Product Description

In this wonderfully crafted fable, protagonist Julian Mantle, a tough, high-powered, and incredibly driven lawyer, changes his life radically after a heart attack nearly kills him. To the amazement of all, he decides to abandon his successful career, sell all his possessions, and trek to India in an effort to find timeless wisdom on living a more meaningful life. Months later, when he returns to the West looking tranquil and radiantly young, he recounts the story of his life-changing journey through the Himalayas, sharing with his former law protg seven principles and practices he discovered there that can help us get off the career treadmill and begin to experience the true joy of life.

The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari imaginatively presents a set of simple yet profoundly effective lessons for personal growth, created by bestselling author and renowned professional speaker Robin S. Sharma, based on his own search for life's true purpose. In a tale that is both wondrous and mystical, Sharma offers practical and wise advice on how to:

# develop joyful thoughts
# follow your life's mission and calling
# look within for success
# cultivate self-discipline and act courageously
# value time as your most important commodity
# nourish your relationships
# and live life fully, one day at a time.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #593959 in Books
* Published on: 1998-05
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 198 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Everyone loves a good fable, and this is certainly one. The protagonist is Julian Mantle, a high-profile attorney with a whacked-out schedule and a shameful set of spiritual priorities. Of course it takes a crisis (heart attack) to give Mantle pause. And pause he does--suddenly selling all his beloved possessions to trek India in pursuit of a meaningful existence. The Himalayan gurus along the way give simple advice, such as, "What lies behind you and what lies before you is nothing compared to what lies within you." Yet it is easy to forgive the story's simplicity because each kernel of wisdom is framed to address the persistent angst of Western white-collar professionals. --Gail Hudson

Review
"A captivating story that teaches as it delights." -- Paulo Coelho, author of The Alchemist

"A fun, fascinating adventure into the realms of personal development, personal effectiveness, and individual happiness. It contains treasures of wisdom that can enrich and enhance the life of every single person." -- Brian Tracy, author of Maximum Achievement

"A magnificent book. Robin S. Sharma is the next Og Mandino." -- Dottie Walters, author of Speak and Grow Rich

"A treasure--an elegant and powerful formula for true success and happiness. Sharma has captured the wisdom of the ages and made it relevant for these turbulent times. I couldn't put it down." -- Joe Tye, author of Never Fear, Never Quit

"Filled with insights about following your passion and living your dream. A good read!" -- Justine and Michael Toms, cofounders of New Dimensions Radio and coauthors of True Work: The Sacred Dimension of Earning a Living

"Nothing less than sensational. This book will bless your life." -- Mark Victor Hansen, coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Soul

"Robin Sharma has an important message for all of us--one that can change our lives. He's written a one-of-a-kind handbook for personal fulfillment in a hectic age." -- Scott DeGarmo, past publisher, Success magazine

"Robin Sharma has created an enchanting tale that incorporates the classic tools of transformation into a simple philosophy of living. A delightful book that will change your life." -- Elaine St. James, author of Simplify Your Life and Inner Simplicity

"There is something about reading life's lessons in fable form that makes the journey more compelling. Robin Sharma takes simplicity and wisdom to new heights in this story of man's search for meaning in the midst of modern-day life." -- Janet Luhrs, author of The Simple Living Guide, editor and publisher of The Simple Living Journal

From the Back Cover
Here is the story of Julian Mantle, a superstar lawyer whose out-of-balance lifestyle leads him to a near-fatal heart attack in a packed courtroom. His physical collapse brings him into a spiritual crisis that forces him to confront the condition of his life. Hoping to find happiness and fulfillment, he embarks upon an extraordinary odyssey to an ancient culture, where he discovers a powerful system to release the potential of his mind, body, and soul and learns to live with passion, purpose, and peace. Brilliantly blending ancient spiritual wisdom of the east with contemporary success principles of the West, this inspiring tale provides a step-by-step approach to living with greater courage, balance, abundance and joy.
Customer Reviews

Best timeless self book ever5
If you ever need to read a self-help book, you only need to read this one.

Confirms God's word4
Its amazing that all of these books say the same thing the Bible says but people would rather trust a human for advice than their maker. I give this book 4 stars because it does follow the Bible. It may sound off the wall to some but that would depend on their desperation.

EXCELLENT5
I Had previously read the book and I loved it so much that I bought it from Amazon.com. It is an excellent book to have on your night table and a tool to implement good things into your life. Certainly brings you enlightment and help to improve your life!

