Organizations Books

Everything perfect! And an excellent book as well ;)

I found this book to be the sort of book I wish I had years ago when I first developed an interest in Nelson and the HMS Victory. I have other books that go into more detail about the construction and rigging of these ships but this one gives the perfect background to the environment these great ships operated in. A number of things that I had difficulty with were somehow cleared up and my understanding of a number of issues improved greatly. This is the second book by Brian Lavery I have and I have others on my wish list.

The text is wonderful and informative. The reason I gave it a four star rating instead of five is that I would like to have seen the illustrations in color, but don't let that stop you from getting this great book. As stated by Patrick O'Brian in the Forward of this book "You name it, Nelson's Navy has it."

As you will infer from the other reviews, rating this book is a snap: it ain't got no five-star average for nothing! If you're interested in Nelson's Navy and this fascinating period of history, just order the book and get on with your life. Until it arrives, that is, and then you'll have to drop everything else and delight in its reading. Nothing less than the epitome of a well-written, illustrated history.

If you are truly interested in the Navy of Lord Nelson and all the various aspects of its functioning and operation, this is THE book to own. It's hard to imagine a better book on this topic ever being written - it's that good. If you enjoy Civil War navies, there are two companion volumes in the same "series" by the same publisher. Lincoln's Navy and The Confederate Navy. Both from Conway. Excellent books, all.

I enjoyed reading this book because I felt it was the first organizing book in which the other thinks the way I do. It was a refreshing change from othe organizing books. The topics were clear and the suggestions were practical. It is also unique in the use of images showing products out on the market that are mentioned in the book. I was happy to see things covered that I hoped I would find in a book on garages and was intriqued by others I didn't know about.

I purchased this book as a gift for my husband. It is a good information book. I am very pleased with it.

Barry's book covers all the bases. He starts out by helping set a goal, create a plan, and envision the finished project. Then using small steps and understanding humor he guides the reader through the important basics of the organizing process as it applies to storage areas. From there Barry opens the world of storage options. Do you hang it, put it on a shelf, in a cabinet, or a drawer? He has pictures galore of different products and tricks you can devise yourself.

These suggestions are invaluable for someone who needs to know what he or she has to choose from. And he addresses how you can use what you already have for storage, the cost of what you will need, and having a garage sale.

Some of the best chapters are the extra ones about storage in sheds, attics, and basements. He even throws in a chapter on storage of seasonal and holiday items.

Barry has left no stone unturned. If you need to organize your garage, you have what you need here.

I have read a lot of books regarding garages and this so far is the best one on step-by-step how to do it. The author has experience and knowledge and ability to put it in an easy to read book.
The basis for organizing can also apply to closets and other things.
Book is in a format that allows you to read only what applies to you.
I highly recommend this book for someone starting on this seemingly overwhelming task

This book is full of tips, shortcuts, and handy tidbits YOU can and will use to finallly clean up your messy garage. It is well grouped.
Buy the book, clean and organize your garage, then be proud of yourself for your accomplishment! Aren't you glad you bought the book?

I just finished reading Science of Survival, cover to cover and really got my wits around it's content. I had some familiarity with it over the last thirty years (being a student of both Dianetics and Scientology) but I never really grasped it the way I did this time.
I've noticed that some people have an almost magical quality to make things happen, while others, no matter how well founded the intent or how great the intellect, seem to struggle. This book not only addresses this issue but also provides insight into what is behind this and what can be done to improve one's journey through life, especially in dealing with both the good and the bad intentioned individuals that we all can come across.
Give it a shot. I hope you get as much out of it as I did.
By the way, after reading it I suggest you listen to the Science of Survival lectures that were delivered by Mr. Hubbard. They further strengthen the understanding of the material.

