Business Books

I have been wanting to get back into stock market investing since my 401k has languished along with the rest of the market for years. I wanted a complete investment "system" that was logical and reflected my views on well-reasoned investment fundamentals.

I found everything I was searching for in this book. There is a fine balance between being technical enough to accurately represent a stock's value and market conditions and readily understandable text. Mr. Van Knapp certainly achieved that for me.

I consider myself a "value" investor at heart and I needed a book that spoke to me on that level. I didn't want rosy predictions of how much money I would make. I'm realistic enough to know I'll make mistakes, but having the information in this book gives me the confidence to know when it's time to buy as well as sell. Mr. Van Knapp also includes two real-world portfolios in the text. These aren't hypothetical portfolios manipulated to illustrate his points. They are real-money ($50k and $40k) investments in actual stocks, with performance information as well as reasoned discussion on his criteria for making his purchases.

I will return to update this review when my portfolio has had time to accurately reflect my own approach, using Mr. Van Knapp's criteria. If you are looking for stock market investment advice, I would highly recommend this book in your library.

First, what this book is NOT:

A primer on asset allocation or asset classes other the individual stocks. If you only invest in bonds, cash, and mutual funds, this book is not for you.

What this book is:

A primer on evaluating stocks to consider buying. The author explains what types of companies to look for. The author discusses developing the comapny's story, how a company fits into megatrends, how to determine a dominant company, and how to evaluate the company's financials. He has developed a scoring system that is easy to understand and flexible, so an investor can tweak the system to their own values.

A primer on stock valuation, primarily using valuation ratios. Again, there is an easy to use scoring system.

A primer on managing your portfolio. Several stock types are discussed, including aggresive Type A stocks, momentum stocks, dividend stocks, blue chips, and EFTs. Concentration vs. diversification are discussed including a recommendation for a reasonable number of stocks to own. When to buy and sell, market timing (based on eight easy to find market indicators) and investing strategy are also discussed.

The author has invested in two real money portfolios, one aggresive, the other more conversative and dividend oriented. He discusses his actual results for the two portfolios and lessons learned. The portfolios were started in 2001 and 2002, hardly during a bull market, so the better than the market results are not simply a result of favorable market conditions.

The appendices include several forms recommended by the author: a stock rating form, company story questionnaire, a stock shopping list, a market timing outlook, and portfolio review.

For those who hate books that are basically sales pitches, this book thankfully has little. The author has a web site, but it is only mentioned a few times, and never pushed.

In all, a good stock picking book with an easy to understand system for evaluating potential companies, valuing their stocks, and managing a portfolio.

As an investor who believes in many of the valuation techniques of Buffett and Peter Lynch, I was constantly trying to find a way to properly grade a stock. Finally, someone tied all the important components together in an easy-to-use scoring system that takes all the emotion out of investing. David Van Knapp has written an understandable and extremely well detailed book that walks you through all the important points necessary to determine 1) If the stock is under or over valued, 2) Is the timing right to purchase it, and 3) When it's time to get out.

Since I began using Mr. Van Knapp's system, my returns have dramatically improved. Using his dividend strategy earlier this year during the exceptional market volatility we experienced, I outperformed the exchanges by 5%.

I would highly recommend this book to seasoned veterans and new investors alike as a staple for your library. Sensible Stock Investing is destined to be included with some of the great works of Graham, Lynch and Siegel.

Out of all the investment books I own, "Sensible Stock Investing" is the only book that has finally brought together an understanding of how, what, why, and when a stock should be considered for purchase. Not just a "stock screen evaluation", like so many books are, but an explanation of how various criteria is brought together and used to give an unbiased and "sensible" direction before making a commitment. This book has allowed me to feel confident, organized, and safer while having an intelligent control of what I analyze and compare. After scrambling in various directions through reading numerous books and newsletters, "Sensible Stock Investing" has provided me with all the tools necessary to establish an orderly and educated direction of investment choices based on knowledgeable, well-built groundwork. It is both exciting and liberating to finally learn how to approach investing based on my own calculated and informative decisions.

Mr. Van Knapp has written a book that allows a person to navigate technical information in a step by step process using an "Easy Rate System". It will allow you to compare a stock against its own strengths and weaknesses, and score it accordingly. The straight forward explanations of the figures used will give the reader an effortless understanding of these fundamentals. Knowing what information to look for and how to utilize it becomes a simple but thorough process.

