the nonprofit have a sound Case for Support?
2. Is there a good database of donor prospects with many high in CCCC, i.e., capacity, capability, connection, & commitment?
3. Are there sufficient volunteers who can provide strong leadership?
4. Is now a good time to initiate a campaign considering the current obligations of the nonprofit, the attitude and composition of its Board, and fundraising activities in the community from other nonprofits that share this nonprofit's constituents?
5. Can the nonprofit pay for and orchestrate the campaign effort?"

I would have liked to see some coverage of the Internet, Web sites, and email. There didn't have to be lots of this subject - just enough so the reader would know these topics are important to the fundraisers.

I loved the last chapter of the book. I thought it did a wonderful job of providing the reader with a checklist to effectively evalutate a fundraising department at a nonprofit. 5 stars!

I'm new to the fundraising/development field. I found this book very readable and informative. The subject is presented in a style that is intelligent and no-nonsense, unlike a lot of the "XXX for Dummies" and "Idiots Guide to XXX" series.

There is a nice little CD-ROM in the back with sample Word doc files on it. I wish there had been a few Excel spreadsheets too. I come from a sales background and found some of the advice for what to say to potential donors to be a bit ham-handed.

But, overall a great intro to fundraising with a lot of good advice that nonprofits should follow.

The book came amazingly fast and was in great condition!

Thanks!

It's a great book. The authors explain step by step from tutorials to simulations.

This book should be on the shelf of very instructional designer and course developer responsible for creating computer-based training or web-based training. The book stands out for three important reasons: (1) if offers concrete directions regarding how to develop instruction at the lesson level; (2) the recommendations are based on research findings and when research findings are contradictory the authors acknowledge the divergence; and (3) the book is well written, it is accessible to the average reader. The first chapter **alone** makes the book worth the price - it will help you answer the question "What is the difference between information and instruction?"

Seen from the point fo view of a non-expert readers, and comparing with <10 other books on similar subjects, the book looks quite good. It covers most of the basic types of learning activities (tutorials, drills, simulations, educational games and tests), plus a detailled overview on more organisational issues (analysis, design, ...), some chapters on technology for implementation of CBI as well as more advanced topics as instructional modelling, computer managed instruction and AI-techniques. Good reading, no hyper-specialised vocabulary. Happy that my holiday in canada brought me back this good reading to Flanders (Belgiium/Europe). Coming from an IT background (engineering & computing), it gives some goods clues on project management for development of CBI products. Les solid on educational/didactic theories.

Hesitating between 3 and 4 stars (don't feedl myself sufficiently qualified to give higher scores).

This book is excellent. There are many sections, in fact, which I will refer back to later as job aids. This book reinforces and elaborates on many concepts and methods that I, as an instructional designer, have been using intuitively when developing courses. It provides a structure to the process of organizing content and developing computer-based training. The only drawback to this book is that it is slightly out of date from a technology standpoint. However, it is so strong in every other area, including instructional design, interface design, interactivity design, and project management, that its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who designs or develops CBT and WBT, I think it will prove to be a valuable resource.

I bought this as a Christmas gift for my brother. I checked the dust jacket, casing and book itself and they were all in perfect condition.
Thank you.

Members of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a patriotic and hereditary organization, have submitted a variety of scrumptious handed down Southern family recipes compiled and edited by Lynda Moreau. A guaranteed taste of the Old South. Be sure to try the Tea Cakes.
The members have also included interesting anecdotes of their Confederate ancestors including photographs and illustrations as well as information about the Sons of Confederate Veterans.

The Confederate Cookbook is the star of my cookbook collection. The recipes, family favorites of Sons of Confederate Veterans and their ancestors, are the best. Photos of those ancestors and chronicles of their service to the south make this a must have book, not only for cooks, but for anyone interested in preserving Southern heritage. I gave one as a gift and treasure my own copy.

