Organizations Books

Linda Lyman has captured the essence of the typical experiences for a principal working in a poor school. However, the object of her research, Kenneth Hinton, is a remarkable principal. His decisions are grounded in doing what is best for children. He cares. He cares enough to make tough decisions that can be risky for any principal. Lyman sets the groundwork for understanding the principalship and leads the reader to understand the work of servant leaders. In addition to the stories, she provides an excellent background for the theory of educational leadership and a template for turnaround principals. This book should be reading for every school board and every person seeking to become an administrator.
Kathleen Hickey

It is so refreshing to learn of an individual, such as Kenneth Hinton, who sincerely cares about children, parents, and his profession. Many may claim that they care but do not take the extraordinary measures necessary to convey it. Hats off to Mr. Hinton and Ms. Lyman for a job well done!

In her recently published book, Linda Lyman shares an aspect of leadership that focuses on caring and its implications for learning within schools. She does this through an ethnographic approach by observing a caring principal within the context of an entire school community. First, Lyman introduces a caring environment within a theoretical context. Then, she profiles the principal, Kenneth H. Hinton, by providing an historical background of the school and community with various themes and implications for caring. Each chapter is rife with specific experiences illustrating examples with references to research on caring. Through the comments of Hinton, his colleagues, the children, and their parents, readers get a glimpse of what a significant difference caring leadership makes within their learning community. Questions at the end of each chapter provide focus for personal reflection and grist for further dialogue. Lyman chronicles Hinton as a catalyst who not only shapes change for what is best for children, but he transforms lives and learning through caring. The reader can, then, better recognize and reflect upon how caring makes a positive difference within a learning environment. Not only is this a provocative and inspiring read, but Lyman articulates and illustrates a critical component of learning which is caring that might otherwise be difficult to illuminate. At a time when publics continue to scrutinize the quality of learning within schools, Lyman provides a refreshing articulation and detailed description of how caring schools come to be and the tremendous rewards for all involved. Lyman's research and literary contributions provide hope as well as specific ingredients for a personal and professional commitment to children and caring. This book provides reason for further critical reflection and dialogue on this topic.

This book tells you "how to" by stories with specific examples of events, both successful and not so. It is a step-by-step handbook which will easily assist and motivate any fundraiser in any walk of life.

This is a very easy read - with lots of "Ah-ha" moments. You'll be circling and underlining and making yourself notes all the way through. It really puts fundraising into perspective. Fundraising is not just about getting people to write checks! It is about providing people with an opportunity to show their true colors - how much they love their community, children, animals, or the environment. There are people who want to do something great for a cause - sometimes, they just haven't found the right cause yet. Fundraising is basically learning to connect with people so that you know how to help them succeed at doing something great! This book shows over and over again the beauty of developing relationships that allow donors to do brilliant, wonderful, extravagant things - and have some limelight for doing so - how allowing them to shine benefits your organization. I've never felt so empowered. You are going to love this book!

As a first-time executive director of a non-profit, this book has invaluable advice on nurturing a Board of Directors. It addresses issues that I never even considered, and probably would have had to learn the hard way. The author's out-of-the-box publicity and fundraising ideas were great inspiration, too.

All the books in this series are exceptional. The author provides short tests that parents can give to their children. These help parents understand how they can work with their kids. The author gives lots of creative ideas for helping parents create a friendly, fun educational environment at home. I would recommend these books for all parents. Very informative.

This book is worthwhile to evaluate where your child is and/or to get fun ideas to help them improve weak areas in math or any academic area. The fun kids booklet gives you a clear idea as to where they stand.

I found this book to be the most practical of any I have seen for parents helping their kids in school. As a public school teacher, I wish I had the same top quality assessment tools available throughout our district. The author clearly shows a thorough understanding of elementary curriculum as well as awareness of a parents need to be informed and involved in a child's education. This a valuable resource I will share with fellow parents and teachers alike.

As a veteran educator, I feel that "How Teachers Learn Best" is one of the best organized and well-written texts on teacher development ever written. I cannot think of another text I would choose over it to showcase the failure of stagnant, inflexible, "one-size-fits-all" teaching approaches of the past. The text also provides an excellent overview of the myriad other professional issues challenging contemporary teachers (these insights carry over well to related fields - my wife is a professional counselor and thoroughly enjoyed the book as well). Dr. Fiszer obviously expects readers to become involved in introducing and applying fresh perspectives to "traditional approaches" that may not be as well suited for today's educational challenges. The author produces numerous useful examples for thought and discussion as well as skillfully designed activities for the classroom setting.