"Sensible Stock Investing" also includes added information on different stock groupings and their level of volatility, how to evaluate the current condition or trend of the Market, managing your stocks and much more. Through this book, Mr. Van Knapp has succeeded in making the market place an enjoyable and less exasperating environment for everyone. A well earned five stars!

This book provides a cook book approach to evaluating stocks. The concept is good and the approach to applying the concept also good. The main problem with the book is that I do not believe it was edited. There are several glaring errors in the text and it is not very well written either. That being said, it still is worth buying for the concepts that the books presents. What the book really needed was a really good editor to tune it up.

"Speak with Confidence" provides all that you need to become a great public speaker. The way that this book approaches the topic is to break it down into tips, which are generally just one or two paragraphs long. These tips are individually numbered, so it is really easy to use this book as a reference. I found the sections on preparing clear and simple visuals to be particularly useful. I would recommend this not only to business people who are giving presentations at meetings, but also to anyone who speaks in front of others. I'm a teacher and I found a lot of tips that I could use in my classroom. With the help of the advice in this book, I can communicate more clearly with my students.

The book is well presented with lots of tips and ideas. Author is trying to convey lots of details on presentation skills in this book which is practically possible. Book delivery date was bit late than expected date.

Thanks,
Suresh.

I satisfied with book condition.
And it delivered when i want to use.

"Powerful Presentations that Inform, Inspire, and Persuade" is the subtitle of this book and when used will be a sure recipe for your success as a public speaker. Putting into practice the hundreds of tips presented in this book will insure that you receive accolades for all your future presentations.

Straightforward and easy to read Ms Booher has developed tips for improving your communication and speaking skills in a logical, topical approach that takes you from your research, and establishing a rapport with your audience, through the latest advances in technical communications.

I especially enjoyed the pithy quotes introducing the subject to be covered in each new chapter.

The layout of the book, with the numbered tips and white space on each page, encourages the reader to reflect briefly on the thought just expressed before moving on to the next important tip.

Throughout the text you are asked detailed questions to consider in your research and preparation.

Whether a novice just beginning the adventure or a well traveled veteran in the field of public speaking, this is a book you will want to add to your library. This is valuable resource full of stimulating new ideas.

A professional speaker for 26 years, I now refer to Speak with Confidence before each presentation for a quick brush up--learn, don't read or memorize material; shorten material by cutting the skeleton, not the flesh; handling Q & A using the SEER format®, and more! A copy should be on every speaker's reference shelf!

This is the definitive guide for anyone looking for a corporate sponsor. It was enjoyable to read and I find myself reaching for it time and again. The concepts were easy to grasp and the tools were especially useful. It is a great source of information for beginners as well as seasoned sponsorship seekers. It's a great read and well worth purchasing.

This book is very useful and practical thanks to its suggestions in a matter which is at the same time delicate and fundamental. Besides it is well-organized and clear in its contents

Being a realtive newcomer to sponsorship procurement, this book has been valuable and well used. The Sponsorship Seeker's Toolkit teaches every step necessary to make first contact, foster relationships, build a creative winning proposal, administer your proposal and prepare followup reports.
This and the two previous Sponsorship Seekers Toolkit can take a novice and teach them how to speak to sponsors confindently and knowledgably.
If you're a seasoned professional, Kim and Anne-Marie come up with such creative partnerships, you'll find yourself smiling over the common sense they inject into every chapter.
This book has taught my staff how to present proposals that will enhance multiple sponsors, thereby giving them more bang for their buck as well as making the event more memorable for the audience.
This book is a dog-eared must in my professional library.

Content was relevant and definitive. Great examples and templates and every aspect clearly explained and expounded where necessary. An essential piece of reading.

This book is an excellent resource for anyone attempting to obtain sponsorships. It is well written and easy to follow with many useful tools.

