I debated a little on whether or not this title belongs in the “must read” category. The explanations of the difference between submissive, assertive and aggressive behaviors are very enlightening. The clincher for me is one of the early chapters which describes road blocks. Road blocks are simple statements that have the effect of ending conversation, and thereby communication. Usually this is intentional, but not always. Positive statements can be road blocks – clever politicians know how to use them this way! The material otherwise aligns with the two Leadership Development courses I have taken: Coaching for Performance and Results and Effective Communication. I would recommend taking the former class, then reading this book as a follow-up some time latter.
All posts by john.lipp@lippaudio.org
Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game
I listened to the (abridged) audio CD version which is narrated by the author. It is a good story, though somewhat long winded at times. The story is about the Oakland A’s and how they have used statistics to select a winning team for significantly less money than the rest of baseball. (An analogous situation for LM would be hiring of new employees – has anyone ever studied what characteristics identified during interviews correlate to success at MFC-Dallas?) The moral of the story is there is a great advantage when you can exploit market inefficiencies using the scientific method. You will have to read the book to find out more. It will really make you think about the value of conventional wisdom.
The Social Styles Handbook: Find Your Comfort Zone and Make People Feel Comfortable With You
These books are related to one of my training classes, Leadership styles (known as Social Styles elsewhere). If you have already taken the class, you won’t get too much more from this book. It is made by the same company that created the training class, though not quite as good. (The reason I list it is for members of your family that like this sort of thing.)
Personal styles and effective performance: make your style work for you
This book is “the original” work from which Wilson Learning and The Trane Co. have derived their respective training programs on Social Styles. The presentation is a little bit different and worth the effort to compare/contrast with the latter. The authors make much more emphasis on versatility than the classes I have taken. Why? The original research (sponsored by the DoD no less) found that what leadership style you have doesn’t matter for success – it is your style versatility that counts. And what do you know, this has resurfaced recently under the guise of diversity!
The innovator’s dilemma: when new technologies cause great firms to fail
A very interesting study of the role technological innovation has played in a couple of industries. The common misconception is that companies must constantly innovate to survive, and that innovation means making the ground breaking technical discoveries. First, the author defines innovation and notes that most innovations sustain business growth instead of reshaping industries. Second, the author’s analysis shows that companies that have failed were on the edge of technological innovation. So why do they fail? Read the book to find out!
What really works : the 4+2 formula for sustained business success
The authors’ point is, if a company wants to be a “winner,” they must excel at (a) 4 mandatory areas: strategy, execution, culture, and structure, and (b) any 2 out of the following 4: talent, leadership, innovation, acquisitions and mergers. All the other things, like 360 degree PRS, management training programs, etc. they found are not consistently statistically significant. This is the kind of book I would bring on a plane or car ride where I could skim through it. The writing style is journalistic and sensational. As one Amazon.com reviewer notes, the book uses a “hero” / “villain” format, which although entertaining, is somewhat naïve. The book’s thesis is pretty much articulated in the first chapter. You could read that, and then follow up by reading other business books that expound on one of these areas (e.g., Bossidy).
The 10 natural laws of successful time and life management: proven strategies for increased productivity and inner peace
Hyrum Smith is the inventor of the Franklin Day Planner! His book is an outgrowth of time management training seminars that he has taught all over the world. I know a few people that definitely NEED to read this book just for those aspects (goes along with my gripes on execution; see Bossidy). Time management turns out to be a small part of this book. Hyrum’s thesis is you will never be happy with managing your time unless your use of time is in sync with your personal values. He elaborates a model of our behavior to show this. Have you ever discovered a belief or prejudice that you had to unlearn the hard way? And once you did, relationships with your significant other, coworkers, and/or friends got better? Hyrum’s model attempts to explain these “aha”s and epiphanies. I found my reading of this book very timely for myself; others who are not so introspective may find it profound, while I would expect some to find it boring.
Theory of Constraints and Its Implications for Management Accounting (Eric W. Noreen, Debra A. Smith, James T. MacKey)
Not the best book out there on the Theory of Constraints. Part of TOC is the principle that the accounting which is done for GAAP and the IRS, for example, should not be used to make business decisions. This isn’t a new concept to accountants. Many an MBA has glossed over this fine print though. Several case studies are given where using TOC accounting to make business decisions provides significantly superior profits, capital expenditure plans, offshore trades, etc.
Management challenges for the 21st century
One of Peter Drucker’s last books. He was originally going to write a life’s work summary, but changed his mind to write a prophetic type of book. His two big topics are (1) the declining birth rate in developed countries, and (2) the transition from skilled laborers (“tin bending”) work to the knowledge worker (“technologists”). His discussions are fascinating and I won’t steal any of his thunder other than to say that he feels traditional management techniques based on time and motion studies (Total Quality Management is the latest rendition) do not motivate the knowledge worker. I will say that his second big point is in extreme harmony with Marcus Buckingham’s work (which I would read first). Drucker has a similar message as Buckingham, motivated from a completely different viewpoint. The book is also part self help. Do you know what your boss’ learning style is? Don’t you think you should have asked that on the first day? Drucker thinks so, and explains why.
Execution : the discipline of getting things done
Note that one of the 4 required areas in the “4 + 2 Formula” is execution. This book really hammers away at that point. I put this first on the sub-list for a good reason. Our site is terrible at this. All of my trips to Orlando were to work on programs that were not executing. And don’t get me started on our IT department!