Associations Books

...that will help you make better desisions (or keep you from making all the wrong, costly ones :-).

Pricey but helpful book. A lot of the same information can also be found online by searching "how to create a yellow pages ad".

This covers all print media and strategies for developing your marketing (complete with examples of what a strong ad looks like vs the "not so good"). If you need or want more assistance Barry and company offer their service (paid of course, but their fee structure is comprehensive and reasonable) includes analysis of your ad, suggestions for improvement in addition to (re)designing your ad to reach your target audience.

The two most important bits of information we came away with are these:
1. Unless you are in the ad design field you should _seriously_ consider hiring someone who knows their trade WELL. We needed to make some minor changes to our YP ad from the previous year, and although we started the process "early" (at least what our rep led us to believe was early - 2 months out from their `deadline') we still have NOTHING from the phone companies "design team".

The following sage advice rings true "...yellow page graphic artists are required to output a lot of work in a short period of time. Even the best artist cannot do a great ad in 30 minutes. You honestly want an artist to spend the entire day working on your advertisement, and you want to pay them for it... Graphic artists study art. They do not extensively study business, or copywriting, or marketing, or business law. They do not know about your company, your customers, your capabilities, or how you make money. If you really want effective yellow page advertising, hire the best graphic artist and the best advertising professional you can find [and afford - my emphasis]. Do not leave it for a kid with a computer".

At this point we would be glad to have paid for a quality job done because it would have saved us time lost in having to constantly call our YP rep to find out when the "design team" would have our ad back to be proofed (and our rep's boss wasn't any more helpful either -- this from the "leading" directory in our area, tsk, tsk, tsk), not to mention frustration in having to go through all of that nonsense. We are a small independent music teaching studio and we would have been better served and saved money in the long run by hiring a professional than leaving the design process to some over-worked, under-qualified and probably under-paid novice from the phone companies "design team".

2. Publishers carefully monitor phonebook circulation and usage data. They know exactly how much their book is being used and by whom. If they are not volunteering that information, be extra careful. Alternatively, publishers should also be able to give you information about their competitors. Ask how their book compares to their competition's book. Be persistent and insist on getting this information from them - you're paying for it (by way of placing an ad in their phone book).

This is the reason we are still trying to work out our yp advertising with the "leading" phone co/publisher. They're the one most used in our area. If that was not the case we would have dropped them like a hot sweaty sock!

Barry's book covers so many salient points about YP advertising and the industry that you could read, and re-read it and still find ways to improve your YP ad. A very good investment for any business owner (and the online source above compliments it well - MOO).

Good luck and fortune in all your business endeavors everyone!

If you want to create professional looking Yellow Page ad designs that will dominate your Yellow Page advertising competition, you should read this book. While it was written in the eighties, the concepts are still very important today.

--A.Strange, Founder, Ad Revamp * Yellow Page ad design
Personal service. Proven methods. Toll-free advice. www.adrevamp.com

Just so no one misunderstands, since the publisher's description of "Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising" has disappeared from this page, we (the author's office) posted both the media quotes below and the book description that follows. Neither of these is meant to be an impartial review but rather a description of what's in the book and what various media outlets have said about it.

These media quotes about "Getting the Most from Your Yellow Pages Advertising" are being posted by the author's assistant, Steve Wilson, to show what the media thinks of the book. And we've got far more of these than we could ever post. The book truly is "the bible on how to advertise in the Yellow Pages."

"The definitive word on the subject."
-Home Office Computing magazine


"Barry Maher is the nation's leading independent authority on Yellow Pages advertising"
-Simba Information, Inc.
(Publishers, Yellow Pages & Directory Report)


"Discover effective design, layout and copy writing techniques . . . Learn how to design an ad that will get YOUR business the call, even when surrounded by others ads selling the same product or service."
-The Small Business Administration's Success Symposium


"Businesses may be spending 25% of their gross [in the Yellow Pages] and be spread too thin, or they may be overspending at 1%. To make key decisions to best business advantage, an independent and authoritative perspective is crucial. Barry Maher, offers [just that]."
-Retailer News


"This is the best information there is and should answer your questions as well as save you lots of time and money."
-Terry Johnson, President, Dial One


"Maher takes the mystery out of Yellow Pages Advertising. He tells you how to make it work and what to do when it doesn't. A great new resource for small businessmen."
-Ray Schultz, Editor, Direct Marketing News


"The nation's foremost authority on Yellow Pages advertising."
-Dealer Communicator


"The inside scoop on how to make your Yellow Pages advertising dollars pay off . . . Find out what the sales rep won't tell you. Design an ad that really pulls."
-Business Opportunities Digest


"You'll learn how to design an effective ad, keep score on your ad and deal with the sales people when they goof."
-Rudolf Solomon, San Francisco Examiner


"Takes on the topic of Yellow Pages with zeal and humor-while offering practical help in getting the directories to work for you."
-Instant & Small Commercial Printer


