Genuine Curiosity

If you love something, set it free. If it comes back…

I’ve been heads-down at a conference these past several days, so I’ve been quiet here on the blog (though I’ve been active on Twitter, as some of you may have seen).  I have some pent-up posts that I’ll be writing up in the next few days.  My nice, long plane ride ahead tomorrow would be ideal for that, wouldn’t it?  Some of the items in the hopper:

• Interesting thoughts after attending a talk by Stephen M. R. Covey on “The Speed of Trust” – not just the book, but the awesome concepts underlying the book.
• A review of a radically improved version of the Netcentrics “Getting Things Done” add-in for Outlook.
• A couple of gadget-related reviews, and a couple of other books.

In the mean time, you might enjoy my latest post on the newly re-designed “Joyful Jubilant Learning” site about “Early Abandonment and Boomerangs” (hint – it’s sort of about social media, sort of about gadgets, and may strike a nerve with you).

So what does the title of this post mean?  It’s an obscure connection to the “Early Abandonment and Boomerangs” metaphor.  At least they connect in my mind.  If they don’t connect for you, forget I said that, and just enjoy the other post…

Oops!

In spite of the title, reading this book was not a mistake:  “OOPS! 13 Management Practices That Waste Time & Money (and what to do instead),” by Aubrey C. Daniels is well worth your time.  With “Oops!” Daniels takes us through a well-articulated analysis of a bunch of management practices that are commonplace in today’s corporate world, including:

• Performance Appraisals
• “Stretch Goals”
• Employee of the Month programs
• Hourly vs. Salaried pay schemes (including a discussion of bonuses and annual raises)
• Downsizing
• And 8 more management practices

In each of the 13 chapters devoted to the flawed management practices, Daniels provides examples of how the practices are used, a discussion of what outcomes they are supposed to achieve, and a view on what undesirable effects they actually create in the organization.

A lot of the flaws Daniels points out may seem like common sense, but organizations often do something that seems counterproductive.  For example, I’m familiar with a lot of organizations that have a “forced ranking” process in which they try to lop off the bottom x% of performers (10%, 25%, 1/3, or some such target).  So, what do you do as a hiring manager?  Do you set out to hire some bad apples so you have someone to cut?  Or do you hire the best team you can, only to get rid of one of your strong performers just because they aren’t the “most A” player?  This can be especially challenging in smaller teams.

What should you do instead?

The great thing about this book it goes beyond analyzing the flaws in these practices, and suggests better ways to manage.  For example, he has some great suggestions for better ways to motivate people than the “forced ranking” approach. 

One of my favorite chapters, “Promoting People Nobody Likes,” includes an illuminating analysis of the differences in results achieved by “tough managers” like Bobby Knight, and “softer” managers like John Wooden.  Both of these guys are legendary basketball coaches – one (Knight) is legendary for being loud, abusive, and intimidating; while the other (Wooden) is legendary for being a calm, supportive, and inspiring coach.

In many organizations, the “tough managers” are promoted while the “softer” managers may be passed over because they are not aggressive enough to get ‘real’ results.  However, we all know tough managers who’ve left a trail of bodies and resignations in their wake – and we know that hiring and training new employees is costly and disruptive to the organization, not to mention the impact on morale.  So how much more effective can you be if your organization considers not just the results a manager achieves, but how they get those results?

Daniels provides some sage advice on this topic and all the others in this book.  By the way - if you’re downsizing, you should definitely check out Daniels’ ideas on how to deal with that (it’s Practice #12).

Common threads

There are common threads running through these topics:

• Providing timely feedback (positive and negative)
• Creating clarity around expectations, roles, and behaviors
• Thinking about whether your “system” really promotes the outcomes you’re seeking
• Creating a culture that makes it easy to do the right things, and hard to do the wrong things

In my opinion, if you follow Daniels’ advice, you’re on your way to higher organizational performance.  I also love the “Performance Matrix” he provides in the appendix as a tool to help focus on performance (and replace the traditional approach to performance appraisals).

In summary, I recommend this to anyone who wants to up their game on management, or who has influence on management practices in organizations of any size.  [I’ve even caught myself changing how I deliver praise and criticism to my kids since I’ve read this book.]

Bravo to Daniels for “Oops!” – and don’t make the mistake of not reading this one.

Hip & Sage – it’s a journey, not a destination

I just finished reading an awesome book: “Hip & Sage: Staying Smart, Cool, and Competitive in the Workplace,” by Lisa Haneberg.  As you may know from my prior posts (linked at the end of this review), I’m a huge fan of Lisa’s books and her Management Craft blog (which is 5 years old this month, by the way)."...if you need unlimited minutes on your cell phone more than you need unlimited texting, this book is for you."

