Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School by Philip Delves Broughton Narrated by Simon Vance (Read Via Audible.com)

I picked up this book purely upon Simon Vance Narrating it.

The good news is I really did like the book. It really gives a window into the experience of Harvard business school and the type of thinking the school wants students to do. Moreover he really does touch on some excellent sociology of the impacts of the HBS perspective being pushed via its graduates in high places on the world. 

This book really brought up a bigger group of thoughts for me though. Which is really the more abstract questions of work, money, what we value in society. Because I really am torn on what the value of a Business Administrator is. Yes, I am not nieve they really do have a purpose in business big and small. Especially around making sure the core operations don’t collapse due to as Merlin Mann puts it “Lizard Brain Decisions”. On the other side of that, a pure Business Administrator in some ways has the equivalent value of a lawyer in the trapped on a desert island scenario. The person does not make things in the traditional sense. Does not help people like a doctor or a mechanic. So why does this type of job have such high power.

Yes I did glen the point that the late Randy Pausch made in his book the Last Lecture on how Captain Kirk brought to the table leadership to the USS Enterprise. But on the other hand, in the grand scheme of things, he did not have the exponentially higher salary as other people on the ship, and the division beaten the crew and himself felt that it seemed less somehow (granted I take my Trek Perspective from more Captain Picard as I grew up with TNG and later Voyager).

hmm… I will have to think about this some more for a more detailed outside of a book review opinion.

Broughton really surprised me by this book by it being very good. It has a good mix of day to day life, mixed with the nature of education with the balance of his own life which makes this book a great read.

9/10

Enchantment: The Art of Changing Hearts, Minds, and Actions by Guy Kawasaki, Narrated by Guy Kawasaki and Dan John Miller (Read via Audible.com)

This book is a hard one to review. I have had this book really since it came out. I ordered it due to Guy’s great passion and Amber MaCarthur’s interview on the old Net at Night. It is not often you see such a genuinely passionate guy about the things he works on.

Guy defines Enchantment ‘As the process of delighting people with a product, service, organization, or idea. The outcome of enchantment is voluntary and long lasting support that is mutually beneficial’

The way I digested it was he really is diving deep into why people create connections to both ideas and products. For example, I personally own a Mini Cooper S (R56 hatchback), and I like community that surrounds it from the boutique mini cooper parts shop like outmotoring.com to listening to a podcast on the product called White Roof Radio with DB, Todd, Chad, Nathaniel, and Gabe. I think a big reason why these things exist was the amount of effort both the Mini Product people working on their image (I refuse to use the word Brand) and the loyal faithful customers to build a type of experience that a lot of people love. From the Style of their advertising to the way their dealer’s act (aside from some trying to contaminate the customer review process by asking customer to give all 10’s - man thats a pet peeve of mine) all bring in a unique experience that a bunch of other car makers don’t seem to have.

But this brings me back to the book. At its very basics Kawasaki is really pointing out some of the core principals of being passionate about something you believe in. More specially how you can use that core passionate feeling and craft it in a business environment to give your product/service that great touch that customers pick up on. Or as another review puts it - Influence. At Apple Retail Applecare we had something called ‘Polishing the Apple’. Meaning that when I repaired a computer, I also spent a lot of time giving a good cleaning. So when the customer go the machine back, in addition to a fixed computer, they got one back one is as mint conniption i could make it. From the screen being clean to the cleaning of the greasy keyboard keys. This personal touch to each computer really does help with customers. And I saw it. People loved getting back a clean computer.

But with that, this book did take a while for me to actually get through. I am not sure why as its a fairly short book, weighing in at just under 5 hours of tape time. I picked it up, then turned it off quite a few times. Until finally I consumed the entire thing during a walk down to NYC from Westchester.

Two things tweaked me about the book. One was Kawasaki not reading the entire thing for Audible. His passion is just unmistakeable. And as much as I like Dan John Miller as a professional reader, he did not due Guy’s passion justice.

The second thing was how at times I felt the book drifted or the better word is rambled on. Not the the point were I would have to use the cardinal sin of 2X on my iPhone but it got close.

7/10  Defiantly one to pickup

Deadly Spin: An Insurance Company Insider Speaks Out on How Corporate PR is Killing Health Care and Deceiving Americans By Wendell Potter (Read Via Audible.com)

I heard about this book on Democracy Now, when Amy Goodman interviewed the author last week. The interview was so good that I grabbed the book right away.