Product Description

Following the success of Drop the Pink Elephant, Bill McFarlan and leading psychiatrist Dr Alex Yellowlees from The Priory, offer explanations about what affects confidence and practical advice to build confidence to become a happy, well-rounded individual. Whether you are leading a high powered corporate lifestyle, at home raising a family, studying at university or unemployed Are You Good Enough? will help to create confidence and boost it so that you reach your goals, banish low self- esteem and eliminate self-doubt, explained in terms that all can understand.

Imagine being able to replace negatives with positives, having clarity and being able to pay and accept compliments with sincerity. Think about how good it would be to be direct with your manager about being overworked on your project and not being able to make a deadline without feeling anxiety and stress. Gain knowledge in pruning friendships from unhealthy “all take” and “no give “ to healthy balanced friendships. Learn how to boost your own confidence and pass your awareness of self-esteem onto your children, encouraging them to thrive and be confident adults. It is not possible to alter the past and your own set of circumstances that had detrimental consequences on your mindset but it is within your grasp to learn how to change your attitude and outlook to become that contented, confident person you would like to be. Let Are You Good Enough? based on real life experiences, triumphs and tragedies and solutions to deep-seated problems, show you how.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1821563 in Books
* Published on: 2006-06-12
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 200 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
"This is an excellent read with some sound advice on maintaining your self-esteem - which is a crucial skill in modern life."
—Dr Chai Patel

People now have more choices than ever before - but are they any happier?

There's evidence to suggest that many are drowning under the weight of their responsibilities and losing confidence in their ability to juggle more and more tasks.
—Steve and Lynn Clark are one such couple.

Married with a 5-year-old child, they are successful and happy. On the surface.

But their relationship is beginning to stagnate and their confidence in their life together - and each other - is starting to crumble.

Until, that is, an unsolicited text message asks a searching question.It's the first of a series of texts that cause them to question their behaviour and values - and devise a series of remedies to their growing problems.

Together, Steve and Lynn create and explore 15 ways to build confidence. Simple principles that anyone can apply to their own lives with similar results.

Through this modern parable, Bill McFarlan (author of the bestselling Drop the Pink Elephant) and psychiatrist Dr Alex Yellowlees (one of Britain's foremost experts in self-esteem) get to the root of issues that affect us all. Are you good enough? will help you walk tall, reach your goals, eliminate self-doubt and banish low self-esteem for good.

About the Author
Bill McFarlan is Managing Director if The Broadcasting Business, one of Britain’s leading media consultancies and communications training companies. He works with leading companies across Europe, building the confidence of senior execu

Product Description

From remembering their own life experience or to watching their own children grow, most people recognize that the preteen years, ages nine to thirteen, can be one of the most awkward times in life-a period of tremendous physical and emotional change. At this age, youngsters are eager to leave the "kid" stage, yet are uncertain about what adolescence will bring; they'd rather listen to peers over parents, and hear all too often to "wait until you're older." Chicken Soup for the Preteen Soul will guide kids through this transition.

Written by and for preteens, this uplifting collection of stories touches on the emotions and situations they experience every day: making and losing friends, fitting in while keeping their personal identity, discovering the opposite sex, dealing with pressures at school including violence, and coping with family issues such as divorce.

Chapters include: On Love, On Family, On Friendship, On Choices, On Changes, On Overcoming Obstacles, Eclectic Wisdom, Tough Stuff, Attitude and Perspective and Achieving Dreams. Contributors indclude: *NSYNC, Mia Hamm, Beverley Mitchell and Karl Malone.

