Teams Books

I found the book to be well thought out. It definitely gives you a lot to consider up front went building a Team and could save you considerable time and headaches later.

Can I tell you how many SELF HELP, BUSINESS SPECIFIC, HOW-TO types of books on my shelves need dusting? and then arrived Dirk Zellers newest ACE; The Champion Real Estate Team. WOW! Emphatically I encourage other highly motivated,"out of the box thinkers", entrepreunerial spirits and WINNERS to grab this book and devour it, cover to cover! Well written,articulate and direct; I am so glad that my GUT instinct on this one was right. Dirk's 20 plus years of heavily trodden roads to Real Estate Success is not just depicted in stories; rather here is a real,meaty, hands on STEP by STEP instructions for team building success. I have personally spent the bulk of this year building my team, this is the "icing on the cake" that I needed; I am eager to begin implementing much of what he has taught. I have been "planting seeds" for two years now with modest seedlings; I expect 2008 will begin a strong harvest and I am so excited. THANKS Dirk!

Thanks so much for this book! It has really helped me get my team back up and running after taking a break in management. I learned from the first page to change some of the things I had been doing and have used it as a workbook in setting up systems and my business plan for the new year as I re-grow my team.

Dirk Zeller is one of the few who really understands the business of real estate and what it takes to be a top agent. This book follows on from his greatest work "The Champion Real Estate Agent" and outlines a blue print for and how to build a team - not just any team. A Champion team. His writing style is clear, incisive and he pulls no punches and tells it - like it is. Lots of great advice from someone who has been in the trenches and knows what it takes and needed to be great at this business. A great read and I look forward to implementing what he has written. Zeller has provided the blue print - the point is to now go and make it happen everyday.

I was so impressed with this book I ordered one for my Broker. It is clearly written, factual and has a real plan that I believe can help you develop a Great real estate team. This is for Brokers and agents - oh by the way there is also a book titled the Champion Real Estate Agent. It is equally helpful and should be on every real estate person's reading list.The Champion Real Estate Agent

What a wonderfully clear and helpful book on the subject of coaching from a Christian perspective. Something seems to be missing from the process of taking new believers on the journey of spiritual maturity. Perhaps what has been missing is the element of coaching. Miller has, from her vast experience, written a very helpful book for the Christian seeking to understand the wonderful help coaching can bring to that process. This book is helpful, engaging and well written.Christ -centered Coaching: 7 Benefits for Ministry Leaders (TCP Leadership Series)

Linda Miller and Chad Hall have taken lessons from their Corporate and Church leadership experience and created an easy read with much practical advice for those who wish to provide meaningful leadership to their organiations/ministries. Anyone who is wrestling with how best to apply coaching to the leadership role should read this for process and practice coaching.

Well, it is a good read, but not quite the 'practical guide' to coaching I had expected. As a coach, the title, etc. caught my eye as just what it said it was - a practical guide to coaching. I expected a book geared for coaches (or potential coaches). Instead, the book seems like it can't quite make up its mind whether it's written for them or for those simply searching for a coach or wondering what good a coach might be.

Linda Miller and Chad Hall have produced a helpful introduction to Christian coaching. The strength of the book lies in its balance of explaining coaching skills, benefits, and uses of coaching in Christian ministry.

The "how to" section is roughly half the book (70 pages). These chapters introduce 8 basic coaching skills, with Listening and Asking Precise Questions getting the most coverage. The teaching is correct, helpful, and up to professional standards (Miller is an ICF Master Certified Coach working for The Ken Blanchard Companies). However, the book suffers the same fate as so many introductions: There's not enough "how to" for someone to pick up the book and significantly improved their ability to coach. (The best Christian "how to" coaching book is Leadership Coaching: The Disciplines, Skills, and Heart of a Christian Coach.)

Practical examples throughout the book demonstrate the benefits of coaching in a wide variety of settings and from a variety of helping roles. In fact, the unique contribution that Coaching For Christian Leaders makes is the summary of how to use a coaching approach in different leadership roles (leading, visioning, managing, and shepherding), and in church ministry.

Many authors and readers have trouble translating the formal coach-coachee relationship to a more spontaneous, informal relationship of using coaching skills in everyday interactions. Here Miller and Hall excel. They take the longest chapter (26 pages) to outline coaching in the church. They give a page or two to a coaching approach to:
+ Preaching
+ Sacraments
+ Prayer
+ Building Community with One Another
+ Spiritual Growth
+ Spiritual Friendships
+ Ministry Teams
+ Service to Those in Need
+ Evangelism
The cumulative effect is a beautiful picture of how coaching skills can be used in everyday interactions in the church to empower and draw out the potential of people.

Currently, Coaching For Christian Leaders the best introduction to coaching from a Christian perspective, although the subtitle, "A Practical Guide," is a bit of a stretch.

If you're looking for a well-rounded book to introduce Christian coaching, this is it.

This practical guide is just that! Linda and Chad provide great background for Christian coaching as well as practical examples to help bring the concepts to life.

Our organization deals with numerous small businesses that have no end of employee problems. Invaribly, these problems show up as a reduced bottom line.

This book contains concise, easy to read, common sense approaches for coaching employees to achieve their personal and professional goals.

Each client that comes to us for consulting is given a copy of "Coaching Illustrated," and told to read it before we set down to examine their business. Once the clients have read "Coaching Illustrated" they are better able to see where they need improvement and understand the steps they need to go through in order to achieve their desired results.

This book helps us help our clients get their employees working for the same things, e.g., increased profits, job satisfaction, recognition, etc.

I, and my organization, strongly recommend this book as an accessible approach to practical coaching.

Coaching Illustrated is Top-Notch! The format is very easy to follow--you know what to expect on each step--and it does not intimidate you if you think you don't have time to read. The illustrations are pleasant and help drive the points home.

A great book. The solid, proven ideas provide ways to change my day-to-day approach. Just another excellent tool from the Mark David inventory for success.

Coaching Illustrated is definitely on the "Refer-to and regularly re-read" shelf versus the "Read once and store" shelf.

This isn't the standard, stodgy management-bible type of book. It is very easy to follow. I'm a big believer in brevity and clarity--most books don't have these two characteristics. Coaching Illustrated has both. The illustrations are good tie-ins with the principles--they help you visualize actually doing something.

I enjoyed this book. A nice compilation of clear tenets with good guidance on actually implementing change into one's coaching.

I believe front-line managers will pick up concepts they can implement immediately. Compared to other management books I have read, Coaching Illustrated is unique in its concept and design, while it is also more practically focused.

Coaching Illustrated: A Proven Approach To Real-World Management is an effective, well-formatted, fun to read and easy to follow guide which is packed with essential, pragmatic, business management wisdom. Archetypal visuals introduce each section and each section concludes with an example of the wisdom discussed. Coaching Illustrated is as reader friendly as it is informative, practical, and even inspirational for anyone with corporate managerial or supervisory responsibilities.

I have thoroughly enjoyed this book. As someone new to collaborative learning, this book was a great complement to my class on collaborative learning and provided a ton of ideas for my class project.

The book was sent in excellent condition in the time frame promised. I would higly recommend this seller to anyone.

This college handbook for group learning techniques is practical and common sensical. It covers basic information on the formation of groups, ideas for various classroom situations and settings, and methods of evaluations. Instructors should use various forms of evaluation in the classroom, and this text gives the instructor concrete methods to carry out the collaborative learning method. It is a wonderful tool for any college instructor and answers some of the questions concerning this form of evaluation.

Collaborative Learning Techniques is an excellent resource that highlights practical strategies that can be realistically implemented. The implementation of group work can be very challenging, but the authors have provided (throughout their book) very clear examples. Such illustrations contain great
in-depth details so that other faculty can easily understand how to implement these different techniques. These strategies also seek to improve numerous types of outcomes including writing, problem solving, and class participation in discussions. Overall, this is a very rich resource providing a comprehensive overview of important collaborative learning techniques.

Collaborative Learning Techniques is both a "how to" and a "why to" guide to collaborative learning. By providing simple, easy-to-follow examples of 30 collaborative learning techniques, it provides a starting point for faculty who wish to experiment with collaborative learning in their classrooms. Each technique is described in detail followed by several examples from a variety of disciplines. I particularly appreciated the observations and advice section and the tips for adapting to on-line environments. More importantly, however, this text goes beyond describing a few teaching tricks. By exploring the theory and research on collaborative learning it also facilitates "deeper learning" about why we do what we do in collaborative learning classrooms. Even faculty who have been using collaborative learning techniques for years will gain new insights from the authors' discussion of the nuances of a truly collaborative classroom.

