Degrees of Strength by Craig W. Ross & Steven W. Vannoy - Book review

Degrees of Strength

The Innovative Technique to Accelerate Greatness

By: Craig W. Ross, Steven W. Vannoy

Published: January 23, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 126 pages
ISBN-10: 0979376823
ISBN-13: 978-0979376825
Publisher: Wister and Willows, Publishers Inc.







"Those who are most skillful at ensuring a vision becomes a reality know that everyone is capable of doing extraordinary acts. And, of this group, the most exceptional are developing this skill in others in every interaction of every day", write CEO of Versus Global, Craig W. Ross; and Founder of Versus Global, Steven W. Vannoy, in their innovative and transformational book Degrees of Strength: The Innovative Technique to Accelerate Greatness. The authors describe how leaders must inspire greatness in others, and create a world changing vision. They provide their revolutionary leadership building concept of Degrees of Strength as the strategy for achieving leadership goals.



Craig Ross (photo left) and Steven Vannoy understand that people within organizations have untapped potential for achieving extraordinary results. That potential, however, is not always fully realized, and the organization does not operate at peak performance. The employees also know that their potential is not being utilized to the fullest extent. They would welcome leadership that would help them develop their skills to achieve accelerated levels of improvement and unlimited results.

To achieve these outstanding performance results, the authors ask the candid and challenging question of how well would the team perform if it had no weaknesses. The result is what the authors describe a complete paradigm shift in the way that the entire organization approaches leadership and potential.



Steven Vannoy (photo left) and Craig Ross recognize that organizations already possess the talent for extraordinary performance. The authors provide evidence that the traditional methods of leadership and motivation no longer work. There is a need for a fresh approach to leading and inspiring employees to greatness. The author share their Degrees of Strength strategy of leadership based on transforming both the mindset and action. The concept considers that everyone has at least a baseline ability in any given skill.

What Degrees of Strength does is accelerate the development of that skill into one of excellence. The strategy also recognizes the importance of accepting the need for change, and for facilitating that change in an entirely new way. At the same time as the employees develop their new abilities, the leader must grow as a person as well. The leader must adapt and develop a fresh vision that works for the entire organization, and not just for the ego of the leader.

For the authors, that means that leaders must get over themselves, and transcend their personal ego for the benefit of all. The leader as accelerator is one who places development and change, for the achievement of peak performance, ahead of themselves. The result is a complete transformation in the organizational mindset and culture to one of excellence and achievement of never before imagined results.

For me, the power of the book is how Craig Ross and Steven Vannoy present the theory of the Degrees of Strength principles in a case study scenario. The narrative demonstrates the concepts in action, serving to better illustrate the techniques and change in mindset involved in the process. The authors present a compelling case for a complete transformation of the company culture, through a fresh approach to change. The authors don't simply put the onus for change on the employees either. They emphasize the necessity of the leader getting over themselves and their own ego for the good of the entire organization. Overall, this is an excellent book that can be read quickly, but can be reread over and over again for even more practical and transformational ideas.

I highly recommend the practical and engaging book Degrees of Strength: The Innovative Technique to Accelerate Greatness by Steven Vannoy and Craig Ross, to any business leaders seeking a book that will really accelerate change and growth of their organizations toward peak performance. This book will change the mindset and the actions of any company that puts the Degrees of Strength principles to work for their firm.

Tags: Degrees of Strength: The Innovative Technique to Accelerate Greatness, Steven Vannoy, Craig Ross, leadership for peak performance, business book reviews

»»  read more

The Decision To Trust by Robert F. Hurley - Book review

The Decision to Trust

How Leaders Create High-Trust Organizations

By: Robert F. Hurley

Published: October 25, 2011
Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1118072642
ISBN-13: 978-1118072646
Publisher: Jossey-Bass














"Trust is central to human existence. like all social animals, human beings have an instinctive need to cooperate and rely on each other in order to satisfy their most basic emotional, psychological, and material needs. without trust, we are not only less happy as individuals but also less productive in groups", writes professor at Fordham University and president of Hurley Associates, Robert F. Hurley in his comprehensive and thought provoking book The Decision to Trust: How Leaders Create High-Trust Organizations. The author describes despite the overall decline in trust found in today's society, it's critical for companies to develop trust within their organizations and its teams, to achieve peak performance.

Robert Hurley recognizes that the current loss of trust in institutions and business is an important phenomenon in our lives. At the same time, however, the author understands completely that without a high level of trust, organizations cannot achieve a high level of productivity and performance. Robert Hurley points out that without a high trust factor in a company, attracting and retaining top talent is very difficult to attain. If co-workers don't trust their managers or one another, very little will be achieved in the organization either. Robert Hurley considers trust to be at the very foundation of an organization's success. As a result, the author shares his dynamic framework for building and maintaining trust in any company, and achieving top performance.



