Economic-Life Books

Very well written, inspiring, encouraging, lots of great info and ideas. A great book for you if you want to do your own thing and get out of job slavery. Makes my personal "Top 5 Books of 2008" list. Get this, read it, do it.

Will Work for Fun: Three Simple Steps for Turning Any Hobby or Interest Into Cash

This is not only fun to read due to Alan Bechtold's unique
writing style, it is chocked full of tips, tricks, and tools
that have transformed him from a newbie marketer to a highly
respected millionaire. You have to love that!
If you want to learn how to beat the recession as an
online entrepreneur, get this book.

[...]

I love this book. It's very inspiring, and it provides an outstanding overview of one major aspect of the internet marketing field -- from the perspective of someone who's been in it for both fun and profit for longer than the internet even officially existed.

When Alan Bechtold says "Fun," he means it. And he spends a good part of the book laying out the process of how to find the subject area that excites you that also provides you with a market interested in buying your products -- eventually.

The idea is this: if you have fun doing what you're doing, it's not really work. And if there are longish hours involved, at least initially, you may not mind all that much -- after all, it's fun and something you're passionate about. All true, of course, at least to a point.

When Bechtold says "3 simple steps," he's correct on one hand (they really aren't rocket science), yet I wonder how many people's idea of "simple step" includes "write book" or "write sales letter."

Okay, so the simple steps aren't quick steps necessarily, and getting them all done properly can take a while.

Then again, this isn't a get-rich-quick book, but one on finding a way to make a living while pursuing your passions. Not that the possibility of riches isn't also there, but the focus isn't on rich so much as on fun. Making a comfortable living is definitely part of the plan though, so he's got us covered there.

The three-step process is also not quite as tedious as it may seem at first. We're given a number of short-cuts that do make things a whole lot easier than it would seem from the "write book" step.

In fact, writing that book can be a lot less work than you'd expect, and Bechtold provides the step-by-step instructions on possible ways to do it very quickly and easily, without much writing at all.

The instructions are embedded in an ongoing storyline, where we follow 3 cubicle slaves from their J-O-B-S to liberation as they turn their hobbies and passions into incomes. It makes for entertaining reading and it also makes the potentially abstract process really come to live. Especially when it comes to Jenny and her Strawbarbie Barbie doll custom clothes, who is the primary example and whose progress is spelled out in great detail.

Can it work? A particularly inspiring aspect of the book: several profiles of people who have actually successfully achieved their work for fun lifestyles. It shows that Bechtold's system is not just theory but that it really can be done.

I think his approach has merit and I plan to try it myself. Make sure you put some thought into his early exercises because the time will pay for itself once he explains what you are to do.

I find it very easy to become motivated by what I read initially. I find such great stuff that I get fired up about it and this book is no exception because it appears to be the bible to a business I can actually do well. However, do the products actually deliver what they promise? I don't think I have ever seen a review that is approached from the standpoint of the longevity of the product. How does it rate 6 months after you buy it and have used it for awhile?

I can say that some of the links in this book are outdated already and this book is hot off the press! Overture is gone, it was bought out by Yahoo so if you want keyword searches, you will be required to pay for it. Fortunately there is a free 7-day trial period you can sign up for which might just give you the time you need to make your initial searches.

It is all about figuring out what it is you are passionate about and combining it with skills you have. This books teaches you how to publish without actually having to write a book to establish yourself as an expert, publish an e-zine and give the info away for free. After you draw people in with your free information, you will be able to sell them product.

It teaches you how to come up with a brand identity for yourself that your competition will be unable to touch making it difficult for them to take business away from you because of it. An example of this is

I would also recommend Internet Riches by Scott Fox.

When I received this review copy from Jan Yager, I was excited immediately. It was just what was on my mind for the new year. I put it to work immediately and started following her productivity makeover. This is a book that focuses you on your goals for your career. You must get your priorities in order and begin the process. By following her advice, you will progress easily, but you are always the one in charge because you have to make choices. She gives you the plus and minus of situations as well as areas that are your time wasters. This book would be a great resource for a corporation to increase their productivity as well as supporting their employees in achieving better time management that would be beneficial for everyone.

Over the years, I have benefited a lot from productivity books, organization books, time management books. Each of them contained a few helpful techniques I was able to put into practice. Here's a volume, though, that is quite different. It's a workbook: it's made to mark-up and write in. It includes the whole range of things an efficient manager or any self-motivated worker should be doing. And it covers it all in a workable, down-to-earth, very readable fashion.

It's not just a book to read. It is a big (200+ pages) compendium of ideas, lists, quizzes, worksheets--a whole collection of absolutely practical material! And because it's just out, all its suggestions for using technology are right up-to-date. How to best handle the mountains of e-mail, how to make the phone your helper and not your enemy, strategies for backing-up your data--all these are covered in great fashion.

Need help with goal setting? Go to Day 2. Need to simplify your piles of paperwork? Check out Day 7. Having trouble with interruptions? That's in Day 10. Mired down with meetings? Day 13. Wondering if you could ever possibly get some balance in your life? It's Day 14.

