Networking Insight

Book Review: Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks by August Turak

Business Secrets of the Trappist Monks was written by August Turak who founded two highly successful software businesses after a corporate career with firms such as MTV. His essay "Brother John" won the grand prize in the John Templeton Foundation's Power of Purpose essay contest. In addition, he has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Selling Magazine, the New York Times, and Business Week.

The book is comprised of the following chapters:

• The Economic Miracle of Mepkin Abbey
• What We All Really Want
• The End of Selfishness
• Goat Rodeos and the Transformational Organization
• Mission
• Selflessness and Community
• Excellence for the Sake of Excellence
• Ethical Standards, or, Why Good Things Happen for Good People
• Faith
• The Power of Trust
• Self-knowledge and Authenticiy
• Living the Life

The author shares his experience living and working alongside the Trappist Monks of Mepkin Abbey for 17 years. He learned first hand as the monks grew a successful portfolio of businesses.

As a result, he learned valuable business lessons that he could apply to his own ventures. Throughtout the book, the author shares case studies of his own businesses as well as the monks at work.

His time spent with the monks was so profound that it was a life changing experience. In the book, he shows how the Trappist principles can be suucessfully applied to business and our personal lives.

Service and selflessness are the cornerstone of the monastic tradition's business success. This model preserves what is positive and productive about capitalism while transcending its ethical limitations and internal contradictions.

As a result, businesses can achieve greater success by learning and understsanding these principles. The author demonstrates his success and the success of other organizations who share the same business strategies.

The book is an interesting read that shares some great business and life principles that can enhance and advance one's situation. The author's style is inviting and easy to read.

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Book Review: Guerilla Marketing to Baby Boomers by Kristi Carter

Guerilla Marketing to Baby Boomers was written by Kristi Carter who is an entrepreneur with multiple businesses. More recently, she has dedicated her career to online marketing. She promotes various products online from travel to educational courses. Her firm, Taz Solution is a nationally recognized marketing firm.

The book has over 20 chapters, which include:

• Why Market to Boomers?
• The 10 Most Important Marekting Secrets
• Secrets Boomers Don't Want You to Know
• Newsletter Advertising
• Billboard Advertising
• Executing Your Marketing Plan
• How to Separate Your Company From the Crowd

The author shares her expertise about marketing to a specific demographic, baby boomers.  She has found that this market is one of the best and biggest markets since they buy just about everything because they have disposable income and are buying to cover the needs of three generations.

The book is geared to helping firms who have products or services that they think would be of interest to baby boomers. Throughout the book, the author shares a lot of marketing techniques to reach this audience both offline and online. Techniques include: personal letters, video marketing, Skype, TV, radio, billboard advertising, cinema advertising, trade shows, and telephone.

What is interesting about this book is that the author explores common and unique marketing methods to make your company and its product or service stand out. Even though she fouces on baby boomers, the technqiues shared could really be for any audience. You just need to tweek your message for the approrpiate demographic.

After reading this book, you will learn:

• Basic principles of marketing online
• How to get an audience of people begging to buy your product
• Why do Baby Boomers buy?
• What Baby Boomers are buying now
• How to automate your business so you can do other things besides 'work'
• The importance and influence of Social Media
• Secrets that Baby Boomers don't want to know
• Developing your plan of attack
• Media vs. non-media

The book is worth a read if you want to learn various marketing techniques that can be benefical for your company's product or service. The author's writing style makes it an enjoyable and easy read.

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Book Review: Three Simple Steps by Trevor Blake

Three Simple Steps was written by Trevor Blake who is a serial entrepreneur. He is the founder and former CEO of QOL Medical, which provided solutions for rare diseases. He sold that business for more than $100 million. Also, he is the founder of ANU, which is a non-for-profit that develops low-side effect cancer drugs, and the founder and current CEO of Kalvi Medical.

The book is comprised of the following sections:

• Escaping the Quicksand
• Staying Out of the Quickstand
• Beyond the Quickstand

The author shares his entrepreneurial journey and his lessons learned while providing guidance on how to change your life. He is living proof that change can happen no matter your background. He studied the attributes, talents, and insights of self-made men and women and formed the following three rules.

