father-of-economics

I read about this book on salon.com and then was convinced by the enthusiastic reviews here. They're all right: it's great.

I agree with the reviewer from Michigan. This is an amazing book -- very thoughtful, and thought-provoking with first-rate writing. I lost my own father a few years ago, so I found much to relate to here -- how the loss of a parent affects one, but also the evaluation of one's own life and character such an event sparks. After reading this book, one gains an entirely new perspective of the role of money in our lives -- how it indeed define us and our relationship to and with just about everything. An interesting and useful book for anyone facing the loss of a parent, and for all Baby Boomers finally accepting the need to grow up. (BTW -- This book is not as somber as it may sound -- the stories about coin collectors and their foibles are hysterical!)

In early 1998, Don Nichols began returning to Iowa from his life and job in Washington, DC, to be with his dying father and to oversee his parents' investments. A veteran investor who'd written eight personal finance books, Nichols found that managing the portfolio entrusted to him brought a larger understanding of money and mortality, family, love, his job at the U.S. Mint, and life choices he'd made.

Sad, funny, searching, and also financially savvy, "Currency of the Heart" is about the dimensions of investing, rediscovering family, honoring promises, the parting of a father and son, and a middle-aged son's new bond with an aging mother.

The review at Salon.com says it all: "The result is brilliant -- a book that is poetic in its prose, profound and yet effortlessly readable, a book that is full of humor and sorrow, confusion and loss and pride and joy. Time spent in Donald Nichols' head will simultaneously make you want to call your father, count your pennies, investigate whether you should be putting money in Treasury bonds, and wonder what kind of person, really, you are ... "Currency of the Heart" transcends a pathetic genre and delivers a masterpiece."

Many powerful and effective businessmen feel lost when they get home. As a result, some professional men spend more time at the office, where they feel confident and capable. To remedy this dilemma, Ted Hirschfeld presents the one class that they forgot to include in your MBA program: Fatherhood 101. Presented as an executive briefing for a huge new assignment, Hirschfeld's book tells you how to harness the skills that make you successful in business to make you successful as a father. It's a long-overdue concept, even if the book doesn't explain how to fit in more time with the kids at a point when business is demanding more and more of all of us. We [...] strongly recommend this book to any businessman who is also a father, or father-to-be.

Two years ago, many of us were at a conference in San Francisco that led to the new book, "Families at Work: Expanding the Bounds," edited by Naomi Gerstel, Dan Clawson, and Robert Zussman (Vanderbilt Press, 2002,[$$$]+shipping from amazon.com). I thought the conference was great, but the book is even better. Whether due to the judicious selection of chapters, or superb editing, the book serves as a great reader on work/family research, and particularly for qualitative research (I know,
some of the quant folks hit the ceiling when an 'N' of 36 pops up, but I find much of it very insightful). Many of the chapters are on topics where little is otherwise known -- including the division of labor among lesbigay couples, the meanings of reciprocity among single moms, how moms think about the needs of teenagers, how work & family have fit into the lives of political activists, and how being a 'nerd' translates into masculinity in
high-tech jobs. Two of the papers have already become classics of some sort -- a chapter from Francine Deutsch's "Halving It All" on blue-collar couples, and a chapter by Gerstel and Clawson on unions and w/f. A majority of the chapters have admittedly been published elsewhere already, but it would be very difficult to put all of the articles together yourself for, say, a course, and the book would work very well at the senior undergrad or grad level. Great work & congrats to the editors!

I am a teacher. It is extremely hard to get my students interested in anything...history or business. This book is a great resource because I think the application of history in business and vice versa is something they can grasp. They have a general knowledge of history that everyone learns. The actual acts and strategies of the founding fathers are interesting and I think really motivating to a troubled kid.

Outstanding work and an easy read. Understanding the many dynamics that can and often do take place in a family business is very critical. The family members as well as the advisers need to be familiar with the challenges and issues they are sure to face. This work should be required reading for any professional that assists family businesses. I will give a copy of this enlightening work to all my family business clients.

In my practice, as a management consultant who specializes in assisting financially troubled companies through times of crisis, I have frequently encountered business decisions that are made on the basis of family considerations having little to do with sound business practices. Koenig's practical advise and code of conduct for family businesses should be required reading for anyone involved in guiding a family enterprise

In a former life I was a non-family member of senior management for a family owned and operated business. If I would have had access too and read the material Dr. Koenig presents in this book then, I would look much younger now! This book makes me see how much more effective I could have been by simply understanding the impact that family decisions had on business decisions. I couldn't understand then that simple issues like Thanksgiving Dinner Plans can have a great impact on things like Strategic Plans. The common sense displayed in dealing with such a huge volume of material made for easy reading and more important, easy application. I recommend this book for anyone trying to assist a family in making their company what they want it to be. G Ransdell President/CEO AEI Environmental, Inc.

