Strategic Intuition by William Duggan - Book review

Strategic Intuition

The Creative Spark in Human Achievement

By: William Duggan

Published: October 11, 2007
Format: Hardcover, 208 pages
ISBN-10: 0231142684
ISBN-13: 978-0231142687
Publisher: Columbia University Press











"The unifying idea of this book is a common mechanism at the heart of outstanding achievements in every domain of human endeavor. I call that mechanism "strategic intuition", although it goes by several other names in the various fields where I found it", writes associate professor of management at Columbia Business School, William Duggan, in his groundbreaking and transformational book Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement. The author describes how how every major advance in any field, has a turning point that transforms an entire field or creates a new one. The idea develops in the form of strategic intuition within the mind of the innovator.

William Duggan recognizes that those special flashes of insight and new ideas form another form of intuition. The author refers to these moments as strategic intuition when a clear problem solving idea emerges suddenly. William Duggan draws upon real world examples, and the latest discoveries of brain research, to demonstrate how and why strategic intuition works. The author also shares his techniques for using the strategic intuition ability more effectively as a problem solving methodology. William Dunning explains how strategic intuition differs from ordinary intuition and expert intuition, creating an entirely new area of understanding for problem solving and innovation.



William Duggan (photo left) understands that strategic intuition works slowly, is used in new situations, and is based on thinking rather than feeling. With these distinctions from ordinary and expert intuition in place, the author places the discipline in the realm of strategy. William Duggan stresses that these flashes of insight are crucial elements of the strategic process, and is a step that has been neglected or overlooked in studies of strategy in all fields. Strategic intuition places the human mind back at the heart of human achievement.

William Duggan demonstrates how the entire discipline of strategic discipline works. To provide a comprehensive analysis of the subject material, the author covers the following key elements:

* Theory of strategic intuition in its original forms
* How to apply strategic intuition to business, social programs, professions and education
* Overturns conventional wisdom about strategic intuition
* Provides the latest breakthroughs in brain research and neuroscience
* Key examples of the principles of strategic intuition in diverse endeavors

For me, the power of the book is how William Duggan combines a theoretical analysis of strategic intuition with a practical framework for applying the principles to any field. The author delves into the history of strategy, including its origins in military thinking, and provides important insights into how ancient and modern military leaders employed strategic intuition to achieve their breakthroughs and victories. William Duggan also provides examples of the concept at work in the areas of business, education, social programs, and the professions.

The author also shares the latest research finding in brain studies and neuroscience that show how strategic intuition works in the human brain. In the end, the author offers an entire new field of creative studies, and provides the techniques for using the methodology repeatedly in any industry. The entire concept of strategic intuition places human thought and creativity back at the center of human achievement.

I highly recommend the groundbreaking and engaging book Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement by William Duggan, to anyone seeking a refreshing and comprehensive overview of the concept of strategic intuition, and its value for all human endeavors. This book will transform your creativity and innovation skills, and open your thought process to those brilliant flashes of insight that solve even the most difficult problems.

Tags: Strategic Intuition: The Creative Spark in Human Achievement, William Duggan, creative thinking and innovation, business book reviews

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Michael B. Junge: Purple Squirrel - Stand Out Land Interviws - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Career coach, entrepreneur, member of the Google, Inc. leadership recruiting team, and author of the very practical and insightful book Purple Squirrel: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market, Michael B. Junge, describes how to stand out from the crowd to be invited for more interviews and shares advice for being on the fast career track once employed. Michael Junge offers strategies for identifying your personal vision, for identifying your ideal employers, and for having them discover and recruit you as their employee. Mike provides tips for acing your interviews, for more negotiating salary and benefits more effectively, and for creating a halo effect once on the job. Michael Junge provides advice of getting your career on the fast track through taking initiative, seeking feedback, and for widening your network of contacts. Learn how to take charge of your own career and develop your own career portfolio,

Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, July 12, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Career coach, entrepreneur, member of the Google, Inc. leadership recruiting team, and author of the very practical and insightful book Purple Squirrel: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market, Michael B. Junge, describes how to stand out from the crowd to be invited for more interviews and shares advice for being on the fast career track once employed. You will learn:

* How to build a firm foundation to start the job search

* How to become an opportunity magnet for motivated employers

* How to write a more effective resume and be more successful at interviews

* How to get on the career fast track from your very first day on the new job



Michael B. Junge (photo left) is a career coach, author and entrepreneur who currently serves on the leadership recruiting team at Google, Inc.

Previously, he was a key startup team member and five-time Recruiter of the Year for a national staffing firm that grew from $0 to more than $50M in annual revenues.

Michael has helped hundreds of clients land positions with companies that include Nestle, AT&T, Warner Brothers, Disney, Boeing, Humana, GMAC, Pacific Life, First American, Kaiser, Northrop, Parker Hannifin, Experian, Siemens, and dozens more.

My book review of Purple Squirrel: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market by Michael B. Junge.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with career coach, entrepreneur, member of the Google, Inc. leadership recruiting team, and author of the very practical and insightful book Purple Squirrel: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market, Michael B. Junge, as he describes how to stand out from the crowd to be invited for more interviews and shares advice for being on the fast career track once employed. Michael Junge offers strategies for identifying your personal vision, for identifying your ideal employers, and for having them discover and recruit you as their employee. Mike provides tips for acing your interviews, for more negotiating salary and benefits more effectively, and for creating a halo effect once on the job. Michael Junge provides advice of getting your career on the fast track through taking initiative, seeking feedback, and for widening your network of contacts. Learn how to take charge of your own career and develop your own career portfolio on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Purple Squirrel: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market, Michael B. Junge, employment seeking techniques, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

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Purple Squirrel by Michael B. Junge - Book review

Purple Squirrel

Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market

By: Michael B. Junge

Published: January 12, 2012
ISBN-10: 1467992607
ISBN-13: 978-1467992602
Format: Paperback, 238 pages
Publisher: CreateSpace












"Everyone seems to be looking for an almost impossible mix of qualifications, skills, and experiences. In the staffing industry, we call this "searching for purple squirrels". As a job seeker and professional, one of your primary goals should be getting to the place where you are readily identified as such a resource", writes career coach, entrepreneur, and member of the leadership recruiting team at Google, Inc., Michale B. Junge, in his very practical and insightful book Purple Squirrel: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market. The author describes a complete systematic process for landing the ideal job, in any economy; and for becoming an outstanding performer and effective personal career manager.

