Business Books

Getting to the point where we recognize that life will only ever be as good as we make it for ourselves can take some people decades to realize... but when that realization hits, the next obvious question that arises is, "HOW can I make my life the best it can be?" Rayona Sharpnack answers this question brilliantly for those willing to see themselves in a leadership role in life, with her masterful self-help book, TRADE UP.

Sharpnack helps leaders gain awareness of self-limiting beliefs, assumptions and behaviors through examples from her many successful career and life transitions as well as from experiences of those she coaches. We can face some fairly large challenges when we transform our lives from the inside out, since such extensive changes inevitably affect everyone and everything around us, and they seldom happen overnight. As Sharpnack patiently explains, "Trading up to a new context isn't an event, it's an ongoing process."

TRADE UP provides pointers for what we can expect when we begin the five-step process of: revealing our context, owning our context, designing a new context that gets us what we want, sustaining our new context, and activating our context to engage with the world. While these steps may seem deceptively simple and obvious, the real power and beauty of TRADE UP is in the details, where TRADE UP really shines. In the crowded genre of self-help books, it is a rare book that states its case with just the right mix of crystalline clarity and passionate spark... and TRADE UP hits that lofty mark with ease.

When you know that you are in charge of your own life, and your leadership ability is the main thing that makes all the difference in how satisfied you are with how your life turns out, TRADE UP is the book that will help you achieve your dreams. Highly recommended!

Rayona Sharpnack transcends the leadership book genre with Trade Up - a truly insightful and inspiring read! Her examples are concrete, her analysis compelling and the advice is always right on.

The author has put a powerful framework into straightforward language that speaks directly to the reader, as if Rayona were in the room with you. The personal stories of women who have mastered the ability to shift context are inspiring at the same time they make it seem possible for anyone to achieve meaningful change in their lives. The book is a "keeper" -- a resource that I will turn to often to refresh my perspective on "trading up" in life and my ability to do so.

Taking pages from Werner Erhard's transformational thinking, executive coach Rayona Sharpnack presents a self-help process for creating your future; creating it as something other than your past masquerading under a new name. And, she does it with wit, clarity, and stories that make this book an informative and enjoyable read. If you are not familiar with this language-based concept of renaming, making declarations about the future, and living life as a series of possibilities, this book is a good place to start. If you are familiar with this 'life is a story so create a new context by creating a new story' process, this book will be an easy-read, refresher course that may add a few new moves to your game.

Based upon the ideas that an individual is responsible for the content and decisions (all of life is a choice) that make up their life and that most everyone will reach a point in their life when the other edge of their double-edged success strategy begins to bite them, Sharpnack offers a 5 step process to move to the next level of performance in life. The step one is to 'name your game' - find words to describe how you see yourself, or your winning formula. The next step is to or 'feel the pain' -- see how this limits your potential or controls you life and this gives you a reason to change. Step three is to 'author a new own story' - find words to describe a new way to succeed at life. Step four is a 'practice to master' bit - observe yourself without criticism. Step five 'invites others into your conversation' - moves you into action toward your new commitments in life.

The above is a gross oversimplification and the author gives each step much more depth, but perhaps you get the idea - change the way you think and you can move the world, or at least that portion of the world centered around you. Read the book, it is not heavy lifting and the benefits might be enormous!

Dennis DeWilde, author of "The Performance Connection"

Trade-Up! truly differentiates itself from the pack of books on leadership. Rayona's message extends beyond lessons learned and prescribed "to-dos" by offering a solid foundational framework from which to base your leadership journey. Rayona has a gift of language that is both descriptive and generative. There are many "gems" that you can easily miss so I encourage multiple readings as I find new and provacative insights each time I pick the book up. Leadership isn't meant to be easy so I usually tune out to authors who supply a quick "fix" to the challenges we face as leaders. Trade-Up! steers clear of trying to oversimplify leadership. It offers a rigorous approach to leading change using concrete concepts that are applicable Day One. It invites you to expand your field of thinking and "being" in order to realize greater potential than you ever imagined. Once I opened myself to taking a deeper dive into the practice of context shifting, I was able to achieve results quickly and now there is no going back! Trade-Up! is just the beginning.

