Resources Books

As it was written near 2000, a chapter or two suffer from obsolescence already, but the excellence of the rest of the content make it very forgivable.

Adamsky has produced a superb guide to the Hiring Process that is of great interest to Executives, Recruiters and Job seekers alike. The book is applicable to a wide range of industries well beyond the IT industry.

The book provides a great deal of actionable ideas that you can put into place now to improve your hiring practices, land the best candidates, and keep them as satisfied productive employees. Similarly, the book helps potential applicants better understand the hiring process and get inside the mind of hiring managers. It also contains a plethora of valuable and interesting ideas and commentary on the HR landscape. Truly an enjoyable and informative read !

As the MIS Director for a large educational institution, I have felt the impacts, first-hand, of recruiting and retaining top IT professionals in a tight job market. Yet there is clearly a methodical approach that can be followed to target the "right" employees and, once hired, ensure that they remain happy and content within your organization.

This book does an excellent job of outlining that process in a simple, easy-to-follow, step-by-step approach. The author not only covers all aspects of the hiring process but also reminds us of best practices that we too often (and too easily) forget to ensure success once we bring top players on board.

This book was pertinent and informative. I intend to pass it around to all of the managers on my staff.

I didn't actually buy this book but won it as a door prize at an industry trade show. I tossed it in my briefcase and didn't give it much thought to it until I was stuck in an airport on my return trip home. Although I don't hire a great number of "information technologists", the book was filled with excellent advice for any manager. His advice applies to the dynamics of locating, interviewing, hiring and retaining exceptional individuals. I like to underline when I read, and when I finished the book I realized I had underlined just about everything! Don't let the title throw you off because this is an excellent resource that truly cuts across all industries. He has his hand on the pulse of human nature, and an incredible insight into those people who understand how (technically) the world works.

I have already given a copy to a friend that owns a small company and has found it a challenge to find and retain good people. If my friend follows the program outlined in the book I am sure he will see the results. One thing I really liked about Adamsky's writing style is that it's light on philosophy and academic drivel and packed solid with the experiences of someone who has obviously been in the trenches.

I feel better prepared to operate in today's challenging job market after reading this book.

As an IT professional I have had occasion to be on both sides of the interview desk. This book clarified and reinforced many of the beliefs that I formed from these experiences. However, I derived an even greater benefit from those sections that challenged my preconceptions. Mr. Adamsky's use of logic, examples, and self-deprecating humor helped me to see things from a different viewpoint. I am confident that a company can only benefit from the encorporation of his strategies.

It is obvious that Dr. Seagal has worked extremely hard to confirm her research since 1979. Her style of writing is clear, concise and void of jargon. I found the content easy to absorb, understand and apply. Just the heightend awarness of how diverse we are has made a significant difference in how I work and related to people. I can see some real possibilities for applying in a business context.

the first time that I have found an approach which looks at humans holistically and systemically. It is not a group of personality characteristics describing superficial behaviours, but a way of understanding and recognising internal processes particular to various human dynamics. It therefore goes much deeper than any other personality assessment technique I have seen and because of this can not be reduced to a paper and pencil test. However, the gift this approach brings is that it can be taught to everyday people and can provide access to better relationships and a greater understanding of how to release our judgement of others. A truly life changing book.

If you have found most personality tests insignificant, unhelpful, or unrevealing, then perhaps this book is for you. Human Dynamics goes into much more depth and provides a greater understanding of human communication and actions than any simple personality test. While people can be placed into certain "dynamics," these dynamics are not nearly as restraining or stereotypical as personality tests tend to be. Rather than explaining one's personality, dynamics explain how groups of people tend to process information, not necessarily how aggressive, passive, or "likeable" they are. This book helped me in terms of personal discovery, and has also helped me understand why it always seemed that so many people "just never seemed to think like me."

It is obvious that Dr. Seagal has worked extremely hard to confirm her research since 1979. Her style of writing is clear, concise and void of jargon. I found the content easy to absorb, understand and apply. Just the heightened awarness of how diverse we are has made a significant difference in how I work and relate to people. I can understand why this work is being applied internationally, especially in business and education.