1. Reclaiming Your Mentality
2. Creating Winning Ideas
3. Transforming Ideas Into Achievement

The entire book is framed around these rules and how the author applied them to achieve professional, financial, and personal goals. With rule one, he discusses how you need to master your mental state. With rule two, he explains how you need to have moments of insight. With rule three, he acknowledges that you need to be in a state of knowing.

What is great about the book is that the reader learns first-hand from an ordinary person who was able to transform his life into something extraordinary. If you want to be inspired, then Three Simple Steps may be the book tor read.

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Book Review: The E-Factor by Adrie Reinders & Marion Freijsen

The E-Factor was written by Adrie Reinders and Marion Freijsen who are creators of EFactor.com, the world's largest entrepreneuial community, and authors of The N Factor. Adrie began his entrepreneurial journey in information technology in 1975 and has served as an advisor and board member for numerous successful private and public companies. Marion has about 30 years of global entrepreneurial and leadership experience in developing and overseeing sales teams and launching finance and technology-driven companies.

The book is comprised of the following chapters:

• The E Factor Story
• A New Game: Obstacles to Overcome
• New Rules: Funding Startups
• New Tools of Engagement: The World of Social Media
• New Connections: Virtual Networking
• New Working Environments: Collaboration on a Cloud
• New Mindset: Entrepreneurial Philosphy 2.0
• New Transitions: Failure Case Studies on What Went Wrong
• New Transitions: Success Case Studies of Companies on the Move
• A New Vision for Today's Entrepreneur

The book explores the many challenges facing entrepreneurs in today's environment. Baesd on the authors many years of entrepreneurial endeavors, they are able to share their perspective on getting started with a new business.

The authors discuss challenges such as restricted resources, skills gaps, and financial limitations. In the book, they share how to overcome these obstacles so entrepreneurs can mitigate some of their startup risks.

In addition, the book highlights the successes and failures of many businesses through a series of case studies. By structuring the book this way, the case studies further expand on the lessons learned throughout the book.

If you are interested in gaining a compettive advantage in today's business climate, then this book may be worth a read. It is a quick read because the style of the book is engaging and conversational.

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Book Review: Into the Storm by Dennis Perkins

Into the Storm was written by Dennis Perkins who is the author of Leading at the Edge and the CEO of The Syncretics Group, a consulting firm dedicated to helping leaders adn teams thrive under conditions of adversity, uncertaintly, and change.

The book is comprised of the following parts:

• The Story of the AFR Midnight Rambler and the Sydner to Hobart Race
• Critical Strategies for Teamwork at the Edge

The book shares the true story, in vivid detail, of the AFR Midnight Rambler who won the 1998 Sydney to Hobart Race, which is one the most dangerous offshore ocean sailboat races. What is interesting about this story is that this boat was the smallest to win in 10 years at the time and they sailed in a deadly storm.

The author explores the incredible teamwork that allowed the Midnight Rambler to win against all odds. He reveals the following 10 critical strategies that are applicable in the workplace:

• Make the team the rock star
• Remove all excuses for failure
• Find and focus on the winning scenario
• Build a gung-ho culture of learning and innovation
• Be willing to sail into the storm
• Cut through the noise of the wind and the waves
• Find ways to share the helm
• Step up to conflict - and deal with the the things that slow you down
• Master the art of rapid recovery
• Never give up - there's always another move

While reading about the team's journey, they had many critical decisions to make such quit or be bold and head into the storm, share the load by organizing a "wave splotter" system, and shift from survival to racing mode to quickly recover from setbacks.

The inspiring story of this team is very applicable for any team enviornment. Into the Storm is a fun read disguised as a business book.

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Book Review: The Facts of Business Life by Bill McBean

The Facts of Business Life was written by Bill McBean who has a 40 year career as a business owner in the automobile industry. During his successful career, he purchased several underperforming assets, turned them around, and sold them to the world's largest automotive retailer, AutoNation.

