This article was originally published on November 6th, 2008. But even if we aren't in the midst of an economic apocalypse, money is still on our minds. I was at the Evanston Public Library yesterday and I was blown away by how many books there on how to make, handle, invest, accumulate and basically do anything you want with money. I mean, whole shelves of them. Obviously this is something that is on people’s minds. Yet with the economic “meltdown” in the U.S. over the past few months, it’s pretty obvious that we are still relatively uneducated and foolish in the way we view and use money. Mindfulness and Money is written from a … [Read more...]
Endless Referrals – Bob Burg
Ask any salesperson or business owner what their three biggest challenges are, and one of them will be “finding new prospects.” Millions (if not billions) of dollars are spent every year in order to market, advertise, and sell products and services. Much of this is wasted, though, because it doesn’t actually lead to the relationships that create sales. Endless Referrals fills an important role by acting as a sort of almanac for salespeople on different ways to prospect and bring potential clients into their pipeline. In fact, I think the book should be called Endless Prospecting, because it covers way more than just referrals. This … [Read more...]
Drive – Daniel Pink
Quick note: Daniel wrote a blurb for Networking in the 21st Century, but I wrote this review over 4 years ago, so I'm not biased in it. Big Thought When it comes to motivation, there's a gap between what science knows and what business does. Our current business operating system – which is built around external, carrot-and-stick motivators - doesn't work and often does harm. We need an upgrade, and science shows the way. This new approach has 3 essential elements: 1)Autonomy...2)Mastery...3)Purpose. (right from Dan's recap on page 203 – thanks, Dan!) Ideas, Implications, and Questions I think that Drive has big implications for how … [Read more...]
Top Ten Book List
Updated October 2018 A few years back there was a meme that went around Facebook about the 10 books that had the greatest influence on you, and my friend Brian asked for mine. I put this together then, and have updated it with a few newer entries. But it's a simple truth that reading has been a a consistent and constant source of learning and education throughout my life and career. In the past I would tell people that I read a lot, and then dismiss it by making some comment about "being a nerd or somesuch." I've stopped apologizing for reading a lot and making constant learning a priority in my life. You'll notice that most of … [Read more...]
Being a RockStar Public Speaker
Being a public speaker is as close as you can get to being a RockStar during the daytime. And, it involves pretty much the same steps too: develop material over weeks and months, make a ton of phone calls trying to get booked, spend a solid amount of time getting to the venue hours early so you can do a 5-minute sound check, wait until it's your turn, worry about how many people are in the audience, deliver what you hope is a great presentation, try to minimize your mistakes, collect your applause and only sometimes a check, go back home and try to get another gig. Now, I love speaking just like I loved playing in a band (although it is … [Read more...]
Moonwalking with Einstein by Joshua Foer
Big Thought: The human mind is capable of astounding feats of memory when using specific memory tools. And examining memory is valuable because it leads us to questions of intelligence, identity, education, and personal development. Having a perfect memory and no memory are both pathological. If you can't forget information, it's impossible to focus because you can't determine what information is worth focusing on and which isn't relevant. If you have no memory, you can't develop a personality beyond the present moment. " Call it a soul, or a self, or an emergent byproduct of a neural network, but whatever you want it, that element of … [Read more...]
Willpower by Roy F. Baumeister & John Tierney
Big Thought Willpower has a physical component that can be managed and even enhanced. By creating awareness in your decision-making process and by learning how to effectively use your willpower, you can make better long-term decisions. Questions, Comments, Observations, and Quotes "Self-control is a vital strength and key to success in life." (13) And that's not a normative statement, it's one based on the research. We all know that some decisions have better outcomes than others - so the more we're able to choose the paths that lead to those outcomes the better off we'll be. It's fascinating that we have a sort of "self-control … [Read more...]
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