"Invaluable insights."
-Restaurant Management Today


"[Maher] has helped thousand of businesses turn their Yellow Pages into gold . . . a complete, step by step program for developing Yellow Pages ads that get the call."
-SBC


"A comprehensive approach to planning and implementing a successful Yellow Pages advertising program."
-Dentist


"Guides [business] on how to get the best return from their Yellow Pages advertising . . . improve response, enhance profits."
-SNIPS


"Provides the stimulus to get your advertising in gear."
-The Competitive Advantage


"Last year, American businesses spent $8 billion dollars on Yellow Pages advertising. For many small businesses, it was their only form of advertising. Yet many small business owners are unsure about how to get the most out of their Yellow Pages advertising. To help them, Barry Maher . . . [offers] a practical guide to Yellow Pages advertising . . . [providing] insights and advice for small business owners."
-Los Angeles Times


"If you now make use of yellow page advertising in telephone directories, you will be especially interested in what [Maher] . . . has to say about choosing the right ad size, creating the ad that will generate the most response, and how to select the right categories to advertise [under]."
-In Business


"[Packed] with cost cutting tips . . . a super resource. [From the author of] the bible of Yellow Pages advertising"
-Save Your Business a Bundle: 202 Ways to Cut Costs and Boost Profits Now by Daniel Kehrer, Simon & Schuster


"An informative overview of the entire process, including evaluating and selecting the right Yellow Pages book, choosing the right ad size, determining how many ads to run, creating the ad likely to generate the most calls,, and dealing effectively with the phone company and sales reps. He also offers guidance on tracking ads."
-Professional Electronics


"Practical advice on the complete process, from deciding whether to advertise at all to turning callers into customers . . . The advice is detailed and . . . should help improve the reader's directory-buying decisions."
-Fitness Management


"Anyone who has dealt with the Yellow Pages people would welcome the [information]. Wise ad people have said placing a substantial schedule in several phone books is only slightly more complicated than dealing with the U.S. Army."
-Des Moines Register

"The best yellow pages investment I've ever made, making every cent I'm spending on phone directory advertising the most effective it can possibly be. Eliminating every bit of waste. I fully intend to recommend it to all my associates. And none of my competition."
-Dr. S.R. Pampalone, Chatsworth Dental Center


"Many useful tips . . . I am looking forward to getting more clients from yellow pages advertising and, at the same time, saving a great deal of money."
-Vincent A. Lloyd, Lloyd, Hoskins & Pierce


"Tremendous insight into Yellow Pages advertising."
-Dr. Gregory S. Keller, Cosmetic Surgery Center


"An invaluable resource on getting the most bang per buck in advertising . . . [Maher] clears the way through the jungle of options and clearly delineates what is as well as what isn't effective. I recommend it wholeheartedly."
-Michael Parker, President Parker Plumbing


"PIP Printing's retail centers rely on yellow pages advertising to reach business printing consumers every day, but without following a carefully planned strategy, our yellow pages messages could be easily overlooked. Maher offers . . . straightforward guidelines for insuring maximum effectiveness for yellow pages advertising."
-Susan Falk, PIP


"A complete guide to creating a results-oriented program for advertising in the Yellow Pages. It's got everything from how to write an effective ad to where, when, and even when not to advertise."
-B. Dalton Bookseller


"A very valuable resource as I communicate with members of the American Rental Association on ways they can use the yellow pages most effectively."
-Frederick Anderson, American Rental Association


"Cash in on Yellow Pages advertising with [Barry Maher]."
-Pharmacy Newswire, NARD Journal

I would have never thought a book titled GETTING THE MOST FROM YOUR YELLOW PAGE ADVERTISING would make for compelling reading, but I was wrong. Author and former yellow page rep Barry Maher grabbed my interest on the first page and held it firmly to the end. I would consider this book essential for small business owners or anyone who is interesting in producing yellow page copy.

Though certainly geared toward business owners, writing professionals will also find a tremendous amount of applicable information. Maher gives a brief history and evolution of yellow pages, then moves through a logical progression of determining need and on through the process of the finished product. For writing professionals, read through this and then thumb through the yellow pages and see the enormity of a market just screaming for professional assistance. I believe this a market largely untapped by commercial writers.

An outstanding feature of this book, and one found far too seldom, is an abundance of margin space for making notes and good, thick paper that highlighting doesn't bleed through. Business owners will pay for the price of this book a hundred times over and copywriters will find a resource for a niche market rich with possibilities.

As a Marine veteran, this book gave alot of good ideas. The authors tell you different aspect of how the Marine Corps is ran and they explain why the Marines do this and how to implement it into the business world.

It's a good book. There are a lot of leadership techniques in here that can be applied. There is also a lot of information about the Marines, which is interesting. For a leadership book, I could have used less information about the Marines and more about leadership in business, but it's good for what it is.
One thing, the chapter on women dealt with sexual harrassment, mostly. I think that with everything women deal with (lower pay, glass ceiling, family life, etc) there could have been more info on women and less on sexual harrassment. That could have been a seperate chapter.

