Filed under: Books in General, Hands-On Management, Politics, Strategic Management, Teamwork | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Hands-On Management, Leadership, Politics, Strategic Management
I thought I’d test everyone’s media awareness level today. Do the names Tareq and Michaele Salahi ring any bells? They should if you’ve read any of the 7,600 (and counting) articles about the so-called “White House Gate Crashers.” You may have found yourself asking the same question I asked myself, “How did they pull this off?” I, for one, could never imagine strolling up to the gates of arguably the most famous residence in the United States and pulling the “I swear, my name is on the list!” maneuver. I’m afraid I’m not bold enough to try that at my favorite local bistro, much less at a state dinner.
While this event was, mercifully, a relatively benign problem at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, White House staff, the Secret Service, the media and the public are now locked in debate over who should shoulder the blame for the slip-up in security. The pressure in this situation is to immediately single out an individual, such as White House social secretary Desiree Rogers, to appease a public that wants answers. An easier, and more common method, is to blame an entire department, as many in the press are doing with the Secret Service. This can both satisfy a need for a scapegoat and prevent perceptions of cruelty by only pinning blame on one individual.
I bring all of this up because these events relate to a book we covered in our recent November edition. Roger Connors and Tom Smith wrote How Did That Happen? as a way to help find a positive, principled method for holding people accountable. The Secret Service is tasked with an incredibly tough assignment with no margin for error, and they perform brilliantly! The problem with high-profile jobs such as those fulfilled by Rogers and the Secret Service is that a single error can blot out the remarkable job done by both in all previous situations. Connors and Smith note that accountability has become so closely aligned with negative emotions that people in most organizations feel about it the way a child feels about a dentist’s drill.
While my name certainly won’t be on the list at the White House any time soon, I still wouldn’t mind a chance to slip someone a copy of our summary of How Did That Happen? It might make the process of understanding this recent breach a far more positive experience.
Filed under: Books in General, From the Editor, General Business, Hands-On Management, Leadership, Strategic Management | Tags: books, Business, business books, Hands-On Management, Leadership, management, Strategic Management
Whether your candidate won or lost yesterday, I think there’s one thing on which we can all agree: it’s nice to know that the political attack ads are over for a little while. I was getting a little tired of hearing two people give me reason after reason why their respective opponent is quite possibly the cause of every major disaster, both man-made and natural.
However, there may have been a few of you out there who got a little extra enjoyment yesterday from pulling a lever, checking a check-box or pushing a button (for as many candidates as there are, there’s also as many ways to vote for them). With that in mind, I’d like to run a little poll of my own. Our November summaries have been with our subscribers for a little while now, and I hope that all non-subscribers at least gave them a look and considered joining us. What I’d like to know is which of the three titles we featured is the one you deem most beneficial to you and your business?
Was it How Did That Happen? Roger Connors and Tom Smith’s look at creating a workable accountability system? Was it Emmanuel Gobillot’s Leadershift, a new look at the changing methods of leadership? Or was it Keith Ferrazzi’s Who’s Got Your Back? an in-depth look at building three key lifeline relationships?
Reply to this post and let me know which was your favorite and why. One thing is for certain, this is one race that I’m glad is too close to call.
Filed under: Books in General, Hands-On Management, Leadership, Strategic Management | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Hands-On Management, Leadership, Strategic Management
Here at Soundview, as we watch the steady flow of business books pour across our desk, there is a recurring trend that doesn’t speak well for bosses. It seems that many people aren’t happy with the way their boss does his or her job, and they’re looking for ways to either work around their boss or “manage” him or her.
The most recent title in this vein is Lead the Boss: The Subtle Art of Managing Up by John Baldoni. In the acknowledgment portion of his book, Baldoni says his urge to write the book began with the needs of the men and women executives who he has coached, many of whom were “excelling in their jobs but found it sometimes difficult to get the attention of, interact with, or persuade senior leaders.” “Leading your boss,” he tells us in the prologue, “is really a metaphor for leading from the middle,” which actually encompasses leading your boss, your peers and your team for the ultimate good of the organization.
Other similar books published in recent years include The 360 Degree Leader by John Maxwell, Leading Up by Michael Useem and Managing Up by Rosanne Badowski and Roger Gittines. Maxwell even ventures to say that “the reality is that 99 percent of all leadership occurs not from the top but from the middle of an organization.” In the final Special Section of The 360 Degree Leader he mentions, “More than two-thirds of the people who leave their jobs do so because of an ineffective or incompetent leader. People don’t leave their company — they leave their leader.”
