Are You Smart Enough to Work at Google?: Trick Questions, Zen-like Riddles, Insanely Difficult Puzzles, and Other Devious Interviewing Techniques You … Know to Get a Job Anywhere in the New Economyby William Poundstone. I picked this up at the local Barnes & Noble and looked at it. Very current and relevant advice for any current or future job seeker. The Kindle and Nook editions will be available January 4th, so I’ll be reading it then.

Thinking, Fast and Slow, by Daniel Kahneman. I recently read a review of this in Scientific American Mind (Jan/Feb issue). I like books that give me an insight to how people think (Like books from Daniel Pink and Dan Ariely). For instance, how the aversion to loss is a greater motivator than the possibility of gain. It’s sure to be an interesting read, if you like to know how people think.

Blah, Blah, Blah: What to do when words don’t work, by Dan Roam. Another book I peeked at while roaming my local B&N Bookseller. This looks like a great resource for speakers on how to make your point with fewer (and more descriptive) words.

Execution: The discipline of getting things doneby Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan. This is one a friend recommended, and I’ve read other titles by Ram Charan. I also read the Executive Summary of the book a while ago, and I especially liked the three building blocks of execution.

These are just a few ideas for books in the coming year. If you have any ideas, or have read any of the books I’ve mentioned, please leave a comment below.

Alan uses a methodical approach to defining the role of a coach, building a foundation of trust and value, developing your skills and marketing yourself as a coach. Of particular interest to me was his defined difference between the mentor and coach.

Alan’s definition of coaching includes a defined goal and an agreed upon definition of success. This includes a finite time limit as well. The concept of “life coach” doesn’t fit this model. Important note: If you want to be a life coach, don’t buy this book.

The best part is the real world questions for topics like defining coaching, qualifying clients, and developing yourself (just to name a few).

A useful definition of Trust – My firm belief that you have my best interests in mind.

Great quote – Requesting help is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. We all need help. Asking for it is a healthy sign.

I could fill a book with all of the wisdom in this book. But, since Alan has already done that, I’m suggesting that you buy his.

Check out www.summitconsulting.com to get some more information, and subscribe to Alan’s newsletter. Go here for the book’s page on Alan’s site.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now (today!) at full price (unless you want to be a “life coach”)
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the gist of it

I always enjoy books that give me insight to how others think. Actually, this gave me insight into how I think too.

Of particular interest to me was the information on Altruism vs. Greed. The fascinating point that was made had to do with how our brain processes these opportunities. For example, say you are a mechanic and a friend says, “I’m flat broke and I need to fix my car. Can you come over and fix it for me?” Even if the labor was worth $1,000, the altruistic part of your brain is activated, and you would likely make a decision to help your friend in need. But, if the same friend offers to pay you $50 for your help, studies have shown that two things happen:

1. The altruism center (there’s a real medical name for it, trust me) shuts off.
2. The Profit minded part of your brain takes over, says “that’s a bad deal”, and you likely turn him down.

Of course, the final decision could have other factors (schedule, “c’mon man” pressure, etc.)

The real point here is how our brains work. It turns out we’re hard wired to evaluate charitable opportunities and profitable ones from totally different points of view.  And activating the profit center has the potential to shut down the charitable part of the brain.

If you’ve ever worked with volunteers, this news can make a huge difference in how you recruit help. (i.e. give rewards after vs. offer rewards up front) This insight was worth the read for me.

There’s more, like another explanation into the $10 experiment I commented on in a previous post. Also, there were numerous references to some interesting and recognizable stories, and how the power to sway someone or group made a difference. I’d give you more specifics, but I don’t want to ruin a good read for you by giving everything away.

Check out their web site for more insights.

If you like to understand how people think, this was a pretty interesting and easy read. Grab it.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now (today!) at full price
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the gist of it

This first person account of the growth of Zappos.com from the years of the IT boom and bust to become a billion dollar business in 2008 was, believe it or not, a page turner. Seriously…I read it all in one evening/night/I should really go to bed now. Tony tells an interesting story with lessons that any company could learn from.

One of his best (i.e. my favorites) comes from the section on what he learned playing poker. His business lessons told from that point of view give a refreshing look at how to be successful in either endeavour. The biggest lesson? The game starts before you sit down: Knowing which table to sit at translates into business as knowing your competition or, as he later describes creating your own table.