Models to describe human personality are presented. Each model has it unique characteristics, its strengths and weaknesses. Each model will respond most effectively to certain modes of communications. This understanding of the different models presented will help a manager, a teacher, a student or just about anybody to understand themselves and people around them better. This will enable better communication of ideas and thoughts. Students will learn better and managers will be able to communicate more effectively with individuals. The models can be taken up to an organizational level. The applications of this book are far and wide. It is also simply and clearly written.

McGregor wrote this management classic 25 years ago. It is as relevant today as it was then. This is not to be missed by any generation of manager who truly wants to motivate employees in a manner which recognizes their most human characteristics.

This book is a classic. A "must read" for anybody in management. This wisdom is timeless!

Dr. Michael Beitler
Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"

This book, written in 1960, is one of the true management classics, one of the greatest and most influential management books of the past century. McGregor describes Theory X and Theory Y, two fundamentally different ways managers view their employees. McGregor describes Theory X as the dominant view: people ar seem as lazy, not very capable, unwilling to work (unless you make them work), opportunistic and prepared to deceive (providing they think they won't be caught). Theory Y views people in a much more positive way: they are seen as intrinsically motivated, willing to work and basically honest. Now the essential point: the way you view people determines the way you treat them and the way you interpret their behavior, which determines the way they will respond to you, which in turn will reinforce the way you view(ed) them. In other words: both Theory X and Theory Y are true because they create their own reality! They are self-fulfilling prophecies. If you have a choice, what do you choose? This book, written many years ago, is still an interesting read and I think you can still read it in 2060 and find it relevant and interesting.

If you're journeying through management literature of the present day, you're bound to come across the two theories proposed by Douglas McGregor back in the '50s and early '60's: Theory X and Theory Y. In fact, you'll probably find that some of the more modern theories and human behavior models are based on this work by McGregor.

This is what makes reading this book so valuable. Reading the attributes and studies about Theory X and Theory Y management styles in McGregor's own words, instead of a one or two line sentence concerning his theories in another book, is well worth the price of this book.

The book was compelling because many of the attributes of today's managers, and organizations in general, can STILL be applied to either Theory X or Theory Y management types! In fact, much of the literature today suggests that companies with a Theory Y mindset are surviving better today than Theory X companies. The supporting information McGregor provides to each theory suggests, again even today, that these two themes will be prevalent in society for years to come.

Having this book in your professional library will provide you with some good insight and historical reference to modern day theories. I highly recommend it!

McGregor really elevates management to a higher plane: this book is at least as good and important as James McGregor Burns' "Leadership." The book is a treatise against traditional command and control management: it is an optimistic book, buoyant with ideas on how even non-management is capable of creativity and self-direction (I refer here to the influence of Abraham Maslow's ideas on his work). I couldn't help but be wowed by McGregor's faith in common workers (one of his ideas is that employees should evaluate themselves, for instance, instead of getting evaluated by superiors). In essence the book is summed up in his sentence: "The distintive potential contribution of the human being . . . at every level of the organization, stems from his capacity to think, to plan, to exercise judgement, to be creative, to direct and control his own behavior" (114). Is every worker like this? Probably not, but it was refreshing to read someone who thought so. Those who enjoyed this book would also like John Gardner's "On Leadership."

This textbook is fantastic, very well thought out, great use of examples and background information. I am currently a Ph.D. candidate at Johns Hopkins University and an Engineer at NASA and have worked with this textbook for creating a new edition with Dr. Ram Gupta (the author of the text) and can say for certain that this text is a great resource for hydrology inside and outside of class.

This is a great deal for a textbook. It covers the basics of hydrology and hydraulics very thoroughly, and better than most other water-resources textbooks. The figures in the third edition are better than in previous ones, though some additional photos or figures would be helpful to augment the many schematics. The only real problem is that you have to jump around a lot to cover any topic in a coherent way, as different techniques for, say rainfall-runoff analysis, may appear in 2 or 3 different chapters. But it's all in there.

Bought this book to brush up on hydrology and hydraulics for the PE exam. I wish my college courses had used this book. It presents somewhat complex material in a format that is easier to understand than most books. There are example problems for every type of calculation. I highly recommend this text to college professors to use in their classes.

This book is the absolute very best to study Hydrology and Hydraullics for classroon study. After graduation this book was used for my exam review and I reference the manual in everyday actual applications. You will find there are many books to study hydrology and hydraullics but none that is more fundamentally rich with extensive examples of real life situations. This book is the most used reference book I have used.