In The Confederate Cookbook: Family Favorites From The Sons Of Confederate Veterans, Lynda Moreau has gathered up 340 diverse and delicious recipes from contemporary Confederate kitchens that range throughout every region of country but evoke the flavor of the Old South as past down to the descendants of the Confederacy through the more than 27,000 member "The Sons of Confederate Veterans", an hereditary organization. From Lynchburg Layered Salad, Southern Meat Loaf, and Skillet Chicken and Gravy, to Great Granny's Confederate Sweet Potato Souffle, Copper Carrot Pennies, and Fried Apple Pies, The Confederate Cookbook is a grand compendium of highly recommended dishes which are further enhanced for the family cook with historic anecdotes and images of identified Confederate soldiers.

I just got my copy and have not had time to try any of the recipes, but the text listed on each contributor is worth the price, along with the pictures of the veterans. The Sons of the Confederate Veterans and the publisher are to be commended for this work. It is time we all took a look back and honored our ancestors who fought for a cause they dearly believed in. To honor them and to preserve our heritage and history as it really happened. In the light of the attacks on their memory and the effort to destroy and/or change history as it really happened, this book should be in the library of every buff of the War of the Rebellion. I can't wait to dig into Great Granny's Confederate Sweet Potato Souffle.

Singleton and Linton impart guided wisdom for the courageous captains who navigate the waters of racism in the sea of school reform. They aid school leaders in the quest for achieving the goals of narrowing the racial divide of achievement, heightening racial consciousness, and ensuring equity. School leaders will find this to be an indispensable handbook for discussing race, dealing with racial issues, and establishing a common language in a professional and productive atmosphere.
The authors' diverse backgrounds provide the reader and practitioner with six conditions that form the basis for antiracist leadership: getting personal; keeping the focus on race; engaging multiple racial perspectives; fostering interracial dialogue in a safe environment; establishing a common language around race; and discussing aspects of whiteness.
Singleton and Linton provide samples of racial histories and provide school leaders with the tools to realize their visions of equity and closing the achievement gap.
Self-examination, personalized racial histories, and the intentional acts of persistence, practice, and passion will lead school leaders on a journey towards engaging in Courageous Conversations About Race. This has been the "pink elephant" that many avoid acknowledging in numerous staff lounges, school board meetings, and classrooms for so long. The authors guide us towards opening our collective eyes, touching, and unpacking the "pink elephant.

Singleton has managed to present an incendiary topic in such a way that is palatable and astounding. "Courageous Conversations" creates a great outlet for discussion, and provides great opportunities for educators to actually be the student. It was a pleasure to read.

This is an outstanding book that every educator should read. It sheds light on one of the most serious problems in our society and in our schools and provides the impetus for action.

This is truly a courageous book! Richard Hernstein first broke Political Correctness's stranglehold on the discussion of race and educational achievement with his book The Bell Curve, and though that groundbreaking book was meticulously researched, the author suffered a hail of mindless political-inspired assaults. Now, the authors of this book have built on Hernstein's work, calling for meaningful dialogue on what changes need to be made to the American educational establishment to provide meaningful results for non-whites.

If you care about the future of America, then read The Bell Curve and Courageous Conversations about Race!

WOW! I was fortunate to work with Glenn Singleton as he brought "Courageous Conversations" to my school district. His method of getting all of us to reflect on what we bring to the table is invaluable. When we are able to look at what race means to us and learn to 'listen" to other peoples stories we are able to grow. Get this book, it's life changing and life affirming.

As pastors we live in a world that is changing. This book brings it out to the forefront what is changing and the choices that we have to make. I didn't walk away from reading this book all warm and fuzzy but I did walk away having a greater understanding of the issues involved in what is going on in my church and in the world and community around me.

This excellent resource from Roxburgh has been significantly revised and reissued as The Sky Is Falling: Leaders Lost in Transition. Roxburgh calls for a new conversation between emergent and "liminals" (or those in various existing traditions).

This book does a marvelous job of weaving together change theory, a theological vision of the church, and a sense of the cultural and social setting in which today's churches live. Building on the vision of "missional church" cast in a book by that title (of which Al Roxburgh was a co-author), this book helps leaders develop a sense of their calling to cultivate congregations in that direction in a time calling for rudimentary rethinking about who the church is and rerooting of practices that embody that understanding.

