I picked up Jack Stahl's "Lessons on Leadership" a while back, and was curious about whether it held anything for me. Why? In spite of the old axiom to "never judge a book by its cover," I got a little judgemental on this one. After all, Jack used to be CEO of Coca Cola and Revlon, so he must have big, bureaucratic ideas about how to be a leader, right? My procrastination genes kicked in for a while.

A few weeks later, I tossed this book into my bag, boarded a plane, and started reading it. I must admit - I misjudged this book, for sure. In fact, I think Stahl's experience in bigger, stodgier companies actually pushed him to go back to first principles, and figure out the basic skills and techniques required to lead in any size environment.

In this book, Stahl presents 7 "Frameworks" to provide perspective and guidance on dealing with 7 key aspects of a business. The Frameworks are:

1. Leadership and Management
2. Creating a High-Capability Organization
3. Developing People
4. Brand Positioning with Consumers
5. Customer Relationship Management
6. Financial Strategy Management
7. Influencing People

Some of these, such as Branding, bring out areas that are often overlooked by people in smaller companies. After all, weaving key principles of branding into your plans when you're small can really pay off if your company grows.

In each and every one of these sections, I found nuggets of wisdom I could apply to my current company, and ideas that could have helped me in a number of past situations. Part of the power of the book is that Stahl illustrates many of his points with real world situations - both good and bad. A small example of leading from the front / walking the talk:

The book is full of object lessons from Stahl's experiences, most of which apply to large and small businesses. For example, consider the story above - if you're a sole proprietor:

• What are the details that will make the most difference in your accessibility to your customers?
• What details will set you apart from the competition?
• What consistent, persistent things do you want to be "known for?"
• And, what can you do - day in and day out - to create that bond with your customers?

Likewise, if you're an employer of others, what messages do your day-to-day actions send to your staff?

I enjoyed this book, and I think you will too. Scan the 7 Frameworks above and see if any of them need brushing up in your work. [And don't judge a book by its cover!]

I recently had the pleasure of reading Gretchen Rubin's book, "Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill: A Brief Account of a Long Life." This book offers a fascinating, intriguing way to present biographical information about Churchill.

Each of Gretchen's forty chapters takes a different aspect of Churchill's life and legacy, and presents it from a distinct perspective. In some chapters, the information is presented as a skeptical or critical observer might present it. In others, the information is presented through the lense of an admiring fan. And, in others, in an objective, "Just the facts, ma'am" kind of way.

The result is wonderful.

I didn't know a great deal about Churchill before I read this book though I felt a sense of respect for him from all of the historical accounts I've read about World War II. After reading this book,

• I now know a great deal about his formative years (childhood and early adulthood) which I found to be both sad and inspiring.
• I learned that he could quickly transition from boorish to inspiring -- and sometimes both impressions could be achieved by the same speech, depending on the listener's bias.
• I discovered that Churchill himself was a prolific author and Pulitzer prize winner.
• I learned that he was adept at creating feelings and changing perceptions (even recasting past events to reshape them into idealistic accounts).
• And I learned about many scandals, spectacular failures & embarrassments, and the world-changing triumphs in this great man's life.

And these simple bullet points don't do any of these things justice. But the book does. I recommend this book to anyone who's looking for a creative, enjoyable reading journey about the fascinating historical figure of Winston Churchill.