Recently Read Archives

• Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive by Harvey B. Mackay
  One of my Board Members recommended Mr. Mackay's book. It is an easy read but to be frank, I didn't really enjoy it. Let me explain why...
  Mr. Mackay is in the envelop business. I would imagine this is a pretty tough commodity driven business where a fraction of a penny can make a difference. While he gives many pointers on building relationships somehow they just don't seem to ring true.
  Yes I'd like to get to know my customers better... but I don't want to read a cheat sheet listing the clients' kids' names just before I visit them just so they are impressed and I'll make a sale. I don't know... perhaps I'm being naive but I do believe that relationships have to be sincere to succeed.
  
  
• True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership by Bill George
  I heard Bill George speak a couple of years ago at one of Jay Whitehead's CRO conferences. What a speaker... he spoke for about an hour with no notes or prompts on corporate ethics. I was really impressed but must confess that I was remiss in reading the book I bought that night. I finally got around to it and was not disappointed. Mr. George used real life examples and simple exercises throughout his book to make his case and teach how each one of us can find our True North. This is a very good book. Don't wait two years to read it!
  
  
• Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
  I'm trying to remember who recommended this book but can't for the life of me remember who it was! Old age creeps up on me... This book is about the Generals who were at Gettysburg that fateful summer of 1863. It is written as a novel and I found it very enjoyable and educational for it takes you through the ebb and flow of the three day battle.
  I first visited Gettysburg with my wife Francine in 1993. We took a bus tour but I never really understood the battle until we returned to Gettysburg last year with my daughter Veronica on "American History" week. (We did many of the historical sites in Philadelphia, NYC and Hyde Park as well). This book brings history to life. Mr. Shaara passed away when he was only 59 but his son Jeff picked up the torch and I'm now reading his books on the civil war.
  
  
• A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
  I read this book, actually the entire Peter Mayle series ten or fifteen years ago. Re-reading favorite books is something I often do. Its like visiting an old friend. I've re-read some books up to five times over the years. Anyways, I loved "A Year in Provence" then and I loved it now! Peter Mayle was a London advertising executive who decided to take a year off and move to the French countryside, more specifically - Provence. Needless to say he never left and his experiences spawned a series of entertaining books as well as one of my favorite movies "A Goodyear" starring Russell Crowe. One day, I'd like to live in Provence!
  
  
• Rogues Gallery: The Secret History of the Moguls and the Money that Made the Metropolitan Museum by Michael Gross
  I love museums and the works of art they house. One of my favorite museums is the Metropolitan in NYC. So reading Rogues Gallery was a real treat. It outlines the history of the Met and tells the story of its benefactors and curators and leaders. I enjoyed the book although I'm not sure that everyone else would... especially some of those in the book!
  
  
• American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House by Jon Meachem
  Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States. He was a very controversial President. Known as "Old Hickory" he was the father of the Democratic Party and fought many epic military and political battles that forever changed the destiny of the USA.
  
  
• American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and Martin Sherwin
  Robert Oppenheimer was a brilliant scientist who led the top secret Manhattan Project which led to the creation of the atomic bomb. Its creation was his triumph and his tragedy.
  He quickly realized the bomb would forever change the world and was a strong advocate for arms control and educating the public on the perils of the nuclear age.
  But he was caught up by his past and some very powerful forces. In his younger days, Oppenheimer had flirted with communism and the left wing movement. This was used against him in the early 1950s. The time by Joseph McCarthy and communist witch hunts.
  Sadly for us all Oppenheimer's voice was effectively muzzled at a time it could have made a difference.

• Always Looking Up - The Adventures of an Incurable Optimist by Michael J. Fox
  This was a nice gift given to me by my good friend and colleague, Jennifer Lumba. Its an easy read and an inspiring story about how Michael has coped with Parkinson's Disease. He's truly an incredible optimist and in my opinion, a courageous man whose love of life and family is his greatest role!
  
  
• The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin
  I recently read Walter Isaacson’s biography of Benjamin Franklin. It was so interesting, that I purchased Ben’s autobiography! It was a bit difficult to read because it was written well over two hundred years ago but it was still very enjoyable.
  
  Benjamin Franklin was an amazing man. Writer, publisher, businessman, inventor, scientist diplomat and statesman... his name is on both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States.
  
  
• Talent Is Overrated: What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else” by Geoff Colvin
  Not long ago I was in Minneapolis and met a gentleman who recommended Geoff Colvin’s new book. I have to admit, it was not what I expected. The book comes out of a Fortune cover story that Geoff wrote some years ago called “What It Takes to Be Great.” The research he did for this article piqued his interest in what made certain people top performers and he found a common thread.
  
  It didn’t matter whether it was in the arts, sports or business… the common link was not inborn talent but the “deliberate practice” these top performers put into their life’s work.
  
  And “deliberate practice” doesn’t mean a couple of hours a day… it’s mega hours of practice and analyzing the results and making the necessary adjustments to reach the very top of their professions.
  
  
• Poe & Fanny by John May
  This historical novel uses poems published by Edgar Allan Poe and Frances (Fanny) Osgood to set the scene for an imagined love affair between the two poets shortly after Edgar published “The Raven.”
  
  
• The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin
  The Supreme Court sits at the pinnacle of America’s third branch of government – the judiciary. The court’s inner workings are the least known part of the US Government. This very engaging and entertaining book gives us an inside look at this powerful branch of government.
  
  
• The Yellow House by Martin Gayford
  This book chronicles the nine weeks that Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin lived together in Arles. During that time, both painters created some of their greatest and most famous masterpieces. It also details the events leading up to Vincent’s breakdown including cutting off his ear.
  
  
• Missing Pieces: 7 Ways to Improve Employee Well-Being and Organizational Effectiveness by Jean- Pierre Brun and Cary Cooper
  This book speaks about the missing pieces of management. Simple things… like recognizing your employees. Supporting and respecting them. Helping them create a proper work life balance and other great advice that all too often managers overlook.
  
  
• 101 Ways to Give Everyday Real Recognition by Roy Saunderson
  This easy-to-read booklet gives managers concrete, immediately applicable tips and tools for giving Everyday Recognition.
  
  
• GIVING the Real Recognition Way by Roy Saunderson
  This book is full of proven techniques, tips and ideas. You will learn how to give recognition the right way so it is felt and received the way it was intended. By Giving the Real Recognition Way you will positively influence how engaged, motivated and satisfied your employees and colleagues really are.
  
  
• Plaidoyer pour la reconnaissance au travail by Christophe Laval
  Christophe Laval explains the importance of non-monetary rewards within the workplace.
  
  
• 12 The Elements of Great Managing by Rodd Wagner and Ph.D. James K. Harter
  The book looks at Gallup’s Q 12 questions and is based on 10 million employee and manager interviews spanning 114 countries. Each chapter takes you through a particular element and how it impacts engagement.
  
  
• The Dream Manager by Matthew Kelly
  The book explains how companies can achieve extraordinary results by helping their employees fulfill their dreams.
  
  
• Business Stripped Bare: Adventures of a Global Entrepreneur by Sir Richard Branson
  
  
• Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell
  
  
• The War Within by Bob Woodward
  
  
• The Snowball by Alice Schroeder
  
  
• The Inheritance by David E. Sanger
  
  
• The Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama
  
  
• John Adams by David McCullough
  
  
• Hot, Flat, and Crowded by Thomas L. Friedman
  
  
• His Excellency: George Washington by Joseph J. Ellis
  
  
• Benjamin Franklin by Walter Isaacson
  
  
• A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright
  
  
• Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow
  
  
• A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle