Wellington City Libraries’ Business Blog

The 2020 workplace : how innovative companies attract, develop, and keep tomorrow’s employees today / Jeanne C. Meister and Karie Willyerd.
The 2020 Workplace,” written by Jeanne Meister and Karie Willyerd, explores the lightning-fast changes occurring in the workplace now and over the next ten years. The book forecasts what managers, leaders, and executives need to know to ensure their business is ready for these changes. Meister and Willyerd skillfully present fascinating stories that provide examples of how people across generations and geographies are using technology, such as the social web, to get their work done. New ideas about management, collaboration, communication, and fostering creativity are presented with practical tips and tricks on how to evolve your organization to be prepared for tomorrow’s talent today” (Amazon reviewer)

Built to sell : creating a business that can thrive without you / John Warrillow.
“Essential reading for small business owners….Navigating small business growth requires a steady hand – it is ever so easy to get distracted and drift off course. John’s book is a highly readable story packed with lessons and strategies that can be implemented immediately. It has provided me a lens through which I now view every decision and opportunity, and thanks to John my business is more focused than ever. I recommend it to every business owner I meet”. (Amazon reviewer)

Business leadership in China : how to blend best Western practice with Chinese wisdom / Frank T. Gallo.
“As a Chinese cross-cultural business consultant and a former general manager of China operations, I have a recommended reading list of dozens of books and other materials. But I can tell you that this is the BEST book I have read on China in a decade. The Chinese have a word “Wu”, which means “insightful to the core” or “soulful deep understanding” of a matter. The author/professor/CEO, Frank Gallo, certainly has the “Wu” of both the Chinese culture in general and the business culture in specific. Any Western business leader in China who wants to succeed and any Chinese business leader who wants to work successfully with Westerners, or anyone who wants to do business with China, will benefit enormously by reading this book!” (Amazon reviewer)

Conversations for change : 12 ways to say it right when it matters most / Shawn Kent Hayashi.
“RICH IN HIGHLY INFORMATIVE CONTENT! ONE OF THE VERY BEST BOOKS ON THIS SUBJECT Awareness, emotional intelligence, motivators (what others want us to talk about) and communication styles (how people approach communication) are the foundations for every conversation. The author identifies how to reach your desired goals/outcomes, advancing your career and gaining strength as a leader through becoming masterful in the 12 most important types of conversations in business and life in general.” (Amazon reviewer)

Creative strategies : idea management for marketing, advertising, media and design / Mario Pricken.
“Key creative strategies behind the world’s greatest campaigns for anyone working in advertising, marketing, design, and communication.” (Syndetics summary)

Credibility : how leaders gain and lose it, why people demand it / James M. Kouzes, Barry Z. Posner.
“Authors and great teachers Kouzes and Posner have once again contributed some valuable lessons for aspiring leaders. In this book, they let us know know, with complete certainly, what followers look for in leaders, and what leaders must do to earn and maintain productive and committed followers. This book is research-based and so very practical. Readers will understand why credibility is crucial for leadership, and even more importantly, they will be provided with clear directions about the work a leader must do to achieve lasting credibility. Chock full of rich, relevant examples, Credibility is already one of those timeless resources which every leader will continue to refer to often.” (Amazon reviewer)

Escape velocity : free your company’s future from the pull of the past / Geoffrey A. Moore.
“Escape Velocity by Geoffrey Moore addresses the fundamental issue of driving deep innovation and value realization in your company not by some new silver bullet but by the hard work required to free your company’s future from its past. Moore’s central premise in this well written, actionable and highly recommended book, is that companies have a structural bias for investing in things today that cause it to starve out the new products and services that will generate growth in the next 2 -3 years…Moore is a well-established innovator, thinker and marketing expert in the Silicon Valley. His prior books like Crossing the Chasm, Dealing with Darwin, etc. are foundational in the tech industry. This book leverages these prior works, but it does not require you to have read them”. (Amazon reviewer)

