Editorial Review

Disciplines like strategy, leadership development, and innovation are the sexier aspects of being at the helm of a successful business; actually getting things done never seems quite as glamorous. But as Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan demonstrate in Read more

Reviews (184)

Rudimentary
Do not expect much of an wisdom here. The book has enough material for maybe a one page pamphlet. The rest is war stories without beginnings or endings.
The authors didn't execute.
Funny that a book about execution doesn't get it accomplish. The authors have a lot of experience and I am sure are good at leading and executing. However, the book does not get to the point. The authors ramble about their managing experience and almost 300 pages to transmit few ideas.

Corporate burocrasy uncovered
I must say for the fairness of this review that my expetations were founded into practical personal advice on how to execute one you had your objective in mind.
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Subjects:  1. Achievement motivation    2. Business & Economics    3. Business / Economics / Finance    4. Business/Economics    5. Executive Management    6. Management    7. Management - General    8. Motivation (Psychology)    9. Operations Research    10. Organizational Behavior    11. Performance    12. Business & Economics / Management    13. Business & Management   

Editorial Review

Here's another management parable that draws its lesson from an unlikely source--this time it's the fun-loving fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Market. In Read more

Reviews (186)

Great Book!!
This is a great book and a good philosophy on work and life in general! It is a quick read and very much so worth the time to check it out!

A delightful and insightful reading material
It's an easy to read book, simple and yet insightful. The Fish Philosophy does not only apply to one's workplace but also to how a person chooses to approach life in general.

A great place to start
Stories make for wonderful teaching tools. FISH, based on the famed Pikes Fish Market, presents a compelling argument why every company needs to incorporate passion and fun into what it puts out. I would also recommend Get Weird by John Puetz. Good work, as long as you incorporate the ideas and don't abandon them 30 days from now. Otherwise, it becomes another addition to the Flavor of the Month slush pile. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Customer relations    5. Customer services    6. Employee motivation    7. Human Resources & Personnel Management    8. Leadership    9. Motivation    10. Motivational    11. Business & Economics / Motivational    12. Office & workplace    13. Reading Group Guide   

Reviews (15)

Student review
My writing has improved 200% because of the information presented in this book.I am a junior marketing major at Northern Illinois University.This text is enjoyable to read with great visuals and equally interesting real- world examples.I will definitely keep this book.The skills learned from this book will guide me in my career for years to come.Thank you for writing this book and to my professor for choosing this book.

TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!
never received book, still havent to this day, ordered it over a month ago... dont trust this guy!!!

BUSINESS WRITING INSTRUCTION TAKES QUANTUM LEAP!
As a college business communication instructor and corporate writing consultant of 20+ years, I feel my career is about to take a quantum leap forward with my discovery of this magnificent compendium of materials.Mary Ellen Guffey has done ALL the hard work!Juicy, readable text:done.Riveting "inside" information on cool corporations:done.Web-based support?Manuals?PowerPoints?Videos?Done.Fresh writing prompts, some packaged with the research already done?Done.With my old text, I've been drowning in an attempt to supplement and update and enrich the dated material enough to keep it relevant and arresting.Now I'm finding that I have plenty of time to interact with students over their own writing and presentations.I've always felt one-on-one and small-group interaction to be a huge part of my mission as a classroom teacher.Thanks to Mary Ellen Guffey, I'm able to do more of it, while spending less time overall on take-home work.Thank you, Mary Ellen, from the trenches--not just for a marvelous tool, but for a whole toolbox full of them. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Communication - General    4. Business English    5. Business Writing    6. Business communication    7. Business/Economics    8. Communication In Business    9. English language    10. Written Communication In Business    11. Business & Economics / Business Communication    12. Business communication & presentation   

Reviews (76)

95% of us need this book
The successful companies are not afraid to confront the problem when it arises and discuss it rationally.
Great pairing Amazon!
When I read "Crucial Conversations" I found myself tearing through it in long spurts, driven by an intense interest in the authors' discussion of how we handle those tough circumstances life throws our way. It makes the case that we all need to understand our style for handling the inevitable duress of a difficult conversation, and they complement theories with excellent, actionable strategies that work well in the real world.
Excellent roadmap
This book is not your everyday self help book.It provides a fail-safe roadmap for tough communications.
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Subjects:  1. Business Communication - General    2. Communication    3. General    4. Interpersonal Communication    5. Interpersonal Relations    6. Psychology    7. Self-Help    8. Business & Economics / Business Communication    9. Popular psychology    10. Conversation   

Editorial Review

This grandfather of all people-skills books was first published in 1937. It was an overnight hit, eventually selling 15 million copies. Read more