Semper Fi does a good job of relating the organizational and cultural strengths of the Marine Corps to successful essentials for corporate America. The beginning of the book emphasizes the importance of recruiting and maintaining the enthusiasm and energy or new hires. The book keeps it focus on sharing the attributes of the Marine Corps' organizational attributes contributing to its success rather than organizing around what corporate America needs and how the Marine Corps has solved those problems. Strongly recommended for HR professionals and managers leading large organizations. Always a good book for former Marines although some may remember a few details of Marine life differently.

Want to develop sound leadership and solid loyalty? This book clears up many of the misconceptions of USMC training and brings the same form of positive supportive leadership into the civilian and business world. Leadership is more than just telling people what to do. Leadership is established by being in the front lines with all your "troops". It's you're willingness to get your shoes just as dirty as anyone else's while providing an example of being out in front and at the same time making sure that everyone is up there with you. You, the leader, are the example! It is extremely well-written and should be in any top sensei's [martial arts instructor's] book collection. Dan Carrison is one of my Black Belts. I recommend this book to all my black belts!

In case you want to know how this 175,000 strong force is led/managed to live up to the "Send the Marines" legend, you will be largely satisfied. Many unique features, including the Buddy System (two friends get recruited, trained, and deployed together), Tour of Duty (a Marine can opt to remain or transfer several times during the enlistment period of four years), the strong emphasis on quality HR and recruiters, the "Crucible" (the 54 sleepless hours of hellish training with only one meal), the need for an officer/NCO to be better in all aspects (esp physically) than his fellow men till his retirement and so on are vividly discussed. However, I am obliged to comment that the successful principles of USMC are not readily applicable to the commercial world, primarily because, as per pg 123, "Unlike the Marine Corps, the workplace environment is not one of self sacrifice. Employees are motivated much more by self interest than by the collective good and are not shy about asking, "Why did he or she get this assignment and not me?" Anyway, this is definitely a good read. Highly recommended!

Below please find my most favorite passages for your reference:-

One of the legends every NCO has heard tells of a young officer who did not return an enlisted man's salute - and was subsequently ordered by the renowned Marine general Chesty Puller to stand there and salute the nervous private one hundred times. pg 66

The "monkey experiment" is a classic laboratory experiment that illustrates exactly what the Marines try to avoid - the thoughtless passing from one group to another of a learned tradition. Six monkeys were put into a cage in which bananas were suspended by chains...when a monkey pulled on the bananas, the entire group received a shower of cold water. It didnt take long for the six monkeys to learn that the bananas were to be left alone. A new monkey was then introduced into the group, while one of the original monkeys were removed. Of course, the newcomer saw the bananas and thought it was in monkey paradise. But, as it climbed upward, the five remaining original monkeys would actually prevent it from reaching the bananas.....Other newcomers were introduced, for each one, a monkey from the original group was removed.....Soon, none of the original group was left in the cage, yet the bananas were undisturbed - by monkeys who had never felt the cold shower themselves and who did not know why the bananas were to be left alone. pg 115

Today, teams of recruits clash in the pugil stick circle so that one learns not to just fight for himself but for his buddy as well. If his buddies are "killed", the remaining recruit must defend himself against multiple attackers, who close in intelligently, as a team. Thus teamwork is taught while defending and attacking. pg 130

If a manager has not called his own customer service desk in a week, then he has no idea how many times the phone will ring before it is answered, how politely the customer will be greeted, how willingly that customer will be helped and then thanked. pg 171

p.s. Semper Fidelis (Always Faihtful), the motto of USMC, is an indication of how much value is placed upon the virtue of loyalty.

I was a huge fan of the old "Foxfire" series of books as a child, and the romantic notion of living WITH the land while living OFF the land has never ceased to appeal to me. This invaluable volume has been around for some time, and essentially improves on the Foxfire concept by incorporating pictures, diagrams and removing quite a bit of the "folksiness".

Probably of most immediate use and value to readers would be the section on land acquisition and value. If you're planning to build or buy a home, the sage advice in this section is of immense value. Using natural features to cool in the summer and maintain heat in the winter - for example planting windscreens of conifers and deciduous, the latter of which direct air during their leafing season and allow it to pass when bare of leaves - was novel, and pulled me even further into the other nuggets of wisdom in the later parts of the book.

There's a ton of stuff in here - and, while the book is by no means small, it still amazes me how much is crammed in its 450 pages. Everything from building a log cabin, setting up a root cellar, beekeeping, kitchen gardening vs. full gardening, drying and smoking fish and meats, basket-weaving, stocking a lake with fish to how to ski and use snowshoes is covered. While the passages for each are brief and not comprehensive, the gist of the book is to get you to START - and there's more than enough data here to ensure you do that successfully. As you add these habits and pastimes to your lifestyle, there's further reading you can do.

