UC Berkeley professor of economics Enrico Moretti, in "The New Geography of Jobs," creates a wonderful complement to Richard Florida's books (e.g., "T...moreUC Berkeley professor of economics Enrico Moretti, in "The New Geography of Jobs," creates a wonderful complement to Richard Florida's books (e.g., "The Rise of the Creative Class" and "Who’s Your City?") through his explorations of how our choices regarding our education and where we live affect the career and earnings options available to us. His first-rate research, combined with his ability to make information visceral through storytelling, make this an engaging work that never loses sight of the human-level impact of the topic he is addressing. The final chapter, "The New 'Human Capital Century,'" will be particularly interesting to anyone involved in training-teaching-learning--particularly the sections on "Why Inequality Is About Education" and "Math Races." There may not be ground-breaking revelations here, but there is a solid framework that helps keep us focused on the changing landscape of employment and opportunity (or the lack thereof) in our country.(less)
Muller and Becker's "Get Lucky" provides a good introduction, for those unfamiliar with the topic, to ways that we can through a variety of common-sen...moreMuller and Becker's "Get Lucky" provides a good introduction, for those unfamiliar with the topic, to ways that we can through a variety of common-sense actions increase our luck in business and other endeavors. Among those foundational elements, not surprisingly, are the need for preparation so we can take advantage of opportunities as we come across them; casting a wide net to develop connections with others whose skills might combine with ours to produce results otherwise unavailable to us; and taking actions that draw people to us because we appear to be the beneficiaries of particularly good luck. One strength of the book is that is rich in examples. The book, on the other hand, is far less compelling to those who have done even a moderate amount of reading on creativity, collaboration, and serendipity, for much of what is offered here repeats familiar stories and adds little to work like Jim Collins' "Great by Choice," Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers," Frans Johansson's "The Medici Effect," and Jonah Lehrer's recently published and quickly withdrawn "Imagine." (For a more in-depth examination of the book, please see the article in ASTD's online "Learning Circuits" publication at http://www.astd.org/Publications/News...).(less)
We could easily make the mistake of thinking that Mark Samuel's thoughtful and thought-provoking book "Making Yourself Indispensable" is all about us....moreWe could easily make the mistake of thinking that Mark Samuel's thoughtful and thought-provoking book "Making Yourself Indispensable" is all about us. But we don't, as trainer-teacher-learners who need to be playing leadership roles in the organizations we serve, have to move very far into his work to see that Samuel has his sights on more than individual endeavors. You are "not indispensable unless you use your gifts and principles in service to other people's success, improvement, or survival," he suggests (p. 13), and it's a theme that makes what otherwise could have been a very self-centered endeavor take on much greater importance for all of us and those we serve. His work is centered on a personal accountability model that first takes us through what he calls "the victim loop," then continues into an accountability loop that helps us engage in a level of self-examination that leads to effective learning which, in turn, produces action. The theme of interdependence is never far from the surface here; in fact, it's an essential part of being successful and fostering success within an organization: "Ask for assistance!" he insists (p. 94). Trainer-teacher-learners also can't help but react positively to Samuel's chapter on how much the learning process is part of our efforts to be indispensable in the terms outlined in this book: "Learning," he suggests, is "the outcome of every relationship we are in and every action we take" (p. 161). If we approach our relationships with the spirit of teaching-training-learning that is at the heart of all we do, we're likely to reach one of the many useful conclusions Samuel offers: "Being indispensable doesn't start and stop with whatever job you are currently in. It is a lasting state based on the value you represent to others" (p. 115).(less)
Reading Eli Mina's "101 Boardroom Problems [and How to Solve Them]" leaves us with the impression that he has seen it all. Or, if he hasn’t, that he h...moreReading Eli Mina's "101 Boardroom Problems [and How to Solve Them]" leaves us with the impression that he has seen it all. Or, if he hasn’t, that he has the wonderful breadth and depth of experience to help us see the challenges of leadership so we can recognize and resolve them when we are running meetings. Mina--a clear, concise, and thoughtful writer whose decades of consulting experience makes him a valuable resource for any trainer-teacher-learner serving as a leader within an organization--leads us through the sort of structural overview of organizations that help us anticipate and prevent problems effectively. He also, through his 101 brief case studies with summaries of potential damage