This article was originally published on April 10th 2009. If you haven't read Malcolm's stuff yet - go read it! You won't be disappointed. The 10,000 hour idea that he popularized only holds up for mastering in highly-competitive fields and doesn't translate to most activities (watch this TED talk on how long it really takes to learn a skill). Still, it's great food for thought. Malcolm Gladwell has an uncanny ability to pick a small, below-the-radar aspect of human experience and use it as a jumping off point for an exploration of how our brains work. In doing so, he usually goes well beyond the initial topic and invariably ends up … [Read more...]
Influencer – Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, David Maxfield, Ron McMillan, Al Switzler
This article was originally published a few years ago at the RockStar Success Library. One thing that I've realized in the interim is that we are all influencers - and it's a skill worth working to improve! I started reading Influencer for two reasons. One, it had a really cool big, green font on the front cover (really). Two, it was written by the same team that had written Crucial Conversations, a book highly recommended by a friend. Apparently, there was a third reason I didn’t even know about- it is really relevant to what I do for a living. The main focus of Influencer is that “People will attempt to change their behavior if … [Read more...]
Relationship Selling – Jim Cathcart
This article was originally published on April 23rd 2008. Sales skills are still a critical component of career success, no matter your title, position, or role! It’s pretty obvious that there are a lot of sales books on the market. If there is any doubt in your mind, just look at the bookshelf full of them at your local Barnes and Noble. I tend to read less and less of them, because once you’ve read twenty, you realize they all say the same thing. I picked up Jim’s book because I was recommended to it by a client. Most of my work is focused on improving the person beyond the sales process, but it’s still important to look at the … [Read more...]
Never Eat Alone – Keith Ferrazzi
This article was originally published on January 24th, 2011. This was one of the first books on networking that I ever read and it still holds a special place for me. It was the first book that I read that married the strategies with the tactics of professional relationship building. I still highly recommend it. It was good to reread Keith Ferrazzi's Never Eat Alone 5 years after I first came across it. As I dove into it again, I realized how much of Keith's philosophy and tools I have incorporated into my own networking over the past few years. In some ways, it felt like I was going back to the source material, the original ideas, that … [Read more...]
Highly Effective Networking – Orville Pierson
This article was originally published on January 8th, 2010. Even though it's from a few years back, it's right on point. After writing Step by Step Networking I’m always on the lookout for other books on networking. I love finding different tools and philosophies on networking to help refine my approach. Although focused more on job seekers, Orville Pierson’s Highly Effective Networking is a great primer for how to incorporate networking into your professional career. The ideas and approaches that he covers are incredibly useful if you are currently networking to find a job, but they also apply to any networking situation. Orville … [Read more...]
The Fine Art of Small Talk – Debra Fine
This article was originally published on December 26th, 2008. After writing Networking in the 21st Century, I find it even more relevant! In working with clients on developing their communication skills, I’ve found that there are a lot of people who are nervous about their ability to hold a good conversation. Many are scared enough to actually avoid talking to others in social situations. They may feel comfortable talking with good friends, but chatting with new acquaintances or starting new conversations is way out of their league. Debra Fine’s The Fine Art of Small Talk is a fantastic guide through the process of engaging others in … [Read more...]
Innovate Like Edison – Michael Gelb and Sarah Miller Caldicott
This article was originally published a few years ago at the RockStar Success Library. I read my first book about Thomas Alva Edison when I was in the third grade. I remember being just as fascinated by his middle name as by the long list of his discoveries. Even though I still think he has a very cool middle name, I’ve moved past that to appreciate the unique impact he still has on our daily lives almost a century after his inventive peak. Innovate like Edison takes a unique approach to looking at the inventor’s life. It’s not so much concerned with the list of inventions that he was responsible for, or even his individual genius, … [Read more...]
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