5 comments about Peak: How Great Companies Get Their Mojo from Maslow.

1. Chip Conley's philosophy of business is also a practical guide to success. He shows you how to find self-actualization through helping others - in this case, by providing your employees, customers and investors with what he calls peak experiences. He uses an unusual framework for his recommendations about workplace culture: psychologist Abraham Maslow's well-known "hierarchy of needs," with self-actualization at the highest level. The book is nicely organized, with "peak prescriptions" and reading lists at the end of each chapter. getAbstract recommends it to managers and workers who need a boost.



2. I loved how easy this book was to read. Conely is great at setting examples and painting pictures with his words. I would recommend the book if you are interested in Maslow's theories or if you don't even know who Maslow is, because he makes a great point in how to create a successful business enviroment.



3. Chip's book is an inspiration for cross sector partnerships, especially as social enterprise organizations are on the rise. Although this is not the primary intention of his book it speaks to values-based leadership that is at the core of social benefit partnerships. If you are interested in building alliances between private, public and not-for-profit entities this book can be used as an inspiration and guiding voice.



4. Especially poignant in a time that feels equally as bad as the dot com bust, Chip offers inspiring hope that doing good for people is doing good for business. Best of all, "good" can be better defined though Maslow's principles as interpreted for business (an investigation researched by Maslow himself and probably unknown to the greater majority of literate Americans) Chip brings his own understanding of how these principles apply to hospitality. Perhaps most hopefully the book assures and demonstrates how business itself may be the most impressive instrument of social change and justice.



5. This isn't a horrible book. I just wish I hadn't spent money on it.
   
   The idea behind the book is great. The book itself is just light. It reads like a book report about other people's books and ideas instead of a description of personal experience as a someone building a business. I expected much more in-the-trenches talk.
   
   Chip writes well, I only wish he brought a more concrete philosophy to the book and backed it up with more personal anecdotes or more anecdotes from other people/companies gathered first hand. Everything is told kind of at a distance and in broad strokes. I got the feeling that Chip has read a lot of the same business books that I have over the past few years, so there didn't seem to be a lot of new ideas. The Maslow angle is what I came for but got very little of it.

2 comments about Talent : Making People Your Competitive Advantage.

1. 
   There is no knowledge leader I admire more than I do Ed Lawler. In this book, he makes what I consider to be his most important contributions thus far to our understanding of how to gain and then sustain a competitive advantage by finding, hiring, and retaining the right talent with the right structures, systems, processes, and practices in place. Only then can organizations "perform so well and change so fast that they string together a series of temporary advantages." Lawler asserts (and I agree) that "fewer and fewer companies can be successful by practicing an old-school bureaucratic [structure-centric] approach to management." What does he recommend to decision-makers in most (but not all) organizations? The human capital centric (i.e. HC-centric) business model. What does it look like? "To begin with, it is important to understand what its core is. Above all else, an HC-centric organization is one that aligns its features (reporting systems, compensation, division and department structure, information systems, and so on) toward the creation of working relationships that attract talented individuals and enable them to work together in an effective manner." As Dave Ulrich observes in the Foreword, "While talent is necessary, it is not sufficient. Successful management in today's business world requires attention to both talent and teamwork, individual ability and organization capability. Lawler captures both."
   
   Ulrich goes on to suggest that the Star (business) Model identifies the organization features about which choices need to be made - about strategy, competencies and capabilities, structure, processes, rewards, people, and identity -- to create an HC-centric organization so that its systems are aligned and integrated. Otherwise, they cannot drive and implement the given strategy.
   
   Unlike in a bureaucratic, structure-centric organization,
   
   1. "Business strategy is determined by talent considerations, and it in turn drives human capital management practices.
   
   2. Every aspect of the organization is obsessed with talent and talent management.
   
   3. Performance management is one of the most important activities.
   
   4. The information system gives the same amount of attention and rigor to measures of talent costs, performance, and condition as it does to measures of equipment, materials, buildings, supplies, and financial assets.
   