This is anything but some boring textbook. It's a great read! It's interesting and supremely practical. If you want to stop wasting your time (and others' time, too), here's the one book to get. You'll be less stressed and way more productive.

Jan Yager gives us an outline and step by step guide that will help you create more time, help you to stop feeling overwhelmed and have more money. Learn how to get rid of time wasters and to become more efficient, therefore freeing up your mind and your time, causing you to have less stress and more productivity. She covers dealing with emails, phone calls, working from home, procrastination, multi-tasking and so much more. There are some great lists of tips and worksheets to help you make this a reality. If you are ready for some big changes that will make your life better read this book.

Jan Yager's book "Work Less Do More" is a must for anyone that has to work. This book will help you get more organized so you can accomplish more in a shorter period of time. In order to grow your business you must innovate, and Jan's book will give you the short cuts to make it happen quicker. Why make all the mistakes that most people do on a daily basis, when you can take and use these principles to make your life easier. On a scale of 1-5 I give this book a 10.

Great job Jan.

Michael Monji, author of "Does It Pay To Die?" a living trust workbook.

Have you been trying to get it together but to no avail? Then read this book because Dr. Jan Yager nails it. She takes you through a miraculous 14 day makeover that's fun to do with her "Beat the Clock" exercises. After completing her 14 day makeover, you will have the tools necessary to achieve a happy, successful and productive life.

This books covers everything a wife and mother would inquire about.

I decided to get this book after reading the reviews here, and I'm so glad I did. From the moment it arrived, it has been a true blessing to me (and my family). I was able to apply some of the author's advice immediately. From start to finish, it felt like a frank but sweet conversation with a wise older sister, loving friend, or beloved aunt, mom or grandmother. Thank you, thank you, Lane P. Jordan for this amazingly practical and inspiring book!

I read this book the summer of 2000. In January of 2001 I am teaching an organization class and this book was a part of the inspiration for me to organize my life in all aspects, then go on to teach others these principles with a GOD foundation. This book is great, I suggest that it is read with an "open mind" and be inspired by GOD to be impacted. It is a great source to get organized.

I loved this book~ in fact, I read it all in one night. I hadn't put much thought into caring for my family and our home as a Christian act before I read this book, but I certainly see it that way now! This book was inspirational for me. I highly recommend it!

I love this book. I am pretty organized as it is but it just puts things into perspective and way you should be organized. Being organized does take alot of stress of your life. It is truly amazing!

Written in 1998, and criticized for stopping its retelling of the abortion story in the U.S. several years before that, Articles of Faith is nevertheless still an important book and may be increasingly so if the abortion debate heats up again now that George W. Bush is President. A completely even handed retelling of the history of the abortion debate in the U.S. from the 1960's through the 1990's told through the lives of dedicated partisans of both sides. Yet the author tells this story with sympathy to both sides. Its hard to read this book, your emotions swing from side to side in the debate as Gorney shifts her focus from chapter to chapter from pro choice to pro life. Each side is presented forcefully, but not stridently. Its an excellent book.

As an adult convert to Catholicism struggling for now five years with infertility, a non-American and the daughter of a founder of my hometown's Family Planning Association, I ordered this book wondering if it would help me sort out my mixed feelings about abortion. When it arrived my heart sank: though I had been interested in the topic, it looked long enough to remind me of the first-grader's book report, ``This told me more than I wanted to know about penguins.'' But it's so well-written, well-peopled and thoughtful it's a joy to read. When Cynthia Gorney describes a pro-choice activist she does it so carefully you feel certain she's pro-choice, and certain you must be. But when she describes a pro-life activist, you realize she might be pro-life -- and so might you be. If we were all be so generous and balanced, so readily able to enter into the subtleties of other people's positions, abortion might never have become a ``war.''

This book was wonderful. Though on first glance it seems very long and likely dense and dry, it is anything but. Gorney does a fabulous job of presenting both sides of abortion evenly and without bias. And she ties in the thoughts and feelings of the players with the actual battles of the day so smoothly that the book ends up being an easy and very enjoyable read. It should be mandatory reading for anyone involved in, interested in or having an opinion about abortion.