Whether first-time Chicken Soup readers or "graduates" of the bestselling Kid's Soul book, preteens are sure to include this in their backpacks and book bags.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #9564 in Books
* Published on: 2000-10-12
* Released on: 2000-10-12
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 380 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Inspired by the many readers of Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul (one of many in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series), the authors decided to reach out to young people at that incredibly confusing, exciting chapter of life, the preteen years. Readers between the ages of 9 and 12 (give or take a year) sometimes felt that the book for kids was too young, while the edition for teens (Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul) was too old. In this warm, supportive anthology of true stories by and about preteens, the very issues that seem so complicated and insurmountable are addressed with intelligence and openness. Divorce, violence, death, friendships, school, family, attitudes, changes, dreams... preteens have a lot to offer and a lot to learn on these subjects. Many of the brief essays, cartoons, quotations, and introductions are witty as well as wise and touching; readers might devour the book from start to finish, drop in for a story here and there, or focus on a concern that is most important at the moment. The preteen years seem to be the perfect time to reach kids, before they are lost in teen angst and coolness. And who better to learn from than their own peers? For some added incentive to read, celebrities such as Mia Hamm, Karl Malone, and 'N Sync have contributed essays as well. (Ages 9 to 13) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-7-Like other titles in the "Chicken Soup" series, this volume contains numerous short pieces of verse and prose, interspersed with comic strips of "Calvin & Hobbes," "Family Circus," and "Dennis the Menace," as well as pithy quotations selected as lead-ins to some of the pieces. The writings are grouped under headings such as "Achieving Dreams," "Overcoming Obstacles," "On Choices," and "Eclectic Wisdom" (for the bits that didn't fit elsewhere?). They are intended to encourage, inspire, and comfort. Each of the stories carries an author's name, and those written by young people give an age as well. Snail mail and e-mail addresses are included for those who want to respond to the book or submit stories and poems of their own. Children who loved Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul (Health Communications, 1998) will no doubt welcome another serving.-Elaine Fort Weischedel, Franklin Public Library, MA

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
JACK CANFIELD and MARK VICTOR HANSEN, # 1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling coauthors of thirty-one books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, have dedicated their lives to the personal and professional development of others. They are based out of Santa Barbara, California, and Newport Beach, California respectively.

JACK CANFIELD and MARK VICTOR HANSEN, # 1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling coauthors of thirty-one books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, have dedicated their lives to the personal and professional development of others. They are based out of Santa Barbara, California, and Newport Beach, California respectively.

PATTY HANSEN is coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul, which has sold over two million copies since its release in 1998. She is also the coauthor of Condensed Chicken Soup for the Soul (Health Communications, Inc.) and Out of the Blue: Delight Comes Into Our Lives (HarperCollins). In 1998, Mom's House, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides free childcare for school-age mothers, nominated Patty as Celebrity Mother of the Year. In the spring of 2000, the first annual "Patty Hansen Scholarship" was awarded by Mom's House, funded by a $10,000.00 grant.

IRENE DUNLAP is coauthor of Chicken Soup for the Kid's Soul. She's also a writer, and a mother of two, who is involved in enhancing the quality of education in her community. She lives in Newport Beach, California.
Customer Reviews

Good stories to read with your preteen.5
It is sometimes hard to find things to do with your preteen. They are at an age when they want more independence from mom and dad. This book is a great connection - you can cozy up and read a few selections at a time - it's a great way to have fun, and spend time bonding with your preteen. You can then use the stories, or lessons learned for great conversation pieces for discussion.

really helpful!5
My parents are divorced and reading about how other kids dealt with it really helped me get back on my feet even though they've been divorced for like four years. Reading about how other kids got out of bad situations made me feel lucky because now I know how much worse they have it opposed to me. I know it's hard to deal with these things at first but too many kids dwell on how it stinks to have divorced parents and they don't use this time to try to do something to help yourself or something. If you want to make a difference get off your butt and try to make that difference.

Great book for young people and their parents.4
We just got this book and have been reading one story per day, right after dinner while we're still sitting at the table. The children love it and so do we. The real life stories are very inspiring and help the children focus the positive. Helps give them "can do" attitudes. Highly recommended for pre-teens.

Product Description

In his #1 bestseller The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell redefined how we understand the world around us. In BLINK, he revolutionizes the way we understand the world within. How do we make decisions--good and bad--and why are some people so much better at it than others? That's the question Malcolm Gladwell asks and answers in BLINK. Drawing on cutting-edge neuroscience and psychology, examining case studies as diverse as speed dating, pop music, and the New Coke, Gladwell shows how the difference between good decision making and bad has nothing to do with how much information we can process quickly, but rather with the few particular details on which we focus. BLINK displays all of the brilliance that has made Malcolm Gladwell's journalism so popular and his books such perennial bestsellers as it reveals how all of us can become better decision makers--in our homes, our offices, and in everyday life.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1348 in Books
* Published on: 2007-04-03
* Released on: 2007-04-03
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 320 pages

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Blink is about the first two seconds of looking--the decisive glance that knows in an instant. Gladwell, the best-selling author of The Tipping Point, campaigns for snap judgments and mind reading with a gift for translating research into splendid storytelling. Building his case with scenes from a marriage, heart attack triage, speed dating, choking on the golf course, selling cars, and military maneuvers, he persuades readers to think small and focus on the meaning of "thin slices" of behavior. The key is to rely on our "adaptive unconscious"--a 24/7 mental valet--that provides us with instant and sophisticated information to warn of danger, read a stranger, or react to a new idea.

