800-CEO-READ Blog

The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth

Our friend Steven Little (The 7 Irrefutable Rules of Small Business Growth) has gotten some great ink. Check out his review in the current Harvard Business School.

Jack Covert Selects--Orbiting the Giant Hairball

Orbiting the Giant Hairball: A Corporate Fool’s Guide to Surviving with Grace by Gordon MacKenzie, Viking, 223 Pages, $22.00 Hardcover, April 1998, ISBN 0670879835

A couple of months ago, I reviewed a book published in 2004 called The Radical Leap by Steve Farber. I now venture back even further to 1998 to highlight a book the previous century. It was almost ten years ago that I saw the original version of Orbiting the Giant Hairball. It was self published in a time when self-published books carried an odor not unlike two-day old fish. The book was about as creatively designed as could be imagined— fold out pages, different paper stocks, multiple colors. It was stunning, but I really didn’t give it much credence. Penguin subsequently bought the rights and published it in 1998. As you might expect, they toned back some of the really outlandish design elements, but luckily, the content of the book remained intact.

The following year, a colleague told me the book was a must read, so I finally took the time to give it a good look. I couldn’t put it down! In the world of storytelling, nobody is better than Gordon MacKenzie, who worked at Hallmark for thirty years. The book tells the story of his career. Saying that, however, is like saying that Bob Dylan is a folksinger. This book is so much more than just "my days at Hallmark."

For example, the title comes from the fact that, and I'm paraphrasing the author here, a hairball is the strands that make up an organization--procedures, policies, politics, profits and creativity, all based on what worked in the past but now manages to mire an organization in mediocrity.
Orbiting is “responsible creativity: vigorously exploring and operating beyond the Hairball of the corporate mindset,” beyond accepted models, patterns or standards—all the while remaining connected to the spirit of the corporate mission. To merge Orbiting and corporate Hairballs is to "find a place of balance where you benefit from the physical, intellectual and philosophical resources of the organization without becoming entombed in the bureaucracy of the institution.…Orbiting is following your bliss."

This is a book with parables and anecdotes about achieving balance between bureaucracy and creativity, normalcy and originality, formula and invention, selfless loyalty and cooperative individuality within an organizational environment. On a personal note, there are people that no longer walk this earth that I am sad I will never meet: W. Edwards Deming was one that I missed and I now add Gordon MacKenzie to that list; he died in October, 1999. I can just imagine how extraordinary it must have been to listen to this guy, but at least, he left us an amazing book.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE MONTHLY BOOK REVIEWS, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO JACK AT 800-CEO-READ.COM.

Finally, New Audio

I have a new audio excerpt up on the Podcasts Blog.

I know....too long...

His 100 Day Plan

Bren at Slacker Manager talks about how You're In Charge -- Now What? inspired him to develop a 100 Day Plan for a position he was interviewing for. The cool part is he shared his plan with each of the people he was interviewing with.

Anyone else pulled a nice nugget out of a book lately and applied it quickly to their life?

Inc./Fast Company R.I.P., Long Live Inc./Fast Company

The pending sale of Fast Company and Inc. feels to me like one of those business stories where conventional wisdom completely misses the point. Granted, the fact that these two publications, which were sold four years ago for a combined $550 million to Bertlesman, are going for $40 million. Jeez—two of the hippest business magazines end up not with a bang but a whimper, not a Google but a Kmart.

Yet I still sense a huge strain of schadenfreude in the business press over the riches to rag-sale of the two pubs. And this bugs me. It’s a bit personal, yes. I worked at Inc. for about three years in the 90s (loved it,) and before that worked with the two guys, Bill Taylor and Alan Webber, who founded FC. So I’m rooting for both. But I would argue that each of these mags still publishes excellent stories, and that the recent event doesn’t mark a total failure. Here’s a few random thoughts on the news.

First of all, Fast Company’s loss in value is not a proxy for the demise of the dot-con era. The magazine was never a technology book, and even today focuses primarily on management. In fact, my biggest gripe with the magazine has always been its extreme focus on the ultra-business life—its tag line for the first four years could easily have been “A lifestyle magazine for people who don’t have a life.” But it’s innovation was always about identifying and reporting on a new way of doing business, one that blended the personal and the professional, always with an aspirational element of doing good. While many of the big, branded ideas, such as Free Agent Nation, and the Brand Called You, feel in retrospect more like iterations of social trends than grand revolutions, giving them a name helped validate a way of thinking for people.

Above all, I think the great value of Fast Company has been the way that it represented a way that people felt about work. The magazine captured a sense among workers, especially younger workers, that the thing occupying the vast majority of their waking hours could be hopeful, exciting, full of promise, even a force for good. And that a convergence of technology, politics, and simple world events could lead to a more fulfilling work-life, even if that compound phrase was simply translated to life.

As for Inc..well Inc. has always been closer and dearer to my heart. Inc. too was founded on a crystalline vision of a type of company—a bootstrapped, home-spun, messy, passionate type of startup, informed by a hippy sensibility, yet propelled by common sense translated into healthy profits and a shared enterprise among the troops. The leading players were folks like Paul Hawken, Ben and Jerry, Anita Roddick, and even Steve Jobs in the early days—entrepreneurs with a sense of passion, a sense of humor, and a fervent belief in the power of business.

Inc. also did a great job of recognizing that the line between personal and professional is quite porous at the startup level, and that one can tell fantastic stories about growth companies. The magazine perfected a narrative-management type of tale, told masterfully by folks like Josh Hyatt or Ed Welles, that shared business lessons in the context of a gripping story.