One of my favorite reference texts and one I refer to often even living in a flat.

this is a great book for homesteders and those wishing to live more self reliant.

Overall a very good book with enough information to let you find out if you're interested in learning more about various aspects of traditional living.

Lots of illustrations and photos and a logical flow of information from the large to the smaller aspects.

If you're dipping your toe into the idea of a more traditional lifestyle this is the place I would recommend starting.

Not only does this book have a LOT of information about so many things, but it is presented clearly in an organized manner. Many colorful illustrations and pictures add to the pleasure of browsing this book.

Old skills brought to life and shared - provident living - do it yourself - from raising poultry, to making cheese- gardening and storage tips - make ice cream, build a house, all between the covers of one book.

I can't believe I missed out on this one as a child... but it's just as good coming to it as an adult. The perfect lazy Sunday afternoon book to read. Adults can also escape to the wilds of Lake Windemere (Lake District), to sail up the Amazon, do battle with pirates and search for buried treasure on Cormorant Island.

The year is 1929 and story is about four children - John, Susan, Titty and Roger (in age order) - who are holidaying on the shores of Lake Windemere with their mum and baby sister, Vicky. The children are an adventurous lot and love sailing in their boat, the Swallow. Towards the end of their holiday they persuade their mum to allow them on an adventure for a week. They're allowed to sail across to the island not far away and make camp there by themselves.

This is a great adventure for these intrepid explorers. They discover a retired pirate, camp, bathe in the lake, fish and cook for themselves, and are threatened by a rival group of bandits, the Amazons (otherwise known as Nancy and Peggy). All in all a great week of fun and adventure is had by all - brilliant to read about, although there are very few children who'd be allowed to do this now! Inspired by the author's own childhood holidays at the south end of Coniston in the Lake District.

This wonderful book was written about 75 years ago, but is still extremely popular today. It is ageless. I first read it as a nine or ten year old and have read it several times since then. The last time I read it I was in my late 50s or early 60s. Every young person should enjoy it immensely as a fictional story. But there are many moral and ethical issues that are slyly inserted into this novel. The biography of the author and how he came to write this book, which was the first in a series of 9 or 10 novels, is a fascinating story in itself.

The Swallows and Amazons series was one of my favorites when I was a child. The story, set in the Lake District of England where Wordsworth and other great poets grew up, is a gentle adventure tale about children camping out on an island and rigging a little sailboat. It is slower paced than children are used to today. But I think a sensitive boy or girl would find it reassuring that the children solve their own problems of navigation etc.

While it didn't bother me as a child that the language was distinctly British, as I'd been prepared by the Winnie the Pooh stories, and Wind in the Willows, I would recommend Swallows and Amazons as a bedtime story to be read aloud by an adult reader. The reader could then explain the language. A map of the UK would help too, as the story is set in the Lake District.

An adult storyteller might be interested in a biography of the series author, Arthur Ransome, who led an adventurous life - including work in the Soviet Union and marriage to a Russian woman.

Enchanting
It's hard to explain what makes this book so charming: The writing, the way the children and their relationships with each other are shown so clearly and believably, the very real adventures they have, the sense of place....but listing those traits doesn't do the book justice. It's also really funny in places! Ransome creates a world that is clearer and lighter and more enchanting than the one most of us live in -- but he's also written a realistic book. The Lake District DOES look the way he describes it, and there could be children like the Swallows and their friends the Amazon pirates.

The books are for all ages, and I think they are also inspiring and a good influence! They make me want to have adventures -- and they encourage parents by example to let their children have them. The parents in the books are responsible, teach their children well -- and allow them to adventure on their own. They can do that because they've taught the children to have good judgment and be responsible.

Arthur Ransome's own favorite in the series was WINTER HOLIDAY, which I also loved. Once the original characters leave the series, it loses its interest (for me, anyway) -- children who enjoyed the first books will also probably like Blow Out the Moon by Libby Koponen and all the E.Nesbit books.

About 60 years ago I read as many books from this series that I could find in my local public library. I had passed through a phase of devouring the Dr. Doolittle fantasy series (so damaged by the motion pictures using that title - how could they cast tall lanky Rex Harrison in the role of a short cuddly grandfather-like figure?) Another series in which, as an American boy fascinated by warplanes during the Worl War II era - I went on to become an aerospace engineer - I was enthralled, was "A Yank in the RAF", which I don't think would translate to the 21st Century very well. But the series that made the most impact on me was Ransome's Swallow family. As with Hugh Lofting's Doolittle, the author's drawings enhanced the books.

