Business Books

It's wacky and funny. Cross genre humor explodes on the pages. Good read for zombie fans, Cthulhu fans, and first person shooter fans. Check it out!

For a general audience this is probably a 3-star book, but for the target audience it is a solid five stars all the way. What audience is the target audience? Geeks. And not just any geeks, but the type of geeks that loved Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Firefly and can get into the humor of mixing the classic horror genre with modern tech support.

Anybody who has ever called in for technical support has to have wondered if the voice on the other end of the line might not have been an undead zombie. And those mysterious glitches in your network, that server that just seems to randomly go down all the time? It's got an infestation of pixies, so you need to buy yourself a fairy cat to catch them. That sort of thing happens when you have an aethernet setup in your building....

The book is very, very short. No worries about the jokes getting old and stale before their time. But I would say it is long enough for you not to feel like you have wasted your money on it. It's nicely concentrated, with the funny bits left in and the filler left out.

I stumbled onto this book and it sounded interesting. There are quite a few short stories with references amongst each other. I didn't find it to be laugh-out-loud funny, but the "geek humor" did get me to crack a smile every now and then.

Note for parents: On the back cover it points out "Scattered Profanity" - and for a reason. If you are offended by profanity - or are buying this for a young teen you might want to consider that. The f-bomb is dropped at least once that I remember - you have been warned. Perhaps your local library might have a copy for you to look over before gifting?

Lucy Snyder has one of the most unique voices in speculative fiction, and this book is an example of her at her best.

What Terry Prachett does for fantasy, what Douglas Adams did for S/F, what Christopher Moore does for horror, Lucy Snyder does for technogeekism. She twists it, she warps it, and she makes it side-splittingly funny. She is well on her way to creating a lexicon of humor that will have the whole Gen X and Y community feeling even more smug and geekier-than-thou.

The title piece in this collection is a beloved classic to the online crowd; anyone who's ever suffered through a technical manual will be at home with the zombie badgers.

This book also contains one of my favorite stories of all time, "In The Shadow of the Fryolator". Chick lit meets Cthulu via the brain of Lucy Snyder.

I highly recommend owning this book if you want to be cool.

Snyder is hilarious. Her use of characters and creatures from myths and legends, to re-depict IT situations by superimposing these beings from a supernatural realm onto real-life computer industry events, describes them in a new light, with tremendous insight and humour. The twelve articles collected here are fun for any Geek on your gift list.

The wit and wisdom displayed in this book are exceptional, with everything from step by step instructions on how to install Linux on a dead badger, to using your dead badger to fight zombies. This book has it all, from stories about IT helpdesks starting to staff with zombies to cut down on cost, to using vampires as supervisors to keep the zombies under control and working, to management having no brains to begin with so the zombies have no interest in eating them anyway.

Pick this book up for yourself, for your geek friends or anyone in IT or computer science; they will ROTFL while reading it.

"The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement," does an exhaustive job of describing the basic concepts further quantified in the full 4 volume series. Forrest Breyfogle describes the hows to execute IEE E-DMAIC as a step-by-step sequenced roadmap in Volume II. The how's to execute IEE P-DMAIC has a step-by-step sequenced roadmap in Volume III that truly integrates the tools of Lean and Six Sigma.

I am impressed at how Forrest weaves all the terms, definitions and labels together for the reader. Since I have worked so long with these terms and approaches, it seems like the book is a dictionary with all the words put together in sentences. I suspect it is a welcome integration of complex concepts into a "unified" whole for the reader new to these concepts.

The Lean Six Sigma roadmap of DMAIC that many organizations use has so much variability in how it is described that effectiveness and good communication is lost. Many authors are writing about how to implement Balanced Scorecard measurement systems without tying the conceptual level to the tools that connect concept to reality of the business outcomes and processes specific to the reader. The DMAIC roadmap or Balanced Scorecard models generally implemented by industry are victim to many inconsistencies, leading to much confusion and watering down of the concepts.

The IEE E-DMAIC and P-DMAIC systems avoid this high level of variation by explicitly defining scope and operating characteristics of each element within the improvement system. Unlike some previous Lean and Six Sigma authors who keep their detailed methodology secret until they are called onsite with a client, Breyfogle publicly shares his intricate methodology up front. The author puts everything out there for the reader to see right away. The subsequent volumes provide the drill down roadmaps for tactical and operational integration of the full IEE Enhanced Unified Approach; i.e., Volume II for E-DMAIC and Volume III for P-DMAIC.

The author describes his construct in such reliable detail that the reader will realize a higher level of performance outcome than from models with less rigor of definition. Page xvi of the IEE introductory paperback clearly describes proprietary nomenclature and service marks expectation. Breyfogle is confident that his systemic integration of Lean Six Sigma and Balance Scorecard concepts at both the enterprise and process level is specific enough to empower any organization to succeed in reducing variation and eliminating waste. E-DMAIC is very different to how businesses are generally run and the author does not want references casually made to water down E-DMAIC as some texts have watered down the intended structure of Lean, Six Sigma and Balanced Scorecard previously.

IEE describes, among other things, a system for how you look at metrics so that the right behavior results. To quote the author: "I truly believe that if we don't do something now to the way businesses are run, our grandchildren are not going to have the lifestyle that we have grown accustomed to. In my belief, IEE provides the framework for this transition."

I recommend reading "The Integrated Enterprise Excellence System: An Enhanced Unified Approach to Balanced Scorecards, Strategic Planning, and Business Improvement." This introductory book does exactly what it is supposed to do. The reader will have the information they need to assess the appropriateness of fully implementing the Integrated Enterprise Excellence System approach within their organization.

Forrest Breyfogle's "Implementing Six Sigma" is one of the best Six Sigma books ever written. The "IEE System" focus teaches one how to successfully apply Continuous Improvements techniques with solid Enterprise orientation. Six Sigma, Lean, Balanced score card or Toyota Production systems can provide one with improvement philosophies which are both methodical, and technical. Even if blindly pursued, these techniques will provide one with excitement, as well as many years of sustainability, but very often also ending with the questions of: "What we do now?" and "Why our efforts are not more delivering the same results?".
Forrest's focus is not fashion-oriented, he knows how to implement the right techniques and ask the right questions.
I sincerely congratulate Forrest for another classic installment in his lifetime's commitment of pursuing excellence.

This book, gave me the lesson of the year (so far). ... that we can turn firefighting to fire-prevention mode.

It explains how we can make the right desicions by making sense of the entire organisation. It tells how to distinguish Common cause from special cause events and its connection to firefights.

It would be good to speak whether IEE can be implemented with the EFQM model (the European equivalent to Malcolm Baldrige).

This book provides a good overview of how businesses can align employees' efforts and focus with the goals of the organization. Helps you to prioritize projects and improvement efforts. A good introduction that will compel you to purchase and read the other books in this series that go into great detail covering the "how to" make it happen...

Forrest has written yet another thought provoking book. With his original book Implementing Six Sigma he set the stage at which the Six Sigma world would baseline "How it is done". Now he has set off with a series of new books which will open the door to looking at our businesses differently - in a new light.

With the book `Integrated Enterprise Excellence' Forrest uncovers some of weaknesses of corporations through identifying the impact of Short Term vs Long Term change. Attention is brought to day to day Firefighting situations, that too many of us know intimately at our jobs.

Ironically when I met with Forrest earlier this year, he spent time specifically speaking about the (Red Light / Green Light) syndrome. I had first seen this at Harley Davidson Motor Company, when Erik Buell rolled it out a new tool that all motorcycle platforms would use. There were rumblings within the launch teams about this new tool. It had stoplight colors, and our direction was to never have a red light. Little did I realize that the measurement system we were launching was establishing what we delivered to, as employees. That hopefully the metrics were well aligned with the 30,000 foot needs of the corporation and that which led to Long Term change.

The Integrated Enterprise Excellence (IEE) system that is taught in this book shows management techniques that followed can effectively charter good change for a corporation. That change which is measurable, predictable, and drives bottom line results.

There is a lot of information on the market today about 6 Sigma, and change movements. Take time to look at Forrest Breyfogle's work. I have personally spent time with him, and been through his MBB program. In contrast to the many people who do this type of stuff for pure financial benefit; I believe that Forrest's work is about setting the record straight - and letting the truth be told. The new series of books show a no nonsense approach to doing 6 Sigma in a less complex methodology, that delivers big results. With today's workplace putting more pressure on belts to produce with less time, these methodologies will lead to solutions better than ever before.