Also:

Love it or hate it, for the past half-dozen years Fast Company has been the biggest supporter of business books anywhere. No other publication has so consistently written about, excerpted, discussed, and taken seriously the matter of business books. The magazine has spotlighted Dan Pink, Seth Godin, Tom Peters, and many many many more, often running cover stories from notable books. Only the Industry Standard in its heyday devoted as much serious consideration to business books. I hope this careful attention continues.

With this purchase, Joe Mansueto may be the only subject of a lengthy magazine feature to actually purchase the magazine itself. A bit like Victor Kiam and Remington razors, I suppose.

Have any of the articles said that Inc. is actually losing money? I don’t think so. I have no hard numbers on this, but let’s check back on the performance of the two pubs in five years, and I wager that Mansueto will have proved the purchase a shrewd one.

And yet both these magazines have consistently lost ad pages and revenue for three years. During that time Business 2.0, whose editorial content has been stellar for the past year, has gained in both categories, and in fact passed Fast Company last year.

So how about you readers? What are your thoughts on the sale? Do these magazines still matter to you? What changes would you like to see?

Advice for Budding Business Book Authors

Ben and Jackie from Church of the Customer (Creating Customer Evangelists) have posted their latest podcast.

The first half is them visiting with Andrea from Learned on Women (Don't Think Pink).

The second half is devoted to the top ten things would-be authors of business books should know. These are great basics that everyone should know before starting.

You'll also find John from Brand Autopsy left a comment highly recommending Writing The Breakthrough Business Book by Tom Gorman.

The Best Management Book You Have Never Read

The front cover of the new Business 2.0 is plastered with the headline "The CEO's Secret Handbook". It seems that Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson has been distributing a spiral-bound book with the wisdom he has gained as a CEO. Jack Welch and Warren Buffet both love it. The title this little tome is Swanson's Unwritten Rules of Management.

The bulk of the article are the best nuggets from the unpublished handbook. There is also a critique by guru Jim Collins.

I wonder how many publishers are calling Swanson to get the thing published.

Check it out on newstands now.

Biz Books In The Bookstores

I was talking with my cohorts from the Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops yesterday (we are owned by the same company). The lead buyer was talking about the number of business titles on their bestsellers list last week.

It can be a little unusual for the bookstores to be selling a lot of business books. People generally end up at our bookstores looking for childrens books or a good novel.

Here are the biz titles and the position on their list:

#2 Freakonomics

#3 The World is Flat

#5 Blink

#9 Winning

I think it again shows the crossover potential for a lot of these "worldview" type books.

Everything Bad Is Good For You

Steven Johnson's new book Everything Bad Is Good For You takes on the myth that modern media is rotting our brains. I have seen some reviews for the book, the latest from Taylor Antrim in Forbes FYI:

Here's a sentence you don't read every day:"[P]opular culture has, on average, grown more complex and intellectually challenging over the past 30 years." So writes Steven Johnson at the start of his compelling-- and yes, convincing--defense of video games, TV, the Internet and Hollywood movies. The work-and-reward structure of games like the Zelda and Grand Theft Auto series develops patience and perseverance, a kind of cognitive resolve, argues Johnson. And TV, even reality TV, offers complicated narrative structures and emotionally rich lessons in human relationships. Your kids aren't zoning of in front of the tube; they're focused on it. If Johnson's capacity to look on the bright side can seem extreme, it's nonetheless exciting to hear from such an articulate optimist. We live in a kind of anti-Brave New World, he assures us, in which economic incentive creates increasingly complex media, which in turn makes us smarter. The only loser in Johnson's happy sense of things? He gives us the answer with a knowing wince: book reading.

Also see:

Kottke.org
Boing Boing
The New Yorker (by Malcolm Galdwell)
The Guardian

WSJ Recommended Books on Health

This is the recommending reading list from the today's Special Section in The Wall Street Journal. Rather than aging (as Jack was talking about), these cover a broader range of health issues.

• You: The Owner's Manual by Michael Roizen and Mehmet Oz
• Vaginas: An Owner's Manual by Elizabeth Topp and Carol Livoti
• The Expert Guide to Beating Heart Disease by Harlan Krumholz
• Apples & Pears: The Body Shape Solution for Weight Loss and Wellness by Marie Savard with Carol Svec
• Dr. David Sherer's Hospital Survival Guide by David Sherer and Maryann Karnich

You can get the recommendation blurbs here.

Being Old and Loving it

Today, The Wall Street Journal made my subscription worth every penny. The front page of The Journal Report--Section R--is an article called The Secrets of Successful Aging [sub. needed] and it is loaded with value business stuff, along with some great factoids. The business applications is the fact that we are potentially killing ourselves if you don’t, of course, eat right and exercise but what is surprising is the latest studies are showing that stress is also right up there with eating right and exercising to help us live longer. Longevity has less to do with genes and more to do with finding ways of dealing with stress.

Here are a couple of factoids from the article:

• 11 - The number of additional years a 75 year old man can expect to live.


• 13 - The number of additional years a 75 year old woman can expect to live.


• 40 - The waistline measurement, at which risk for heart attack increases dramatically


• 74 - Average life expectancy for a boy born in 2001


• 122 - The oldest fully authenticated age to which any human has lived

Read the article and possibly live longer.

This Week - 6/20/05

Happy Monday to everyone!

As you can see, things have been a little slow here on the blogs. We have been putting up just enough to keep us above water.

There are two things to blame. First, we are really busy right now. We are working on hiring a person to help us out with all of our outlets. We are in the final steps of launching a new website. You should see that in about a month. I am also spending some time on getting ChangeThis back up and running.