Michael Junge understands that the employment landscape has changed dramatically in recent years. Previously effective job finding techniques no longer work; and the fundamentals of resume writing, interviewing skills, and salary negotiations have changed as well. The author presents the latest real world proven strategies, for finding that great job, and for succeeding once on the job. Michael Junge starts right at the very foundation of the individual employment seeker's vision of their ideal work and chosen life. With these building block firmly in place, the author guides the job hunter through the latest concepts of finding employment, including that of having employers discover their own potentially ideal employee.



With employers seeking what Michael B. Junge (photo left) describes as an outstanding purple squirrel, it's essential for anyone seeking a career to consider becoming precisely that unique individual. The author presents the strategies for transforming any employment seeker into a magnet to attract motivated employers.

With employers being overwhelmed with traditional applications and resumes, Michael Junge offers an alternative approach to being noticed by the right employers in the new employment marketplace. With the interview secured and the job in place, the author moves on to being the ideal employee, who is not only effective but also builds an ever more impressive career management portfolio.

Michal Junge divides the book into three overall section, with each one serving as the building blocks for the subsequent chapters. The three parts include:

* A foundation for success
* Becoming an opportunity magnet for employers
* Getting on the fast track with your career

For me, the power of the book is how Michael Junge combines a strong theoretical framework for employment seekers with proven techniques for finding the ideal job into today's difficult job environment. The author presents the latest tactics, proven in the real world, to become a sought after employee. Michael Junge understands the employment dynamic from both the employer and employee perspectives, offering rare insights into their interaction.

The author goes beyond the standard recommendations given to job seekers, and instead offers an alternative viewpoint of becoming a magnet for the best employers. Michael Junge also includes important chapters on what to do as a new employee to ensure that the individual gets on the fast track, and takes effective control over their own career.

I highly recommend the indispensable and very hands on book Purple Squirrel: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market by Michael B. Junge, to anyone who is currently looking for a job or who may seeking new employment in the near future, and wants a book that provides the latest information on the employment market today. This book will very likely get you that ideal position, that you have sought for so long a time.

Tags: Purple Squirrel: Stand Out, Land Interviews, and Master the Modern Job Market, Michael B. Junge, employment seeking techniques, business book reviews

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JOBS: How The United States Can Reach Long-Term Full Employment by Dr. T. William Hefferan

JOBS

How the United States Can Reach Long-term Full Employment

By: Dr. T. William Hefferan

Published: May 26, 2012
Format: Paperback, 402 pages
ISBN-10: 0615598366
ISBN-13: 978-0615598369
Publisher:Pelican Design











"Should we really just wait it out and hope unemployment will mysteriously settle in at around 4 percent forever, as in the good old day. never happen. We need long-term solutions that address the massive waves of headwinds that have simultaneously paralyzed our country in today's situation, in ways they never have before", writes former CEO, T. William Hefferan in his revolutionary and results oriented book JOBS: How the United States Can Reach Long-term Full Employment. The author describes how a cooperative and mutually beneficial approach by both employers and employees, with an emphasis on creating meaningful work, will not only solve the immediate unemployment crisis, but will maintain low unemployment levels well into the future as well.

T. William Hefferan understands that the current unemployment landscape is fundamentally different from recessions of recent memory. As a result, the author considers the standard approaches to solving the problem, of chronically high unemployment, are doomed to failure. The author supports taking a very different course of action, through collaboration between employers and employees. Instead of waiting in vain for government action that may never happen, T. William Hefferan takes the positive approach of solving the unemployment crisis through private sector activity. The author proposes the concept he calls by the acronym EMBER: establish a mutually beneficial and rewarding employment relationship.



William Hefferan (photo left) recognizes that developing a comprehensive proposal for long-term full employment requires an all encompassing strategy. Instead of relying solely on employers to create jobs, the author offers the alternative concept of involving employees in the process as well. The author helps guide employers toward employees who are passionate about work, and who will help grow the business while building a positive company culture. At the same time, William Hefferan shares techniques for prospective employees to discover their ideal employer.

The EMBER concept consists of ten mutually reinforcing building blocks. Those ten foundational blocks are;

* Passion for work
* Finding an EMBER job
* Connecting with EMBER employees
* Creating an EMBER environment
* Ethics and authenticity
* Personal branding
* Online social networking
* Leadership
* Education and retraining
* Innovation and entrepreneurship

For me, the power of the book is how T. William Hefferan develops an all encompassing proposal for ending unemployment. The author provides an alternative to the usual ideas that either government or employers will somehow solve on their own the problem of unemployment. William Hefferan adds the missing piece of the puzzle in the form of passionate employees. With the addition of employees as part of the solution, the author turns his attention toward guiding employers to build workplaces that engage that passion.

William Hefferan offers the all inclusive, and mutually beneficial EMBER program as the key to achieving full employment over the long term. The author supports his concepts with both his massive peer reviewed research project where both employees and employers were interviewed as to their requirements. Along with the research results, the author provides a complete blueprint for both employers and employees to put the EMBER proposal into action.

