This book is highly lauded, especially when you consider that its cover reads "The Leadership Classic recommended by Vice President Al Gore to all his advisors." But I did not find that the book lived up to its promise.
The best part of the book is the first chapter which discusses rather passionately the fact that our society, steered by business, suffers from chronic short term focus and that this short-term focus creates a context that traps would-be leaders and stifles true leadership. From then on, it's downhill. The book is a collection of little anecdotes and poorly organized truisms. There is little depth and little that sticks from reading the 200 or so pages. Bennis advocates that a leader must follow his instincts, have morals, must inspire trust, must be reflective and self aware, must lead through clear vision and reward risk-taking. Yes, all true and kind of obvious, but not much more than these surface level declarations in the book. Skip it.
Monday, October 17, 2005
Saturday, September 17, 2005
RAMTHA, THE WHITE BOOK, from JZK Publishing
This is a book from Ramtha, the Hindu deity who currently channels his wisdom through the now famous female - JZ Knight. JZ Knight is a one-time successful media executive whose life was transformed once Ramtha appeared in her life and began to use her as a channel. She was recently one of the sages featured in the film "What the Bleep Do We Know?" In 1988, JZ Knight (or Ramtha) established the Ramtha School for Enlightenment situated in Yelm, Washington. This book is an apt introduction to Ramtha's teachings - a complete and comprehensive theological and metaphysical worldview.
What the White Book says in a nutshell (a very gross simplification) is that all matter comes from thought and that God is one massive, all-encompassing intelligence seeking to know itself through all possible experience of which we are a part. We are all Gods/Goddesses.
The book felt a bit tedious and repetitive at times but its core message is profound and rings true. What I most enjoyed is the discussion about the various frequencies of thought, from pure thought, to light, to matter, to physical reality. The implication - WE CREATE WITH OUR THOUGHT. There were other highlights, such as Ramtha's assertions to the fact that the decay and passing of the physical body are unnecessary and come only as a result of our belief in death. The alternative to death - ascention. If we achieve sufficient enlightenment and raise our frequency high enough, we can choose to ascend, able to phase in and out of the physical plane of existence for eternity. Apparently this is what Ramtha does.
The best part of the book for me was the very beginning where Ramtha tells a very graphic, sad and cruel tale of his own youth growing up in the times of Atlantis. This book is not for everyone, and uses the word God perhaps a bit much, but then it is so hard to communicate about the most fundamental topics underlying the reason and purpose of our existence without talking about God.
What the White Book says in a nutshell (a very gross simplification) is that all matter comes from thought and that God is one massive, all-encompassing intelligence seeking to know itself through all possible experience of which we are a part. We are all Gods/Goddesses.
The book felt a bit tedious and repetitive at times but its core message is profound and rings true. What I most enjoyed is the discussion about the various frequencies of thought, from pure thought, to light, to matter, to physical reality. The implication - WE CREATE WITH OUR THOUGHT. There were other highlights, such as Ramtha's assertions to the fact that the decay and passing of the physical body are unnecessary and come only as a result of our belief in death. The alternative to death - ascention. If we achieve sufficient enlightenment and raise our frequency high enough, we can choose to ascend, able to phase in and out of the physical plane of existence for eternity. Apparently this is what Ramtha does.
The best part of the book for me was the very beginning where Ramtha tells a very graphic, sad and cruel tale of his own youth growing up in the times of Atlantis. This book is not for everyone, and uses the word God perhaps a bit much, but then it is so hard to communicate about the most fundamental topics underlying the reason and purpose of our existence without talking about God.
Monday, August 01, 2005
THE TIPPING POINT, by Malcolm Gladwell
A well written and very interesting book. This is a study of all factors that contribute to an epidemic. What is an epidemic? Anything that starts small and unnoticed and suddenly spreads to a great number of people. This book looks at actual health epidemics and also at fashion epidemics or crime epidemics, at what it takes to 'spread' something - an idea, a concept, a book - from a local event to a mass movement.