I have not visited there yet but I plan on touring Britain's Lake District (I don't think I was cognizant of where the tales took place, except I knew the children were British. They liked to drink ginger beer; in the US we had a ginger ale drink, but not ginger beer and I was curious to have some.) I have long wanted to live somewhere that would allow me to experience the thrill of mastering the small sailing boats of the story. The closest I came was living near the Pacific in California and near the Potomac River. But the boats in those regions were larger and not terribly accessible. I did go sailing with friends and tried to sail on my own in a marina with a rented boat (a too narrow and crowded venue for a novice just learning to tack and unfamiliar with how to dump wind from the sail when being carried in the wrong direction.) I have gotten to taste ginger beer. I have also used the children's means of including coded messages in their letters in the form of dancing stick figures around the page's margin (the secret was to ignore other parts of the figures and concentrate on the positions of the arms, which were standard semaphore code.) I introduced the code to one of my daughters when we were in the "Indian Princesses" organization. (Is the name and programs of that organization offensive to American Indians? I'm sure its founders weren't sensitive to the fact that American Indians still existed.)

I will introduce this series to my precocius 6 year old grand daughter when I think she is ready.

The author obviously knows what he is talking about and presents a fascinating glimpse into some of the systems, scenarios, and processes for US domestic intelligence. Interesting plot and characters, but the real power comes from the "inside" technical knowledge. On par with Clancy's debut (Hunt for Red October), I hope the author keeps at it - his technical abilities are great; more story, character, and plot development and he could be as good as Clancy!

Government eavesdropping systems like Echelon, Carnivore, and Magic Lantern as well as the potential implications of the USA Patriot Act have been in the news of late and everyone has an opinion. People either agree strongly that after 9/11 such programs are important tools in assuring that such a tragedy can never happen again or they strongly disagree worrying that such programs are merely a way to harass innocent people and take away their privacy.

Whatever your opinion, Echelon, Somebody's Listening will likely interest you. This political thriller takes a deeper look at the perimeters and potential uses of these programs through the life of fictional CIA agent Michael Stone. Stone is in charge of several investigations in which eavesdropping brings greater clarity to the facts at hand. To add even greater drama and meaning to this story, the author has these fictional events take place in the weeks following 9/11.

Unfortunately, the suspense and rapid movement of events in the book kept me up, reading late at night to find out how the drama would unfold I also found the book very informative in the area of modern communication monitoring. It's a good read.

Fiction or not, a fasinating look at government agencies in today's world. An interesting read.

Wow, I couldn't put this one down!

Mr. O'Neill does an outstanding job presenting an insiders view on how technology is being used to bring the work of the intelligence community a little closer together. It's also amazing to see some of the inner workings on electronic eavesdropping that are being applied by the intel community.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading a good thriller, especially ones that are relevant to what's happening in today's world. I am looking forward to reading more adventures of Michael Stone.

I read this book in one evening, flopped on my bed, and didn't want to leave this "world" til I had to...a "world" where diversity in power and responsibility is valued, one where people look to help others along, where women are respected as much as men, and where a vision of the future as a better day is sustaining in difficult times. It was absolutely an inspiration and a breath of fresh air. It is easy to become discouraged by so many things that don't really matter.

I particularly liked the way the author tells you about these amazing, incredible women with such a light touch, making them seem accessible. I'll read this again and refer to it often.

I usually read fiction, but I read this book because it was given to me for law school graduation. The independent stories complement each other so much and build on each other effectively enough that I found myself thinking it could have even been done as a novel. I didn't expect it to be as enjoyable of a read. I knew I would learn something from it, but I didn't expect to really like it as much as I do.

Please don't start reading this book with expectations of knowing each of these wonderful women's life details. It is an vague exploration of the paths that each woman's life took.

I have to say I was inspired to start a monthly bruncheon with local women leaders and young women. It starts next month and am very excited about what I got out of the book to make things happen in my own area.

This book leads you to make a difference in your community!

I found some mentors in this terrific book. I learned about the book when I was buying a couple videos and saw a cross-reference to this book, which was a great idea (to lead me to this book) because I had not heard about it. SO this book found me, and I'm glad it did. I can't imagine a woman not liking this book and taking away from it something that you can use. Very entertaining and upbeat. I don't consider myself to be a "feminist," but I wouldn't call this a feminism book--that sounds too political for what this is. The Counselors is stories from impressive people who just happen to be women who are the first or second person to do the job they do, what they have to say about it, what they wish they knew sooner, that sort of thing. If you think you might want to read it, I'd say give it a chance and read it. It won me over.

There's an old classic how-to book, "Think and Grow Rich," in which the author (a man) interviews a number of the leading industrialists of the day (all men), including Andrew Carnegie, for their advice in succeeding in business and growing rich. How fitting in this world where women have started to play a role as leading citizens to gather their advice on how to get to where they are. It's an old recipe, but it works.

With Martha Finney, Libby Sartain has written a book that is, in her opinion (as of 2003), the first one written "by an HR practitioner for HR practitioners about managing your own unique career as well as dealing with the special challenges of daily life in the world of human resources." As she explains, most of the stories she shares are taken from her 13-year tenure as Vice President, People at Southwest Airlines. Since 2001, she has served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources and Chief People Yahoo at Yahoo! Inc. This book was published in 2003.