Ever wonder why people do the things they do? Or say the thing they say? Did you ever go into partnership with someone only to find out that they were unable to fill their end of the bargain? Would you like to learn how to predict someone's likelihood for success? How about honesty, responsibly, productivity, or even state of health? This book contains the information and technique necessary to answer this question accurately, without guessing.
It also has all the information and techniques necessary to increase anyone's potential and quality of life.
It is important to note that this is book #2 after "Dianetics" - The Modern Science of Mental Health. Although after reading both books I think one can jump right into this one. It is also important to note that this reads like a manual. If you are looking for something entertaining, there are better choices out there, but if what you are looking for are answers to life's basic questions and workable technology on improving one's existence than this is a must!

This book is your guide thru life. This book for me taught me more about people and how to recognize my friends from my enemies. And that is INVALUEABLE. I can't place enough praise upon this book.

Buy it, read it, USE it! It will be a life saver, a time saver and enlighten you in ways you can't imagine. Without this data I would not be the success I am today.

Until the "Power Vs Force" series from Dr. David R Hawkins this was my favorite book of all time. Prior to this book I envisioned science and religion as diametrically opposed with "irreconcilable differences". This book actually moved me off the atheist viewpoint by logically illustrating that spirituality can exist and the most obvious and demonstrable place to "prove" this to oneself is by observing one's fellow man.

I'm a very visual person and to have a scale to plot out various areas of human behavior in order to predict behavior in other areas is extremely appealing, whether or not it's true - the idea simply rocks! This book is spot on and 100% accurate. I have seen it demonstrated as true time and time again even when I was blinding myself because of emotional attachment to people and situations - the information contained in this book, if followed, will definately prevent much heartache and upset!!

This author, whether devil or saint; maligned or benefactor, has the observational geniuse of Galileo, et al. To be able to observe life and the very things that all of us are exposed to for our entire sentient lives and then be able to make sense of things with utter clarity leaves me in awe. How many times have people observed an apple falling and it took Newton to actually make sense of things or Galileo timing pendulum swings with his pulse when all I would see is a swinging chandelier - that is the type of clarity of vision that this book brings to interpersonal relationships.

After this book I started to rethink my studies in theology, philosophy, psychology, etc. The whole is greater than the sum of the parts!! Very uplifting and revealing - you'll definately leave this work less confused and with clarity instead of with a furrowed brow.

This is a great way to predict how someone will behave. It's a must when looking to hire someone or start a relationship of any kind. There is an easy to understand chart of human behavior that makes this so easy to apply to real life situations!

Appreciative Inquiry Handbook offers a rich, navigational guide for industries across the spectrum. Appreciative Inquiry Handbook reflects a new paradigm in American and global industry; a must-read for industry leaders!

I think this book is an essential first book on the theory and practical application of the positve appreciative process.It defines the terms, provides the research and background of the process and gives first hand stories of its application in the real world.

Excellent, I was very satisfied with the theoretical explanation as well as the practical guides for solving the change management issues.

The handbook is clearly written and introduces not only a new paradigm in thinking about orgaisational change work it also supports change agents in their endeavour to create sustainable and learning organisations. Great practical materials and tools across the spectrum of AI are designed with a lot of ideas how to apply any AI initiative.
This book is well organized and readable and a must for every OD practicioner and change agent.

This handbook guides you in applying appreciative inquiry methods in a variety of settings. We have had good results conducting two facilitation assignments with "Appreciative Intent".

In our most recent assignment, our client was impressed with the quality and quantity of the information gathered. Additionally, members of the client's leadership were also impressed with the level of participation from some of the more "quiet" people in the organization. The one-on-one questionnaire technique levels the playing field for people with a more introverted personality. Also, if you like applying a "Theory of Constraints" approach to operations you will observe that using the interview/questionnaire approach creates a multi-channel process when brain storming. (i.e. more conversations can be carried on simultaneously, thereby creating a larger stream of information or ideas in less time)

The CD alone is worth the investment!