The book is comprised of the following chapters:

• The Facts of Business Life
• The Five Levels of Business Success
• Fact 1: If You Don't Lead, No One Will Follow
• Fact 2: If You Don't Control It, You Don't Own It
• Fact 3: Protecting Your Company's Assets Should Be Your First Priority
• Fact 4: Planning Is About Preparing for the Future, Not Predicting It
• Fact 5: If You Don't Market Your Business, You Won't Have One
• Fact 6: The Marketplace Is a War Zone
• Fact 7: You Don't Just Have to Know the Business You're In, You Have to Know Business

As a successful business man, Bill McBean has mastered many areas of business that has allowed him to achieve long-term success. His book shares the above seven facts of business life that every successful business owner should already know.

The author dedicates one chapter to each fact and explains its importance and how it can help entrepreneurs achieve success and avoid mistakes. In addition, he explains how each fact impacts a business as it passes through the below five levels of existence:

• Ownership and Opportunity
• Creating Your Company's DNA
• From Survival to Success
• Maintaining Success
• Moving On When It's Time to Go

The book will equip the business owner with the tools to better evaluate and prepare for each situation so he/she can make changes as the business evolves. Business owners need to know more than just the basics of business. 

The Facts of Business Life is a valuable resource for business owners no matter what stage a firm is in. By reading this book, you will learn how to ensure that you are able to run a sustainable business.

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Book Review: Rapid Realignment by George Labovitz & Victor Rosansky

Rapid Realignment was written by George Labovitz and Victor Rosanky who are best selling authors of The Power of Alignment. George Labovitz is the founder and CEO of ODI, an international management training and consulting firm, and professor of management and organizational behavior at the Boston University Gradate School of Management. Victor Rosansky is co-founder and President of LHR International and has more than 25 years experience working with Fortune 500 clients as a consultant.

The book in comprised of the following chapters:

• The Big Picture The Alignment Framework
• From Strategic Intent to Tactical Action: Vertical Alignment
• Energing People: Employee Engagement
• Getting to "Wow!": Horizontal Alignment
• Better and Better: Continuous Process Improvement
• Social Media as an Alignment Tool
• Culture: The Secret Sauce
• Rapid Realignment: Methods and Tools
• The Enterprise Effect: The Ultimate Expression of Alignment

The book provides the insights and tools that you need to make sure that your strategy, customers, processes, and people work seamlessly together to serve customers. It is mportant that you are able to realign when change happens. 

Rapid Realignment is a follow-up to the authors successful book, The Power of Alignment, which was written in 1997.  As required reading for the U.S. Navy in 2001, it underwent one of the greatest organizational transformations under leadership of Vern Clark.

With an evolving business world today,firms needs to adapt to the pace of technological. competitve, and social change. A firm that fails to adapt will mostly like loss in the marketplace.

The authors provide information on the following:

• Engaging employees at evey level with the "Main Thing" of  your business
• Linking strategy and organizationa processes
• Brinng the customer voice inside your comapny through scola media
• Using social media and ditgital technology to quickl indentify points of mialignment at any lvel
• Creating the "Enterprise Effect".

Throughout the book, the authors share case studies from firms such as FedEx, the U.S. Navy, and Quest Diagnostics that demonstrate the author's methods. Rapid Realignment provides a roadmap on how to reach peak organizational performance.

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Book Review: Strategic Intuition by William Duggan

Strategic Intuition was written by William Duggan who is an associate professor of management at Columbia University Business School. He teaches strategic intuition in graduate and executive courses. In addtion, he has 20 years of experience as a strategy advisor and consultant and is the author of The Art of What Works.

The book is comprised of the following chapters:

• Flash versus Blink
• Revolution on Earth
• Two Halves of a Brain
• Lieutenant M Saves Your Life
• The Corsican Conquers Europe
• Warriror Buddha
• Gates and the Google Guys Go for It
• Mouse, Minister, and Moneylender
• Picasso Dines with an African Sculpture
• Do We Do Dewey?
• Kennedy Shoots for the Moon

The book explores strategic intuition, which is when we have flashes of insight that give us an idea for action. Many of our best ideas come to us in the shower, at night, or when we least expect it.  When this happens, we are able to connect the dots.