The second thing is summer. There is not alot going on with business books right now. Things won't pick up again until August/September. Of course, people are going to keep reading books and writing reviews, so we will link to those.

These are not meant as excuses. I just wanted to give you a peak into what is going on here at 8cr.

Have a great week!

Tom Peters Essentials

Tom Peters and DK have taken his most recent book Re-Imagine and broken it into four smaller topic-related books. They are called the Tom Peters Essentials Series. They include:

• Talent: develop it, sell it, be it
• Leadership: inspire, liberate, achieve
• Design: innovate, differentiate, communicate
• Trends: recognize, analyze, capitalize

I like the series. You'll still find the heavy design of Re-Imagine, but it is toned down. I think it makes it easier to read than the original.

Collins on Front Cover of Fortune

I just got my new issue of Fortune and Jim Collins is on the front cover. The headline is "How To Make Great Decisions, Guru Jim Collins Shares His Secrets". The article starts:

"...FORTUNE senior writer Jerry Useem (a sometime Collins collaborator) asked him to discuss the art of decision-making, he got so into the idea that he pored over 14 years of research and interviews he had amassed in the course of writing this business blockbusters Built to Last and Good to Great. Then, in a series of conversations, he and Useem explored the intriguing insights he had gleaned from analyzing the processes behind key decisions in business history. For example, lasting excellence in corporations seems to stem less from decisions about strategy than decisions about people, and seeking consensus is not the way to make the tough calls."

Publicity: Must Read for Authors and Would-Be Authors

Jack and I are starting to find The Book Standard a good news source on publishing. They provide a good online alternative to Publishers Weekly. The premium paid edition lets you see a variety of bestseller lists based on BookScan data.

In Enough About Me #12: In Which the Author Learns About Overworked Publicists and Nasty and Often Unrealistic Authors, Adam Langer writes about the mismatch between authors' expectations about publicity and the reality of the media marketplace.

Blogging and BEA

When Todd and I met with publishers at this years Book Expo America we constantly said that ALL authors needed to have a blog. In Wednesday June 15, 2005 WSJ, Mossberg takes the mystery out of creating a blog [sub. needed].

Come on all you author types, jump in the waters fine.

The Musts of Resale Value

The Wall Street Journal has published a book called Guide to The Business of Life. I think it is an interesting compilation of things that have been in the paper. I am going to published the Table of Content in the extended section so you can get a flavor for what is offered.

Here is a piece from Chapter 7 - The Great Game: Buying, Financing, and Keeping A Car In Shape:

The Musts of Resale Value

The time to consider a car's resale value is when you buy it. Dealers will tell you that some features that you may pay extra for up front are worth it when it comes time to trade in or sell. The big ones:

Bigger engines are usually better. Go for the six cylinder, not the four-banger.
Silver is a classic color. So are black and white.
Power is good. In these days when people are accustomed to powered appliances, make sure your car has power locks operated with a remote, keyless entry; power windows and cruise control. Power seats aren't a bad idea either.
Tinny FM radios won't do. Go for the CD player (or on newers models, MP3 players).
Spring for cowhide. Buyers love the smell of leather interiors, and they hold up better than cloth.
Shiny is best. Alloy wheels are popular; they help keep your car looking sharp.

Table of Contents
Chapter One - Getting There: The Secrets of The Savvy Traveler
Chapter Two - Creature Comforts on The Road
Chapter Three - Getting Pampered, Having Fun and Roughing It: Leisure and Adventure Travel
Chapter Four - Logistics: The Nuts and Bolts of Travel
Chapter Five - After Hours
Chapter Six - Gadgets: Learning to Speak Geek
Chapter Seven - The Great Game: Buying, Financing, and Keeping Your Car In Shape
Chapter Eight - Real Estate: Buying, Selling, and Upgrading Your Home
Chapter Nine - Health and Fitness: Taking Control of Yourself
Chapter Ten - Education: The Long Haul
Chapter Eleven - Life is a Tightrope: Balancing Work and Life
Chapter Twelve - Financing Your Life: The New Realities
Chapter Thirteen - Shopping: The Nation's New Sex

Jack Covert Selects--Indispensable

Indispensable: How to Become the Company That Your Customers Can’t Live Without by Joe Calloway, John Wiley and Sons, 200 Pages, $24.95 Hardcover, April 2005, ISBN 0471703087

I personally love and recommend books that start with a premise I completely buy from the get-go. In fact, I have stated that to anyone who will listen for years. That is also what we as consumers are looking for: places to spend our money where we feel comfortable and like we are getting true value. Once we have made the decision, they become a place we call when we need the service no matter what. I really pity the person who doesn’t have Dennis as their mechanic or Gary the eye doctor or Ron as the haircutter etc. Joe Calloway has written a book that explains how you can become one of those indispensable people to your customers. In his research he discovered that the successful companies have five factors in common, which include:

1. Create and sustain momentum
2. Develop habitual dependability
3. Continuous connection
4. Big picture outcome
5. Engage, enchant, and enthrall

Pretty slick list. But remember this: shortly after he first introduces the list he states:
“One point that is made throughout the book is that becoming indispensable requires creativity. There is no template for success, nor is there a fill-in-the-blanks 10-step guide or a color-by-numbers picture-painting approach to success. It’s not that easy. You have to figure it out…”

The book has many interesting case studies with interviews and explanations that will give you an idea of what he means by figuring out how to be original. Speaking of: the layout of the book is truly original , alternating the different very interesting case studies with interviews and explanations. Joe Calloway can write. No doubt about that. And he tells great stories that support and illustrate his points. This book is a valuable addition to any business book collection.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO SUBSCRIBE TO THE MONTHLY BOOK REVIEWS, PLEASE SEND AN EMAIL TO JACK AT 800-CEO-READ.COM.