She is a staunch advocate of what she characterizes as a "fully empowered" HR career, viewing it as a "calling" and asserting that it can - and should -- provide a competitive advantage to any organization, especially now when competition for human talent is almost ferocious. Those equal to the challenges of such a career in HR possess both highly-developed business acumen and what Daniel Goleman defines as emotional intelligence. Sartain insists (and I wholly agree) that a corporate culture "based on respectful treatment of all the company's employees is essential to the company's long-term success...The most successful companies are the ones that make it their business to help their employees achieve their highest potential and use their gifts and talents most fully." It is no coincidence that on Fortune magazine's annual lists of those companies that are most highly admired, most valuable, and best to work for, several of the same names appear on those lists year after year after year. Presumably each of exemplary company has "fully empowered" HR resources and capabilities.

With regard to Sartain's advice to those already embarked on a career in HR or who are now preparing for one, she focuses on "six essential ingredients of every great HR career" in Chapter 3. She commits a separate chapter to each and they are best revealed within her narrative, in context. Throughout her book Sartain addresses just about every conceivable issue relevant to those "essentials," helping her reader to consider all plausible options and then make decisions appropriate to his or her own talents, experience, goals, and concerns. She also suggests a number of "dos" and "don'ts" based on what she has learned throughout her own career thus far. She seems by nature to be an enthusiast, one who would prefer (as the old bromide states) "to light a candle rather than curse the darkness," but she also reveals an abundance of street smarts.

She is passionately committed to helping HR executives to establish and then sustain a "fully empowered" career, in terms of both personal and professional development, one that is fulfilling and thus satisfying to them but also in terms of how much value they can add, not only to the given organization but also to the personal as well as professional development of those whom they are privileged to serve. I use the phrase "privileged to serve" deliberately and presumably Sartain concurs.

If empowered with sufficient resources (including the support of senior management) and if properly prepared and fully committed, a HR professional who is both competent and compassionate can help to achieve objectives such as these:

1. Continuous recruiting of those who have the talent, experience, and character that may one day be needed

2. Interviewing and hiring procedures that are rigorous, thorough, and cordial so that each candidate is given every opportunity to "shine," of course, but is also treated with utmost respect

3. Orientation that accelerates the process by which each new hire becomes an integral part of the given organization and its culture

4. On-going formal and informal training that develops in participants the leadership and management skills that are needed at every level and in all areas of the given enterprise

5. Performance measurement conducted formally (at least quarterly) and informally (each day) that is based on criteria that are clearly explained, mutually understood, and consistently applied

One of Sartain's key points is that hearts as well as minds must constantly be nourished. In many (too many) organizations, HR professionals have been "so distracted by the need to be taken seriously that [they have] been tempted to jettison any discussion of how [their] personal feelings and principles are factored into the business equation. As a result, the HR profession has been cultivating a reputation that I am tempted to say it often deserves - that of being a single-minded administrator with a big, red, rubber stamp that reads: `No! Against Policy and Procedures!'" Sartain is convinced that in human resources, indeed in all relationships within and beyond the workplace, head and heart should not be mutually exclusive. "That's what it takes to build a great business." In the concluding chapter, "How Do We Get There From Here?," she suggests nine "major points" that must be covered to reach that destination.

Bon voyage!

Those who share my high regard for HR from the Heart are urged to check out The New American Workplace co-authored by James O'Toole, Edward E. Lawler as well as The HR Scorecard: Linking People, Strategy, and Performance co-authored by Brian E. Becker, Mark A. Huselid, and Dave Ulrich. Also, two of Fred Reichheld's books (The Loyalty Effect and Loyalty Rules), David Maister's Practice What You Preach, two of Jac Fitz-enz's books (The 8 Practices of Exceptional Companies: How Great Organizations Make the Most of Their Human Assets and The ROI of Human Capital: Measuring the Economic Value of Employee Performance), 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 had seen Libby present at a conference and bought her book there. I read the book on the plane ride back and dog eared several pages. It is a good no nonsense book on what HR professionals do. I liked it so much that I purchased a copy for our entire HR department and we used it as a discussion during Business Partner meetings.

The group loved it...you will too.

Writing this book as an HR professional's guide is a tragedy! Part 2 (HR is Your Company's Best Asset) is a truly enlightened guide on people management and should be read by everyone who is in, or who aspires to be in, a leadership position in any organization. Including Part 1, (Your Own Career is Your Best HR Asset), this from her heart advice guide by practitioner Libby Sartain (Southwest Airlines) is not just well written, it is superbly written - the thanks for that may go to Martha Finney; but the thoughts are surely the wisdom of a hands-on expert in people management.