Truth or Bare is a classic walk down mean streets, full of gritty detail and dark alley dialogue. Speed, the central character is not only a lawyer who hates lawyers; he also detest cops, judges, his client list and sometimes himself as well. Stuck with a client whom no one else wants to defend, he has to break out of his comfort zone of defending pimps and girlie joints and reenter the field of criminal law where he finds that his opponents there make his sleazeball clients look like saints.

I wish my life as an attorney was this much fun...the characters were brilliant and alive. The intense use of words kept you coming back for more. I am looking forward to more from this wonderful, new author. Thanks for the great ride.

TRUTH OR BARE is book full of tough-talking guys (and girls) and a serpentine plot that writhes unpredictably through the fleshpots of Southern California until the very last page.

Truth or Bare is a great read with compelling characters and an unpredictable plot. The author's wit and style keeps the reader engaged to the very end. Great blend of humor and mystery, with a lead character that is truly unique.

Highly recommended!

"Speed" McKeon is one of the band of damaged romantics that we meet in detective fiction these days. He's a gentile cousin of William Lashner's Victor Carl inFalls the Shadow A bounder and a drunk with lousy taste in booze, Speed specializes in the defense of folks in the sex trade-hookers, dancers, pimps and porn shop owners. But he has a bad side too: He's got ethics problems with the local bar association and a toxic relationship with his ex-wife and (almost) ex-son.
The action gets hot when speed takes the court-appointed lawyering job for Angle Pissaro, a sex-worker who's accused of killing her lover, Evie. In a series of tiny ticks and turns, the case which is air-tight leads to a set of new conclusions that are so horrific that they make everything around it seem downright wholesome.

The conclusion is in the style of an Inspector Montalbano The Shape of Water (Inspector Montalbano, Book 1)mystery: witty, shocking, brilliantly crafted and stomach-turning. I hope that, by the time I recover from reading it, there'll be another one.


--Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG

I strongly recommend this book to anyone looking to get into the Boomer marketplace. Very easy to read, with excellent resources and ideas. Be ready to learn a great deal about a lucrative market.

Mary - thank you for writing this book. It has been a terrific read and extremely applicable to my life in venture capital. You have an amazingly comprehensive view of the Boomer market and I appreciate you sharing it. I found myself making notes in the margins with thoughts to share with our portfolio companies.

I read Mary's book in response to a suggestion from a friend. I plan on creating a distribution chain based out of South America obtaining ophthalmic and optometric diagnostic equipment which is to be manufactured in China. As many of you know due diligence is the key to launching a tennable startup and I found Mary's book to be helpful in putting a name and face to my largest customer base, which is of course the boomer generation. Mary is able to effectively describe this all too often over looked demographic in a manner that is both informative and entertaining. Her insight on the subject matter is profound. After researching her qualifications and past business ventures this comes as no surprise. Throughout the chapters business oppurtunities are explored with exellent case studies presented as guiding lights. I recomend this book to anyone who is planing on understanding and consequently captializing on this limitless demographic.

Furlong's book helped us develop our company's strategy for tapping the boomer market in our backyard. Her insights, supported by concrete examples, have guided us to specific target markets that make sense for us to pursue. The book saved us endless hours of research and experimentation.

Turning Silver into Gold is the most marked and noted book I own.

It explodes with ideas that inspired me to expand my vision of my business and its mission. Dr. Mary Furlong provides specific companies -both large and small, links, and steps that had me immediately clicking, reading and signing on to be able to meet the industry innovators at her "What's Next Boomer Summit".

Glad I read the book, thrilled I attended the Summit.