Pellicer's book was an excellent book for anyone in the education field. Through short essays, he gives a clear, sometimes humorous, always honest view of what it takes to be a successful leader. While reading this book, I was able to personalize many of the experiences he speaks of and apply the lessons that he has learned through the years to my own life and career goals. Because of the way it is written, the reader has the ability to "skip around" and read the chapters that seem the most pertinent at the time. As a classroom teacher, I found this book to be a source of inspiration to me--inspiration that I desperately need at this mid-year point! After reading his thought-provoking, encouraging essays, I think I might just be able to make it until the end of the school year after all!

Caring Enough to Lead was an easy to read, interesting, thought-provoking book. By sharing personal experiences and perspectives in his book, Dr. Pellicer helped me begin to understand what it means to be a leader and to focus on some of the attributes and attitudes of an effective leader. The questions at the end of the chapters caused me to stop and reflect on my role as a leader in my school and in my classroom. The short chapters in the book enabled me to read one or more chapters at a time depending on how much time I had available.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Dr. Pellicer's book, Caring Enough to Lead. It was easy to read and very entertaining while at the same time very applicable for teachers in any situation. It gently reminds us of why we choose teaching in the first place, to touch lives. Dr. Pellicer also reflects on several ways to lead as well as the responsibilities that come with leadership. It was easy to reflect on myself as a leader as I was reading this book. I was able to relate my own experiences to most of his chapters. His writing style of vignettes and questions was fun and unique to read. The short chapters made it convenient to read a chapter or two at a sitting and come back to it later.

This book, written by an education professor, should be required reading for everyone in the field of education. It is a very readable challenge to educators to reflect on their beliefs, practices, and reasons for becoming an educator. While reading the book, I highlighted many passages in order to come back to them and to share them with colleagues in the future. In reflecting on a career in education, the book helped reaffirm my belief that it is important to care about others and pointed out the fact that it is important to care about yourself also. This is a book that educators and leaders can read without feeling burdened with a lot of theory or extra rhetoric. The entire book can be read at one time or it can be read in small segments. It is a book that causes soul-searching and one that should be in every professional library.

Can a series of essays on leadership be described as pleasurable, thoughtful reading material? It can if it is Caring Enough to Lead by Pellicer. Pellicer presents twenty essays that are thought provoking as well as entertaining. Personal stories lead the reader into more in-depth philosophical questions about leadership. The essays contain countless statements that lead the reader to stop and think.
"Life affords us too few opportunities to show others how much we care, we can't afford to waste these opportunities."
"I wish I could find a way to encourage all the teachers in our school to run around and flap their arms on a more regular basis."
"Leadership is never about ruling others, it is about serving others."
"A good teacher can give a child power over his or her own life."
Pellicer feels that becoming a leader requires some who cares, excepts the responsibility of leading, and nourishes and supports others who care. All this is required in order to successfully educate our children.

An excellecnt book on the subject of worship and worship leading. It covers everything from theology of worship and becoming a leader to practicle warm-up and rehearsal tips. It really covered a lot in a way that kept you wanting to turn every page and read the next one!!!
Joe O' Donovan, Eire.

I bought this as a fairly new worship leader and it provided several details and information that was needed as I began the journey.

Kevin Navarro draws on personal experience and a solid biblical foundation to create this truly complete guide for anyone interested in becoming a worship leader of excellence. His writing style is never high handed yet it is impossible to read this book without being thoroughly aware of the fact that this is the work of a scholar. The only way to be successful as a worship leader is to put God first in all you do and this idea is wholeheartedly endorsed by the author, but God also expects you to use your talents in an excellent way. This is where this practical handbook really comes into it's own. Follow the principles and suggestions in this book and you will experience a new level of worship.

I am an Iranian, My name is Roozbeh, and I am a Christian Composer, and conductor of a Christian Music band named "Messiah". I am serving the Lord Jesus Christ through Worship and Music in Iran. It was a grace to study the book written by my brother Kevin J. Navarro "The Complete Worship Leader". I have learned many deep lessons and I taught it to others as a worship course. This book really helps us to be Complete Worship Leaders in His service. My dear brother Kevin, I thank God for you and say God bless you for this wonderful book!