Many books on influence and persuasion give "5 steps" or "10 laws." This book takes you beyond concept and anecdotes, or "the Walk" of inlfuence and gives you the tools to look and your own communication behavior, or "the Talk." In very practical ways, you can begin to assess your own communication choices and make simple alterations that can help you connect with others and talk about the practical matters of getting things done- together!

Exercising Influence is one of the most useul books I've read in years. I'm tempted to buy a dozen or so copies as gifts for some of the miserably untalanted negotiators I've encountered in my two decades of practicing law. The book taught me two things (at least) of significant personal value:(1)The skills necessary for selling one's point of view to others can be learned; (2) These same skills overlap and improve one's abilities in the related areas of mobilizing public opinion; motivating partners, employees, and family members; communicating authority; making an impact; exercising leadership at home, in business, and in the community; getting results with and through others; implementing ideas; and making a positive difference. This eminently readable book is filled with charts, graphs, examples, tips, and instructions. What the book teaches is practical and immediately applicable to real-world situations. Kim Barnes'20 years of studying, writing about, and teaching the subject are amply in evidence in Exercising Influence. It deserves, and likely will receive, a wide and receptive readership. Five stars.

Exercising Influence reveals many uncommon, unrecognized flaws of casual, ineffective influencing. The author approaches this skill, as you would a physical skill- build up your strengths, address your weaknesses, try and make mistakes. Repeat. Plus, every chapter concludes with application tips. Highly recommended for anyone trying to lead change- at work, home or in communities.

This book can make it a lot easier to deal with people. Not just difficult people, but everyone in your life. After reading the book and practicing the principles, I began to see how ineffectual many of my influence "tactics" were. They were ineffective in that they didn't help me to get what I wanted, or I did get what I wanted but in a way that made it much harder the next time to get something from that person.

You can apply these influence principles anywhere. I also enjoyed the focus on balance between "receptive" and "expressive" behaviors. It's amazing when you start to use new behaviors how soon you get new results that were near impossible the old way.

Exercising Influence is and excellent book! I have read many books on influence and power and this one tops them all. It is based on solid theoretical underpinnings while at the same time being practical, actionable, and straightforward. I plan to use it extensively in my executive coaching practice. It provides lots of models, action steps, and guidelines which can be used by executives at all levels as well as by individuals in other walks of life. I have been hunting for such a practical explanation of a difficult subject. Pleased to say, I have found it in Kim Barne's book1

Jenifer Renzel, President, The Aptos Group, Aptos, California

MY SON COULDN'T PUT IT DOWN AFTER HE OPENED IT UP XMAS MORNING. I'LL GET HIS REVIEW.

"Glory for Sale" is full of the sort of detail most football fans only dream of accessing...the book enables readers to become part of the franchise process, to feel as though they were actually there. Jon Morgan's style is fluid and literary, and the book, however intricate, reads as easily as a novel. This is a must-read for anyone interested in the world of sports, and for anyone with a solid appreciation for plain old good writing.

Morgan goes through excruciating detail as to how the cities of Cleveland and Baltimore will now be forever conjoined. The book gives the reader a true perspective of the shenanigans by owners who are looking for the "easy money" of professional sports and how they will stoop to breaking the hearts of thousands of loyal fans just to fatten their wallets. Not only does it cut to the quick about the move of the Cleveland Browns to Baltimore; it also touches off on that fateful winter's night when Bob Irsay packed the beloved Colts onto the Mayflower trucks and stole away the heart of a city. A great read for Clevelanders and Baltimoreans alike; both of which can take small consolation that the heartbreaks of '84 and '95 will finally be resolved when the Browns return next August.

Why do elected officials at the state and city level continue to prostrate themselves before professional sports teams? Jon Morgan uses one of the most controversial team transfers of all time to examine a serious public policy issue with bright, jargon-free writing that cuts to the heart of these issues. If you're a taxpayer who's ever wondered about whether sports teams really goose the local economy, you need to read Glory for Sale.