I'm proud that I added this book to my leadership library, which has numbered over two hundred titles during the past twenty years. I bought it on a gut hunch that it would be enlightening as to some specific lessons on how a leader might be more effective in his/her behaviors. I bought it in spite of another review that was less than encouraging about its value. (I just upped my rating from four to five stars, and it is without exaggeration.)
I read the section on research first and enjoyed this. These authors have solid credentials as former Center for Creative Leadership researchers and organizational practitioners in the field. First, they identify the "virtues and vices" of a leader's focus--operational vs. strategic-- and their leadership style-- enabling vs. forceful. Second, they share the consequences of overdoing or underdoing selected behaviors. Third, they devote a chapter to helping "overdo" leaders implement strategies for throttling back on these behaviors, and they have a complementary chapter dedicated to helping "underdo" leaders rev up the behaviors that would render them more effective.
To effect positive behavior change, the authors offer solid suggestions that focus on the outer/behavioral work to be done to improve and the inner/mental/emotional work to be done. For almost ever suggestion given, the authors cite an executive with whom they worked who faced a critical change challenge and succeeded by using the prescribed suggestion.
I particularly enjoyed the authors' many sports analogies: baseball (Kofax); tennis (backhand/forehand), golf (using only one club in the bag and "Choose a Swing Thought", etc.
The book seems to be written from an authentic purpose of helping others improve their leadership effectiveness, the soft side of work. The Versatile Leader gets your attention and holds it.
The book may be of greater interest to the seasoned manager in terms of the immediate application of the strategies, the openness to the approach, etc. The novice manager might find the book intriguing at first, then six-to-ten-years later revisit it to discover all the gold that's inside and the new behaviors they can add to their leadership repertoire.

With Rob Kaiser, Bob Kaplan has written a book in which he explores a business topic that does not receive as much attention as it deserves: the need for a reliable tool by which to measure strengths overused. As one adage suggests, "If all you've got in your tool kit is a hammer, every problem looks like a nail." However, that's only part of what proves to be an especially complicated problem. All organizations are involved in some form of leadership development each day, ranging from formal seminars and workshops to on-the-job training of direct reports. Countless strengths become weaknesses when taken to excess: specialization can become narrow-mindedness, confidence can become arrogance, reflection can become indecisiveness, etc. Kaplan notes that gifted leaders with whom he has been associated and of whom he had made (and shared the results of) an assessment were often the last ones to know about their gifts. "For years I had taken it for granted that, if they didn't already know they were strong in a given area, they simply welcomed the good news like a refreshing drink on a hot day." Not so. Therefore, "much of the work of development is getting the strengths to sink in. Half of leadership is on the strengths side."

Note: In this instance, I agree with Tom Rath and Marcus Buckingham that time and effort devoted to human development should focus almost entirely on an individual's strengths.

Kaplan's capstone concept in this book is versatility. That is, the ability to structure and balance aptitudes in complementary pairs. This is precisely what Howard Gardner recommends in Five Minds for the Future as does Roger Martin in The Opposable Mind. Kaplan includes in his concept the importance of proportionality. That is, use in the workplace of what is characterized as "excessive force" in law enforcement can be as much of a problem as, for example, tolerance of inappropriate behavior. Kaplan asserts (and I agree) that excesses as well as insufficiencies should be considered when assessing a leader's performance, and, that development of a leader's "versatility" should focus on improving balance and use of "pair-wise capabilities." The excesses of some leaders (whom Jean Lipman-Blumen describes as "toxic") and the damage they cause are immeasurable. Such leaders are probably beyond redemption.

The book is presented in ten chapters, organized within three Parts: In the first, Kaplan examines what he characterizes as a "disconnect between what is generally known about leadership and the way they are being assessed in most organization." He offers suggestions to correct various oversights. In Part II, he shifts his attention to two of the oppositions/dichotomies/polarities/dualities/etc. that are (arguably) the most important to a leader's effectiveness: forceful and enabling leadership, and, strategic and operational leadership. Then in Part III, Kaplan suggests ways to correct overdoing it, underdoing it, and a combination of both, lopsidedness. In Chapters 7-9, he describes the "outer/behavioral" work of development and the "inner/personal" work of development. In the last chapter, Kaplan reiterates all of his key points when offering a profile of "the multi-versatile leader" and suggests how to "boost" an individual's "pair-wise capabilities," notably the dualities of strategic-and-operational leadership and forceful-and-enabling leadership.