A great many educational books have been written dealing with how students learn (which is, of course, very important.) Few focus on how teachers learn. Dr. Edward Fiszer does an admirable job of this in his book, How Teachers Learn Best. Dr. Fiszer emphasizes shifting the focus of staff development from the traditional one-shot, isolated sessions to an ongoing, collaborative model which includes peer observations, consistent and constructive feedback, and reflective dialogue among teachers. He also ties the book together with practical and sensible recommendations on how this can be done. Dr. Fiszer's book is a sure-fire, practical model for administrators and supervisors to use in improving the learning capabilities for teachers, and ultimately, those of the students they teach.

Dr. Edward Fiszer has discovered what other educational researchers have discovered as well: that teacher quality makes a difference in student achievement. This book focuses on on-going professional development and what Sparks and Hirsh refer to as "job-embedded" learning. With a focus on teachers as reflective practitioners, Fiszer's book can be used by teachers, principals, staff developers, and superintendents as well. It's good research in an accessible format.

If read carefully! Will change your leadership style!

Rarely does a revolutionary write the history of his own revolt. However, that's exactly what John Adair does in this book. Adair is respected internationally in the field of leadership. His 1968 classic, `Training for Leadership', was a pioneering volume on leadership development. Although his work initially received relatively little attention in the U.S., it contributed to the current "leadership revolution," which has had a powerful impact on how companies train leaders. Today, in part thanks to Adair and others like him, companies no longer assume that "you either have it or you don't" when it comes to leadership potential. They are more willing to accept the idea that managers can be leaders, too, and should be trained for that role. Adair's book doesn't just peer in the rearview mirror of history - it casts a steady, discerning gaze at the road ahead as well. Using elegant, thoughtful prose enhanced with apt anecdotes and quotations, Adair establishes seven key principles of leadership development. His intriguing conclusion: while companies may mold the raw material of leadership, only societies and families can actually provide it. If "lead, follow or get out of the way" is your motto, we say have confidence - John Adair is marching to his rightful place at the head of the leadership pack. A must read.

This is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book on leadership development by a world renowned leadership guru. In "How to Grow Leaders: The Seven Key Principles of Effective Leadership Development", John Adair outlines the various theories, approaches and concepts of leadership development and training and distils them into seven key principles of leadership development. Using his wide and deep knowledge and expertise in the leadership field, he explains how organisations can recruit, select, train, and develop leaders who are capable of formulating and articulating a shared vision for their organisations or units, motivate people and facilitate the achievement of organisational, team and individual goals.

I was particularly impressed by the gracious and thorough acknowledgments in the book of the thinking and research of others. Even when the authors point out the weaknesses and limitations of a particular piece of work, they praise the positive aspects of that work in kind and thoughtful ways. This is one of the few academic books I have read that took such a considerate approach.

The book beautifully elaborates on the thinking processes that companies use to grow leaders so as to achieve competitive advantage I use the book as a quick reference guide and I find it very useful and helpful. This book carries pertinent information, but it is organised and written in such a way that is easily digestible. The book is recommended as a resource kit for the leadership trainer or aspiring leaders.

A very entertaining read. Wonderful writing style. Chapters tend to be short and begin with a short quiz. The author interjects humor into what is often a boring subject. The final portion of the chapters consist of templates for use in your own work.

Very useful from a practical point of view as well. The focus of this book is on the big picture ideas. The author lays out the important conceptual steps which are vital for success. The more technical details (such as using software) are well covered in other books and this one does not go into those in detail.

Some of the great take aways from this book include; estimating the probability of success of a project, practical strategies for saving projects gone awry, how to review proposed projects before the expensive work begins.

I am glad I bought this book.

After working for various consulting companies I have discovered that the best have established processes that are based on project management and customer satisfaction, and the worst have no processes at all. This book provides a recipe from going from worst to best.

This is the second of Mr. O'Connell's books that I have read. The first was Running Successful Projects, in which he provides excellent advice on how to effectively and skillfully manage projects. In How to Run Successful High-Tech Project-Based Organizations he extends these practices to organizations, and does so by providing a step-by-step approach and a performance model that is the basis for company-wide processes.

He gives ten steps that every consulting or service company needs to incorporate, and does so in a clear and methodical manner. The steps themselves are easy, the barrier is leadership and management from the top. Unfortunately, Mr. O'Connell doesn't address how to get management on board, but that is outside of the scope of this book. My personal view is Mr. O'Connell advises and the wise will abide.

I thought that the two strongest chapters in this book were the organization-wide status report, which is sorely missing in too many companies, and the program for project-based organization. The organization-wide status report is the key to achieving teamwork because it communicates to the entire company and makes everyone a stakeholder in the company's success instead of relegating them to a cog in an impersonal machine. This, by the way, is one of the most basic tenets of good leadership, and the lack of leadership is why too many consulting companies are in chaos, have abysmal records for execution, and poor client satisfaction.