If you have any interest in sports, you have to read Glory for Sale. Jon Morgan has written a fascinating and carefully crafted book about the inner workings of professional sports. Few of us have ever been privy to the secret meetings, the betrayal, the calculated lies, and the greed at work whenever a professional sports franchise tears free from a city. This book is more than the tale of Art Modell's apostasy, it is the frightening blueprint for a society whose religion sports is founded on a single commandment: Thou shalt win. -- Tim Green, author of The Dark Side of the Game and sports commentator for ABC's "Good Morning America," "NFL on Fox," and NPR's "Morning Edition

Glory for Sale is a fascinating read. Morgan manages to penetrate the personalities and structures of the NFL in a lucid and compelling fashion while providing a probing and critical analysis of city stadium subsidies, franchise movements and the business of football. -- Andrew Zimbalist, author of Baseball & Billions: A Probing Look Inside the Big Business of Our National Pastime and co-author of Sports Jobs and Tax: Economic Impact of Sports Teams and Facilities

. . . a detailed, engrossing and fast-paced account of am increasingly volatile aspect of sports. -- Bortz & Co., Sports and Media Consultants

Team relocation is a controversial and complex issue that hotly divides avid sports fans. Jon Morgan's Glory for Sale insightfully lays out the importance of stadium economics in building a competitive team, and it clearly, easily explains why teams move. It is one of the best analyses I've read. --Paul J. Much, Houlihan Lokey Howard & Zukin (financial advisor on sports economics to teams, leagues, stadiums, and governmental agencies)

Great techniques for leaders to reach into their teams to identify strengths and barriers to high performance. More importantly, you gain insights into aligning behaviors with agreed upon actions that improve team effectiveness to achieve business results. Relevant and Actionable !

Many books come across my desk as a department chair, and I send most to junior faculty to read. I held on to this one because I couldn't put it down. Very well written. Flawlessly edited. Full of content and references to business. In my last book about leadership In Extremis Leadership: Leading As If Your Life Depended On It (J-B Leader to Leader Institute/PF Drucker Foundation) I wrote about high performing teams in high risk contexts. But Guttman's book has much broader applicability and is laser focused on teams--it will soon be a classic among leaders and managers. It's the best book I read all summer. Great Business Teams will find its way into my classroom, but I'm even more excited about applying the ideas in this book to the teams that I help lead. This one's a gem. Tom Kolditz

I am a small business owner who was very impressed with this book. It was very interesting reading about the team strategies that work best in corporate America.

I used to think that it was impossible to create a high performing business team. My thinking was guided by the old axiom that you cannot teach an old dog a new trick. This book totally changed my viewpoint by showing me not only how it can be done, but tangible proof that it works. I found this book to be insightful, practical, well-organized and extremely useful. I particularly enjoyed the discussion about "the five musts for building great organizations." This book should be required reading for all managers and executives.

This book really brings it home. Using the experiences of real business teams as the backdrop for how "standout" teams are successfully created makes this book an easy read. Any business leader knows that building high performing teams is not a simple task. "Great Business Teams" takes you through the team process in an understandable step by step progression. In today's competitive arena, this book is a business leader's must read.

A good read for those looking who want to go get more results out of meetings. If anyone is leading your meetings and is doing it in a dysfunctional way, give this to them. It will help. The book Leading Groups to Solutions: A Practical Guide for Facilitators and Team Members is also good to give to those who need help. It is a little different this one, but helps with groups and team meetings. Overall a good solid 4 stars!

This is a revised and expanded edition of a book which has proven especially helpful to those responsible for planning and conducting meetings but also to those who need to improve their presentation skills in other situations such as when meeting with a supervisor (e.g. to provide a progress report) or with a client (e.g. to make recommendations concerning new initiatives). Kelsey and Plumb are professional meeting facilitators who also train others to become effective facilitators. In this new edition, they share much of the same material found in the first edition (Great Meetings! How to Facilitate Like a Pro) but develop it in much greater depth, in response to extensive feedback which they have obtained since 1997. They respond to questions such as these:

What distinguishes facilitation from meeting organization, process design, process coaching, and organizational development consulting?
How to achieve effective group dynamics?
How best to prepare for a meeting?
How to design a great meeting?
Which three basic process steps are involved?
Which tools are needed to generate and evaluate ideas which result in appropriate decisions?
How to maximize a group's potential?
Which skills are need to promote positive communication?
How best to avoid or resolve conflicts?
When should a facilitator intervene in a group discussion? (When not to?)
How to enhance the group discussion with graphics? How best to integrate them?
Which personal issues are most significant to effective facilitation?