This book is aimed at Baby Boomers & others from generations with more mileage on the tires than Gen-Xers and Millenials.  You can think of Hip & Sage as part “New Technologies 101” and part “how to find tech savvy tour guides,” and it’s designed to help you become conversant, proficient, and comfortable with social media and other new media technologies. 

But I think this book could be relevant to lots of folks.  Regardless of your age, if you feel like a poser talking with people about Twitter, Facebook, RSS, LinkedIn – or even blogs – then this book can help you.  In short, if you need unlimited minutes on your cell phone more than you need unlimited texting, this book is for you.

What does it mean to be Hip?

According to Lisa, Hipness is is about engagement an energy:

“Our ability to communicate, connect, and collaborate with younger generations.  In business, our hipness determines how effectively we work with, inspire, and influence younger workers.  Hip entrepreneurs are able to enroll, engage, and exicte younger customers and business partners.”

If you work with younger people, being Hip can be a game changer (and becoming Hip can be fun).  Lisa provides a set of techniques and philosophies to help you enlist the help of younger mentors in a way that will tap into their knowledge and excitement, and (I believe) make them want to help you get up to speed.

One of the fastest paths to Hipness is to practice genuine curiosity about the things hip people care about, and ask someone who’s already hip to feed your thirst for learning.

If you can find a social media-savvy “workout buddy” that will help, too (@MattHixson is one of mine, for example)

What does it mean to be Sage?

In contrast, Sageness is about sharing hard-won lessons:

“Our natural strengths and characteristics, goals and priorities, and experiences – manifested as skills, drive, judgment, and knowledge – that have been honed, carved, seasoned, and polished through the years.  Our sageness is unique; it may or may not be visible to others or in use contributing to the world.”

Lisa’s section on “Cultivating Our Sageness” is all about tapping into your experiences, but not just so you can be the guru on the mountain that others seek out.  Her guidance is to actively inject your sageness into the business so that the business can benefit from your experience.

Her advice on goal setting and becoming more self-aware can dramatically improve your effectiveness – you should check it out, for sure.

Putting it all together

The magic all happens in the third section of the book, where Lisa discusses how to become both Hip and Sage, including a discussion of how to challenge your beliefs and leverage new knowledge & skills to achieve non-linear success.

The third section also includes some worksheets to help you achieve greater clarity and document your thinking in a useful way.

The bottom line

This book is so rich with useful information I can’t begin to do it justice in this short review, but the bottom line is this:  pick up a copy of Hip & Sage.  On their own, the two chapters on “Job Seeking and Hiring for the Hip & Sage,” and “A Primer on the Generations” are worth the price of the book, particularly if you’re on the wrong side of this economy.

Lisa provides other resources, as well, including the awesome Hip & Sage blog and a voluminous list of resources at the end of the book.

---

Related items:

• Two Weeks to a Breakthrough review
• Focus Like a Laser Beam review
• High Impact Middle Management

del.icio.us Tags: leadership,management,Lisa+Haneberg,hip,sage,genuine+curiosity,Dwayne+Melancon

Awesome “give & get” opportunity

In my last post, I reviewed Rajesh Setty’s book, Upbeat.  Well, I finally got around to subscribing to his new newsletter and was pleasantly surprised that this entitled me to download a PDF copy of his book, “Beyond Code” (which I’ve also reviewed).

This is a phenomenal example of “give & get” – you give Rajesh permission to keep in touch with you in his newsletters, and you get a free copy of a very powerful book.

By the way – I just realized it’s been over 3½ years since I first read Beyond Code, and I still feel its impact.  I have re-read it a couple of times, and have recommended it to others countless times.

If you want to sign up for Rajesh Setty’s newsletter, you can do so by clicking this link.

A good book for our times

I just read my friend Rajesh Setty’s new book, “Upbeat: Cultivating the right attitude in tough times.”  I’ve been a fan of Rajesh’s work since I discovered him through his book “Beyond Code,” a couple of years ago.

This book is a perfect book for anyone who’s feeling victimized by today’s financial crises as it was prepared specifically to help people deal with today’s environment.  That said, I found a lot in this book that will help with improving your outlook on life, in general.

The approach Rajesh takes in this book will help you decide whether you’ll be a victim of circumstance, or whether you’ll take responsibility for your own well being and try to improve your lot in life.  From there, he provides a number of examples and insightful observations to help you figure out how to overcome obstacles and anxiety.

Not just a “feel good” book

Don’t worry – this is not just a “feel good and good things will happen to you” kind of book.  Rajesh is a serial entrepreneur and has had lots of experience with both setbacks and successes, and he rolls all that experience into this short book.

