I like finding obscure business books, biographies, and well-written historical pieces that read like narratives. I’m also constantly watching upcoming releases that fit these criteria. The list below is in release date order.
[Read more…] about Upcoming Book ReleasesHow I Subscribe to the Wall Street Journal
There have only been two online publications I’ve subscribed to for years, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and Harvard Business Review. I’m not including publications like Forbes, Inc., or Bloomberg’s Businessweek. That’s because I continually switch out those publications yearly for variety.
[Read more…] about How I Subscribe to the Wall Street JournalMy 15% vs Ownership Thinking
Numerous CEO friends continually extol the employee virtues of ownership thinking. I’ve never jumped on that bandwagon. I’ve met my share of passive and disengaged, country club-like, and unsophisticated owners. With that jaded imagery in my mind, I don’t want employees thinking like owners, even if the bad ones represent a small minority of all entrepreneurs. Instead, I prefer a stewardship mentality.
[Read more…] about My 15% vs Ownership ThinkingEnding the Negative Connotation of Planning
When you think of planning, what springs to mind? In your organization, is planning a positive experience or a negative one?
Many of us, including this writer, have suffered many tortuous planning exercises that never gained steam once they were finalized. Future planning events continue with similar results.
Perhaps we need a reminder of what planning is and its primary aim. I’ll keep this short by referencing a page from Peter Senge’s masterful business playbook, The Fifth Discipline.
The Essense of Planning
Senge calls planning a form of institutional learning. It’s through this continuous learning that the organization adapts and grows. Reading between the lines, planning is far more beneficial than the plan itself. Additionally …
… the process whereby management teams change their shared mental models of the company, their markets, and their competitors. For this reason we think of planning as learning and of corporate planning as institutional learning.
Peter Senge, The Fifth Discipline
Based on the comments of Senge, is planning a learning and growth experience in your organization? If not, why? If so, how can you help to change this thinking about planning?
The Effective Executive – Read the Introduction
Every financial leader should be reading Drucker. If you have not read any of his books, I’d start with The Effective Executive. You’ll find he was way ahead of his time.
[Read more…] about The Effective Executive – Read the IntroductionBooks Similar to Shoe Dog
You did read Shoe Dog, right? If not, read it and thank me later. If you have already read it, did you find yourself wanting to read a similar title? Then you’ve come to the right place.
[Read more…] about Books Similar to Shoe DogThe Firefighter Financial Expert
I love hearing about or reading stories of people learning a new skill that helps others in a significant way.
John Cuomo was an active firefighter and paramedic for nearly 25 years, and he tells the story of becoming a pension expert in his book, Leadership Refined by Fire.
[Read more…] about The Firefighter Financial ExpertBooks Published the Year You Were Born
Your controller just handed you their resignation letter. Your company’s website suffered a serious security breach the night before. Your banker wants to add some meat to your LOC’s bank covenants. How about a quick diversion? I have one for you.
[Read more…] about Books Published the Year You Were BornGood Business Books Before the 1980s
My assumption is that In Search of Excellence put the business book genre on the map, correct? If that’s true, did good business titles exist in the era of hold-a-job for life?
[Read more…] about Good Business Books Before the 1980sMy Forty Years with Ford and Leadership
When I think of Henry Ford, the first assembly line pops into my mind. Plus, I have this opinion that he was great with his hands, but not a book-smart guy. That’s mostly right, but there are some fascinating leadership lessons in one of his biographies.
[Read more…] about My Forty Years with Ford and Leadership