Reviews (434)

Outstanding!
Dale Carnegie is one of the authors I have admired for so long. There are numerous reasons why this book is a classic one. He deeply believes that in every person there is good and you can approach it. Of course, there are many negative people who don't like this book because they see everything in black and white. Carnegie on the other side advocates a really delicate, positive and humane approach to everyone around you. It comes very close to "treat the others as you want them to treat you". I am sure that if everyone read and apply the principles in this wonderful book, the world will be a better place. I am sure that you will be pleased as well with his talent to really understand what drives people. Some of the key and basic motivators he discussed are sex and being important. His viewpoint is very close to the one of the bestselling author of scientfically guaranteed male multiple orgasms and ultimate sex. After all genius things are usually simple. Carnegie explores the human nature and common hot buttons together with the reader and gives you tools to manage and push them at your will with the help of numerous examples. I liked that the book is practical, easy and fun to read, and most of all that it delivers great value. I can not say the same for many other books. Definitely get a copy especially if you are a "good" person and prefer to treat people with respect and dignity.

If only...
If everyone in the world read this book just once, it would be such a more enjoyable place to live in...

Classic of Self Help Genre
This book may be the one that Created the genre.And what was true then is just as true today.One of the loveliest parts about this book are the stories and anecdotes from the time when it was written.It was a simpler time back then.And the people faced such different dilemas than we do today.Yet, the more things change, the more things stay the same.The humanity of this books comes through loud and clear. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business Communication - General    3. Business/Economics    4. Careers - General    5. Interpersonal Relations    6. Personal Growth - Success    7. Psychology    8. Psychology, Applied    9. Success    10. Self-Help & Practical Interests    11. Self-Help / General   

Reviews (9)

Help is on the way!
As a reading coach and future administrator, I found this book extremely helpful. The activities that are included for each of the 5 dysfunctions are very useful and vary from touchy-feely to down-to-business. I've already used some of them on a particularly dysfunctional team and the team is starting to evolve. This is a great tool!

How to get the most from a team
Having read Lenconi's first book, a parable titled "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team", I was curious about this follow up title.I believe this book is better than the original title because it provides practical solutions.Lenconi recommends disclosure of a childhood vulnerability that you overcame as a starting point for building trust.Overcoming self interest by keeping common goals visible to the team is also recommended.I highly recommend this book along with Optimal Thinking: How To Be Your Best Self (to teach teams how to consistently maximize situations) and Winning (to teach leaders how to put principles into practice).

A Review by Dirk Davis
Lencioni begins the discussion concerning overcoming the five dysfunctions of a team by asking two questions that should be asked BEFORE any team building effort:
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Development - Business Development    5. Management    6. Management - General    7. Management - Teams    8. Organization Development    9. Teams in the workplace    10. Business & Economics / Management    11. Management & management techniques   

Editorial Review

Once again using an astutely written fictional tale to unambiguously but painlessly deliver some hard truths about critical business procedures, Patrick Lencioni targets group behavior in the final entry of his trilogy of corporate fables. And like those preceding it, Read more

Reviews (124)

Amazing Insight!
This book was required reading at our office and at the time I wondered why, after all we had a great team! After taking the assessment test I realized we had lots of room to improve! The story was a quick and easy read but very effective. We implemented many of the ideas in the book and work much more effectively today than we did a year ago. Thanks for a great book!

Excellent
This book is loaded with information, well-written, entertaining, and quick reading.
The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable
Excellent, engaging, easy to read and understand. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Decision Making & Problem Solving    5. Leadership    6. Management - Teams    7. Teams in the workplace    8. Business & Economics / Leadership    9. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (24)

Best Reference Book!
I've used the "Gregg" (as we refer to it in the office) for the past 7 years, and it's the only reference manual for grammar and punctuation that I need.I can find everything in this book!I love it!

Gregg Reference Manual is a Must Have!
My staff already had a Gregg Reference Manual, but they use it heavily and we obviously needed another copy so that one would always be available. Keeping in mind the manual's value to staff, I ordered two more, rather than one. It's our GO-TO reference. The final word!

Fantastic reference guide
This is my first book of English grammer and writing since I used Wren and Martin in school.I would recommend it to everyone who is even remotely interested in improving their writing skills.It covers many different aspect of writing and punctuation and the cross referencing is solid.I think this book will occupy prime spot in my library for many years to come. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business Communication - General    3. Business English    4. Business/Economics    5. English language    6. Grammar    7. Handbooks, manuals, etc    8. Reference    9. Transcription    10. Writing Skills    11. Business & Economics / Business Communication    12. Business communication & presentation    13. Computer Software Packages   

Reviews (55)

Disappointing
I was thinking negative thoughts waiting for the book to advise me on positive thoughts.