Kaiser wrote the Appendix in which he reviews the research and development of the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI), "the 360-degree measure of versatility that is integral to this book." I especially appreciate his skillful use of two reader-friendly devices, a series of 13 "Tables" and four "Figures" that conveniently organize a wealth of key points, notably Tables 2 and 3 (i.e. conceptualizations of the "how" and "what" of leadership) and Figure A.2 (i.e. "Structural Model of Forceful and Enabling leadership"). In the Appendix, Kaiser offers comments that I think should be noted: "Self-ratings of versatility [such as the LVI enables] are not related to coworker ratings of overall effectiveness. In other words, the extent to which managers view their own leadership as versatile has almost nothing to do with how their colleagues see their overall effectiveness. This emphasizes the importance of feedback: lopsided leaders don't see the link to ineffectiveness that is so apparent to those around them."

Of course, none of the material in this book can do more than provide "scaffolding" for a leadership development program that each reader must build in collaboration with her or his own associates. The blueprint and construction materials are for them to select but Bob Kaplan and Rob Kaiser can provide valuable assistance when completing that process.

Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out Gardner's aforementioned Five Minds for the Future, Martin's The Opposable Mind: How Successful Leaders Win Through Integrative Thinking, and Lipman-Blumen's The Allure of Toxic Leaders: Why We Follow Destructive Bosses and Corrupt Politicians--and How We Can Survive as well as Rath's StrengthsFinder 2.0: A New and Upgraded Edition of the Online Test from Gallup's Now, Discover Your Strengths. Buckingham's Go Put Your Strengths to Work: 6 Powerful Steps to Achieve Outstanding Performance, Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success, Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.

"The Versatile Leader" is a solid read, filled with great fact-based conclusions on what makes leaders effective. It clearly provides a compelling and well-reasoned case for why truly effective leaders avoid the "tyranny of the or": "Should I be strategic or should I be operational? Should I enable others or should I be forceful with them?" Kaplan and Kaiser clearly show that effective leaders do both, and do them in a balanced way that reflects the needs of the organization. For those readers who are skeptical about what may be the next trend in leadership development, the authors provide enough research and data to reassure the most skeptical of "quant"-biased readers. In addition, the authors provide very practical suggestions for those leaders who are struggling with the implementation of the leadership potential. Again, a great read, and definitely worth the money and the time.

This is a great book.
Very clearly written and easy to use (e.g., end of chapter summaries provide an effective way to get each chapter's essence quickly).
Lots of good examples and case studies that bring the theory to life.
Also, the authors provide many tips on HOW to become a better leader.
Most importantly, the underlying principle of this book -- versatility is the key to effective leadership -- is not just an intuitive idea, but it is also based upon sound research.
If you really want to become a better leader, then this is a book you'll want to read. Guaranteed.

I approached this book with a little skepticism: Here it comes, another spin on leadership. (I read more than a hundred books a year, many of them related to management and leadership.) By the third chapter, however, I concluded that Kaplan and Kaiser are not just dressing up old concepts for a new day. They offer a paradigm shift and research to back it up. Think optimize, not maximize. Think right-sizing. This places the onus on leadership aspirants to develop the elusive skill of versatility, which is partly based in the individual's personality psychology. The authors have researched and validated an approach to measuring this skill and providing individuals with the specific marching orders they need to capture this subtlety for themselves. The book includes their research.

I was simulataneously reading a new book, "Personality and the Fate of Organizations" by Robert Hogan, Ph.D., author of the popular Hogan Personality Inventory. Hogan praises Kaplan and Kaiser's work, which is no small praise given Hogan's 30-year career studying the science of personality in the workplace.

The book is also well written, avoiding the dryness of many management books with a broad array of illustrations from literature, history, and other research. Highly recommended.

Bought this book for advice, etc. What a wake up call!!! Very interesting to hear that where you thought you were doing very well you actually were not!

This is a very good book. She really does give you all the inside secrets in the world of HR. So much eye-opening info. I couldn't put the book down. I am recommending this book to my friends and family members. She talks about companies "secret criteria" when it comes to hiring and why they will never tell you the real reason you didn't get the job. She also talks about resumes that stick out and help get the interviews. She talks about why you should never quit your current job in order to spend more time applying for jobs. Really great info. This is the perfect book for someone who has been applying everywhere and can't understand why s/he has never received a phonecall or only receives rejection letters.