I discovered Penny Vincenzi earlier this year and like another reviewer, promptly ordered every one of her books. I've read about six of them so far. I'm rationing them, because when they've all been read, then what? Seriously, I love her storytelling ability. She's a marvelous writer who knows how to keep her audience spellbound. The Lytton family is fascinating and reading their colorful history has afforded me many hours of reading pleasure. Celia Lytton is one of the most interesting characters I've ever read, certainly one I won't easily forget. My only disappointment with the series is the way the third book ended. I simply didn't believe Charlie should be rewarded for his consistently bad behavior. I do hope Ms. Vincenzi will consider writing a follow-up to the series. She left a lot of threads hanging and it would be so satisfying to find out what happens to Jenna, Izzie, Nonie, Lucas, Adele and Jamie (do they get together?), even Cathy and Charlie. All in all, just a wonderful reading experience. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED SERIES.

This was the third is the Lytton Family Trilogy of books..
A page turner, as were the first 2 !! So well researched and written.
If you love long family stories you will love these books.
Even the ending of this, the third was just right!
A great read!

I just finished Into Temptation, No. 3 in this superior trilogy, and can honestly say this trilogy is the best thing I've read since Gone With The Wind! I'm 70 years old, an avid reader of anything British and am so thankful I found this series before it was too late! Quick, grab the first volume of this series pronto and stay with it until the very last word on the very last page of the very last volume. You'll never regret it!

This was the best trilogy's I have ever read. I am sorry it's over now. I agree with all the other readers on how great these books were. I am also suprised most people have never heard of these books. I love the old English family saga's. I also loved Barbara Taylor Bradford's Woman of Substance.

This was the book I enjoyed most in the trilogy. It is interesting from the beginning to the end and I was very sorry when I came to the last page. It is one book that I will read again maybe next year.

Thank you for writing the book Investing In The Dream.. My girlfriend insisted I read it and i am glad she did. Although I had some knowledge of investing your book made it so much clearer. I feel better able to prepare myself for retirement. THANK YOU!!!!! Denise M. Bagby

I read your Book and read your columns. The latest column "Financial decisions" featured in The Challenger Newspaper is great. I am a single mother, fulltime employee as well as a parttime college student; I definitely know first hand how expensive it is to raise children. Your book has made the difference.

Wuanda Figueroa

I waited for the book to come out in paper back. That was my first mistake. --what a shame on my part. However, thanks to The Miami Times newspaper where I see your column, I must say that I have been enlightened and inspired by your indispensible information.

Willie F. Ford, Jr.

I purchased your paperback version of the book,Investing in the Dream. This book has answered a prayer for me. I have thought of taking Financial Classes just to learn how to invest in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etc...Thank to your wisdom and obedience to God for writing this book you have also answered my prayer. I am an investor but seek to invest more. Again, Thanks.

Debra D. Green

Have you ever been broke, busted and disgusted? Do you live paycheck to paycheck? If you answered yes, then INVESTING IN THE DREAM is the book for you.

Author Jesse B. Brown states, "prosperity has a spiritual basis - it is a divine right." He provides sound rationale as to how we can turn our negative financial situation into a positive one by developing an investment plan and making savvy financial decisions. Even if it is a small amount, the up front sacrifice will ultimately blossom into a financial blessing.

From stocks and bonds to everything in between, Brown not only provides insight into the mysteries of investing, but also reinforces his point by using real world examples. By following five simple steps, we can gain financial freedom according to Brown. These five steps are develop a long-term investment plan; max out tax-deferred retirement plan contributions; review investment goals on a regular basis; follow sound advice and hire a financial advisor to keep you on track.

All in all, INVESTING IN THE DREAM runs the gamut of financial advice. In addition to stocks, bonds and the tax-deferred investment vehicles, Brown also touches on credit card debt, debates about vehicle purchases and provides guidance on home purchases as well. The information in the book is presented simply, and in an easy-to-understand format. At times, Brown seems to be somewhat preachy, but there is no doubt that he knows the investment business. If you are seeking a new financial path, then INVESTING IN THE DREAM may be a book you'd like to consider.