I bought this book because in my business, if you don't prospect regularly for new clients, you won't be in business for long and I wasn't prospecting.
When I got it, I thought I was afraid of rejection but what I learned is that I'm afraid of success. Did that ever piss me off! Now I'm in action and prospecting 2.5 to 3 hours a day, 4 days a week. I learned that I didn't have a fear of rejection at all. I could care less if someone said no. They probably aren't qualified anyway. What I thought was fear of rejection was something else entirely.
This book could be largely to credit for saving my career, one that I really love. It's a simple book, very helpful and I'm thankful to the "force" for leading me to it. Go in peace!

Are you sitting in front of the phone, but can't stand the thought of making your daily sales calls? Are you extremely nervous before a speech you must give tomorrow and afraid someone will humiliate you? Are you feeling down because a customer criticized your product? Feeling bad because you've been voted off a desert island?

Dealing with rejection is something we all need to learn. Successfully bouncing back from rejection and staying in the game is crucial to success in business and in life.

If you are looking for ways to strengthen your resolve, confront rejection wisely, and bolster your self-confidence, I highly recommend "Starting from 'No'" Jaffe identifies some of the underlying psychological reasons we fear rejection, including 1) A fear of not being liked; 2) A fear of being humiliated; 3) A fear of success which might force us to "abandon our comfort zone" and 4) A fear of financial disaster.

For each fear, Jaffe offers self-tests and projects to see how badly the reader is affected by the given fear.

For those who fear humiliation, Jaffe suggests taking an acting or dancing class, or even trying stand-up comedy. Jaffe says you should confront your fear where you objectively have little at risk and can afford to look silly. The newfound confidence will probably transfer into your business dealings.

Jaffe hits a key point, when she gives her best advice about public speaking, "When you look out at that huge sea of faces and you are scared to death about your performance, shift your focus from trying to impress the audience to how you can best serve them. When you take the focus off of yourself and place it where it belongs-on the client-you will be much more effective."

Today, this is the hallmark of performance psychology. Once we start worrying about how well we are doing, we won't be at our best. Just as an actor or athlete watching and judging his performance won't be "in the moment," self-preoccupation only makes us more susceptible to feeling rejection and bringing it about.

One of my favorite chapters discusses finding what motivates you in your business. It discusses the value of strengthening your motivation for success to help you overcome difficulties and rejection. Jaffe writes about positive motivation (moving toward a dream goal, for example) and negative motivation (moving away from something, needing to prove your worth to others, for example).

However, rather than just saying negative motivations are bad, Jaffe shows us how some negative motivations can help propel a person toward success. It is a matter of accepting a balance among all of the forces motivating you.

Jaffe writes, "Although positive visualization and goal setting is essential to business success, the drawback to positive motivations is that they can be vague, elusive, and not powerful enough to get you to do what you need to do today to succeed." Too true!!

Peter Hupalo, author of "Thinking Like An Entrepreneur"

This is a great book, with many helpful business ideas. What is great about this book is that in every chapter there is a section that says try this, and some of these ideas are very good and ideas that I am looking forward to trying.

There is much I like about Azriela Jaffe's writing, but what I admire most is her up-front honesty. She uses examples from her own life & from her family to 'tell it like it is'.

There's no writing as though she's a guru on high dispensing wisdom that's nothing more than theory.

When you read anything from Azriela, be it her books, web site, or newsletters, you get a very clear picture of the woman behind the words.

"Starting from 'No'" is a workbook filled with self-tests, charts, checklists, worksheets, quizzes, tips, & strategies. Everything is backed-up with examples, stories, and real life experiences. The suggestions for working though problems are down-to-earth and do-able. No 'pie in the sky' for Azriela.

And the examples come from small business people, sales people, home-business owners, writers, consultants, coaches, and more. These are real people, like you & me, who have come up against the same fears, problems, & rejections & lived to tell about it.

Chapters cover:

=> fear of rejection & why rejection is just the word we use for fears of all kinds -- failure, success, humiliation, approval (or lack thereof), and more

=> how to make yourself rejection proof. What concrete things can you do to overcome the fear that cripples you?

=> what are your limits? Can you stretch them? Are you taking on more than you can handle & setting yourself up for failure?

=> the power of your mind. The only thing you have to fear is fear itself -- now who said that!?

=> resiliency & flexibility -- do you know when to hold fast & when to give in? Do you see yourself as a victim? Do you see negative situations as everyday occurrences, use them, & move on?

=> maintaining detachment -- take a step back & assess situations.