In this book, Vince Lombardi, Jr., masterfully connects the leadership principles of his father with the leadership demands of the 21st century. Vince, Jr. demonstrates his unique qualification to piece together core leadership qualities of Coach Lombardi in a coherent, engaging and personable style. I had always heard about the many speechs Vince Lombardi gave toward the end of his life. Vince Jr. brings "The Speech" to life through his personal and expert analysis. Although the book contains great leadership principles and theory, it goes beyond being a text book on leadership. "What it Takes To Be #1" offers personal reflections from Coach Lombardi and those who knew him best, particularly his son, on what it means to be a leader. As the director of a leadership institute for a 6,000 employee organization, I look forward to using many of Lombardi's principles in our organizational development program. I particularly appreciate Lombardi's emphasis on self-discovery and self-knowledge, the building blocks of character and integrity. In Lombardi's own words, these elements "provide the foundation of leadership." Who better to reconnect today's 21st century leaders with a legend from decades ago? Vince Jr. achieves that connection in this book. No one should be surprised: this book is a winner!

Once in a while a book comes along that you know when you read it will stand the test of time. "What It Takes to Be # One" is one of those books. Whether you are a parent, a teacher, a business leader, a student, or a coach this book will put you on the right course in making a difference in the lives of the people you touch. You have an opportunity to examine your vision, your values, and your habits. Vince, Jr. has done an excellent job in mixing his father's thoughts about life in with his own. I highly recommend this book to those in leadership positions or those who wish to be in leadership positions.

I am 16 years old and I play on my high schools varsity baseball team. I feel this book has helped my outlook on my sports career, because some of his quotes are so true. Everytime I wake up at 5:30 to weightlift before school I remind myself "The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender." Just reading this book made me realize what it really takes to be #1. You can't be a sissy, you have to work for what you want. Any athlete who needs something to motivate them should read this book.

The author knows his subject matter but gets too heavy with all the legal bs and too light on the human stories. Seems like the author couldn't decide if he wanted to write a text book or a down to earth type story.

This was by far of the three books i have red by william mccolskey the favorite he has another book called fish decks cannot find on amazon have to let you know about that one.

unlike highliners and breakers this one is nonfiction and follows along as the author goes back to alaska and around alaska where he served in the coast guard 20 years before and now is crab fishing and goes fishing around georges bank of the coast of chile and new zeland ,indonesia,and japan.looking for fish and shellfish. it also extensively covers the wreck of the exxon valdezand the effect on the fishing industry and the enviroment.Fisherman were making more money selling back buckets of oil back to exxon.He goes to the tokyo tsukiji market which i have seen on a national geographic program. This place is huge they figure they have on any given day 330 different species for sale which come from all around the world for example They have prawns and shrimp from 64 nations the market and auction generate enough trash to fill 200 trash trucks a day.It cover alot of the political side of fishing and how the different regulations have come about to protect the fish.
You read this book it is amazing that they fish with nets miles long and never think about depleteing the resources.Also learned tha over fishing was not the only thing affecting the amount of fish being caught runoff from farms both animal and agricultural.And fish farms that apeear on the surface appear to be a good thing end up causing harm to native fish.

The best book I've read dealing with the social AND political AND cultural aspects of commercial fishing. Making no excuses for the industry or the people who condemn it. His stories are compelling and enrapturing as well as extremely informative. It'll give understanding of why the worlds oceans are in the state they are in and all the players who have caused it to be where it is. Enjoy!

This book is good for the High School Graduate because the simple metaphors and stories make this book clear in a world full of obscur rules and references. I liked this book because it did speak in straight forward terms. An older audience may see this as a dribble of old advice, but to a younger man this is new wisdom.

I have been reading this book (an OLD copy!) once a year since I was a senior in high school, at the behest of my father who was one of the wisest persons I've ever known. The old man exhibits a rare understanding of human nature, and is able to pack more common sense into every square inch than too many of us gain in a lifetime. I have found it to be a great gift for high school or college graduates, for young people trying to find themselves, for some older folks still grappling with some basic issues. A great book for your personal library, and to share!

My grandfather gave me a 1905 printing of this book and told me that, in his opinion, this was the second best collection of wisdom he'd ever read, next to the Bible. After a reluctant reading, I agree wholeheartedly.