Gladwell includes caveats about leaping to conclusions: marketers can manipulate our first impressions, high arousal moments make us "mind blind," focusing on the wrong cue leaves us vulnerable to "the Warren Harding Effect" (i.e., voting for a handsome but hapless president). In a provocative chapter that exposes the "dark side of blink," he illuminates the failure of rapid cognition in the tragic stakeout and murder of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx. He underlines studies about autism, facial reading and cardio uptick to urge training that enhances high-stakes decision-making. In this brilliant, cage-rattling book, one can only wish for a thicker slice of Gladwell's ideas about what Blink Camp might look like. --Barbara Mackoff

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Best-selling author Gladwell (The Tipping Point) has a dazzling ability to find commonality in disparate fields of study. As he displays again in this entertaining and illuminating look at how we make snap judgments—about people's intentions, the authenticity of a work of art, even military strategy—he can parse for general readers the intricacies of fascinating but little-known fields like professional food tasting (why does Coke taste different from Pepsi?). Gladwell's conclusion, after studying how people make instant decisions in a wide range of fields from psychology to police work, is that we can make better instant judgments by training our mind and senses to focus on the most relevant facts—and that less input (as long as it's the right input) is better than more. Perhaps the most stunning example he gives of this counterintuitive truth is the most expensive war game ever conducted by the Pentagon, in which a wily marine officer, playing "a rogue military commander" in the Persian Gulf and unencumbered by hierarchy, bureaucracy and too much technology, humiliated American forces whose chiefs were bogged down in matrixes, systems for decision making and information overload. But if one sets aside Gladwell's dazzle, some questions and apparent inconsistencies emerge. If doctors are given an algorithm, or formula, in which only four facts are needed to determine if a patient is having a heart attack, is that really educating the doctor's decision-making ability—or is it taking the decision out of the doctor's hands altogether and handing it over to the algorithm? Still, each case study is satisfying, and Gladwell imparts his own evident pleasure in delving into a wide range of fields and seeking an underlying truth.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine
Gladwell, the author of 2000’s The Tipping Point, reaches to create another popular intellectual phenomenon by overturning received wisdom about how we make decisions. As in his articles for The New Yorker, where he works as a staff writer, the anecdotes throughout Blink are lively and entertaining. But the sheer quantity of stories about everything from sip tasters for Coca-Cola and the Pepsi challenge to gut reactions to "fake" art overwhelms the main theme of the book; many critics feel Gladwell isn’t entirely sure what his theme is. David Brooks of The New York Times Book Review sums up the critical consensus nicely: "If you want to trust my snap judgment, buy this book: you’ll be delighted. If you want to trust my more reflective second judgment, buy it: you’ll be delighted but frustrated, troubled and left wanting more."

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.
Customer Reviews

The art of split-second thinking5
There are almost one thousand reviews for this book, most are positive, do I need to submit one? Yes.

The author discusses split-second thinking, or "in the blink of an eye" speed of thought. He postulates that those rapid decisions are usually better. He backs it up with many examples of decisions made with more time, more information, and more discussion that turned out wrong, when the initial decision was actually the correct one. How does this happen?

The subconscious mind processes many inputs and helps to steer our decisions. It is usually right and we need to trust it more often. I trade financial products and I have found that too much information does not give me a clearer picture of what is going to happen, especially in the short to very short term future. I don't know how many times each week while looking at the market, I get this flash of go long, or go short. I have started tracking these thoughts and they are correct almost 90% of the time. How is that possible? I don't know, but I assume my subconscious mind picks up small clues that my conscious mind misses, or needs more information to form an opinion.

The whole process is very exciting and while I can't explain the details, I can verify the results. Another book that delves deeper into the thought process and the subconscious decision-making process is Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind: How Intelligence Increases When You Think Less an excellent book, which I read a couple of years ago and I think I am ready to pull it off the shelf and give it a second read.

Great book even if I don't agree with it...4
The book is based on an interesting premise and the writing style is very easy to read, it really sucks you in. I personally REALLY like Malcolm Gladwell's books/lectures/ideas -- he's defeinitely one of my favorites.