   5. The HR department is the most important staff group.
   
   6. The corporate board has both the expertise and the information it needs to understand and advise on talent issues.
   
   7. Leadership is shared, and managers are highly skilled in talent management."
   
   However, every organization is a "work in progress." Although these seven attributes may describe an organization today, but that by no means ensures that they will be true of it tomorrow. Hence the meaning and significance of Lawler's reference to stringing together "a series of temporary advantages." They can be achieved only if there is sufficient talent and if the right structures, systems, processes, and management practices are in place to develop and retain that talent while attracting whatever other talent may be needed. The extent to which an organization is and remains HC-centric will determine the extent to which it will not only achieve but sustain a decisive competitive advantage.
   
   What Lawler provides in this volume is a combination of information and counsel that will help decision-makers to determine whether or not their organization should be HC-centric. Then, if the choice they make is affirmative, Lawler's book will guide and inform their efforts to design, build, and then manage such an organization. Throughout his narrative, Lawler correctly reminds his reader of the difficulties of doing that. "Structures need to change, and practices need to change, but even that is not enough. People inside and outside the need to change the way they think about the organization. The organization needs to become recognizable from all angles as HC-centric." People change organizations, books don't. (The author or co-author of more than 40 books himself, Lawler is well-aware of that.) Moreover, unless there is high involvement in the transformation process, at all levels and in all areas of the given enterprise, the ultimate objectives cannot be achieved. And as Marshall Goldsmith insists, "what got you here will not get you there." That is the essence of Joseph Schumpeter's concept of "creative destruction." That is why, after Reggie Jones selected Jack Welch to succeed him as CEO of GE, he told him to "blow it up."
   
   In this context, I am reminded again of the fact that, like species, businesses are involved in a process of natural selection. Those that do not adapt to changes are doomed to deteriorate and eventually perish. Talent is needed to design, implement, and sustain an HC-central organization. Moreover, as talent needs change, there must be a shared mindset within the given organization that enables it to recognize and then respond appropriately to those changes. Obviously, Lawler cannot provide a "blueprint" nor serve as the "general contractor." His book is best viewed as an "operations manual" for decision-makers as they decide whether or not to adopt the HC-centric business model -- or perhaps what he characterizes as a "global competitor approach," also thoroughly explained.
   
   However, Lawler acknowledges that either approach is not the right choice for some companies, notably those "that operate in industries where the work is relatively low-skilled and low-value-added...The work in these industries makes it very difficult to create an environment where individuals can add significant value, and therefore where an HC-centric approach to management is likely to be successful." For them, a "bureaucratic, structure-centric approach" will probably be sufficient...at least for a while. But in a world that becomes "flatter" each day, that won't be long.
   
   Those who share my high regard for this brilliant book are urged to check out Lawler's earlier books, notably The New American Workplace (co-authored with Jim O'Toole) and Built to Change: How to Achieve Sustained Organizational Effectiveness (co-authored with Chris Worley). Also Dean Spitzer's Transforming Performance Measurement: Rethinking the Way We Measure and Drive Organizational Success as well as Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution co-authored by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David Robertson.



2. I've had the pleasure of working with Professor Ed Lawler on the launch of "Talent." Personally, I found this book to be both simple in its storytelling while detailed in its valuable ideas. Professor Lawler does a wonderful job mixing in real world corporate examples of how leaders can shape their company (and their behavior) to best maximize their most pressing competitive advantage - people.
   
   From Michael Dell's self-evaluation process to Whole Foods public salary disclosure, Professor Lawler uncovers some of corporate America's best talent practices. In my estimation, "Talent" is a must read for any executive or manager who is ready to actively tap into a company's human capital. And doing so is a must today.

5 comments about 101 Bass Tips: Stuff All the Pros Know and Use.

1. Interesting arcane and off-beat tips, probably already known by the master bassist but helpful reinforcement; or good to know stuff for the beginner starting out on the career. CD attached with some useful examples.



2. this book should be read by not just bass because it's tips roll over to all guitar players. I am taking up bass and have been playing 6sting electric and just loved the book.