and recommended interventions, takes us where we need to be with the best teaching-training technique we know: effective storytelling. The real value of the book is that it’s driven by a clearly-defined philosophy: "An effective Board generates quality decisions, together, and within a reasonable amount of time," Mina proposes in words that can serve us well in any meeting, not just the board meetings which are the focus of his book. It's through this level of advice that he provides the strongest guidance to any of us involved in accepting leadership roles within the organizations we agree to serve. We may not win re-election or reappointment during fractious times by following his bluntest advice, but at least we know we met our greatest responsibility: to put the interests of the organization and its constituents at the forefront of our thoughts each time we act to meet the responsibilities with which we've been entrusted.(less)
You have to be good if you’re going to sell more than 100,000 copies of a book about how to be a better presenter. Jerry Weissman is good. And he gets...moreYou have to be good if you’re going to sell more than 100,000 copies of a book about how to be a better presenter. Jerry Weissman is good. And he gets to the heart of great presentation skills by reminding us, throughout this wonderfully engaging book, of the importance of story if we want to hold the attention of audiences at a time when attention spans are as ephemeral as yesterday’s tweets. Whether we're new to the art of presentation or are experienced presenter-trainer-teachers benefitting from the useful reminders Weissman provides, he carries us through the presentation cycle with lots of guidance, including warnings of how we can go wrong: not offering clear points, not offering a clear benefit to our audiences (what's in it for them, not us), not creating a clear flow of thought and information in our work, offering more details than an audience can absorb, or creating presentations that last too long.
He also offers the structure that telling a good story provides: taking listeners from where they are (Point A) to where they need to be (Point B) in ways that focus on them rather than on us. He provides a concise survey of structures we can incorporate into presentations to make them flow and reminds us of the importance of "verbalization"--rehearsing our work out loud "just as you will on the day of your actual presentation" (p. 164) numerous times so that the story that is at the heart of all we do will flow naturally from us to those who are depending on us to make that all-important journey from Point A to Point B. Furthermore, he models the very skills he is trying to develop by incorporating presentation stories throughout his book in an effort to help us understand the process viscerally as well as intellectually. It's often the lines that seem to be most casually tossed off that take us most deeply to the heart of presentation professionalism. Writing about his attendance at investment banking conferences, he tells us that he is there "because they let me observe many presentations in one place, in a short time." And if someone of his experience and reputation is attending presentations to pick up tips, it makes us ask ourselves why we aren't equally engaged in seeing what others are doing if we're at all serious about continually honing our own skills. There's no mistaking the seriousness with which Weissman expects and encourages us to approach the art of presentation: "...every presentation is a mission-critical event" (p. 168). With that as our guiding light, we should all be on our way to successful and engaging experiences for those we serve.(less)
Robert Zimmerman (a cherished mentor, friend, and colleague for more than two decades) and Ann Lehman (his partner in the San Francisco-based Zimmerma...moreRobert Zimmerman (a cherished mentor, friend, and colleague for more than two decades) and Ann Lehman (his partner in the San Francisco-based Zimmerman Lehman consulting firm for nonprofit organizations) provide what serves equally well as a brief (less than 100 pages of text, plus appendices) primer for those newly elected to nonprofit board positions and as a reference guide for those already serving on boards. The book begins with a convincing summary of the positive and important roles board members play as advocates for the organizations they represent, and continues with easy to absorb tips on how to engage in strategic planning; how to run effective meetings; and what board members need to know about finances, accountability, and transparency. A chapter on recruiting new members to a nonprofit board of directors includes a list of skills needed by current and incoming board members and offers suggestions on how to craft job descriptions for them, while the remaining chapters provide management tips, descriptions of board members' fiduciary and management responsibilities, and insights on how to raise funds through a variety of means including special events. An appendix with resources for board members leads readers to the Alliance for Nonprofit Management, Board Cafe, BoardSource, and other organizations that will help nonprofit board members develop their skills and better serve those they support through their work as valued community volunteers.(less)