I have recently graduated and am currently working as a Civil/Transportation Engineer for a consulting company. I have used the book in my Water Resources course and worked on it in my Advanced Hydrology class. The strength of the book is all the examples. Many of these are conveniently set up in Table form with a key provided at the bottom of each table. It is an excellent resource that I am using as a reference material now.

As is frequently the situation, I read this book in combination with another, Return on Learning, in which Donald Vanthournout and his associates on Accenture's Capability Development team explain how their firm achieved an ROI of 353% on its commitment to enterprise learning. I highly recommend both Return on Learning and this book and, if possible, read in combination. In the Introduction, Jay Cross makes a number of crisp assertions, several of which are certain to generate controversy. For example, "Workers learn more in the coffee room than in the classroom." Rather than take this out of context, I continue the excerpt: "They discover how to do their jobs through informal learning: asking the person in the next cubicle, trial and error, calling the help desk, working with people in the know, and joining the conversation. This is natural learning - learning from others when you feel the need to do so." So far, no pyrotechnics. Cross continues: "Training programs, workshops, and schools get the lion's share of the corporate budget for developing talent, despite the fact that...," and then, "this formal learning has almost no impact on job performance. And informal learning, the major source of knowledge transfer and innovation, is left to chance."

Presumably several of those who read this review agree with Cross (as do I) that the value of formal learning tends to be exaggerated when, in fact, much of it has little (if any) enduring impact; and, that the value of informal learning tends to be underestimated when, in fact, the extent to which an organization achieves its objectives (whatever they may be) is determined almost entirely by how effectively those involved (at all levels and in all areas) communicate, cooperate, and collaborate (i.e. the Three Cs) on what must be done to achieve those objectives. For those in need of a single source to guide and inform their design and implementation of a knowledge exchange program that maximizes the Three Cs, Cross has written it.

Here are a few of the key points he makes throughout his narrative:

"Formal learning is like riding a bus: the driver decides where the bus is going; the passengers are along for the ride. Informal learning is like riding a bike: the rider chooses the destination, the speed, and the route."

Comment: That said, all organizations need traffic control, once the ultimate destination has been selected.

"Formal learning takes place in classrooms; informal learning happens in learnscapes, that is, a learning ecology. It's learning without borders."

Comment: That said, it seems reasonable to expect productive and beneficial application of what is learned to avoid what Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton aptly characterize as a "knowing-doing gap." Cross duly notes, "Executives don't care about learning; they care about execution."

Meanwhile, we are well-advised to keep in mind what Peter Drucker observed in 1963: "There is surely nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency what should not be done at all."

"It's not who you know that's important; it's who those others know."

Comment: Obviously, ever-expanding networks of contacts is very important. Those we know can connect us with those they know. We are also obliged to reciprocate.

"Most training is built atop the pessimistic assumption that trainees are deficient, and training is the cure for what's broken."

Comment: I agree. However, there are formal training programs now available as well as superb instructors to conduct them that can substantially improve various skills that include reading, reasoning, writing, public speaking, decision-making, problem-solving, and situation analysis.

"Created long before knowledge work was invented, accounting values intangibles such as human capital at zero and counts training as an expense instead of an investment."

Comment: In most organizations, that is true but thanks to Peter Drucker, Howard Gardner, Peter Senge, Thomas Davenport, and others, the situation is changing (albeit too slowly) and recently published books such as this one and Return on Learning will accelerate the transition to enlightenment at the governing board senior-management levels.

Years ago, after a substantial tuition increase at Harvard had enraged many parents, then president Derek Bok responded with a suggestion: "If you think education is expensive, try ignorance."

"Imagine having an in-house learning and information environment as rich as the Internet. You'd have blogs, search, syndication, podcasts, mash-ups, and more. You'd also have a platform just about everyone already knows how to use."

Comment: And imagine such an environment that also provides formal training programs that strengthen various skills (i.e. those relevant to learning, communication, management, and leadership) of all who share that environment so that each can take full advantage of all the opportunities available. What about the bottom-line? "Management must assign enterprise-level accountability for learning." Cross is dead-on: Without proper governance, there would be chaos. Is Cross recommending a balance of learning with work? No. "As work and learning become one, good learning and good work become synonymous."