Before Roe vs. Wade thousands of women a year were getting illegal, unsanitary and oftentimes dangerous abortions. Articles of Faith does a great job of presenting both sides of the abortion argument. The book focuses on the abortion wars in Missouri. It starts in the 60's with Judith Widdicombe, who is an obstetrics nurse and who had an abortion herself. She is a key figure in the underground abortion world in St. Louis. She recruits doctors and she directs women to doctors. Her opinions on abortion are formed from personal experience as well as occupational experience. She was strong in her opinions that a baby and a fetus were different. She had seen hospital beds full of women dying of infection from getting illegal abortions. This led her to her calling.
While Judy was directing women to safer but still illegal abortions, the laws state by state were slowly starting to break down. This created a movement of concerned citizens who were against abortion. These citizens would give presentations using medical and scientific information to support their position that life begins at creation. As to drive their point home, they would show pictures of aborted fetuses. These pictures featured a trash can full of little fetuses and a bloody mass of appendages. What they didn't realize is that people like Judy Widdicombe looked at the same stuff, in real life-not in photographs. She would bring women with gauze and bandages stuffed up their vaginal cavities and let them miscarry in her home. She would then examine the remains of the miscarrage and make sure there wasn't anything left inside the woman.
After Roe vs. Wade, Judy set up a clinic specifically for performing abortions-the first one of its kind in Missouri. She wanted it accessible for all women, and wanted a warm and medical environment that set women at ease-they knew their situation was understood and they knew they were safe. This is where Samuel Lee is introduced. He arrived in St. Louis in 1978 intent on studying theology at Saint Louis University's seminary. As soon as he arrives he becomes involved with the Franciscans. They hosted a meeting of people planning a protest on the steps of an abortion clinic. This was how Sam became drawn into the abortion argument-he was exhilarated by it. Sam researched both sides of the abortion argument, but the more he read the more he became convinced that abortion was never justified-it was putting an end to human life. He left the seminary and became engulfed in the protests and the research-he would protest and be arrested until there was no longer a need to protest abortion.
The abortion argument came to a head in the 80's when Sam and Lou DeFeo wrote a bill that was passed by the Missouri state Senate and the House. It became a Missouri law in 1986. The bill stated that public funds may not be used for abortions and public employees may assist in abortions. The bill also stated that life begins at conception, unborn children have interests that should be protected and the parents of an unborn child have protected interests in the child. But that's only the beginning. The bill says that unborn children at any stage of development should have the same rights of all of other people. This was the first attempt to reverse the ruling of Roe vs. Wade, and it seemed well on its way.
One month before the law took effect, a lawsuit was filed against the bill by Frank Susman. He approached Judy, who had been fighting for almost 30 years for the woman's right to choose, and she was hesitant to join the lawsuit. She was tired of the fight, but she couldn't turn her back on this lawsuit-this one was too dangerous to reproductive health. The judge in that suit came back in 1987 declaring that every provision in the bill was unconstitutional. In 1989, the law suit went to the U.S. Supreme Court for appeal and the justices left Roe vs. Wade alone. The problem with this ruling is the vagueness of the language in the ruling-saying that parts of Roe needed to be more defined, but that it needs to be argued for years to come. When I read the ruling in this book, I really didn't understand exactly what it meant. It almost seemed like the judges had very definite opinions, but they were all different from each other.
After reading this book, I was more affirmed in my own opinions of abortion. It was really interesting to read the other side of the argument. There's no arguing that at life begins at conception-just like a every cell in our body is life, so is a zygote. However, the foundation of my belief in the pro-choice movement lies in the belief that a woman has the right to decide if a fetus should be born. One of the best bumper stickers I've seen about abortion is "Don't like abortion? Don't have one." A woman deserves the choice, that's it-PERIOD.

Once in a while, there's a rare book that'll smack you in the noggin, grab you by the lapels and scream, "This is how it really is! Now learn something!"

Articles of Faith is one of those books. You'll learn abortion is never nearly so clear cut as "either side" would have you believe; you'll see how each side's arguments, legal status, movements and, later, extremism are developed. But most importantly, you get the honest truth about what it's all really about, or not about. Despite the serious of the issue, I was never even able to get a glimmer of what Gorney's own view is of abortion. It's not simply objective; it never fails to delve into the details of each side, while coming up with an occasional fresh insight.

I was familiar with a previous title by this author and was easily hooked by this new book when I found it at my local bookstore. Its greatest asset is the range of issues with which it deals, and I must say Ms. Oliver surprised this reader by her ability to focus on a wide range of topics without becoming diffuse. The book is both a useful reference for any situation, and a sufficiently thorough analysis to lead the reader to useful and practical conclusions in each single case.
I have no idea where Ms. Oliver does her research, but her range of material is so rich as to become entertaining in its own right. I much prefer experts who maintain a fresh tone of voice as they feed us a considerable amount of information, and I'd say this book hits from both sides. It's good advice that's actually enjoyable, and as I found myself thinking, what better kind is there?

A perfect comprehensive collection of ALL the types of people I've either work for or worked with. Immediately upon receiving my copy of Bad Bosses, I quickly thumbed through the index looking for a solution to my own personal office nightmare...and there he was. On pages 192 and 197 - a combo platter of The Coddled Superstar and Grumpy Martyr. Vicky Oliver's easy and entertaining problem/solution format helped me deal with and tolerate this troll under the bridge on a daily basis, which made it well worth the price of the book. I keep a copy on my bookshelf at work for quick referencing whenever I encounter a new hack, waffler, Judas or annoying perfectionist.

This smart and funny book is worth reading even if you're not confronted with an office problem. These insights can help address awkward situations in day to day life--it's just a good read. When it comes to office politics this book is comprehensive.

Easy to read, beautifully laid out and humorous to boot, this book is a must-have reference book for anyone that works with other humans. Every personnel problem you can think of is represented by one of the numerous personality types depicted here, and easily found in the perfect table of contents. Problems and solutions are neatly and clearly outlined in each of the book's three parts, dealing with bosses, employees and also (gasp) maybe even you. Besides the wonderful, accessible format, the best parts of this book are the down-to-earth, practical solutions offered by the author. They cover every situation I've ever been in - and they really work! Highly recommended. (I also loved Oliver's previous book 301 Smart Answers to Tough Interview Questions).