Note that after reading this book I'm not convinced that I completely agree with the fundamental arguement it's trying to make. I also didn't like it as much as Gladwell's previous book, Tipping Point. But, I don't want to sound overly critical. What I consider high quality writing isn't based upon whether or not I agree with the arguement the author is trying to make. The ideas are unique and creative and that alone is basis enough for me to give this book four stars. One last note is that you might want to look at the rebuttal to this book titled Think! (I have not read it but if you find Blink interesting you would probably also like Think!).

Intuition is No Simple Subject Matter to "Thin-Slice" - Gladwell does it Well!5
Gladwell (intuition/"thin-slicing"), Coleman (emotional intelligence/"limbic high-jacking"), De Bono (lateral thinking/"water logic")... Brains within brains... Thinking without thinking... Thinking about thinking... The states of non-duality and no-mind of not thinking at all and just being...

The lotus of consciousness is still flowering, it seems... The pollen of popularization is still spreading across the printing presses... And we, the readers, violently sneeze out the allergies of oblivion as we thumb through the pages of these operating manuals for our consciousness...

Excuse the late-night reviewing poetics. Seriously: be glad Gladwell writes so well - intuiton is no simple subject matter to "thin-slice."


Pavel Somov, Ph.D., Author of "Eating the Moment: 141 Mindful Practices to Overcome Overeating One Meal at a Time" (New Harbinger, Nov. 2008)

Product Description

This fully expanded and updated edition now reflects the additional 12 countries likely to be admitted to the European Union--from Turkey to Estonia--previewing what then will become the largest Trading Bloc in the world.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #297685 in Books
* Published on: 2003-04-25
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 286 pages

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A very clever management book." -- John Cleese

"A wonderfully entertaining view of others as well as ourselves...invaluable." -- Business Week

"One of the best business books of the year!" -- Financial Times

"We need to increase our understanding of each other's cultures--fast. So buy this book and keep it in your briefcase." -- Gay Haskins, Director General, European Forum for Management Development

From the Publisher
Praised by Business Week as "one of the best business books of the year" and named a Financial Times Business Book of the Year as well, Mind Your Manners has become a 50,000-copy best-selling classic for managers who must succeed working across cultures in Europe. This fully expanded and updated edition now reflects the additional 12 countries likely to be admitted to the European Union—from Turkey to Estonia— previewing what then will become the largest Trading Bloc in the world. With business practice profiles of all 30 countries of Europe, Mind Your Manners examines the fundamental differences between organizational cultures and through interviews with working managers offers an insider’s view of the behaviors, values, and beliefs that affect working relationships between peers, bosses, direct reports, and business colleagues.

From the Inside Flap
Praised by Business Week as "invaluable political and psychological profiles of each nationality...a wonderfully entertaining view of others as well as ourselves" and named a Financial Times Business Book of the Year, Mind Your Manners has become a 50,000-copy bestseller and the standard guide to European business cultures for over a decade.

Now in a fully expanded and updated Third edition, this practical guide contains a further fifteen country chapters to include all the additional countries - from the Baltics to the Balkans - applying for membership to the European Union, the world's biggest global market. This major new edition comprehensively covers no less than thirty-three different business cultures from Russia to America, Norway to Switzerland, Finland to Turkey.

Much more than a simple catalogue of countries, Mind Your Manners explores Europe's extraordinary political, economic and social changes and the effect these have on the way we work together. New chapters on diversity and change identify the key elements that shape the business environment of the continent. Body language and negotiation are among the key topics that have been added to the chapters on cultural awareness with their practical models and toolkits such as The Mole Map.

Understanding the nature of cultural diversity is one thing is one thing. Managing it day-to-day is another. Based on interviews, surveys and workshops with over a thousand managers of fifty nationalities who were willing to share their experiences of working with cultural diversity, this practical guide is for all those of any nationality intending to do successful business in the world's biggest global market.
Customer Reviews

Full of stereotypes1
I bought this book hoping to gain insight into the minds and customs of my foreign business associates. I was sadly disappointed. As a European who has lived in Italy my entire life, I can say with 100% certainty that all of the information and advice in this book draws on age old stereotypes. For example, the lazy Southern Europeans, the cold Scandinavians, the pub hopping British and the industrial Germans.

This book will not help anyone improve relations with Europeans. It will only enforce false stereotypes and foster misunderstandings of other cultures.