In a time when books on change are sometimes mere how-to manuals, this one sees things deeper and broader. In a time when cultural analysis paralyzes, this book invites hope within even vague and chaotic times of transition. In a time when biblical vision is set aside for what works, this book works toward a habit of discerning the calling and sending of God

This volume introduces the reader to some very helpful perspective on understanding the complexity of the postmodern world we now inhabit. While the "liminality" we find ourselves in at present between this new world and our present world prevents us seeing clearly where we are going, the authors provide some very helpful insights far charting a course. Those seeking to be leaders in the church in this postmodern milieu will find this a very valuable resource. The treatment of change is particularly strong - one of the best that is available in print for Christian leaders that I have seen.

This book gives hope and reality to stay focussed on mission and ministry in this time of enormous transition. The transition themes in the Bible are pivotal in staying connceted to the people of God who have crossed the bridge. Redefining leaders as poets, prophets, apostles, and pastors and notputting one type above another was liberating and very discerning. This book will be used in the SEPA synod for the training of future pastors and leaders and to transform existing leadrship. Biblical and postmodern ...all in one.

This book is very thought provoking. I felt the same as the first time I read 1984, and Brave New World. I like his style. There are many quotations and interesting facts. It was a learning experience that I will ponder for a long while.

Jason Cruise Founder TodaysPreacher.Com

There are a lot of bad books out there today!! There is nothing worse than spending money on something that you can't use; but, this is not one of those books!!! Henderson's book was super, in my opinion. He is certainly up to speed on today's listener. He uses a constant theme throughout the book which he deems, "God's Word to a _______." For instance, Chapter 6 deals with "God's Word To A Distracted World"; Chapter 8 deals with "God's Word To A Disconnected World." This helps you see how God's Word can reach such a target.

In this work he covers the average person sitting in your audience; what has made them the type of listener they are; their different thinking patterns, etc. David Henderson sat under Haddon Robinson, the "teacher of preachers." You can see Robinson's solid, Biblical influence on Henderson; and, I think this only adds to the credibility of the author.

David Henderson knows how to help you "gain a hearing" with a crowd. The book really helped me better understand today's audience, and techniques to help reach them. I'd really recommend that you read this book ... I think you'll be a better preacher because of it!!!

Preach On Friends ... Jason Cruise

In high school speech classes, we were taught to "know your audience." As an apathetic high schooler, I didn't really care what she meant, but it eventually made sense (once I actually decided to think about it). You wouldn't use sock puppets to explain math to accountants; you wouldn't use in-depth power-point presentations to explain math to first graders. With this in mind, why do many Americans still try to talk about Jesus using the methods used thirty years ago? Why do we use Christian "jargon" to explain Christianity to those outside the faith?

Henderson, as you might guess, contends that modern American Christians must change their approach to sharing the faith in order to fit modern America. The pattern of Henderson's book is straightforward: he examines a particular aspect/mindset/value of modern Americans; he then gives ideas about how a Christian might share Words of Eternal Life with such an American. Henderson's prose is both straightforward and enjoyable. He gets right to the heart of the American mindset, then illustrates it with descriptions from scenes from popular movies, personal anecdotes, jokes, etc.

In all, Henderson does the modern Christian a great service in writing "Culture Shift." Jesus tells Christains to tell others about him ("Go, therefore, and baptize all nations...") and Henderson can help us along the way through this book. Highly recommended.

This book is not just about "Communicating God's Truth to Our Changing World," but also about better understanding the world we live in today. The author delves into various facets of the modern (American) life to show "Who We Are," (chapter 3-8), and "How We Think," (chapters 9-14). While doing so, he shows not only how deeply our culture has gone into a sort of postmodern chaos, but also gives examples of how he has been able to reach out to non-Christians and see their lives' changed for Christ. Henderson has definitely been affected in his writing by his mentor, the author of the foreword, Haddon Robinson, named one of the top ten preachers in America. This is mostly positive, including Dr. Henderson's "Concepts Worth Remembering" and "Recommended Reading" lists that are at the end of every major section. This book is very readable and helpful for any Christian who may want to know the current culture better as well as how to present the gospel of Christ in the 21st Century. I enjoyed the book for these reasons, but did not feel it was exceptional enough to warrant 5 big stars. However it is very good and any pastor or lay person who is actively involved in the life of their church would enjoy it.