Kelsey and Plumb offer countless suggestions as to What to do, How to do it, What NOT to do, and Why. Those who are relatively inexperienced in terms of meeting facilitation will probably derive the greatest value from this book but I think it can also be of substantial benefit to others in need of fresh perspectives, sharper skills, and additional tools as they prepare to facilitate the next group meeting. When concluding this brief commentary, I presume to share a few thoughts of my own. First, make certain that there is a compelling need for a meeting. Second, include only those who are essential to the success of the meeting. Third, share the agenda in advance. Fourth, identify specific objectives and limit the discussion to achieving them. Finally, make certain when determining next steps that each task has an "owner" and a deadline. Follow up to ensure that everyone follows through. Without direct accountability, nothing will be accomplished.

This book is 15% theory, and 85% practical tools and techniques. Anybody responsible for facilitating any kind of meeting will find this book to be a treasure trove of helpful ideas, and welcome wisdom. It's light-hearted and easy to read. I'd be comfortable giving it to somebody quite inexperienced in running meetings, but also found much that spoke to this seasoned practitioner.

As the authors note in their introduction, "Meetings take planning and preparation to be successful. Agendas need to be designed carefully ... Managing a meeting takes a host of facilitation skills and a full bag of process tools." This book addresses all these needs in a very direct manner.

Wonderful book. As an organization consultant and facilitator I give it away to clients; sell it to people I'm training; gave it to my son and son-in-law to help them understand faciltation - and lots of other stuff as well.

It is much richer than just meeting management. Buy it! you'll find it really helpful.

I have used Great Meetings alongside several other facilitation texts for several years in a course on group facilitation in the Conflict Transformation Program at Eastern Mennonite University. Recently a student in our program wrote an enthusiastic review. She has many years of experience as a community facilitator and has demonstrated herself to be highly knowledgeable and competent. With permission of the author, Phoebe Kilby, owner of Sympoetica, phoebek@sympoetica.net, I post it below. This is a review of the 2003 edition of the book. The book has been republished in a 2004 edition.
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Until I read Great Meetings! I thought the The Facilitator¡¦s Fieldbook by Thomas Justice and David W. Jamieson was one of the best books I had read on facilitation. I have used the latter a number of times as a reference to help me solve particular facilitation challenges. Now reading Great Meetings!, I found myself inspired to raise my facilitation to a higher level. Great Meetings! provides insights into facilitation as an art and by doing so I think it inspires more creativity.

On first reading, one might think that this book is just a beginner¡¦s introduction to facilitation. Actually, I have taught graduate courses in urban planning and would use this book enthusiastically if I had the opportunity to teach again. A great deal of most planners¡¦ work involves meeting facilitation, particularly facilitation of citizen task force meetings and open public forums and workshops. Even though I have been facilitating for many years, I still found this book very engaging and can see its potential usefulness. It is not organized like a reference guidebook. Rather it takes the reader through the whole process of planning for and conducting a meeting as well as various facilitation techniques in an easy-to-read style that is better consumed in one reading and taken as a whole like a novel. The writing has a flow that allows a more holistic understanding of facilitation. This is helpful for students and seasoned facilitators alike.

I found the conclusion of the book particularly insightful. Here is where the authors expound on essence of facilitation. Facilitation, while improved by technical skills, is really an art. It is not predictable or formulaic, because people are not so. Each time we work with people in a group, we learn something new about group dynamics. This requires us to respond in creative ways. Great meetings! encourages us to use our creativity.

I also enjoyed thinking about the facilitator as being on a continuum between meeting planner on the one end and therapist on the other. Arnold Mindell in his book Sitting in the Fire approaches facilitation very much like a therapist and in my opinion goes too far into group therapy to offer useful guidance to persons lacking his level of training in psychology. The Facilitator¡¦s Fieldbook is perhaps too formulaic and closer to the meeting planner end of the spectrum. Great Meetings! I think strikes the right balance.