=> asking for referrals, building rapport, keeping yourself motivated, & knowing when to take a break.

=> staying in the game -- do you know the difference between temporary setbacks & when to throw in the towel?

Shall I go on with more examples? Nah. Just know there's much more.

I found so much useful information in this book. One section that caught my attention while thumbing through the book is what Azriela calls "The Jaffe 3-5 Rule".

Many of us were taught the '3-Foot Rule'. It means that anyone within 3 feet of you is a possible prospect.

Talk about pressure! I never could figure out how to bring up products while standing in line at the post office.

Azriela rejects this notion, too. Her '3-5 Foot Rule' has no pressure attached & reads like this:

"To prosper in your business, focus your efforts on no more than three to five major target markets, using no more than three to five primary marketing tools, and making the most of your three to five greatest business skills. Be sure you spend your time in three to five major business responsibilities, and if possible delegate the rest." (p. 144)

You're not left in the dust after this statement. Azriela walks you through a step-by-step way to implement the idea so it'll work in your specific business & situation.

Then she shows you how to draw up a chart so you can see what needs to be done & then prioritize your tasks.

I'm not categorizing this book. It's not self-help, though it has those aspects. It's not strictly a management book, either.

Let's call it a success book. It will prepare you for the pitfalls of running your business, show you how to avoid them, and, if you do get caught, how to get out of them.

I highly recommend this book. You won't be disappointed...

I loved this book. Not only was it interesting and easy to read, the suggestions offered were y useful for life's rejections as well as business. I appreciated the self-tests at the beginning to help me analyze what I am most afraid of (i.e. cold calling, rejection from a friend) and suggestions on how to deal with these. The cartoons were delightful and the "Try this" section at the end of each chapter gave me specific goals to work on to deal with the fears. I admire Ms. Jaffe's openness about her own family's difficulties in starting a business and appreciated the stories gleaned from 120 interviews with business owners. This book was recommended to me by a fellow intrepeneur and I will certainly pass it on to others. Deb K.

Straightforward, clear advice on how to advance in life and your career. Reads as if you have your own personal motivator speaking to you and is peppered with entertaining stories to illustrate the link between common sense and success. As a recent college graduate, I found this book incredibly helpful, as I begin my journey into the professional world.

Our company, SoccerSolutions, focuses on brand and business development. For brand development, we emphasize the need to have a common vocabulary that allows everyone involved to understand and describe success in similar terms. For business development, we emphasize the need for our clients to always provide the deliverables they promise to co-workers, consumers and external business partners. Not surprisingly, therefore, Straight Talk for Success, jumped off the shelf at me! Bud Bilanich has provided both a vocabulary for success and deliverables (action steps) that each of us can practice to achieve success. Bud's experiences cross industries and his writing style is insightful and readily accessible. It is exciting that Bud almost leaves us no option but to be better prepared for success once we read Straight Talk for Success! My suggestion: Give the book to your colleagues and get everyone going in the same direction.

I recently finished reading "Straight Talk for Success". It was very enjoyable. I feel I got a lot of good tips about interaction in the workplace without feeling overwhelmed with information. Bud has a good ability of letting you read a non fiction book with great information in such a format that it is entertaining at the same time. He weaves personal stories into the context that gives it a real feeling that these are tried and true ideas. The book has good information for novices in the workplace as well as old timers like myself. The information can be used in your personal life also. I strongly recommend reading this book to enhance your communication and interpersonal skills as well as realign your goal setting.

What a great book. Bud lives up to his Common Sense brand.

This book is crammed full with many practical ideas and advice. I particularly liked the fact that it was an 'easy' read, whilst at the same time being informative. It seemed effortless to assimilate what was being discussed. There are many tips that I know will prove helpful to me both in the work and home environments.

Definitely worth a read.

This book definitely over delivers on providing answers to all the questions people are affraid or embarassed to ask. Even for those of us that have been in the business world for a while. As I was reading this book, I recalled my first business dinner meeting and not knowing what to do - this book would have been a tremendous aid. I wish this book was a required reading for anyone entering the business world. Mr. Bilanich does an excellent job of not only providing some great business 101 success tips, but does it way that makes it an enjoyable read by providing lots of great stories. The best way to describe this book is the one and only resource for common sense answers to business basics.