The book is organized around 5 key areas:

1. The Trap – this is how to keep the “gloom and doom” of everyday conversation from eroding your spirit, as well as how to look for the opportunities that will take you to the next level.
2. The Discipline – this is about rituals and habits, as well as becoming a “lean and mean” player in the world.
3. The Network – this is the traditional “help and be helped” networking approach, but also about how not to misuse networking tools (i.e. when Facebook becomes Fakebook).
4. The Strategy – this is all about honing your focus and taking deliberate action.
5. The Action – this deals with a notion I think of as “do the things you want to be known for” which will increase your chances of success when people are looking for a new member of their team.

The “Upbeat DIY Helpbook”

While the first part of the book focuses a lot on attitude, persistence, and commitment, the appendix is kind of like a set of mini-workshops.  Rajesh calls it the “Upbeat DIY Helpbook” and it creates short, introspective exercises to help move you along the right path.  I found that it put a fine point on many of the abstract concepts introduced in the beginning of the book and made it all seem more real.

In summary, this is a short book and an easy read, but don’t let it’s diminutive size fool you – there is a lot of power in these pages.  Oh – and I think Upbeat would be a great gift for you to give someone who finds themselves on the wrong side of this economy.

For more on Rajesh, be sure and check out his blog at http://www.lifebeyondcode.com.

del.icio.us Tags: Rajesh Setty,upbeat,book reviews,Dwayne Melancon,personal improvement

[Review] Who’s Got Your Back

Keith Ferrazzi’s latest book, “Who’s Got Your Back,” is about developing an inner circle of advisors who will never let you fail. This book is both inspiring and actionable – a very strong combination. 

Superheroes and Mere Mortals

I found this book to be a very reasonable and achievable approach – in other words, something I believe I can actually do.  Why do I mention this?  Well, when I read Keith’s first book “Never Eat Alone,” I was inspired but very intimidated – “Never Eat Alone” felt very compelling, but I believed Keith must be some kind of Superhero to be able to do all of the things he described in any sustained way.

In “Who’s Got Your Back,” Keith shares some of his challenges and helps us see that he is Mere Mortal after all.  In fact, he talks about how some of the relationship skillz he mentions in “Never Eat Alone” were missing inside his company.  [I can relate – I do a much better with communication, organization, and relationship management at work than I do at home.]

He then goes on to share how he has found 3 key people in his life that provide him with unvarnished feedback, encouragement, and input on life strategies.  These are the 3 people who will not let him fail – the 3 people who have “got his back.”

Five key learnings

I got a pre-release copy of this book and got an email from Keith asking me to summarize my five most compelling ideas, anecdotes or lessons that stuck with me.  I thought that was a good approach for this review, so here are mine:

1. Generosity, Vulnerability, Candor, and Accountability are the currency required to bring people into your inner circle.  You have to invest in relationships with others, and trust comes from investing these four things.
2. “Each of us is responsible for creating the safe place around us.”  When I read this line, I had a flashback to my post from a few years ago about taking responsibility for your own well-being.  In the context of this book, that means we are each responsible for creating the environment / demeanor that invites others in.  Sometimes, that may also mean explicitly inviting them in.
3. “Give and Let Give.”  It’s great to be a mentor or give of your talents to others – it can be quite another thing to be able to accept the gifts and talents others share with you.  If you feel you aren’t worthy of others’ attention or “investment” it can be difficult to ask for help or accept it when it’s given.  You are worthy, and “they” are helping you because they want to – accept the help graciously.
4. You can’t rush trust.  Throughout the book, Keith talks about having conversations over “long, slow dinners.”  Relationships take time and if you rush things or try to do too much at once, you probably won’t enjoy them as much.  Trust takes time to build – they don’t sell trust in the drive-through lane. 
5. If you and your mentor aren’t being candid, something is wrong.  This works two ways:  1) they need to know how you (really) feel and what’s important to you, even if it’s hard to talk about; 2) they need to be able to tell you the straight scoop, even if it’s not something you want to hear.  If you have the right mentor, and you’ve created the safe place around that relationship, you can make this work – if it doesn’t feel safe, review 1-4, above, and see if you can figure out what’s missing.  Still not feeling it?  Have no fear, the book will help you get there.

Step by step, you’ll get there

This book does a great job of providing specific steps to help you through the process of building your inner circle.  I’m still working through it, but the steps are clear and concrete so I think you’ll be able to apply them on your own.  Keith also includes a lot of examples from his own life and these stories help you get a feel for what’s required of you at each step.

