Filed under: Books in General, From the Editor, General Business | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Collection
Say what you’d like about the continuing decline of the printed word, but The New York Times, particularly its Sunday magazine, is still delivering the goods. I have to offer full congratulations to Sara Corbett for writing one of the most captivating articles I’ve read in months. She tells the story of the upcoming publication of a long-hidden manuscript from psychology pioneer Carl Jung. As Corbett notes in her opening paragraphs, the story behind Jung’s long-sought book reads like the script for an adventure film. The fact that Jung’s work is in the process of being published is a delight to the scores of devotees who practice Jungian psychology, or at the very least, are interested in the depths of human consciousness.
This led me to speculate about the possibility of unpublished books in general and business books in particular. Suppose Dale Carnegie (who is profiled in this summary) wrote a sequel to How to Win Friends and Influence People? What if in some crate in a government warehouse, tucked comfortably next to the Ark of the Covenant, there were manuscripts for additional titles by Peter Drucker or Warren Buffett?
It seems odd to consider such a prospect, but there is no limit to what scholars are able to mine from the legacy of the greats in each industry. In many cases, as in the case of Jung, the decision to make available previously unreleased material falls to the estate. Corbett’s story profiles the difficulty researchers have had in attempting to persuade Jung’s descendants to allow his secret “Red Book” to see the light of day. We’re fortunate that in the world of business books, authors generally do everything possible to allow their message to reach eager eyes and ears.
However, I can’t prevent myself from wondering … what if? In the meantime, do yourself a favor a check out Corbett’s piece. It makes for a great read while we’re waiting for the hidden tomes from business greats to be unearthed.
Filed under: Books in General, Collection, Small Business | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Collection, Small Business
Perhaps I’m being a bit harsh by describing the subject of this post as a drill sergeant. Drill sergeants get a bit of a bad rap. They’re men and women with an extremely difficult task. They have to mold and shape a rag-tag band of recruits into a disciplined unit that perfectly executes every maneuver. This requires intensity, tenacity and a devotion to perfection.
When it comes to boosting the current state of small businesses in the U.S., George Cloutier may be the right man to wear the stripes. As you’ll see in this press release from Reuters, Cloutier’s new book is drawing a critical eye from some reviewers. Many of the suggestions he makes will seem a bit harsh to some readers. However, small businesses rely on the dedication and labor of their owners to ensure their success. A small business run with an average amount of effort will remain small. It takes a special amount of drive to create real growth and survive the treacherous competitive waters.
I’m curious to see how the majority of the business book reading public will receive Cloutier’s Profits Aren’t Everything, They’re the Only Thing. Cloutier himself refers to many of his theories as “tough love,” a term that, while receding from society at large, is still quite prevalent in business. Every so often, a book comes along that provides the necessary swing of the boot to the backside of business. I can’t say for certain if Cloutier’s new release is that title, but in light of the U.S. recently marking one calendar year of recession, the timing is certainly right for such a book.
If you’d like to read some additional titles specifically designed to boost small business success, we’re featuring Soundview’s Small Business Collection right now on Summary.com.
Filed under: Books in General, Collection, Environment, From the Editor, Green, Sustainability, The Business of Green | Tags: Algalita Marine Research Foundation, Alguita, business books, Collection, Environment, Green, Saving the World at Work, Sustainability, The Business of Green, The Necessary Revolution
On Monday (Sept. 7) the oceanographic research vessel Alguita embarked on a 10th anniversary voyage to retrace its first trip to study plastic pollution in the Pacific Ocean. Specifically the course heads for “the great Pacific garbage patch” described in my Ocean Conservancy calendar as “A giant floating ‘continent’ of garbage, twice the size of Texas.”
Apparently it was during Captain Charles Moore’s Pacific Ocean crossing after the Transpacific Yacht Race in 1997 when he was heading back to California from Hawaii that he had the disturbing intersection with what ABC News subsequently described as 3.5 million tons of trash that is 80 percent plastic.
Captain Moore founded the Algalita Marine Research Foundation, which owns the ORV Alguita, and has ever since surrendered his time and resources to examining the impact of this massive floating swill, increasing awareness about it, and figuring out how to get rid of it. A July 2008 Discover magazine article described how in this particular area of the Pacific there is a series of currents several thousand miles wide that swirl together ensnaring trash and debris from North America, Asia and the Hawaiian Islands. The tricky part, as far as funding research and assigning cleanup dollars, is that the open ocean waters of the world are a difficult place to justify government spending.
I confess I had never heard about this huge floating garbage patch before. It makes me realize that we should be continuously promoting and adding to our Soundview Business of Green collection to give people access to information about sustainability and responsible business practices. Two other important books that we have summarized, Saving the World at Work and The Necessary Revolution shout out the importance of being environmentally responsible at work and home.
With fresh summer memories typically embracing a waterview that we choose to savor until next year, this topic captures another picture we shouldn’t quickly forget.
Filed under: Books in General, From the Editor, General Business, Leadership, Marketing, Success | Tags: Business, business books, career skills, Collection, Leadership, management, Marketing, Strategic Management
I tend to be one of those people who gets caught up in the moment. Much of my time is spent looking ahead to upcoming business titles and working with our editorial team to chart out the trends in business publishing. The downside is there’s often little time left for looking back.