Likeable social media : how to delight your customers, create an irresistible brand, and be generally amazing on facebook (& other social networks) / by Dave Kerpen.
“Like everyone else who’s given this book a 5-star rating right here on Amazon.com, I found this book to be extremely LIKEABLE!… Dave Kerpen, the author, provides an engaging and enlightening read from beginning to end. His anecdotal stories bring his subject to life. His knowledge of Social Marketing makes this breakthrough book stand way above the crowd. Read it, and you’ll soon discover how important and lucrative the insights and ideas in LIKEABLE can be for you and your business.” (Amazon reviewer)

The mindful international manager : how to work effectively across cultures / Jeremy Comfort and Peter Franklin.
“Focusing on intercultural communication in a business setting, this handbook (accessible to nonnative English speakers) includes guidelines for a variety of scenarios such as resolving conflict between people from more individualistic versus collective societies. Questions to consider are included at the end of each chapter with possible answers in the back. Comfort, founder of York Associates, is the creator of a set of training materials called “Developing People Internationally” that are the basis for this book. Franklin teaches at Konstanz U. of Applied Sciences. A glossary, intended for readers for whom English is a second language, is included. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)” (Syndetics summary)

The old rules of marketing are dead : 6 new rules to reinvent your brand & reignite your business / Timothy R. Pearson.“The Six New Rules Tim Pearson discussed here are the points that will guide your company through the new era of social media, and economic turbulence. It is no longer enough to simply advertise, customers today are looking for much more in the brands they invest in. Companies who have more to offer more than just a good price are in high demand. Today’s consumer is looking for a genuine connection and experience when purchasing, as well as transparency, and honesty in those they do business with.” (Amazon reviewer)

Sharing hidden know-how : how managers solve thorny problems with the knowledge jam / Katrina B. Pugh.
“Kate’s voice rings through this book loud and clear – if you haven’t come across her before, this gives you a good sense of her style….The central thesis of the book is that most modes of “knowledge sharing” in organizations are broken and that the Knowledge Jam should be able to remedy the issues that Kate sees. These issues are that there are knowledge blind spots, knowledge mismatches, and knowledge jails. The blind spots are places where one part of the organization has knowledge that could help another, but no one knows that the other exists. Mismatches are places where a successful connection might have been made, but then the conversion into the new context is not made or not made at the appropriate time. And finally, jails are knowledge stores that are created (documents, repositories) but which no one bothers to use or reference because they make no sense out of context…The Knowledge Jam idea addresses these three problems with three specific elements: facilitation, conversation and translation”. (Amazon reviewer)

Sun Tzu for women : the art of war for winning in business / Becky Sheetz-Runkle.
“Through her book, Becky has done a great service by making the wisdom of Sun Tzu’s Art of War more accessible and pertinent to women. Her book conveys these ideas clearly and they are brought to life both through Sun Tzu’s quotations and powerful examples of successful women. Sun Tzu for Women is a valuable and unique addition to study and application of Sun Tzu’s Art of War to today’s business and I highly recommend it!” (Amazon reviewer)

This is a list of the books which have impressed him recently.   Of these the Wellington City Libraries hold

The master switch : the rise and fall of information empires / Tim Wu., 

 I’m feeling lucky : the confessions of Google employee number 59 / Douglas Edwards.

and The consuming instinct : what juicy burgers, Ferraris, pornography, and gift giving reveal about human nature / Gad Saad.

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We also have on order Better angels of our nature: why violence has declined
“Drawing on a wealth of data and multidisciplinary research, Pinker (psychology, Harvard; The Blank Slate: The Modern Denial of Human Nature) reaches the highly counterintuitive conclusion that we may be living in the most peaceful era in history. He defines violence broadly to include acts ranging from war, crime, and torture to bullying, battering, and abortion. The book is organized around six historical periods from prehistory to the post-World War II “Rights Revolution.” The author explores the neurobiology of violence, including urges that fuel aggression and countervailing faculties like reason and self-control. Historical forces that have fostered peace and cooperation, like commerce and the rise of the modern state, are also analyzed. While supportive statistics for earlier times and non-Western nations are predictably less compelling than comparable current data for Western societies, and sweeping generalizations (e.g., decline of child abuse) are sometimes based on limited data, the book’s thesis is well argued. VERDICT Scholarly yet readable, this book is recommended for readers interested in history, human evolution, and psychology. A stimulating volume that tackles a big issue with an unusual combination of intellectual rigor and optimism. [See Prepub Alert, 4/18/11.]-Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN (c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.” (Library Journal)