A truly successful Worship Leader needs to be a theologian(to know why we worship God), disciple(to guide people, we ourselves must be guided by God), artist(know the ins/outs of music and performance) and leader(to guide people successfully)
I have read so many Worship books that only address one of these areas. The Complete Worship Leader addresses all of these areas in a comprehensive yet straightforward manner. Trust me, when the author said "Complete" he REALLY meant it. This is a "must" for Worship Leaders of any level.

Since my company has an idea program which I believe could be improved, I've read this book. It's short and to the point. It addresses the importance of small ideas for the improvement of the company and the engagement of its employees. It accompanies most of the points with real case stories which make the point even more compelling. Also very important is the chapter related to rewards and the counter-intuitive effects.

Alan G. Robinson and Dean M. Schroeder's IDEAS ARE FREE is for employers who would tap into the riches of employee ideas and insights. Employees are quite opt to recognize both problems and opportunitiestheir managers pass by - but most organizations don't encourage sharing such insights, much less reward them. IDEAS ARE FREE: HOW THE IDEA REVOLUTION IS LIBERATING PEOPLE AND TRANSFORMING ORGANIZATIONS shows how to tap this hidden wealth.

Ideas Are Free: How The Idea Of Revolution Is Liberating People And Transforming Organizations by Alan G. Robinson (Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts) and Dean M. Schroeder (Associate Dean and Director of Graduate Programs in Management at the College of Business Administrations at Valparaiso University) is an innovative guide to saving money, effort, time and also provides an informative introduction to entirely new ways of doing business with front-line employees, making the most out of opportunities and maximizing the benefits of sound, effective management. Robinson and Schroeder aptly examine the intricacies of the business life and include an analysis of a more prosperous, ease-filled advancement for opportunities granted to all, and situational manipulation for a more competently finalized project. Ideas Are Free is very highly recommended reading for all business consultants, corporate executives and departmental managers.

The authors show how important it is to gather ideas and encourage people to think creatively. I wish they would have described more how they could gather these ideas more effectively.

If you are starting a suggestion process or revamping an established one, this is the book to read and apply. Robinson and Schroeder have boiled down a thousand pages of material and years of research on the subject into 218 readable pages.

I read this book with my wife each taking assignments and reporting back after a day or two. What an incredible read and experience. There is a wealth of challanging material in this book to help anyone wishing to expand themselves into a more thoughtful person.

A pure blessing that has potential and material to make a substancial upswing in one's life.
Rocco

I have been a fan of the Merills, since their synergistic work with Stephen Covey with "First Things First".

I am not married yet, nor do I have a job, but I find this book so practical and I am convinced as I grow up into the various future stages of my life, the wisdom within it, will become more and more obvious.

I really like the idea that balance is not in "balancing the scale" but in "balancing".

The sections that deals with Time Matters and Money Matters, is worth more than the price of the book. When I was browsing through the book, and got to read the Money Matrix diagram, I almost jumped out of my skin. I always felt the Time Matrix is always applicable to one's personal finance. I was so delighted to know the Merrills felt the same and has wrote and developed it further in this book. The book also feature a quote from my favorite personal finance guru, Robert Kiyosaki.

If you have a friend who is getting married, this would be an excellent gift to a newly wed couple. I recently gifted one to my best friend. Since the book is quite expensive for us living in India, I along with a group of friends, decided to give it together.

It's a book worth to be made a family heirloom. I am sure anyone would find it helpful. Its a rare diamond in the overly cluttered world of self-help books. Most self-help books offer advice, but ended up with platitudes and rehash of ideas. We need books like this one.

Another beautiful aspect to this book is the author's recognition that more than offering answers to people, it is more important to help people develop their ability to find the answer within. This is what they called navigational intelligence. It is the effort to develop personal conscience, and listening to it.

Its a book that will never leave my reading desk and will be refered to again and again and again, till I end this life and buried six feet under.