Part three of this book offers the real roadmap to success: treating your organization as a project. This is a unique approach and is really an excellent foundation for strategic and tactical planning. I saw how this aspect of Mr. O'Connell's approach provides the essence of a vision, mission statement and values.

This book, if read and taken to heart at the right level in a consulting company (or any other kind of company that delivers services), can make the difference between achieving world-class status and extinction. There would be less material for Dilbert cartoons if everyone read this book and applied the information.

Really it is a great book to read. All High-tech Project managers should read it. Easy to read, well organized, direct to the point approach, makes it an useful book.

I was born in Assisi, in Italy 800 years ago. And eight centuries later I still remember a thing or two.

You can tell from that opening sentence of Carretto's book on St.Francis that you are going to enjoy it and find it easy reading. it. Francis is an imaginary dialogue between the reader and the saint of Assisi.

The book outlines Francis' life in a chatty and breezy style, and as he tells the bare details of his story, he makes provocative comments on modern issues with a singular simplicity and clarity. Who else but one speaking in the voice of Francis could describe the parodox of the Church with such direct insight?

"Until now I had not properly understood what the ministry of the Church consisted of: sinfulness and infallibility; bad example and safety on the march along the road; fearful blindness in the shepherds, and .the certainty "of reaching the Promised Land with them.
Now I saw, and was glad to . . . have had Rome's approval.
I felt a peace.
I felt myself to be on solid rock.
I felt myself to be in God's design."

There's real comfort to be gleaned from that brutal honesty.

I found the book gave great enjoyment by combining the narrative of Francis' life with the comment. The account of Francis' wealthy upbringing and bourgeois aspirations to knighthood, his conversion, the beginnings of his little band is accurate. How the 800-year-old Francis now feels about his young manhood is told with the perspective and amusement of old age.

As is usual in Lives of St. Francis, the rest of his life takes less space in the book, but at least Carretto takes the middle years seriously and sees in them more depth and struggle than some other writters have done.

The author makes much use of the charming legends in the "Little Flowers of Saint Francis". He takes them with an uncompromising literalness which helped me see greater strength in Francis' spirituality.

"Are you astonished if the wood of St Mary of the Angels seems to catch fire at night while we are praying.

Does it seem strange to you that roses should bloom in winter?

And that wolves grew tame?

And that fish would listen to us?

No, brothers and sisters, rather be surprised if the opposite occurs,' be astonished if you see the sky unmoved and indifferent to your joy."

In an original and entertaining way, Carlo Carretto has given a lot of food for thought on issues as diverse as Christian feminism, non-violence (which he calls the twentieth century expression of true poverty), death and . suffering, and the signs that really speak of the Church's love.

"Every Christian house . . . should keep a door open to welcome those in trouble. And if possible, the door should be easy to find and not too frightening for the poorest, with halls not too brilliant, staircases not too mammoth - signs rather of might and grandeur than of humility and truth."

An underlying theme in this book deserves mention. Carretto sees in Francis part of the madness of being a saint - a follower of Jesus.

"Look at what Peter of Bernadone's boy has got into his head!
He has certainly gone mad.
Yes, my friends of Assisi, I have gone mad.
But if you only knew my madness!
I am mad with love.
I can no longer help it.
I can no longer resist.
If I but look Jesus in the eye, I am on fire right down to my insides.
Don't you know that my Most High Lord is God's Son?"

My criticism of "I, Francis" is that Carretto doesn't explore the dark side of this madness, certainly present in Francis of Assisi - the ruthlessness and the irresistible urge sometimes to bully the brothers under his authority, and the irritating inconsistencies within the company of brothers caused by Francis' violently wavering temperament.

Using the device of speaking as Francis, Carrretto has given us an entertaining, provocative and inspiring book, but one which is strangely unsatisfying. Perhaps, as Francis himself would, Carretto is forcing on us the conclusion that the obsessive study of Jesus, not of Francis of any other saint, brings true satisfaction.

© Ted Witham, 1983. First published in the Anglican Messenger, July 1983.
.Published in "Span", the journal of the Society of St Francis, Australian Province, August 1983..

This book describes the life of Francis of Assisi, his humanness and his deep spirituality, told through the eyes of Francis in modern times. You truly come to know Francis, and are inspired by his actions to lead a more simple and spiritual existance and to draw yourself completely into the arms of a loving God. This is one of the best short books that I've read in a long time. I'd read it again in a heartbeat and refer to it whenever I need to be rejeuvenated in my faith.

This book is simply wonderful, written by a man who knew very well and loved the places where Francis lived his life, and knew so much of His spiritualty. This book is a way to discover the life and beliefs of the man of Assisi, to make it nearer to us, to refer his culture to the culture of our days. After having read this Carretto's book you couldn't love Francesco D'Assisi, no matter what your faith or belief is.

