Book Review - The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

About a year ago, I visited a friend’s apartment for the first time. One of the first things I noticed when I walked in was a fairly impressive amount of books in a bookcase. (I wasn’t on the hunt for books, but the bookcase was next to the entrance, so it was hard to miss). I took a quick glance to see what kind of books she had in her bookcase. I’ve said this before, but I think that it is interesting to see what kind of books, CD’s, movies, etc. a person has for display.  You can tell a lot about a person’s interests by the kind of media they consume. I stopped when I cam across The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership, by John Maxwell. Now, like I said, I wasn’t on the lookout for books to read.  However, since I am interested in leadership, and have written several papers on both leadership and followership though the years, I thought it would be an interesting read.   I asked my friend if I could borrow it, and after laughably calling me a nerd, she abided.

I will start by saying, this is not an end-all-be-all guide to leadership. With that being said, Maxwell does concisely defines leadership and introduces several points which, if put into practice, can greatly increase a person’s effectiveness as a leader. Unlike many other authors who write about the topic of leadership, or any other topics of self-development for that matter, Maxwell actually makes his points actionable. Whereas many people write about what traits or characteristics are “good,” Maxwell goes a step further and specifically describes how to put these traits into practice. This is not intended to be critique, nor a synopsis of the book, so I will not take this time to go into great detail about what is said exactly. I feel like this book is worth a look, especially since it is an easy read that can be completed in a weekend (yes, even if you’re the busy type). I’ll leave you with this:  some of the steps that are outlined in the text I have actually implemented myself in order to grow as a person and leader.  When it really comes down to it, enhancing one’s communication skill is very necessary and no changes worth having occur overnight.  If you make a regimen to constantly work towards a goal, whatever that goal may be, you’ll eventually get there.   I know that this has been a relatively short post, but I find it difficult to dive too much into the text without giving everything away. If you have read this book, or plan to pick up picking it up, let me know what you think. Like always, all feedback is welcome.  Until next time…peace.

Bibliographic Information:
Maxwell, C. J. (1998). The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. Nashville, Tennessee, United States of America: Thomas Nelson, Inc.

Book Review - The Dip

The Dip is an excellent book that can benefit just about anybody. Marketing guru, Seth Godin immediately sets the agenda, stating that this is a book that teaches you when to quit and when to stick. Just eighty pages later, the book is over—leaving you with a totally new perspective on how to tackle your job, career, relationships, and life. “How can 80 pages have such an impact on your life?” you might be asking yourself. Well, put simply, in those eighty pages, Godin describes how to evaluate your situation by objective means. For example, if a job will not provide the opportunity for you to grow in the direction you want to go, then you need not waste the time to become good at something that will not pay reward in the future. Likewise, if you do not have the drive to want to be the best at something, then most likely, it is not something that you should be doing in the first place.

While I think this is a book that everybody should read, I do not completely agree with the entire sentiment. I feel that every experience, whether it be good or bad, is an experience that can prove beneficial in the long run. I think it would be fair to say that all of us have done something that we found little enjoyment from, if any, yet have had some kind of positive impact in our lives. Maybe we’re stronger for it. Maybe we learned something. I recently left a job where I received little if any satisfaction. The work was extremely repetitive, the compensation was not the greatest, and there was little to no room to develop the professional skills required for my desired career path.  I did quit, as I realized that the more time I spent at the job the longer I was putting off doing something that would be more closely related to my desired career path, as well as professional and personal development.  At the same time though, I developed skills in the arena of personal finance, relationships with some great people, and an appreciation for people who devote so much time serving the needs of others.  The job was not for me, and would not take me where I wanted to go, but added to my life an experience that I gained from.

The book probably shouldn’t be read too literally, but is definitely worth the read. It is enjoyable, gives insight, and provides a way to develop another perspective about what is going on in your life.

Bibliographic Information:

Godin, S. (2007). The Tip: A Little Book That Teaches You When To Quit (And When To Stick)

Book Review - Coolhunting

Coolhunting describes and illustrates, in detail, the benefits of collaborative innovative networks, or “COINS”. The straight forward approach that authors Scott Cooper and Peter Gloor employ with simple diction and real world examples of COINS engages both the casual audience as well as those who are deeply intrigued with the idea of tapping into the power of collective thinking and brainstorming. I personally found this book to be enlightening and beneficial as I continue my research and case studies of various businesses.

Communication is one of the most difficult barriers for a company to overcome when conducting business on a global scale. Differences in language, culture, business practices, geography, logistics, and many more factors greatly impact the efficiency, productivity, public image, and morale of a company. The use of collaborative networks is not only beneficial, but is often a core competency of these companies. Major innovative companies such as 3M, Google, and Procter and Gamble not only make tremendous use of COINS but also build the use of these networks into respectable business models. The benefits of these networks has been known for some time among certain groups, but with the monumental paradigm shift in web communication from basic static pages to web 2.0, collaborative networks are now more widely accessible and taken advantage of by a much greater number of people within the context of forums, blogs, research, and profiles on social networking sites.

Personally, I took much interest in this book. I believe that collective thinking can prove very beneficial when analyzing issues and making progress in many different types of projects. For example, I considered the number of research papers and projects that are performed from grade school through postgraduate work. The vast majority of the findings from this research is typically shared between only a few people, either the teacher/professor, or with the classroom. Very rarely, is the research shared in the context of a forum, convention, or with others studying the same topics. Granted, not every research paper warrants being shared, and there are research methods and guidelines that should be respected and followed, there still remains a great amount of data that, once uncovered, becomes stale. There might be several others who have found similar findings, or would like to share their findings, opinions, or ideas with other people sharing a common interest. This is where the power of a COIN can reach its potential. What if people from around the school, city, state, country, or world could collaborate with each other and each make a contribution to the purpose? The efficiency and wealth of knowledge would be absolutely monumental. Much of the weakness that is involved with traditional research is the bias of the individual researcher. Along with any findings that a researcher uncovers, is the perspective that a geographical, socio-economical, and cultural background provides. In COINS we are actually able to help mitigate those biases by analyzing the data from various perspectives, allowing the objective of the research or project to remain in clearer focus.

In short, reading this book really opened my eyes to the power of utilizing networks in general. When those networks are focused, the results can be huge. Going forward in my projects and research the use of collaborative networks will play a vital position in what I do, so as to allow much broader analysis and more specific solutions to be made. I definitely recommend this book to anybody who likes to work with people, are looking for ways to take their research or business to the next level, are interested in marketing, or are simply curious to know how this concept has been implemented in some of the most successful cases in history.

Bibliographic Information:
Cooper, S. M., & Gloor, P. A. (2007). Coolhunting: chasing down the next big thing. New York, New York, United States of America: AMACOM.