This book was worth its weight in gold for my husband's job search. After two long years looking for a job, my husband was incredibly frustrated and discouraged. He was an experienced legal professional with excellent credentials, but employers just didn't seem interested in his resume. He knew that he had to be doing something wrong but had no idea what. Then he got Cynthia Shapiro's book. Talk about results! He read the book in one weekend - applied all of the suggestions - and suddenly everything changed. Now he had interviews, call-backs, just an amazing amount of interest from potential employers. He quickly landed his dream job, and got a substantial salary increase in the process. (Amazingly, even now, companies are calling him with requests to schedule "back-up" interviews in case things don't work out with the company that he ended up joining.... can you imagine??) I only wish my husband had this book at the beginning of his job search. Folks, if you or someone you know is looking for a job, Cynthia Shapiro's book is the real deal. It is an amazing resource for job hunters, and IT WORKS.

Outstanding! I read this book from cover to cover on the same day. It is very easy and fun to read. The content of this book is eye-opening and the author has done a great job to share the insider secrets from preparing the resume/cover letter, interviews, offer negotiations, things to pay attention after being hired. I also highly recommend her other book "Corporate Confidential", the author listed the most common mistakes ones ( employees and managers) can make and how to avoid them. Excellent job!

I saw Cynthia Shapiro on CNN promoting "What Does Somebody Have To Do To Get A Job Around Here?" and really liked her warmth and articulacy. Needed a job, bought the book. What a fast, entertaining, and profoundly helpful read.

All the nagging questions I had about a process I didn't understand--even some issues I didn't know existed--were laid out in a very clear, friendly, and enjoyable format.

I had read some reviews on this site saying that Cynthia Shapiro does free consultations and even calls back on the same day. I found myself in a confusing situation during a job offer (a company I like, but at a much lower rate than they advertised). I left a message for Ms. Shapiro and she called back promptly, gave me a pro's perspective on my situation given my salary history, and some great ideas for negotiating nevertheless.

I am so happy with this product and very much hope to have the chance to work with Ms. Shapiro in the future.

This is a good one but is not as clear & comprehensive as "Everything You Need To Know About The Music Business" (Donald Passman)

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.

The hardships of surviving on the music industry can be easily compare with the jungle, where nothings is what it seems and danger lurks around every corner. This book is a guide that explains all the dangerous species and all the hazardous area, but also revealing the safe zones and undisputable truths about a world dominated by the strong ones. A good book with great references that has and will be appreciated by many.

From beginning to end, this extremely informative book is filled with music industry tips, anecdotes, and reality checks from one of the most respected entertainment lawyers in the country. As an entertainment lawyer myself, I have benefited greatly from Mr. Thall's straight talk on the way the industry actually works. I have recommended this book to all of my music clients and their managers, all of whom have reported that they have found the book easy to read, eye opening, and well worth their time.

If you are currently in or thinking about getting into the music industry, make the modest investment and purchase this book---to get this much advice, guidance, and perspective from a qualified attorney, particularly one with Mr. Thall's impressive resume, you will easily spend hundreds or thousands more than the cost of this excellent book.

Peter Thall's book at first struck me as a good book to have in the collection.

When I started reading it I thought, OH NO, its gonna put me to sleep. Perhaps at times, but mostly I found myself realizing I had not asked myself certain essential questions...which woke me right up!

It IS thick with legal issues. But, we are at this moment budgeting a tour and also negotiating with a manager...and the book made me think of things I would not have thought of. It looks like the book may have saved us from running the tour in the red (at a loss)! We will see how it all works out soon.

Gives a good view of how the money moves in the music business. It gives you ideas you can try to use in negotiations for a better arrangement. Lots of things to avoid and to think about that often get overlooked. What to think about before you sign that contract.

We are negotiating a deal and I pulled out this book and looked through the chapter corresponding to our deal. I got a whole page of questions and things to discuss BEFORE we finalized.

That IS one of Thall's goals with this book. If you forget to discuss it before you sign, then it is too late to talk about it later.

I have read "All You Need to Know About the Music Business" by Donald Passman and I recommend this as a Compliment to that excellent tome on the biz. If you are looking at them both trying to decide...you will have to decide what the application is. If you are an Indie artist/Manager at the early stages of your career then I would say, though "All You Need" is a more comprehensive overview, this may be more easy to take in and applicable to the issues you will be facing right now.