We might not realize this but more than half our waking lives are spent in the confines of the cubicles and plastered walls of our workplaces. Be it a cut-throat corporate multinational firm or a save-the-world grass-root non-profit, any workplace comes with a load of ambitions and conflicts.

Everyone one of us has had a despotic boss or an infuriating coworker who has made going to work feel like a trip to the war zone. Not only is our day a nightmare, but those frustrations stay with us ruining the evenings and perfectly planned weekends too.

We can either take the bullets lying down. Or we can resolve to do something about our office issues. That's where Vicky Oliver's book comes in. It shows us through examples that we are not alone in our troubles, and the book goes onto list various problem scenarios and gives thoughtful and practical solutions. Written in a humorous eloquent style with plenty of sidebar and tips, this book is easy and fun to read.

The book is divided into three section, "Bosses", "Colleagues" and "Problem Within" and answers any issue you might have, internal or external, that is keeping you from achieving your full potential and enjoying a healthy workplace life.

I have managed teams for the past 15 years, and I recently read several books about the enneagram. This one is definitely a must read for all managers but also for anyone working! It gives great pointers on communicating effectively, tips on how to give feedback, how to resolve conflicts, how to create high-performing teams... Beyond the real-life examples, there is also a summary of what you can do that will work well with all types, since we don't always know what type our team members or coworkers are. I also liked the recommended daily activities.

Very easy to read, and yet exhaustive on the subject, it has become one of my favorite management books.

This book has helped me in ways that I never imagined. The information in this book has been extremely useful in my quest to better understand myself and others. "Bringing Out the Best in Yourself at Work" is very much a must read for anyone interested in improving their relationships at work and in life in general.

I love this book. I am an executive coach and I find this very useful for helping my Enneagram-aware clients apply the model directly and quickly to work situations -- to help debug relationships, communications, conflilct, etc.

I especially like Lapid-Bogda's distinctions and examples around "Pinch" and "Crunch" for each of the types.

I don't know of any other books except Michael Goldberg's "The Nine Ways of Working" that fill this business-application niche quite so well.

Highly recommended for those who need a practical, hands-on way of using the Ennegram in day to day work interactions.

The genuine nugget in this book is its use of the Enneagram to move forward the original Center for Creative Leaderhip research about what derails successful professionals. Lapid-Bogna's gift is to communicate the most profound and deeply thoughtful insights with deceptively casual language. I agree it needs to be read twice: Once to understand the techniques it describes, and a second time to appreciate how she builds on her hard-earned understanding of what works and doesn't work in OD and career development. Then, consider reading it a third time to appreciate the Enneagram for the doors it opens to truly deep personal growth. Not just another book written as a practice-building marketing piece for the author. It contains enough material for at least two books.

Finally a groundbreaking book on the 9 ways of working that can be handed to your HR director! Enneagram Personality System books started being published in the 1980's; not until now has there been one that systematically applies this system to organizations. As an organization development consultant, I have always found the enneagram to be essential to my executive coaching and development. Now, in a practical and most excellent way, Lapid-Bogda applies the system to all key areas of organization life-- including employee feedback, conflict in teams, leadership and team development, etc. You can take the applications and use them immediately on the change initiatives you already have underway in your orgaization-- such as your 360 degree feedback sessions.

Not only does Lapid-Bogda make it easy for you to apply this system, but once familiar with her book and work, the reader can order tailor made tools that go with each organization topic that will further assist your ease of application.

If you are "stuck" in your own personal career development or trying to lead others in theirs-- and looking for a breakthrough-- then buy this book!

If you are looking for some very good resources to either incorporate or complete your available career coaching portfolio, then this is a great book. You can also go to her website which offers quite a number of tools and training depending on your level of interest in deepening on the subject.

This handbook is a must for professionals in the career development field and for life coaches working with clients on career issues. It is also a very user friendly guide for job seekers and those considering career changes.

It is chock full of step-by-step guides and assessments to help users sort through the often confusing and unsettling process of career change. The section describing the coaching process is powerful and will enhance readers' abilities to communicate with others in all settings - both professional and personal.

This book provides: an introduction to the field, the ethics of coaching, the eight factors of a model of career design, coaching tips and resources, and explores a new model of coaching that enables clients to overcome obstacles to finding their ideal work. Seventy competencies associated with certification are presented. A chapter is devoted to advanced coaching skills. The author also discusses the best current thinking on all aspects of job search mechanics. Concludes with self-care and the traits of masterful coaches. Includes worksheets and assessments. It's a pleasure to find a book so abounding in meaningful content. This is really a terrific guide for building a career coaching business. This book's a winner!

The profession of personal coaching has exploded over the past decade, following the establishment of the field by the late Thomas Leonard, founder of CoachU. A number of sub-categories of the profession have been developed by specialists who began their own educational programs, bodies of knowledge, and certifications. Marcia Bench is one of those specialists, concentrating on the vital field of career coaching.