Reviewed by Nedine
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

This is a great book for anyone interested in learning more about their investments. It combines fascinating history with beautiful illustrations to make a book that is both intelligent and attractive. Very highly recommended!

Wow! What an amazing book. For a person who has never done well in history classes, this book puts together our history in a colorful picturesque manner that keeps the readers interest throughout the book. I wish a book like this had been available when I was in school.

This could have been a very good book because the idea of an "investment atlas" is a terrific idea.

But the job was botched
Worse, the book is more propaganda than anything else.

The book intends to be "appealing": there is endless photos, quotes, pictures that really don't fit into an "atlas" but makes it more appealing just like the photos in a typical annual report.

But while in the annual report you do get the numbers, in this books many charts don't have (incredibly and incomprehensibly) any axis units! For example, on page 142 you get a chart showing "german interest rates" consisting of a staircase graph with a single legend "Yield 4.6%" and no X-axis or Y-axis labels whatsoever. As such, totally useless, totally stupid. Same things for the staircase chart Germand common stocks on page 141 with unique legend of "Decrease 82%" and again no axis units whatsoever!

But after a while you start discerning a possible pattern: those charts typically are put in juxtaposition with a US charts to show how great the US results were. For example next to the german one, you get a chart of US common stock (this one with full x-axis and y-axis units) with legend "increase +12%". Same thing page 151: Korea bond yield 25% vs US yield of 2.9% (implying superior US economy).

Still, some charts have no x and y axis without any possible explanation: for example, you get a nice gold and silver chart "1247 to present" which show a staircase with no x or y axis units. Insane.

But it gets much worse and outrightly dangerous when the author try to blatantly mislead the readers. Indeed, the book has a very significant pro-war bend (to the point where one could easily be led to believe that this was possibly silently sponsored by the armament industry or the DOD): 1/5 of the book, no less, is devoted to the effect of war on the stock markets with the final, absolutely false, "wartime investments summary" that "WAR=PROFITS" (p. 161).

This merits a closer look. Let's do just that.

His "wartime investement summary" list wars followed by "number of years, percentage change" for stocks, real estate, t-bond yields, showing spectacular numbers such as
world war II: stocks up 35% ! (6 years)
cold war: stocks up 2,045% ! (11 years)
vietnam war: stocks up 80% ! (45 years)
The naïve and inexperience investor will be amazed and be mislead in believing with the author that "WAR = PROFITS". But is the author really that stupid? or careless? or could it be intended to deceive?

In fact, no competent person in the investment world (and Wiman is described as a "founder of an investment firm") would report raw change like this but instead would show "compound annual return values" and provide corresponding inflation figures and finally, "real (inflation-adjusted) annual compound return"

And we can do just that with his number with the help of more data taken from the excellent and highly recommended Ibotson Associates book "Stocks Bonds Bill and Inflation"

WW II : stocks compound annual return=5.1%, annual inflation=3.8%, stocks inflation-adjusted compound annual return=1.3%
cold war : stocks compound annual return=7.1%, annual inflation=4.5%, stocks inflation-adjusted compound annual return=2.6%
Vietnam war: stocks compound annual return=5.5%, annual inflation=5.4%, stocks inflation-adjusted compound annual return=0.1%


Those inflation-adjust war results are anemic for sure: 1.3%, 2.6%, 0.1% (average=1.3%) !

The author doesn't show those true results!

Moreover, without surprise, the author won't also show to the reader the peace-time result.

For a good reason !

Peace-time result: 1992-2000 (between gulf war and iraq/al qaeda war): stocks compound annual returns 16.1%, inflation per year 2.6%, stocks inflation-adjusted compound annual return: 13.5 % !!!!
That is 10x the average of the above war time results.

Therefore the correct conclusion is: WAR = DISASTROUS INVESTMENT RESULTS.

The author does the same gimmick when comparing republicans and democrats: while studies have consistently shown that the stock market does better under the democrats than under the republican (on a real inflation-adjusted basis) the author again ignores inflation and produce misleading result to conclude the opposite!

