Library
If and when you
visit my office, I would make sure that you visit my library.
Here is the next best thing. Please make yourself comfortable
and stay as long as you like. Enjoy my book reviews and my
suggested reading list. You are always welcome as it will
change quite often.
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The Art of Worldly Wisdom
by Baltasar
Gracian
Shambala Library 2003
171 pages
Writers
and publishers are on a never ending quest to present us
with the next cutting edge business management, or
leadership book. The bookstores are filled with flashy
covers and outrageous titles. Let us leave this
publishing whirlwind of our modern technology driven,
business world, and experience the writings of a
controversial 17th century Jesuit monk, Baltasar Gracian.
His 450 year old writings are not controversial by our
standards, because his timeless thoughts serve as the
foundation for many of the leadership and managerial
books of the last 100 years.
The book is arranged as a random collection of 300, one
paragraph essays that present concise and insightful
thoughts on such topics as:
· Be attractive,
· The wise do at once, what the fool does later
· Have no careless days
· Do good a little at a time, but often
· Know how to rely on yourself
At the end of the book there is an index that gives the
theme of each essay with accompanying number for quick
reference. This historic book has no agenda, no website,
and no accompanying seminar series. It is merely the
deep thoughts of a good person that have traveled
through the centuries to remind us of the simplicity of
being successful in a very complicated modern world.
I recommend The Art of Worldly Wisdom as a timeless
book, that we should make time for every day.
Dr. Brian Beirl has a general dental practice in
Seminole. In addition, he is an educator, author,
presenter, consultant and business coach. Dr. Beirl is
passionate in helping his clients live the life of their
dreams. He may be reached through his web site at
www.brianbeirl.com
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Coloring
outside the lines
Jeffery
Gitomer’s
Little Gold Book of Yes! Attitude
How to
find, build and keep a Yes! Attitude for a lifetime of
success
Jeffery Gitomer colors our world with no-nonsense, edgy
books that challenges us to look at ourselves and our
businesses differently. His previously published; Little
Red Book of Selling, and The Little Black Book of
Connections have created a strong following in the quick
to read but long to ponder business book genre. He
continues with this, his latest venture onto a crowded
bookshelf. His Little Gold Book revisits one of the most
written about subjects in the self development arena,
positive thinking. But Gitomer transcends the worn path
of just think positive literature by challenging us to
find, build and keep a Yes, Yes, Yes attitude.
In the first pages, Gitomer states in no uncertain terms
what books cannot do for us:
“You
can’t gain a positive attitude by reading a book.”
“You can’t gain the self-discipline and the thought
process by reading a book.”
With the pressure off we can then enjoy this fast paced
and entertaining journey of self discovery. It’s not
about thinking positive, it’s about our attitude. We all
have attitudes, is yours a yes or a no attitude?
Gitomer’s style of writing is an unveiled extension of
his speaking style. It is fast paced, irreverent
regarding dogmatic thinking, demands honest
introspection and is thoroughly entertaining. There is,
however, a clever method to his madness.
There is an amazing structure to this book that first
stresses an analysis of the reader’s present state of
mind. We must first become self aware of our true
attitude. Through the use of self assessment
questionnaires we learn of our true state of mind.
Next is the move toward specific actions that will aid
us in developing a yes attitude. The author points out
the subtle but pervasive negative actions of daily life,
i.e. watching depressing, local news or violent movies
that can undermine our attainment of success.
Finally, we are encouraged to create a Yes lifestyle
that will insure that we not only identify a fulfillment
attitude but attain, and maintain the highest level of
our Yes attitude.
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It’s all
about you
You, Inc.
by Harry Beckwith & Christine Clifford Beckwith
Warner Business Books
Copyright 2006
313 pages
There are many business books that you skim and then
there is the rare book you want to read out loud to your
business associates, family and friends. You, Inc. is
such a book.
You, Inc. blurs the lines of business, self- improvement
and motivation. Through the use of one to three page
stories gleaned over his thirty years of consulting
experience, Beckwith guides us through a journey of
appreciating who we are and how we present ourselves to
the world. In his chapter on communicating, he discusses
the importance of lead lines, in both our speaking and
our writing. In fact, this review is a conscious effort
to have more interesting and appealing lead sentences.
Other topics presented are: What People Buy; Planning
and Preparing; Listening and Speaking, Relating;
Attitudes and Beliefs; and a tremendous discussion of
Tactics and Habits. Here are just a few examples of the
valuable insights found in the Tactics and Habits
chapter: how to write and effective thank you; new cell
phone etiquette; the importance of how we dress for
business; including your briefcase, and why flattery
will get you nowhere.