This report the 2011/2012 Towers Watson North American Talent Management and Rewards Survey is based on a survey of organizations conducted between May-June 2011 and is a collaboration between Towers Watson and Worldatwork.   The   ”report focuses on trends in reward and talent management programs, accompanied by our related insights to drive effective design and delivery” and  the key findings were around attraction and attention,  the changing employment deal and aligning programmes with objectives.

From the Atlantic Council  (a non partisan institution devoted to promoting transatlantic cooperation and international security) comes this October 2011 report about 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing (AM) 3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing (AM) which they see as a “revolutionary emerging technology” that could transform the approaches to design and manufacturing and in doing have huge implications for the existing social, geopolitical, economic systems.  It is a fascinating report which concludes with “AMI is on a track to move beyond a mere emerging techology into a truly transformative technology: The ability to locally print almost any designable object would have strong repercussions across our society.”

Beyond the corporation : humanity working / David Erdal.“Challenging traditional economists – the evidence for employee ownership fascinating read … a book that challenges traditional economists. Written in an highly engaging manner, it lays out the evidence for employee ownership. A business model that engages with and enriches human capital. A model that outperforms the competition. It explores the fallacies – highlighting common errors in reasoning. Rich with examples of employee ownership in action – from across the UK and internationally – John Lewis, Tullis Russell, Loch Fyne Oysters, Arup, Scott Bader, Publix, SAIC and many more. A book for our time – that draws a wealth of experience and learning into one easily digestible read. Very much recommended.” (Amazon UK reviewer)

Beyond wealth : the road map to a rich life / Alexander Green.“Beyond Wealth is insights about managerial abilities of independent professional view to daily aspects of social life throe personal relationships, contextually placed within the research of individual from Wall Street and macro psychosociology of social structures and systems expressing himself in writing, team work and flexibility in the management of changes from today globalization processes. I see the book like essays about opportunity to read practical wisdom connected with financial Independence, the freedom to do what you want do to, where you want to do, with whom you want and security, balance between work and family … like it, recommended.” (Amazon reviewer)

The hidden power of your customers : four keys to growing your business through existing customers / Becky Carroll.
“The Hidden Power of Your Customers” filled a missing gap in my undergrad marketing education. Becky’s insights on managing the customer relationship and recognizing and rewarding the value of your company’s existing customer base is insightful and practical advice that I have yet to hear in any marketing, sales, or consumer behavior class. Her practical, real-life examples are detailed, relevant, and help the reader flow through the book with ease. In an academic environment where the focus is on how to drive acquisition, “The Hidden Power of Your Customers” is a reminder that there’s success to be had from the customers you already have.” (Amazon reviewer)

Liquid leadership : from Woodstock to Wikipedia : multi-generational management ideas that are changing the way we run things / Brad Szollose.
“Liquid Leadership emphasizes embracing change and unique strengths of a multigenerational team…having launched and successfully led the first dot-com agency to go public, author Brad Szollose experienced a working world remarkably changed by the economy, politics and a new generation raised on technology. These forces intersected to become the backbone of what Szollose determined are the seven laws for becoming a Liquid Leader–in other words, a leader who can cultivate a climate of performance and innovation as well as nurture a demonstrably diverse workforce. Szollose’s seven laws acknowledge the fact that traditional business hierarchies have disappeared along with our standard ideas of what great leadership is. Like no other generation that precedes it, Generation Y’s unique approach to problem solving and its ability to embrace technological change like breathing create a new dynamic in the workplace, especially when juxtaposed with Boomers’ rooted ideas about traditional performance and protocol.”(Amazon reviewer)