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#10)

A review by: CLINT SCHAFF (clintschaff at gmail.com), a communications director for a local union in Los Angeles and freelance communicator. His mission is to build communications that help build a movement for international peace and development.

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#9)

Bill Jensen's latest work What Is Your Life's Work is a collection of personal letters designed both to inspire you and to help you define your own critical balance point between work and life outside of work. The letters are both thought-provoking and touching, and are organized into five "Discoveries". These are: Finding Yourself, Finding the Lessons to Be Learned - the Questions to Be Asked, Finding the Choices That Really Matter, Finding the Courage to Choose, and Finding Joy, Serenity and Fulfillment. Each discovery area includes a broad collection of letters that really probe the subject and are sure to generate a lot of personal questions and insights.

The book concludes with a field guide to help you clarify the things in your life which are most important to you. You are then encouraged to begin writing your own letter in order to elaborate your values and pass them on to your loved ones.

Overall, I'd say that this book is a novel concept and is pretty well executed. I would like to have seen a bit more of an overall navigational structure to the book, but this is a minor quibble. The discovery introductions give a brief overview of the general topics of the letters and then let the letters speak for themselves.

Bio: Chris Young is a senior business analyst for a large health care organization. He is an avid reader of business and self improvement books, and enjoys playing golf and guitar in his spare time. Read his blog, Journal This!, at http://cyjournal.blogspot.com.

Job Opening at 800-CEO-READ

We are on the lookout for a new person to help Jack and I will all the marketing and communications stuff we have going on. Here is the position description:

Communications and Marketing Specialist

We are looking for an individual to join our marketing and public relations side of our business. There are two main components to this position:

In the first component, this person will be responsible for managing and distributing content to an ever expanding group of partners. The types of content we generate is as varied as online reviews of business books, bestseller lists, and audio interviews with authors. The consumers of this content include internal sources, MarketingProfs.com, and the Knight Ridder Tribute Syndicate. The goal for this individual is to manage the editorial calendar and develop new outlets for our materials. This individual may also be involved in the generation and editing of content for these channels.

The second part to this position is identifying advertising opportunities for our company and our products. The goals are strengthening the 800-CEO-READ brand and increasing revenues. Managing advertising partnerships and developing a comprehensive online advertising plan are key aspects to this part of the position.

800-CEO-READ is a division of Harry W. Schwartz Bookshops and specializes in selling business books to corporations, universities, and individuals. The company was started in 1984 and located in Milwaukee’s Historic Third Ward. In the last two years, 800-CEO-READ has doubled its size and now has yearly revenues of $5+ million.

We have a lot of fun things planned. Come join us!

Qualifications: Four year degree in business, communications, or liberal arts.

Salary Range: $30,000 to $35,000 per year

Benefits: Health, Dental, 401K, and profit sharing

If you are interested or know someone who might be, drop me a line at todd at 800ceoread dot com.

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#7)

Review: What is Your Life's Work?

What is Your Life's Work? : Answer the BIG Question About What Really Matters...and Reawaken the Passion for What You Do by Bill Jensen

There's something ironic about reviewing this book on deadline (ok, past deadline). It's all about getting away from day-to-day pressures to take stock of personal priorities, and deadlines are not part of the plan.

So, what is the plan? Simple. Stop and think about What Really Matters. The book, with its collection of letters and the suggested discovery process, can be your excuse to step out of the daily grind to look at your personal Big Picture. If you follow the well-worn path, you'll end up discovering the priorities you already know--family, friends, faith, love, charity, hope. If you're an overachiever who has sacrificed everything for work, maybe you need the reminder.

The author provides an unusual, but honest, warning late in the book. "Eight out of every ten readers of this book will do absolutely nothing with it." If you want to beat those odds, you'll have to overcome some barriers that the structure of the book puts in your way.

First, the title, What is Your Life's Work. If you don't already know and you're looking for another book on What I Want to Be When I Grow Up, this isn't it. It's more along the lines of First Things First, by Stephen R. Covey, but without a formal method for structuring your thoughts. Despite some introductory words to the contrary, this seems to be a book for mid-career and your mid-life crisis.

Second, the format of the book makes it difficult to get started. Before you get to page 1, you will find a section on "How to Use This Book." Don't read the book cover-to-cover, but select the letters that "speak directly to you." Um, how do I do that without reading them first? The instructions end with a referral to a Getting Started section on page 209. Read page 209 before page 1? Roadmap, bread crumbs, ball of thread... It takes some concentration just to get started with this book.

I never did find a way to pick letters without reading the whole book, although it's easy to skip the rest of a letter that misses the mark after a few paragraphs. Many of the letters seem to have been written by overachievers with dream careers, especially consultants and senior executives. Reading about how they realized the importance of life outside work after they reached the pinnacle of business success just didn't move me. I did find a few letters that made useful points, but all in all, it wasn't worth the effort it took to find them.

I do wish some of the people I've worked with would read this book, though.

--
Nathan Gilliatt (http://www.mindspring.com/~gilliatt/) is a technology-business strategist who connects the dots between product innovations and market dynamics to help technology companies create customer value.