I highly recommend the visionary and transformational book JOBS: How the United States Can Reach Long-term Full Employment by T. William Hefferan, to employees, job seekers, employers of all sizes, members of the media, economists, elected officials, public policy makers, and members of the general public who are seeking a fresh and viable vision for reaching full employment. This book will change the way you think about job creation, and the roles of the employer and employee in the overall process.

Tags: JOBS: How the United States Can Reach Long-term Full Employment, T. William Hefferan, solving the unemployment problem, business book reviews

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Dick Cross: Just Run It! - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Business advisor, former CEO, and author of the visionary and thought provoking book Just Run It! Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think, Dick Cross, describes his holistic process for running a successful company. Dick Cross offers his real world proven strategies for transforming under performing companies into industry powerhouses. Instead of deconstructing the process of operating a business into various categories, Dick Cross shares his concepts for just running the company. Dick Cross provides his three part framework for new and established companies. These concepts work effectively at any stage of the business life cycle.. Learn about the three models that Dick Cross calls Back of an Envelope, Vision-Strategy-Execution, and The Cross Renewal Model. Discover how to be a successful hands on CEO in your own company.

Dick Cross is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, July 10, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Business advisor, former CEO, and author of the visionary and thought provoking book Just Run It! Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think, Dick Cross, describes his holistic process for running a successful company. You will learn:

* Why so many start up and established companies fail to grow or even survive

* Why current business management ideas are misguided

* Why a comprehensive and holistic approach to running a business is needed

* How to apply an understandable overarching business management system



Dick Cross (photo left) is the founder and Managing Principal of The Cross Partnership III, a twenty-year-old, Boston-based, “hands-on” consulting and turn-around firm focused on improving the operating and financial performance of businesses owned by financial sponsors. Over the past decade, his firm has intervened effectively as consultants, advisors and interim presidents in more than 100 businesses ranging from start-ups to mature industrials. Dick has served as an interim President/CEO, leading successful business transitions in eight companies over the past twelve years.

Dick is a founding partner of Alston Capital Partners at 551 Fifth Avenue in New York, New York. Alston is a private equity fund investing in mid-tier businesses that are currently under performing their potentials. As the lead operating partner, he oversees the application of the Just Run It! principles in selecting, managing and in creating and realizing value in portfolio companies.

Dick started at CARSTAR as a consultant in the early fall of 2004, becoming Chairman of the CARSTAR Board of Directors by the end of the year. Through 2005, he took an active position as Chairman, affecting an organizational restructuring, outlining a Corporate Strategic Plan and directing the overall affairs of the Company. In January 2006, he assumed the role of CEO. In 2008, after three years of record earnings and growth to 400 franchisees, he recapitalized the Company at a valuation of 10 times earnings and agreed to continue in his post through a transition period.

Dick resides with his wife, Jenny, in Concord, Massachusetts. There, he has been active in town government and has held many appointed posts since 1976. He has two daughters and spends summers with his family at Gloucester, Virginia. He enjoys bird hunting, fishing, boating, fitness and friends.

My book review of Just Run It! Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think by Dick Cross.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with business advisor, former CEO, and author of the visionary and thought provoking book Just Run It! Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think, Dick Cross, as he describes his holistic process for running a successful company. Dick Cross offers his real world proven strategies for transforming under performing companies into industry powerhouses. Instead of deconstructing the process of operating a business into various categories, Dick Cross shares his concepts for just running the company. Dick Cross provides his three part framework for new and established companies. These concepts work effectively at any stage of the business life cycle.. Learn about the three models that Dick Cross calls Back of an Envelope, Vision-Strategy-Execution, and The Cross Renewal Model. Discover how to be a successful hands on CEO in your own company on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Just Run It! Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think, Dick Cross, holistic business management, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

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Just Run It! by Dick Cross - Book review

Just Run It!

Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think

By: Dick Cross

Published: April 3, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1937134008
ISBN-13: 978-1937134006
Publisher: Bibliomotion











"Businesses struggle because so few of the would-be drivers of the new economy know how to convert their dreams, their ideas, their courage, and their initiatives into successful businesses", writes turnaround CEO, private equity partner, consultant, and the originator of The Mid Tier Presidents Course for Executives at Harvard, Dick Cross, in his visionary and thought provoking book Just Run It! Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think. The author describes how business leaders lack an overarching knowledge base for running a successful business, and shares his holistic principles for for operating any company from a start up venture to an established company.

Dick Cross recognizes that the entrepreneurial spirit is still alive, but the overall guiding skill set for running a business are not well known. The author proposes a comprehensive and holistic system for operating a company, but points out that exactly the opposite concept is the dominant paradigm. Instead of examining and learning the whole picture of how to run a business, leaders and managers examine only the parts rather than the whole. Dick Cross shares an alternative vision of looking at and running a business in its entirety. The author presents his guiding principles of holistic business management, in an understandable format, that is easy to apply to any company. Dock Cross states that these principles will benefit any company, as well rebuild as entire industries, and strengthen the economy as a whole.



Dick Cross (photo left) understands that if start up and established companies are going to be more successful, then a new approach to running a business is a requirement. The author points out the current standard practice of deconstructing the entirety into its component parts is not effective. Dick Cross presents the vision of a holistic approach to business management, that considers the whole, rather than its individual parts. Instead of a top down approach, the author provides his alternative concepts as a bottom up methodology.