You’ll find a bunch of other inspiring stories, too – like the one about two real estate pros that had complementary strengths who worked together and were more successful than either could be alone.  Powerful stuff.

“Who’s Got Your Back” touts itself as a program “…to build deep, trusting relationships that create success – and won’t let you fail.”  I think it delivers.

Resurfacing after a deep dive

I’ve been fairly quiet for the past couple of weeks, but that’s due to a couple of contributing factors:  connectivity (or lack thereof), and jam-packed scheduling at 3, back-to-back software industry conferences (self-inflicted, for the most part). 

Now, as I come up for air, I have a lot of pent up stuff to write about.  Let’s start with some quick updates:

• A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I was starting one of my periodic time audits (yes, I finally got it done after my epic fail).  Here are my key takeaways:
• I was successful in carving out and sticking to one of my goals:  engaging in regular physical exercise.  For the past 5 consecutive weeks, I have kept to a 6-day per week exercise schedule (3 alternating days of weights, interspersed with 3 days of cardio, followed by 1 day of rest).  I even managed to keep to this during 3 weeks of travel.  This is a first for me, but something I intend
• I spent too much time working on things that were not directly related to my top priorities. What’s my diagnosis of the problem?
• I wasn’t consistent in writing down my top priorities and “must do” items at the beginning of the week.
• I said “yes” to too many “urgent but not important” tasks (i.e. someone else’s priorities)
• I read a great article by my friend Mike Kanazawa (author of “BIg Ideas to Big Results”).  The article is called “80% Of Companies Are Thinking More Strategically In The Downturn,” and it looks at some data on how companies are reacting to the economy’s chaos.  One of the key observations is one I really agree with: you need to take care of your existing customers and keep them happy.  I don’t know about you, but I find it much easier to stick by the suppliers that have done right by me no matter what, but during lean times I will not only support them – I’ll go out of my way to give them my business so they do OK.  And I’ll readily drop the vendors that have been lame to me.  There’s more to it in Mike’s article – go check it out.
• I’ve been pleasantly surprised by the positive power of “TripIt” (which I wrote about a while ago).  As my travel has picked up, I’ve been reconnecting with quite a few people I haven’t seen in ages.  I was skeptical about how much I’d like TripIt but was intrigued enough to sign up anyway.  I’m glad I did.

I’ve got a few drafts going that I’ll be finishing up and posting soon – including a review of a forthcoming Keith Ferrazzi book that I have a pre-release copy of.  I think you’ll like it.

Thanks for hanging in there during my time under water.

Do It Tomorrow

Ok, I gotta say, when I saw Mark Forster’s book, “Do It Tomorrow” on the shelf I was drawn to it.  I thought it might be some best practices guide for how to procrastinate more effectively.  Well, it wasn’t that…but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

The full title is actually “Do It Tomorrow and Other Secrets of Time Management,” and it’s Forster’s straight-forward system to help you become more focused and productive (this is one of the GTD alternatives I mentioned a few weeks ago).

One of the core concepts in Forster’s approach is to plan what you must do tomorrow, and create an action list to drive what you do.  This allows you to enter the day knowing what your targets are for the day.  Furthermore, you up your chances of success by treating this list as a “closed list” so you don’t keep adding things to it.  That doesn’t mean you don’t write down new tasks – it just means you don’t act on them until some future day. (Don’t worry – you can still deal with true emergencies).

Principles of productivity

Forster’s methods are based on 7 principles.  If I gave you a list of the principles here, it wouldn’t do them justice as they sound like things you may be familiar with (for example, the first on is “Have a clear vision”) and you might discount the value of this book without giving it a chance.  On the contrary, I found that Forster doesn’t just refactor the things you read in so many books about productivity – he adds his unique spin and pragmatism to each principle.

The book takes you through each of the principles and provides some “what if” scenarios, techniques, affirmations, and exercises to help you adopt them effectively.

These exercises help you identify the most relevant or valuable use of your time based on “litmus tests” you can apply during planning, as well as in-the-moment.  There are also a lot of techniques to help you deal with other people’s faulty approaches to time management so they don’t undermine your effectiveness.  I’ve tried a couple of these techniques since I read this book, and seen them work – pretty cool.  I’m definitely not a Jedi master but Forster’s techniques are sound.

Simple can be good

While some of Forster’s approaches sounded familiar (his explanation of “To Do vs. Will Do" sounded a lot like “Someday Maybe” from David Allen’s Getting Things Done, aka GTD), I found he always biases toward simple approaches.  This means you can quickly understand and apply Forster’s principles so you’ll know whether they work for you within a very short time.

If you’re already familiar with GTD (but shying away for some reason), or you’re just looking to be more productive, this book would be a good addition to your library.  But if you want to order, Do it Tomorrow.