Manager’s guide to social media / Scott Klososky.
“The ideal book for the business application of social technologies. Scott has done and excellent job of focusing on the realities of using social technologies within your company and provided valuable tips on induction training, management responsibility, policy, performance metrics, ROI vs ROE (Return on Effort)…This book also provides great in-sight into managing virtual teams with the use of social technologies for all ages and demographics you’re likely to encounter…Not only is this book about management and what managers NEED to know to keep productive and competitive but it also connects the use of social technologies with the product focused and people (HR, management, collaboration, performance) elements too.” (Amazon reviewer)

Managing the unmanageable : how to motivate even the most unruly employee / Anne Loehr and Jezra Kaye.
“Changing your own behavior is difficult enough, but changing other people’s actions if you’re a team leader is very challenging indeed unless you’re patient, committed to success, and have superb coaching and communicating capabilities. Coauthors Loehr (A Manager’s Guide to Coaching, 2008) and Kaye possess both skills and they put them to good use helping managers conquer the unmanageable employee and turning him or her into a star performer. Their methodology makes sense, starting with the five Cs (commit or quit; communicate; clarify goals and roles; coach; create accountability) and fanning out from there with more than a handful of other support tools, such as th. What’s It Worth. worksheet and the roles diagnosis chart. The 11 types of unproductive/disruptive worker, from the excuse maker to the gossip, are almost ubiquitous, appearing in many companies. And case histories, cleverly disguised, enhance the problem-solution narrative. Yet seven-plus tools and a five-step architecture are complicated and not so easy to use, with material probably better suited to learning formats. Behavior modification at work, step by step by step.–Jacobs, Barbar. Copyright 2010 BooklistFrom Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.” (Booklist)

Measure what matters : online tools for understanding customers, social media, engagement, and key relationships / Katie Delahaye Paine ; William T. Paarlberg, editor.
“We keep hearing that measurement is going to be the most important skill for social media practitioners this year. The ability to match a metric to an objective that will measure a specific outcome will start to separate the social media men from the boys, as they say. If you want to get a handle on that process, this book is for you. If you just want to measure hits, likes and retweets, you just might get a paradigm shift reading the book…Katie D. Payne’s Measure What Matters is the preeminent work in this area to date. I know I’m going out on a limb saying that, because there have been some good books written on measurement. But nothing as thorough and in-depth as this, in my view. I’ve read them all, believe me” (Amazon reviewer)

I met up yesterday with Kris Appleby who is the Wellington co-ordinator for Venus Network.  Kris’s own business is called Healthy Alternatives .  The Venus Network is especially designed for women who are serious about growing their businesses and their networks.  Venus is a nationwide business referral community.

From the New America Foundation (a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States) comes this October 2011 report.   It is organised in five parts, starting off with an overview  which provides the background to the bust and bubble events of the past decade,  then part two provides a more indepth analysis of the current situation.  Parts three and four look at why present ways of countering the situation have failed and look at criteria which need to be achieved in order for a solution to be successful.  Finally, Part 5 outlines a “three-pillared recovery plan”    (Thanks to docuticker)

Visit any of our branch libraries on Thursdays between 6th October and Christmas 2011 and you’ll find that our business magazines, as well as any other regular adult, young adult and children’s magazine titles, are FREE to borrow. This applies only to magazines available for loan on the day. To qualify for the free loan, please take your magazines and library card to the desk for a staff member to issue them to you.

NB: Bestseller and reference magazines are excluded, and self-issued magazines will still incur regular charges.