Thanks Roger and Rebecca for an enduring legacy for generations to come. I pray more and more people will embrace your message. If we all do the world will be a better place to live in.

This book is one of many that build off Stephen Covey's "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People," and is a more in-depth discussion of prioritizing (Living in Quadrant II for those who speak Covey). This book is divided into four sections that reflect the four biggest concerns Americans face--the workplace, the family, time, and money. The basic message of the book is that one must think in terms of "investing," whether it be money, time, or effort. It is important to examine what one invests in so that maximum returns can be paid on that investment. As an example, investing money in a car yeilds a much lower return (a negative return) than investing in a mutual fund. Investing time in televison watching yields a much lower return than helping your child with his homework. Investing in effort in a long-term project that is still months away yields a much higher return than filling out some pretty-unnecessary paperwork. Other commentators are correct when they say that the examples of theory-in-action can be fairly unrealistic (even though they really happened!), but they illustrate the authors' points well. I would first recommend the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. If you find that helpful (and I imagine you will), this book is an excellent follow-up to it.

Prioritizing the building blocks of life - family, work, money and time - is paramount to happiness. Some people do it unconsciously by living within their intellectual and monetary expectations. Others need a framework for balance, such as the one that authors A. Roger Merrill and Rebecca R. Merrill provide. To achieve personal balance, the authors suggest becoming a better team player, working more effectively, learning about finances and setting home and work priorities. They establish the goal of building a strong family, centered around parental "family leadership." Do they successfully address the knotty issues they raise? Yes, in a folksy way. This is a useful self-help manual with checklists, self-assessments and personal anecdotes, which are sometimes touching, but sometimes impractical or saccharine. Though the management advice dons motivational language, the sections on family and work are particularly worthwhile. The authors deliver a solid antidote to misplaced modern values, albeit wrapped in some fluffy trappings. We recommend this book to corporate officers and human resource personnel, as well as to individuals seeking balance.

New books telling you how to improve your life come off the presses every week, maybe every day. Some are bad, and you realize you have wasted your time. Some are average, and you might learn a few new things, but they aren't all that memorable. Some are great, and you go back to them again and again. "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" is one of the great books. Years later people remember it, talk about it, and reread it.

"Life Matters" is a great book. It covers a lot of good ideas, the thoughts and observations are well presented, and the book reads quickly.

The first chapter starts off talking about what is important in life. The authors focus on four areas: work, family, time, and money. They have a quiz to help in your self-assessment of how you are doing in each of these four areas. A big message of this book is there doesn't have to be conflict between the four areas.

The next chapter covers three things you have to do in any area of your life. The three "gotta do's" are:

1) Validate your expectations. You have to confront reality, for if you have an unrealistic expectation you will be frustrated. The authors make the point that the direction you are heading is more important than how fast you are going.

2) Optimize Effort. Look for ways to get the maximum benefit for your effort, and make sure your decisions are aligned with your goals.

3) Develop your "Navigational" intelligence. This is the ability to be aware of your changing environment, so that what looked like an important task at the start of the day may have to take a back seat when your boss gives you a new assignment, or a child needs attention.

The next four chapters are on: work, family, time, and money, with a chapter on each area. The authors weave each of the above three "gotta do's" into each area. For each area they explore different ways people see the area, for example how do you see your family, or your money. And then they discuss what is the reality. They have a list of "optimizers" which are techniques for getting the maximum benefit for your effort. And they talk about how to be flexible when situations change.

"Seven Habits" mentions a Time Matrix, which is a two dimensional matrix based on how important something is, and how urgent it is. Many people waste time on things that aren't important, or get caught up doing things that are important and urgent. Stephen Covey explores why doing things that aren't urgent, but important, can make a great difference in your life. For me one of the gems of "Life Matters" was exploring this same matrix in relation to money. The Merrill's point is that it is best to invest your money with the same Quadrant II focus, things that aren't urgent, but are important. For me, that idea alone was worth reading the book. There were a number of similar gems scattered through the book.