If you want to read a chapter before committing, Mark’s made Chapter One of “Do It Tomorrow” available on his site.

Putting the work in Teamwork

Recently, I've been involved in some discussions about team dynamics in corporate environments. Specifically, discussions about how teams hold each other accountable, remain focused on the "bigger we," and improve the team's ability to work together.

In my career, I've been part of lots of teams - ranging from the criminally dysfunctional to the high-performing. One of the things I've noticed is that the better the team, the better they want to be - and the more they focus on improving team function.

One of the teams I'm on now is working improving team dynamics, and we're preparing for our first meeting soon. This has sent me back to my bookshelf to review my "top 5" books that have made their mark on me in this area.

I'd like to share my short list with you, and invite you to share any gems of your own with me in the comments.

• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
  • This is an easy read with some hard advice. It describes a team engaged in some destructive, disloyal, and counterproductive habits - many of which sound exactly like some of the screwed up teams I've been on. Through the fable in this book, you learn how to do things the right way (or at least in a much better way) with a strong focus on holding each other accountable. Every team can learn from this book.
  • My top takeaway: Focus on results and insist on mutual accountability through constructive conflict.
• The Offsite: A Leadership Challenge Fable
  • I've reviewed The Offsite here before. This one (another fable) focuses on team dynamics but on provides some tools to figure out whether you have a process problem or a leadership (or leader) problem.
  • My top takeaway: Create a unifying purpose and don't let ineffective leaders destroy the team.
• Managing with Aloha
  • This book isn't just about teamwork, but teamwork runs through it. Concepts like "The Daily Five Minutes" are written from the perspective of a manager connecting with their team, but I find this concept - and many others in this book - can be applied to increasing the effectiveness of your relationships with peers / team members. This is another book I've reviewed here.
  • My top takeaway: Effective teams require people to feel respected and valued, even when things aren't going well.
• Silos, Politics, and Turf Wars
  • Well, Patrick Lencioni gets to be on my short list twice (he also wrote the "Five Dysfunctions..." book above). You've probably seen the dynamic in teams where it's always "their" fault, and the easiest way to get ahead is to make the other people in the room look bad (and you usually do that behind their back). This book helps you deal with these bad behaviors and get them out of your team - they have no place in an effective team.
  • My top takeaway: Work toward "the bigger we" and stop the in-fighting. Your business should be focused on collective success in the market, not individual success inside the company walls.
• Why Smart Executives Fail
  • OK, OK. So this isn't a book about teams, but it is a book about leadership and leadership debacles. It's useful, however, for anyone in a leadership position to better recognize their contribution to dysfunction. Remember what you've brought to the party. There is a spot-on summary in this post at Aussie Rules.
  • My top takeaway: If your team is dysfunctional, you are probably part of the problem.

I've read lots of other good books, but found these to by my preferred "must re-visit" list around the topic of team effectiveness.

What books are on your short list?

Loves me some books

The annual "A Love Affair With Books" (ALAWB) is going on this month at Joyful Jubilant Learning. If you're a reader and haven't visited ALAWB yet: what are you waiting for?

Each book is discussed by a different blogger, so you get a ton of different perspectives. Mine went live this week - check out my discussion of "The Red Rubber Ball at Work."

By the way - this year is different than last year. In the past, the books have been mostly business / nonfiction books but a few fictional works have found their way into the mix this year.

Amazon's Kindle 2 Starts A Fire

I've had Amazon's Kindle 2 for the past couple of weeks, and I am really glad I bought one. I thought I'd take some time to share what I've found with you in case you're considering buying one.

First, I'd like to give you some context to better understand where I'm coming from.

• Contrary to my gadget-loving nature I didn't buy the first Kindle (though I was chomping at the bit to pick up version 2).
• This is my first time using an electronic reader, and I've never liked reading long documents (much less books) on a computer.
• I read quite a few books -- typically 4 or more each month, and usually with more than one going at a time (one or more business / non-fiction, one fiction, etc.).
• When I travel, I typically have 3 or 4 books with me which can be heavy and bulky.

The Device

I'll start with my impressions of the device itself. Amazon took a cue from Apple and really paid attention to the "unboxing experience" with the Kindle. The elegantly boxed arrived and I felt like I was opening a gift, rather than just some gadget I ordered. The fit & finish are impressive - this is a sturdy, light device - and it has a nice minimalist feel. The only items you need to carry around are the Kindle itself (about as big a footprint as a Moleskine notebook, but thinner than an iPhone), a USB cable that you use for charging and connecting to your PC, and a USB-to-AC adapter so you can charge via an electrical outlet).