Encouragement is Like Miracle-Gro for Relationships
I have long been a proponent of encouragement as a means to build healthy, strong relationships and promote growth. This book offers a concrete plan for making that happen. I have observed people moved to tears by a little appreciation. People are starving for love and appreciation. Don't let the people in your life suffer any longer.

Good Service
I ordered this book on Friday August 25th at 4:53 p.m.
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Subjects:  1. Applied Psychology    2. Interpersonal relations    3. Motivational    4. Negativism    5. Optimism    6. Personal Growth - Happiness    7. Personal Growth - Success    8. Psychology    9. Social Interaction    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Sociology - General    13. Advice on careers & achieving success    14. Business & Economics / Management    15. Popular psychology    16. Management    17. Workplace Culture   

Reviews (42)

Good but over-rated
Good but it could be much better. The selection of books on this topic is poor to begin with. But this happens to be one of the best in that underserved category.
A Refreshing Approach to Presentations
I ran across this book while researching a college workshop on perfecting presentation, dealing with public speaking and effective use of PowerPoint. As one who has suffered through numerous electronic slides that did little or nothing to augment the speaker's efforts, I was delighted to see this fresh and innovative approach. I believe this process works best, however, when one's speech is primarily persuasive in nature. Although these ideas helped me set up a strong introduction and conclusion, in a recent lecture I resorted to bullet points for the material I felt the students had to master. Perhaps as I get more used to Atkinson's technique, I'll better about using it in lecture. However, the business applications seem quite worthwhile. My students' workshop presentations that used his techniques were highly engaging. I highly recommend this book and the supporting web site.

Powerpoint Presentations that POP
If you do any kind of powerpoint presentations, this book is a must read.It provides insight into why you don't want to have your audience reading while you are presenting.It also provides you options and resources to make your presentations better, more informative and credible. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business Software - MSOffice    2. Business Software - Powerpoint    3. Business presentations    4. Computer Books: General    5. Computer Graphics    6. Computer Graphics - General    7. Computer programs    8. Computers    9. Computers - Accounting Packages    10. Graphic methods    11. Microcomputer Communication Software    12. Multimedia systems in business presentations    13. Presentation Software    14. Computers / General   

Editorial Review

With first-chapter allusions to martial arts, "flow," "mind like water," and other concepts borrowed from the East (and usually mangled), you'd almost think this self-helper from David Allen should have been called

Reviews (236)

Lots of good ideas, but not the whole story
I've been trying to organize my life for over 20 years, and have read innumerable books on the subject. While each one has offered something to add to the puzzle, none of them has told the whole story.
Great book
This book totally helped me out.Great book.I use a plugin for Gmail on Firefox called GTD that integrates these concepts into my email and my productivity has gone through the roof.Awesome book.

This book has made me a lot of money
I got a very valuable piece of advice from this book:
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - Health/Stress    4. Labor Productivity    5. Personal Growth - Self-Esteem    6. Self-Help    7. Time Management    8. Business & Economics / Time Management   

Editorial Review

Using the story/parable format so popular these days, Read more

Reviews (123)

Helpful Insight
I've been on a leadership book kick lately, and this is one of my all-time favorites. It's short, easy to read, and is one of the best explanations of cognitive dissonance for the layman I've ever seen. It doesn't work for everybody though - some people are turned off by the "fable" format and simple writing style. I still find it very helpful, and it's the kind of book that can have a dramatic impact on some of its readers. It certainly does a good job of making the point that by focusing on our own behavior we can make any situation better.

Not About Leadership
This book is not really about leadership.It is about being nice to people.And remember, any problem you have with another person in life is your fault.So, apologize, start over, and be nice.

Leadership and Self-Deception
This is an excellent resource on dealing with conflict, in the business world or in family life.The authors present their ideas in a story format that is very easy to read.I would recomment this book to anyone, we all need the lessons taught in this book. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Careers - General    5. Economics - General    6. Leadership    7. Organizational Behavior    8. BUSINESS & ECONOMICS / Leadership   

Reviews (19)

Do The Right Thing Because It Is The Right Thing: Long-winded, Short on Substance
"Moral Intelligence: Enhancing Business Performance and Leadership Success" by Doug Lennick has a simple premise. Once you get that premise, the rest is about internalizing it, and living it out when the moral challenge presents itself.
Superb
In business or financial circles, morality and ethics has frequently been thought of as weakness, as something that while noble will not assist in the generation of profits. Further, those who practice it can easily be taken advantage of by competitors. A business run by moral agents will not be able to survive the vicissitudes of the marketplace. It takes cunning and an instinct for the jugular, so the argument goes, to create and maintain a successful business.Another view is that a businessperson who claims to be moral or ethical is either posing as such in order to take advantage of someone or some situation. In this view, morality and ethics are then tools of manipulation and power, a view that is, ironically, not far from that of those political philosophers, such as Karl Marx, who criticize capitalism vociferously.
Good Concept, Treatment OK
Having read a number of books brought to us by Wharton Publishing, this one was a bit disappointing. Wharton has high standards for its business books, requiring them to be relevant, timely, empirically based, conceptually sound, and implementable in real decision settings. While this book does meet those criteria, I felt the concentration on the moral intelligence topic was diluted by what I perceived to be over-attention to emotional intelligence. I didn't feel the strength and focus I anticipated, particularly given my high expectations of Wharton books.
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Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Ethics    4. Business/Economics    5. Leadership    6. Leadership In Business    7. Moral and ethical aspects    8. Success in business    9. Business & Economics / Leadership    10. Management & management techniques   

Reviews (58)

Highly readable, useful, and even inspiring
What happens when an organization needs to change (if it hopes to be successful in the future) but hasn't put much thought into what the process of change itself looks like?More than likely: failure.
Read it too late
This book is excellent for anyone going through or planning to make changes in any organization. The material is straight forward, concise, and right on target. I only wish I had read this book last year before attempting to make major changes in our organization

Very Helpful
I would recommend this book to any manager who is currently leading an organizational change effort. It's very practical. Kotter's Eight Steps are easy to follow. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business/Economics    4. Entrepreneurship    5. Industrial organization    6. Leadership    7. Leadership In Business    8. Organization Development    9. Organizational change    10. Strategic planning    11. Structural Adjustment    12. Business strategy    13. Organizational theory & behaviour   

Reviews (19)

The Power Of Nice:How To Conquer The Business World With Kindness
This is a wise and meaningful book. It's full of examples where niceness makes an active difference in high pressure business envoronments. There's alot to be learned from it and, nicely, they've made it fun to read.

Great book , short and sweet
I received this book as part of a [...]. It took me about an hour and a half to read the whole book. It is a great book, very simply and succintly written. The ideas presented are some that we were always taught in school but probably failed to follow somewhere along the way. It teaches us to be good to others , even if they are our enemies, because what goes around , comes around. If you do good to others , it will come back to you. The nice cubes are especially helpful. I have noticed that I do make a conscious effort on my part every day to be good to others at work and at home even if I dont have to. It makes my day go better :)
Good book, Poor cover
Stuck in LA . Flight delayed,Desperate for a short but useful book. The last book I wouldnormally pick is one with a smiley face. Glad I did. The book's Big Idea: we are all connected and when we do one nice thing it spreads and rebounds---in often very unexpected ways---to our benefit. Useful examples on howhelping supposed enemies is often good business; insightful ideas on treating today's adversaries like tomorrow's allies; unconvential tactics on moving your frames from "no" to "yes".By the time the flight was ready to board, the book read through---a lot wiser. What they say about books and their covers, so true. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - General    4. Business/Economics    5. General    6. Industrial Psychology    7. Leadership    8. Leadership In Business    9. Management - General    10. Psychological aspects    11. Success    12. Business & Economics / General   

Editorial Review

Change can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your perspective. The message of Read more

Reviews (1348)

Find out what type of person you are when confronted with change.
This book can identify to all categories of people and how they react to change.I think at some point I have played all roles when someone has moved my cheese.I think I should read this book on an annual basis to remind myself of which mouse I would like to be.

Confrontational, enlightening but too simple
This book uses two mice and two little people who look like mice to make a serious point.How do you respond to change?In Who Moved My Cheese?, we see those who immediately seek a new viable option, those who move forward only when a situation is life threatening, and those who refuse to budge.Isn't this what we see in everyday life?My biggest concern about this book is that the question provided to deal with the fear that stops us from moving forward is "What would I do if I wasn't afraid?" This is an example of repressive coping, and does not deal with the reason for the fear, and does not resolve the fear.To learn how to best deal with troublesome feelings that stop us from making the most of our lives,I recommend Optimal Thinking: How to Be Your Best Self.I recommend each of these books.

A good slap in the face!
This book is an excellent quick read for everyone.The analogies utilized remind people how to properly, and improperly deal with change and are superb.
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Subjects:  1. Adjustment (Psychology)    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Life - General    4. Change (Psychology)    5. Personal Growth - General    6. Personal Growth - Success    7. Self-Help    8. Stress Management    9. Advice on careers & achieving success    10. Self-Help / Success