To bring a complete and overarching framework into practice. Dick Cross shares his three transformational elements for renewing a company. Those three elements are:

* A "Back of an Envelope framework that considers customers, customer needs, positioning, and competencies

* A three part Visio-Strategy-Execution framework that traverses between the big picture overview and execution at the ground level

* The Cross Renewal Model that means each outcome must surpass previous outcomes to constantly renew the company

For me, the power of the book is how Dick Cross provides comprehensive evidence, through his personal experience that a holistic foundation for running a business is the most successful approach. Along with this comprehensive overview, the author shares his proven vision and strategies for transforming and renewing any business, regardless of its stage in the company life cycle. The book is both theoretical and very hands on, providing both the big picture elements and the ground level execution described by the author.

The holistic approach to running a business also includes important sections on rebuilding a company culture, demystifying leadership and management, and embracing the very human aspects of operating a company. Dick Cross also adds examples of the principles in action, both from his own experience, and from those of other companies. The author also shares his comprehensive vision, for rebuilding the overall economy, through a widespread introduction of his business concepts.

I highly recommend the very practical and idea filled book Just Run It! Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think by Dick Cross, to any business leaders and entrepreneurs seeking a clear, concise, very usable guide to running their companies successfully. This book will cause you to think about running a business in an entirely different way from any that you may have been taught in the past.

Tags: Just Run It! Running an Exceptional Business Is Easier Than You Think, Dick Cross, holistic business management, business book reviews

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Customers First by Bolivar J. Bueno - Book review

Customer


Customers First

Dominate Your Market by Winning Them Over Where It Counts the Most

By: Bolivar J. Bueno

Published: March 15, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 224 pages
ISBN-10: 0071787879
ISBN-13: 978-0071787871
Publisher: McGraw-Hill











"Customers are skeptical. They've been lied to by just about everyone who's had the opportunity to do so", writes brand strategist, founder and managing partner of The Cult Branding Company, Bolivar J. Bueno, in his insightful and practical book Customers First: Dominate Your Market by Winning Them Over Where It Counts the Most. The author describes how a failure to connect with today's skeptical customers will render a brand irrelevant, and shares proven techniques for empowering customers and building extreme customer loyalty.

Bolivar J. Bueno understands that it's the customers, and not the company, that builds the brand. Without the passionate brand evangelists, and ensuring their loyalty, a brand risks losing its relevance in the marketplace. The author demonstrates both why and how customer loyalty must be understood and satisfied, to ensure brand relevance. If the customer, who the author calls the Brand Lover, is empowered and inspired, they will be transformed into crucial and effective evangelists. These extreme brand loyalists are the true makers of the brand, and it is critical for companies to engage and inspire these highly passionate customers.



Bolivar J. Bueno (photo left) provides the proven strategies and techniques to place the customer at the forefront of the company's marketing plan to empower them into passionate brand evangelists. For the author, the most powerful competitive advantage for any company is through a complete understanding of the brand's most devoted customers.

Since almost all, at least 90 percent of customer activity and actions are unconscious behavior, according to the author, it becomes possible to forecast accurately how customers will react and behave. This understanding of customer behavior forms the foundation for differentiating leading companies from their competitors.

Bolivar J. Bueno provides a framework for creating a brand model to describe the company DNA to create a powerful brand and business leadership edge. The author presents these concepts as follows:

* Modelling defined
* Building the brand model
* Deploying the brand model

For me, the power of the book is how Bolivar J. Bueno combines a strong theoretical framework for creating a customer oriented brand strategy, with the practical and proven strategies for executing the plan. The author shares his brand model concept, offering effective methods for placing company operations into harmony with customer desires and behavior. The author also provides a methodology for creating a company culture based on the customer first concept.

The author's principles draw on the latest in scientific and psychological research, combined with real world business experience and results. Bolivar J. Bueno also provides a series of case studies, featuring powerful and dominant industry leaders, and how these principles of understanding brand loyalists built their competitive brand advantage.

I highly recommend the results oriented and research based book Customers First: Dominate Your Market by Winning Them Over Where It Counts the Most by Bolivar J. Bueno, to any business leaders, brand marketers and managers, who are seeking a proven strategy from empowering customers to establish brand dominance. This book will change the way that you think about how brands are created, and why some brands are dominant in the market, and others are irrelevant to the consumer.

Tags: Customers First: Dominate Your Market by Winning Them Over Where It Counts the Most, Bolivar J. Bueno, brand management, business book reviews

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Claudia Hall Christian: Building Community For Authors - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Best selling author and community builder Claudia Hall Christian describes how authors can utilize blogs and social media to build community. Claudia provides insights into the importance of community and developing relationships with readers. She shares her proven techniques for attracting more blog traffic through serial fiction, social media interaction, and author social media sites. Claudia hall Christian offers ideas for working more effectively with publishers, enhancing relationships with publishing houses, and helping achieve common goals. Learn how to market your fiction and non-fiction books more effectively and painlessly, even if you are not an experienced marketer. Discover how to have fun while building an author community, establishing your platform, interacting with readers on social media, and creating an enjoyable marketing plan that suits your own personality.

Claudia Hall Christian is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, July 5, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Best selling author and community builder Claudia Hall Christian describes how authors can utilize blogs and social media to build community. Claudia provides insights into the importance of community and developing relationships with readers. You will learn:

* Why authors need to build their community of readers

* How to attract blog visitors with serial fiction

* How to use social media to build community

* How to become an effective book marketing author who works well with publishers



Claudia Hall Christian (hoto left) is a best selling fiction author (Alex the Fey Thriller Series). She is also a serial fiction author (Denver Cereal & the Queen of Cool).

Claudia is also the creator of the Everyday Kindness Challenge and Simply Kind Tuesdays.
Claudia is founder of of the very successful #bookmarket, Twitter’s only chat about book marketing.