Don’t get me wrong, I know how much lobbying large companies do to influence government policy on their respective markets. I am sure more than most people. However I was very delighted on how candid Potter was in carefully explaining how the managed care insurance industry PR efforts worked. From funding front groups to the founding of the political parties. Just listening/reading the book is very sobering. I am finding it hard to put my thoughts into words…

This book really highlights two major issues. First how painfully downsized our news media organizations have become to the point were any PR person can feed a ‘credible new source’ biased information to push their client’s needs and view. The second is how disconnected most people about what the upper class is doing to grow their own selfish interests. I found that Potter really nailed it home when he was explaining on how the Blue Cross groups all over the states, changed from non-profit to for-profit, then selling to a larger entity only for executives of the small entities to reap large amounts of personal cash+stock compensation/bonus from the deal.

The only minus I have for the book, is at times it feels like potter is going through his grieving/separation/self-help process. He gets very reflective but is very understandable.

I believe that everyone should read this book, and I have already bought physical copies to give out.

10/10

The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn (Read Via Kindle for iPad)

This was an absolute random book purchase based on a recommendation that I saw on a manager’s congratulation letter that was framed in an auto-glass place. I am always on the pasture for a random customer service book.

Sadly I really was disappointed. The book is about the author’s perplexion on his local mailman (Fred) that delivered mail to his house. Notably how the mailman went above and beyond his basic duty of making sure that the mail ended up in the proper box everyday. He communicated with his customers, and helped out in what ever way he could in making their lives easier and better. For example holding mail, making sure everything is ok, providing support etc. Sanborn then goes on to give examples from other professions for most of the rest of the book with one notable exception. In the end he highlights some key points in becoming a passionate caring person.

Now don’t get me wrong the book does a good job in explaining the passion that most people don’t put into their jobs. However coming from years of working a service job in IT (in both Consumer and Enterprise), this books comes off as very shallow. It does not go into how as an employer, you need to monitor, track and reward employees for these types of actions. Plus on the other side of that equation, what happens if people’s expectations would be raised to the point were they start expecting handouts? How do you maintain that delicate balance? Also this book was very singularly focused. To offer that level of service as a team and keeping that team together and consistent is very hard, especially when costs are involved.

I can only give the book a 4/10 for being so shallow on the complex subject of customer service. It might be good for an end user employee, but it provides very little guidance on managing the techniques for managers/team leaders.

What Technology Wants by Kevin Kelly (Read via Physical Book)

This was one of those books I pre-ordered off Amazon months ago and was delivered on release date. I do say normally, I would consume this book within 2 days of receiving it, but for some reason it did not happen that way. I think my mind was just not ready to consume most of its data, only until now was I ready to grasp the scope of this book.

I can describe this book in one word. Amazing!

The book starts off with the origins of technology from truly the beginning. Kevin takes us through the different progressions of the  different levels of human capability and capacity. I loved how he highlighted the parallelism of invention over time. Meaning how multiple people in a totally isolated fashion, each independent came to the similar conclusions and developed essentially the same technology within months of release of each other.

There are two parts of the books really gave me a surprise….

The first was the section about the Amish. I did not realize how much of a fascinating study they are. Not to mention how unique they are in the world society. I find it instructing how they evaluate technology and adopt it. What I found myself thinking was how ironic it is the way these people live. I think it is the media perception that has poisoned the stereotypical view that these people are truly off the grid per say. In fact they really aren’t. I found some great parallels with the John Twelve Hawks book ‘The Traveler’ with the group of people that lived independently in their own isolated society. Not to mention the great parallel that Kevin Kelly also mentioned in the book in reference to the Bomber that lived in the shack in the middle of nowhere. Even though he lived very isolated, he did not live off the grid. In fact he still bought is food and supplied from major chain stores when he went into town.

This raises the question of the definition of living off the grid. Because with the amount of technology in this world, it is dam near impossible to do in the purest sense of the concept. My view is that definition of ‘living of the grid’ can be split into two different lines in the dictionary (if not more). The first is moving throughout society without being able to be traced. The classic concept of being anonymous. So that if an institution wanted to track you down, they would have an extremely had time to do so. The second definition is living with independent energy sources and basic necessities. Meaning that the place of residence would not need to be connected to the electrical, water, sewage. It also would prove some basic food sources as well to bridge the periods of scarcity of supplies.

The second point that Kevin made was actually a question he raised. He rightfully states, everyone is still obsessed in spreading connectivity. Keep in mind there is is still a long way until penetration, but what Kevin’s questions is: What happens when the entire planet, all 6 billion people are connected?? What then? How will society change and adapt? A great question.

Overall this book is jam packed of information. I will definitely have to re-read this one a few times, just like Kevin’s other book Out of Control.

Kevin Kelly is truly one of Technology’s Great Wise Philosophers in every classic sense of the definition.

10/10

Here Comes Everybody by Clay Shirky, (Read Via Kindle for iPad)

This book started out a little slow but picked up dramatically. I do have to say that Shirky defiantly made me look at the modern organizing lens is a different perspective. He makes good points on how the net has changed everyone forever, and raises the valid point that it was responsible for linux more than anything else due the the large community on the net. Before this book I have grown wary of the concept of online organizing and an effective tool for large problems. Now not so much. 

