Teams Books

This is not a book which you read through over a period of hours. In fact it is quite possible that you will never read all of the book, but yet find it invaluable.

Fox breaks the sales stage down into logical segments and provides good "plays" to make the sales process more productive. Sales segments include: Thinking, Reaching, Engaging, Keeping.

None of the plays are innovative, but they are relevant. He provides the reader with good insight and detail on "plays" such as print advertising, Linkedin, PR, Customer referrals, Customer surveys etc. He also makes an effort to cost out these plays. I did find some of his costings on the high side, but it is up to you "the player" to make sure you get your value for money.

The book is not cheap, but if you want a good reference, idea book at your fingertip, it is good value.

Marketing Playbook: The Manual for Growing Organizations is a compendium of 102 marketing strategies to meet sales goals. A football-style theme and trappings capture the reader's eye, but at its heart Marketing Playbook is all business. Tips, tricks and techniques include the basics for creating a good business card, how to create a series of "thank you" postcards with impact, using web conferencing to give a sales presentation without leaving one's chair, how to break through voicemail, and much more. A surprisingly intense amount of detail on each topic and full-color photographs on every page distinguish Marketing Playbook as a top-quality reference and resource for marketing professionals.

Over the past several years there has been an outpouring of titles dealing with the topic of effective marketing techniques that has spawned a cottage industry of thousands of books, and whose publishers rant that by purchasing their book you will invariably be led to the Promised Land.

I don't doubt that most authors of marketing books often work extra hard to find new and creative perspectives on their subject. Unfortunately, however, most fail, as very often their approach is filled with a great deal of hype, but little useful content.

Now, along comes John M. Fox's fresh and innovative approach with his manual Marketing Playbook: The Manual for Growing Organizations 102 of the Best Marketing Plays to Get Your Sales Team Across the Goal Line, where the author uses the metaphor of a football playbook to tutor his readers on how to develop an effective and winning marketing plan.

The manual organizes itself into 102 plays, each comprising one glossy page with full color images, wherein you have the following sections: a diagram, illustration or picture of the Play when correctly executed, next to the image you have the number and name of the Play, on the left hand side of the page you have the strategies and costs, while the center of the page consists of the Assignments and Coaching Points, and the bottom of the page indicates the Primary Receivers as types, their level, and who is the product or service best suited for.
In addition, Fox includes a value-added bonus by providing at the end of some of the pages a section called Extra Points, where you can download from the author's website extra information pertaining to the Play. There is even a scoreboard that rates the Play's strategic or tactical applicability.
For example, if we look at Play 35, Press Releases That Get Ink, we notice that the focus of the strategy is to get your news story in the press, what are the expected costs of a professional writer, how the marketing team and the PR agency should work together, and ends with vital coaching points.

By presenting the material in this way, devoid of technical jargon, verbiage and redundancy, fundamental principles are broken down into understandable messages that everyone can easily follow. Moreover, the book is as informative as it is fun, as the author has taken pains to be clear and concise, while keeping the tone light and approachable. Although, the author states in his notes that he has written the book from the first-person to company leaders, rookie employees and the self-employed will likewise benefit from its reading.
For those who wish to explore the various topics further, the author provides a bibliography of references, resources and additional reading that correspond to each of the Plays. There is even at the end of the manual a glossary index containing a listing of some familiar and unfamiliar terms the author uses in his presentations.

Norm Goldman, Editor Bookpleasures

This book is very engaging, in fact, hard to put down. As a seasoned marketing executive, I am often disappointed with marketing books yet this one was a pleasant surprise and loaded with useful information. John's suggestions are easy to implement and focused on helping sales make sales! Too many marketers focus on brand image to the exclusion of lead generation and customer aquisition. What good is a brand if there is no money in the bank! This book will keep new and seasoned marketers in growth companies on track with cost-effective ideas to ring the sales bell. An excellent feature is a list of sample vendors and the approximate cost of various "plays"; this alone will save new marketers research time and money and allow them to maximize tight marketing budgets for maximum results. This book is worth every penny and there is something inside that will work for every type of business.

Whether a company needs to know how to get its news in front of people who care through news distribution, or how to present it in a binder, John Fox's Marketing Playbook lays it out ... plus John gives you the names of sources who will help. It's the kind of book anybody in marketing and sales will keep and refer to often.