In addition to her personal coaching of hundreds of clients, Bench formed the Career Coach Institute, a virtual training organization pioneering this part of the coaching field. The Institute was founded in 2001; this book was published in 2003 to share Bench's perspectives, positioning, and body of knowledge.

The first part of the book is devoted to a thorough explanation of coaching and, more specifically, career coaching. While the focus is on individual professionals coaching individual private clients, the concept has broader application in working with students, recent graduates, and corporate employees.

Bench and her followers emphasize what they call "authentic vocations." Their design includes eight factors: life purpose; values; motivators and interests; knowledge, skills, and abilities; work and other expertise; job/career targets; work environment; and business reality. Each of these factors is discussed in a separate chapter.

For anyone in the field of career coaching, or considering the field, this book is a valuable resource.

I have been in the Career Consulting business for eight years and as a consulting psychologist decided to make the transition into coaching. Marcia Bench's book has served as a handy text for learning a whole new aspect of career transitions. It is well written, easily understood by the layperson and filled with very helpful tools and strategies. Most importantly, she also clearly defines the differences between consulting, coaching and therapy. Any professional would do well to understand this before they take on the role of "coach."

Immense credit must be given to Dr. Gaines-Ross who bravely and successfully takes on, notwithstanding the post Enron anti-CEO environment, the hypersensitive issue of CEO reputation. Yes, agrees Gaines-Ross, being a high profile, ego obsessed CEO is asking for trouble and is to be avoided like the plague. She refuses, however, to engage in the now fashionable tendency toward unrestrained CEO bashing, preferring instead a reasoned, astute and carefully researched analysis of the CEO's role.

While adding her voice to those who deride media hyped personalities, what she refers to as big "C" Celebrity CEOs, she cautions that old fashioned leadership is still desirable. When engaged in by talented CEOs, it may, indeed should, lead to the creation of an executive persona. Such a persona need not require media exposure and is entirely compatible with sound corporate practice. Such persona bearing CEOs are small "c" celebrated CEOs, who "by dint of strong leadership, discriminating vision, force of character and other admirable traits become celebrated by their employees, their industry, their peers, and occasionally (though not necessarily) even the media for jobs well done."

Gaines-Ross' book amounts to a much needed, intellectually honest warning not to let the anti-CEO backlash go too far. Refusing to jump blindly onto the anti-CEO bandwagon as have so many business pundits, she stresses that executive leadership is still necessary and if effectively and ethically rendered is something which should not be hidden under the rug but promoted openly. In pursuing the cause of sound, old fashioned corporate leadership, she lays out a roadmap, based on original research, on how CEOs may repair their reputations, stressing among other things the need to communicate internally, build a management team, develop a thematic stamp and a vision.

She deserves immense praise not only for her honest appraisal of the role of CEOs in today's business environment but also for presenting an immensely practical and useful format on how to lead ethically, energetically and effectively.

A major, original addition to the literature on leadership and reputation ... no doubt about it.

Immense credit must be given to Dr. Gaines-Ross who bravely and successfully takes on, notwithstanding the post Enron anti-CEO environment, the hypersensitive issue of CEO reputation. Yes, agrees Gaines-Ross, being a high profile, ego obsessed CEO is asking for trouble and is to be avoided like the plague. She refuses, however, to engage in the now fashionable tendency toward unrestrained CEO bashing, preferring instead a reasoned, astute and carefully researched analysis of the CEO's role.

While adding her voice to those who deride media hyped personalities, what she refers to as big "C" Celebrity CEOs, she cautions that old fashioned leadership is still desirable. When engaged in by talented CEOs, it may, indeed should, lead to the creation of an executive persona. Such a persona need not require media exposure and is entirely compatible with sound corporate practice. Such persona bearing CEOs are small "c" celebrated CEOs, who "by dint of strong leadership, discriminating vision, force of character and other admirable traits become celebrated by their employees, their industry, their peers, and occasionally (though not necessarily) even the media for jobs well done."

Gaines-Ross' book amounts to a much needed, intellectually honest warning not to let the anti-CEO backlash go too far. Refusing to jump blindly onto the anti-CEO bandwagon as have so many business pundits, she stresses that executive leadership is still necessary and if effectively and ethically rendered is something which should not be hidden under the rug but promoted openly. In pursuing the cause of sound, old fashioned corporate leadership, she lays out a roadmap, based on original research, on how CEOs may repair their reputations, stressing among other things the need to communicate internally, build a management team, develop a thematic stamp and a vision.

She deserves immense praise not only for her honest appraisal of the role of CEOs in today's business environment but also for presenting an immensely practical and useful format on how to lead ethically, energetically and effectively.

A major, original addition to the literature on leadership and reputation ... no doubt about it.

We have all been witness to the lionisation, and thereafter, the demonisation of CEOs.

As we watched some of the finest corporate reputations bite the dust, we also became acutely aware that there is no 'secret sauce' to brew a fine reputation. Yet there are some basic principles that apply and that is what this book sheds light on.

CEO Capital is not about impression management or building personality cults. Nor is it a simple 1-2-3 recipe for assembling a chief executive's reputation. It is for serious business professionals who recognise and honour the immensity of the chief executive's job, especially in today's complex business environment.