If you ask Claudia, however, is very likely to tell you that she is a beekeeper.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with best selling author and community builder Claudia Hall Christian as she describes how authors can utilize blogs and social media to build community. Claudia provides insights into the importance of community and developing relationships with readers. She shares her proven techniques for attracting more blog traffic through serial fiction, social media interaction, and author social media sites. Claudia hall Christian offers ideas for working more effectively with publishers, enhancing relationships with publishing houses, and helping achieve common goals. Learn how to market your fiction and non-fiction books more effectively and painlessly, even if you are not an experienced marketer. Discover how to have fun while building an author community, establishing your platform, interacting with readers on social media, and creating an enjoyable marketing plan that suits your own personality on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: serial fiction to build community, Claudia Hall Christian, author platforms and marketing, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

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Laura Stack: What To Do When There's Too Much To Do - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Personal productivity expert, President of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., and author of the very practical and idea filled book What To Do When There's Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes a Day, Laura Stack describes how to get more done in less time than you ever thought possible. Laura provides ideas for removing those constant time wasters from your day, and for doing more of the important tasks, while reducing the number of less important jobs. Laura offers ideas for how to cope better with the always on, 24/7 workplace, and shares ways to regain control over your time. Learn how to achieve what Laura calls Maximum Results in Minimum Time® with her mantra of reduce, reduce, reduce.

Laura Stack is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, July 3, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Personal productivity expert, President of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., and author of the very practical and idea filled book What To Do When There's Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes a Day, Laura Stack describes how to get more done in less time than you ever thought possible. You will learn:

* Why people are so short of time at work and home

* How the always on 24/7 life can be taken under your control

* How to discover free time through reducing needless tasks

* How to rank tasks by importance to do what needs to be done



Laura Stack (photo left) MBA, CSP, has consulted with Fortune 500 corporations for nearly 20 years in the field of personal productivity. She helps leaders create high-performance cultures in their teams and organizations and achieve Maximum Results in Minimum Time®. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations. Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today's workplaces. She is one of a handful of professional speakers whose business focuses solely on time management and productivity topics. Laura is a high-energy, high-content speaker, who educates, entertains, and motivates professionals to improve workplace productivity.

Laura is the bestselling author of five books, including What To Do When There's Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes a Day (Berrett-Koehler 2012); SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best (Wiley, 2010); The Exhaustion Cure (Broadway Books, 2008), Find More Time (Broadway Books, 2006), and the bestselling Leave the Office Earlier (Broadway Books, 2004), which was hailed as "the best of the bunch" by the New York Times.

Her books have been published in nine countries and translated into six foreign languages, including Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Italian, and Romanian. She is also a contributor to two of the popular Chicken Soup for the Soul books. Laura's popular monthly electronic newsletter has subscribers in 38 countries. She is a Microsoft Certified Application Specialist in Outlook.Â

Widely regarded as one of the leading experts in the field of employee productivity and workplace issues, she has been featured nationally on the CBS Early Show, CNN, NPR, Bloomberg, NBC TV, WB News, the New York Times, USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the WashingtonPost.com, the Chicago Tribune, O Magazine, Entrepreneur, Readers Digest, and Forbes magazine. Laura has been a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, Skillsoft, Office Depot, and Xerox, and she is the creator of The Productivity Pro® planner by Day-Timer. Her client list includes top Fortune 500 companies, including Starbucks, Wal-Mart, IBM, GM, MillerCoors, Lockheed Martin, Wells Fargo, and Time Warner, plus a multitude of associations and governmental agencies.

Laura holds an MBA in Organizational Management (University of Colorado, 1991), integrating the importance of productivity in business with employee retention and satisfaction. She is the 2011-2012 President of the National Speakers Association (NSA) and is the recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation, NSA's highest earned designation.

Laura lives with her husband and three children in Denver, Colorado.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with personal productivity expert, President of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., and author of the very practical and idea filled book What To Do When There's Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes a Day, Laura Stack, as she describes how to get more done in less time than you ever thought possible. Laura provides ideas for removing those constant time wasters from your day, and for doing more of the important tasks, while reducing the number of less important jobs. Laura offers ideas for how to cope better with the always on, 24/7 workplace, and shares ways to regain control over your time. Learn how to achieve what Laura calls Maximum Results in Minimum Time® with her mantra of reduce, reduce, reduce on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: What To Do When There's Too Much To Do: Reduce Tasks, Increase Results, and Save 90 Minutes a Day, Laura Stack, time management, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

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Likeonomics by Rohit Bhargava - Book review

Likeonomics

The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action

By: Rohit Bhargava

Published: May 22, 2012
Format: Hardcover: 184 pages
ISBN-10: 1118137531
ISBN-13: 978-1118137536
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.









"The biggest crisis in our world today is one of believability. It makes it tougher to build a successful business, find and keep a job, or convince anyone to do or believe in anything", writes Marketing Professor at Georgetown University, Rohit Bhargava, in his refreshing and engaging book Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action. The author describes the paramount importance of likability and trust in today's marketplace, employment environment, and in society in general.

Rohit Bhargava understands the timeless wisdom that people do business with those who they know, like, and trust. The author points out that somehow this critical knowledge of human nature was left neglected by too many business people. In a world where marketing messages, wall to wall advertising, and fast talking sales representatives have stretched believability beyond the breaking point, that vital trust was lost. As a result, trust and believability are at all time lows in modern society, despite the evidence that likeability has more value than logic or price to the customer. Rohit Bhargava presents important ideas for restoring trust, rebuilding that likeability factor, and returning basic human values of honesty and trust to organizations.