The last chapter was titled "Wisdom Matters" and here the authors explore why wisdom is important, and how to improve your wisdom. One of the points they strongly make is to develop an ongoing daily self-important program. The idea is to spend a few minutes each day improving your understanding of life, and how to make better decisions.

This is a great book. If you are interested in improving your life, buy this book, read this book, and then reread it. It will help you get better control of your life. For as the Merrills say, life does matter.

I found this book well written, researched and presented. It is an academic work that reads easily and has application and relevance across many platforms including many that are not mentioned (e.g. health care). The examples are clearly presented. Like many books written along these topic lines, the examples are represented in iterative formats to draw out the specific issues. To many readers this may appear repetitive but it does enhance the understanding for those that wish to develop more depth.

Weick and Sutcliffe provide exceptional insights into high reliability organizations (HROs) and how lessons learned from HROs can be applied to other organizations that are not satisfied with just being good. The authors address the five hallmarks of mindfulness that distinguish HROs from all other organization types. The authors provide detailed checklists through which company leaders can audit and assess organizational readiness for dealing with unexpected events. The authors address the critical value of organizational culture in dealing with unexpected events and how organizational leaders can build the capacity to "manage mindfully". The text is well-documented and well-indexed. Each of the six chapters is summarized for rapid review; however, with ony 173 pages of substantive text, this "must read" can be completed in only a few hours. Knowledgeable leaders who are interested in creating resilient organizations should also read Ian Mitroff's "Crisis Leadership" (John Wiley & Sons) as an accompanying text.

This book is to be read by anyone really interested about how organizations work.

The main point could be explained in a single sentence: We can get valuable lessons if we pay attention to organizations who work in high risk and unpredictable environments.

This is my own view and, actually, I tried to show this using aviation as a kind of learning field. That is why I hope the authors will be lucky. My own experience was unsuccessful and that itself shows that the authors are right.

When I started to get conclusions from aviation to business management, I found that the more interested people came precisely from aviation. I'm afraid the authors could suffer the same experience and people interested in their concepts could come from air carriers, nuclear-powered plants and some other examples they use.

The authors could be three or four steps in advance of the present situation in business management. They try to extract the right lessons from other fields. However, they would not be surprised if their intent "bounces back" and it is picked-up precisely from the fields that they try to show as examples, not from business management.

In this well written, easy to read, analysis of organizations in highly complex and dangerous settings that persistently have less than their fair share of accidents - High Reliability Organizations - Professors Weick and Sutcliffe provide the recipe for a `learning organization'. Noting that HRO's share the hallmark of "mindfulness", the authors' define this characteristic as consisting of five key elements that every organization can use for dealing with the unexpected. The authors' call these five elements:
1. Preoccupation with failure - treating any failure (often small ones) as a symptom that something is wrong with the system, they are continually updating their understanding.
2. Reluctance to simplify interpretations - ensuring a more complete and nuanced picture, simplifying less and seeing more.
3. Sensitivity to operations - paying attention to relationships at the front line, where the work gets done.
4. Commitment to resilience - maintaining a deep knowledge of the technology, the system, one's coworkers, and one's self as avenues for improvising and keeping the system functioning.
5. Deference to expertise - cultivating diversity to do more with complexities, they push decisions down to the people with the most expertise, not the most rank. They also move issues around/across the system, migrating problems to someone with the knowledge and capabilities to address them.

Together, these elements give the organization `mindfulness', and this organizational mindset allows it to handle the unexpected with more responsibility and thus a higher probability of success in the face of change. Although the HRO's analyzed (aircraft carriers, nuclear power plants, and others) operate in more dangerous environments than the average business, today's rapidity of change causes the unexpected to happen to every organization and it would seem that the five elements of mindfulness could benefit nearly every organization today.
Dennis DeWilde, author of "The Performance Connection"

I was please with the writing of this book. Not only is it a good easy read, but Weick presents the material in an intersting fashion. SO far, it has been most helpful in understanding the components of managing a situation that is completely unexpected.

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.