Over the past few years, Burson-Marsteller has contributed significantly to the body of knowledge through a series of research studies looking at CEO reputation and its contribution to broader corporate reputation. Those studies have found a significant - and growing - correlation between the credibility of the chief executive and reputation of his or her organisation.

The principal architect of that research is Leslie Gaines-Ross, B-M's chief knowledge officer, who joined the firm after serving as director of marketing and communication at Fortune magazine, where she was closely involved in the publication's Most Admired Corporations research.

In the book, Gaines-Ross builds on Burson's research and lays out a roadmap for CEOs who understand the increasing importance of both personal and institutional credibility. CEO reputation, according to this book, is dependent upon three 'C' factors -credibility, code of ethics, and communicating internally - and two 'M' factors - attracting and retaining a quality management team and motivating and inspiring employees.

So important are the CM factors that each one surpassed even wealth creation in importance according to the 2001 Burson-Marsteller study, she writes. Evidently, financial performance is important, but simply not enough.

Gaines-Ross makes a compelling case that building CEO capital is not about ego, but about good, old-fashioned leadership. And she shows that it has payoffs for the organisation. But before embarking on what Gaines-Ross calls "the CEO capital model of building reputation," the CEO must buy into the importance of building his or her personal credibility.

The most practical section of the book, based upon B-M's 'Seasons of a CEO' research, provides a roadmap for a new CEO seeking to build credibility inside and outside the organisation.

That task begins in the countdown period, before he or she takes office. The countdown is a time to cherish -a time when a CEO may quietly plan for the future, contact key shareholders, research the company, and do all those innumerable tasks for which there will be so little time later, says Gaines-Ross.

The first 100 days of a CEO's tenure are critical, and a time when the focus should be inward rather than on external audiences.

The media should be low on the list of priorities for a new CEO during the first 100 days, says Gaines-Ross. Media exposure without full opportunity to gain a thorough understanding of corporate workings is an invitation to disaster.

As the first year progresses, the focus slowly shifts. The CEO must establish a unique corporate persona in which the CEO's every action and deed reflects in some way the corporate values the CEO wishes to advance and the vision the CEO wishes to instil.

The first step is to engage in what Gaines-Ross calls "intense learning," from customers, from analysts, from alumni, from employees. Then, she says, CEOs can cultivate a persona, establishing those values that will drive the company, articulating a code of ethics.

The second year of a CEO's tenure can be even more challenging because this is when the change really gets binding and the stakeholders, including the board of directors, start to expect real, measurable results.

The CEO needs to demonstrate the company's new strategic vision, put stakeholders at ease - show them both financial results and a unified management team - and start to plan for the future.

The CEO also needs to demonstrate what Gaines-Ross calls thought leadership, something that "distinguishes and differentiates a company from its competitors... Thought leadership often breaks with business or industry convention, astonishes if not startles. Thought leadership reflects on the company and builds CEO capital."

Gaines-Ross ends the book with two appeals. The first is for a longer CEO timetable. B-M's research has shown that all stakeholders expect more of CEOs, and faster. But "the trend toward increasingly shorter CEO tenures is undermining business productivity and focus," says Gaines-Ross.

"Fewer CEOs seem to make it past the five-quarter mark and even fewer beyond their three-year anniversary. Such instability irrevocably and adversely affects a company's reputation and destiny. Chief executive departures have substantially adverse consequences, affecting too many employees, customers, partners, and investors." The second appeal is related, a call for a longer-term view.

This is substantial addition to the literature of our profession, a manifesto supported by compelling original research and informed by intelligent, sympathetic analysis. It is also a rare book about public relations that preaches not to the choir but to the choirmasters.

(The reviewer is Principal and Founder, Genesis Public Relations, India)

Until I read this book I did not realize the importance of communicating the 'how','why', 'when' of each executive decision. Given the crisis environment dominating corporate America today, I think CEOs need to add another word to their title and become chief executive and communications officers. Without communicating and finding their voice as leaders, I think CEOs will have a hard time earning public trust. This book provides a great blue print for understanding the commotion we read about in the papers.

In CEO Capital, Leslie Gaines-Ross has written an insightful and enlightening book for those who want to increase the positive visibility and reputation of their CEO. It is a surprise to this reviewer that more books have not been written on the subject of how to master the art of building your reputation when both your own personal future and corporate future may be resting on it.

The celebrity hungry society of today looks to corporate movers and shakers especially the CEO as icons of a particular company. Think about Lee Iacocca, Jack Welch, Richard Branson, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs to mention just a few. How much of your opinion of these companies (and notice I don't even have to mention which companies they run/ran) is based on your perceived image of the CEO? The phrase `you are your company' has never been more true, especially in the post Enron & Arthur Anderson world. How has your opinion of Enron changed now that you know more about Jeff Skilling and Andrew Fastow? Despite any fraud at Enron being committed by the few and not the masses of the organization, our entire perception of Enron has shifted to the iconic few.