So the conclusion is: this book = highly manipulative war-mongering propaganda

And this is why this book is dangerous.

Technical analysts often look at charts of past price action to assess the current state of the financial markets. In this beautifully illustrated book, Winans has assembled a great deal of data to illustrate the history of stocks, bonds, commodities, and real estate markets around the world. And you can make money by studying the pictures.

Winans asks, "Why did the majority of modern investors, the most knowledgeable and technologically advanced in history, mishandle the `Dot.com' stock bull market and the recent `nothing down' real estate frenzy?" His answer is that there is a general lack of knowledge about US financial history which results in investors making the same mistakes over and over.

To address this lack of knowledge, he has assembled hundreds of charts, many spanning more than 100 years and some more than 200 years, to put financial market history into perspective. Each chart is accompanied with narrative that places it into perspective, and helps even short term traders identify applicable concepts.

As an example of the innovative ideas in the book, I was startled to see the historic performance of mid cap stocks. It is very well documented that small cap stocks outperform large cap stocks in the long-term. I always assumed mid caps delivered performance between these two groups. This book showed that mid caps are actually the best long-term performers.

Winans documents mid cap performance going back to 1927. Through 2007, these stocks would have delivered a total return of 1,071,395%, more than doubling the returns available through small cap or large cap stocks. This dramatic outperformance was also found through testing over the time period from 1958 through 2007, during which mid cap stocks also beat the returns available from global stocks.

This insight alone is worth the price of the book.

This is a wonderful book. The graphics are clear and understandable, and illustrate the author's point well. Further, it is a fabulous book for the layman who has interest in investing, but has little or no knowledge in the process or its history. An excellent use of reproduced historical documents and charts. Finally, a credible reference book on the subject that can also enhance any coffee table.

Captain Brian Power-Waters XIII does it again. His indepth explanation of the inner workings of the Management of our Airlines are all too true. The cozy "at the cost of safety" arrangements with the FAA and the manipulation of logs by supervisors to keep airplanes in the air for profit over safety is frightening. A must read for all air travelors. When will the government agencies do their job as overseers of the safety of Airline operations?? What will it take to wake up the flying public? Our Airports and our skies have never been in need of regulation and control as it does now.

. . . an illuminating look at the risks involved in flying commercial airliners, from a line captain who spent his career doing just that. . . . Power-Waters uses his captain's eyes and mind to explain why things happen and what can be done to make the skies safer. . . .
Roy Boydston, General Aviation News

Once again Captain Brain Power-Waters had the courage to take on the FAA. I hope his effort is not in vain. The ALPA, IAM, and NATCA need to take a stand and do the right thing. We all know the FAA want. Congradulations Brian for your great book. This is a must read for everyone! Steve Goodman, Line Captain, A&P, I.A.

I thoroughly enjoyed Captain Power-Waters' latest book. Now the truth is out! What a great job of telling the truth, and in such an interesting fashion. Power-Waters' story telling holds the attention while putting out information that is valuable to all in aviation. Is It Safe? covers today's primary concern of the risky business of flying commercial airlines, and what can be done about it. I am recommending my friends read it. Captain Power-Waters continues to do a service for all aviation by telling it like it is. This is overdue in aviation.
Paul E. Stebelton, FAA Accident Prevention Specialist (13 years), Captain USAF Retired.

Whether it's airline practices, the two-person cockpit crew, or just plain bad design, Captain Brian is all over it. He's particularly hard on the FAA, from a lot of different angles. He points out that they can't possibly do the job they're saying they're doing, and that their delegates (DERs and airline employee-supervisors) aren't as interested in safety as in keeping the schedules met. He points out that the FAA doesn't follow its own rules, and how, if you're high enough up in the bureaucracy, you can get away with all kinds of questionable actions. He even mentions how some (to his mind, as well as most others' ) "unqualified" FAA officials (they're all "officials") decided to "get" Bob Hoover. . . . .
He sounds alarmist, even -- until you realize he's quoting actual accident reports, actual cockpit recordings, actual GAO studies, actual facts. . . . .
The book reads like a hangar-talk bull session, where you're listening to a guy who knows his flying, knows his airplanes, knows his maintenance, and, well, knows what he's talking about. . . . .
Tim Kern, Aero-News Network

This is not a "pat yourself on the back you can do it book." Romanus Wolter actually rolls up his sleeves and helps you get on track. I have learned how to create a method that helps me make decisions and his formula for developing an elevator pitch was the first time I was able to bring all my ideas about what I want to do into one cohesive sentence. It seems almost too simple but just follow the chapters and in a very short time you will be talking with the big cats.