Rohit Bhargava (photo left) recognizes that likeability is the real currency of the modern global economy. With likeability as the currency, and honesty as the unexpected force, trust can be built to develop long term relationships. The author offers evidence that the current economic instability is really a crisis of believability and a loss of trust. Through honesty and believability, customers will prefer the companies and people who they know, like, and trust. For the author, this simple truth creates an unbeatable competitive advantage, as well as developing more engaged employees, and enthusiastic customers.

To build this new likeability culture that resonates with customers and employees, Rohit Bhargava provides his five principles of likeability, that he calls TRUST. The five TRUST values are as follows:

* Truth
* Relevance
* Unselfishness
* Simplicity
* Timing

For me, the power of the book is how Rohit Bhargava combines timeless wisdom, with modern behavioral economics and psychology, to present a series of transformational business principles. The author provides solid evidence that traditional values of honesty, truth, and being liked by others are the foundation blocks of a successful organization. With the current crisis in the economy demonstrating how a lack of trust completely destroyed some companies, this book is an important wake up call for business leaders everywhere.

To support his concepts, Rohit Bhargava shares real life case studies of the TRUST principles creating some hugely successful companies. Likeonomics is destined to replace the greed principle as the underlying focus for business in the next decade. In many ways, this book represents a return to the path that worked for businesses for generations. The return of this age old wisdom is due, and this book encapsulates that renewed approach, to the benefit of firms, employees, customers, society, and the overall economy.

I highly recommend the destined to become classic book Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action by Rohit Bhargava, to any business leaders, entrepreneurs, organizational executives, and customers of any company who are seeking a clear and concise description of why being liked and trusted forms the basis of any lasting relationship. This book will change your thinking of how a business should be operated, and you will rethink the failed ethos of dishonesty that has penetrated the culture of so many companies.

Tags: Likeonomics: The Unexpected Truth Behind Earning Trust, Influencing Behavior, and Inspiring Action, Rohit Bhargava, organizational culture change, business book reviews

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Mobilizing The Green Imagination by Anthony Weston - Book review

Mobilizing the Green Imagination

An Exuberant Manifesto

By: Anthony Weston

Published: May 1, 2012
Format: Paperback: 192 pages
ISBN-10: 0865717095
ISBN-13: 978-0865717091
Publisher: New Society Publishers











"Imagine a world so thoroughly and appealingly re-localized that it has no need for cleaner cars or mass transit, or indeed any large-scale transportation infrastructure at all", rites Professor of Philosophy and Environmental Studies at Elon University, North Carolina, Anthony Weston, in his visionary and inspirational book Mobilizing the Green Imagination: An Exuberant Manifesto. The author describes a completely revolutionary approach to environmental thinking that dispenses with the doom and gloom, and offers a future that is not only liveable but enjoyable as well.

Anthony Weston understands that current environmentalist thought has reached some dead ends, and is searching for fresh ideas and reinvention. The author recognizes that the environment faces some very daunting challenges, both now and in the immediate future. This fear and disaster based environmentalism is not only limiting, but also creates a sense of hopelessness. Anthony Weston proposes a complete rethinking of the entire concept of green and the environment.

Instead of roadblocks, the author suggests that people awaken themselves to possibilities rather than barriers. The author rejects the uninspiring premise of mitigation, and simple reduction of human impact on the ecosystem. In its place, Anthony Weston considers a more positive and appealing idea, in the form of the purpose driven Green Imagination.



Anthony Weston (photo left) takes the more inspiring and creative position of not aiming for making less of a difference; but instead to make a different form of difference on the world. Instead of mobilizing the technocrats, as advocated by the usual environmental concept, the author proposes that people mobilize their imaginations. In place of the limited and often counter-productive approaches of mainstream environmentalists, Anthony Weston places more confidence in human creativity and imagination.

The author suggests some profound concepts that push the very boundaries of conventional thought, and offer a true visionary approach. Some of the revolutionary concepts include:

* Welcoming rising sea levels to cities
* Creating a fresh vision of life after conventional transportation
* Moving beyond exploiting the natural world
* Creating a green space program that considers the ecology of the cosmos

For me, the power of the book is how Anthony Weston shares bold and enthusiastic vision of an entirely alternative yet hope filled future. The author dispenses with the usual doom and gloom that surrounds the environmental movement, revealing it as a very limited worldview. Anthony Weston takes a giant step forward, in both his thinking about the environment as a whole, but also of the role of humans within that refreshing vision.

The author takes a holistic, and all encompassing approach that embraces the challenges, transforming them into wonderful possibilities. Instead of simply a technocratic methodology, the author calls for using our imagination. That concept may be the single most radical vision, that of using the imagination, to its fullest extent to create a wonderful future for all living things.

I highly recommend the purposeful and thought provoking book Mobilizing the Green Imagination: An Exuberant Manifesto by Anthony Weston, to anyone seeking a unique and inspirational vision for rebuilding environmentalism into an entirely new future. This book will change forever the way you think about the usual approaches to environmentalism, and ignite your imagination to create a completely new world that works for everyone and everything on the planet.

Tags: Mobilizing the Green Imagination: An Exuberant Manifestos, Anthony Weston, visionary environmentalism, science book reviews

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Mike Richardson: Wheel$spin - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Keynote speaker, engineer, former CEO, and author of the insightful and comprehensive book Wheel$pin: The Agile Executive's Manifesto - Accelerate Your Growth, Leverage Your Value, Beat Your Competition, Mike Richardson, describes why it is easy for a company to lose traction, spin its wheels, and often face the challenge of its very survival. Mike Richardson provides an alternative to what he calls Wheel$pin, in the form of organizational agility. Mike offers ideas for executives, leaders, teams, and organizations on how to become agile, and able to meet any challenge. For Mike Richardson, agility is the real deciding factor in a company's ability to overcome obstacles, utilize opportunities, and move ahead of their competitors. Mike shares case studies of seemingly very different companies, and how a lack of agility caused real harm to their organization. Learn how to become and remain an agile organization, an agile team, and an agile executive, Discover how to diagnose and recognize wheel$pin, and how to overcome its damaging forces.

