Business Books

This book, together with my treasured Roger von Oech books, sit prominently on my bookshelf when working on a variety of problems - software development, film production, creative writing for scripts or novels, and developing opportunities in this mediacentric age. These books break open your mind from the restrictive fences imposed on our thinking by the conventional world that we are surrounded by. These fences need to be torn down. If you are an older person (probably older than 30!), then your thinking will become ossified. Just like using your muscles, you need to rework your brain and your thinking with effort to create opportunities and connections to emerging technologies and new developments.

I was taking a class at University named "Creative Thinking"; and I started to like the subject, so I decided to find a related book at Amazon.com

This book was one of best rated, so I ordered one. I have been reading it for a couple of days and until now all ideas are easy to understand and they encourage you to be creative and not think in the box.

This book is great for people who would like to open their minds.

i just got this a few days ago and my first impressions, without actually trying any of the techniques, were that it wasn't looking very practical. but the author cautions not to just go through each technique (among dozens) in the order presented but to try a couple that look like they might interest you most and play around with them and then go on from there.

so after scanning awhile i saw what is supposedly salvadore dali's image generation method. yeah right, i thought. well, that worked the first time i tried it. and i sketched it out and it didn't look like a dali, but it was the most imaginative sketch i've ever come up with. it was a man riding through the air on a hobby horse above a pavilion tent. and he was thinking about how glad he was that he didn't crash into the tent. i added more adults in the air playing with childrens' toys (jump rope, pogo stick, tricycle etc.) and the children down outside the pavillion wanting their toys back. beats going out to the park and 'copying' as van gogh called it.

so next i took those words associated with the image and i plugged them into a technique that looked to me like one of the most impractical in the book. and i got an idea that i've been looking for. that idea rendered a cool poem. most of the examples in the book look to be "business/career challenge" oriented but at least some of these techniques will also inspire raw creativity. be creative about using the toys.

take it from a skeptic. this stuff rocks. but you have to actually use it, not just read about it. i'm so thrilled that i have this book. YAY!

I have about 400 books in my library and Thinkertoys (with Thinkpak) is the best book I've read so far. The book is full with creative tools and puzzles to play with. The book comes to me at the right time since I am about to start my own business and the book provides a lot of insight, ideas and techniques. Thank you Mr. Michalko for creating the "toys".

As a consultant, I am regularly engaged in combined sessions with clients. This book gives an excellent overview of the tools and techniques to use, but is more broad than deep. For me, it works fine. For someone who wants to do very specific creative activities, it doesn't give enough examples and practical application.

Now I'm convinced.

After reading this book, my main concern was "can I do this". After reading, I'm not only excited, but truly convinced that almost anyone with a brain can do what the book reveals.

Thank you Amazon and thank you Ray West.

JC

I just finished reading the book and I'm beyond stunned! It's undoubtedly the most actionable, simple, surefire program I have ever seen. You could not pay me 10 times to give it back!

I read so many books on breaking into the adult film business...I even spent $1,297 on this course from www.adultfilmmaking.com, the "only" online adult film school, which was a total rip off. This book by Ray West and one other one that I downloaded off the internet for $80 have been the ONLY two books I've read that actually give legitimate, usable information on how make money in this business. I don't understand the negative reviews on this book. Yes, the book has grammical and spelling errors but if readers aren't able to overlook that for the information it offers then they probably should stick to their 9 to 5 job anyway. If you're interested in getting into the adult business profitably and successfully, you need all the resources you can get. This book is one valuable resource to get you started. If you're a bible-thumper looking for ways to condemn this industry then you're probably the ones who are degrading the content of this book. Why waste your time? Get this book if you want to make money in this business.

The book was great to read and very informative. the speed of Delivery was also a plus. It was at my door with in a week. can't complain about that. GOOD JOB!

This book was a blast to read. I heard about Ray West from a forum as being a guru to adult film making. After reading, I know why! Eventhough his book is 2001, I am going after his new stuff. I just can't imagine as a film maker how much fun this book has brought to my life. Ray West, you are a true genius.

dr. field has done an excellent job of making stats understandable and spss user friendly. as a social psychology grad student, i enjoy the ease of use found with the index. if i forget the differences in rotation methods for factor analysis, i can quickly find clear explanations in the book. i suggest to all grad students and advanced undergrads using spss to get a copy of this text!