Yes, Shirky does come off as a little bit of a geek, but he does have some valid points. This book reminds me of the Audible program METAtropolis, Specifically Tobias Buckell’s piece within it, read by Scott Brink (most of the other short stories were not for me, however I loved Buckell’s piece. Its worth the credit just for that 2 hours). We are working are way into a modern way of organizing, and have started to see it happen. But we are just at the beginning.

7/10 (for being a tad slow at the start)

Power Friending by Amber Mac (Read via Physical Book)

This book is about everything social media. I actually would consider it a modern introductory bible of how to build an online presence. I do admit this book is mainly geared toward businesses, but still can’t be ignored for personal use. That is the thing. Amber goes into everything from websites, to twitter. On top of that, a good potion of the book is quick case studies of some of the more famous blunders, and some success stories as well.

This books does go hand in had with Gary Vaynerchuk’s book Crush it. Both are equally as good for different reasons. You really should read Gary’s book just for the level of passion he has, and what impact that has. Then read Amber’s book and use it as a blueprint to start defining your online identity.

The only note I have is I believe that this social media world is just in its infancy. As a thinker, I am still not sold on company brand as a real person that people what to directly interact with. The key is how to you obtain personal communication from a brand? I don’t like it when a company randomly tweets me something without knowing who it’s coming from. I guess there are two types of communication. One of a mass, generic one. Where we interact in broad strokes. To continue the twitter example, it would be a generic Comcast account. Then you have a more intimate direct layer of communication were you have you technicians sending out messages directly to solve problems. On this second tier of messaging who owns these accounts? Because as a Employee, I would want to keep my following but then as company, I consider that company property. Then again how valuable is the following, they they are only following you to get support.

I guess this goes back to the classic ‘Client list’. Especially when a valuable person leaves the company as takes his clients with him. There in lies the dilemma of a suggestion Amber made. Putting all of your Social media contacts in your footer. It’s a built in conflict of interest. I can put in my linked in, twitter, and facebook. Why not my personal email address then? I have business then I have personal. This is the same thing with a Cell Phone. Who owns the cellphone number? It’s the question of ownership… Would a company allow me to put my personal Twitter ID in my Company twitter description field if I wanted to? I really don’t know how its going to balance out, but I do see it slowly changing. A person I follow with great interest is Julia Roy. She now is a senior manager at Coach and seem to be really rocking that balance well.

10/10

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain (Read via Kindle for iPad)

This book is really a continuation Bourdain’s journey after writing his Kitchen Confidential book. It tracks from him getting his book deal to almost today working on the travel channel. In the mean time, he bounced around the world a few times, got hired by the food network, then to leave for the travel channel, then that network got purchased by the food network. He seems he can’t get away.

The most interesting piece of the book I found (aside from ending up on a beach in some random island with some yuppie) was when he ended up on set of some food show with a bunch of food celebrities. I really appreciated how candid Bourdain talked about the scene. How these people were comparing notes on which product sponsors were better than others, and strategies and advice to go after others. All in the mean time Bourdain just stood there perplexed out of his mind, sort of feeling the odd character out.

The only minus of the book was was the brief few times he really food porned out. I do get where he was coming from, and those experiences were very well written. It was just not my cup of tea. I did enjoy the update of where everyone is at the end of the book as well.

8/10

How to Cheat at Everything by Simon Lovell (Read via Kindle for iPad)

This was a great book for the coffee table. Its a classic book of cheats. Lovell spends his entire time going through a gamut of bar games, card games, chance games and all sorts of other things that people randomly place bets on. Then loose their money. I am not that kind of gambler type, that would usually take a person up for these kind of antics. Then again, perhaps for entertainment. I always appreciate a showman who can tell a story of tricks throughout the night, all amounting up to a greater con. 

It’s perhaps is why one of my favorite movies is Revolver. The character Jake Green says it best: ‘One thing I’ve learned in the last seven years: in every game and con there’s always an opponent, and there’s always a victim. The trick is to know when you’re the latter, so you can become the former’ 

Ordered it for the coffee table,

7/10 

Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh (Read Via Kindle For iPad)

Similar to the Salesforce slight propaganda type book, Hsieh takes us thought an abbreviation of his business live starting from childhood. He describes how Zappos first started and how he eventually bet the farm on the business.

What really got me was his view on customer service. That he realized that it is a core competency of his business and you have to value it dramatically. I did not realize that he actually wants to buy out his employees with a 2k bribe after training to make sure they want to work there. Which is a great idea. The only thing that might be a problem is when you don’t pay your employees enough, then it gets interesting. Thats another thing that I have been noodling with… The value of workers compared to their output and how do you approach that. hmmm… more thinking to come.


8/10