3. The 101 tips that modern bass master Gary Willis lays out in this excellent book will help bassists of all levels improve their craft in a variety of ways. Take me for example. I had been obsessing over the lack of mids in my tone, tweaking my preamp and considering introducing an expensive EQ pedal into my effects chain. Then I read Tip 49, and backed off the volume on the neck pickup of my Jazz(tm) bass. Wow! There was the articulation and punch I'd been looking for. I had also been feeling guilty for watching my alma mater's football games on Saturdays ("there goes another three hours that I could have been practicing!"). Then I read Tip 96, and bought a length of 2x4, some rope, and two screw eyelets. Presto - I had the perfect "bass" to focus on the mechanics of right hand slapping with my thumb, isolated with no need to worry about what my left hand was doing, all while watching football. Features a CD-ROM of audio tracks that you play over for some of the Tips.
   
   [...]



4. This is one for the library. Totally recommend getting the Tascam MPB-T1 Mobile Bass Trainer - MP3with a leather case from ValetStand com. Just down load the cd to the Tascam trainer and you can practice anywhere.



5. This book is for you if:
   You already know your way around the fingerboard, and know some theory, and have a solid beginner's grasp of the instrument, and are looking for some ways to improve or aid your playing/gigging, *outside* of basic technique, reading and theory.
   
   many useful tips, some more so than others, depending on your level. An excellent supplement to the fundamentals.

5 comments about Bookkeeping for Nonprofits: A Step-by-Step Guide to Nonprofit Accounting.

1. This book will help bookkeepers new to non-profit accounting. The book goes into detail, showing actual entries, and the reasoning behind them. It also points out dos and don'ts, basic accrual accounting, and what reporting an accountant will need for the 990 form. The book is a primer for the non-profit bookkeeper and/or organization treasurer.



2. Good book, great illustrations. Very clear. However, if you've been doing corporate accounting for a number of years, this is pretty basic. Better for someone with limited experience. I was hoping for something a little more advanced.



3. Useful, relatively easy tor read reference on not-for-profit (NFP) accounting, generally aimed at non-finance/accounting person. Not so useful for an organization using cash accounting methods (versus accrual), common in smaller NFPs. Some good ideas for low-end (i.e., <$50K income/year) NFP BOD members.



4. Excellent presentation on the essentials of accounting for nonprofit organizations. Many simple examples of typical and unusual transactions.



5. This is a wonderful guide for those taking up the task of doing the books for a nonprofit organization. It is chock full of information, yet it is in an easy to read format that the beginner or lay person will understand.
   
   Bookkeeping for Nonprofits is extremely user-friendly, giving you all the information you need to set up an accounting system for a nonprofit in a very simple manner.
   
   This is an excellent resource.

5 comments about Complete Learning Disabilities Handbook: Ready-to-Use Strategies & Activities for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities, New Second Edition.

1. As a new resource teacher for my school this was one of the better books I found to help me with real life solutions to teaching learning disabled children. This was a great book for explanations of various learning disabilities and set exercises to use in class for all age groups. I work mostly one on one, but found the activities and strategies easily adaptable for individual use.



2. I am a preservice teacher and am studying special education. I saw this book on Amazon and was intrigued by the low price. I was so surprised when I received it. It is a wonderful resource for anyone who works with students with LD. It covers the whole gambit from identification, to characteristics, to strategies. It really is a complete handbook and for the price you can't find a better deal. I have found this resource much more useful than my textbooks on LD that cost me upwards 70-80 dollars. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book!



3. I found this book to be useful and very informative concerning special education. It covered testing, laws, terms and definitions. I've been using it to study for the Praxis Special Ed exams and feel that I will be well prepared.



4. I represent a private, non-profit organization that provides evaluation and tutoring services for children K-8. We strongly believe in professional development in order to maintain a high level of competency in the field of education. When our teachers have an opening in their schedule, they select books like this to review, to reflect and to write a summary, which is submitted to me for review and professional credit. Our entire teaching staff has found this book to be a good resource.



5. Very informative. Very good reference for those taking the alternative route to teaching certification. Contains practical scenarios on how theories in education are applied.

