Book Review

Book Review: “The Future of Management”, Gary Hamel

Everyone’s looking to make a buck. Yes, money may not make you happy, but it sure greases the skids.

In the Future of Management, Gary Hamel argues that your greatest hope for growing your organization and leading it to breakthrough success (and making a LOT of money) is to get out of the way. You’re not going to lead your company to greatness. At least not enduringly. Your personal wisdom and creativity are just no match for the collective wisdom and creativity of a team of people charged with figuring out how to make your organization adapt, grow and succeed.

Book Review: “The Age of Turbulence”, Alan Greenspan

It has been said that knowledge is power. If so, it would seem Alan Greenspan would convincingly prove the theory. Pure, untethered and incorruptible knowledge, and the ability to reason, begat great power and influence in the life of Alan Greenspan.

Book Review: “Concise Overview of Business Valuation”, David L. Perkins, Jr.

Book Review: Concise Overview of Business Valuation. Certain concepts are really hard for me to grasp. Infinity. Light. The space-time continuum. Retirement. Business valuation.

Book Review: “The Smartest Guys in the Room”, Bethany McLean and Peter Elkind

The Smartest Guys in the Room: book Review. Want to read an incredible story? Pick up a copy of this book. It’s the darnedest story you may ever read.

Book Review: “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”, Robert T. Kiyosaki

Personal-wealth books are a dime a dozen. Why would I want to read another? A friend gave me a copy of Rich Dad, Poor Dad. I held little hope that it would say anything eye-opening or original. But it was a gift; I appreciated the thoughtfulness and felt obliged to take a look and demonstrate that I did so. And you know – Mike Youngworth is a sharp man. He wouldn’t give it to me if it did not offer something of value.

Book Review: “The One Thing You Need to Know”, Marcus Buckingham

I have issues with this book. First, are we really expected to take management advice from someone who looks like a shoo-in for the next James Bond? Second, the title reads as if it were generated by a computer that analyzed data to come up with a hot-selling title – content obviously secondary.

Book Review: “The Intelligent Investor”, Benjamin Graham

Benjamin Graham is arguably the greatest investment philosopher of all time. He brought structure and logic to the business of security analysis. That is, the discipline of investing in companies via their common stock (i.e., equity) and, to a lesser extent, their debt securities (i.e., bonds).

Book Review: “All Marketers are Liars”, Seth Godin

Our society is one of abundance. Most purchases – both consumer and business – are discretionary. Purchases fill “wants” rather than “needs”. Selling wants is much different than selling needs. Consumers buy a want because of how it will make them feel.

Book Review: “Good To Great”, Jim Collins

How does a company achieve lasting success? Is it simply a matter of being blessed by circumstance – maybe like Microsoft – of being at the right place at the right time? Is it a matter of having the right connections or relationships? Maybe it is a matter of leadership. Get the right leader on board and great things will happen.

Book Review: “Soft Selling in a Hard World”, Jerry Vass

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“It changed my life!” said Greg Roberson, Trammel Crow commercial real estate sales executive. “Made our whole company more profitable.”

Book Review

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