What it takes to 'spread' apparently is the involvement of some special people. These are people focally positioned, highly connected, informed and persuasive. Gladwell has names for them such as the connectors, mavens and salesmen. The interesting part about the book are the many neat concepts that can be adapted to salesmanship and marketing for any business. A few that struck me the most are described below:
1. Broken Windows Effect. Gladwell tells a very interesting story about the sharp decline of crime in New York following the clean up campaign in the 1990's. Police began to crack down, not on serious crime, but on petty crime such as fare dodging in the subways. The city also launched a campaign to rid the subway trains of graffiti. Although the city focused on petty crime, serious crime also began to steadily decline. Apparently the message the public received was 'the city now pays attention and crime no longer goes unpunished.' All crime dropped. This is the Broken Windows Theory. Broken windows send a message that a neighborhood is neglected and draw vagrants and undesirables, contributing to the further decline of a neighborhood. In summary, small or seemingly irrelevant elements in our surroundings can be communicating a more powerful message effecting the behavior of the public.
2. Context matters. In a different study Gladwell described, it was shown that people are not necessarily altruistic vs. uncaring by nature. The simple fact that someone thought he was running late for a meeting was enough to cause otherwise caring people to bypass a stranger in need of help without offering a hand. This is critical in shifting how we currently perceive behavior and regard personalities. The implication from Gladwell's book is that we are not consistently this or that but in fact are strongly influenced by context. Are we late, are we tired, are we relaxing with friends or reporting to a boss? These factors all influence the personality attributes we might display in a particular situation. This extends even to such values as honesty, faithfulness, cruelty, etc...
3. Stickiness. For an epidemic to spread there has to be a 'stickiness' to the message. This is the hardest thing to create or predict. Stickiness is a special something about the message or a thing that makes it resonate with people who come in context with it. The Ya Ya Sisterhood was a book that proved to be very sticky because it was a book about female bonding that inspired readers to recreate their own female circles. It was read and discussed by groups and came to symbolize something greater that just the book itself. It seems to me from the other examples that Gladwell also gave that stickiness comes from interaction. When people are able to interact and then relate to a message that makes it sticky.
The book is full of other gems that, if followed with further deductive thinking, can really shift how we understand influence and marketing. A highly recommended read.
What it takes to 'spread' apparently is the involvement of some special people. These are people focally positioned, highly connected, informed and persuasive. Gladwell has names for them such as the connectors, mavens and salesmen. The interesting part about the book are the many neat concepts that can be adapted to salesmanship and marketing for any business. A few that struck me the most are described below:
1. Broken Windows Effect. Gladwell tells a very interesting story about the sharp decline of crime in New York following the clean up campaign in the 1990's. Police began to crack down, not on serious crime, but on petty crime such as fare dodging in the subways. The city also launched a campaign to rid the subway trains of graffiti. Although the city focused on petty crime, serious crime also began to steadily decline. Apparently the message the public received was 'the city now pays attention and crime no longer goes unpunished.' All crime dropped. This is the Broken Windows Theory. Broken windows send a message that a neighborhood is neglected and draw vagrants and undesirables, contributing to the further decline of a neighborhood. In summary, small or seemingly irrelevant elements in our surroundings can be communicating a more powerful message effecting the behavior of the public.
2. Context matters. In a different study Gladwell described, it was shown that people are not necessarily altruistic vs. uncaring by nature. The simple fact that someone thought he was running late for a meeting was enough to cause otherwise caring people to bypass a stranger in need of help without offering a hand. This is critical in shifting how we currently perceive behavior and regard personalities. The implication from Gladwell's book is that we are not consistently this or that but in fact are strongly influenced by context. Are we late, are we tired, are we relaxing with friends or reporting to a boss? These factors all influence the personality attributes we might display in a particular situation. This extends even to such values as honesty, faithfulness, cruelty, etc...
3. Stickiness. For an epidemic to spread there has to be a 'stickiness' to the message. This is the hardest thing to create or predict. Stickiness is a special something about the message or a thing that makes it resonate with people who come in context with it. The Ya Ya Sisterhood was a book that proved to be very sticky because it was a book about female bonding that inspired readers to recreate their own female circles. It was read and discussed by groups and came to symbolize something greater that just the book itself. It seems to me from the other examples that Gladwell also gave that stickiness comes from interaction. When people are able to interact and then relate to a message that makes it sticky.
The book is full of other gems that, if followed with further deductive thinking, can really shift how we understand influence and marketing. A highly recommended read.