From the first step to the last page, this book is compelling. It uniquely grabbed my attention and pulled me forward to a succinct goal, and success script. With daily action steps, I'm on my way to the vision and business that I hadn't been able articulate - and moving much faster than I thought possible. Romanus has opened my eyes and life through his approach. Kick Start Your Success works!

The book is amazing. Following the step by step approach I successfully completed my new business.

I went from thinking I should start my business to knowing I should. Then using the step by step approach I established messages and goals that encouraged others to support me. Getting advise and for free was a real benefit

Thanks Kick Start Guy. I got the Kick in the Pants I needed

It is a joyfull book to read, picks the pace quick and then ask you to do exercises on the spot. I have had experince with this kind of technique and its great to reinforce what you just have learned quickly.

I got this audiobook based on reviews given here, and maybe my expecations were too high, but I am disappointed in this book.

My first complaint is the author read his own book. Sometimes this works, but in this case, his voice failed to convey his ideas with enthusiasm. I recommend the author actually spend some money and get a professional voice actor next time.

The author's key to success is to write down not your goal, but your intent on what your goal will do to benefit other people. I found this to be helpful in preparing my elevator speech to find my dream job (which I have not yet found), but many other goals I found this to be non-productive.

Having a good intent and sharing with others may push me in completing my goals, but if some goals are selfish in nature (winning an award, having self-satisfaction with a personal hobby done well, writing that great novel), sharing whatever good intentions gets me no further along than before. The author's solution is for me to keep 'spinning' my intent until I get help.

A much better book (and audiobook for that matter) is Eat That Frog by Brian Tracy. You want clarity? It is significantly better than Kick Start Your Success.

I know this review is going to be voted as not-helpful by all the author's shills, but I am warning you. This book is definately over-rated.

This is a very handy reference. Easy to carry and to use. Highly recommend to anyone who knows the tools already.

Everything about this amazing guide is RIGHT from it's convenient size to its comprehensive content. If you know what you need to measure, you'll find the right tool for it here and even if you don't know what to measure, it'll tell you. Just fantastic. A treasure. Useful tip. It's a great resource when I need to present complex information visually in a presentation. Use it for inspiration if, like me, you struggle with visualising business concepts

The day after I bought it my boss asked me to build a priority matrix. I didn't bat an eyelash. I went back to my desk and 15 minutes later I emailed him a priority matrix for our project. He had a meeting in the conference room 15 minutes later with the director and partner. They were so impressed with my work. Thanks Memory Jogger II.

The book provided quick tips for facilitation and team building. I like the format which allows for using the book without ruining the pages.

I had to get this for an MBA class I am currently taking. It provides summaries and examples of common business tools in a small package. It's a great reference guide. I didn't do a lot of searching, but for the little searching I did, Amazon had the lowest price.

Many other reviews of this fine book go on at great length extolling the virtues of Dr. Nadler's "Leaders' Playbook," and I agree with them, having just these thoughts to add: I have something approaching 100 books on leadership on my shelves. "Leaders' Playbook" is the one I use the most in my coaching practice. It is practical, useful and full of great ideas that you can actually implement to help your clients.

Instead of buying yet another book that explains a great new way to think, or more likely, another variation on one of the standard approaches, buy this book!

Reldan Nadler's Leaders' Playbook has become a key "go to" resource when I am working with clients and teams on building Emotional Intelligence competencies. The book has impactful practical exercises to utilize with leaders in the areas of building confidence, collaborative teamwork, developing others and communication. In addition, the book provides great teambuilding exercises complete with debriefing instructions that are easy to facilitate and have a lasting impression. This book is a very valuable resource for executive coaches and leaders; as well as trainers working with teams.

An important contribution to leadership literature, Reldan Nadler's Leaders' Playbook is a valuable guide for acquiring and enhancing emotional and social intelligence.