Paul, I wanted to let you know that I have completed your book! I feel as though my mindset has completely changed. Since beginning your book I have begun the process of developing another company, with 3 other professionals, with a focus more so on the development of useful web applications and business coaching in the service industry, design in particular. The coaching idea was inspired by the quote in your book written by Marianne Williamson which says, "And as we let our light shine, we consciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others." I feel that I have the ability to inspire other designers because I have such a passion for this industry, especially web design. Thank you for this contribution to the business community.

This book reads as if Paul David Walker is the Eckhart Tolle of the business world. I could not put this book down and by the end I was propelled to not only change some of my business habits but life habits as well.

A MUST READ if you want to find your Genius in ALL aspects of your life.

Lisa Garvey
The Studio Event Group

In this remarkable book, Paul David Walker makes the case that effective leadership doesn't reside in management fads, convoluted models, or other similar "solutions." For Walker, true leaders are those who have embraced the challenge in Socrates' famous axiom "Know Thyself". For me, this book was about self-discovery, awakening to my own experience and seeing it and a new and empowering way. His approach helps produce the fundamental confidence that is the power source of any effective leader. I recommend this book very highly.

Paul Walker's "Unleashing Genius" provides a fascinating look "behind the curtain" of both the scientific foundations of genius and how to access it in ourselves. Paul generously shares his wisdom and experience while guiding a profound conversation around the intersection of business, genius and intuition.

David Brownstein, PCC, CPCC.
[...]

A must read book!!!!! This is an outstanding book and is a must read for CEOs and business leaders. It guides the reader in bringing reality and calmness when dealing with issues while thinking outside of the box. Sometimes fear and anxiety drive decisions, and Paul provides a step-by-step process backed by years of experience and 'sage' insight for handling pressing issues in a proactive manner. It is a very unusual thinker that can do that and "Unleashing Genius" Unleashing Genius: Leading Yourself, Teams and Corporations captures the essence of what causes us to do what we do and probes deeply into issues in a respectful and thoughtful approach that is easy to grasp.

The "Agile" umbrella includes multiple approaches/lenses from which to view, practice and evolve software and teams. Alistair's material offers an additional lens. So when reading this material, I don't believe it was ever his intent for people to pick up Crystal and say "This is it". Rather, this material offers an alternative framework of thought that would nicely meld/synthesize with other characteristics/practices/behaviors under the Agile umbrella of software evolution. I've not personally applied the material yet .. but could see it's inter-relationship to those things I do currently practice today under the Agile space.

I love this book. Recommended read for anyone who has to obtain requirements form customers. The book also has many team building elements and a great Agile roadmap.

Cockburn's writing style is fluid, the agile development topic is interesting, and his experience is very valuable.

The Crystal methodology is extremely lightweight, and is not saddled with the percieved "rules" of XP. This is *the* guidebook for the Crystal familiy. Pick a few of the 7 properties and get started building better software!

Lots of relevent information about Software Development project management. It give insight into ways of dealing with stuff I see every day at work. I am about 1/3 of they way through, it is well laid out, I'd recommend it for anyone that is a technology development group and want some good ideas for how to deal with projects.

Norm could have done a better job with the writing, but it has GREAT pictures

I purchased 3 books from Amazon.com yesterday. Luckily, I met Norm at a remote today for which he graciously and personally signed all 3 copies.

1 book is going to my younger brother who is in Iraq fighting for Our Country - He'll love his signed copy.

1 is for my father-in-law... I know this lifelong Cowboy fan will love to relive the memories of this team through the pages of Norms book.

Of course I will love my copy here in N. Texas - Thanks Norm!!!

This was a gift for a Dallas Cowboys fan who is over 70 years old, and
he loved it! The best birthday present i bought for my father yet.
He really enjoyed the book.

This book is a 'must' for the die-hard fan of America's Team... the Dallas Cowboys!

One of the greatest Cowboys history books I have read. Amazing pictures and very informative. Lots of information that even a die-hard Cowboy fan doesn't know. A very entertaining read.

