Economic-Life Books

Graham Alexander is a professional leadership coach who allows us to be indirectly coached by him through a series of ten powerful and thought-provoking questions. Questions such as "Who are you and who do others say you are?" and "What can only you do?".
Each chapter is an opportunity for you to examine a part of yourself or your influence.

Each chapter includes Million Dollar Questions, Wakeup Calls, and Action Items sprinkled through the pages at strategic points. These are gathered together at the end in the form of an Executive Summary.

This book is a powerful tool to support you in taking yourself and your leadership to a higher level.

One of the best hands-on leadership books I have read. Excellent tips and practices. Great stories. Very practical with items that can be implemented immediately. Very thought provoking.

Tales From The Top is a must read for every leader! This book not only helps you to achieve your best in business but as well teaches you how to achieve your personal best in life. I appreciate how Graham asks the appropriate questions to not only help you excel in business, but also how to thrive in your personal life. Many books on the market today help you to excel in one or the other, not in both. I appreciate the balance Graham challenges every leader to achieve.

The author is a proponent of the following organizational
customs/philosophies:
- get fear out into the open where it can be confronted and
dealt with constructively
- say what you think
- face facts dispassionately rather than running away from them
- confront negativity head-on
- be passionate about your business
- seek new missions to reinvigorate staff
- select the undone things on your "to do" list
- itemize reasons for failure or reasons why there are no results
- discuss the unmentionables dispassionately
- do not waste precious talent

The work is invaluable because it confronts reasons why
people and/or organizations face intractable bottlenecks.
Dispassionate honesty flushes out why an organization does not
work so that constructive strategies can be put forth to
improve the throughput of decision-making .

No one teaches you to be a CEO, but this book offers a rare peek behind the scenes in other corner offices. The book gives real-world examples of issues faced by some of the world's top executives, and walks you through how Alexander coached them to solutions that substantially increased their effectiveness. He brings a refreshingly human approach to leadership issues. I hear his fee is $1,000 an hour, so this book seems like a pretty affordable way to get his help!

If you suffer any financial problems and you feel that there is no way of pulling yourself out of these problems, then i will recommend this book highly to be read. If reading it did not change your situation, then at lease it will give a hope and an inspiratin and defenitely you will look at the things from a very optimistic angle. The theory of the book is very logical and convincing and makes you think how life is simple. This book for sure gives you the courage, confident, inspiration and the well to change things on you or around you to something you have always dreamed of.

I am the one who wrote the review...three long years ago! I am still reading, enjoying, and gaining new insights from this book! I have doubled my income many, many times as a result, and I look forward to a future of even more prosperity! The principles are deceptively simple, but try them out and you will be pleased with the results! You have nothing to lose...but your unhappiness.

This is a book I often give as an 'offer of hope' to clients in financial distress or just people wanting to have a plan for making money work for them.. not against them. Ben Franklin said the secret to wealth is an understanding of compounding interest and this easy little book gives understanding and motivation that when followed will lead to financial comfort.

This may sound silly, but I have nothing to gain by saying this, but I follwed a couple of principles in this book and I quadrupled my income in a month. You just have to believe what it says and recognize and accept it as truth.

This book is truly a wonderful book. Such a easy read and anyone who has read it will tell you that they wish they would have read it sooner. People will say that the book worked for them over and over again. It has for me. My salary has gone up by forty percent by reading this book. I own my own business and since reading it our sales have gone from $275K-$325 to $450K. When my business took a turn for the worst this book (stonecutter) picked me up and put me back on the right track.

This book will not tell you how to get rich QUICK. It will tell you simply how to obtain wealth. Pick it up, read it and you will never be sorry you did.

A real shot in the arm. You will really be amazaed at what you read.

Two original devices set There are No Limits apart from other inspirational texts, and in order to fully appreciate Danny Cox's book, you'll have to make full use of both. At regular intervals throughout the course of the book, Cox inserts "Immediate Actions" and "Points to Ponder." By suggesting through these sections concrete steps that you can take right away, the book surpasses many of its peers, which often fail to find ground amid lofty hyperbole. But the practical nature of this book can only be realized if you actually take the recommended steps as you read, and gloss over some jargon-laden prose ("Appoint yourself the dean of Every Day University"). Cox, an Air Force veteran, draws on his personal experiences, as well as those of high-profile celebrities and authors to illustrate his ideas. While he wrote the book for a general audience, we recommend it particularly to salespeople, or those charged with managing or motivating a sales force.