I added Amazon's protective leather cover for the Kindle 2, which about doubles the thickness of the device but gives me peace of mind that it won't get dinged up as I carry the Kindle around. Click the image at right for a larger view of all the gear together.

Obtaining Stuff to Read

One of the things that's been a breeze is buying books for the Kindle. The device is integrated seamlessly with my Amazon account, so I can:

• Buy Kindle books via the Amazon web site, and they show up seconds later on my Kindle 2
• Browse or search for books on the Kindle, order (with automatic billing to my account)

These are the two most common actions, but there are other ways to get content to read, including:

• You can email PDF's and Word docs to yourself and (for a cost of 10 cents) they will be converted and appear on your Kindle a few minutes later. If you are a GTD user, this could be an effective way to bring your "To Read" stack with you without adding bulk to your briefcase. You can also add others to your email "good list" so they can send you documents this way.
• You can subscribe to newspapers (of which there are quite a few) or magazines (there aren't many) from Amazon's Kindle Store.
• You can subscribe to a small number of leading blogs (more are purportedly coming) so you can read your RSS feeds on the go.
• You can get free books via ManyBooks - they have Kindle format versions of many books from Project Gutenberg.
  • ManyBooks has over 20,000 free eBooks available, and a bunch of them are available in Kindle format (.awz files).
  • You can also browse to "mnybks.net" from your Kindle to download from ManyBooks directly on the device.
  • If you download the books to your PC, you have to manually copy them to your Kindle 2 via the USB cable but hey - they're free!

In addition to reading, you can listen to things on the Kindle in a couple of ways:

• Have the Kindle read a book to you in its robot voice (I'm not wild about the voice, but it might be good in some situation I haven't yet encountered).
• Copy MP3's to your Kindle (again, via USB) so you can listen to music or audiobooks on the device. Warning: MP3 files take a lot of space (but Kindle format books do not).

Book prices are reasonable. First, you can download samples of books to decide whether you want them or not. When you buy, most current / hardcover titles cost $10, while older / massmarket paperback books range from free to about $8 (most of the massmarket books I've bought run about $6 or $7).

The best thing? The Kindle weighs the same and takes up the same amount of space no matter how many books you put in it.

OK, So What About the Reading?

Now, let's get into the reason I bought this device: the reading. In short, "wow - this is cool, and better than I expected." You start with a home page that shows you all of the books currently on your Kindle, with a small, graphical indicator of how much you've read. When you find what you want to read, point to it using the joystick and press in on the joystick to select. Boom - the book comes up on the screen and you're ready to read.

The controls on the Kindle 2 are easy to use and you forget about them after a few minutes of reading (you'll mostly use the Previous and Next Page buttons). At any time, you can mark text, add annotations, add a bookmark, or look up a word using the built-in dictionary. You can also switch to another book, and the Kindle 2 will remember where you left off any time you return to a book already in progress. Very nice.

The on-screen reading experience is surprisingly good. I have read for up to 4 hours at a stretch with no eye fatigue, and find I can read faster on the Kindle than I can using a "real" book. I suspect it's because I can adjust the text to a size that's optimal and because the whitespace around the screen makes it easier to focus on the page that's before me.

The annotation tools are handy, too. Since I often review the books I read (or at least the ones I like), I find myself using the highlights a lot and they're a snap to use on the Kindle 2. In the screen shot at the right, you can get an idea of how easy it is to keep track of multiple highlights and annotations - click the pic for a larger view (and please excuse the wonky angle - I didn't get the camera straight).

Net-net on the Kindle 2

Once again, I'm really glad I bought the Kindle 2. If you read a lot, you'll love this device - and I think heavy readers will be able to justify the expensive price much more easily. There are so many things I haven't even mentioned in this review, but hopefully you've heard enough to get an idea whether this device is right for you or not. If you still want one, pick one up a Kindle 2 from Amazon - and happy reading!

And here are my top 5 pros and cons, to wrap things up.

Kindle 2: Top 5 Pros	Kindle 2: Bottom 5 Cons
Excellent, readable screen with adjustable font size	Expensive
Seamless integration with Amazon account	Joystick is a little stubby and harder to use than I'd like
Huge library of current (and older) books available on-demand	Battery and memory are not user-accessible
Very portable form factor, even with charging cable	No ability to password protect the device or its ability to order (though you can disable it via Amazon.com if it's stolen)
Easy bookmarking, highlighting, and annotation	Not enough magazines available for subscription yet

"Outliers" really stands out

I've enjoyed Malcolm Gladwell's books in the past (I thought "The Tipping Point" was excellent, but thought "Blink" was just Ok in comparison). I just finished reading "Outliers" and it is by far my favorite Gladwell book so far (on a side note, it's also the first book I read on the Kindle 2).