Don't stop there. Why not establish and then sustain outstanding learning that occurs both formally and informally? In that event, outstanding learning and outstanding performance become synonymous.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out the aforementioned Return on Learning. Also, John Hager and Paul Halliday's Recovering Informal Learning: Wisdom, Judgement and Community as well as Corporate Agility: A Revolutionary Model for Competing in a Flat World co-authored by Charles E. Grantham, James P. Ware, and Cory Williamson, Kevan Hall's Speed Lead: Faster, Simpler Ways to Manage People, Projects and Teams in Complex Companies, Dean R. Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, and Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

I've read articles by Jay Cross for years, and was pleased to get his book on the seminal topic of Informal Learning. Jay has a history of identifying trends and technology use for learning (he was among the first to use the term eLearning) so I was keen to read his thoughts on informal learning.

Widely acknowledged as the lion's share of corporate learning, informal learning is a difficult subject because it is even more nebulous and difficult to measure than formal learning. While there is a body of work on how to measure formal learning results including Kirkpatrick's levels, we have yet to determine realistic methods or measurements for informal learning. This book helps guide the learning industry in the right direction.

The value and ubiquity of informal learning is presented clearly and passionately by e-learning champion Jay Cross in this book. The notion of informal learning is very familiar, and most of us will understand immediately what Cross is getting at: every conversation, web site, conference, or collaborative enterprise tends to yield some new insight into the world. We are simply learning all the time.

The title of this review relates Cross's notion to one of my own observations about ubiquitous learning - namely, the "educational economy". Every one of these informal learning events is like a "transaction" in which some knowledge is shared, and in return the understanding or even reputation of the sharer is increased. The "real" educational economy, is very difficult to formalize, so what Cross would call "informal learning" is (to me at least) the portion of the educational economy that we have had trouble accrediting or otherwise keeping tabs on socially. Formal learning describes those artificial mechanisms, such as courses, (which Cross loudly proclaims are dead), that are easy to keep tabs on and can yield some educational benefit.

Informal Learning is, at its heart, a book rich with discussion of how we learn best, and what situations contribute to organic, self-driven learning - particularly in the workplace, but the ideas presented are really universal. Jay appropriately spends time discussing how the Internet has become the ultimate self-education tool, pointing out that "...my son and his peers [learn] everything from homework assignments to network administration on the Web. [That's] also where he learned a lot more than his dad ever did about meteorology, PERL, San Francisco politics, environmental action groups, obscure singers, and much more..." (166)

I'd like to sum up here just by sharing a quote from the book that I included on SR's website: "Many learners today are not self-directed; they are waiting for directions. It's time to tell them that the rules have changed. It's in their self-interest to become proactive learning opportunists." (175)

Formal learning is like riding a bus, it goes, starts and stops when & where someone else decides (bus driver and urban transport committee) - informal learning is then like riding a bicycle, you choose the time, route and destination.

Way more learning happens in the coffee room than the classroom, but firms continue to spend way more on formal training than informal learning - there is a huge disconnect right there. The theme is similar in KM - formal structured tools, top-down mandates, ROI and the smells of project management dominance, do little to enhance agility, awareness, creativity, shared understanding and meaning - which add the real value.

Jay talks about unblended learning, emergence, grokking, envisioning, unconferencing, connecting, conversation, community, web2.0 and JDI (just do it). He makes the point that classes are dead, that every learner needs to cultivate an ecology, share via voicing, communicate using stories and build common text by collaborative editing (wikis).

Jay has written this timely book in the form of short stories and vignettes, recounting his experiences and perspectives. I did not find much new stuff, although there are many interesting examples and truths, but Jay managed to hit the high spots so often, I was nodding in agreement as I read along. Clearly we all have to assume responsibility for our own awareness, learning and critical inquiry. Jay neatly illustrates the tools, hints at the practices (which need more refinement) and paints the landscape.

http://informl.com/

Jay Cross has written an invaluable book here for many reasons.