Fantastic insight into European cultures...5
John Mole isn't one of those authors who pretend to have lived what he writes about. He truly has the insight and has understood the way each culture works in Europe. If you have a hard time understanding why an Italian will act the way he does in business, or wondering why being late 5 minutes at what you thought wasn't such an important meeting was so shocking to a German, this is the book to read. Even though Mole goes into depth about the reasons behind the way the different cultures think, the details aren't gruesome and keeps the reader entertained. It seriously made me understand in some cases why my fellow international colleagues react the way they do. And I've corrected my manners to flow on a more 'neutral' basis to accomodate them in business as well....and it works!

Brilliant review of cultural management5
A 1993 London FINANCIAL TIMES "Book of the Year", this book continues to be useful. John Mole's management seminars are familiar to us and his book sparks with his seminar wit. It is hard to fault his insightful analysis of cultural behaviour. As well, it is a valuable analysis of how to do business outside of one's culture. One need only to look at Mole's analysis of Germany and Russia to know that this fellow is on the ball, accurate and wonderfully precise with his words. I fully endorse this as a best buy book.

Product Description

In the follow-up to her bestselling How to Think Like a CEO, #1 executive coach Debra Benton's work with top-level executives from AT&T, Colgate, Pepsi, Mobil Oil, N abisco, and American Express, and her interviews with 100 CEOs worldwide reveal:

* 10 "rules of the game" for managers
* Rules CEOs apply for everyday success
* Managerial pointers for readers on how to apply each rule in their professional lives

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #511099 in Books
* Published on: 2003-01-28
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 204 pages

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Praise for How to Act Like a CEO

"A wonderful blend of Dale Carnegie and the 10 Commandments."--Reuben Mark, Chairman, CEO and President, The Colgate Palmolive Company

"With this book, Debra Benton has uniquely leveraged her lifetime study of CEOs into an insightful, clear and compelling primer for aspiring executives."--Doug Conant, President, Nabisco Food Company

"An insightful tour d'horizon of how CEOs approach decision-making and leadership...this book demonstrates that although no two CEOs think alike, there are certain habits of mind and a disposition to decide and to act that most leaders have in common."--William Stavropoulos, CEO, The Dow Chemical Company

"A most insightful guide for those who yearn to run a major enterprise in this era of hypercompetition. Highly recommended for anyone with an eye towards great career success--especially the young and hungry go-getters who need Benton's advice more than they'll ever know."--Jeff Cunningham, Chairman of the Board, iLIFE.com

"Benton has managed to get some of the top people to share their insight and advice, and the result is a highly readable book that would benefit anyone trying to succeed in an organization today."--Solomon D. Trujillo, President, Chairman and CEO, US West, Inc.

About the Author

D.A. Benton founded Benton Management Resources in 1976 to provide executive development and career counseling. She has worked in seventeen countries and her numerous media appearances around the world have brought her wide acclaim. Her clients include AT&T, American Express, Pepsi, United Airlines, Nabisco, Mobil Oil, PricewaterhouseCoopers & Lybrand, and NASA. Benton is also the bestselling author of How to Think Like a CEO and Secrets of a CEO Coach.

Customer Reviews

Where is the beef?2
I did get one soundbite that I hope I can use in my life from this book, "Be yourself, unless you're a jerk". However, I got so tired of: be nice, have integrity, be an example, on page after page I was only able to make it through half of the book. All of that is important, but they covered that quite well in kindergarten. If you pick it up to read on the plane bring a backup book; you will need it.

No startling revelations1
This book is dull and does not unravel anything that the average person who can rise to the top cannot derive on its own - if you are just graduating from college, this may seem appropriate, if you've been around in the business world - seek other material. One reading suggestion, which is light and very simple, but a good reminder of what's required is the book by Lencioni: " The 5 temptations of a CEO" - worth an hour while waiting at the airport between flights.

Management Theory Lite3
The book presents itself as a semi-scholarly work, synthesizing interviews with 100 CEOs into a meaninful set of commandats for those that want to act like the big boss. On an academic level, this is fraught with peril - How do we know these are the right CEOs, and do they really articulate what makes them succeed?

Business books have a history of weak scholarship (think In Search of Excellence) but still can contain great ideas.