I do recommend them both as Passman discusses many issues not covered here.

Mr. Thall has done us a service. He has forewarned us of many of the pitfalls.

Already, it has helped immensely.

Not a replacement for good legal representation...but it may just save your behind!

This book gave me a good over view of the sales process and specifics on how to relate to the buyer. I have read many sales books, but this one hits the mark. I would recommend anyone who is either a professional sales person or striving to be one read this book. It goes way beyond basic sales training and gets into the mind of the buyer and the seller. Great Job.

An excellent book. Guy has managed to capture the essence of the buying process. This book is purely for those who can appreciate the fine principles to be applied during the sales process. It is not meant to be specific. However if applied properly, it will do justice for both the buyer and the seller. It's a guide for ethical and effective selling and how we as sellers can make selling so easy and effortless! Kudos to Guy!

If the redundancy were eliminated, this book would shrink to fifty pages. I kept waiting for the author to share something worthwhile with me, but finally gave up halfway through out of sheer boredom. Anyone looking for a better book need look no further than Brian Tracey.

I don't usually like how to books - because they don't really tell you anything. But this book is different. I learned more about selling from this book than any other sales training class I have ever taken. This book deliniates the essence of selling. The author's understanding of sales psychology is uncanny and intutitive. I would highly recommend this book for any person who is starting in sales or has been in sales for a long time. It is worth studying.

There are hundreds (thousands?) of books now in print which offer information and counsel concerning the sales process. In essence, that process involves cultivation and then solicitation but first an important decision must be made: Whom to cultivate? (In retail sales, obviously, anyone who walks in the door is a prospect.) When conducting workshops for salespersons, I strongly recommend that participants formulate criteria which describe what they consider to be their ideal customer. This profile should direct them to prospects which most closely match up with the criteria. Next I point out that the ideal customers they now have can -- and should -- comprise an extended sales force, serving as referral sources to generate leads. My point is that, except in retail sales, those who sell should select their prospects...not the other war around.

Baker's background is in financial services which presumably require extensive education to understand the specific products and services to be offered prior to the identification, cultivation, and solicitation of prospective buyers of those products and services. The title of his book suggests that understanding motivation (i.e. "hot buttons') is an essential part of the salesperson's preparation and indeed it is. He takes a direct and personal approach to his reader as if he has been retained to provide to the reader a combination of mentoring and coaching services. He carefully organizes his material within 12 chapters, skillfully "Tying It All Together" in the final chapter.

This book be most valuable to those who are new to sales or now considering a career in sales; also to sales managers, especially those who supervise others who are relatively inexperienced. To the former, Baker offers sound basics with a rationale for each; to the latter, Baker offers reminders of basics. (Working as I frequently do with sales managers, I am astonished by the fact that so many of them do not have a sufficient understanding of those basics.) I also recommend this book to another group which Baker may not have had in mind when writing it: Those in executive (non sales) positions who are frequently required to persuade others to support an idea or course of action. By now I am convinced that almost everyone involved in business is constantly selling, themselves if nothing else...and most do it ineffectively. Almost all of the strategies and tactics which Baker recommends can be as beneficial to those not in sales as to those who are.

Individual salespersons as well as organizations need a business plan which is cohesive and comprehensive; also one which prudently allocates resources, especially time and energy, where they will generate the greatest ROI. Given the complexity of the general subject of salesmanship, the art and science of ethical persuasion, it makes sense to consult several different sources (including Baker's book) and then cherry-pick whatever is most appropriate to your own specific circumstances (needs, interests, weaknesses, goals, etc.). Here are some other excellent sources: Dick Canada's The 24 Sales Traps and How to Avoid Them, Linda Richardson's Stop Telling, Start Selling, Paco Underhill's Why We buy, and Gerald Zaltman's How Customers Think.

You're So Money is a great read if you are looking for inspiration to straighten out your personal finances, get rid of personal debt and restructure your spending habits. The book hits many areas in advice on how to shop for our everyday needs and wants as well as how to look for opportunities of making money outside our 8 to 5 jobs to achieve our 'good life' equation. Definite recommended buy! I enjoyed every chapter and its written for those of various ages struggling to have all aspects of their personal finances fall in place.