Clearly, good leaders are needed throughout an organization, not just at the top. But issues around trust, lack of transparency, ineffective communication and unclear direction — plus a few poor interpersonal skills — can easily undermine the effectiveness of any leader at any level. If you or your boss could use some perspective on effective leadership or management strategies, visit Soundview Executive Book Summaries for access to some helpful book titles.
Filed under: Books in General, Hands-On Management, Leadership | Tags: Business, Leadership, books, Hands-On Management, business books, business book, career skills
It’s amazing how far 0ne can travel from one’s original intent while clicking away on the Internet. All I really intended to do was read a few headlines about the weekend’s news. That simple goal led me to clicking on an op-ed piece in the New York Times. Of course, much like with any blog (mine included, I hope) the lure of clicking an embedded link was too much to resist. So that led me to Gene Healy and the public policy group the CATO institute. The CATO folks published an essay excerpted from Healy’s book The Cult of the Presidency. It makes for quite interesting reading.
As I often mention in this forum, I avoid anything political because it inevitably leads readers of otherwise sound minds into a tizzy as they attempt to decipher my personal opinions. I first delved into Healy’s essay because of the quote featured in the Times article that Americans have come to view the president as a “living American talisman” against all sorts of problems, even natural disasters. The notion of culpability for the nation’s highest office is echoed in miniature at virtually every corporation. We’ve covered the topic ourselves on many occasions, recently with our summary of Brian Dive’s The Accountable Leader.
Accountability is the “high price” one has to pay for a position of notoriety within a company. However, there are many individuals who thrive on such conditions. The subject of individual accountability continues to rank as one of the most discussed in any company. It’s important to point out that accountability isn’t designed as a system where someone takes the fall for any mistakes that occur. In fact, that’s the opposite of good accountability practices. The key point made in many books that discuss this topic is the need for accountability to be proactive rather than reactive. If job roles are clearly defined and expectations are simply stated at the outset of any project, it becomes easier to track the project’s progress and clear up any mistakes along the way.
Stay tuned to Summary.com to learn more about the subject of accountability. We are currently looking at additional accountability titles for upcoming editions of Soundview Executive Book Summaries. In fact, I’ve got one here on my desk right now. I’d better stop my clicking and start my reading for the day!
Filed under: Books in General, Leadership, Personal Development, Strategic Management | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Hands-On Management, Leadership, Strategic Management, Upcoming Summaries
Did the title of this post grab your attention? Don’t worry, I’m not here with any doom-and-gloom news to darken your day. Actually, this post started out after I visited the folks at USA Book News to check out some business book info. In the midst of the various books about creating personal wealth or managing one’s finances, I saw a short review of J. Barry Griswell and Bob Jennings’ book The Adversity Paradox.
We read story after story in the news about the problems that plague businesses right now. What’s great about Griswell and Jennings’ work is that it helps readers to shoulder the load of adversity and cast it aside, rather than being drowned by it. Both Griswell and Jennings have experienced a good degree of adversity in their own lives. However, both triumphed, and through a process that was full of trial and error, as well as determination, they’ve culminated their experiences in a book that is rich in lessons.
The Adversity Paradox offers great examples that, as the authors point out, are not meant to be magic bullets. One of the things I respected most about the book when I read it is the lack of sugarcoating. Overcoming adversity is difficult work, and there are times when a project may not work out. I loved the fact that the authors are adamant about avoiding the victim mentality and acknowledging one’s personal responsibility for success. This is a book that does not apologize for its forthrightness. It doesn’t need to do so.
The good news is that we’ll be summarizing this book in the August edition of Soundview Executive Book Summaries. What’s more, subscribers will have access to an exclusive audio interview with Griswell and Jennings. If you’re not a subscriber yet, this is a great time to come on board!
Filed under: Books in General, Conference/Event, From the Editor, General Business, Hands-On Management, ethics | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, ethics, Hands-On Management, Leadership, Soundview Live, stephen m.r. covey, Strategic Management
I make it a point to always put my personal politics aside when I sit down to write this blog. But I’ll admit it can be difficult to come off non-partisan, even when writing about subjects that seem devoid of politics. Sometimes I’ll stumble across a headline that I think would make for decent material, like this one that I read today. Then, I think twice because I want this blog to be free of the arguments that clog up so many blogs and message boards.
So, let’s just say that one of the issues at the heart of the above story sparked me to write about trust. A quick title search, courtesy of our friends at Barnes & Noble, brings back more than 2,500 business books relating to the subject of ethics alone. The word “trust” generates more than 500 results. It’s such a delicate subject area in the realm of business. Unfortunately, it seems as though the public stands on one cliff, businesses stand on the opposite cliff, and a mighty chasm divides the two. Actually, it’s somewhat unfair to paint business with a broad brush. Even amongst individuals, the trust level hovers somewhere less than 50%.