In the process, we learn how the purpose he found creating the best customer service translates into delivering your passion, and um…making money. Not a bad lesson all the way around - Profits, Passion, and Purpose.

Check out Deliveringhappiness.com to get some inside information.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now (today!) at full price (although I found it for 50% off at a Borders that was closing)
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the gist of it

In Talent is Overrated, author Geoff Colvin seeks to dispel that myth with some convincing and credible evidence about how the best really get to be the best. This includes an important caveat: Doing something (like your job) for a long time isn’t enough. Simple experience is not enough to be the best. He uses examples from sports and music (i.e. Tiger Woods, Mozarrt and Jerry Rice) since that is where we can see the results of Deliberate Practice from a common point of view, but the references to Warren Buffet and Jack Welch show tht this idea does translate into business as well.

By using the method of Deliberate Practice, anyone (in sports or business) can improve to be world class.

1. It is designed specifically to improve performance.
2. It can be repeated a lot.
3. Feedback on results is continuously available.
4. It’s highly demanding mentally.
5. It isn’t much fun.

Is there a catch? Of course – if it were easy everyone would be doing it. But of course you knew that.

More importantly, the focus of this book isn’t to tell you how to be a great golfer, composer or football player. The central theme is that these same principles can be applied to business life.

You may wonder if practicing your job would be of any value, and Goeff answers that with suggesting three models, the Music model (running through the process to improve it), the Chess model(case studies), and the Sports model (practicing certain skills) for use as templates for Deliberate Practice. He continues by showing where these can be used in our business lives with varying examples.

You may ask yourself, “do I want to do that much work?” That’s a fair question, but remember the times we live in. Any edge you can get can make the difference to getting and staying employed. The tools in this book, if put into Deliberate Practice, could make you more valuable to your current (or future) company.

One final thought: don’t misunderstand the title of this book. People (your boss) still value talent. The point is that talent isn’t born, it’s made. It’s up to you whether or not you want to get there from here.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now at full price (although it’s already in paperback)
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the gist of it

Whether you are a speaker looking for ways to reach your audience or a leader trying to get stuff done, this work will provide you a new way to look at motivation, how it effects us as individuals and leaders and how to use that knowledge for real-world situations.

Based on research originally started in 1949, the author looks at old and new theories of motivation. The goal is to move beyond the older theories that we are not motivated soley by survival (internal) and punishment/incentive (external) factors.

Daniel Pink shows some thought-provoking results to experiments in human motivation. For instance, he shows how increased rewards can actually decrease productivity in problem solving roles. Some of the parallels to overpaid yet under-performing CEOs may not shock you, but these results will help you understand the “why”.

His three elements of motivation – Autonomy, Mastery and Purpose – give excellent examples of how we can tap into self-motivation and avoid incentives that hinder the desired effect on people. Understanding these elements will allow you to properly select techniques for the right circumstances, and how to avoid ones that could have the opposite effect.

This book, simply put, is awesome. I’ve already written two other posts on the subject, and expect to do a few more in the near future. This is a must read.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now (today!) at full price (although you can find it at the local library)
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the jist of it

In this work, the author shows how our decisions aren’t always as rational as we expect them to be. It includes a number of stories about how people react to different conditions that are very relevant to what we all deal with every day, and how those situations aren’t always as rational as you would think.

One experiment looked to see how people feel when doing work that has meaning vs. work that has no value after the fact. It may not surprise you, but even at the same pay and compensation, people are more likely to continue working, even when the pay is less.

Another section talks about our feelings about our ideas, and how our feelings about our ideas may not be just because we came up with them, but because they best fit our perception of the world. One example was about the question, “how to support happiness.” A religious person might prefer an idea including more church involvement, where an atheist might recommend not wasting time with religion and instead focus on diet an exercise. It’s not that either idea is better, but depending on your perception one may make a lot more sense than the other.

This is a well written “make you think” book. The research is interesting and the author clearly shows that the way we feel and act isn’t always intuitive or logical. If you understand what motivates people to act (i.e. meaninful work, ideas that fit their perception, or how putting someone in a calculating state of mind can reduce donations), then you can make better decisions for yourself and in how you deal with others. 

Beware, you may learn that you aren’t as rational as you thought you were.

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now at full price (although I checked it out from my library)
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the jist of it

Seriously, I just received Success Secrets of the Social Media Marketing Superstars by Mitch Meyerson. I’ve been waiting for this book, so rather than wait for Sunday to do a review after I finish reading it, I thought I would clue you in to a great purchase you can make today.