David Henderson has a better understanding of today's culture than most college philosophy professors. He provides awesome insight of how to reach out to people who believe God is absent from their lives, and draw them into Christianity. The book also forces the reader to evaluate the sincerity of his own faith.

I must say that this book came right alone side of some other material I have been studying. I have develop a series of sermons
and to have had this book at this time, was comfirmation for me, that I was is God Will, as I address the concerns at our pastorate. Which allowed me and my congregation to be enhance and to expand our understanding of ministry as it concerns our needs and God's Will. Thanks again for being use of the Lord!

No other book has motivated me to plan ahead and strategize more than this one. Both in personal life and in my ministry, this book points me to accomplishing what needs to be done. This book is invaluable. IT is worth ten times the money. Get it for yourself and see.

Malphus joins the growing ranks of authors whose goal is to help bring renewal to the church by teaching pastors how to develop a vision for ministry. In this, Malphurs was very successful. The author presents a six-step process to help pastors develop and implement a vision in the local church

Being a small church pastor I appreciate his emphasis on the small church. The use of the fictional Pastor Bob was an excellent tool of identification. It allowed the author to bring in the human element of discouragement, frustration and antagonism in a way that every pastor can identify with. Malphurs dealt adequately with the idea of opposition. The Deacon Bill character is a man we call can identify with.

His advice on how to obtain a vision was excellent, it was pragmatic and easy to use. This is in direct contrast with Barna's The Power of Vision (pgs. 81-1-84) that promulgated a process so tedious that only the most tenacious pastor would ever work his way through. His insight that vision will become a dividing rod in the congregation rings true- those who buy into it stay, those who do not, leave.

This was a pretty powerful book, but it was not without some weaknesses. It assumed that some of Pastor Bobs board were visionary people. In far too many churches, the maintenance mind-set is firmly entrenched in the power structure and visionary people are excluded. It is not unusual to have no men of vision on a church board, what then? Although he did not neglect the opposition to vision within the church, I think he did underestimate it. Peter Drucker makes it very clear that the people who have the most to lose by vision are the people who have invested the most into the organization. Barna's insight into the nature of opposition in his excellent book Turn Around Churches was far more realistic.

This book was packed full of helpful advice. I especially appreciated the distinction the author makes between leadership and management and that both are necessary in growing churches. Churches cannot grow without leadership and they cannot deal with the problems caused by growth without management. Thus the pastor must wear both hats.

Yes, this is a must read dealing with issues concerning vision that are not adequately covered in other books on the subject.

Like most ministers, I have read several books on vision. Some titles were very inspiring, other titles were very confusing. The vast majority however, were not very enlightening. This book by Malphurs moves beyond establishing the need for vision and helps the reader grasp, communicate, and implement a vision.

Malphurs follows an easy-to-understand process beginning with the definition of a ministry vision and ending with the preservation of that vision. I recommend this book highly to all ministry professionals, especially pastors.

In a world of religion where many churches seem to simply "exist" without much understanding of their own purpose, the answer time and time again of "Why?" comes back to a people perishing because of no Vision. Aubrey Malphurs skillfully weaves together wisdom and experience with practical application of a much used and little understood term: Vision. With fresh, illuminating spiritual insight, he guides us upon a journey of discovery and awareness. This voyage exposes the snapshot which has been impressed upon the film of your spirit, and through the "light-room" of the Holy Spirit, brings forth a full blown picture of what God wants the ministry He has given you to look like, ready to battle, in the 21st Century. If you would not be ignorant of the wiles of the devil, this book is a must read!

In all probability, the topic of teaching and education elicits such an array of responses that we are sometimes at a loss to logically understand why the system very often contributes to apathetic and uninterested students.

Professor (Emeritus) Ira Jay Winn, author of The Education Mirage: How Teachers Succeed and Why the System Fails, deftly weaves together his thoughts, suggestions and solutions concerning the weaknesses that are prevalent within today's educational institutions.