Danny Cox shows the average person (like me) how to break through the mediocrity that threatens us all. He provides practical insight and keys to breaking through the personal barriers we surround ourselves with. If only we all had a Danny Cox cheering us on every day!

I expecially like the short chapter format that closes with a call to action. I believe this makes it an easier read for busy managers who are constantly traveling.

Danny Cox helps the average person (like me) achieve above average goals and dreams. Are you stuck in an endless cycle of daily routines? Never think of what you want to achieve, but only how you can achieve for others, then this book is for you! I was particularly helped by the ten behaviors cultivated by barrier breakers and the a-c-c-e-l-e-r-a-t-e points. Tis book has been very encouraging to me, a church planter out on my own working two jobs, with a family of five. I have dared again to set my eyes on goals and dreams that I previously thought were only fantasies! What would I achieve if I had a Danny Cox motivating me daily! Well this book is a good start!

J. David Pincus and J. Nicholas DeBonis have written a most inventive book. A fictional story about a CEO in crisis is told between chapters of this non-fiction assessment of CEOs and advice regarding how they can meet the needs of our changing corporate times. Based on ten years of research and interviews with CEOs in the Fortune 500, this book is very detailed, but written in an engaging conversational style. With a focus on communication as the key to effective leadership, the book humanizes its strategies so they come to life on each page. We... recommend this book not only for top corporate management and "top dogs," but also for anyone working in the corporate world.

I found myself looking forward to the switches between fiction and non-fiction equally. Top Dog entices the reader on both levels. I definitely got two books for the price of one. In terms of the non-fiction -- I'm not in management, I'm in managee, and I found this book to be an excellent insight to what upper management has to deal with on a daily basis. The fictional portion was as good as any of the novels that I've read from the New York Times Bestseller lists. It left me wanting more...

Top Dog: an instructive and entertaining blend of management text, fiction, case experience and leadership commentary. Pincus and DeBonis weave a well researched and reported account (fictional, or at least fictionalized) of a "cooking the books" crisis at a major hotel chain into discussion and presentation of the leadership and communication issues raised in the story. All this is supported by interviews with CEOs and reviews of current research and practice, and illustrated by many anecdotes and other cases. The alternating format is at first unsettling and then highly effective. It offers a much more appealing and enjoyable learning process than conventional management texts.

In the daily media, CEOS are often portrayed as ruthless, profit-driven moguls more concerned with their own golden parachutes than with employees and customers. The complexity and challenges of the CEO's role are understood by very few people.

J. David Pincus, the lead author of Top Dog, provides depth and insight into the chief executive's role while also teaching us lessons about internal and external communication.

As a veteran professional in the communication field, I have read dozens of corporate books designed to illuminate, inspire and bring about change in business communication. It is rare to find one that keeps you turning pages all through the night -- Top Dog is such a book.

Pincus combines the gifts of a talented novelist with a researcher's painstaking attention to detail. He presents corporate life in raw form, showing the insecurities, arrogance, pettiness and base motives of his characters along with the deep desire (of at least the main character) to do the right thing. The story in the novel is portrayed so accurately, so humanly, that it will ring true with the college freshman as well as the "top dog" in a major corporation. But Pincus and his co-author J. Nicholas DeBonis also take it a step further. They intersperse chapters of this gripping novel with equally thought-provoking and intelligent chapters of analysis. Yes, this is a book that makes you think, but you will have fun doing it.

If I were a CEO today, I would not only read this book, I'd make it required reading for everyone in my company. Until everyone in a company understands the challenges faced by the "top dog", the communication problems in business will only compound.

David Pincus is well-known for his management research of Fortune 500 companies. He puts his research results to good use with co-author, Debonis in this combination fiction-non-fiction book about a CEO in a crisis.

Like any novel, the fictional story that alternates chapters of Top Dog, develops memorable characters we root for, such as the protagonist CEO Arlen Royster, and those we want to see vanquished. It is a good story on its own merit, set in the crisis atmosphere of a large business. As story complications arise, the factual chapters discuss real world business problems and solutions that relate to the story. These chapters draw on Pincus's interviews with well-known CEOs and interesting, relevant case studies. It is an excellent and effective technique that keeps the reader interested.

Anyone in management will find Top Dog worth reading.