Part I of CEO Capital is a contextual look at CEO capital: what it is, where it comes from and how it can be built. Gaines-Ross draws us in by looking at the CEO Effect by citing some examples as far back as 1985 starting with Roberto Goizueta, then CEO of Coca-Cola and the whole `New Coke' revolt, that could have been a fatal disaster for the company. But Goizueta, trading on his CEO capital, not only avoided being removed but was able to bring the company back even stronger.

Part II is most interesting and is centered on the five stages postulated in the CEO capital model which take you by the hand, and step by step go through best practices (ed: hate that term but in this situation it is apt), principles and linkages to factors affecting the building of CEO capital. As the book says, `the reader may be left with the impression that the stages read almost like a manual on how to lead a company. This perception is quite acceptable and entirely reasonable because nothing is more conducive to building CEO capital than building a strong, high-performing company. Any similarity between the two is entirely intentional.' Which is indeed how it reads, but in doing so, broadens the scope of the content to be relevant to a wider audience of business managers and executives who may not be leading Fortune 500 type companies (yet!). In fact, they may be the very leaders who will gain most from this book, since they are not too arrogant to learn and may gain the most from any capital building opportunities presented to them.

Chapters in the book include guidance on the Countdown (the time before the CEO-elect takes office), the First One Hundred days and the First Year, and then of course the second year in office which is always much harder than the first.

Gaines-Ross has written a truly pioneering work - overall an excellent book on a little-written about subject. The book is practically written and you should not let its somewhat `user manual' style detract you from putting its advice into action. Recommended for CEOs and CEOs to-be of all sized companies, as well as other corporate officers and marketing/PR professionals who may guide along the process.

Loved the book, I read it in a day... great inspiring content! We all have no real excuses when it comes to attain our goals and dreams. I'd recommend it to anyone! Tim ~ SoulHawaii.com

Great book. Ephren Taylor had a lot of good points that I didn't take the time to realize. He is a very positive person and doesn't let excuses and fear get in the way of his dreams. I think its worth reading. So that you can visualize your potential and dreams too.

A friend of mine recommended this book since I seemed to be avoiding living up to my full potential. I was skeptical at first that some "kid" was behind this book but I figured I would buy it and give it a try. Wow. It is one of my best purchases ever on amazon.com. This book has been tremendously inspirational to me and has helped me stop making excuses and move towards where I want to go with my life and career. My favorite section was "Empowerment vs. Victimhood". I highly recommend this book to anyone just coming out of college and starting their career or someone like me who has been in their career for 20 years. Mr. Taylor has done an excellent job sharing what he intuitively knows and has researched with us, thank you Mr. Taylor!

I've seen Ephren speak numerous times on the Extreme Entrepreneurship Tour ([...]) and his story is one of those that hits you as being so unbelievable and yet so down to earth all at once! He has accomplished so much and yet has such a humble, realistic outlook on life that he is totally relatable and inspirational. There is a lot to be learned from Ephren Taylor and his shared experiences can help us all achieve more in our lives while serving the callings we feel within our hearts!

When I got my copy of Ephren's book Creating Success from the Inside Out, I read it in one sitting from cover to cover. Being reminded of so many things I had told my own children and students, I could hardly wait to share his book with others, especially those who work with and help our youth. It is a great book for anyone who wants to move ahead financially or in other ways.

THe book is remarkable, interesting and well deserved attention from corporate environment. In lieu of the financial crisis, we are all in desperate need of collaboration...

Enter "collaboration" into Amazon's search, and the first thing you'll find is Evan Rosen's "The Culture of Collaboration"... and for good reasons too.

When traditional businesses try to tap onto the spectacle of the information ecology that's all the rage in the web industry, they are shifting from a deeply rooted pre-planned Fordian workflow, to a brave new world that embraces serendipitous spontaneity, parallel processing, ubiquitous presence, creative chaos and cross-breed sharing.

Rosen instinctively guides managers and leaders on a journey of change, where historical evidence is presented with noteworthy lessons. Interesting trends are distilled into pragmatic strategies, with a dose of engaging anecdotes from the think tanks at BMW, Toyota, NASA and Boeing just to name a few.

It's easy to appreciate the power of collaboration if we just look online today. The phenomena of Wikipedia and citizen journalism are testaments to the power of diverse, individuals brought together for a common goal. Rosen translates the most salient bits about how working environments should be designed to facilitate such collaborations.

With attention to the human aesthetic, with his well-designed book provides illustrative working models, as well as break-outs of key phrases in every section, especially handy for the findability of particular topics.

As a business manual, "The Culture of Collaboration" will probably be an effective means for any business to derive untapped creative value from within their own company. [...]

Man is a social animal.

While everyone knows this saying do we truly understand its profound implications? As humans, collaboration is built into our DNA and is a large part of our evolutionary success. Look around. Every day we form elaborate groups, companies, government, religions, and softball teams. Now collaboration's competitive value has been exponentially increased by new technologies. Companies are being forced to embrace new methods or be outperformed by those that do.

Evan Rosen is an expert on the subject and this book "Culture of Collaboration" is an essential read.