In Outliers, Gladwell seeks to understand why some people excel in life. Is it "natural talent and ability?" Is it hard work? Is it luck? Can it be replicated?

Fascinating case studies

The reason I enjoyed this book is that it presents intriguing findings woven into fascinating stories. Some of the topics include a discussion of lots of odd phenomena and stereotypes:

• Is there a "best" time to have been born?
• Are the most successful people those with the highest IQ's?
• Why are so many successful professional hockey players born early in the year?
• Are Asians really better at math? Why or why not?
• Do lower income students tend to do worse, academically, than those from higher income families?
• Why are there so many Jewish lawyers in New York?
• Does ethnicity play into likelihood of plane crashes?
• Why were the Beatles, Bill Gates, and Bill Joy so successful and influential?

The answers to all of these - and more - are covered in this book. Or at least Gladwell's convincing theories are covered!

Engaging reading

Gladwell has perfected the art of drawing you into an intriguing story, then presenting a research-based analysis of why things occurred the way they did, the interactions & influences that were involved, and giving some serious "think about" material.

The best thing about the stories is that they feature real people, including Gladwell's own family. Comparing the opinions, thoughts, and actions with how things turned out can be fascinating - you can see the flaws in some of the thinking, but can also see how you may have made the same flawed decisions if you were immersed in the same situation.

Still not convinced?

I searched this book for a short example I could share in this review to get you jazzed about the book, but they were hard to condense into a paragraph or two. So, here is something to chew on that might get you thinking:

• Gladwell analyzed the 75 wealthiest people in history - starting with Cleopatra and the Pharaohs of ancient times (Bill Gates is #37 on that list, incidentally, when the wealth figures are normalized)
• Fourteen of these 75 are Americans born within 9 years of each other in the mid-nineteenth century - that's almost 20% of the wealthiest people in thousands of years - all born in a historical blink of an eye

Curious how that happened? You'll find out in this book. And it relates to the answers to most of the questions I listed above.

If you haven't done so yet, I recommend you read Outliers - and I'd love to hear whether you enjoyed it as much as I did.

David Allen: Making It All Work

As you may know from my past writing here, I have been a follower of David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD)  methodology for many years.  It’s been a cycle of awesome productivity, interspersed with frustration and thrash.  Why?  I tend to get bored with repetition and systems, even when I see their value and GTD has been no different.  Well, to be fair, it’s been a bit different because I’ve noticed that I am able to stick with GTD much longer than many other processes.  But it’s still a bit of a struggle.

The promise of a book

When I heard about David Allen’s new book, “Making It All Work,” I preordered my copy pretty early.  I was intrigued by its premise (promise?):

“Making It All Work” addresses: How to figure out where you are in life and what you need; How to be your own consultant and the CEO of your life; Moving from hope to trust in decision-making; When not to set goals; Harnessing intuition,spontaneity, and serendipity; And why life is like business and business is like life.

So, now I’ve read the book – did it deliver?

First, this book is not a substitute for the original.  It’s more like a sequel, building on the solid foundation of GTD and extending it with some of the lessons and new perspectives David has learned since his methodology has become a phenomenon.

If you have read the first book, you’ll find some useful thought in this book from David himself, some of which may help clear any stumbling blocks you’ve encountered in your adoption of GTD.

Some of the things I picked up in this book are simply shifts in perspective – like thinking of your lists and notes as “bookmarks” to help you go back to where you were later.  I don’t do anything differently, but I find I’m more likely to “bookmark” with my lists now, and I often treat the bookmarks more like pointers than dissertations (and pointers are quicker, also making it more likely I will do this).

I was pleased to find that there are some new topics and methods in this book.  For example, the section dealing with Capturing has been expanded to include quite a bit of detail on brainstorming, processing, and clarification of what you’ve captured.  This section includes quite a collection of best practices.

A clearer map

David also includes quite a few mind maps that helped me, due to my visual thinking tendencies. There are maps showing how to make more effective lists, become more output-focused in your thinking, better cope with projects and reference materials, and quite a few other areas that often felt mysterious to me during my GTD journey.

There is also some solid material about weekly reviews (which I knew about but certainly haven’t perfected).

All of this converges in the book with the goal of helping you become better at managing your life by becoming better at GTD.  Of course, a book can’t provision good habits and consistent practice.  That’s the tough part.  And that’s where my trouble lives, I realize.

If you’re committed to GTD, you’ll get a lot out of “Making It All Work.”  If you’re new to GTD start with the first GTD book, then pick this one up after you have the basics down.