Valuing Intangible Assets

I am management consultant whose practice area is Market Opportunity Analysis. This book is a wonderful reference for the client who holds important IP, brands, trademarks, or know-how, and seeks to have its value in the marketplace established. The writing is clear, well organized and the examples carefully chosen.

This book is practical and easy to read, provided you know the basic principles of valuations. I would not recommend it as an introduction because it is burdened with too many details. It gives a systematic and thorough introduction to the subject. Do not expect to read this book and be able to do any complicated valuation on your own. However, you will be able to lead more informed discussions with appraisers AND with the tax authorities. You will also be able to review valuations by appraisers more critically and judge their quality or to assess in the preparation phase the relevance of information required.

This is very good book that shows you how to evaluate and what to evaluate intellectual property assets by giving you the ins and outs of intangible assets valuation. Only need to be reinforced in How to determine or estimate a discount rate for those assets. Very good material for writing out a final reports.

For those who are interested in the management of organizational knowledge and intangible assets, 'Valuing intangible assets'should prove to be highly practical. There are many knowledge management frameworks out there that assist business executive to manage their intangible assets (such as Sveiby's intangible asset monitor), the practical usage of these frameworks would be greatly enhanced by incorporating the valuation aspect of intangible assets. Reilly has provided a comprehensive illustration of both the 'scientific' & 'artistic' aspects of valuating intangible assets. 'Valuing Intangible Assets' is easy to read & loaded with useful examples, it is a rare one in the market.

A larger portion of the value of a company nowadays comes from Intangibles (brands, patents, workforce & related contracts, durable customers etc.). This holds true in several industry sectors. Measurement of intangibles is a fascinating subject, but until this book was published, there was no single body of knowledge available to guide the general reader, or a Valuation professional. You had to work in one of the reputed valuation firms to be exposed to the techniques. This book is by far the best practitioner-oriented Intangibles Valuation book I have come across. It is very comprehensive in terms of the topics it covers, and does a wonderful job of covering almost all intangibles of interest. Each chapter is written by a relevant expert, and this invariably leads to variations in quality and some lack of consistency. However, for the most part, it is very well written, and definitely worth the price it sells for.

Excellent!! I really enjoyed this book. It's wonderful for any woman trying to follow her own path and provides that "we're all in this together" mentality. I highly recommend it to women of all ages. It would make a fabulous gift for a woman graduating from college and just starting out in the workplace or anyone who is interested in reading about other people's lives. In addition to stories about their jobs, these women share their struggles with caregiving, finances, and juggilng everything in extremely personal and intimate ways.

. . . and I'm not just saying that because I wrote the last chapter. (smile)

These witty and often moving diary entries from women of all walks of life offer a broad perspective of the triumphs, trials, stressors, struggles and small moments of joy that people everywhere are dealing with at any given time. The book's candid, inspirational accounts let us briefly walk a mile in someone else's shoes and remind us that, no matter what we're dealing with, we are not alone.

I got turned on to Joni B. Cole's day diary compilations when I hastily grabbed her previous book -- "This Day in the Life" -- in an airport bookstore as I was dashing to catch a four-hour flight. Once I opened it, I was hooked and couldn't put it down.

Like that book, "Water Cooler Diaries" is another fast, fun and delightfully voyeuristic read. It's an honor to be featured in it.

This book is hard to put down!
- Laugh out loud moments is the truth.
- Amazed at those who were brave enough to be honest & wrote about their boss from 'he double-hockey-sticks'.
- Fascinated going behind the scenes of the 'not your everyday' type of jobs.
- Shocked some were sad by the end of their day, while they are on their road to success
- Cried & deeply touched by those who were going through very personal and hard times in their life (I still think of them)
- Then laughed again...

This book has such a variety of true everyday stories Great reading.

Water Cooler Diaries: Women Across America Share Their Day at Work

I have been taking my time reading this book.

Why?

Because I am savoring every entry.

Water Cooler Diaries provides a sneak peek behind the private lives of women; What we do on a typical day and what we think.

The reader discovers that when the "typical working day" is explored in detail, there is humor, frustrations and a myriad of emotions that are evoked by exploring the inner thoughts women have throughout the day.

And in reading each woman's day diary entries, we look into the mirror and see a reflection of ourselves in the surgeon, the mechanic, the blogger, the mother, the janitor and so many more.

Well, okay... this reader didn't have that much in common with the sexy magician and her albino snake... but, boy haven't you ever wondered what it must be like to have a job like that? Never thought about the fact that she also has to clean up snake poop out of water bowls every morning.