5 comments about The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership (J-B Warren Bennis Series).

1. Steven Sample has led USC for the past 15 years. He is by training an engineer and probably holds the patent on the control circuit that runs your dishwasher. This book is not about leadership theory, it states what Steven Sample believes works for him and why he believes that. Many of the concepts work anywhere, others are dependent upon the leaders situation both within the organization and the type of organization. If you are looking for something that restates current pop management buzzwords of the day this isn't it.
   
   This book for me had many "Aha! I never thought of it that way type of moments" and I've been a successful leader for over 30 years with a Masters degree.



2. Dr Sample's views on leadership are refreshing, but honestly not so altogether contrarian. Don't get me wrong, I think the book is a useful and well written collection of leadership best practices and it is a welcomed addition to my personal library; but students of leadership shouldn't expect to find anything as contrary to conventional wisdom as found in say "First, Break All the Rules" by Coffman and Buckingham.
   
   The book could be more correctly titled, "A Guide to Leadership that Flys in the Face of Your Bad Boss's Ideas on Leadership." Dr. Sample recommends that leaders "think gray" instead of in right and wrong, either/or, binary state conclusions (so does Plato). He also encourages us to beware of experts and filter their advice through our own opinions (so does Walt Whitman). Sample believes that leaders should be very careful of what they read and pay attention to (so does Ben Franklin), and he gives us very good advice about working for those who work for us ( much like Robert Greenleaf advised in "Servant Leadership" back in 1976).
   
   To be clear, I completely agree with all of Dr. Samples conclusions (yeah, so?) and think "The Contrarian's Guide..." is a solid four out of five stars book. Just don't look for revelations; unless of course your one of those bad bosses who never quite knew how to lead -- you're going to learn tons.



3. I must like this book or I would not have bought over a dozen to give to business friends. Sample takes a different path to the making of decisions. And it is one that my personal experience in international business and personal life has proven to work. It is the secret of "letting" the thing work out. Thinking "gray" takes time and gets better results. An very valuable approach that should be listened to in this fast paced segmented world.
   
   Frederick R. Andresen, Author of "Walking on Ice, An American Businessman in Russia," over sixteen years in Russian business, six years in residence.



4. You have two options for learning about USC President Steven Sample's "contrarian's guide to leadership." Option #1: Join 40 juniors and seniors at the University of Southern California for Sample's popular spring course, "The Art and Adventure of Leadership," co-taught by Warren Bennis, global leadership guru and author. You'll study 20 historical and contemporary leaders, read 1,000 pages on leadership, interact in class with a dozen guest leaders, write a dozen four-page papers, and participate in a group project.
   
   Option #2: Order this book. Sample writes in Chapter 4 that "you are what you read." I agree. I'm a cheerleader for leaders who read. "The Book Bucket" is one of the 20 buckets in my book, Mastering The Management Buckets: 20 Critical Competencies for Leading Your Business or Non-profit.
   
   Samples' contrarian approach to reading is unique. He reads 30 minutes a day along a "left to right" spectrum of newspapers, trade journals, new books and supertexts (The Bible, Plato's Republic, Machiavelli's The Prince, etc.). But...he rarely reads what others are reading. The short list of supertexts that have endured at least 400 years attract him the most. He engages his team in conversations about what they're reading. Before buying a book, he prefers a five-minute conversation with someone who has already read it.
   
   Addicted to newspapers, he once went six months without reading one--but stayed current through the art of listening. Sample says that for the contrarian leader, most truly original ideas will often come from outside his or her established field. This chapter is worth the price of the book. It's contrarian and refreshing. It changed my thinking. How often does a book do that for you?



5. Excellent book on leadership. The author discusses the differences between a good leader and an effective leader. I highly recommend this book for any individual looking to become a better leader.

5 comments about The Corporate Culture Survival Guide.

1. What an absolutely brillant book!

   How many people do you know spend time agonizing over something said or an action taken by someone in Senior Management ? How many people do you know who spend time wrestling with stated "values" in light of mixed messages from members of Senior Management ?

