Category: Leadership

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Leadership

BR 75: Leadership by Rudolph Giuliani

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: A colorful book by a very colorful character. Giuliani is a controversial person and claims credit for many New York city changes like reduction in crime rate, which may not entirely have been down to him (Read Freakonomics, The Tipping Point) for more. All that aside, one thing that can never be taken away from him was his leadership during the 9/11 attacks. And this book is  a great read for that story alone. As one might expect, the team that ensured New York city’s admirable response to the 9/11 attacks was not built overnight. Giuliani delves into his style of leadership and how he built the team. I have written about his insight on ‘Breakfast meetings’ here.

The one aspect that can be a turn off is Giuliani trying to ‘sell’ his political agendas and inclinations. Aside from that, pretty good book.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Entrepreneurship · Leadership

BR 73: The Four Obsessions of an Extraordinary Executive by Patrick Lencioni

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: This was a story of 2  entrepreneurial CEOs who started up post B School and it deals with how and why one of them is more successful than the other. Many good ideas with the concept wrapped in a  good story. I don’t think much of it stuck with me sadly.

3. SHELF it · Bio/Autobiographies · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Entrepreneurship · Leadership

BR 72: When Fish Fly by John Yokohama

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: This is a very inspiring book – in a non traditional sense. It is John Yokohama’s tale of how he transformed an ordinary pike fish market in Seattle to ‘World Famous Pike Place Fish’. If a person can transform a fish market (let’s face it, the image that comes to mind isn’t particularly pleasing) to something so amazing, it makes you wonder as to whether any complaints about work are justified.

A true story about being proactive as John Yokohama talks us through his process of growth after a conversation with to a consultant friend who promises to turn his ordinary fish shop around. He shares the various challenges, difficulties and moments of pride.. he does it very sincerely and the book is definitely a nice and often, heartwarming read.

Many takeaways. I have written about one that struck me here

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Leadership

BR 70: Extraordinary Leadership by Robin Sharma

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Another ‘quick-read’. A simple yet effective book with a collection of story and a bout of inspiration in classic Robin Sharma style.

What to expect: I remember this book as an inspiring audio message from Robin Sharma sharing various stories like the one about Oziola Mccarthy urging us to remember that we all have leaders within us..

3. SHELF it · Bio/Autobiographies · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Leadership

BR 59: Made in America by Sam Walton

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: This book was a fun read from start to finish. Sam Walton is insightful, humorous and entertaining all at once. He takes us through the entire Wal-Mart story with great pride and passion. I could almost feel him talking me through the story despite the fact that I read the book.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Leadership

BR 56: 360 Degree Leader by John C Maxwell

alearningaday1 Comment

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Good, without being great. John Maxwell communicates simple concepts through good stories and makes his point. John Maxwell shares his philosophy on why leadership is necessary at every level, and how you can ensure you are being a leader, whether or not you possess a title. He articulates this with several examples and stories. Another one of those management books would be the simplest way to describe ‘what to expect’.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Leadership · Self Improvement

BR 53: The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: An okay book. I don’t think you’ll miss much if you didn’t read it. At the same time, that’s not to say it doesn’t have solid concepts. While this book is a continuation of the 7 Habits, it is less effective (in my opinion) and it felt like the start of a sequel series that wasn’t going to live up to the original (The 7 Habits…)

The 8th habit is about using your leadership to inspire others. A collection of many implementable ideas, stories and anecdotes make it a pleasant read.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Career · Entrepreneurship · Leadership

BR 31: 100 Great Businesses and the Minds behind them by Emily Ross & Angus Holland

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: A great read. Not a business book , just a book that will take you through the lives of 100 incredible businesses and the people who made them tick. These are short bites about 100 businesses and their founders and goes a LONG way in just increasing basic awareness of the world around us. Someone once described this as a – “If they could do it, why not you?” sort of book. I think that’s accurate. I really enjoyed it.

3. SHELF it · Book Review Actions · Book Reviews · Business · Leadership · Management

BR 30: Winning by Jack Welch

alearningaday

Category: 3 – SHELF it (All Categories are 1 – Read ASAP!, 2 – BUY it!, 3 – SHELF it, 4 – SOMEDAY it)

Comments: Lots of good nuggets in here. It probably requires a bit of background about Welch and his work at GE as he talks about his pet topics like differentiation in detail. Also, I didn’t find the section on mergers and acquisition clear or, in my case, relevant.

What to expect: Jack Welch’s attempt at synthesizing his learnings on management. Many learnings are presented in his direct no-nonsense style that makes the book easy to get through.