Writing from deep experience, Nadler provides both beginners and seasoned leaders with a range of case studies to reflect upon, and sound practices to apply when interacting with others. I have found this book especially useful in teaching and coaching both emerging and experienced leaders; they consistently report and demonstrate that Nadler's perceptive insights and exercises have led to positive changes in their thinking and behavior. Particular favorites are the materials on "star performance" and "derailers." An experience-based, highly practical manual fusing emotional intelligence with leadership skills, The Leaders' Playbook is a first-rate resource for all who lead.

Karen Jambeck, Ph.D.

The concept of emotional intelligence became popular after the immense success of Daniel Goleman's book in 1995, Emotional Intelligence, Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.

Unlike IQ, which is unchanging from childhood on, emotional intelligence can be developed. In fact, it usually does become greater with age and maturity. The importance of developing one's emotional intelligence is essential to success in the workplace. Utilizing the power and energy of one's emotions leads to high motivation, and improves problem-solving and decision-making.

The Leaders' Playbook is a treasure trove of actionable strategies to develop emotional intelligence. If you want to improve self-confidence, teamwork, collaboration, interpersonal communication and empathy this great resource will show you how. It is the most clear, precise and pragmatic book on how to enhance performance by developing key emotional intelligence competencies that I have read.

Whether you are a company leader, coach, consultant or individual performer Leaders' Playbook wisely provides essential tips to help you excel. My executive coaching and leadership development clients love this book.

Dr. Maynard Brusman
Consulting Psychologist and Executive Coach

Do you want to improve your leadership skills? In this book Dr. Nadler has taken complicated information and made it easy to understand and put into use. This practical book with step-by-step guides will help you improve your coaching and leadership skills and is ideal for supervisors, managers, executives and coaches.

I was talking with a woman who is a sponsor in a 12-step program who asked me if I knew of a book that would help to improve her coaching skills with her clients. I recommended this book. She called back a few weeks later after applying the tools in the book and had gotten great results. She is now going to use the book to teach other sponsors.
Sabrina Braham M.A. CPC WomensLeadershipSuccess.com

Ordinarily, I'm not a big fan of the management genre. More aphorisms than pages is not a good combo.

Tim Warneka's *Leading People the Black Belt Way* takes its time to do the job right. Not surprising, perhaps, given how Aikido -- the martial art that provides this book's philosophical center -- rewards patience. Yes, the author provides schemas to help us remember key points, but he never races through them as if prepping Intro to Management students for an upcoming quiz. His goal for his readers is genuine understanding, not rote memorization of bullet points.

Tim's prose is extremely accessible. He talks of problems that managers and their teams actually face. When he introduces concepts from the management canon, he defines them in phrases that don't demand an MBA.

Each chapter begins with a brief "story" that illustrates the upcoming topic. Don't be surprised to find that you've stopped to reflect for a few minutes before you move on. It is the nature of stories to invite readers to contemplate meaning. Far better that you start to grasp these principles organically, rather than have the author bludgeon you over the head.

Tim brings a truly fresh perspective to the management text. I honestly believe that his mission is not simply to make managers get more from their workforce, but to actually improve the world. It's not just that happy workers are more productive workers, but that happy workers are happy. So are happy managers. What's refreshing is that he doesn't consider this naive. It's a worthy common cause.

Perhaps most indicative of Tim's take on both management and the world is his assessment of Ebeneezer Scrooge. We've heard this one so often we can recite it by heart: warm and fuzzy Bob Cratchit, good; cold and calculating Ebeneezer Scrooge, bad. What a refreshing take to see Warneka focus upon Scrooge's redemption. How the Scrooge at the *end* of The Christmas Carol literally embodies the managerial lessons that Tim tries to teach throughout *his* book. We should all be like Scrooge in the end: a good man and a good manager too.

Full disclosure: I have worked with Tim on a business project and know him to be the real deal. But so is his book. Stop enumerating habits and move your darned cheese -- *this* book can teach you a lot.