Everything about this amazing guide is RIGHT from it's convenient size to its comprehensive content. If you know what you need to measure, you'll find the right tool for it here and even if you don't know what to measure, it'll tell you. Just fantastic. A treasure. Useful tip. It's a great resource when I need to present complex information visually in a presentation. Use it for inspiration if, like me, you struggle with visualising business concepts

The day after I bought it my boss asked me to build a priority matrix. I didn't bat an eyelash. I went back to my desk and 15 minutes later I emailed him a priority matrix for our project. He had a meeting in the conference room 15 minutes later with the director and partner. They were so impressed with my work. Thanks Memory Jogger II.

The book provided quick tips for facilitation and team building. I like the format which allows for using the book without ruining the pages.

I had to get this for an MBA class I am currently taking. It provides summaries and examples of common business tools in a small package. It's a great reference guide. I didn't do a lot of searching, but for the little searching I did, Amazon had the lowest price.

This book is set up for anyone to have many tools for them to use at anytime. It has flowcharting, public speaking, many diagrams, and several team based exercises to help become better. In the front of the book it has a tool selector, and it takes some of the guess work out of tool selection.This is just one of many great books this company offers. Our copmany uses several of these in our professional training with our clients. This is a really good book for those looking for continuous improvement. The Memory Jogger Plus is an excellent book also and has many great tools and other goodies.

Lynn Eisaguirre knows the real world of work. Her examples are startingly realistic! Most importantly, she gives clear strategies for viewing and handling conflict differently. In the end, after reading this book, you will probably become an advocate and tell others that "conflict is good!" Lynn makes you think! You may not agree with everything, but you will definitely think about your own approach and explore ways to manage conflict differently! Business managers who handle conflict in the workplace must read this book!

Lynne Eisaguirre's 5 personality styles describe everyone I've ever worked with! I have had conflicts and situations at work that would have been be better, more productive, and a LOT less stressful if I had read this book earlier. I learned how to approach someone better and how to be more confrontable myself! She really produces creativity out of every situation. Companies should buy this book for thier employees and leave in the office lounge for EVERYONE to read! It's a great way to improve the atmosphere and environment of every office!

Lynne's book arrived at the perfect time! As hospitals deal with nursing shortages as well as other shortages of healthcare workers in the U.S., managers need to make the most of the staff we have. We owe it to our patients and the physicians we serve to be the best we can be each day. The attempt to stretch ourselves to cover all the requirements of safe patient care with overwhelming budget cuts have led to short fuses and easy frustrations on a daily basis in acute healthcare.
The Power of a Good Fight brings hope and ease to managers in what often seems to be an unmanageable work world, by simply and powerfully taking us step by step through all the What-ifs we face. Ahhh...It feels like having a coach at my side. I liked the book and plan to pass it around!

Every woman in the work world should read the Power Of A Good Fight. I am not a huge fan of business books, but a close friend recommended I read this book. I am glad she did.

Lynne Eisaguirre explains why actually starting a fight can be the best way to improve your work environment. Eisaguirre's advice is right on target. I tried out her suggestions and have had a great response. From now on, I plan to address work place issues as they come up, just as I always have in my personal life.

If I had known years ago what Lynne Eisaguirre writes about the various conflict styles in her book, The Power Of A Good Fight, my career and life would have moved along a less rocky road. I now understand that one partner I worked for had a 'roadrunner' approach to conflict resolution; the other a 'pitbull' approach. Although I realize possessing this information would not have changed the way my bosses approached conflict resolution, I'm certain what would have changed, was my approach to them and their conflicts. The Power Of A Good Fight offers valuable knowledge and skills about effectively dealing with different approaches to conflict resolution. This would have improved my career and life had I known then what Lynne tells me now in The Power Of A Good Fight.