Although not exactly riveting, this book does provide an interesting and readable history of IBM from the view of Thomas Watson Jr. who took over control of IBM after his father, Thomas Watson Sr.. Although much has happened to IBM since then (the job cuts, the internet boom, etc.), this is a fascinating glimpse at the evolution of big blue and the culture it once had.

The Watsons did not start IBM but they did oversee its growth into "Big Blue". Some of the anecdotes are quite memorable, the strict sales "uniform" (including sock suspenders), the refining and gentrifiying of the sales staff & executives, Thomas Sr. teaching his son to clean-up the bathroom on the train, the high-flyer told to forgo his tenant problems by Watson Sr.. It seems all tycoons and corporations have some skeletons in their cupboards and IBM is no exception. According to the book, Thomas Sr. and other senior executives at IBM started a business buying up old IBM equipment so prevent a second-hand market developing that would eat into IBM's market. It almost landed the Thomas Sr. and his colleagues in prison. Watson Sr. spent a great deal of time developing himself and his people to become refined, gentlemen with values and priorities. In these sad days of scum CEOs & executives, duplicitous companies, corrupt accountants & lawyers and valueless company "books" (Enron, WorldComm, Tyco, Merrill-Lynch, Arthur-Anderson, Martha Stewart,...) the incident may seem like grist to the mill but at that time it must have been a huge blow to the man and the company. A decent book if you have an interest in IBM or the history of the computer business.

It's always interesting to read what sons have to write about their fathers. Thomas J. Watson Jr.'s book is no exception to this rule. Although in many ways the book is a business biography, the relationship between the two men creeps in between the lines (almost more than you could imagine that the author had intended it to). Watson Jr. was clearly influenced by his iconic father, both for better and for worse. The book is a lot about how that influence (and the escape from that influence) shaped the company that is IBM today.

Obviously the company has gone through many changes since this book has written-- Gerstner, downsizing, eBusiness, Business Consulting Services, etc. But still, it's remarkable how much of the culture is recognizable back to the very earliest days.

I have a special interest in the subject matter, so it's hard for me to say how fascinating someone without an IBM attachment would find the book. But as far as I was concerned it was an interesting book executed well.

This book tells one of the most fascinating, indeed rivetting, stories that I have ever read. It is about the building of one of the great American businesses of the 20C, but also much much more: it is about the conflict of an extraordinarily hard-driving father and his talented though psychologically burdened and rebellious son. From the beginning, they were at eachothers' throats and never relented in their conflict, even when it became evident that the son's genius surpassed that of his father to build an empire that can only be compared to the accomplishments of the first two Caesars, Julius and Augustus. The book also covers a good deal of American business history from the great depression to the beginning of the stagnation of the 1970s and early 1980s. Thus, it can be read on numerous levels.

There are so many insights in it that it will bear re-reading for a long time to come. Watson Jr. was acutely aware of the cost of success and was brutally honest about his own failings as a manager and family man. I find myself remembering scenes in that book, running them in my mind as examples from which to learn.

Warmly recommended.

I did not find ANYTHING new or interesting about leadership in Mr. Phillip's book. More or less a bunch of tired old cliche's in hardcover or softcover - your choice. Save your money, I wish I had.

Phillips' book is an excellent read for understanding how the founding fathers led in our country's early history and how we can apply these concepts today.

Among the interesting points Phillips covers include:

1. Being a team leader and member.
2. Turning a positive into a negative.
3. Be a learner and refuse to lose.
4. Leaders are risk-takers and change agents.
5. Leaders must understand human nature.
6. Leaders create a favorable culture and climate.
7. Excellent leaders are persistent and follow through.
8. Spend time in the field with the troops.

Read and understand that leadership principles that worked in the early history of the U.S. still work today!

CASE FOR:
The best part about this book is not some ground-breaking secrets of the founding fathers, but their history that illustrate some important principals of leadership. I was inspired after listening to the book on CD.

He author takes you through their life, battling England, taking you through their successes and failures. After you listen, you understand what really works, and why it is so important to do what is required of the leader. And of course he tells you what it is, he nicely sums it up at the end of each chapter.

He says, "changing times needs new approaches", "The greater the risk, the greater the glory" you will truly understand the meaning of such phrases from that book. I love this quotes, "We must make the best of the men as they are, since we cannot have them as we wish" I believe that was by George Washington.

I got this book on CD already thinking what they can offer me what I haven't already heard, after I was done with it, I was informed and inspired.

CASE AGAINST:
Donald's book finished little low, but in general I enjoyed his book.