Leaders must tap into the tremendous emotional power of those they lead. Yes! In a field crowded with many good books on leadership, Tim Warneka has authored one that is fresh, unique and valuable. He dips his consultant and writer's ladle deeply into pools of both leadership and Aikido wisdom, with wonderful results. Having worked as an organizational change strategist and coach for two decades myself and having practiced the Japanese martial art of Aikido for over half that period, I can tell you that you're in for many surprises and bonuses in this book. By this I mean you will come away from your reading investment with many inspiring new ideas and lots of practical tools you can immediately put to work.

Dale Biron
Principal
Core Action Assoc., Inc.
Mill Valley, CA 94941

Leaders are sometimes hard to find. Sure, there's loads of folks that have been to leadership workshops and programs to be indoctrinated with yet another leadership system. But as Warneka points out, "The world does not need one more leadership system. What the world does need is great leadership that draws on the wisdom of the body and recognizes the treasury of emotions waiting to be tapped within every organization."

Using references to the lovely and efficient Japanese martial art of Aikido, Warneka shows us the importance of the above statement. In a text that flows much like a well trained martial artist, we receive epigrams from a well known swordsman, the Tao, today's best and brightest leadership coaches and the ever important thoughts of Ghandi and Einstein. Along with all that we get examples of Warneka's tried and try methods, his well thought out "learning experiments", helpful Author's notes and an extensive bibliography/webography. And while you'll have loads of folks you'll want to buy a copy for, this book could stay in your briefcase or backpack for months and in your library indefinitely.

I could list the 5 core problems that face leaders today, the 4 tools of conflict management or the 7 solutions of black belt leadership that Warneka expounds on and offers solutions to, or I could tell you this:

Whether you're the president of your garden club developing your next fundraiser, a teacher dealing with stubborn union issues, or a Fortune 500 CEO, this book can help.

Heck, it can be helpful in issues that arise every minute of every day in every country on this planet. Working together and living together is what we do as a species, using techniques that borrow from the philosophy of yin/yang, the Gestalt Cycle of Experience, and the teachings of Joseph Campbell, just may help us become those leaders we so desperately need.

If you're looking for a goldmine of timeless leadership treasures, you'll want to add Leading People The Black Belt Way to your collection. This book is unique because Warneka weaves his vast knowledge of eastern philosophy through the basic principles of emotional intelligence. It's thought provoking and loaded with plenty gems of wisdom. He highlights key points with bolding, for easy reference later. Each chapter ends with a summary and a learning experiment to help you implement the key concepts.

The book's content is written around the framework of The Seven Solutions of Black Belt Leadership:
1. Know the Five Core Problems of Leadership
2. Understand Leadership as a Relational Process
3. Seek Harmony in Leadership
4. Lead People Rather than Pushing or Pulling Them
5. Cultivate Emotional Engagement
6. Practice Embodied Leadership
7. Follow The Black Belt Cycle of Leading People

Don't worry if you don't really understand the meaning from this list. Warneka thoroughly defines "what is meant" at the beginning of each chapter.

This book is a great investment because it's jam packed with hidden gems. It's so content rich that he could have easily broken it down to several smaller, simpler books. Warneka clearly put his heart and soul into this piece of work.

I'm an avid business book reader and I have to say that I found it to be on the difficult side to read. Each chapter is prefaced with an eastern philosophy based story, which I personally found a bit distracting. If you're going to read it cover to cover, consider taking it in bite-sized chunks to maximize the benefits. Read one chapter every 2 - 4 weeks, complete the experiments at the end, and give your self plenty of time to sift, sort, and learn from the material.

If you couldn't put down Daniel Goleman's books on emotional intelligence, you're likely to be thrilled with this book. On the other hand, if you found Goleman's books to be great reference material versus engaging and inspirational, you'll likely feel the same way about this one.

Regardless, it's a great addition to your business book library.

So begins Tim Warneka's excellent book on leadership. As a practitioner and teacher of aikido, I appreciate Tim's use of aikido as a metaphor and teaching tool. How can we acknowledge and make use of emotional energy? As leaders, we can no longer afford to ignore this question. In "Leading People the Black Belt Way," you will learn core problems facing today's leaders and how to engage and manage them. Through theory, parable, learning experiments, and real life examples, this book offers easily grasped, yet innovative concepts. Read, learn, and enjoy!