It can be hard to face up to, but the medieval basis of our education is suddenly and starkly out of touch with the needs of a post-network society. After reading this book, it's hard not to face up to that fact, because we now have a compelling, if nascent, alternative. The web enables a wholly different, but infinitely more effective approach to learning - through self-direction, and peer collaboration, motivated by individual choice, for example. As Jay points out, given the complexity and pace of change of 21st century life, we simply must change. (I have an 8 year -old daughter in school and it pains me to see what she's going through when it will all become obsolete in just a few years.) He outlines a kind of proto-pedagogical alternative, taking 'natural' learning as its starting point. He blends online/offline ideas with ideas from design, motivational psychology, etc, but is careful not to lose sight of learning objectives.

As an educator/trainer of over 20 years myself, I believe the book succeeds. Jay isn't a tremendous stylist, nor are his ideas wildly original, but he does exactly what is needed. He makes the case for alternative approaches to learning in a clear and simple way with plenty of diagrams, and examples. Although his focus is on corporate training, rather than traditional education, the implications reverberate. He brings years of training experience, together with an optimistic outlook to practice what he preaches. Having read his blog o ver the course of severalk months it has left it's makr on my own

The book is almost a metaphor for the kinds of challenge we face: hard to pin down, constantly changing, yet sometimes so obvious that we fail to see the significance. Jay doesn't have all the answers because that is the kind of (medieval) certainty he cautions against. He has brought an important discussion into the light of day. I don't know anyone who wouldn't benefit from this book.

Ken Carroll

wow. tim keel has written a leadership book that, well, isn't like others. i suppose i could put it in the same kind of category -- roughly -- as max depree's books (leadership jazz, and leadership is an art), in that tim doesn't prescribe a method, or give 5 or 10 or 21 irrefutable laws. instead, he brings his artist's perspective to the role of the leader, spending the biggest portion of his page real estate talking about cultural discernment.

killer stuff, really. when tim suggests, in the subtitle, that the kind of leadership we should embrace is one of narrative, metaphor and chaos... well, let's just say he clearly lives these three words out on the pages of this exceptional book.

This was much more than just a book about leadership. It was a book about the postmodern approach as well as an encouragement that faith does not and should not just be of the mind but also of the heart.

This book is a must read, and a must own! I am NOT an emergent village participant, and have NO plans on being one. I am a church planter, however, and this book has it! It is amazing, even if you are not an emergent follower, EVERY pastor should have this book of leadership in their library, and they should reference it often!

It's been a long time since I read a book that I couldn't put down... And the book was most likely a work of fiction. But this one is most certainly real stuff, as non-fiction as you can get. And even though I'm not a church leader, per se, something about Intuitive Leadership - Embracing a Paradigm of Narrative, Metaphor & Chaos, the latest literary endeavor by Jacob's Well Church pastor and Emergent Village co-founder, Tim Keel drew me in, bound my imagination, and wouldn't let me go until I turned the last page. Keel's experience, not only as a pastor and teacher, but as an artist, allowed him to effortlessly create a dialog that is as flowing and natural as it is compelling. This is a narrative that was forged as much by limber fingers dancing lightly (and sometimes very heavily) on the keyboard of a laptop computer as it was by dipping brush after brush into a multitude of jars of pigment. Keel's words leapt off of each page as if he were sitting right in front of me, narrating the very text that I was reading.

Read the entire review here:

http://sense-datum.org/tim/archive/2007/11/28/book_review_intuitive_leadersh/tim_samoff__weblog

If you have been going around in the Postmodern conversation for any amount of time, or are at all curious about the "Emergent Church", or are feeling like you keep stubbing the big toe of your faith, here is some real help. And do not let the title keep any one from reading. This is not just one more dry book on leadership. It is for you. Tim Keel brilliantly (please accept the praise Mr. Keel) weaves history, scripture, experience, and culture into something truly inspiring and useful to those with an eye on things to come. Or even on things that have been. I cheered out loud more than a few times as my heart was being reclaimed by Jesus. So many connections were made with the loose ends of my faith. And not in the form of easy answers, but with the asking of better questions. Did I mention that this is a brilliant work? The bottom line is that this is most likely the most important and engaging book i have read to date. And if in fact you are in a position of leadership, ( as I am ) this is a catalyst for honest growth that you will look a long time to better, or even equal for that matter. I could go on but instead will plead with you to trust your intuition..... it is as good as you would hope.