Don Tapscott and Anthony Williams’ Wikinomics combines three topics—social media tools (wikis), economics, and collaboration—to produce a stimulating...moreDon Tapscott and Anthony Williams’ Wikinomics combines three topics—social media tools (wikis), economics, and collaboration—to produce a stimulating exploration of how the changes we are facing can be used to our advantage to foster success through collaboration and sharing rather than hoarding. Their economic model is one of exchanging goods and services without charge—a theme also creatively explored by Chris Anderson in Free: The Future of a Radical Price—in ways that benefit all involved while not ignoring the need for participants to reap financial as well as social benefits. The chapters on “The Wiki Workplace” and “Collaborative Minds” are particularly useful to anyone seeking new ways to foster collaboration and the building of communities, and they draw from their other work to suggest that social forces and changes are providing attractive opportunities: “…the Net Generation, and the rise of the new Web,” combined with the fact that “[m]ost large organizations today are geographically dispersed” and that “the nature of work itself is changing” is making the sort of collaboration fostered by people working on a wiki a tremendous model for collaboration (p. 246). What remains to be seen is whether we are willing to run with this model or let a magnificent opportunity pass by unused.(less)
Rework is a book very much of its moment as those preferring Web 2.0-style collaborations and those who feel territorial about everything they produce...moreRework is a book very much of its moment as those preferring Web 2.0-style collaborations and those who feel territorial about everything they produce attempt to find common ground. The writers suggest that we avoid the complexities and turf wars which so often hold many of us back from achievements we might otherwise produce if we were not trying to do too much, trying to recreate what others are doing rather than pursuing our own vision on behalf of those we serve, and allowing ourselves to "obsess over tools instead of what [we]'re going to do with those tools" (p. 87). They take a light and playful approach: the simple graphics which are interspersed with the text throughout the book keep readers moving from page to page. The use of the graphics and the stylistic device of providing short sections on dozens of interrelated themes--most pieces are no longer than a tightly written blog posting and have the same sense of informality--make the book a pleasure to peruse and easy to absorb.
It is not the content that is revolutionary here. Reminders to improvise (pp. 18-20), produce something tangible rather than engaging in endless discussions about producing something tangible (pp. 33-45), undertake a few achievable projects rather than trying to do pursue every possibility and ending up completing none (p. 83), ask what problems we are solving through our undertakings (p. 100), and learn by doing rather than always trying to duplicate what others have accomplished (pp. 134-136) simply take us back to basics we should already know but all too often set aside in a frenzy of trying to respond to all constituents without serving any of them effectively. Which, of course, makes the time spent with Rework tremendously worthwhile.(less)
Wired magazine editor in chief Chris Anderson follows the success of his earlier book, "The Long Tail" (about mining what might otherwise be seen as m...moreWired magazine editor in chief Chris Anderson follows the success of his earlier book, "The Long Tail" (about mining what might otherwise be seen as marginal endeavors to create great successes), with this exploration of how we can benefit in many ways--including economically--by giving things away. It's a great complement to Tapscott and Williams' "Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything" in that it is a paean to the power of collaboration in our onsite-online world. Anderson's puckish sense of humor, furthermore, keeps what is in essence a treatise on Internet/Web 2.0 economics engaging and entertaining; his comments about another writer's half-hearted attempt to experiment with "Free" (pp. 232-233), for example, capture the spirit of his work as he dissects the work of that other writer (Steven Poole), then offers a parenthetical aside ("Rather than being a failed Free business model, it's no business model at all...sorry, Poole!"). He also puts his (and his publisher's) money where his mouth is: "Free" appeared briefly as a free download on the Internet, and a free abridged audiobook version remains available at http://hyperionbooks.com/free/. The printed (not-free) book begins with "Free 101: A Short Course on a Most Misunderstood Word," helps provide background often missing from thoughts about familiar phrases including Stewart Brand's "information wants to be free" (Chapter 6), and ends with pithy rebuttals to 14 thoughts commonly proposed by those who maintain that Free is not a workable economic model. His conclusion is both reassuring and grounded in common sense: Free does not mean that there is no room for profit; "...Free is not enough; It also has to be matched with Paid" (p. 240)--an idea far less radical than we otherwise might have expected to find among Free's numerous proponents.(less)
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