Mitch Meyerson has authored and coauthored a number of great books on marketing, including titles such as Guerrilla Marketing on the Front Lines and World Class Speaking with Craig Valentine. He also certifies Guerrilla Marketing Coaches and works with Craig to certify World Class Speaking Coaches. 

This book is a compilation of chapters from very successful people with specif advice on using Social Media. One chapter (which I read immediately), How to Communicate with Impact Using Social Media, was written by Craig Valentine. Others were written by well know authors and blog experts Chris Garrett, Chris Brogran and Brian Clark. I wrote about Brian’s site, CopyBlogger in a previous post. There is also a chapter by Sham Hyder Kabani, author of The Zen of Social Media Markeing.

With 22 chapters in all, this look like a great resource for using social media. Take a look at the Facebook site for the book launch, you can find some good information from Mitch to see if this book is one you should add to your library.

At the Toastmasters International Convention, I was fortunate to hear and later meet Carolyn Kepcher, founder of workherway.com, star of NBC’s The Apprentice, and author of Carolyn 101 Business Lessons from The Apprentice’s Straight Shooter.

When Carolyn accepted Toastmaster’s Golden Gavel Award at the convention, she gave an amazing, entertaining, and memorable acceptance speech for the award. Because of her presentation, I decided to to purchase and read her book.

I have read a number of business books, and this one is as good as any I’ve read. There were a couple of things that I liked specifically about Carolyn’s style in this book:

1. Captivating stories that lead to usable business lessons, labeled “Carolyn 101“. Such as:
The best team is the team that continues to perform even when the manager is absent.
To get the job, act as if you already work here.
Never use your title as the sole answer to a question.
Not all resources are good ones.

2. Chapters on how to be a good manager and what it takes to be a good employee, including rules for good employees and mistakes to avoid.

3. Interesting stories from her experience working with Donald Trump, including some unique insights to how Trump’s organization works.

Bonus note: How cool is Carolyn? When she came to the President’s Dinner Dance the next night, I caught her just after the dinner and asked if she would make a quick video for me to say “I hope you enjoy the book” to my wife. She said yes without blinking, and when I started to video her, she asked, “Aren’t you going to be in it?” Duh! Of course I did that BFF pose next to her while she said her line to encourage my wife to read the book. Pretty cool…  

Rob’s Rating system (bolded, the rating is)
Buy now at full price (although it’s like six bucks on Amazon now)
Buy if you get a discount
Wait for the paperback (of course, it’s already in paperback)
Wait for someone else to be done with the paperback
If you’ve read my review, you got the jist of it

Side Note: For those of you with the existing manual (I’m working on one myself), I do recommend downloading the New Project Completion Record. It works for the old or new manual and makes it far easier to track the progress than the one in the old manual.

If you are wondering what the hubbub is, read on for a short synopsis of the changes:

1. The Project Completion Record moved to the front of the manual (maybe because it’s important!)

2. Pre-project evaluations are at on a 3-point scale and included in each project

3. The evaluation questions have changed. Now each role has a few questions (typically 3-5) that are rated on a 3-point scale. 3=outstanding, 2=Average, 1=Needs Work. After the scored questions, there are one or two open-ended “how did they do?” types of questions. 

4. The appendix includes additional on-line resources, including links to Manuals, Flyers and Toastmasters Magazine articles. There were some links even new to me (and you know I do my research!)

5. Ummm…they took out the mission of the club. That was odd…

One thing that didn’t change – There had been some feedback that TI should include some “beyond the club” projects to help encourage involvement outside the club (i.e. Area Contests, Conference Presenter, etc.)

I was a bit surprised that one or two of these weren’t added as optional tasks on existing projects. However, not having these doesn’t hurt the manual. There are still plenty of options for improving your skills and supporting your club. In fact, I believe that if every member of every club would open one of these books and work on it, three things would happen:

- Members would learn more about running meetings and activities in their real lives.
- Quality of club meetings would improve, as would member performance (speeches, contests, etc.).
- The number of clubs under 20 members would drop to almost zero.   

Verdict: If you are not currently working on a CL manual, you should be. Either the Current or New manual. If you’ve been holding off waiting for them to “fix” the manual, then you are in luck. It’s teed up to work better than before. Now’s the time…