Mike Richardson is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Thursday, June 28, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Keynote speaker, engineer, former CEO, and author of the insightful and comprehensive book Wheel$pin: The Agile Executive's Manifesto - Accelerate Your Growth, Leverage Your Value, Beat Your Competition, Mike Richardson, describes why it is easy for a company to lose traction, spin its wheels, and often face the challenge of its very survival. You will learn:

* What wheel$spin is for a company

* How to spot and diagnose wheel$spin in a company

* What is means to be an agile organization

* How to become an agile organization



Mike Richardson (photo left) used to be part of the corporate management team of a British public corporation (Spirent PLC) which made it into the top 100 list of public companies, with Mike running the Aerospace Division. He is an experienced CEO of businesses ranging from electronics to enterprise-software, involving turnarounds, acquisitions and disposals. Mike is British, turned American with diverse international, now residing in San Diego, California.

Mike’s leadership learning journey started on oil and gas drilling rigs with Shell International as a Petroleum Engineer. Working in a high pressure environment, with individuals of diverse nationalities and types, this is where Mike says he got his “apprenticeship in people”. From there, via an MBA at London Business School, Mike moved into the Aerospace Industry and rapidly gained experience in multiple line-management and executive roles. He quickly progressed to Profit & Loss responsibility at a business unit level and then at a Divisional level.

Mike is now the President of Sherpa Alliance Incorporated, a firm devoted to changing the world of support for managers, executives and CEOs of small-to-medium sized and fast-moving businesses, business units and corporations. Sherpa’s do heavy lifting, providing load-carrying support for mountainous journeys – BREAKTHROUGH! journeys.

Mike now devotes his time to working with members, clients and Boards from a wide diversity of industries and businesses, from start-ups to public companies, young and old, large and small, for-profits and not-for-profits, of all types, shapes and sizes (see Testimonials). Mike is an award winning Chair with Vistage International, chairing 4 groups and more than 60 members (CEOs, Executives and Professional Service Providers) and is also a Vistage Resource Speaker to other Vistage groups, nationally and internationally.

My book review of Wheel$pin: The Agile Executive's Manifesto - Accelerate Your Growth, Leverage Your Value, Beat Your Competition by Mike Richardson.

Listen live on Thursday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with keynote speaker, engineer, former CEO, and author of the insightful and comprehensive book Wheel$pin: The Agile Executive's Manifesto - Accelerate Your Growth, Leverage Your Value, Beat Your Competition, Mike Richardson, as he describes why it is easy for a company to lose traction, spin its wheels, and often face the challenge of its very survival. Mike Richardson provides an alternative to what he calls Wheel$pin, in the form of organizational agility. Mike offers ideas for executives, leaders, teams, and organizations on how to become agile, and able to meet any challenge. For Mike Richardson, agility is the real deciding factor in a company's ability to overcome obstacles, utilize opportunities, and move ahead of their competitors. Mike shares case studies of seemingly very different companies, and how a lack of agility caused real harm to their organization. Learn how to become and remain an agile organization, an agile team, and an agile executive, Discover how to diagnose and recognize wheel$pin, and how to overcome its damaging forces on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: Wheel$pin: The Agile Executive's Manifesto - Accelerate Your Growth, Leverage Your Value, Beat Your Competition, Mike Richardson, advanced strategic thinking, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

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Neil Smith: How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things - Blog Business Success Radio

Listen to Wayne Hurlbert on Blog Talk Radio



Consultant, CEO of Promontory Growth and Innovation (PGI), and author of the insightful and transformational book How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses, Neil Smith, describes how organizations must avoid doing the really dumb things that mystify their employees and customers. Neil Smith offers the advice that every firm has two things in the form of great employees with innovative ideas; and hidden barriers that prevent those changes from taking place. Neil Smith provides insights into those eight hidden barriers and shares proven techniques for overcoming them successfully. Neil shows leaders how to improve performance, while simplifying operations to transform a company culture into one that welcomes new ideas, and avoids doing dumb things. Neil Smith offers his fast, proven, and internally driven process to crash through those barriers, and unleash the multitude of great ideas waiting to be put into action in every company.

Neil Smith is my internet radio show guest on Blog Business Success; hosted live on BlogTalkRadio.

The show airs live on Tuesday, June 26, at 8:00 pm Eastern Time; 5:00 pm Pacific Time.

Consultant, CEO of Promontory Growth and Innovation (PGI), and author of the insightful and transformational book How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses, Neil Smith, describes how organizations must avoid doing the really dumb things that mystify their employees and customers. You will learn:

* Why otherwise astute companies make really head scratching mistakes

* How every organization has great people with tremendous new ideas

* Why eight hidden barriers within organizations prevent that change

* How to create a company culture that overcomes those eight unseen barriers



Neil Smith (photo left) has more than 15 years experience leading large-scale performance improvements and, before that, spent 6 years serving as the CEO of a manufacturing company.

His manufacturing experience helped Neil to develop the PGI approach to dramatic profit improvement for Fortune 750 companies. The PGI Promise process had its origins in the financial services industry in the early 1990’s. Neil was able to demonstrate that techniques learned in banking could be applied even more effectively to other industries, when he led a ground-breaking project in the transportation industry in 1998. Other successes followed.