Surprisingly, the U.S. is actually one of the more trusting nations in the world. Check out the findings of this social trust survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. There’s some interesting reading in this report, although, it mainly deals with person-to-person trust, not person-to-business. Either way, the financial industry certainly hasn’t done its best to aid consumer trust over the last several years.
One person who is an absolute expert on trust is author Stephen M.R. Covey. We’ve previously summarized his book The Speed of Trust. As he notes, trust is the one thing that changes everything. We’re pleased to announce that he’s about to bring his message of trust directly to our subscribers!
Stephen will be joining us on Tuesday, June 9 at 2:00 p.m. (EST) for our next edition of Soundview Live. Click here to learn more about Soundview Live and to see how you can sign up and join us for an hour of great conversation and insight. Stephen is a dynamic speaker and you’ll gain a lot from listening to this event. Trust me.
Filed under: Books in General, Conference/Event, From the Editor, General Business, Hands-On Management, Leadership, Personal Development | Tags: books, Business, business book, business books, Chris Warner, Conference/Event, Don Schmincke, Hands-On Management, High Altitude Leadership, Leadership, Personal Development, Soundview Live
I hope all of our subscribers enjoyed theSoundview Live event on Monday with Chris Warner and Don Schmincke, co-authors of High Altitude Leadership. After listening to Chris discuss his various expeditions, I decided to check out some of his footage from the K2 trip. In a word, WOW! Check it out for yourself here.
Apparently, I wasn’t the only one taken with Chris and Don’s message. The response from the audience was overwhelming. You flooded us with questions for the authors and we didn’t have time to get to every person’s point. We’ve received many e-mails asking when the questions will be answered. As you know, being an executive comes with a heavy burden on one’s time. Chris and Don are no exception. In fact, I spoke with our moderator for the Soundview Live event, and he said that Don literally concluded the interview, shook hands with everyone, then dashed to the airport to narrowly make a flight to Toronto. Of course, he did it all with a smile on his face, and we’re grateful to him.
With that in mind, the authors agreed to attempt to answer your questions in a timely manner. They ask (as do we) that everyone be patient. If you asked a question during the course of the event on Monday, we will do our best to make sure that it is answered. Answers will be posted on Summary.com. Stay tuned to this blog, and I’ll let you know when the first set of answers becomes available. Soundview Live is a truly interactive event and its success is largely dependent on how well author and audience collaborate. I think this expedition certainly reached its summit.
While we’re on the subject of keeping customers happy, we’ve received a few requests for more information about customer retention. As a result, we’ve put together a new collection of summaries to help with this process. These 10 essential titles will help you separate fact from fiction when it comes to retaining your key customers. Check out the Keep the Customer Collection today!
Filed under: Books in General, Conference/Event, From the Editor, General Business, Hands-On Management, Leadership, Personal Development | Tags: books, Business, business book, Conference/Event, Earth Day, Hands-On Management, High Altitude Leadership, Leadership, management, Small Business, Soundview Live
In the world of business books, we frequently deal in metaphors. Next time you’re wandering through a bookstore (or, more likely, scrolling around an online bookseller), check out the variety of parallels drawn between leadership and another field. We’ve had comparisons between leadership and the military, as well as the baseball diamond, among others. In the case of the military metaphors, the authors are generally individuals who have bravely served in the armed forces. However, the hands-on knowledge of other authors is often speculative.
This is not the case with Chris Warner. As co-author (with management expert Don Schmincke) of High Altitude Leadership, Warner knows a thing or two about K2 … and Everest … and Kiliminjaro … and several mountains I can’t pronounce. He’s scaled some of the highest peaks in the world and gained an incredible wealth of knowledge along the way. Schmincke and Warner offer a great combination of management experience, business insight and original ideas.
And now they’re about to speak directly to Soundview subscribers!
On Monday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m. (EST), Warner and Schmincke will be our special guests on Soundview Live. This 60-minute live coversation puts our subscribers in an interactive Web event with today’s top business authors. Warner and Schmincke will present key insights on leadership and success, whether on the world’s highest peaks or the boardrooms of corporate giants. This is followed by a question and answer session with subscribers. I’ve sat in on some of the production meetings, and I can tell you, Chris and Don are highly entertaining and very informative.
If you’re not a subscriber, don’t worry. It’s never been easier to become one! Don’t miss the chance to speak to two of the most dynamic business authors currently publishing. The view from the top is one that you can’t afford to miss.