Focusing on Part 2, let's look at a few examples of what Sartain has to say: Hire the Person, Not the Resume - hire for fit; Don't Forget the Stars You Already Have in Your Ranks - promote from within; Start Your High-Potential Employees in Customer Relations - they carry an understanding of customer needs ...throughout their entire career. And, her "Show Them the Money!" and "Using Benefits to Build Relationships" chapters may be the best ever for understanding compensation's role in engagement. But, it gets better; Chapter 32 is titled: Recognition, Rewards, Fun: The Triple Crown of Employee Engagement. I could go on, but you get the picture; this Part 2 of the book contains wisdom for anyone in a management role. The whole book is recommended as a must read for HR professionals, Part 2 is recommended as a must read for managers.

Dennis DeWilde, author of
"The Performance Connection"

HR from the Heart is an amazing guide for HR professionals who genuinely want to serve their companies. Lifetime learnings and analysis of human behavior have been compiled in this book.The book is wholistic and it is a guide for all aspects of the HR function. Today's companies need to have unique recruitment, orientation, learning, developmental and performance systems. Great people attract great people, and great people want to work for great people. Companies mission must be a cause around which everybody is motivated and energised. The companies need to have a differentiating culture and all leaders in the company must promote the culture. All leaders must embrace new attitudes and conduct themselves in new and different ways. The language of communication is important as it give the company it's edge over the competetion. The workplace should be friendly and people must have fun doing their duty.Lastly, HR's job is to serve others and to humanise the work.

I have been involved in the HR field for some 21 years. Like any HR professional, we have a lot of stories to tell. In this book, Libby Sartain has a way of melding her stories with solid HR theory. At times, the book is simple and colloquial but more often than not it weaves its simplicity into a picture of HR I think and practitionaer would want to establish at their workplace.

A lot has been said about HR "at the table" and being a "strategic partner". This book shows how that is accomplished not so much by providing means to that end but by showing how doing what is right and good can get us to that end.

Judging from its Amazon sales rank (88,428 at the time of this writing) the book hasn't made it into too many hands. But don't let that stop you. If you are in HR (or someone who wants to be) this book is essential for giving you the big picture and getting you started on the path to achieving your end.

this book covers everything about aba even bob costas said this book has it all so he wont write on about his time in the aba. 2 chapters on wackiest team ever spirits of st louis and tells of the greatest money deal ever by the silnas that will go on for ever. have read over and over and still enjoy can pick up book any chapter and start reading fun to read and very interesting

I rank this book right up there with "The Bronx Zoo" and "Thin Ice - A Season in Hell with the NY Rangers." It is a captivating book that is very difficult to put down once you begin reading it. A++++!!!!

If you were a fan of the ABA growing up this is the book for you. For some reason I just loved the ABA. To read about the beginning of the league and all the trials and tribulations the league went through is funny. Players I remember as a kid come to life. The Doctor, Lou Dampier, Dan Issel, Artis Gilmore, Laverne Tart. They are all here. The only challenge is that the book is narrated by many former participants and at times it is hard to remember who each person was. However, this is a minor criticism. This was a great book to read and brought back a lot of memories.

If Amazon was really on the ball, they would pair this book together with "Going Long," the book about the old AFL - both are entertaining, hilarious at times, and just great reads - you start to see a connection between the leagues in a way, the startup antics, the dubious franchises, and the hilarious happenings. If you are a sports fan or not, you have to get this book - it is hilarious and an absolute joy to read!

Before 24-hour sports coverage on cable TV and back in the day when a basketball fan was lucky to get one nationally-televised NBA game per week, there was an upstart league with a flashy basketball, flashier players and paychecks that oftentimes bounced higher than the ball.

Terry Pluto, a long-time sports columnist for the Akron Beacon-Journal, captures the crazy times and legendary personalities on the court and in the front offices in this oral history of the American Basketball Association.

It was a league that hit the NBA where it was most vulnerable; signing players to contracts that were unheard of at the time. For example, Mel Daniels - a number one draft pick in both leagues - opted to play in the ABA and became one of the all-time greats. There were renegades like Rick Barry and the sky-walking dunks of "Dr. J," Julius Erving, arguably the greatest player of his era.

The league went straight to the heart of the NBA for its first commissioner, hiring George Mikan as a means to gain credibility in the eyes of the stodgy national sports media. Larry Brown and Doug Moe were ABA players before becoming pro coaches. And - if nothing else - who could beat franchise names like the New Orleans Buccaneers, Minnesota Muskies, the Spirits of St. Louis and the San Diego Conquistadors (with Wilt Chamberlain as player/coach)?

Though the final few years of operation - with a merger inevitable and the league consolidating its shrinking resources - became an abrupt climax to the ABA, the teams and players that made the jump to the NBA made for a dramatic leap in the quality of the game & it can be argued set the pace for the style and grace of Magic, Michael, Dominique and LeBron.

I felt like I was sitting in Ronda Rich's living room and she was talking only to me as I read this book. It's so personal, warm, inviting and irresistible. There are no startling revelations in this book, except perhaps Dale Earnhardt's reaction to a race track incident with Bill Elliott, and I, for one, am thankful for that. I'm happy to see people who are heroes portrayed that way and not torn apart. This book is written in a way that I got the impression that if the author had crossed paths with bad people, she just didn't write that. Instead, she wrote of the good in people. Bless her for that. My 13-year-old son is a race fan and I have given him this book to read. I think he needs to know of the good that still lies in many people.