Winn emphasizes that one of the primary objectives of teaching must be the fostering of creative thinking. In fact, he dedicates his book to his former students who, he states, "hopefully, learned the art of critical thinking and came to expect nothing less than a civilized dialogue."

The book divides itself into two parts, How Teachers Succeed and Why the System Fails.
Readers are constantly reminded that just regurgitating of facts is useless. You must emphasize problem-centered and inquiry-based teaching and learning, in order to stimulate and maintain the interest of students.

Drawing on his personal teaching experiences, Winn presents several alternative pedagogic techniques in order to present material in a way that will fuel the discovery process.
For example, what is the value of having students learn the names of Columbus' three ships? As Winn states, they are dead- ended insofar as discussion goes. Would it not be more beneficial if facts were associated with definitional problems and value questions?
Instead of focusing on the names of Columbus' three ships, why not ask the question, "what did Columbus hope to prove by sailing to the New World?"
Unfortunately, as pointed out, many teachers have not stopped to think about the important differences between questions of fact, definitional problems, and questions of value.

Winn displays a sharp eye in his analysis of what makes a good teacher, as he deals with the topics of lesson-strategy planning, discussion leading, when not to lecture, the use of case studies, testing and grading.

His solutions to fixing the problem are quite novel, particularly when he challenges the belief that high school must be an exclusively teen-age institution. According to Winn, "high school must be changed into adult common schools, common in the sense that they are open to all people regardless of age, so long as they have completed middle schooling."
Other topics explored in the second half of the book deal with public policy, teacher training, the environment of reform, the school crisis as a crisis of culture, and a brief critique of Allan Bloom's book, The Closing Of The American Mind.

By the end of the book, readers will well understand Winn's preface to the opening chapters when he quotes a Chinese proverb, "I listen and I forget...I see and I remember... I do and I understand!" It is too bad many of my teachers did not heed this advice when I was a student, and why today teachers still do not get the message.

No doubt, Winn has written a splendid in-depth book in which every educator, and even non-educators will discover something novel.
For those who wish to further explore the book's topics, a short bibliography is provided at the end of the book.

This review first appeared on the reviewers' own site:

Review: THE EDUCATION MIRAGE by Prof. Emeritus,Ira Winn
ISBN 0-595-29142-2

More than a primer, Prof. Winn's analysis of educational do's and don'ts, his shattering myths about some long-gone, golden age of public educational achievement, and the dissection of "senders and receivers" in the knowledge industry will make readers question previously held educational beliefs as well as current practices. Above all, the writer connects the nation's lack of success solving our most critical social and political problems with failed educational assumptions and methodology-"stuffing turkeys" rather than "lighting lamps." Also indicted are gross materialism, mindless TV offerings, video and computer games, as well as our near-total reliance upon science-technology education, solely to prepare students for money-making jobs, the end goal. Squeezing art and humanities out of curricula has deprived students of adequate preparation to function as informed citizens in a democracy. Rarely do problem-solving and creativity enhance the learning experience because of reliance upon rote learning, worship of objective testing norms, or celebrating adolescent rites of passage. Nor does the swollen educational bureaucracy of overpaid administrators and underpaid teachers escape Winn's scrutiny, claiming our society does not value excellence in public education, now morphed into another "bottom line" commodity. Prof. Winn envisions educated adults working together to attack poverty, reduce excesses of global capitalism and dependence upon finite resources. For him, these issues are inextricably linked to values of mind and heart deriving from inspirational education.

Marian Blanton, retired community college instructor

Prof. Winn's "Education Mirage . . ." is a revelation in the compendium of educational literature. This is a writing free from cant and pedantry. It is an idealistic and inspirational vision of how to be a teacher who is motivated by the important social, ethical, and historical perspectives of the time. His use of examples and techniques is always pithy and relevant and the general reader shall grasp what excellence in teaching means. I would suggest that this is a "must" read for every aspiring student teacher who wants to teach secondary, college, and university level. This is a work which is uniquely refreshing and original.