I just graduated college and started a new job, and this book is helping me know exactly to handle my money!

Great book for everyone. It's written to the 25-30 year old, but it's great advise to all.

Farnoosh Torabi writes an easy reader with clever ideas and a fresh view. You should pick up this book for yourself, especially if you're a young adult or have teenagers entering college.

This book has some good tips and ideas, my favorite being to figure out what's important to you before you figure out how to budget your money. Sounds simple, but sometimes we get so caught up in paying off debts, saving and investing, that we forget to live in the moment. I've already made some changes based on her advice, by drastically cutting back on eating out and putting that money towards a trip to Europe next year (so much more rewarding than a few sushi dinners).
One annoyance - she says that renters are wasting their money and that everyone should be a homeowner. Then she proceeds to say that her parents paid for her condo. Who should I ask to help me, my deceased father or my mother who lives off $10,000 in Social security checks per year? Some of us have to do it on our own, and that means paying rent instead of drowning in mortgage payments. I think it's a huge mistake for young people to buy homes too soon. Rent isn't "wasting money", it's paying for a place to live.

I really enjoyed this book. I've actually found this book to mirror many of my own experiences. I'm glad that someone finally wrote a book about it. Wow, I think more younger adults need to read this. The tone of this book is very well written. What is nice especially nice about this book is that it is light yet informative. Overall, I am very glad that I purchased this book. Finally someone got it right!

You're Too Smart for This is a fast, fun, and refreshingly honest take on what it takes to really survive and thrive as a new corporate "grunt." I was actually a little surprised at how far the author takes some of the humor...but I found myself laughing and nodding in agreement the whole time!

After 4 or 5 years of dry, slow college textbooks, this is the crash course you've been waiting for. You'll be able to use your new knowledge tommorow--and have a much stronger understanding of what's going on around you. Because, as Michael Ball points out, you've only got 90 days now to prove you were worth hiring...

Hi! I'm a 25 year old "career freshman" as Ball likes to put it. I first picked up this book after my first corporate contract job ended to figure out what went wrong and why they had to let me go.

The book's layout reminds me of "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff", with 2-3 pages dedicated to each "lie". Each topic has interesting side notes and captions and is really written to an audience that's straight out of college, comparing subjects like the hiring process and HR recruiters to dating and one-night stands. Ball breaks down each topic in simple english and at times it seems more like an older frat brother is giving you advice rather than a career counselor. I actually enjoyed reading this book and was able to get through the whole thing in about a week.

The only downsides I have about this book are that his punchlines become somewhat predictable as you progress through the book and that the online resources seem more like a place to hype up Michael Ball's achievements than as a place to learn and share about getting through your first job. It would also help if there was an interactive online forum, like other books catered to twentysomethings (e.g. Suze Orman's YF&B).

Still, I highly recommend this book to all of you out there who are still lost and confused in the corporate world. Good luck to you all!

It's funny how things come to you just when you need them... After joining a mid-sized Internet company straight out of school, I found myself doing OK with my actual work, but making a lot of interpersonal mistakes I didn't see coming. For instance, after my manager denied a project request--one that I really wanted--I decided to go talk to some other people about getting on the team. In school, this always worked for me.

But in the office, I painfully found out, this is a huge mistake! And just one of many that Michael Ball expertly--and very entertainingly--illustrates and cautions against. What I appreciated most about You're Too Smart for This was that the author is "on the level" with you--he doesn't pull any punches, and talks to you like a big brother might. One you actually like, that is ;)

The structure of the book--the "lies"--make it an easy and fun read the first time around, but also ensure that you can quickly pick it back up later on as a reference guide for whatever situation you're in (e.g., promotions, quitting, etc.).

Do yourself a big favor and check out this book--even if you think you already know the rules. I can practically guarantee you'll learn some valuable new insights. Plus have a great laugh while you're at it!

You're Too Smart for This, to me, encapsulated exactly what I'm experiencing as a relatively new accountant at Ernst & Young. All of the day-to-day BS I found myself struggling with, Michael Ball shines a light on, and really talks you through.