Tuesday, June 28, 2005
HARD SELL, by Jamie Reidy
Entertaining quick read about the lifestyle of a pharma drug representative. Told by a former Viagra salesman. Exposes what has become an almost formalized relationship between healthcare offices and pharmaceuticals salespeople. The doctors don't really like to have to listen to the incessant sales pitches for new or improved drugs but at the same time they come to count on the drug reps for new information, having little time to read and stay on top of all the new developments. The drug reps, bring lunch and a flowing supply of drug samples to build and maintain their relationships with the doctors and the supporting healthcare staff. A drug rep may spend an hour or more at a physician's office to get all of two minutes to meet the physician.
What is also notable is the intense training drug reps receive regarding each new drug they represent, called a "DETAIL." They memorize all the benefits and the exact way to present the drug to make sure they are giving the same message as anyone else in the company and that they are effective. They also bring high quality supporting materials, print outs of drug studies, recommended dosing instructions, etc... Pharmaceutical sales is a highly competitive, highly organized profession, containing some of the 'best practices' for marketing to medical establishments.
This can be gleaned from the book, which is otherwise an entertaining read about the shenanigans of a smart but somewhat unmotivated, often lazy, sales rep for Pfizer. The book has especially good anecdotes about the absurdity of selling Viagra - a drug that sells itself.
What is also notable is the intense training drug reps receive regarding each new drug they represent, called a "DETAIL." They memorize all the benefits and the exact way to present the drug to make sure they are giving the same message as anyone else in the company and that they are effective. They also bring high quality supporting materials, print outs of drug studies, recommended dosing instructions, etc... Pharmaceutical sales is a highly competitive, highly organized profession, containing some of the 'best practices' for marketing to medical establishments.
This can be gleaned from the book, which is otherwise an entertaining read about the shenanigans of a smart but somewhat unmotivated, often lazy, sales rep for Pfizer. The book has especially good anecdotes about the absurdity of selling Viagra - a drug that sells itself.
MARTHA, INC.
Read in 2004
Interesting read. It is not clear what is the author's own attitude toward Martha Stewart, a mixture of understanding and dislike. The book shows Martha to be strong willed, determined, and prone to temper tantrums. Also visionary. What is most interesting to ponder in reading this book, is that the world's most successful women, just as men, are extremely driven to the point of being called capricious, arbitrary or unreasonable. The fact that extremely creative people must often act this 'capricious' way in order to have the opportunity to express their vision, especially in working through others, this is often underscored. My sympathy goes out to Martha, who appears to be very human, also neurotic, controlling, cold and calculating. These are all words we use to attack people who do not compromise easily, especially women. Martha's ultimate and only answer to all the criticism she has attracted in the past is the empire she has built.
Also of note, the fact that Time Warner and other studios did not see the concept behind Living magazine, did not see the concept behind the TV show she wanted to do. The MANAGEMENT, in this case the big boys at Time Warner never got Martha's vision. "Why would a bunch of women in Manhattan want to watch a TV show with tips for gardening?" they asked "when there are not gardens for them to practice on." "Because.." Martha replied, "They may not live in the country in a beautiful house with fresh air and flowers, but they all WISH THEY DID." Martha understood she was selling a fantasy. She KNEW HER BRAND and she never questioned her vision even when facing some supposedly very smart men with more experience.
Interesting read. It is not clear what is the author's own attitude toward Martha Stewart, a mixture of understanding and dislike. The book shows Martha to be strong willed, determined, and prone to temper tantrums. Also visionary. What is most interesting to ponder in reading this book, is that the world's most successful women, just as men, are extremely driven to the point of being called capricious, arbitrary or unreasonable. The fact that extremely creative people must often act this 'capricious' way in order to have the opportunity to express their vision, especially in working through others, this is often underscored. My sympathy goes out to Martha, who appears to be very human, also neurotic, controlling, cold and calculating. These are all words we use to attack people who do not compromise easily, especially women. Martha's ultimate and only answer to all the criticism she has attracted in the past is the empire she has built.
Also of note, the fact that Time Warner and other studios did not see the concept behind Living magazine, did not see the concept behind the TV show she wanted to do. The MANAGEMENT, in this case the big boys at Time Warner never got Martha's vision. "Why would a bunch of women in Manhattan want to watch a TV show with tips for gardening?" they asked "when there are not gardens for them to practice on." "Because.." Martha replied, "They may not live in the country in a beautiful house with fresh air and flowers, but they all WISH THEY DID." Martha understood she was selling a fantasy. She KNEW HER BRAND and she never questioned her vision even when facing some supposedly very smart men with more experience.
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