This is an excellent book to get you on the right path to reach your goals in the music business.For years I have been trying to find a way to get my career moving to no avail. And with this book I found out what mistakes I was making that was keeping me from growing if you are serious about making it then take control of your career and get this book it is easy to follow and remember the music business is a business and with this book you can learn how to move with the business.

This is an excellent book. All the tools necessary for success are included here. Stiernberg even gives you the format and ideas for a business plan, which is essential for any serious entrepreneur. Everyone in the music biz should get this book.

I've read too many music business books that try to be all things to all musician readers and end up being shallow overviews of the industry. Succeeding In Music focuses on one thing and does it thoroughly. At its core, SIM could be called a musicians textbook for writing a business plan. Each chapter takes you through the steps necessary to make a legitimate small business out of whatever your music venture may be. If you're looking for cute anecdotes or secrets to getting a record deal, this book is not for you. In fact, it's a rather dry read. But if you want to make a serious business out of your band/record company/studio etc., then this book is the first step that must not be skipped. It IS a workbook, so it will take some work. I found the sample plan at the end of the book to be particularly helpful, and the enclosed CD-ROM contains all the forms and worksheets found in the text. This book is a necessary edition for those of us who want a music career and are willing to do the dull stuff it takes to get there.

A great title detailing the ropes for all the people involved in producing a hit record. Given that so many people are involved in the producing cycle, starting from the songwriter to the promoter to the performer, it is hard to collect all the information into one title. Fortunately John Stiernberg succeeded in putting all that is needed for producing hit records into one title, explaining the parts of all the people involved and detailing each role with real life examples.

I highly recommend this book to gain greater insights in the Music business or any business. It was a great buy along with a couple of manuals I purchased from Musicbrains.net entitled the Indie label Kit.

"There's a customer born every minute" is a fascinating look into the life and business practices of Americas Greatest Showman, P.T. Barnum. The creativity he showed is a recipe for success and happiness every person should strive to attain. Some ideas he had were going bigger than anyone else, creating a buzz, and utilizing the media for publicity. I learned many intrersting things through Mr. Vitales research into this fascinating man. This book was put together nicely, easy to follow, and packed with great information on some many aspects of life and business through the eyes of Barnum. Well Done!

I bought copies of this book for myself and my entire business team.

Hey Joe, print some more I have more customers for you!

In todays world there is so much of competition in business and its becoming harder and harder for people to carve their niche in the market area. But by applying the 10 rings of power in your business, you can become more recognizable and increase your profits. These 10 rings of power helped P.T. Barnum earn millions of dollars in the world of no technology. And these 10 rings of power can make you a rich person too. By this book now and read it. But dont stop there. Be sure to apply the 'rings of power' in your business and see your company grow.

I found this book to be entirely fascinating and engaging. I couldn't put the book down. Joe Vitale has done a supurb job of of conveying the essence of P.T. Barnum and then translating the information into a way we can all use to further our marketing expertise. Run do not walk to get this book and all of Joe's other books! Cody Horton - Author of "Consciously Creating Wealth" & "The High Magic of India".

Once you've read any of Joe Vitale's marketing books, you are hooked - AND - they are all worth it. I started out as an engineer, so marketing doesn't come easy. But Joe "Mr. Fire" Vitale is helping me to think like a marketer. His proactive style really mixes well with mine; I think he has a knack for writer to each person as if you happen to be the one he intended the book for.

Needless to say There's a Customer Born Every Minute has played a huge role in helping me to be a successful businessman. Ever since reading the first book of Joe's, I have considered him to be a success mentor. His wisdom is easy to follow - but more than that, it is right on! I guarantee that if you read this book, you will have tons of business and marketing ideas - it's that incredible.

In his books and tapes, Joe always covers all of the proactive bases: smart thinking, system thinking, futuristic thinking, and positive thinking. If you are truly seeking the kind of success and abundance that makes your life 100% livable - you must read this book. Some of the ideas Joe promotes are found in SUCCESS BOUND, another book built on learning how to live a proactive life that is God centered and fulfilling.

Joe's research of P.T. Barnum is fantastic! He seems to cover every aspect of the great P.T. Barnum's business acumen, plus a lot of what made him such a great person. I hope that I might be as well read and thorough some day.