While collaboration's value is becoming obvious to even the most traditional executivees, but its implementation is not easy. Just as you can't walk into your boardroom and tell everyone to be smarter or more efficient, you can't simply tell your organization to collaborate. Collaboration is a skill with methodologies, best-practices, and tools.
Evan walks us through the important steps to gain the most value from collaboration using inside knowledge from top companies like Toyota, Dreamworks, and HP. He goes over the newest tools and technologies. And perhaps most importantly he covers how to shift from a traditional to a collaborative organization, highlighting pitfalls that many companies fall prey to. He tackles deep questions with solid strategies and examples. For example, how do privacy laws or trade secrets affect collaborative efforts? When choosing collaborative technologies should I focus on asynchronous technologies, such as message boards or synchronous tools such as video conferencing?

As the founder of the first collaborative media creation platform, no one could be a bigger proponent of collaboration than I. And I feel that no one does a better job of highlighting the importance and guiding the organizations to higher results through collaboration than Evan Rosen in his newest book "Culture of Collaboration."

America, once the undisputed business, industrial and technological leader on planet Earth, has surrendered that position to a number of other nations. The most obvious example is the American automotive industry and the Japanese, who took us to school on manufacturing and selling cars about 60 years after Henry Ford told Americans they could have "any color Model-T they want, so long as it's black". The secret weapon these "foreigners" wielded against the American manufacturing monolith was, obviously enough: Collaboration.

Therein lies the crux of Evan Rosen's latest book, a sort of how-to manual for companies of all sizes wishing to maximize the effort and talent of their employees, and create something of value, which usually leads to profit. He describes the ins and outs of business collaboration, from the physical arrangement of furniture and office space, to overcoming the psychological barriers, to the technological advances that allow colleagues on opposite sides of the globe to converse instantly, instead of scheduling a meeting weeks or months in advance and travelling 12,000 miles to get there.

It's a fascinating read, as one hears some remarkable stories of companies and organizations that understood the importance of collaboration before it became fashionable in the USA. Anyone who has spent any time in the American corporate world (or reads "Dilbert" on a regular basis) will be asking themselves why more companies don't practice effective collaboration on a regular basis. The answer may be inertia, job security, (or insecurity), or just good old rugged American individualism. But there is no longer any excuse, with a book like "The Culture of Collaboration" on the market. If you, and your business, want to "create value" (ie profit and success) you will buy copies of this book for yourself and all your managers, quiz them on it, and then put these techniques into practice.

The Summary
Evan Rosen has consolidated the latest ideas on collaboration and brought them together into an informative and practical book. Collaboration is becoming more and more important whether you are trying to manage a global workforce or just need to get stove-pipe departments to work together you will learn a lot from this book.

The Audience
The Culture of Collaboration is a practical guide aimed at anyone interested in fostering collaboration in their workplaces. Managers and leaders should definitely check this book out. The ideas around collaboration with a multi-cultural and global work force are extremely interesting to anyone leading off-shore initiatives. The book is full of practical advice that can be leveraged immediately.

The Details
There have been a number of books recently on collaboration from Group Genius, X-Teams to some older titles like `Organizing Genius' and `How Breakthroughs Happen'. There have also been many books on recent technologies that leverage the genius of groups i.e. wikinomics, the wealth of networks. Evan Rosen's book brings all these elements together from the technologies, tools, and theories around collaboration into a practical guide. This is not by any means a lightweight `how-to' guide, but more of a roadmap to not only understand the power of collaboration but also to leverage it in your organization.
Rosen explains the principles of collaboration through personal stories and examples from some new and unique sources. Other books on collaboration use examples from the usual suspects Lockheed's SunkWorks and IDEO but Rosen draws examples from the Mayo Clinic, George Lucas's ILM (Industrial Light and Magic), Boeing and Toyota. The choice of the Mayo clinic was surprising at first and then as Rosen explained the culture behind how the clinic was started and some of their collaborative practices; it became obvious that this was an important and often over-looked example of a collaborative and innovative environment.
While the first half of the book explores the current trends and the need for collaboration, the last few chapters bring the ideas of collaboration together into a practical guide that is worth the price of the book alone. How to use collaboration tools to foster the right culture, which tools to use to solve different issues and challenges and advice to managers and leaders on fostering collaboration.

The Ideas:
Rosen draws from some unique examples and there were many ideas that made me think:
- Presence - the use of tools like IM to foster collaboration across teams. Being able to tell if someone is available or not. The in-box culture is dead and now replaced by tools that incorporate elements of `Presence'
- Why Smoking can get you promoted - ok that wasn't the point that was made, but Rosen does explain that conversations and groups that form around stepping outside for a `smoke', can generate the kind of cross-functional and cross-hierarchical connections that companies need.
- Mayo Clinic's SPARC - as an example of collaboration at work. SPARC gets people out of their usual roles into cross-functional groups in a custom built innovative lab, an open area called the `program support space' which is fitted with everything any innovative group would need.

The Take-Away:
I can't emphasize the practical nature of this book enough. If you are going to read only one book on collaboration and you want to walk away with a guide to foster collaboration at work, then this is the book to get. This is a well written and engaging book and well worth the investment in time to read.

Kes Sampanthar
Inventor of ThinkCube