My wife bought this book, read it and kept bragging on it. I was reluctant to read because I'm not a big reader and I just didn't think I'd enjoy it that much. One day, I picked up the book and read the chapter about the late champion Alan Kulwicki. That did it. I then had to read the entire book. I enjoyed it very much. It shows the human side of a sport that is becoming so slick and so polished that it's easy to forget that the drivers are often regular guys with problems and struggles just like the rest of us. This book reflects on many of the heroes and legends who made the sport like Darrell Waltrip, Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt and others. There are places, like where she talks about her friendship with and the death of Tim Richmond, that really put a lump in my throat. As in the case of Kulwicki, who is displayed here to be a serious loner who saw too much death in his young life, his mother included, that shaped his life and personality, you are shown an inside to the sport that is seldom seen. The men in this book are true heroes and the author is to be commended for writing it in a way that we feel we are being treated to VIP look at these guys.

I was pleasantly surprised by the spell binding content of this book. I read everything I can on NASCAR and just added this book to my collection as a matter of course. I ordered four books at the same time but read this one last. I should have read it first. Once I started, I couldn't put it down. The author has a way of pulling you into the story in such an interesting way. I stayed up until 4 a.m. in the morning until I had finished every word. This is the first book about NASCAR that I ever read that shows such an emotional intimate inside look. Be ready -- you'll laugh, cry, laugh, cry. It's an emotional rollcoaster but very, very fulfilling. Without a doubt, it's the best NASCAR book in the world and I think I'm qualified to say that since I have read them all.

I couldn't really get into this book. While I chuckled at some of the stories (like the muffler bearings story), other times I thought the book delved into the sugary-sweet. As an example the two and a half pages taken up to spin the tale of her date with a present day driver. Another time she writes how dressing femininely works for you in business dealings. Huh? This book seems to be an extension of What Southern Women Know with Nascar thrown in. I don't think we're getting a good picture of life in the pits. There is Ms. Rich's side of pit life, and there is the grease under your fingernails and a motor roaring in your ears side. I would've liked a view from both sides. Perhaps it is because I've read Dale Jr's and Tony Stewart's books that Ms. Rich's book is a bit of a disappointment.

I got this book for Christmas and could not stop reading it. Just as someone else has already said, when you are done reading it, you will wish there was more. I am an aspiring motorsports public relations lady, and Ronda's book is hands-down the most insightful book about the "inside" of this sport that I have read. Her point of view is different from most writers, in a very refreshing way! If you are new to the sport, or a fan for life, this book will turn you on to the sport, or let you in on a special side of the lifestyle you already know and love. I want to thank Ronda for being so helpful to me, and sending some much needed advice my way. I would recommend this book to anyone that has ever wanted to experience "life in the pits."

This is a great book, easy to read, and packed with excellent examples for the academic writer.

I finished reading the book in a day. In addition to the excellent writing style, the honesty and suggestions of the author will move you to start writing. I've already started to implement some of his suggestions. It works.

The fluid writing and simple, invaluable ideas in this book will transform you into a more productive writer. Before reading his book, I would write when I felt like it and it would often be huge writing binges (8-10 hours straight for 3 consecutive days) and then days of nothingness. Also, I would never start writing unless I knew I had a few hours to get into a rhythm.

As soon as I followed Silvia's guidelines, I began averaging over 500 words per day and it has led to an enormous output in my career. I refer this book to all of my undergraduate and graduate students and they are seeing similar gains in output.

You cannot criticize the ideas in this book without implementing them. It works and that's all that matters. Since I won't do the ideas justice with a brief summary, I encourage anyone who is serious about writing to buy this ridiculously cheap book, create the spreadsheet and time blocks that Silvia talks about, and start cranking. You only need to go to Silvia's website to realize that he lives what he preaches and is one of the most productive young scientists in psychology.

This book offers a great kick in the pants for any writer who feels he or she is just not producing enough. The author's tips will improve your efficiency and relieve that creeping guilt you feel whenever you aren't writing. The psychological insights gleaned from his own professional reading about high-producing authors and procrastination give a solid theoretical foundation to his practical advice. Which you know already, really -- schedule a time for your writing, guard it fiercely, and just do it. But buy the book anyway and dip into it when you need a push!

Better yet, implement the behavioral plan. The book will not do you much good if you do not implement a plan. Silvia writes a clear and concise book. His advice cuts the heart of every writer's problem. In fact, the more a person gets further into a profession, the more that person relies on writing. Writing, therefore, becomes the curve ball of professional development and advancement. Baseball players who cannot hit the curve ball never make it into the major league. Academics who do not write, do not get tenure. Scientists who do not write do not contribute to science. Silvia offers us a simple plan that will get you moving toward hitting the professional's curve ball; read it and write.