Also, Great Meetings! is the first book I have encountered that describes well the type of facilitator that we planners often are ¡V the facilitator/expert. We are rarely purely facilitators. We facilitate meetings as just one part of our practice, since we are expected to be experts in urban planning and thus to offer advice to our groups on technical planning matters. The authors legitimize this role by articulating the primary reason why this has always seemed acceptable to us. While we have ¡§content expertise,¡¨ we do not have a stake in the outcome of the group¡¦s work. In other words, most of us now accept that we are here to help communities evolve into the type of community the citizens would like. We are not here to tell them what to do, but to help them to discover their goals and to help them find ways to achieve the goals.

Another set of insights I gained from this book that I have not seen in other books on facilitation are ideas about the ethics of facilitation, and particularly, when to say ¡§no.¡¨ Planners should ask themselves the questions on pages 161 and 162 before they agree to facilitate a project. Recently, I turned down a consulting job for one of the reasons the authors cite; it was ¡§a thinly veiled attempt for someone to put forth his own agenda.¡¨ The mayor of a small town called me to ask me to help a steering committee prepare a draft land use plan. He admitted to me he saw no point in this exercise, except that the county was pushing for this as a precursor to annexation. A developer had already given the mayor a plan for the annexation property that the mayor thought was just fine. He clearly was going to use the process as a way to legitimize a decision he had already made with no idea of really consulting the steering committee honestly. I was not comfortable with what appeared to me to be a sham of a process, so I declined. Another consultant took the job, and I had wondered whether I had been smart to give away work that another consultant was glad to have and told me so. This book helped me confirm that I had made the right decision.

I looked for weaknesses in Great Meetings!, but could not find much to report. It may be more difficult to use as a reference guide than The Facilitator¡¦s Handbook, but on the other hand, the chapter headings in the table of contents are clearly written and should be all you need to find the information you seek. Some of the warm-up exercises presented on pages 95 to 102 could appear lame to some groups or appear to trivialize the importance of the meeting if it involves a major conflict. On the other hand, the exercises are creative and fun. Perhaps, they would allow creative solutions to follow.

I found many more strengths than weaknesses. The book provides some good ideas on proper attitudes for facilitators on page 10. These are worth repeating:
„X Servant of the group and its process
„X Respect and compassion
„X Positive
„X Flexible
„X Non-defensive
„X Neutral
Other books may cover most of these, but I have seen few talk about compassion. This is something we all need to strive for, even (or especially) when there are difficult people in the group.

The book¡¦s discussion of group dynamics, while not an academically in depth analysis, is presented in a very accessible, comprehensive and easy-to-use way. For each group dynamic factor, the authors on pages 20-22 provide possible implications and/or interventions for facilitation. We are given insights into group dynamics, and then are provided tips on how to deal with them. This type of practical advice is carried over into the discussion of the various stages of group development: forming, storming, norming, performing. Many facilitation books discuss these stages. This book also provides specific tasks for the facilitator to carry out at each stage.

While I have said that this book is not like reference book, it does offer a few excellent checklists, like the meeting preparation checklist on pages 36-37 and the meeting location and facilities checklists on pages 48 and 49.

I also liked that the authors not only provide clear descriptions of problem solving tools, they tell which ones to use when, that is, when you are:
Defining and analyzing the problem
Visioning the ideal goal or preferred future state
Gathering information
Generating ideas
Clarifying, evaluating and narrowing options, and
Making the final decision
Planners could develop a whole process containing a series of meetings using this outline and the appropriate problem solving methods for each stage in the problem solving process.

Finally, I think the intervention case studies in Chapter 10 are very enlightening. They illustrate well how the various facilitation techniques can be used in plausible settings. These case studies would be particularly good reading for students who do not have much practical experience. Even seasoned facilitators might have an ¡§Ah! Ha!¡¨ moment, when they say, ¡§Oh that¡¦s what I could have done instead.¡¨

So, facilitators, read Great Meetings! one evening and enjoy a practical non-cookbook, non-academic guide to the art of facilitation.