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#7)

What Is Your Life's Work by Bill Jensen

A warning to all who dare to pick up this book:
It's not a linear "how-to" book; it's written story by story, person by person, and should be read by starting where ever you're most comfortable or feel the biggest tug at your heart.

Each story will strike a different note within you and after you read a few, your heart will sing it's own song and you'll want to write your own life's work story. If that's what you feel, like I did, then I encourage you to take action NOW and write your story. In the end of the book, Jensen warns that though all of us may be moved to write our own story, only 2 out of 10 will actually make the time to make it happen.

With that being said, I cannot more strongly encourage you to read this book to see what was important to others, and explore what really matters to you and is deep in your heart. That's all I've got time to say, because I'm starting my story right now.

Phil Gerbyshak helps people find answers to computer, leadership, and many other problems as a manager at a financial services company headquartered in downtown Milwaukee, WI. For more of Phil's musings, head on over to his blog at http://makeitgreat.blogpost.com.

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#6)

Review of what is your life's work:

In short, I was disappointed. The book has its merits, but does not live up to the title or the text on its cover. The title is very catchy and will certainly help sell some books, but I do not think accurately reflects the majority of the content. The book is much more about figuring out what is important to you in your professional life, which I do not equate to figuring out your life’s work

It is not a traditional book, with 25 pages or so written by the author and another 200 consisting of 60 or so letters written by individuals and collected by the author. The letters are part of a technique used by author where he asks people to write a letter to loved ones to help the loved ones “understand what’s truly important at work,” and to help answer the question "what is the single most important insight about work that you want to pass on to your kids?" The book does address this issue, but I don't consider this to be the answer to the question posed by the title. While the letters are interesting to read, I found few for which I felt the letter writer had figured out their life’s work (I counted 5), and many others where the letter writer still seemed to be struggling with some of the same questions the book purports to answer.

The exercise used to generate the letters in this book leads most letter writers to focus on the past and on insights learned. I have a different view of what constitutes someone's life's work. At 28 years old, I certainly hope I have much more life ahead of me than behind, and certainly hope that my life's work is measured on its impact to others rather than on the lessons that I have learned. While the letters contain good advice (like the kind you would hear at a commencement speech), with few exceptions, I did not find most of them "inspiring stories from people who found their way.”

Tim Palmer is a avid reader who is currently a self-employed consultant dabbling in patents, technology and business; he is still trying to figure out his life’s work. He blogs at http://www.patentchronicles.com/.

The Dan Pink RSS Feed

I noticed Dan Pink has an RSS feed up on his site now.

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#5)

Bill Jensen's new book, What Is Your Life's Work, was intitially a bit of a mixed bag for me. I should note that I've been a big fan of Bill's work for some time now. Bill was kind enough to send a preview pdf file of the book to me several months ago, and I really liked the content. Once I began reading the actual book, though, I began to have some doubts about whether I'd find much value in it.

Book Structure
There's no way around it, this is an unusual book. Jensen spent several years compiling personal letters from people. Some were letters written specifically to loved ones, others were "work diaries" in which the writers reflected upon the bigger questions of the meaning of work. Jensen notes early on that in reading through thousands of these letters and diaries, he began to note some common themes, which he calls "Discoveries." Thus, the book is organized by these five themes: Finding Yourself; Finding the Lessons to Be Learned and the Questions to Be Asked; Finding the Choices that Really Matter; Finding the Courage to Choose; Finding Joy, Serenity and Fulfillment. Each chapter contains letters or diary entries that exemplify that chapter's theme, but which also may contain elements of the other themes. The final part of the book contains a "Field Guide" to writing your own letters--Jensen even asks readers to submit their letters for possible inclusion in the paperback version of the book. Additionally, the back of the book contains author acknowledgements and some interesting statistics derived from Jensen's ongoing research into how work gets done.

Reading Instructions
The beginning of the book gives some pretty specific instructions for use, which include selective reading, thinking about themes and writing your own letter. Straightforward enough, but I was a little skeptical about whether there would be any letter so compelling that I'd actually draw deep meaning from it, let alone be so inspired as to write my own letter. Jensen notes early in the book that readers ought to expect to find between three to five letters that really resonate with them, challenge them or inspire them. Additionally, he notes that readers ought not be surprised if all of "their" letters are grouped around a particular theme. Then again, he notes, they may be more scattered.

The Letters
I admit it. I didn't follow the instructions. I first read the instructions, then read the index that details which letters cover which areas of life. But then I went ahead and read the whole book, cover to cover. I did note those letters which resonated with me--I was surprised to find some! As Jensen promises, there really are letters for all sorts of folks and, despite the diversity (there was even one letter that I couldn't find anything to agree with at all), all the letters are well written. The letters that I found most helpful tended to be grouped in the second (lessons to be learned, questions to be asked), fourth (courage to choose) and fifth (joy, serenity and fulfillment) themes, though the three letters that I loved most were grouped in the fifth theme.

My Results
Now that I've read the book, I'm in a decidedly different place than I was when I began. I love this book, and I'll be passing on copies to friends. Some of the letters were trite or full of the same old truisms we've all heard a thousand times before. But the letters that really struck me most seemed to have been pulled from my own experience. Here are a few pulled quotes from some of the letters that I found most helpful...