This much-needed book fills a gap in intelligent Christian thinking about being male and being Christian. Herbert Anderson is a highly regarded pastoral theologian who was invited to write a book about men. He accepted, as an opportunity to reflect on being a man in the midst of a gender revolution. Then two significant things happened which deeply influenced his thinking without distorting the book from its original focus: he became a grandfather, and was diagnosed (and successfully treated) for prostate cancer. The book is readable and practical, drawing on many men's experiences. The title refers to Jacob's wrestling with God and subsequent lifelong wounding. Anderson draws on events in Jacob's life and relates them to themes common in men's lives (such as disappointment, vulnerability, and aggression), and develops perspectives on themes underplayed in most men's lives (such as nurturing, grieving, and sharing power). Although published four years ago, it is strikingly relevant to the lives of Christian men and women, and a mighty contribution in the true Herbert Anderson style. Fr James McPherson, Anglican priest in Australia

I met Herbert Anderson at a men's retreat sponsored by my church and he spoke on just one chapter of this book. I purchased a copy that weekend and read it cover to cover in a day. I found myself moved by his story and the connections his words, and the story of Jacob, made in my life. I heartily recommend this book to every man who is a father, grandfather, husband, friend, colleague. It is an insightful and compassionate book that will help you along your spiritual journey. Well done Herb!

There is no other book like Jacob's Shadow which addresses the unique issues of a masculine practice of faith. Among so much "trendy" books on the subject of spirituality, Anderson shares himself as man, son, husband, father, and pastor in a way that is disarming, authentic and penetrating. Built around the Biblical narrative of Jacob, son of Isaac and brother of Esau, the book sensitively help us all lower our defenses and enter more fully what it means to be a male created in the image of God. This book is without peer!

I read Jacob's Shadow on the recommendation of a friend and came to it with the scepticism that a man who in fact needs a book like this might be expected to bring to it. I found myself seduced by its clarity and was grateful for its lessons. In ten chapters the book covers ten areas of living in which men might well encounter challenges and benefit from wise advice gently offered. The need for men to acknowlege vulnerability and then confront that vulnerability with courage is both a chapter and an overall theme. In fact, in writing Jacob's Shadow Herbert Anderson made himself vulnerable and in doing so has given the reader a gift which is more than mere words.

Anderson does an incredible job of reflecting on the many facets of being a man and a man who loves and serves Christ. He challenges men to delve deeper into their lives exploring relationships,emotions, loves and friendships and their impact on self and others. He challenges common notions of "Christian Man" and their behaviors, feelings and reactions. He examines everyday events that happen to men and opens up a new dimension on how men can learn and interpret from those experiences. It has truly challenged me to examine myself, my relationships and the fullness of being a man, and a man who serves Christ.

In this book Carol Hacker has given the job hunter a powerful tool - true knowledge. Unlike many dense books on job search, she made the book easy to read and to understand. It's very much like sitting down over a cup of coffee with a senior executive and finding out what's REALLY going on. Whether you are an experienced executive or entry level newcomer, there is a lot you don't really know about job hunting and won't until you read this superb book!

I lost my job and found this book to be invaluable in helping me figure out what I wanted to do from this point on. It's practical and filled with lots of information that I could put to use immediately. Now my wife is using it in her job search.

This book gets to the heart of what it takes to get the best job available. I was enouraged by the information offered to the reader. I don't read a lot because I don't like to read, but this book was recommended to me by my brother and I found it to be very valuable.

I recently purchased this book and found it to be well-written. The author appears to know what she's talking about. I got some valuable ideas that helped me in my job search. I started a new job 3 months ago and attribute some of the good decision-making I made, especially in the area of negotiating salary and benefits, to Job Hunting in the 21st Century. Happy reading!

I bought this book and several others on this subject as I'm looking for a new job. This book is by far the most comprehensive and useful. It's easy to read and has a lot of ideas that I hadn't thought about. I know that my college-age children will benefit from this book as well. I'm happy to have it as part of my personal library.

In my opinion this novel, Last of wanderers, that I bought from local shops, knowing author of it famous for his political thriller, hesitantly I bought though the subject looked so unfamiliar, when read I found it astounding. I hail from rural areas and now is in metropolis for my higher education, I could identify my own past with this novel that talks about primitive times. I too had to suffer same psychological pains while adjusting with urban societies in an attempt to learn strange customs that never did prevailin my rural life. Same time I never wanted to break my lineage with my past...and so brutally this novel reminded me of what I did lose in my endeavor to become a urban man and then a global man.