Ideale Gambera, Emeritus
Department of English and American Studies
City College of San Francisco

I regret that Ira Winn's new book, "The Education Mirage," was not available several years ago when I first started teaching. The book is a great help to all who wish to make their teaching more effective and their workload easier. The first part of the book is a detailed manual on what the author calls "creative problem centered teaching." It includes the art of questioning and the avoidance of unconsciously motivating student apathy, and an analysis of teacher types, Winn shows us how to get more students interested in the subject matter and involved in class discussions. Above all, he shows how to encourage and develop critical thinking in our students. The book even offers planning exercises and a self-test to measure the reader's comprehension of the modern teaching concepts presented. Winn finds the current mania for state-mandated testing counterproductive, a fig leaf for politicians and a force driving creative teachers to distraction and exodus from the profession.

The second part of the book is a collection of essays, analyzing the faults and weaknesses of the American educational system and offering a variety of suggestions for improving the system. The suggestions are not the standard recommendations for change that appear periodically in political debate, however. Winn proposes a host of reforms in the system, in educational institutions including the universities, in teacher and professor training and in the curriculum that are all highly innovative, even radical. For example, he finds that the highly educated are more often a greater danger to society and democracy than the less educated, because the former sit at the seats of power and too often prove arrogant and swayed by a money ethic. The result is that the planet's environment and the world economy bear an intolerable burden. He also finds that TV and computers have made the traditional teacher role outmoded, and thus he calls for intensive retraining in problem-centered methodologies.

Professor Winn is an EDUCATOR. I recommend this book to all who have a strong interest in education in America.

In all probability, the topic of teaching and education elicits such an array of responses that we are sometimes at a loss to logically understand why the system very often contributes to apathetic and uninterested students.

Professor (Emeritus) Ira Jay Winn, author of The Education Mirage: How Teachers Succeed and Why the System Fails, deftly weaves together his thoughts, suggestions and solutions concerning the weaknesses that are prevalent within today's educational institutions.

Winn emphasizes that one of the primary objectives of teaching must be the fostering of creative thinking. In fact, he dedicates his book to his former students who, he states, "hopefully, learned the art of critical thinking and came to expect nothing less than a civilized dialogue."

The book divides itself into two parts, How Teachers Succeed and Why the System Fails.
Readers are constantly reminded that just regurgitating of facts is useless. You must emphasize problem-centered and inquiry-based teaching and learning, in order to stimulate and maintain the interest of students.

Drawing on his personal teaching experiences, Winn presents several alternative pedagogic techniques in order to present material in a way that will fuel the discovery process.
For example, what is the value of having students learn the names of Columbus' three ships? As Winn states, they are dead- ended insofar as discussion goes. Would it not be more beneficial if facts were associated with definitional problems and value questions?
Instead of focusing on the names of Columbus' three ships, why not ask the question, "what did Columbus hope to prove by sailing to the New World?"
Unfortunately, as pointed out, many teachers have not stopped to think about the important differences between questions of fact, definitional problems, and questions of value.

Winn displays a sharp eye in his analysis of what makes a good teacher, as he deals with the topics of lesson-strategy planning, discussion leading, when not to lecture, the use of case studies, testing and grading.

His solutions to fixing the problem are quite novel, particularly when he challenges the belief that high school must be an exclusively teen-age institution. According to Winn, "high school must be changed into adult common schools, common in the sense that they are open to all people regardless of age, so long as they have completed middle schooling."
Other topics explored in the second half of the book deal with public policy, teacher training, the environment of reform, the school crisis as a crisis of culture, and a brief critique of Allan Bloom's book, The Closing Of The American Mind.

By the end of the book, readers will well understand Winn's preface to the opening chapters when he quotes a Chinese proverb, "I listen and I forget...I see and I remember... I do and I understand!" It is too bad many of my teachers did not heed this advice when I was a student, and why today teachers still do not get the message.

No doubt, Winn has written a splendid in-depth book in which every educator, and even non-educators will discover something novel.
For those who wish to further explore the book's topics, a short bibliography is provided at the end of the book.

This review first appeared on reviewer's own site