Overcoming the FIVE Dysfunctions of a Team by Patrick Lencioni

It is called a field guide. Why? Because Patrick Lencioni, who is a CEO of a consulting firm called The Table Group, claims in his introduction that this book will provide managers and team leaders a practical tool for helping implement the concepts of The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. The Five Dysfunctions of a team is stated in his book as absence of trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoidance of accountability and inattention to results. Lencioni uses a story format (or Leadership format as he calls it) in trying to get his point out. He gives personal accounts of how he works with his teams as well as other leader examples (He uses Michael Jordan as an example, Nice). Within the read, you come across passages in story form to give you a better explanation into what he is saying. The book adds a lot of human elements into dealing with management instead of hitting management as x’s and o’s. For example, the book says time does not build trust, it’s courage. An interesting take the book goes into is that they recommend conflict in meetings because the lack of conflict makes meetings boring and boring meetings cause bad decisions. But obviously, he explains later how to resolute the conflicts as well. The book is a very easy read and it also acts as a fun reading text book with a summary like section on the end of each chapter called “Key Points” which goes over the main points of overcoming that dysfunction. I do like the message the book tries to give out especially how you can apply it to any type of team such as sports or even if you were a manger for a small store, the book definitely conveys strong insights in being a good and effective leader.

- Anton Ayson

Starbucked

If you are a passionate coffee lover such as myself, then this is the book for you. I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious about the inner workings of the Starbucks Corporation.

The book talks a lot about the history of coffee in a nutshell. Taylor Clark, the author, offers a lot of interesting information to the uninformed coffee aficionado; he gives some knowledge of where Starbuck’s heavenly coffee originates. From the foundation of the company to the present, “Starbucked” gives readers the history of where the name Starbucks comes from, how the logo was chosen, the look of Starbucks, the consumers, the locations, and the history of the beverages with a particular emphasis on Frappuccino drinks. The book even explains the logic behind why the sizes are called “tall,” “grande,” and “venti.”

People who buy from Starbucks will have a better understanding of what they are partaking in after they give this book a read, and it goes into great detail about just what is the “Starbucks Experience.” The book illustrates that for the price of a cup of coffee consumers get more than just that; they have a chance to enjoy a nice environment, and most customers say that Starbucks is more than just a cup of coffee - it’s a part of their lives.

Overall, this book is a good read, but don’t cite this as your primary source of information on Starbucks. The founders of Starbucks have written books about the company’s history (these are mentioned by Taylor), but “Starbucked” is a good read if you want to have a general knowledge. If you just don’t understand the seemingly magnetic draw people have to Starbucks, Taylor Clark goes into enough detail to give you an idea and he might even make you laugh.

12 Simple Secrets

David Thielen’s The 12 Simple Secrets Of Microsoft Management takes the reader behind the scenes, into the world of Microsoft’s core management strategies to reveal many of the secrets behind the companies unparalleled success. From “Total Market Domination” to “Perform, Perform, Perform”, Thielen explains Microsoft’s management principals, and offers up practical examples of how to implement them into any business. The 12 Simple Secrets of Microsoft Management is a quick read that could change the way we think about management.

Review By
Gregg Rosenblum

Cash Management; Making your business cash-rich...without breaking the bank. By Tony Dalton

Dalton’s Cash Management is wealth of knowledge for the everyday small business owner. If you are looking to increase the cash of your business now, Dalton’s book is for you. He gives you simple solutions that can bring money into your business without going to the bank. This is not a textbook that gives you solutions based on numbers and theories but more of a handbook that shows you the pros and cons of each step of the way from a more personal approach. Dalton offers first hand experience in owning small businesses as he owns several and gives you an insider take on small business management.

One thing that I enjoyed very much in this book that helped me understand certain aspects of business practice is the real life experience and the real world application he reveals. For example, when reading about assets, I had a hard time understanding the intangible value of intellectual property, copyrights, and patents, until he applied it to tech companies. By asking which is more valuable, the chips that Intel produces or the intellectual property that created them? Obviously the intellectual property because without the method their would be no product. That question put things in perspective for me and helped me understand that even though I can not chart the value of patents, copyrights, and so on, they are still very profitable to my business and can increase the value of it.