SOX AND THE CITY IS WRITTEN BY RICHARD ROEPER WHO IS ALSO A MOVIE CRITIC ALONG WITH ROGER EBERT IN CHICAGO AND THEY HAVE A SYNDICATED TV SHOW. I REALLY LOVED THIS BOOK. I AM NOT A SOX FAN BUT AN INDIANS FAN AND I KNOW MANY MANY SEASONS HAVE PASSED SINCE A WORLD SERIES VICTORY. ROPER BRINGS BACK MUCH NOSTALGIA FROM BASEBALL IN THE 1960'S TO PRESENT DAY. I REALLY ENJOYED THE SEGMENTS ABOUT THE 1967 TEAM AND DICK ALLEN. I ESPECIALLY RECOMMEND THIS FOR ALL SOX FANS AND EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT, THIS IS AN EXCELLENT READ FOR ALL BASEBALL FANS. HE DOES A GREAT JOB DESCRIBING IN DETAIL HOW THE 2005 SEASON WENT WITH SOME GREAT BEHIND THE SCENES STORIES. I THINK THE ONE MAIN THING I ENJOYED MOST WAS HIS EXPERIENCES FOLLOWING THE SOX AS A CHILD WHEN WE ARE YOUNG AND NAIVE AND HOPE IS ETERNAL. A MUST READ.

Roeper writes very well for a journalist (ha-ha), and this book was both funny and captured the essence of being a White Sox fan. He takes you through his personal experience of being fan from his childhood in the 1960s to attending the World Series in 2005. The book would be a fun read even if you were not a White Sox fan as Roeper includes a lot of jokes about pop culture such as movies and music, and many of the stories of being a fan are universal regardless of the team.

Fantastic recap of decades of Sox lore! This book was a quick and interesting read, containing trivia, stats, and facts all interwoven with personal anecdotes and memories. Terrific for new or old fans - a must have for all who know and love the Sox!

"Sox and the City" is a great read for any baseball lover, but particularly White Sox fans. They say that as a baseball fan you are wedded to one team for life, and live and die with them each season. Or to paraphrase one of those east coast baseball fans, baseball is not life or death, but the [White] Sox are!

"Sox and the City" will most interest Chicagosns, of course. But all baseball fans might enjoy it. After all, being a White Sox fan in a city with more than one team, and an ancient generational rivalry (I won't name that OTHER team) is an experience few living baseball fans still know. the annual highs and lows (and finally triumph) that made the suffering all worth it. Only perhaps New Yorkers share the experience (and even the New York Mets are stand-ins for the old Yankees-Dodgers-Giants rivalry).

If you love baseball, pick this one up!

Thank goodness the White Sox have southside Chicago native Richard Roeper as a fan! The Cubs and other more popular MLB teams have a much longer roster of both author/fans (e.g. Stephen King and the Red Sox) and A-list celebrity/fans (of which the White Sox have none - sorry Jerry Springer, you're B-list). But the White Sox, with their long, interesting history and their amazing 2005 World Series run, needed someone to step up to the plate and deliver what the fan base needs: a book documenting what it means to be a White Sox fan in the four decades up to 2005. Roeper delivers a solid home run, albeit not a grand slam.

Roeper deftly interweaves three main storylines in "Sox and the City": the highlights of the past 40 years of Sox history; Roeper's own personal experiences as a fan attending more than 1000 Sox games; and the highlights of the 2005 season and World Series run. Along the way Roeper provides a personal, often humorous view of the main topics in Sox history: the different Sox teams that have been assembled over the years; what it means to be a Sox fan in what will always (unless the demographics of Chicago change radically) be a Cubs town, including especially the Sox/Cubs rivalry among the fans (which, because of geography is more passionate - at least on the Sox side - than any other intercity major league rivalry); Harry Caray's move from the Sox to the Cubs; Bill Veeck's attempts to generate excitement (and bring in paying fans) on the southside; Disco Demolition Night; the move from Comiskey to the Cell; and much more.

There is so much White Sox history that it is impossible to capture it all in a single volume, but Roeper hits all the highlights. His prose is very accessible, humorous, and direct. "Sox and the City" is likely to become the definitive guide to what it means to be a White Sox fan in the present day.

Why only four stars? Roeper's done an admirable job in all areas of the book except two: explaining precisely what made the 2005 team different than all other White Sox teams, and capturing the excitement and impact of the Sox's 2005 World Series victory on the city of Chicago. Perhaps the latter is an impossible task to translate into words - you had to be there.

All literate White Sox fans should read this book.

This book is a tremendous resource for anyone who does teambuilding! Included are activities that can be done on a "shoestring" budget as well as some more advanced initiatives. Especially helful is a section with plans on building props for team building activities! A few "old classic" activities are included, but it mostly covers new activities.