The 10 less than profound results:
1 - Be Yourself, Unless You're a Jerk
2 - See Around Corners
3 - Make Dust or Eat Dust
4 - Make the Big Play
5 - Keep Good Company
6 - Be the Number One Fund Raiser and Protecter
7 - Act Like a CEO When You Don't Feel Like It
8 - Evangelize the World
9 - Go Big or Go Home
10 - Cut Through the Junk

All this is good advice, but did you need to ask 100 CEOs to come up with it?

Ultimately, the book resides in my restroom. It's good for a couple minutes a day of reminding me what I should be doing, but nothing that requires hours of in depth study. It's a light read, but not really the blueprint to the executive suite.

Product Description

Learn how verbs work in American English

Here are more than 2,500 definitions of two-word verbs, prepositional verbs, and verbal collocations.

Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1548530 in Books
* Published on: 2007-07-22
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 288 pages


Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Richard Spears is a former reference editor and linguistics professor at Northwestern University, who has written more than 150 dictionaries. He has a particular expertise in phrasal dictionaries.

the product detailProduct Details

* Published on: 2004-04-01
* Binding: Hardcover

Product Description

Praise for Battling for Competitive Advantage

"[Battling for Competitive Advantage] systematically unravels and explains the complexities of modern business and warfare. This excellent book will prove helpful to business leaders as well as the academic community charged with explaining successful leadership of large organizations."
-General Barry R. McCaffrey, U.S.A. (Ret.), Professor of International Security Studies at West Point and NBC News Commentator

"Colonel Ken Allard doesn't just have supreme military intelligence, his operational brilliance extends to the business world as well. Battling for Competitive Advantage teaches you that business is war and that Ken is the perfect commander-in-chief to follow into your business battles."
-Ron Insana, Coanchor, CNBC's Business Center

"In war, they don't give out medals for second place. In business, as in war, you can't win without first surviving. [This book] offers the hard-won wisdom from one warrior's world to another. Read, laugh, squirm, survive, and win!"
-Scott A. Snook, Associate Professor, Organizational Behavior Harvard Business School

"In the post-9/11, post-Enron environment, Ken Allard's Ten Commandments of Military Leadership are directly applicable to today's business CEOs."
-Tom Petrie, Chairman and CEO, Petrie Parkman & Co.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #776236 in Books
* Published on: 2003-12-26
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Hardcover
* 240 pages

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The author, a former army colonel currently featured as a military analyst on MSNBC and NBC News, is convinced that corporate America can learn vital lessons from the U.S. military. Business executives, according to Allard (Command, Control and the Common Defense), today function in a chaotic atmosphere dominated by globalization and rapidly changing information technology. He argues that recent corporate scandals such as the collapse of Enron as well as the high salaries of CEOs are symptomatic of the lack of leadership in industry, a loss that seriously impedes business success. Drawing on myriad examples from the military, Allard provides a series of war plans that he believes can change the corporate environment. Included is a recommendation to emulate the training followed at West Point to build idealistic managers, to devise overall military-like strategies rather than marketing plans and to be aware of and responsible for security programs to combat electronic terrorism. While Allard's proposals to improve business leadership have merit, many of the military analogies are repetitive and forced. Much of his advice is delivered in an off-putting, hectoring tone that sometimes borders on bragging, and his potshots at former president Clinton feel inappropriate for a business manual.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review
The author, a former army colonel currently featured as a military analyst on MSNBC and NBC News, is convinced that corporate America can learn vital lessons from the U.S. military. Business executives, according to Allard (Command, Control and the Common Defense), today function in a chaotic atmosphere dominated by globalization and rapidly changing information technology. He argues that recent corporate scandals such as the collapse of Enron as well as the high salaries of CEOs are symptomatic of the lack of leadership in industry, a loss that seriously impedes business success. Drawing on myriad examples from the military, Allard provides a series of war plans that he believes can change the corporate environment. Included is a recommendation to emulate the training followed at West Point to build idealistic managers, to devise overall military-like strategies rather than marketing plans and to be aware of and responsible for security programs to combat electronic terrorism. While Allard’s proposals to improve business leadership have merit, many of the military analogies are repetitive and forced. Much of his advice is delivered in an off-putting, hectoring tone that sometimes borders on bragging, and his potshots at former president Clinton feel inappropriate for a business manual. (Jan.) (Publishers Weekly, January 12, 2004)

From the Inside Flap
Today’s competitive business environment is so hazardous–from the threat of terrorism to black outs, from global competition to information overload–that it seems more like battle and waging war than commerce. Trying to implement even the most brilliant of business strategies is frequently impossible in the face of a shifting landscape that feels like it requires night vision goggles and precision guided weapons over marketing plans and metrics.