This should be the first book you buy if you need help with stats and SPSS. When I first began doing empirical research I knew almost nothing about statistics or SPSS, and had to learn virtually everything I needed to know about complex multivariate tests on my own. I had suffered through many of the relevant, canonical books before I happened upon Field. It was a V-8 moment. Not only does the book explain everything in engaging, easy to understand, often hilarious terms (a favorite example is the caption of the photo of statistician Bonferroni: "Carlo Bonferroni before the celebrity of his correction lead to drink, drugs and statistics groupies"), but again and again it answered questions I had that other sources didn't address in a practical way. One example out of many is how to calculate and interpret effect sizes, which SPSS doesn't calculate for all multivariate tests, or calculates using a measure that has been widely criticized. Field describes the rationale behind several measures of effect size as well as formulas for calculating them, including clear indicators of where to find the data in SPSS output.

Other reviewers have commented that this book is light on theory. I don't know enough about statistical theory to know if this is a valid criticism. But, I do think the book provides ample and detailed "whys" behind the "hows" that I haven't found elsewhere and that were necessary to help me justify the tests I run and how I interpret them. The level of detail and abstraction, in my opinion, is completely appropriate for most researchers and students.

This book was an enormous help to me in writing my doctoral dissertation. Now, I am a Communications scholar and I did a content analysis, so I didn't need to master a lot of highly advanced techniques. But nor had I taken courses that taught statistics in any depth. I was feeling quite at sea on some things. And for a dissertation, you really have to understand things, so you can defend it at the end. Although I had other statistics books and they certainly were helpful, this one that walked me through the tests I had been doing and -- quite simply, with patience and good humor -- helped me to understand why they were necessary and basically how they worked. I liked the fact I could read much or as little detail as I could absorb at the time -- there are quick summaries, clearly marked, or longer, quite simple explanations for those in a hurry, as well as in-depth explanations for things you really need to know thoroughly. It was having those choices that made this book incredibly helpful.

This book is perfect!! Very informative, the layout is systematically and on top of it all; statistics becomes fun. It is a pleasure to read this book!!
Thanks to Andy Field which made my life as a PhD easier!!:O)

Useful and entertaining stats books are hard to come by but this one has hit the mark! Comprehensive and clear explanations of statistical theory are provided as well as of SPSS output. Love the examples and icons. Who would have thought a stats text could make me laugh out loud?!

These principles of Leadership are timeless and outstanding. It should be read and put into practice by everyone. This really is the True Essence of Leadership. I wish I could have read it years ago.

"The Servant" is a good story bringing out keep attributes in the leaders of today.

This book was amazing. I couldn't put it down, I strongly recomend it to anyone wanting to grow as a leader.

Item being reviewed
The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership

I needed 8 of these books quickly for a manager meeting and could not find any locally. I received all 8 in perfect condition within 3 business days. All for a reasonable price! Thanks Amazon!

This book is such a simple and quick read, yet the meaning and impact can be dramatic. James C. Hunter is not on to anything new here, but the presentation of the topic is done in a very non-academic way, allowing the reader to enjoy the story.

The Servant has made a difference for me at work and at home.




The Servant: A Simple Story About the True Essence of Leadership

A dying paradigm is the idea that you must
manage employees. Instead, you must lead workers.
One reason for the shift from managing to leading is
the simple fact that a manager today likely does not
know the area of expertise for which the subordinate is
responsible. In addition, employees today need to be
treated as if they are volunteers, not employees. They
want more than a paycheck; they seek interesting and
rewarding work. You inspire them by leading, not commanding.

One of Peter Drucker's last books. He was originally going to write a life's work summary, but changed his mind to write a prophetic type of book. His two big topics are (1) the declining birth rate in developed countries, and (2) the transition from skilled laborers ("tin bending") work to the knowledge worker ("technologists").

His discussions are fascinating and I won't steal any of his thunder other than to say that he feels traditional management techniques based on time and motion studies (Total Quality Management is the latest rendition) do not motivate the knowledge worker.

Drucker's second big point is in extreme harmony with Marcus Buckingham's work (which I suggest reading first). Drucker has a similar message as Buckingham, motivated from a completely different viewpoint.

The book also has some self-help. Do you know what your boss' learning style is? Don't you think you should have asked that on the first day? Drucker thinks so, and explains why.

Peter Drucker writes a set of essays which present an outlook of the greatest challenges ahead such as the definition and role of the knowledge worker, the role of management, demographics and innovation. It will definitely make you think a lot... as all good books should.

Drucker challenges its readers to think about the future of society by addressing management challenges for the 21st century. By comparing yesterday's assumptions to today's realities, he helps connect the dots. Drucker strategically pinpoints what management challenges we can learn from the past, and at the same encouraging readers to ask the right questions to address how we can use this knowledge to prepare for what's ahead.