Robert F. Hurley (photo left) understands the dynamic nature of trust relationships within an organizational culture. This dynamism is based on experience. If the employee is faced with deceit, the individual will lose trust in the deceitful person. Once lost, that trust is very difficult to regain and reestablish. On the other hand, if an employee is rewarded in a trusting relationship with managers and co-workers, the level of trust will be deepened and strengthened. For employees at the team level, or at the level of the entire organization, a culture of trust will achieve superior results over a climate of fear and mistrust.

Rober Hurley proposes the Decision To Trust Model (DTM) to enrich the trust level within organizations. The factors are as follows:

* Security
* Similarity
* Alignment of interests
* Benevolent concern
* Capability
* Predictability and integrity
* Communication

For me, tho power of the book is how Robert Hurley combines the theoretical framework for improving trust levels with the practical tools and techniques to establish more organizational and team trust. The author demonstrates how to pinpoint the areas where trust has broken down, and provides the process for repairing the damage, as well as building new bonds of trust between people. Robert Hurley strengthens his proposed Decision To Trust Model (DTM) with a step by step system for its implementation.

The author also offers two decades of research data, real world case studies, and examples of improved trust resulting in more engaged and productive employees. Robert Hurley demonstrates clearly that trusting organizational cultures operate on a higher degree of performance and are more profitable for the company.

I highly recommend the essential and engaging book The Decision to Trust: How Leaders Create High-Trust Organizations by Robert F. Hurley, to any business leaders, managers, or anyone involved in employee relations who are seeking a proven and effective system for creating, nurturing, and deepening trust levels within organizations. This book, and the processes it contains, will transform a company culture from one of fear and mistrust, to one where engaged employees perform at peak levels, and where profitability is much higher than ever before.

Tags: The Decision to Trust: How Leaders Create High-Trust Organizations, Robert F. Hurley, trust building strategies, business book reviews

»»  read more

Subsurface Sensing edited by Ahmet S. Turk, A. Koskal Hocaoglu & Alexey A. Vertiy - Book review

Subsurface Sensing

Edited by: Ahmet S. Turk, Ph.D., Koksal A. Hocaoglu, Ph.D., Alexey A. Vertiy, Ph.D.

Published: August 16, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 920 pages
ISBN-10: 0470133880
ISBN-13: 978-0470133880
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.












"The major goal of this book is to provide a deep understanding of both the capabilities and limitations of the various sensor technologies used for detecting buried objects", write leading authorities in subsurface imaging and sensing, Ahmet S. Turk, Ph.D., Koksal A. Hocaoglu, Ph.D., and Alexey A. Vertiy, Ph.D., in their very comprehensive and authoritative book Subsurface Sensing. The authors describe the very wide and multidisciplinary field of subsurface sensing,and provide both the theoretical and practical applications and technologies that comprise the subject material.

Ahmet S. Turk, Ph.D., Koksal A. Hocaoglu, Ph.D., and Alexey A. Vertiy, Ph.D. understand both the strengths and limitations of subsurface sensing technology. As a result, the authors provide students, geophysicists, researchers, and engineers with a complete examination of the most important applications and technologies utilized in the field. The authors divide the book into three sections to provide the best overview of the subject: The three sections are as follows:

* The first part covers ground penetrating radar (GPR), electromagnetic induction (EMI), and microwave tomography
* The second part covers acoustic and seismic sensors, biochemical sensors, nuclear sensors, and optical sensors
* The third part includes the areas of application including geophysical, secuirty, landmine detection, and transport and civil engineering applications

Ahmet S. Turk, Ph.D., Koksal A. Hocaoglu, Ph.D., and Alexey A. Vertiy, Ph.D. recognize that their wide ranging overview of the subject will lack depth in each specific area. At the same time, that overall coverage offers practitioners with an examination of the theory, key applications, and important technologies in the field. The overview methodology of the book provides a firm foundation in the subject matter, leading to further in depth study for each application or technology as needed. Within the three principle sections of the book are individual chapters offering an examination of the wide and varied applications of subsurface sensing.

For me, the power of the book is the impressive array of multidisciplinary experts who provide their authoritative articles to the book. The expertise on offer covers a wide range of fields and subjects, but focuses on the principle areas of theory, sensor technology, and sensing applications. The sections of the various types of sensors, the mathematical and physics formulas, and the vast number of applications of the technology are especially useful. The authors are to be commended as well for including chapters that point to the potential weaknesses and limitations of subsurface sensing in all fields of study. Overall, this book is an excellent guide to the wide ranging and ever expanding field of subsurface sensing.

I highly recommend the essential and definitive book Subsurface Sensing edited by Subsurface Sensing, to any students, engineers, practitioners, business leaders, and policy makers seeking a complete overview of the theory, technology, and applications of the critical field of subsurface sensing. This book is a must for anyone with an interest or need for subsurface detection in any area of engineering, resources, business, or scientific research.

Tags: Subsurface Sensing, Ahmet S. Turk, Ph.D., Koksal A. Hocaoglu, Ph.D., Alexey A. Vertiy, Ph.D., subsurface detection technology and applications, science book reviews.

»»  read more