This book has been one of the more practical and realistic books I have read while an education administration student. It is a very easy read for very busy people. The book is well organized and offers some valuable commentary by practicing school administrators. I would recommend it for someone who is beginning a school leadership role as a new administrator, or if you are still early in your career and starting at a new school.

Dr. Alvy was indeed the best Principal I ever had. If anyone is qualified to write a book on this topic he is. May others be inspired to be as great a Principal as he is.

This book is packed with information pertaining to the principalship. There are scenarios and information throughout the book that gives readers a glimpse of their future expectations in the Educational Leadership profession.

This book offers a valuable insight into the attitudes of military personnel who were stationed in Bosnia to implement the Dayton Accord. I have read many books on Bosnia which have fuelled my indignation at how the international community stood by and let the Serbs mount what is tantamount to a genocidal war against Bosnian Muslims. This book gives an idea of how military people felt about the Bosnian issue. Their attitudes range from the idealistic and noble to short-sighted and complacent ( in fact some will fill you with rage at their indifference). It is rare that one encounters a book dealing with a major historical issue which allows the ordinary person, albeit a soldier, to articulate their views so openly. The photographs are excellent and Mr Wolfe Murray's introduction is very insightful. It would, however, have been even more interesting to have a similar book which gives voice to those UN troops who were there at the height of the conflict.

The book was given to me by the author himself with dedication and as soon as I read it it became my absolute favourite. IFOR on IFOR has the largest accumulation of reviews, interviews and facts as well as interesting thoughts not only by the author himself but by the interviewed soldiers as well. As the author is in Bosnia from 1993, he knows the situation so if you need a close-up look on our rugged country check this book out.

Bosnia has pretty much faded into the background of American concern. When the American Division of the NATO Implementation Force (IFOR) rolled in on December 1995, the spotlight was on Bosnia and Americans became aware of the military role that their forces would play in the Balkans. Out of the tragedy and confusion of war came a book entitled "Cry Bosnia" by Paul Harris which chronicled the war in Bosnia itself through words and pictures.

Inspired by the success of Cry Bosnia, Ruppert Murray decided to write a similar book which would focus on the peacekeepers themselves rather than the political elements of Bosnia. His idea was merely to write minimal text with pictures but as he began to interview the soldiers and have them share their opinions, backgrounds and experiences the book began to take a life of its own. IFOR on IFOR is the soldiers' stories of their perceptions of why and how they came to Bosnia and what they feel their presence will accomplish.

The book is divided into three sectors representing the United States of America Division, the British Division and the French Division. He interviews the men and women of the armed forces who candidly share their views with him. Listen to these young warriors as they share their apathy, hope, and naivite in sharing their views of their deployment. The voices are diverse within each division and you can see the differences of opinions that run from nation to nation. The insights you get are extraordinary.

On a personal note, I was deployed to Bosnia and stayed there for a year. Everything that you have read, heard and seen in these interviews are what I experienced with this group of international soldiers. I highly recommend this book to you in getting the story of the soldier. Six copies returned home with me and many more were purchased for friends and relatives. This is an excellent chronicle in pictures and words.

I'm an American based in Japan and working all over Asia. I found this book to be an outstanding analysis of the relationships between Americans and their foreign colleagues or customers.

It's written from a business perspective more so than an academic perspective. Although the style is a bit heavy, I still found many of the anecdotes entertaining.

In the past four years, I have used Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace with over 500 community college students interested in cultural differences from a business perspective. This book provides a useful structure for thinking and talking about both the theoretical foundations of global diversity as well as the practical implications of working cross culturally - - whether from a desk in the USA or traveling and working abroad. The book is well-organized and includes thoughtfully selected, real-life examples of cultural differences (which I, as an overseas expatriate of 20 years can verify). The real value of the book is in these multiple examples which give readers a sense of the rich diversity of our globalized world and the importance of encountering business people from other cultures (both within the USA and abroad) with an awareness of, and sensitivity to, cultural priorities. The case study in the chapter on negotiations with other cultures is particularly well-conceived and useful.

In the past four years, I have used Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace with over 500 community college students interested in cultural differences from a business perspective. This book provides a useful structure for thinking and talking about both the theoretical foundations of global diversity as well as the practical implications of working cross culturally - - whether from a desk in the USA or traveling and working abroad. The book is well-organized and includes thoughtfully selected, real-life examples of cultural differences (which I, as an overseas expatriate of 20 years can verify). The real value of the book is in these multiple examples which give readers a sense of the rich diversity of our globalized world and the importance of encountering business people from other cultures (both within the USA and abroad) with an awareness of, and sensitivity to, their cultural priorities. The case study in the chapter on negotiations with other cultures is particularly well-conceived and useful.