This book was a popular success and it inspired the production of first rate documentary film. Hank Greenberg was a phenomenal baseball player, who perfected his hitting techniques through long hours of practice. As one of the few Jewish athletes in professional sports, Greenberg, who was largely secular in his personal life, became a target for anti-Semites and a symbol to Jewish children and sports fans. Although raised in New York, Greenberg was signed by the Detroit Tigers and spent most of his career in the Motor City. He played on four pennant teams, including two World Series champions. He served in World War Two and rejoined the Tigers in time to help the club win 1945 pennant by hitting a grand slam on the last day of the season. Greenberg won the American League MVP award at two different positions, first base and outfield. He was a productive slugger who drove in runs constantly. Greenberg felt RBIs were the most important statistical category for hitters. After his playing career concluded with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Greenberg became a baseball executive, but the book does not dwell on that too much. Nevertheless, this autobiography is most enjoyable. Greenberg died before completing the manuscript, but a capable baseball writer, Ira Berkow, was able to finish the book.

Reading this book gave me a good understanding of Hank Greenberg the ballplayer as well as Hank Greenberg the man. In terms of the former, Greenberg's words as well as the words of others make it quite clear that he was extremely competitive and incredibly hard working as well. These attributes, as well as his size, strength, and intelligence were undoubtedly of the utmost importance in the making of a Hall of Fame performer.

Of course, Greenberg was more than just a baseball player, and one thing that impressed me as I read this book was his ability as a businessman. It's obvious that he handled his own contract negotiations quite well when he was playing, and as we learn in this book, he also became an accomplished baseball executive as well as a capable stock market investor after his playing days were over.

I assume that most people know about the anti-Semitic taunts that Greenberg had do deal with when he played, and this is certainly one aspect of his experience that is captured in the book. However, more importantly, his story allows us to understand that while he hated those taunts, he also used them to motivate himself. This I found most impressive.

Hank Greenberg was certainly not a perfect man, and reading between the lines I can see how his competitive nature and his pride might have rubbed some people the wrong way. Yet, all in all, he comes across as a thoughtful and generous person, and as a role model for past, present, and future generations.

This revealing autobiography of slugger Hank Greenberg (1911-1986) makes for excellent reading. Greenberg was baseball's first Jewish superstar, a massive (6-4, 215 lbs), popular, intelligent player. Greenberg's immigrant parents disliked his decision to play baseball, but by the mid-1930's he was slugging the Detroit Tigers to pennants and his mother found herself a celebrity in her mostly-Jewish neighborhood in the Bronx. Greenberg's popularity probably reduced the amount of anti-Semitic abuse he faced - abuse that he often answered with his bat. Greenberg lost nearly five seasons to military service during World War II, and he left the game after 1947 to become a talented baseball executive and later an investment broker. All is described in these readable pages, along with Greenberg's views on famous controversies. Did opposing hurlers purposely walk him as he closed in on Babe Ruth's home run record in 1938? Was he unfairly drafted prior to Pearl Harbor? Should he play on major Jewish holidays? His answers ("no") are given at length. In his last year with Pittsburgh, Greenberg also encouraged a rookie named Jackie Robinson who faced similar but much greater abuse.

Greenberg was intelligent, dedicated, and surprisingly modest. He passed away before this book was finished, at which point journalist Ira Berkow filled in the gaps with interviews and anecdotes. This is an intelligent and readable biography about one of baseball's most impressive men.

Hank Greenberg's parents and the people of his neighborhood thought he would be a 'bum' because all he wanted to do was play ball. As a child and young man he played and practiced. And awkward because of his unusual height and size he in a way hid from the world by being on the ballfield. As a result of this practice he became one of the greatest right- hand hitters the game ever saw, and the first great Jewish baseball star.
This book tells his story with clarity, and frankness. It very much captures the spirit of a more innocent time. It too is an example of the American dream come true, of how through hard work and application one can rise to the top.
Greenberg missed four years of his career because of the Second World War but when he came home he again led his team to a world - championship.
He also proved himself a person of character in the way he dealt with the many insults he received from other ballplayers. He used them to help further motivate himself to excellence on the playing field.
His parents again feared that he would become a 'bum'. But instead he proved to be one of the greatest long-ball hitters the game has ever seen.