Dalton’s book is perfect for you if you are a small business owner looking to increase your cash-flow and do not have time to take a class or read a large textbook. His real world applications and personal experience will help you understand each chapter and help you run your small business more effectively.

By Adrian Janowicz

THE 4-HOUR WORKWEEK; customer service, organizational behavior, motivational.

Can you believe that the author, Timothy Ferriss, would title his book The 4-Hour Workweek? (published in 2007). Afterall, I learned in my JOURNALISM 200 class freshman year at San Francisco State University that it was grammatically inncorrect to print digits 0-9 in its numbered form on paper; but rather you are supposed to spell-out digits 0-9. So, technically, the book should be titled "The Four-Hour Workweek," if it were to be grammatically correct. Fortunately, I don't personally care about 'correctness' and niethier does the author.
Ferriss does the opposite in his book. He doesn't just write differently, he explains in his book how to make money and manage your lifesyle differently, both financially and personally, in a way that corrects exisiting conventions on how to do so. Ferriss is about efficiency, but stresses the importance of being effective with what you WANT to do. He makes money and lives his life the OPPOSITE way, and encourages and explains to his readers the possibility of doing so immediately. Not tomorrow, not next week, but Now! Ferriss organizes his his book into 4 (OOPS! I meant four, see...) sections, which explain in clear detail how to live your life as THE NEW RICH (NR). The NR abandon the deferred-life plan of working the arbitray " 9 to 5, " which produces less rather than more ambiguous results, and then retiring when you're exhausted and old, only to vacation at some second-rate resort still drowing in debt and cheap scotch. Many people fear living this unfullfilling and boring reality of 'work for work,' but Ferriss and the NR create luxury lifestyles in the present using the currency of TIME and MOBILITY to get what you want, where you want, when you want. Sounds like a dream? That's the point.

Doing what you want, where you want, and how you want is a possibilty that Ferriss makes clear and POSSIBLE, and Ferriss demonstrates that if he could become a serial entrepreneur and ultravagabond, speak six languages, run a multinational firm from wireless locations worldwide, become a national champion in Chinese kickboxing, and an actor on a hot television series in Hong Kong, all at the age of thirty years old--THEN YOU CAN TOO. And, Ferriss does show the reader how to 'accomplish it all' doing anything, just like he did, by providing resources and activities to perform and practice both in the book and on the Web. If you buy the book, Ferriss gives the reader access to his online website, http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/, which has additional activities, resources, an extensive glossary, and BONUS CHAPTERS that can be used to reference as you become NR.

Life doesn't have to be so damn difficult! I recommend this book to anyone. It's a quick read (about 300 pages), packed with a lifetime of useful information and resources. Pick up Ferriss's book, and start finding out for yourself--What work and life management means and is supposed to be!

In debt,

Frank Nappi

"IT'S SUPPOSED TO BUBBLE. FUCK YOU AND YOUR PUSSY BITCH"-PIMP C

The One Minute Manager - Highly Recommended!

The One Minute Manager by Ken Blanchard and Spencer Johnson, is a quick and easy read for people interested in simple and basic management skills. It provides insightful information for those interested in practical management techniques. Originally published in 1982, The One Minute Manager has become an "international sensation" as companies and small businesses around the globe have used it to increase productivity and overall job satisfaction. Short and concise, with simple lessons and motivational suggestions, such as "Help people reach their full potential...Catch them doing something right" while applying the one minute praise technique, has helped many people (including myself) in management as well as in their daily lives.
When I first picked up this book, I was attracted to its small size and simple format. On the cover it said "The All-Time #1 Bestseller on Managing Your Work and Life". I figured it had to have some useful information in it to be able to claim itself as the "World's Most Popular Management Method." After opening the cover, I noticed all the testimonials from various companies, which gave it credibility (in my mind), so I decided to buy the book and write my own review. Inside the book, suggested one minute praisings, one minute reprimands and one minute goals (known as the 3 secrets) to it's readers. In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed reading its content and have made an effort in using its advice.
It's no wonder why this book has become a business classic. I give it two thumbs up!