I also found Drucker's message inspirational and eye-opening. It's a reminder that today's Informational Revolution has been part of an evolving cycle, which started before printing presses were invented. He emphasizes, for example, that today's Information Revolution is not led by the technology folks but by those in other fields, such as finance and accounting. I applaud this, as the key message that should be emphasized today in preparing the future IT workforce is to diversify. Excitement over technologies such as the printing presses, software, and hardware is all part of what makes the IT industry exciting--but not THE key elements for career survival. Drucker does a great job addressing that in this book. Albeit unintentional, Drucker does a great job addressing this.

Management new paradigms, strategy, the change leader, information challenges, knowledge worker productivity, managing oneself, Druker proved himself more than capable in his definitions and unique challenge to managers. Rather of a retrospective of his past work "he set aside to wirte not the known past but the unknown future".
Peter Drucker discusses the profound social and economic changes occurring today and considers how management--not government or free markets--should address these new realities in the workplace. "Management is Business Management in all kind of organizations". This book is easy to read. For most content may be wider than how we think management usually is. Druker wrote in his introduction " the advice in this book requires a reversal of what most people have thought about management for more than a century". Peter Drucker discusses how the new paradigms of management have change and will continue to change our basics assumptions and principles of management.

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.

If you have an interest in nonprofit organizations and governance, I highly recommend this book. It provides theory and application of tools that can be utilized in any organization. Easy to read and to apply.

In this short book are some of the most trenchant, clearly-written statements on how to be an effective executive ever written. It contains some philosophical statements, more real-world examples, and most importantly, it details actions the executive can take to become immediately effective. I wish I had read this 20 years ago!

Other books like Good To Great and Built To Last are excellent, too, but are more strategic. This is the tactical book, beautifully and concisely written. If you want to be effective, buy this book now. It is brilliant.

I am still reading this book; there are so many insights that I find myself highlighting and writing them down; then I go back to review them over and over. For the person who wants to be an Effective Executive or just an effective individual I would recommend you read this book. You can just read this book you have to put the information into practice. It is a text book for the effective leader in you. You will go back to it over and over again to ensure you are doing the right things to become more effective.

Skip all the "hype" about leadership theory. Drucker is the king. Years since this book was written - it is all about Executive Effectiveness. Well isn't that the same as "leadership" but just without all the hype? You bet. Buy and read this and burn your leadership mental masturbation books.

If you're looking for concise, simple dialogue on what it means to be effective and how to parlay that into your work life, here it is. If you are looking for a fashionable, faddy, flashy Seth-Godin-type mantra to chant, you will be vastly disappointed and fantastically bored.

To those who are serious students of business and it's execution and are willing to do what it takes to be leaders, this is one of probably 3-5 books on the required reading list. Read through it quickly at your own peril, for amazing gems are buried mid-paragraph in the most seemingly innocuous paragraphs.

Now for the love of effectiveness, please buy, read and apply this to yourself so I don't have to do business with you sloths anymore!

This book is much like Prof. White's class at Northwestern, it sounds great at first, but if you actually stop and think about what is being said (ironically employing a lot of what White is recommending) you start to realize that it is just a collection of anecdotes and quotations that are intended to make you feel good and to get motivated.

This book isn't horrible and I am sure many new hires, fresh out of college, will feel good about what is being said and will gain some self confidence in the process. Unfortunately much of the statements in this book are corollary, have little or no factual basis and are not all that insightful, but rather common sense stuff. Call this book what it is, a self-help guide, a motivational text, but certainly not an insider's guide, nor insightful advice from a CEO.

This is a great book to read as soon as you get out of school. This book gives advice from a former CEO perspective and now excellent professor to the New Manager. I believe is a must read to anybody getting out of MBA school!

The book gives great tips that you can literally apply at work on day one. I was lucky enough to be able to take Professor's White New General Manager Class at the Kellogg School of Management, which allowed me to get double doses of advice. But regardless this book is a very easy read, gives very practical examples, and talks to the entry too mid-level manager. The book is great and I highly recommend it....and I am not being bias because I was one of his students!

The author was a successful CEO, and is currently a professor in organizational behavior at Northwestern. This background has made his advice uniquely valuable. I would recommend this book to anyone who is preparing for his/her first job.

CEO and Professor Bill White creates a wonderful toolkit to answer questions everyone in or going into the professional environment runs into. This is certainly a good resource for both those just graduating and those several years out. Bill's experience as a CEO and then as an educator at Northwestern gives him unique insights into the keys to success. The book takes a very common sense approach that will resonate well with readers. Having been in the workforce for several years now, the fundamental habits Bill outlines are spot on and serve as a compass for me even today. This book is a must read and will not disappoint.

Bill White provides timeless advice for anyone looking to succeed in the world. His words of wisdom apply not only for business managers, but for anyone wanting to get ahead in the world. Regardless of your job, regardless of your lifestyle, Bill breaks down some universal truths and helps you apply them to your life. You may have heard some of the advice before, but it will never mean as much, will never be as applicable to your life, as when you read it in Bill's words.