   Vex no more! Mr Schein does an fantastic job helping readers change their thought paradigms. How often do books like this come around ? IT is a classic, add it to your library which should already have Drucker, Juran, Deming, Crosby, Weinberg, Maxwell, Covey and Nadler works. Some may find this a bit difficult to read, but endure, focus your thoughts and reap the enormous benefits!!




2. Edgar H. Schein provides an excellent conceptual explanation of culture in general and corporate culture in particular. He shows how cultures arise and explains why it is so hard to examine and change an embedded culture. He also lays out practical plans for assessing culture. These plans are not simple or easy, but they promise great reward if carefully followed. Case studies illustrate the concepts and show how corporate problems can be seen in terms of culture. The first half of the book, which lays out the concepts of culture, is especially clear. The second half, which examines cultural issues in various kinds of organizations, uses more jargon and is a bit murkier. Overall, we [...] recommend this book as especially useful for anyone dealing with change, be it moving to a new organization, considering or coping with a merger or acquisition, or even planning to work with people from another group, company or background.



3. This book summarize the content of corporate culture very good and provide me with culture concept.



4. Like all of Edgar Schein's books, this contains extraordinary insight. I am recommending this to all of my clients.

   Dr. Michael Beitler
   Author of "Strategic Organizational Change"




5. While this book had an adequate explaination of corporate culture, I found the suggestions of how to manage culture vague and cumbersome. Although I am not returning this book, I can't highly recommend it.

5 comments about Engaging the Online Learner: Activities and Resources for Creative Instruction (Online Teaching and Learning Series (OTL)).

1. I found the book to be a good read and had a lot of interesting things to say and good examples of activities for online participants.
   
   The book focuses solely on the online learner, which is good, but if you teach students in a classroom setting and are looking to extend their learning online in the evenings and between classes you need to 'read between the lines' to pull out the pieces that you need (which are many and included in this book).



2. This book is what I have been looking for: short, concise and full of practical examples of activities.



3. I found the book to be very easy and fast to read with lots of concrete examples of activities for the online learner. Though I understand the importance of engaging the online learner, as an instructor in the allied health field I don't feel I have the time or interest in developing games and the types of alternative learning activities suggested in the book. In allied health/science courses we need to cover an extensive amount of material, perhaps if I were teaching a course in another discipline I would feel differently.
   
   I feel that another book "Discussion Based Online Teaching To Enhance Student Learning" by Tisha Bender is a much better book for my situation and offered more helpful ideas (but less examples) to improve my online course.



4. As an online learner and instructor, I found this book informative, and, yes, ENGAGING. I am planning on using the insights and examples in a new project I've been given-- securing the services of teachers that have experience with strictly the conventional classroom models to instruct online. I'm hopeful that resources like this can de-mystify the distance learning models, and eventually help disseminate knowledge widely throughout my mostly-rural state.



5. The first part of the book kept repeating itself with regards to what "should be the main goals of online learning"...it felt very repetitive without really offering any useful information. I discovered the source of every lame group project (or group building experiments) my husband has had to do since he began taking online classes at Keller. There were some interesting "get to know you" activities, but a lot of what I read smacked of those very tired and very lame role-playing business seminars I had to put up with when I worked in hotels, which I despised...but this did drive home the importance of creating a community feel among the students, of getting them working together and feeling part of a group. I would recommend it, but with the warning that the book is somewhat repetitive in the first few chapters. I am glad to have it as a reference, but it's certainly not a one stop resource...it should definately be part of a larger body of works to draw from on the subject.

5 comments about The Skilled Facilitator: A Comprehensive Resource for Consultants, Facilitators, Managers, Trainers, and Coaches.

1. Many who want to be skillful facilitators are in a way "misled" by consultants, trainers or books on facilitation in the sense that techniques and recipes are cited and taught.
   
   With many techniques and methodologies delivered, honest "facilitators" sense that they are not getting there - people do not get engaged, people among themselves are not connected.
   