Jim Cain recently conducted a workshop for our ACA group. He mentioned that the book came about because he was giving out a thick stack of hand-outs at his workshops that were darn close to a book. So he put them together and created this book. The energy and spirit that Jim shows in his workshops is clearly reflected in this book. Although nothing can really replace an "in-person" demonstration of the activities, this book gives clear explainations and examples in a "how to" format. Along with a section on how to build many of the activities with supplies easily available at many home improvement centers. There are activities for youth, schools, camps, corporate; large budget or small budget. This book is an excellent investment.

I've worked with high school groups and some corporate groups in outdoor adventure education for more than 12 years and this book would have been most helpful earlier in my career. This is a MUST BUY for anyone who in involved in training or education. The vaule of the book is so much higher than the acutal price. Once again. This is a MUST BUY for your personal or business libaray.

I have worked on challenge courses for nearly ten years and used much of what I do there in my other life as a middle school teacher. This is the best single volume I've seen. I was thrilled to read up on some truly new ideas as well as most of the tried and true stalwarts. Too often I've bought a book only to find that it is a repackaging of ideas that have been around a while. There is some of this, but plenty of innovation. The descriptions are clear and Caine has provided step-by-step instructions for making all of the equipment described in the book. They also comprehensively list other books, equipment vendors, organizations, etc.

If you know someone who's budget allows only one book, this is a great place to start.

Possibly a top five choice for those beginning an experiential-adventure education, resource book library.

Very good written and visual descriptions. In addition,the authors focused a great deal on assisting the reader in identifying and locating the resources and tools necessary for each activity and initiative. The detailed information is useful for both purchasing and creating additions to your equipment bag of tricks. This feature alone has been very attractive to those browsing through the book at our introductory level, facilitator workshops.

The book features a good blend of low prop, portable activities along with less-portable intiatives. Also, helpful variations of activities such as the spider web and bull ring are provided.

You may find less expensive, activity books, but this remains an excellent value as a quality resource book.

For those looking to begin a library - this is one of my top five recommendations. If you are an experienced facilitator, you will likely find good information, but you may not find the book as valuable as a less experienced facilitator.

Excerpt from Fortune Article: How to build a great team by Jerry Useem, FORTUNE, June 1, 2006: 3:31 PM EDT

........ The fact is, most of what you've read about teamwork is bunk. So here's a place to start: Tear down those treacly motivational posters of rowers rowing and pipers piping. Gather every recorded instance of John Madden calling someone a "team player." Cram it all into a dumpster and light the thing on fire. Then settle in to really think about what it means to be a team.

We're certainly not against the concept of teamwork. But that's the point: All the happy-sounding twaddle obscures the actual practice of it. And teamwork is a practice. Great teamwork is an outcome; you can only create the conditions for it to flourish. Like getting rich or falling in love, you cannot simply will it to happen.

We will go further and say: Teamwork is an individual skill. That happens to be the title of a book. Christopher Avery writes, "Becoming skilled at doing more with others may be the single most important thing you can do" to increase your value - regardless of your level of authority.

As work is increasingly broken down into team-sized increments, Avery's argument goes, blaming a "bad team" for one's difficulties is, by definition, a personal failure, since the very notion of teamwork implies a shared responsibility. You can't control other people's behavior, but you can control your own. Which means that there is an "I" in team after all. (Especially in France, where they spell it Equipe.)

This book is a must for anyone who is managing an office. if your office is full of egotistical employees or employees who are not term players, this book will help you to help employess get on the right track.

Many of us charged with leading teams are expected to take the role of 'scapegoat' for team performance. While most of us agree that the team leader does contribute (critically) to the team's success, each individual member can and does impact the team's performance. This book provides a validation that individuals impact teams and goes further to explain that every team member has an obligation to provide for the success of the team. This book helps empower those that want to make a difference in their teams.

