Joshua Saunders

An oldie, but goodie.  Jim Collins, in his 2001 book, discusses how some companies make (and sustain) the leap to great companies, while others hover at good.  I recently reread this nugget, to remind myself what makes a leader strong and successful.

Highly recommended for anyone serious about business, building or running a company.  I can’t imagine you would be extremely successful without knowing what makes companies and their leaders more than just good.

In case you aren’t familiar with this work, Collin’s and his research team examined approximately 1400 companies to find ones that met their criteria; that they were an established company that had a transition point where they beat the market average by at least 3 times over a 15 year period.  The conclusion was eleven companies, including Walgreens, Kroger’s, Abbott Labs, and Kimberley Clark.  They then found comparison companies in the same industries who did not become great, in an effort to determine their differences and explain that greatness was not a result of industry growth.  The similiarities between all the eleven great companies and differences between the great and comparison companies were they put into five solid chapters of solid proof on what makes a company great.

You can buy the book from Amazon here:  Good to Great
You can buy the audio CD from Amazon here:  Good to Great CD
The prequel to Good to Great, co-authored by Jim Collins: Built to Last

I recently finished reading Covert Persuasion by Kevin Hogan and Jim Speakman.  The book is a guide to selling, providing tactics to persuade others.  The various chapters cover things such as vocabulary, emotions, telling stories, and asking questions.  Overall a decent book for anyone, but I would recommend this be added to the reading list of anyone looking to enhance their sales skills.

The book was somewhat repetitive.  Often times you would read something only to find it repeated 50 pages later as a new tactic.  A good chunk of the book seemed to ramble, providing no helpful information whatsoever, so hopefully the authors are better speakers than they are writers.  The editing of the book was awful as there were many gramatical and editorial mistakes.  For instance, towards the end of the book, Hogan says he is going to tell a story without using quotes to portray himself telling a story (where he is the only one talking).  However, mid-story, he uses quotes anyways, and at other parts when he is quoting people, he doesn’t use quotes.

I wouldn’t give this book five stars, maybe three out of five, but I do think it is a worthwhile read.  If you have read several other sales books, you might not learn too many new things in this one, but it never hurts to expand your herizons and pick up a few new tricks.

I added a new section to the blog called Book Recommendations - find it in the top menu bar.  I recommend several books and provide my own personal reviews of them.  Yes, I am an Amazon affiliate and will make about 50 cents if you buy a book by clicking on it, but I am only listing books that I have read and recommend.  So if you are looking for some new books to add to your winter reading list, check out my new section.  I’ll be adding more books in the next week.

 …And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship at a Time, is an absolute must-read for young professionals everywhere looking for advice or motivation to help their career. Author Keith Farrazzi, the youngest partner in Deloitte Consulting’s history and founder of Farrazzi Greenlight, shares his inside tips and offers you the best advice you have ever been given on how to network effectively. If you listen to the powerful information in this book, you are sure to have a leg up over your competition and have an increased chance of knowing the right people at the right time.

The book is co-authored by Tal Raz, who first interviewed Keith Farrazzi for an article in Inc. magazine several years ago. Tal was amazed by Farrazzi’s networking ability and the two paired to write this powerfully informative book to teach others. If you think you know how to network with others because you hand out dozens of business cards at networking events, you are far off the mark. Farrazzi talks in detail about different situations and his networking methods, such as what Ferrazzi calls the “deep bump” at conferences as a quick and effective way to form an emotional connection with someone you want to meet. Other topics include how to get past the gatekeeper (aka administrative assistants), small talk, following up with contacts, warming the cold call, having great dinner parties (which Farrazzi considers critical and incredibly fun), and pinging contacts. Although there are a few key points that Ferrazzi and Raj try to drive home, the major ones include avoiding secrecy/holding all the information to yourself and helping others in your network, not because they can give you something in return, but because you truly want to help.

The message in the book is surprisingly entertaining and the book is a very easy read. Many interesting analogies are put into the book, such as the Dalai Lama being one of the best networkers of all time (and rightfully so). Keith Farrazzi’s humble beginnings and success make him extremely credible. This book literally is the handbook of how to network effectively and I guantee that it will have a positive impact on helping your career at some point if you take their advice.