Recommended Reading
The Dip - The Little Book About Quitting
What really sets superstars apart from everyone else is the ability to escape dead ends quickly, while staying focused and motivated when it really counts.
Winners quit fast, quit often, and quit without guilt-until they commit to beating the right Dip for the right reasons. In fact, winners seek out the Dip. They realize that the bigger the barrier, the bigger the reward for getting past it. If you can become number one in your niche, you'll get more than your fair share of profits, glory, and long-term security.
Meatball Sundae
A meatball sundae is the unfortunate result of mixing two good ideas.
The meatballs are the foundation, the things we need (and sometimes want). These are the commodities that so many businesses are built on. The sundae toppings (hot fudge and the like) are the New Marketing, the social networks, Google, blogs and fancy stuff that make people all excited. The challenge most organizations face: they try to mix them. They attempt to slap new marketing onto old and end up with nothing but a failed website.
This book explores the 14 trends that are changing our world and how organizations can either embrace them or be punished by them.
Functional Methods - The Book
Getting Functional About Client Engagements
Plenty of "useful information", but we need real examples to refer to...
I have read a ton of business improvement and productivity books over the years. What I always found lacking was the availability of specific tools and templates that I could use to achieve results quickly.
These books did a pretty good job of outlining the importance of applying effective business tools and practices and also referred frequently to popular methodologies such as PMBOK, Six Sigma, Kaizen, TQM, etc…. These are all good methodologies and can yield impressive results in the hands of a properly trained team working within a business culture totally bought into the methodology.
AND I NEED SOMETHING I CAN USE RIGHT NOW…
How many times have you accepted a task or project and then started looking for existing road maps, tools, and templates to refer to? Sometimes there really is nothing new under the sun.
I'm writing this book to provide business professionals like us with a reliable set of tools, templates, and techniques that deliver real results and deliver them fast. As a business professional your customer has needs and you provide services and solutions to meet those needs. Sounds simple, right? Customer Talks, You Listen. However, before you can meet your customer’s needs you need to meet your customer.
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Coming in 2009: The Functional Methods "Field Guide To Successful Business Consulting"
The Speed of Trust
From Publishers Weekly: Trust is so integral to our relationships that we often take it for granted, yet in an era marked by business scandals and a desire for accountability this book by leadership expert Covey is a welcome guide to nurturing trust in our professional and personal lives. The author effectively reminds us that there's plenty of room for improvement on this virtue. Covey outlines 13 behaviors of trust-inspiring leaders, such as demonstrating respect, creating transparency, righting wrongs, delivering results and practicing accountability. Covey's down-to-earth approach and disarming personal stories go a long way to establish rapport with his reader.