Interspersed at appropriate intervals are the inspiring
stories told by the Harry Beckwith’s wife Christine. She
has battled and is victorious over cancer. Her stories
add a balance to the book, to remind us all of
priorities and where our business lives should rank with
our personal relationships.
Harry Beckwith’s first three books: What Clients Love;
The Invisible Touch; and the bestselling, Selling the
Invisible; set the stage for this remarkable book.
Keeping with the spirit of his message to enjoy
ourselves in what we do, allow me to close with this.
I would recommend that You Inc.lude this book in your
library.
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Made To
Stick
Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die
By Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Random House 2007
304 pages
If you or your business is stuck, you may have to get
stickier!
Not so long ago, the state of Texas had a roadside
littering problem to match its size. Faced with the
monumental task of getting the attention and changing
the habits of the proud and independent Texan, the state
came up with a slogan covered in stickum; “Don’t Mess
with Texas”. In the first year, littering was reduced by
29% and the state saved over one million dollars.
Avis found itself trailing Hertz every year. The reason
that you know what comes next is because they became
sticky. They embraced their #2 position and became the
“We Try Harder” company. Subway sandwiches may be
healthier but what we remember is Jared lost over 250lbs
eating them. JFK (a sticky set of initials) grabbed the
imaginations of an entire nation with the words;” put a
man on the moon and return him safely to the earth"
within a decade.
What makes ideas stick? According to the
authors/brothers Chip and Dan Heath, stickiness has the
following attributes: simplicity, unexpectedness,
concreteness, credibility, emotions and stories. Their
book is filled with memorable examples of creating stick
in all areas of our lives. When you present yourself and
your product, do you create, and use the attributes
listed above? The authors present this example from
journalism. Journalists are taught that a lead line (the
first sentence or thought) is what grabs the attention
of your audience. If you do not take advantage of your
first and only chance to capture your audience it is
known as “burying the lead”. What could you uncover or
reveal to your prospects so you can avoid “burying the
lead”.
Is your advertising accomplishing what you intend? Are
you memorable to your clients? Is their emotion allied
with creditability in your presentations? In short, are
you and your business Made To Stick?
Dr. Brian Beirl is an educator, author, presenter,
consultant and business coach. Dr. Beirl is passionate
in helping his clients live the life of their dreams. He
may be reached at:
BrianBeirlDDS@BBeirl.com
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Strengths Finder 2.0
By Tom Rath
Gallup Press
175 pages, with additional internet access
Reviewed by: Dr. Brian R. Beirl
Strong Words
We are a people that root for the underdog, that rejoice
in the hero that prevails over all odds. We aspire to be
the person that overcomes their shortcomings to attain
their, once in a lifetime, victory.
Tom Rath’s book has nothing to do with this.
What are you good at? Tasks and thought processes that
come easy to us are a gift. The premise of Rath’s
philosophy is to discover your strengths and work on and
in your world of those strengths. Our co-workers have
their own set of strengths and together we can
accomplish much by each of us recognizing the strengths
of others.
So what are your strengths? That is the beauty and power
of this cutting edge book. Strengths Finder 2.0 is a
blend of a book and the internet. At the back of the
book is a sealed code number that allows you to gain
entrance to a Gallup Strength Finders testing site.
Carefully researched and proven questions reveal your
personal strength themes. This testing instrument will
make your five dominant strength themes immediately
available to you. Returning to the book, you then
discover how to apply your themes. There are 34
chapters, one for each theme. There are also action
plans that recommend how to work best on your self and
with people of different strengths. In addition, the
website has an incredible amount of content and
suggestions for using this information in the work
place. I bought a book for all my employees and not only
has it been fascinating, but also has created a more
productive and “understanding” office environment.
I strongly! recommend this book.
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Break from
the Pack
How to Compete in a Copycat Economy
By Oren
Harari
Reviewed by: Dr. Brian R. Beirl
Are your customers just satisfied? If so, your business
is running with the pack and falling behind the leaders
in your industry. Businesses approaching their customers
in the traditional way will be left in the dust.
As a senior consultant and lecturer with Tom Peters for
twelve years, the author’s pedigree is evident in his
live seminar writing style. Oren Harari is passionate
and direct. The book is organized in three parts.
In Part 1, Resisting the Pull of the Pack, there are
numerous contemporary business examples that illustrate
the perils of “playing it safe” in the copycat economy.
We may see ourselves in these varied examples, but the
author immediately presents us with concrete actions to
help the reader begin to formulate a plan for his own
business. He presents the EMBER test for innovation; is
your product Extraordinary? Does it Matter to customers?