It was where we learned how soul-satisfying it can be to help someone else grow and succeed. ...to go home knowing that you have used yourself well.
--Barbara Simonetti, writing to her friend on p. 81

Believe that exhibiting character and discipline yields more benefits than costs, even when the costs are all that you can see in the short term and the long term seems a bit far off.
--Michael Civitelli and Janet Scarborough, writing to their son on p. 83

While one's moral fiber must always stay intact, flexibility in marriage, careers, friendships, and adversity is a necessity.
--Dave Woods, writing to his children on p. 88

Be a rebel, a respectful rebel, but a rebel nonetheless.
--Rick Ritacco, writing to his children on p. 96

Consider the actual tasks involved in the work you would do every day. And follow those tasks into different fields. Which means never getting fixated on making one right career decision.
--Joan Malin, writing to the teens that Planned Parenthood serves in NYC on p. 116

In essence, I learned that the best commercial strategy for my tomorrows is to be present at all times today.
--Peter Tunjic, in his resignation letter to the parters of his law firm on p. 155

...work is...about searching for your place in the world and cooperating with the many gifts that the Divine has bestowed upon you.
--Kenny Moore, writing to his sons on p. 179

You should enjoy what you do while helping others enjoy their work as well.
--Travis Thomas in his work diary on p. 189

There were plenty of others, including a couple of letters in their entirety that spoke to me (Kenny Moore's, quoted above, and Kip Winsett's on p. 194). Additionally, the letter from Kristi Dinsmore, on page 182, is hilarious--she uses a breakfast buffet as an extended metaphor for how to work well...complete with many bacon references.

As soon as I finish writing this review, I'll be starting the exercises listed at the back of the book. The toughest part will be writing letters that are honest to the bone. But that's what I'll be doing. I'm learning that the book isn't just about work--it's about Life and What's Important. Those are the things I'll be writing in my letters. My goal is to have a letter written for all the most important people in my life, which I'll give them for Christmas '05 (inspired by yet another letter in the book).

Conclusion
You can tell by now that I enjoyed reading the book, and am continuing to reap it's benefits. My guess is that this would be an enjoyable read for just about anyone, but it'll be a challenging read for those people who commit to following the message of the book to the logical conclusion. The challenge is to dig deep and ask oneself the questions that often have answers that are really difficult to hear. And then telling the answers to others. Without the effort required to go these extra steps, the book is  still an enjoyable read, but about as challenging as Chicken Soup for the Soul.

--Brendon Connelly

Brendon Connelly is a university adminstrator who blogs at http://slackermanager.com.

Publishing News

There have been some interesting stories in the news about publishing lately. Jeffery Trachtenberg had has two great articles in the Wall Street Journal.

The first article ran Friday and was about the vicious cycle of returns. Bookstores have the ability to return books back to the publishers and be refunded their money. This simple idea creates all sorts of inefficiencies. Books get shipped all over the country from publishers to distribution centers to stores and back to distribution centers. It is then not unusual for a third party to buy the books and sell them back to the stores at a steep discount.

This is something that we don't deal with much. 800-CEO-READ is different in that we really don't carry inventory and that when we do buy books, we often buy them as nonreturnable. This ends up as a cleaner sale for the publisher and in return we get a steeper discount on the books we buy.

The second article ran yesterday. Dunn & Co. in Clinton, Massachusetts has built a whole business around repairing books. If there is a problem during production or an editor missed something, it is actually cheaper cut the page out and "tip" in new pages versus reprinting the book. They do $7 million a year and are growing at a steady 5% a year.

I am always amazed at the things people can get paid to do.

Reading the Future

Joel Barker has a new book coming out this month called Five Regions of the Future. Barker is a futurist and in this book, he has divided technology into five families. He says each family has its own values, advantages and disadvantages.

What caught our attention was a list of publications at the end of book. These are periodicals you should be reading to keep up with what is coming next. They are listed in order of importance:

1. The New Scientist
2. Popular Science
3. Mother Earth News
4. Science News
5. The Economist
6. World Watch
7. The Christian Science Monitor
8. Nature.com
9. Atlantic Monthly
10. Tufts Health Letter
11. Business Week
12. Popular Mechanics
13. Technology Review
14. Fast Company
15. Scientific American
16. Mother Jones
17. Industry Week
18. Wired
19. The Wall Street Journal
20. Business 2.0
21. Fortune
22. Science
23. The Futurist
24. Utne Reader
25. Newsweek
26. Yes!
27. Forbes
28. New York Times Sunday Edition
29. Invention & Technology
30. Foreign Affairs
31. Discover
32. Air & Space
33. Motor Trend
34. Car and Driver
35. EAA

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#4)

What Is Your Life's Work? - By Bill Jensen

“According to over 40 Gallup studies, about 75% of us are disengaged from our jobs”.

“According to the most recent U.S. Job Retention Survey, 75% of all employees are now searching for new employment opportunities.”

“The New American Dream Survey found that more than four out of every five of us (83%) wish we had more of what really matters in life.”

“Work is not just an eight-hour interruption in our day. Most of us will spend most of our adult lives and most of our waking hours focused on our jobs.”


Scary facts. All too true.

It is against this premise that author Bill Jensen sets out his plan for encouraging us to take action and engage in a process of figuring out what is most important in our lives so we can then work to connect it to a plan that will give your work and, therefore, your life more meaning and purpose.

Rather than ramble on for 200+ pages to prove his point, Jensen proves his premise through actual letters he has collected from those that have taken up his challenge to get outside of their daily reality and look at their life in a different way. By working through a writing process where they either write a letter to someone important to them or a simple journal style entry creates letters that are personal, touching and inspirational.

Everything from dealing with trauma, fear and courage to leadership, priorities and focus are covered in these letters.

The letters are divided into five sections: Finding yourself, finding the lessons to be learned/questions to be asked, finding the choices that really matter, finding the courage to choose and finding joy serenity and fulfillment.