More than a book, this "How-To Guide" will help you hire GREAT people - every time. Hire With Your Head teaches you how to define, locate, attract, interview, assess, negotiate, and close A-players. The concepts contained in Hire With Your Head give our organization a strategic advantage over our competition. Understanding Adler's concepts are mandatory for our entire recruiting team. You can't go wrong with this book... order it today!

Ryan Cook, SPHR
VP Recruitment Operations
Sparqpoint Solutions

Hiring with your Head is an excellent resource for new recruiters and veteran recruiters as well. For me this book gives me the big picture of the recruiting process. We may be doing some of the steps correctly but if wee can not see the big picture of how it all works together you are very likely wasting time. The performance base hiring process has helped me adjust my own interviewing and I am already seeing results. It has been fascinating to see how it really works.
Mandy Calvert
Executive Recruiter
Premier Executive Solutions

Yes, I have been a big fan of Lou Adler, I have registered to his website and they always have interesting articles and web casts.

The book was detailed, well written and very informative. I have many years recruiting experience and his book was very welcoming. A good to have book.


Thanks for the continuous support Mr. Adler!

If you have the opportunity to attend his webcasts, please do so.. He is a definite leader in his profession.

Thank you Lou Adler. Hire with your Head is a great resource for recruiting. This book not only explains why you need to use performance-based hiring but it tells you HOW to follow through with implementing the process. This book is going to be an excellent tool for me to utilize in coaching my hiring managers to help me create accurate job requirements based on Performance Profiles. Hire with your Head is a great resource for any person involved in the hiring and screening of potential employees. I just wish someone gave me the book earlier in my career!

Hire With Your Head: Using Performance-Based Hiring to Build Great Teams
Fairly new to recruiting, this book is a must have for all hiring managers. It is an invaluable tool for any individual given the great responsibility of hiring for any organization.

All CD I purchased is in good condition also the music of soft voice even I do not understand the Language mostly Africa Rythem and Jazz of Paul Hadcastle.

If the turmoil in today's financial marketplace is stressing you out, you need this book! "On My Own Two Feet" is an easy-to-read, practical guidebook that shows you exactly what steps you'll want to take to weather the current economic storm. The authors do a great job making an overwhelming subject like finance seem manageable--and even fun. If you're worried about your financial future (or present!), "On My Own Two Feet" is your guide to taking control of your money--and your life.

Thank you Manisha and Sharon. I'm in my 30's, have traveled the world, purchased cars and homes on my own and overall done fairly well, yet I was missing so much knowledge on investing in my future I didn't know where to get the right advice for me. I read this book in two sittings, taking down notes on the type of investment plans that should work better for me and referring to my Quickbook file to see if I was saving the right amount (I wasn't). I love the tone of the book as you share financial knowledge in layman terms without condescending and making reassuring comments for those of us who might have made a couple mistakes along the way. I am going to recommend this to every young woman I know.
Thank you!

On My Own Two Feet is an inspiring guide for women of all ages to understand and get control of their finances. This book is a joy to read and after reading each section I was eager to implement Thakor and Kedar's ideas immediately for my own personal finances. I ordered Personal Finance for Dummies several years ago and it remains on my book shelf collecting dust. Not so with On My Own Two Feet; it is a guide that I consult and use often. Thakor and Kedar have included many useful tables, examples and summaries. When my younger sister called me the other day wanting to buy a new car; I consulted Thakor and Kedar's table "How much car can you comfortably afford?". It turned out she couldn't afford much, so she decided to keep her current car. I wish this guide had been available when I was fresh out of college; every young woman deserves to give herself the gift of financial freedom and On My Own Two Feet provides a great roadmap to get there.

This book has been life-saving to me. I'm from a surface-affluent (actually financially volatile) family, and nobody ever taught me anything about personal finance except to pay bills on time, use credit cards "wisely," and save when I can. It wasn't enough, and I made choices based on perceived (and sometimes actual) needs that put me in a hole I was too embarrassed to talk about and too ignorant to save myself from. When I saw this book last April, I was instantly drawn in by the introduction. The clear, positive, and straightforward advice empowered me. I now have $4000 in savings instead of $4, my credit card debt is down from $14,500 to $8,500, I am saving for a down payment on a house I can comfortably afford, and I am contributing to my employer-sponsored savings plan for retirement. In short, I am on much more solid ground. I can even navigate [...] with reasonable confidence! Every woman should buy this book. Even if you think you know it all, but it: there are true gems here. And if you have never thought much about personal finance, DEFINITELY buy it for yourself and any woman you care about!