To help you survive (and maybe even thrive!) you need to understand the way of the warrior, and who better to train you than former National War College dean and MSNBC military commentator, Ken Allard? Whether you recognize it yet or not, the military is just a violent form of economics, and military training holds more lessons for the businessperson than not.

To succeed in today’s turbulent business environment, standard business operating procedure no longer works. For companies and management intent on thriving in a landscape of global conflict and competition, new skills must be learned and old habits abandoned. Business as War: Battling for Competitive Advantage draws sometimes startling yet keenly insightful parallels between the strategies and tactics of the United States military and the challenges that companies face in the no-holds-barred world of business. Through firsthand accounts from his military and business career as well as real-world examples that apply cutting-edge military perspectives to the everyday world of business, Allard clearly illustrates how military lessons–when implemented correctly–can lead a business down the road to success.

First, you’ll be introduced to the traditional military arts of leadership and strategy. You’ll discover how true leadership–an essential key to both business survival and prosperity–can unite an organization at every level. You’ll also learn how forming a coherent strategy can make supporting courses of action much easier to determine. Building on these critical elements, Business as War moves on to discuss the personification of the art of command, better known as "generalship," as well as how to develop the leaders needed to run a successful business operation.

After examining how people fit into the business equation, Business as War explores the proven techniques that form the basis of solid business practice. You’ll receive an executive education on a variety of important issues, including:

* How to transform information into business intelligence
* Developing modern enterprise security measures that encompass physical, computer, and information assets
* Streamlining the information-sharing process
* Changing business hierarchies to fight networks
* How to be globally effective and operate in a world where the unknown will always be a threat
* Getting corporate boards to do their job

Many of the principles that apply to war also apply to business, and in tough economic times, survival is a matter of waging war. Business as War adapts the effective tools of war to a business environment where new competitors and difficult challenges are constant threats to you and your company.
Customer Reviews

This should be required reading for all business executives!5
This book should be required reading for all executives! If you are a business executive who is tired of being surprised by your competition, or you want to maximize your competitive advantage, read this book!!! Also, if you want some customized help from experts in the field, consider hiring Ken's new firm, Business BattleLab, LLC. You can contact them through auditexec@gmail.com. You really can improve your competitive advantage and keep from being surprised!

Misleading book - No business as war1
I ordered this book to read about business war games.
There is nothing about business. Only comments about his military life. I learned nothing. A wast of time and money.

If you want prosperity, prepare for paucity...5
I was a student of Col. Allard at Gerogetown University. In his class, Technology and National Security, one of his most important lessons was the continuing way in which the offense is guaranteed to adapt to whatever defense you can mount. And vice versa... In his new book, Col. Allard takes such lessons, accumulated by milennia of warfare, and applies them to the modern business world. I recommend this book for anyone truly interested in implementing effective leadership and strategy in their organization.

Product Description

This book traces the development of project leadership as fundamental to completing projects effectively, delineates the leadership tasks that must be accomplished at each step of a project’s life, and helps the reader develop wisdom in making decisions both by learning the ramifications of certain decisions and by seeing how those decisions are made in an example project.
Product Details

* Amazon Sales Rank: #1607499 in Books
* Published on: 2003-02-07
* Original language: English
* Number of items: 1
* Binding: Paperback
* 144 pages

Editorial Reviews

About the Author
Timothy J. Kloppenborg, Ph.D., PMP is an associate professor of Management at Williams College of Business, Xavier University, and President of Kloppenborg and Associates, a consulting and training company that specializes in project management. He holds an MBA from Western Illinois University and a Ph.D. in Operations Management from the University of Cincinnati.

Arthur Shriberg, EdD, is a professor of Leadership at Xavier University. Dr. Shriberg has been vice president or dean at four universities and is currently the chair of the Board of Commissioners for the Cincinnati Human Relations Commission and a senior consultant at Pope & Associates, a n international diversity and management consulting firm. He holds degrees from the Wharton School of Business (BS), Xavier University (Executive Business), Boston University (Med), and Teachers College, Columbia University (EdD).

Jayashree Venkatraman, MS, MBA, is an independent consultant providing business-to-business solutions and other solutions to companies. She holds a BS in physics and an MS in computer applications from the University of Madras, India, an MBA from Xavier University, and a certificate in Project Management from the University of Cincinnati.