But I have to admit, one of my favorite parts of this book is all of the quotes and sidebars! There's got to be well over 200--from everyone from Aristotle to Peter Drucker to Bill Gates to Jeff Gordon to Sharon Stone. Plus the author gives his own little sarcastic twist in the attribution, which I found to be a great addition.

The callout boxes, in fact, are full of really solid research--pulled from sources such as the US Census Bureau, Harvard Business Review, New York Times, Fast Company, Monster.com, and countless others.

The book, in total, is really a compendium of all the entry level wisdom that's out there. And then some. If you've just stepped into Corporate America, don't take another step without this book!

There's not much Zen in this book, and all the Zen that is in this book is in the 4-page introduction.

This book talks about Stan's imaginary friend, Victor, who knows everything, everyone, and has done everything. In addition to that, Victor is a great salesman, who has made all the mistakes earlier on so he now knows everything. So, Victor is the guy who you learn all of the sales lessons from.

It's pretty good with the sales concepts. It focuses on relationship selling, and I thought it gave some good lessons and examples.

It's written in a fictional and narrative style, so it's easier to digest than a sales "textbook."

it is a very good book to read. every time you will find something new, and you will not board. this book is not looks like any selling books it is easy to read, understand and remmebers so have fun. sayed omar - AUC - Egypt

The Zen of Selling filled me not only with the spirit of how to accomplish life goals but it gave me a solid feel to improve my selling. I remember last summer reading the stories aloud to a friend. Me and my friend were enjoying the day taking a boat ride in Central park. As I breathed in the day the clarity Stan gave me made my day complete. A day that I will never forget. Thank you, you are talented man 17.

I am completely captivated by this gentle little book, and I urge you to look past the sometimes-dirty word "selling" in the title. Look instead to the subtitle for the real substance you'll get from reading The Zen of Selling.

Stan Adler tells a number of tales, often introduced and always given meaning by Stan's friend and wise man, Victor. From lessons on balance, appearance, situational ethics and perseverance we learn that the sales process is not a checklist, but a metaphor for living life in the service of others. Adler brings a sense of mild irony to many of his stories; I'm a sucker for a good ironic tale.

As a talk show host, I've been treated amazingly well by the salespeople who knew my name and my occupation. For those salespeople who didn't know what they were doing and treated me poorly, I've never made it a point to say anything bad about them on the air. What I am doing for them these days is admonishing them to get this book and learn their craft, not simply appear at their station. The Zen of Selling is worth ten times the sales price - buy it now before the rest of your competitors do.

Stan Adler's THE ZEN OF SELLING is a masterpiece of practical philosophy. Yes, it's a book about sales techniques, but it's also a book about being a good person. Typical of the philosopher's approach is Adler's maxim: "When you are doing something for someone else, you are always at your best. . .and that certainly includes people who sell." Plato, Aristotle, and Confucius would agree.

Good people are, by nature, good sales representatives. They understand that selling is not an adversarial relationship, but a cooperative one. "Forget the selling," says Adler. "Let the customer do the buying." In short, the salesperson is the guide, the director, the facilitator--not the marketing hero. A successful sales campaign is really an affirmation of values that the buyer and seller hold in common.

THE ZEN OF SELLING breaks new ground in the commercial world. As such, Adler's book is not a sales primer, but a meditation on sales. In a fascinating collection of stories, maxims, and anecdotes, Adler reminds us that effective salespeople are well versed in the art of "understanding customers as people."

In Adler's world, "Victor" is the protypical sales success. He is a diplomat, a philosopher, and a friend. He understands that "sales" is really another word for "affirmation." Victor is the voice of understanding, the voice of patience, the voice of reason in an overly competitve business climate. Victor's message is clear: People who help others will also be successful. The same rule applies in sales.

Stan Adler's THE ZEN OF SELLING is an important contribution--a book that is both inspirational and practical. But when you visit your local bookstore, do not assume that THE ZEN OF SELLING is shelved with other books on sales. Look around. You just might find Adler's book in the Philosophy section.

--Dr. Thomas Nash, Senior Professor of Ethics and Philosophy, Churchill Honors Program, Southern Oregon University