What tends to spark those rare moments of reflection is when I read something online or am doing a bit of research on a past event, such as this list of world headlines from 1999. In those moments I tend to shudder and think to myself, “Wow, that was 10 years ago … already!” While this statement is generally followed by a lament about my age, sometimes it causes me to look back at the titles that we’ve covered.
I’m always grateful for these moments because it’s in them that I see the continued relevance of many of our summaries. There’s a reason that James Collins and Jerry Porras’ Built to Last is still among our top sellers five years after its release. The business book world is one in which a high percentage of titles released in a given year are deemed out-of-date within a year of their debut. Fortunately, part of our selection process is to give subscribers summaries of books that we know will be around for some time.
The culmination of our efforts is now available for your benefit. Soundview is now offering a Premium Online Subscription. This subscription gives you full access to our entire online library. That’s 10 years of summaries! The library is completely searchable by title, author and subject.
Visit us at Summary.com for more information. Sometimes the best way to look ahead is to look back first.
Filed under: Books in General, Collection, From the Editor, General Business, Leadership, Strategic Management, Success | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, career skills, Collection, Leadership, Strategic Management, strategies
When was the last time you were lost? Take a minute and think about it. When was the last time that you were unable to find your way from point A to point B? Now that we live under the constant glare of the electric eye known as GPS, we don’t spend too much time worrying about where we’re going. The wilderness (what little of it remains) is probably the last place where there are no guarantees that if we veer off the clearly marked path, we’ll find our way home again.
The fear generated by being lost is something both films and novels have used to great effect over the years. One way to up the tension level is to have the character make what seems to be a life-saving turn only to discover that he or she has been walking in a complete circle. According to a recent study on a German TV show, discussed in this Science magazine blog , walking in circles may not be a plot-device invented by writers.
The fear of getting lost evaporates when we take the time to prepare the course we plan to travel. The same rule applies in business as it does in exploration. A well-planned strategy is a business’s map to its eventual destination. When we don’t take the time to look ahead to the potential barriers that may stand in our way, we inevitably seem to go around in circles attempting to solve these issues.
If you’re preparing to set your course for success, Soundview has something that may help you with your plotting. The brand new Soundview Strategy in Business Collection presents summaries from 25 books that cover every angle of designing and executing a successful strategy. Order your copy by clicking on this link. Consider it a GPS for CEOs.
Filed under: Books in General, Collection, Green, The Business of Green | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Collection, Green, Sustainability, The Business of Green
One of my joys as editor in chief is reviewing the numerous book reviews that are submitted to us. We have a talented pool of writers who imbue their reviews with style and creativity. From the monthly allotment, we provide the best reviews on Summary.com for FREE. It just takes the simple step of signing up for a log-in.
Of course, my appetite for reviews doesn’t stop with the ones that fill my inbox. I go in search of intriguing reviews from many outlets, both print and online. This review, furnished by Matter Network via the folks at Reuters, deals with Andrew Winston’s book Green Recovery, published by our friends at Harvard Business School Press.
The review, as well as the book itself, make the case for continued emphasis on green thinking in business. With the recent battles over health care and the continued concern about the jobless rate in the United States, there may be those who assume that the green movement is pushed onto the side-table until other issues are resolved. This is a bit foolhardy, and Winston devotes a good bit of his effort to assert the needs of businesses of all sizes to not take their eye off the globe. Winston’s six business trends are among those commonly named drivers of the green business movement, and each has enough push behind it to ensure that it won’t leave the agenda in any boardroom for some time.
If you have a particular interest in the impact of the search for sustainability on the business world, I’d recommend Soundview’s collection The Business of Green. We compiled 11 of the most important books written to date on the subjects that rest beneath the green banner. It wouldn’t hurt to get informed on environmental issues, because as Winston indicates, a company’s ecological practices will only come under greater scrutiny in the months and years ahead. Oh, and don’t worry about the footprint of our collection … it’s available in a variety electronic formats but not on paper. No trees were harmed in its creation.
Filed under: Books in General, Collection | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Collection, Peter Drucker
I’ve always found it interesting when someone is labeled “the father” of something, be it an invention, a movement, a philosophy or an innovation. Adam Smith is considered the father of economics for publishing his book The Wealth of Nations in 1776. Igor Sikorsky is called the father of the helicopter. It’s difficult to pick up a quarter or a one-dollar bill without attributing the phrase “the father of our country” to the man whose image adorns the currency.
Unfortunately, like some trash-filled cable talk show, a paternity dispute often arises. For example, here’s an article that debates whether Steve Jobs should be considered the father of the Macintosh computer. When it comes to the title of father of radio, the list reads like a roll call at the United Nations: Popov, De Forest, Marconi, Bose and Tesla.
Sometimes the person would prefer not to be known as the father of his particular offspring. This is allegedly the case with the late Robert Oppenheimer, the father of the atomic bomb. He was an individual whose greatest achievement was also used to cause incredible destruction and loss of life in an effort to end a war.
The event that triggered this discussion of paternal publicity is our new summary collection: The Peter Drucker Collection. Drucker is commonly considered to be the father of modern management. This collection includes 11 of his most profound titles, along with one bonus title that brings together his final thoughts on modern business, written by Elizabeth Hass Edershiem after 16 months of interviews just prior to Drucker’s death. Order your print Drucker Collection today and begin creating your future.