There are 35 full day entries with hundreds of excerpts from women from all walks of life.

ENJOY!

These women share their joys, worries, triumphs, fears, hopes and dreams...a day in their lives...from mundane to magnificent. It's a book you don't have to read from cover to cover in one sitting, but it's hard to put down once you start. And although it sounds hokey, I laughed, I cried and I related to every one of these women on some level.

For anyone who travels for a living or takes business trips. This is a fantastic book filled with insight, poignancy, humor and wisdom. Robert Jolles is a self-employed consultant and trainer who has earned his stripes, not to mention frequent flyer miles.

Anyone who has been degraded by what passes as airline "service" (an oxymoron?) these days, will relate. Yet, the book is not a diatribe on airline imbecility. It is a rumination on the highs and lows of business travel and how it can become a dysfunctional addiction that ravages one's soul and family.

The kind of book I was sad to see end - the ultimate compliment a reader can pay!

I read Rob's book cover to cover on a flight from the east coast to the west. There are more pages "dogearred" than I have ever folded before. Rob understands, speaks from the heart and has a genuine, sincere interest in helping people improve their lives. One idea I implemented immediately. I blocked out all three of our children's birthdays on the calendar as non-travel days. This book is a keeper and must-have for anyone who practically lives on the road!

This is an extraordinarily personal book. Within the first dozen pages, Author Rob Jolles has shared moments of extreme personal embarrassment with us, gently encouraging us to laugh with him rather than at him. And later on, he shares very personal issues like losing confidence in himself, and going through emotional slumps, as well as showing times when he behaved less than perfectly to other people.

However, although the book is written in the first person (ie 'I') form, it isn't a self-centered ego-trip of a book. Rob's humanity, kindness, and concern for his reader glows through every page. One can't help but feel a tremendous respect for him, and one quickly comes to appreciate Rob's generous sharing of his own problems - something he has done in the hope we can learn from his own challenges and how he confronted and resolved them

In addition to helpful hints about travel and business in general, the book goes well beyond the obvious, giving advice on issues such as how to keep on keeping on even when afflicted by illness, pain, grief or depression, and touches on surprising topics such as the addiction to travel which some people end up experiencing (often without consciously realizing this).

Truly, there's something in this book for all of us, whether we travel or not.

I've been a road warrior for many years. I work for a sports agency and I spend many nights and weeks away from my family. I have risen very high in my profession and I think I could go higher. I had also forgotten what was important. Robert Jolles helped remind me. The book starts a funny, witty series of tales about lessons learned on the road. It was wonderful up to this point and I was already happy I read it. Then I reached the part about overcoming the addiction to travel. I realized that this book was speaking to people like me. I have since started traveling less and spending more time with my family. Robert Jolles has truly changed my life and I can't thank him enough for writing this. I recommend this to anybody, anywhere who travels. There are so many wonderful lessons in this book. A must read for all of us road warriors!!!

Wow! I was lucky enough to get a galley preview of this book sent to me. Talk about taking you on a voyage you didn't think you were going on, I could not put this book down... and neither could my wife. You'll certainly learn how to get your bags on board, and handle delays, but this book goes a whole lot further than that. Rob Jolles not only takes you into the world of the Road Warrior and the ups and downs that world creates, he takes you on a compassionate journey into those who wait at home, what they must endure, and solutions to this most difficult way of life. Hands down, this is one of the most important reads for anyone who travels for business, whether for one day or 365

In the genre of motivational books, this one really hits the nail on the head.

What everyone needs to know for success put succinctly, honestly and encouragingly. A quick read with substance.

A quick and entertaining read, this book has some great advice that I was able to put to use right away. My family, friends and co-workers have already started to notice a difference.

I learned more important things from this book than I did from my own Mother.

Nicki Joy writes a powerful, prescriptive motivational book that shows you how to win, how to get to the top and how to stay there. This book has a quick and fun tone, making it an easy, enjoyable read. I recommend this book to anyone who feels that they need a push in the right direction to get their lives back on track!