While Jensen encourages readers to not read the book from front to back, I found the sections applicable enough to read them straight through. Unfortunately, taking this incorrect path left me wading through many letters that, although touching, did not connect to what is important to me and decreased the impact, flow and power of the book. If you can try to break out of the cover to cover standard and use the tools provided to personalize the content, you will find it a far more enjoyable read.

After reading the first chapter I suggest you do not copy my mistake. Follow the books suggestion to jump directly to the “Quick Search Index” that begins on page 223. This approach then allowed me to create a list of letters that focused on the specific messages that had the most meaning and impact for me.

Most importantly, the book concludes with detailed instructions on how to take action and begin the process of writing your own letter or journal entry that will serve as a tool to help you break out of your personal “rut” and create a space where you can unlock what is meaningful for your work, your family and your life.

If you are one of the 75% that are unhappy in your work and want to know that a) you are not alone b) want to learn what others in your situation have done to break out of the rut and c) follow a plan to create an opening for you to find your own personal solution then this book will offer you a path to take action.

If this topic is of particular interest, I would also recommend Po Bronson’s – “What Should I Do With My Life?”
- Howard Mann


Howard is the President of DIG Business Design - DIG helps Entrepreneurs move their businesses to the next level with Truth, Creativity & Power™ www.digbusiness.com

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work (#3)

What Is Your Life’s Work?

A Review by: Chris Melinn, a software architect and consultant living in Sydney, Australia.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Are the hundreds of tiny choices you make everyday leading you toward what really matters? Are you even clear about what really matters to you?

If not, What Is Your Life’s Work? is the book for you.

Bill Jensen wrote this book to help you discover what really matters. To help you find your way, he provides sixty-four letters from others who have made these discoveries of their own. The letters are grouped into five discoveries:

1. Finding Yourself
2. Finding the Lessons to Be Learned, the Questions to Be Asked
3. Finding the Choices That Really Matter
4. Finding the Courage to Choose
5. Finding Joy, Serenity, and Fulfillment

From these letters, Jensen asks you to find the letters that speak most directly to you, that grab you, and inspire you. Then, he suggests, you use these letters as a starting point to write a letter of your own. Through this process you will be able to discover what really matters.

What would you like to tell your loved ones about work?

I liked that this book forced me to think, to reflect. While reading the letters, I began to question how I spend my time and what work means to me. After reading these stories, I naturally wanted to write a letter of my own and to share it with my family.

However, against Jensen’s suggestions, I read the book cover-to-cover. Although the book provides an index by theme, I found it strange trying to jump around reading the letters. I quickly abandoned this approach and continued reading cover-to-cover. This was the easiest way for me to enjoy the letters without trying to keep track of what I had already read.

Some of the stories meant nothing to me; some of the stories I really connected with. But all of the stories are enjoyable to read. This is a unique opportunity to hear the stories the contributors wanted to share, to hear what gives meaning to their lives.

As Jensen says, work is not just an eight-hour interruption in our day. We spend most of our waking hours focused on our job. And whether we like it or not, we are defined by the choices we make at work. Use this book to help you make the choices at work that are consistent with the person you want to be.

Amazon Moves More Into Audio

This is from Publishers Weekly yesterday:

Amazon's New Tributary

Amazon appears close to opening a new online store to sell digital downloads of spoken-word audio, a move the would put the company in competition with industry leader Audible. Although an Amazon spokesperson had no comment on its audio plans, on Friday the company posted a note on its site declaring that "Amazon is developing a new store to offer downloadable audiobooks to our customers." The posting added that any publisher of audiobooks or other spoken audio content that wants its products included in the store should e-mail the company.

What Is Your Life's Work Webinar (FREE!)

Curt at The Occupational Adventure pointed out that Bill Jensen, author of What Is Your Life's Work? will be doing a free webinar tomorrow at 12PM ET.

Here are the details:

What Is Your Life’s Work?
FREE Webinar
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8, 1 HOUR
Beginning: 12pm ET (9am PT, US & Canada)

A Starter Kit: Experience the ultimate approach to work and life decisions:
Answer the big question of What Really Matters
Sign up now!

Imagine having one of the most profound conversations in your life: “This is what I stood for, believed in, struggled with, and accomplished. This is my life’s work, and what I want to be remembered for.” Wow! Wouldn’t it be great to experience such intense clarity!
. . . . . .
Now you can. In this FREE webinar, Bill will expose the raw truths we’ve all experienced, the personal frailties and mistakes we’d like to hide, as well as the proudest achievements we’d like to celebrate.

What would you tell your kids or grandkids or closest friends about
what really matters at work?

If they asked:

> How do I know I’m making a difference?
> What’s the real reason I’m here?
> How much is too much?

How would you answer?

. . . . . .

Bill will share with you what others just like you figured out:

> How to find and leverage the five distinct discoveries you will make about your life’s work
> How to deal with the daily grind and still pursue your dreams
> How to view and address the specific challenges and work-life issues faced by women, Boomers, and new graduates

…As well as sharing with you the coaching he’s provided to help
people figure things out for themselves.

--

It is funny because we really didn't coordinate running the reviews and this webinar. I will post another review today to get you a better flavor for the book. If you like what you have heard, you may want to check it out.

BOOK REVIEW: What is Your Life’s Work (#2)

“What is Your Life’s Work” by Bill Jensen

Review by Paul Gladen

“What Is Your Life’s Work”( WIYLW) is a collection of letters written by 64 disparate individuals to loved ones about their experience of work. Why should you want to read that? How could this book possibly help you be more successful in your work and life? What’s the “big idea? Where’s the 10 step program for career success? Where are the words of wisdom from the self-help guru or captain of industry?