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Related items:

• My GTD Odyssey - part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4
• Productivity, like crime, requires motive and opportunity
• Speed dating in Outlook

Cracking The Leadership Code

I just finished reading “The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead By,” from Harvard Business Press. In my experience reading these Harvard Business Press books can be hit-or-miss, since some of them can seem a bit dry and theoretical.  For me, The Leadership Code was definitely a hit.

Find the winning formula

The book set out to objectively determine:

1. What percent of effective leadership is basically the same? Are there some common rules that any leader anywhere must master? Is there a recognizable leadership code?
2. If there are common rules that all leaders must master, what are they?

The authors benchmarked a number of high performers and figured out the answers to these questions and collected some fantastic best practices along the way.

Five rules for leaders

There are five “rules” presented in the book, each accompanied by a set of diagnostic tools to help you determine where you and your organization are in relation to the high performers in the study.  Some of the tools focus on your strengths and weaknesses as a leader, while others focus on how functional or dysfunctional your organization may be.

The rules are:

• Rule 1: Shape the Future
• Rule 2: Make Things Happen
• Rule 3: Engage Today’s Talent
• Rule 4: Build the Next Generation
• Rule 5: Invest in Yourself

At this point you may be thinking, “What? Those rules don’t don’t seem very exciting.” 

But don’t let these descriptions fool you – The authors present compelling content about accountability, goal setting, true leadership, staff development, dealing with conflict & alignment, and strengthening your own individual skills.

Some things to think about, and some things to do

Each of the rules is discussed in detail, beginning with the findings from the study and a summary of the key capabilities effective leaders demonstrate for that rule.  After a discussion of the findings, the authors typically move into guidance on how to figure out where your gaps are in relation to the ideals.

For example, there is a “Leadership code self assessment” test to help you figure out your relative strengths and weaknesses in 5 critical areas, which map to the 5 Rules:

1. Strategist
2. Executor
3. Talent Manger
4. Human Capital Developer
5. Personal Proficiency

When you take the assessment, you’ll find you have strengths and weaknesses.  The authors found that effective leaders never scored below average on their weaker disciplines.

After you determine your strengths and weaknesses, how do you exploit your strengths and improve your weaknesses to at least average?  Good news:  the authors do a masterful job of providing practical, actionable advice for each rule.  I think the reason the advice rang true was because much of it comes in the form of stories from the high performers, who provide details on how they tackled shortfalls in each of the areas (including some war stories about when things didn’t go very well. 

The stories from the high performers made the rules feel “real” and helped me understand how these best practices can be applied in the real world.

Crack the Leadership Code

One important message I took away from this is that there are repeatable best practices that can help improve your leadership in any organization.  In other words, if you aspire to become a great leader, there is hope.

The other thing I noted is that the best practices were very congruent with some of the values-based leadership books that have made such an impact on me, like Managing With Aloha, and books I feature in the book list in the left sidebar of my blog.

In short, I highly recommend The Leadership Code.  If you want to find out more, the authors have also provided some resources (free and fee) at their book site.

Get out of your own way at work

I just finished reading one of the best “coach in a book” type of books I’ve read in a very long time.  The book is Mark Goulston’s, “Get Out of Your Own Way at Work...And Help Others Do the Same: Conquer Self-Defeating Behavior on the Job.”

This book provides very clear guidance on 40 different problem areas that can limit your success at work, each covered in a separate chapter.  The topics covered include

• Being Competent but Out of Touch
• Procrastinating
• Being Afraid to Fire People
• Quitting Too Soon
• Not Forgiving
• Expecting Your Boss To Appreciate You

and many more (you can see the entire table of contents which includes all the topics in Amazon’s preview of the book).

Chock full of goodness

Each section provides a clear description of how each of the self-defeating behaviors might manifest itself, some specifics about the “damage” the behavior can cause, great quotes, and many of the sections include stories from Goulston’s research to further illustrate the point.

The things I liked best were:

• “Usable Insight” observations sprinkled into the text (example: “You have more control over trying or quitting than you do over succeeding or failing”).
• The specific, usable “Action Steps” at the end of each of the 40 chapters that provide real (not idealistic or unrealistic) steps you can take to try to improve.

It’s like self-service coaching

I think anyone can benefit from this book.  When I read through all of the sections, I definitely recognized quite a few areas where I could improve and the advice in the book felt just like it was coming from a wise business coach.  Not bad for a book that costs around 10 bucks.

Go check out the topics in the table of contents.  If any of them sound familiar (and you want to improve in any of those areas), then pick up a copy of this book.

You can also find some good information and inspiration at Dr. Mark Goulston’s excellent blog.