   Roger Schwarz, in his book "The Skilled Facilitator" shows that there is more to techniques, theories and methodologies. The very thinking, motives or mental models of the "facilitator" is an important part of the chemistry of the whole group.
   
   By QuaSyLaTic, Andrew
   http://www.360q.com



2. A good book but unfortunately both copies arrived damaged by water, one was still wet. They also smelled like rat's urine. I was able to retrieve one after a week of drying in 30 degree temperatures & turning pages every so often. The other is a total wreck. Probably should have been packaged in plastic prior to putting in the box. Disappointed.



3. When I first read this book years ago, I was a very technical IT person who preferred to work alone. I credit this book with helping to develop my people skills and making me a more effective team member.



4. The skilled facilitator introduces a facilitation approach that is based on 4 core values: Valid information, Free and informed choice, internal commitment and compassion. Most of the work on the values are based on the work of Chris Argyris and his work on Organizational Learning.
   
   One of the key-points in the book is that most people work with a unilateral control theory-in-use. This will automatically make their facilitation in-efficient eventhough they do not realize it. The skilled facilitator approach is to try to move away from this theory-in-use and move to a "mutual learning" theory-in-use in which the facilitator tries to maximize the learning for him and his participants. The four core values provide a basis for that. Next to the core values there are 9 ground rules which are concrete enough to really act upon.
   
   Most of the book explains the ideas behind the core values and the ground rules and shows how the ground rules influence your facilitation. This is done with scenarios in which the author shows a normal approach and a skilled facilitator alternative approach.
   
   The book ends with a wonderful chapter on "the facilitative leader", which shows how you can combine the skilled facilitator values and ground rules and your role as a leader within the organization. This chapter alone would have been worth the book already.
   
   I finished the book fairly quick. It's easy to read and kept me interested at all times. It also kept me thinking about the content when I was not reading it. Changing a theory-in-use is a difficult thing, but thanks to this book, I've become more aware of my own approach to facilitation and have the ability to improve it.



5. I have read many books about group process and group facilitation. "The Skilled Facilitator" is the best I have read. It is: (a) comprehensive, (b) rooted in actual, tested theories, and (c) practical (though often tough to implement). It advances a set of ideas that are different from those about which most people will already have read, and this sometimes makes the ideas challenging -- sometimes to understand, but certainly to implement. However, difficult as these ideas may be, they are both valid and essential to the understanding and management of healthy organizations. I have found that most books about issues in management either talk down to the reader or over-simplify complex issues for the sake of popularity. If you want an easy book with popular ideas that are immediately understandable by anyone, sound like common sense, and make you immediately feel good, then this book probably is not for you. This book *is* for you if you want a book that: (a) tells the truth, even when it might be tough to confront, (c) will challenge you to learn new ideas, and (c) will challenge you to change your organization, team, or personal style in profound ways, even when such change will be hard. If you're open to being challenged and to changing the ways in which you think and act, reading this book will, at minimum, change the way you think. If you are able to actually implement this new thinking, "The Skilled Facilitator" will also radically improve your organization, your teams, and yourself.

5 comments about The Art Teacher's Book of Lists.

1. I have been teaching art for 10 years and refer to this book often when I need to find definitions, artists names and work, quotes, or quick ideas. But, now that the internet has become such a reliable source, it needs to be updated with websites that are helpful to the art teacher!!! I find myself looking on the internet for hours searching through all of the information. Wouldn't it be great to add a page or two to this book of lists!



2. This book is so out of date. This book is just what it says, a book of lists. There is nothing in this book that I couldn't find in about 30 seconds online. If you don't have a computer in your room then it would be a good resources, but if you use the internet then it is a complete waste of money.



3. New art appreciation teacher. Exactly what I needed to begin planning units for middle school



4. Wow!! I've found lists in this book I didn't even know I needed. There are lists covering everything from "100 Famous Paintings" to "Things to Do with markers". I teach art to young children and this book is a wonderful resource for me.



5. This is a wonderful resource. To have this kind of information all in one place is a phenomenal aid to any art teacher! It is full of information and ideas! The book is well organized and very easy to read. I highly recommend it to any one interested in art.