Ira Berkow did a great job writing about Hank Greenberg's life. He has written several books on sport figures. Because of his career as a sport writer and book reviewer I feel he did a nice job with interviewing people and getting information about Hank Greenberg. The book takes a great look at Hank Greenberg life with all his accomplishments. Not only should it be read by every Tiger fan but also every baseball fans in general. Although he missed time through injuries, military service, and early retirement, Greenberg still ranks as one of the most fearsome sluggers in baseball history. The powerful right-hander played only the equivalent of nine and a half seasons, yet produced outstanding career totals as well as exceptional season marks. A native New Yorker, Greenberg was the son of Rumanian born Jewish immigrants who owned a successful cloth shrinking plant. Hank graduated from James Monroe High School in the Bronx, the attended New York University on an athletic scholarship for one semester before beginning his professional baseball career. The 6'4 215 lb. Greenberg's athletic success stemmed from size, strength, and hard work, more than native talent. His high school coach explained: "Hank was so big for his age and so awkward that he became painfully self conscious. The fear of being made to look foolish drove him to practice constantly and, as a result, to overcome his handicaps." Greenberg also took a lot of cruel comments about his religion which made him even a stronger person. He played for the majors from 1933 - 1947 first with the Detroit Tigers and one year with Pittsburgh Pirates. One of the most important decision he had to make was whether to play on a Jewish holiday. He choose not to and that was a very important statement about his heritage. Hank Greenberg retired in 1947 and becomes a smart business man and an excellent Farm Director for the Indians. I feel Hank Greenberg was a success in many things in his life, a truly one of a kind man and a book everyone should read. I applaud Ira Berkow for his commitment to the book.

I was always thought that Myers-Briggs was the queen of personality theories, until I read this book. After reading this book, I was able to work much more efficiently with one of my co-workers (with whom I previously felt like I was always spinning wheels and getting no where in terms of accomplishing work tasks). This book also offered specific tips that improved my communication with my roommates. I've always been intrigued by personality theories, but this is the first system that I was able to seamlessly implement in my life, with positive outcomes. Unlike a lot of personality theories, you don't have to give everyone a 20-page questionnaire and then scratch your head trying to figure out how these newly found "insights" might inform your interaction. No, it's much less awkward and much more useful than that. It gives you simple, specific cues to look for to assess the person's preferred mode of functioning, along with specific tips to improve your interaction. (Don't get me wrong, I still think that Myers-Briggs is good, but this book is so much better, that even if you dislike Myers-Briggs or personality tests in general, I'd recommend giving this book a try.)

It is obvious that Dr. Seagal has worked extremely hard to confirm her research since 1979. Her style of writing is clear, concise and void of jargon. I found the content easy to absorb, understand and apply. Just the heightend awarness of how diverse we are has made a significant difference in how I work and related to people. I can see some real possibilities for applying in a business context.

the first time that I have found an approach which looks at humans holistically and systemically. It is not a group of personality characteristics describing superficial behaviours, but a way of understanding and recognising internal processes particular to various human dynamics. It therefore goes much deeper than any other personality assessment technique I have seen and because of this can not be reduced to a paper and pencil test. However, the gift this approach brings is that it can be taught to everyday people and can provide access to better relationships and a greater understanding of how to release our judgement of others. A truly life changing book.

If you have found most personality tests insignificant, unhelpful, or unrevealing, then perhaps this book is for you. Human Dynamics goes into much more depth and provides a greater understanding of human communication and actions than any simple personality test. While people can be placed into certain "dynamics," these dynamics are not nearly as restraining or stereotypical as personality tests tend to be. Rather than explaining one's personality, dynamics explain how groups of people tend to process information, not necessarily how aggressive, passive, or "likeable" they are. This book helped me in terms of personal discovery, and has also helped me understand why it always seemed that so many people "just never seemed to think like me."

Models to describe human personality are presented. Each model has it unique characteristics, its strengths and weaknesses. Each model will respond most effectively to certain modes of communications. This understanding of the different models presented will help a manager, a teacher, a student or just about anybody to understand themselves and people around them better. This will enable better communication of ideas and thoughts. Students will learn better and managers will be able to communicate more effectively with individuals. The models can be taken up to an organizational level. The applications of this book are far and wide. It is also simply and clearly written.