Does it Break new ground? Does it encourage Evolvement?
Is it Real?
In Part 2, How to Break from the Pack, he continues with
five steps to lead our businesses from the reactive to
the innovative. 1) lead institutionally, 2) lead with
profound authenticity, 3) lead with genuine caring, 4)
lead with turbo speed, and 5) lead with the individual
customer in mind. This section concludes with some very
different thinking on mergers and acquisitions.
In Part 3, How You Can Lead the Pack, the author
presents a 12 step Recovery Program. This informative
and entertaining section personalizes all that has come
before by helping the reader formulate a plan for
change. We’re asked to analyze our long-term career
goals, find our own paths, believe that our customers
are more important than investors and employees, and get
personally engaged.
Oren Harari has broken from the pack in the writing of
this book. The bookshelves are filled with books written
by consultants that amount to page after page of case
studies of their clients. This book breaks that
tradition with numerous concise steps for owners,
managers and employees of any business, large or small,
to break from the pack and lead. He encourages us to
innovate with confidence because the future of our
businesses and those that we serve depend on it.
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The
Power of Nice
How to
capture the Business World with Kindness
By Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval
Short and Sweet
Reviewed
by Brian R. Beirl DDS
-
Nice
is healthier, earns more money, and spends less time
in court.
-
Nice
is putting your head on the other person’s shoulders.
-
Nice
is telling the truth.
-
Nice
is not fighting over the last piece of pie, but baking
a bigger pie.
-
Nice
is Samsung and Sony joining forces to create
significant market share in the highly competitive
flat panel television arena.
In a
business world that many times embraces the “looking out
for #1” mentality, it is refreshing to be reminded of
how simple and productive business relationships can be.
The Kaplan Thaler agency has enjoyed incredible success
in the highly competitive advertising business. Thaler
and Koval’s book illustrates the simple premise that
telling the truth, listening, partnering, and simply
treating your fellow workers, and competitors, with
kindness will reap you far greater rewards than the “us
or them” mentality.
To illustrate this point, by simply listening to a
frustrated CEO of an insurance company, the Kaplan
Thaler advertising agency learned that his greatest
concern for the future of his company was the simple
fact that nobody could pronounce his company’s name.
They were the first to listen with compassion to his
lament. Because of their implementation of a new
campaign, the insurance company’s sales rose 55% in the
next few years.
We all know now how to pronounce AFLAC!
The Power of Nice does not profess to be a
groundbreaking book of newfound wisdom; it is, rather,
an enjoyable read that reminds us that we all have what
it takes to succeed in business. In fact, if you take
anything from this book, give it back.
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Get Out of Your Own Way
The
five keys to surpassing everyone’s expectations
by Robert K. Cooper Ph.D.
Reviewed by: Dr. Brian Beirl
Think back to a presentation or staff meeting where a
significant change was proposed. Were you immediately
more focused, energized, and maybe even fearful? Brain
research indicates that your primitive brain went into
its protection mode. Any change in our environment may
be dangerous until proven otherwise. Is that moving
shadow a tiger, or just the wind? According to Robert
Cooper, it is not only important to recognize how our
brain works, but it is possible to control it for
predictable possible outcomes.
Robert Cooper broke onto the national scene with his New
York Times bestseller, The Other 90%. In this first book
he encourages us to utilize the untapped potential of
the unused 90% of our brains. In Get Out of Your Own Way
Dr. Cooper gives us actual techniques to turn on the
parts of our brains that are required for different
tasks. However, he not only focuses on the individual,
but on how striving for our potential will influence our
businesses. As an international business consultant, he
points out five key areas that individuals and companies
must address to move to the next level and continue to
grow to their full potential.
The key areas are:
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Direction, not motion. It’s not how busy you are, or
how fast you’re moving. It’s moving in the right
direction.
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Focus, not time. It’s not just long hours; it’s
putting your attention on what matters most.
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Capacity, not conformity. It’s not about copying
others, but applying hidden potential in new ways.
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Energy, not effort. It’s not about trying harder; it’s
getting the right things done.
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Impact, not intentions. It’s not about wanting or
lofty goals. It’s measuring the difference you have
made in others’ lives.
When we
recognize we are on the non-productive side of these key
areas, we can implement the techniques presented by the
author to activate and control our brain to move to the
productive side.
Robert Cooper’s books are inspiring, educational and
filled with practical applications that can be
implemented immediately. We recommend this book for your
bookshelf, but it will not remain there long, as we are
confident that you will want to share this book with
your staff and business associates. |
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