I think this is strength of any literary work. Sanjay Sonawani does the magic skilfully in this novel and in so simplicity.

To say the least this novel is not only poetic the way Sandra says, but in fact is brutal in its ability to rake up forgotten past.

I enjoyed this novel. Sonawani excells contemporary authors. He is light of India.
Looking forward to read more of this author.

I loved this book. It is poetically brutal. Reminds me of dark era when mankind was yet to settle. This book takes us in that era. And so contemporary and relevent it is even today.

In my opinion this novel, Last of wanderers, that I bought from local shops, knowing author of it famous for his political thriller, hesitantly I bought though the subject looked so unfamiliar, when read I found it astounding. I hail from rural areas and now is in metropolis for my higher education, I could identify my own past with this novel that talks about primitive times. I too had to suffer same psychological pains while adjusting with urban societies in an attempt to learn strange customs that never did prevailin my rural life. Same time I never wanted to break my lineage with my past...and so brutally this novel reminded me of what I did lose in my endeavor to become a urban man and then a global man.

I think this is strength of any literary work. Sanjay Sonawani does the magic skilfully in this novel and in so simplicity.

To say the least this novel is not only poetic the way Sandra says, but in fact is brutal in its ability to rake up forgotten past.

This book starts out with a warrior in flight, whose thoughts, physical and emotional pain, and surroundings are described in a liesurely, almost poetic, detail. But, once the reader has been introduced to a nomadic tribe, the Kushans, and their leader (the warrior in flight), the book gradually picks up speed until the tribe's journeys across vast distances and expanses of time are sometimes covered in only a few pages. The narrative, however, does pay careful attention to the thoughts and motivations of two tribal leaders--the leader of the Kushans, and the leader of a sometimes rival tribe, the U-eches. Since these tribal leaders are obsessed with revenge, or with the survival of their tribe (so that revenge ultimately may be achieved), it is tempting to dismiss this book as a light fantasy. But it will give serious readers more insight than they ever bargained for.

Most people have a vague familiarity with the wandering tribes that inhabited much of the Eurasia land mass from the bronze age until the middle ages. For example, the words, "Barbarians at the gate", will, in most people, invoke images of ferocious Goths and Visigoths about to pour through the gates of a decadent and corrupt Rome--its citizens somehow still in total denial. Or they may see, in their mind's eye, waves of Mongols sweeping across the steppes of Russia, penetrating deep into the heart of Europe, or the barbaric Dorians sacking, and overrunning, the cities of bronze age Greece.

But these are vague images. In books and in films there is almost no effort made to provide insight as to why these people were the way they were. There has been two dark ages: in the wake of the crumbling bronze, and classical, ages, respectively. But one question that is seldomed raised is this: Who were these wandering tribes of warriors that overwhelmed the centers of civilization, and why were they willing to accept such heavy losses?

We are told that a civilization decays from within. That may be true as far as it goes, but what is the conceit that allows a civilization to underestimate its adversaries? Is it it's belief that it's citizens are stronger? No, because it is known that the lot of a primitive people is hard lot, and it is one makes them strong. Is it a civilization's collective belief in it's advanced technology? It is not even that, because history tells its citizens that a backward people will someday build everything they have--and more.

The conceit of a civilization is something even more fundamental: It is an unshakable belief in it's own moral superiority. And it is this conceit that the author deftly and skillfully punctures.

Civilized people see themselves as above certain barbaric practices (such as hacking to death), and more enlightened about the rights of individuals. But a civilization requires the dividing of its citizens into a 1001 subdivisions. This results in striving, shadiness, and citizens carving up each other in civilized ways--and then trying to kill the pain by immersing in petty vices. Thus, a civilized people becomes weaker and weaker, all the while believing they are morally superior.

Mr. Sonawani brings together, not as enemies but as allies, the respective leaders of two decaying civilizations and two nomadic tribes. An alliance is formed between a corrupt local Greek ruler and the leader of the U-eche tribe (which is by now struggling to survive as a people). And another alliance is formed between a reformist Hindu King and the leader of the Kushan tribe (which is also struggling to survive). In this way, each of these four leaders is able to objectively look at the good, and the bad, in another way of life.

And, not so incidently, the reader is provided with four perspectives that he or she probably never had before.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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