For years, I have resisted the popular notion of "there is no `I' in "teamwork" because teams are a collection of individuals working toward a common goal. Each of us brings our own values and skill sets to the table. It is our choice to work together (or not) as a team.
Christopher M. Avery has captured this idea and more in his latest book, Teamwork is an Individual Skill: Getting Work Done When Sharing Responsibility. Chris suggests that individuals take responsibility for team success versus blame others He challenges the reader to be proactive and work through team issues rather than avoid or accommodate others.
This is a perfect book for team members who have been on teams before. It will validate good team behaviors and point out areas to upgrade...in a gentle and non-threatening way. The book is easy to read with lots of stories and examples to highlight the key points.

The book entitled "Teamwork is an Individual Skill" is quite interesting. I work at a large semi-conductor manufacturer as a non-exempt fab technician on a self managed team on night shift.

I am the most experienced and capable person on my team, yet with all of my background I have come to realize how relatively little influence I often have on team performance, and on my ability to push the team in the direction I think it should go. The very first sentence in your book on page 1, "Do you share responsibility with others to get work done but don't have authority over them (and they don't have authority over you)?" absolutely floored me, 'cause that is me to the tee.

I had only gotten to page 8 of your book when I was thoroughly blown away by the directness with which the differences between flat and hierarchical structures were addressed. At my company there is no mention of this approach; even once when I mentioned the term "semi-autonomous team" to the most qualified tech (who happened to be on day shift--arguably a more hierarchical environment due to the presence of many exempt employees) he did not know what the term meant. The company has this structure in place almost as an unwritten agenda.

Your comment on page 5, "Many individuals--especially smart, high achievers--can experience great angst if asked to serve in teams." is in retrospect a great source of comfort to help me understand my angst during my three years with this company. In all of the areas I have worked in during that time I am sure that I had (at least on paper) more qualifications than any one other person (B.S. deg, two A.A.S. degs, 12+ prior years of technical experience, and a whole host of other skills that my teammates do not exhibit.) Plus add to that, that my experience has almost exclusively come from a strongly tilted hierarchical background in retrospect is why I struggled with teams, as you describe them.

Every page of your book is quite thought-provoking, causing me to pause and reflect on how your observations compare to my situation.

thanks for a book like this i have a therapy dog myself i trained for me and then i followed his lead when he showed he wanted and needed and was so good at helping others
i have only read excepts of the book but will buy it my dad is dying of parkinson disease 1000 miles away i am a daddy girl so this time is hard anyway since i have no way to see him
your book helps so much
turns out my dads dog-has saved my dad a few times himself by going to get mom everytime dad falls or needs things
i know if i could get up to dad i could train the dog to do more
the dog is a cocker spaniel raised from 2 weeks old by my mom,but seems to glue itself to dad as dad got sicker
as i always said dogs know more then we think they do and do so much for people
what a gift god gave with allowing us a small time with his critters
[...]

I am grateful to Lynne Hugo for her heartwarming and insightful book. She encouraged me to continue to visit nursing homes and Alzheimer patients with my toy poodle, Lucy, even though she is not trained to perfection. Lucy brings joy to residents and care providers. God has presented me with the opportunity to share my dog and I am proud to serve Him in this way.

I can see why this book won a national writing prize. What a sheer pleasure to read. It's thoughtful, deeply considered and the language sparkles as the author deals with terribly difficult issues but helps us through them by injecting literally hilarious episodes at just the right moments. Marley and Me has nothing funnier than sections of this book. My dog and I are Delta Society volunteers, and I, too, have aging parents. Much of this helped me think about my own life as well as my parents' situations, and I'm really grateful that a friend recommended this book. Now I'm passing the favor on and giving this my most enthusiastic endorsement.

An enjoyable book! I was moved emotionally by the connections of the dog therapy team, the residents they visited, and the nature around them. Nice symbolism showing how human life events parallel changes in nature.

I throughly enjoyed reading "Where the Trail Grows Faint: A Year in the Life of a Therapy Dog Team" by Lynne Hugo. Lynne Hugo is masterful at blending the story of Hannah, her beautiful chocolate lab therapy dog, with the lives of the people who are in the nursing home, along with the lives of her own aging parents. Ms. Hugo has a beautiful way with words; her prose creates atmosphere and feeling....so much so that at the conclusion of the book, I immediately went to visit my own aging mother-in-law, who is in an assisted living facility. This book was clearly written from the heart!