In 2000, Neil first showed that the techniques could be applied to large companies when he led a hugely successful project at a 23,000 person company. In 2001, the same techniques were used for the first time with a company which was not only large and global, but could be considered a true industry leader. Working with the CEO and his team, and his Promontory colleague Gene Ludwig, Neil demonstrated that there are huge opportunities in even the best of companies.

Over the last few years, a number of the companies Neil has worked with are rated among the best in their industries including healthcare, banking, food manufacturing, distribution and insurance. He has a flair for making the best companies even better.

Before buying the food manufacturing company in a leveraged buyout, Neil spent five years with McKinsey & Company, working in New York and London, and helped to build McKinsey's early work in Brazil and Indonesia. As a senior member of the change practice, he pioneered client growth initiatives and led innovative restructurings. His clients include television, healthcare, hotels, steel manufacturing, banking and insurance companies.

Before business school Neil was a journalist in London, working with the BBC and the London Sunday Times.

Neil has an M.B.A. with honors from the Harvard Business School, where he was a Knox Fellow. He also has a B.A. with honors in Physics and Economics from the University of Keele in England.

Neil enjoys rugby, soccer, cricket, and baseball, and collects ancient British coins.

Neil is British and serves on the International Advisory Board of British American Business, Inc. (the British American Chamber of Commerce). He is a member of a Harvard Business School alumni committee and is Chairman of the U.S. Alumni of the University of Keele.

My book review of How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses by Neil Smith.

Listen live on Tuesday at 8:00 pm Eastern, 5:00 pm Pacific time.



If you miss this very informative show, it will be available for free download as a podcast for iPod, iTunes, and MP3 players; or play it right on your computer. To download this, or any other of my guest interviews, go to the Blog Business Success host page and click on Archived Segments. Once there, click on the podcast icon at the end of the episode description, to download the show free of charge for your listening enjoyment. You can also subscribe to the show feed.



To call in questions for my guest, the number is: (347) 996-5832

Let's talk with consultant, CEO of Promontory Growth and Innovation (PGI), and author of the insightful and transformational book How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses, Neil Smith, as he describes how organizations must avoid doing the really dumb things that mystify their employees and customers. Neil Smith offers the advice that every firm has two things in the form of great employees with innovative ideas; and hidden barriers that prevent those changes from taking place. Neil Smith provides insights into those eight hidden barriers and shares proven techniques for overcoming them successfully. Neil shows leaders how to improve performance, while simplifying operations to transform a company culture into one that welcomes new ideas, and avoids doing dumb things. Neil Smith offers his fast, proven, and internally driven process to crash through those barriers, and unleash the multitude of great ideas waiting to be put into action in every company on Blog Business Success Radio.

Tags: How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses, Neil Smith, organizational change management, Blog Business Success, Blog Talk Radio.

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How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things by Neil Smith - Book review

How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things

Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses

By: Neil Smith

Published: June 5, 2012
Format: Hardcover, 240 pages
ISBN-10: 1137003065
ISBN-13: 978-1137003065
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan










"How do I know your company is like all the others? Because there are two things that every single company has: hidden barriers that prevent great ideas from surfacing...and employees with great ideas for how the company can do things differently", writes CEO of Promotory Growth and Innovation (PGI), Neil Smith, in his insightful and transformational book How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses. The author describes the eight barriers within organizations that prevent meaningful change, and shares his twelve principles for breaking through those barriers and doing the smart things that build success.

Neil Smith understands that many companies take actions that baffle their shareholders and customers. While this phenomenon can happen in any organization, the author points out that many firms avoid that mystifying problem. Neil Smith shares the often overlooked concept that every company has talented employees who have many valuable ideas for doing things better and more effectively than the current process. At the same time, however, the author also demonstrates that even within great companies, there are unseen barriers to uncovering and implementing their employee suggestions and ideas. To counter this barricade problem, Neil Smith offers twelve proven principles for tearing down the barriers, and making real and lasting change within the company.



Neil Smith (photo left) recognizes the similarities between companies, and as a result, provides a complete analysis of why companies do things that are so counterproductive for them, their employees, and their customers. The author presents evidence that the problem is a series of unseen barriers that prevent the discovery and implementation of even the most profitable employee ideas. For the author, the first step to breaking through these invisible barriers is to understand what they are, why they exist, and how to overcome them.

Neil Smith outlines eight frequently encountered hidden barriers describes by the author's acronym of A PROMISE. Those eight barriers are as follows:

* Avoiding controversy
* Poor use of time
* Reluctance to change
* Organizational silos
* Management blockers
* Incorrect information and bad assumptions
* Size matters
* Existing processes

For me, the power of the book is how Neil Smith provides a comprehensive analysis of why eight unseen barriers prevent great employee ideas from being utilized; and combines that analysis with a series of twelve principles to overcome those barriers. The author outlines his analysis in a point by point format, that is both easy to understand, but also provides for handy reference when needed. Neil Smith bolsters his case by including both case studies and anecdotal evidence of the concepts in action, in real world settings.

Unlike many books of this type, Neil Smith doesn't begin with his own theory, and then locate evidence that supports it, while denying data that disproves that hypothesis. Instead, Neil Smith follows the real world evidence and examples, and draws conclusions and makes recommendations, based on actual organizational behavior.

I highly recommend the idea filled and organizational culture changing book How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses by Neil Smith, to anyone seeking a straight forward and real world tested guide to improving organizational performance, removing hidden obstacles to change, and boosting profits. This book will transform your company culture and prevent making the dumb mistakes that create major problems for so many other organizations.

Tags: How Excellent Companies Avoid Dumb Things: Breaking the 8 Hidden Barriers that Plague Even the Best Businesses, Neil Smith, organizational change management, business book reviews

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