My recommendation to you is, take a few minutes each day and ponder the wisdom and truths of this book and let them seep deep into your subconscious mind. Then, move out confidently towards fulfilling your dreams and goals, knowing you are one with the Creator and are truly success bound.

Best wishes for a successful and proactive future!

I have a number of Voice over books, and this one is hands down my favorite. Even though I've worked in the voice industry for years, there are so many proven voice techniques in this book that I keep it handy in my studio. I strongly recommend it to beginning students as well as veterans.

My favorite aspects of this book are:

- outstanding presentation of the fundamentals of voice over. When you read each technique, it's absolutely clear how to use it AND how it improves the result.
- great advice for revising my demos (or creating them if you don't have one)
- interviews with copy writers and agents, to give a real-world view of the industry

I've seen proven results in my own work, and I highly recommend this book to anyone serious about a career in voice over.

I'm at the beginning of my career in voice-over and I've read a good handful of books on the topic and taken tons of classes...but rarely has anyone "broken down" the essentials of technique quite as clearly and succinctly as Elaine Clark does in this book. For the first time, I felt like I had some practical tools I could refer to when approaching copy, which not only gave me a promising ground to start from, but also helped build my confidence and desire to "stick-to-it." Rather than give you hollow, abstract phrases about the need to connect emotionally to the copy, she shows you "how" to make it "yours." Obviously she's a great teacher with a lot of experience, as she leaves no stone unturned in this book with regards to what to expect in every aspect of this career and how to be best prepared so that you can succeed.

Elaine Clark is my guru. I have read this book a number of times since purchasing it in 2001, and I return to a number of specific passages when I need a refresher. Having worked steadily in this business for 20+ years, and having purchased many books on voice acting, I 've found "There's Money Where Your Mouth Is" to be my absolute favorite. The reader is taken from the basics to the multitude of details involved in running your own successful voice-over business.
Thanks to Elaine Clark, I have grown professionally as a voice actor, and enhanced my voice acting and copy interpretation skills.

If you are at all interested in VO, get this book. I read it cover to cover a year ago, and I've been cherry picking those areas that I've needed to focus on ever since. Now that I've marked up my copy at least three times and pages are starting to break loose of their binding, I'm ready to get an agent and start working. If your an actor or improvisor this book will help all areas of your artistic endeavors. The nuances & subtleties of speech are examined in great detail. The bottom line throughout this book is how to stop "acting" and be real. The market is hungry for every day real people. There's a pot of gold at the end of this rainbow, pick it up.

This book is very helpful for those new to the industry. It contains information about putting your demo together, about getting an agent, and has sample copy to practice with, and tips for exercising your voice. I definitely reccomend this for anyone who is interested in trying this line of work for the first time.

I must say that this publication has become the sole reason for the efficasiousness we are experiencing in my company's financial decision making. I was not sure how behavioral finance can help me and my company, but after reading a few chapters it all came together. I am positive that our margins will increase by 25-35% over the next 3 years. If I had a boss, he would give me raise for applying this book to our company's financial lifestyle. But I am the boss, so I will give myself a raise! Seriously, thank you Dr. E. Ted Prince for developing and sharing such genius work.

Socrates said "know thyself." This book gives you the power to do it. Mr. Prince's financial signatures are the keys to understanding how your personality directly affects your financial behavior. And this applies not just to the financial ramblings of major corporations, but how you handle finances in your personal life as well. Well written and easily relatable. A fascinating read!

This book is an excellent read for anyone who wants to better understand the key factors for building and maintaining a successful business. By examining the key traits and behaviors of executives, which combine to form the concept of "financial signature", Prince leads the reader to understand exactly how this signature impacts his or her organization. He also uses real-life examples to more clearly illustrate the concepts, including the successes and failures of many famous leaders in today's business world.

Beyond merely presenting these concepts, Prince further teaches the reader exactly how to determine his or her own financial signature and how to apply, and potentially adjust this signature, in order to be a more effective and successful leader. Anyone in a management position will benefit tremendously from this book, as it will teach all readers how to better understand their own management styles and more effectively align their actions with the overall goals of their organizations.