But that’s the beauty of this book, its sheer simplicity in concept and the restraint shown in analyzing the lessons to be learnt from the 64 letters. It’s also a great read. This book trumps “reality” TV. This book grabs your attention with real people writing about real work and real lives. It’s raw and often emotional. It’s usually brutally honest and the insights are based on hard learned experience.

If Seth Godin hadn’t used it for “All Marketers are Liars” the subtitle to this book could have been “The Power of Telling Authentic Stories in a Low Trust World”. If “All Marketers Are Liars” is a book about the stories we tell ourselves about products and services then WIYLW is about the stories we tell ourselves (and others) about ourselves.

If you are unhappy with your work, or the balance in your life, chances are you’re telling yourself a lie to justify inaction. You tell yourself that you’ll change jobs next year or that the kids understand why you work so late. If these words have you shifting a little uncomfortably on your chair, you can be sure that several of the letters in WIYLW will hit home. But they’ll hit home in a constructive way as you realize the situation you face is by no means unique and as you discover these “ordinary” people found a way to confront and change their situation. WIYLW has a very positive message. Each letter writer has reached some level of understanding or awareness that has given them clarity and a sense of both peace and passion about their work and life.

Every writer tells an authentic story about the work they’ve done, the mistakes they’ve made, how they’ve found the right priorities and how they’ve found work that matters to them. Many of the letters seek to draw out the insights and principles that their loved ones should try to learn from and these insights are thought provoking and occasionally profound. However, the letters are at their most powerful when they discuss real situations and real decisions and leave the reader to extract the lesson.

Bill Jensen has organized the letters into what he calls the 5 Discoveries and also provides a Field Guide to getting started. But, like any other book focused on personal development or improvement, it can’t make change happen for you (and Bill Jensen doesn’t try to claim he can). The 5 Discoveries and Field Guide are like a knife and fork, they’re potentially useful, but largely irrelevant if you’re not hungry or can’t stomach the food in front of you. WILYW won’t be for everyone – some people just won’t connect with it (although they may be the people that need it most). But that said this book is relevant to people regardless of background. One of its most appealing aspects is that the stories are told by such a diverse group of individuals - a prison guard, a strategy and planning manager, a fishmonger.

From a personal perspective, this book definitely connected with me. Over the last 3 years I have made my own discoveries – some enforced others not – that have lead me closer to my life’s work. There were many situations and learnings in the letters that had me recollecting similar points in my earlier career and relating to the changes I’ve experienced in the last 3 years. That recognition is valuable to me. But I will also take away an additional perspective from this book. If you don’t read WIYLW simply as “self-help”, but rather read it as 64 letters written by people who may be your friends, family, customers, work colleagues or the next customer service agent you deal with, it provides a powerful insight into the motivations and personal battles of those around us. Using this book and its insights to help others achieve their life’s work may prove to be the most rewarding life’s work of all.

Paul Gladen’s work is in the field of foresight + innovation. www.muzeview.com/changeyourfuture

BOOK REVIEW: What Is Your Life's Work

I found the premise of What Is Your Life's Work (Bill Jensen) to be fascinating. The concept - find a set of 3 - 5 stories that speak to you, speak to your inner core that is desperately trying to get you out of your bland/exhausting/frustrating grind - was novel (to me, at least) and very intriguing. Mr. Jensen says that you don't need to read all the stories, but I did, because I found the stories to be both interesting, and emotionally touching.

But I didn't find them touching my inner core - only one even came close. After finishing, and contemplating, I think I understand why - I'm not the target for this book. A year ago, I was working for a company that didn't appreciate me, that thought I was a misfit, that thought I was unprofessional, and was extremely uncomfortable with my pointed questions about the viability of the company's business model. I was immensely frustrated, depressed, angry, bitter and mean. And a year ago, I left, to find someplace where I would fit in, someplace where I could make a difference.

Which is one of the key themes in this book. I could have written one of the stories in this book about my decision. In other words, I'd already figured out on my own what I needed to do.

So if you're like me, working in a small company, already in a position where you feel you have a good balance between work and home, this probably isn't the book for you. But if you are in a job where you feel your soul is being eaten, bit by bit each day, then you absolutely must read this book. I know that if I had read this book last year, it would have helped me recognize my situation, and address it earlier. From that perspective, I would say the only flaw is that the stories can be quite intimidating, with people who seem to be able to effortlessly juggle multiple big projects (work/home/church; work/home/charity; etc) that probably make the average reader think "Well, yeah, _they_ can make a change, they're already super-human".

Rating:
- If you have a good life/work balance - 4.5/10 (interesting stories)
- Everyone else - 9/10

Bio:

John Brothers is a father of three great kids, husband to an amazing woman,
and a software architect/manager/developer/IT guy/sales engineer/tech
support/inventor for a very small software company in Atlanta.

Businesspundit Reviews All Marketers Are Liars

Rob at Businesspundit posted a review of All Marketers Are Liars.

He starts with:

Two thoughts kept running through my head as I read All Marketers Are Liars.

1. Seth Godin is not a marketer.
2. If you are implementing a marketing plan, this book is not for you.

I assure you it is not that simple. Check his review out.

Pink's Op-Ed in NYT

In Saturday's New York Times, Dan Pink wrote an Op-Ed piece called Pomp and Circumspect. It is a great riff on what he talks about in A Whole New Mind as it relates to the new crop of college graduates.