Over the past 10 years, the author has performed research on strategic intuition. In this book, he shares with the reader how strategic intuition has been a part of great achievements throughout our history. To illustrate his research, he explores historic moments such the scientific and computer revolutions, woman's suffrage, the civil rights movement, modern art, and microfinance in poor countries.  

To put strategic intuition into perspective, brain science shows us that we have three kinds of intuition. Ordinary intuition is just a gut instict. Expert intuition is when you make quick judgments because you recognize something familiar. Strategic intuition is a flash of insight that may help you solve a probem that you have been thinking about for some time.

Flashes of insight can help you in any situation when you need to be innovative, entrepreneurial, or creative. The author helps you to better understand when flashes of insight can occur so you can make better decisions.

To become a stronger leader, it is important to harness what the author discusses in the book. At the same time, you learn about human history from a unique perspective. So, it is an interesting read.

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Book Review: The Collaboration Imperative by Ron Ricci and Carl Wiese

The Collaboration Imperative: Executive Strategies for Unlocking Your Organization's True Potential was written by Ron Ricci and Carl Wiese who are both executives at Cisco. As the Vice President of Corporate Positioning, Ron has helped Cisco develop a culture of sharing and collaborative processes. In addition, he is the co-authoer of Momenutm: How Companies Become Unstoppable Market Forces.  Carl is the Vice President of Cisco's collaboration sales and has presented the importance of collaboration to business audiences around the world. 

The book is comprised of the following chapters:

• Collaboration Matters
• A Collaborative Culture Starts at the Top
• Get Real About Communication
• Creating Commitment to Common Goals
• Build Team Trust Fast
• Stop Wasting Time
• Unlocking the Collaboration Toolbox
• Eight High-Impace Collaboration Opportunities
• What is the True Payback of Collaboration?
• The Time is Now

The authors have dedicated much of their professional careers to understanding the impact of collaboration within organizations. Collaboration is not only just about technology, but also about a company's culture and processes.

In order for businesses to suceed today, collaboration across an organization is imperative.  It should start at the top by setting the culture, sharing knowlege, being transparent, and holding everyone accountabie. Once the leader believes in collaboration, it will affect all of the employees. Technology tools can help to bridge the gap across teams so they can connect and work together.

Successful collaboration needs to embraced by every person in the organization. Putting a strategy together is critical for collaborative success. 

The book is an enjoyable read in which the authors explore the various aspects of collaboration with examples from Cisco and other organizations. Throughout the book, the authors interview executives to get their perpspective on collaboration.

The book is divided in the main sections: culture, process, and technology. It is interesting to read how these concepts fit together for the collaborative process.

Each chapter starts with a concept drawing and Executive Summary and then ends with a 60 second wrap. If you want to learn how collaboration can help excel your organization, then this book may be worth reading.

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Book Review: The Art of Being Unreasonable by Eli Broad

The Art of Being Unreasonable was written by Eli Broad who is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and the founder of two Fortune 500 companies. KB Home and SunAmerica. In addition, he is an internationally known art collector and has been profiled on 60 Minutes, in Vanity Fair, and the New York Times. 

Below are some of the chapters of the book:

• The Art of Being Unreasonable
• Forget Conventional Wisdom
• The Value of Being Second
• Risk
• How to Get Results
• Leverage
• Negoatiation
• Competition
• Giving Back

Eli has led an amazing career in accounting, real estate, financial services, and philanthrophy. He wrote this book to share with you his unconventional thinking, which has allowed him to excel in just about every endeavor.

While he has had some failures and setbacks, he has learned and moved on. Successful entrepreneurs learn from their mistakes and become stronger.  With so much success in his life, he has given back countless times with his involvement in art, education, and medicine. Truly, he has made a difference in many lives.

In his book, he shares with you his thought process and his unreasonable principles from negotiating to risk-taking to investing to hiring. By sharing his insight, you understand how his practices have taken him to the top of his industries. 

The book explains some of the following:

• How to ask unreasonable questions
• How to pursue the untried
• How to relentlessly revise expectations upward
• How to be restless
• How to seek out the best in everything

By reading this book, you will get motivated to try something new to get ahead. It is not everyday that you get to read about the extraordinary success of one individual. Learn what you can from the widson of Eli Broad.

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