Having recently started a small business, I found the concepts in this book to be extremely valuable. As I was reading the book, I could see my own financial behavior laid out in the many detailed examples of CEOs and other business leaders. The concept is relatively simple: adding value versus spending money. The brilliance is in being able to find out where you fit in. This book has actually helped me to see where my danger points lie and how to correct them.

Finally there has been research done to accurately predict something in the financial world. And what better field to be accurate in than human behavior. It is obvious we make the most errors, and our money is always in the hands of someone else, who is relying on someone else, who is relying on the CEO. I must say that this book has opened my eyes greatly into a path I never knew existed.

If you are looking for memorable ideas and concepts that will help develop leaders in your organization, Toy Box Leadership: Leadership Lessons from the Toys You Loved as a Child by Ron Hunter Jr. and Michael E. Waddell is a great resource. Very creative, the book is a collection of leadership principles drawn from ten classic toys like LEGO® Bricks and the Slinky® Dog.

As a leader who develops leaders, I am always looking for memorable concepts that are easily taught and will become part of the language of the organization. Toy Box Leadership is a book that will not end up buried in a stack. Instead, these ideas will find their way into my workshops and training sessions.

As a busy, professional woman, mother, and grandmother, I carefully pick and
choose the books I have time to read. Usually, these are thick, work-related
ones or tall, slender children's books. When I saw Toy Box Leadership, my
immediate conclusion was that the grandchildren would love the pictures! On
second thought, I realized that the text might be useful to me, a business woman
who is always seeking more ways to grow personally and professionally.

But why should I purchase a book with such obvious ideas in it? I was shocked to
look inside for those juvenile ideas, only to find well-written suggestions for
developing leadership and professional skills.

I had never considered the Slinky Dog to be more than a child's birthday
present, which always seemed to last longer than most toys, and was cute as it
could be. But here I was, confronted with the idea of leading with vision from
the front end of projects, waiting for my co-workers to catch up, and hoping I
would not stretch the poor dog to death to the detriment of my project.

At first, I also thought that writing about such a subject meant using
condescending language, but Hunter and Waddell managed to avoid that trap by
using well-thought out ideas, attaching useful, practical values to them, and
writing with personal and well-researched skills. They also wisely kept from
overusing the analogy of a toy's relationship to its lessons.

I recommend the book for those who know that they need to read about developing
more or new leadership skills without being bogged down with volumes of the
usual rules. In Toy Box Leadership, rules are related to real life, which is
related to what we do for a living. I intend to make this book a must-give one
on my lists. And, I will also begin to look for those toys which my
grandchildren have seen on the cover but don't already have!

This book accomplishes in a few short pages what countless management/leadership textbooks have tried and failed to do over many decades! It ties the key leadership traits to easily remembered analogies that help spur leadership actions into real life solutions in seconds when seconds matter most. How I wish I had this book in my possession when I first started my military career in 1978! It should be made mandatory reading for all leaders/managers in all walks of life! If you don't read this book, I assure you your competitors will; and they will be eons ahead of you in their professional careers! If you are not a leader or manager, I assure you there are great life lessons in how to properly treat people on every page of this book! Besides, it's just fun to read!

Amazon has linked Toy Box Leadership and The Last Lecture by suggesting that you buy them together.
Randy Pausch, who reached the hearts of people all over the world with the Diane Sawyer tv series, shared his life by telling how to live. He died a week after the final interview. He was the essence of a leader, a teacher and a family man.

Toy Box Leadership, of course, does not carry the tone of The Last Lecture - it makes absolutely no effort to do that because that is not the purpose of the book. It does, however, offer the reader the opportunity to learn how to be a leader. Randy Pausch lived and taught many of the leadership principles that Hunter and Waddell put forth. He would laugh with the Toy Box Leaderships readers who enjoy the use of toys to teach leadership skills.

Amazon is offering the package deal for a time. Go for it, I say.

Old fashioned just became fashionable again. By growing up, we tend to lose those simple life's lessons that Hunter and Waddell remind us of throughout the book. Think about it the next time someone tells you to "Grow Up." This is the kind of leader I strive to be.

The authors simply tell us that the sum of a group, including the leader, is greater than the whole when networking with others that surround us.

How refreshing to not have to learn something new for us to excel as leaders.