Building on Buddhist parables and using sources as diverse as St. Augustine and Alice in Wonderland, author Steven Heine offers a little book with big ideas, such as applying the Zen values of detachment and resilience to workplace dynamics. He tells stories to illustrate intricate, thoughtful ways to assess and react to various business scenarios and disputes. Then, with a relatively low dose of philosophical double-speak and, perhaps, a few too many oblique Eastern-sounding aphorisms, he encourages you to take the high ground. We recommend this illuminating guide to those of a philosophical or spiritual bent. Heine's knowledgeable explanation of the practical application of Zen ideas in business will help you remain philosophical in the face of workplace triumphs, puzzles or setbacks. While it is hard to see the Buddha inside a bull-headed rival, it may help to try.

Among the many topics touched in this fascinating book there is one that everyone who is in the business world will immediately noticed: The Structure and The Anti-Structure. Steven Heine explains in detail how to become part of the structure of a company and even more importantly he details how to "break-through" the structure and make it work for one's benefits.

In my personal case I must thank Dr. Heine for the words of wisdom that allowed me to get through the toughest interview that I've ever had. Following the guidelines of the book I put all my attention in the way the interview was structuring itself and once I was able to grasp the essence of what my future manager was looking for, I decide to break-through the structure and I gave a short but sincere and strong answer following the principles explained in this book and as of right now I'm the right hand of one of the Assistant Vice-Presidents of the company for which I work

For those of us who face challenges and obstacles in the workplace on a daily basis, this is one of the most thoughtful and insightful guidelines on how to better prepare and turn difficulties into opportunities for growth and development. The author has obviously poured into the pages of the book years of experience and inspiration. "White Collar Zen" is a pleasure to read from cover to cover, as it is filled with many illuminating anecdotes as well as quotes and references to contemporary sports, music, movies, books, in addition to Zen and Eastern Classics.

Steve Heine has succeeded in writing a book that is accessible, enjoyable, practical, and funny. If you struggle to integrate your spiritual teachings into your daily work experiences, then this book is for you. Heine masterfully weaves Zen teachings, references to contemporary culture, personal anecdotes, and humor to create a delightful read.

I can't wait for "White Collar Zen II"!

Go to any weekend Buddhist retreat, and during open discussions on the application of the Dharma, the conversation will inevitably turn to the workplace - on how to respond to difficult occupational situations and adversarial fellow employees. White Collar Zen is a book concerned with this all too common form of suffering. It is an insightful, and very practical guide for applying the transcendent wisdom of Zen to the everyday challenges of making a living. Heine's advise is based on the skillful application of Zen's "Great Doubt," so that we can transform the ordinary working world into a realm of opportunity for enlightened action. This is accomplished by understanding our relationships in the workplace as encounters, rather than conflicts, akin to the encounters recorded in Zen Koans, and charged with all the possibilities of awakening. The steps for taking this approach are presented in very clear and accessible language, and there are a number of useful examples given to illustrate how the method can be applied in real situations. A valuable book for these times, White Collar Zen teaches us how Great Doubt can be effectively used at work, so that the sword that kills may also give life and workplace foxes may, in the end, be revealed as Buddhas.

A quick read and packed with great ideas and new ways of thinking about transitions in your life.

The author combines research, resources and information with real life stories to make a comprehensive guide to transition. It's written in a very reader-friendly tone. I've worked with people in transition for several years and have not seen a work that was so all-encompassing. Perfect for women in transition because it addresses all the issues we balance in the process of our daily lives. Highly recommend this book to any growth-oriented woman.

The most inspiring part of this book is its wonderful real-life case studies of other women in transition. These studies really augment the how-to steps that Sandy Anderson offers in the text. My favorite: 36-year old University Lecturer and Researcher. She declared bankruptcy to pursue her life's work to teach in a university setting part-time. Unbelievable and ever-so inspiring.

--Kimberly Stansell, author Bootstrapper's Success Secrets: 151 Tactics for Building Your Business on a Shoestring Budget (Career Press)

Dr. Anderson has written an incredibly thorough book to help women through all aspects of career and life transitions. Her research and attention to every detail make this a powerful, practical and easy-to-use tool. The exercises create an interactive environment for optimum learning. The stories of women going through transition help bring the information alive. The resources encourage women to reach out for more support. Most any woman at any stage of her life can find something valuable in this book. Since most women change careers more than seven times over their lives and go through at least one life change per year, every woman should read this book.

As a person who has had careers in human resources and business management, I found this book to be informative and practical. As a woman in career and life transition myself, I found this book to be a necessity. The author presents an abundant amount of information that every woman in career transition will find useful. The anecdotes interspersed throughout the book make the book enjoyable and easy-to-read.