Army of entrepreneurs : create an engaged and empowered workforce for exceptional business growth / Jennifer Prosek ; foreword by Darren Hardy.
Army of Entrepreneurs is a great book for any entrepreneur, business owner, senior executive, or manager. The idea that every employee can contribute to building the business, no matter what their level of experience, seems obvious. Employees have a lot to offer. And, helping them understand the business, by having an open environment where the CEO or top people communicate and let people know how the business operates, makes sense. Often employees don’t feel ownership in a company, don’t feel appreciated, and do not even realize how integral they can be to the success of the company. This book shows how you can “show the love” to your employees, by investing in them, playing to their strengths, and engaging them in your business or department. (Amazon reviewer)

The hidden power of your customers : four keys to growing your business through existing customers / Becky Carroll.
“Practical insights for every business leader…Becky Carroll does a great job distilling her considerable experience into a book that belongs on every CEO’s bookshelf. The customer-centric ones, at any rate…This book is filled with cogent advice and illuminating examples of how a company can grow with a customer-oriented culture, relevant marketing, memorable experiences and great service. Thankfully, you won’t find hype about social media, technology or a “silver bullet” methodology.” (Amazon reviewer) 

If you build it will they come? : three steps to test and validate any market opportunity / Rob Adams.“Very Readable Exploration of Market Validation Adams is a great writer and the subject is well organized. The book emphasizes the simple truth that the only way to find out what customers “may” buy is by digging down into the pain they are experiencing and working with them to deliver a product that addresses that pain in a timely fashion….The focus on keeping perspective (not deluding yourself) and on failing early are appreciated. There is always a tension between persistence and knowing when a project/product is going no-where….While we could all use an “easy” solution, the message is clear. It will take many hours of seeking out people with needs, soliciting feedback, and building an on-going partnership with them; and this through-out and after the initial development cycle. Adams is blunt about the number of contacts required per nugget of truth. This is work!” (Amazon reviewer) 

Listen first! : turning social media conversations into business advantage / Stephen D. Rappaport.
“In his important new book, Listen First! Turning Social Media Conversations into Business Advantage, Steve Rappaport takes marketers back to their research roots. It has become too easy, and habitual, to ask customers questions that are important to us rather than listen to learn what is important to them. Accessible social media conversations present an opportunity to mend our ways and Rappaport shows us how we can make the most of listening. Rappaport has written a book that’s a pleasure to read. He avoids the shallowness of many popular “business advice” books by providing solid support for his premises without redundancy. Much of what he says should cause brands and agencies to pause and reflect on their strategies lest they become out of touch and irrelevant….If you’re looking for another social media “cookbook,” Listen First! is not for you. It’s something more — guidance on how to stock your strategic “pantry” so that you can cook up initiatives that are better researched and therefore be more likely to succeed.” (Amazon reviewer) 

 Jumping the S-curve : how to beat the growth cycle, get on top, and stay there / Paul Nunes, Tim Breene.
“Thinking about success and performance in new ways… The S-Curve concept is central in business strategy and often used as a way to describe leaps between classes of technology. Its concept is simple: new things start out slow, and then scale rapidly, the taper off with each action defining the bottom (incubation), middle (growth), and top (stabilization to trailing off) parts of a market….The idea behind the S-Curve is not new, but Nunes and Breene take this simple model and use it as a way to explain the complexities of high performing companies. The result is a book that is has deep and provocative ideas blended with many examples to influence the way you think about your business, what you are doing and where you may need to change.” (Amazon reviewer)

Managing your manager : how to get ahead with any type of boss / Gonzague Dufour.
“Managers come in all varieties, and unfortunately you don’t get to choose your preference. Too often, we find ourselves working for people who are tough to work for, difficult to “decode,” or brilliant but inaccessible.Managing Your Manager is the answer to dealing with a problematic supervisor. Placing manager “types” into real-world categories-from the Bully, Scientist, and Star to the Geek, Parent, and Con Artist-it provides everything you need to make your work life more satisfying and productive. Managing Your Manager gives you the tools to:Categorize your boss based on telling traitsCreate a solid working relationshipAvoid common pitfalls associated with certain typesBecome a strong leader based on lessons learned from various bossesManagers of all types can provide invaluable learning experiences that can enhance your career. Managing Your Manager empowers you with the knowledge, skills, and savvy for dealing with any type of boss and excelling in your job. Book jacket.” (Syndetics summary)

A  BNZ Connect event for small businesses took place on tuesday 4th October in their Karori branch.  It was a great success with about 10 new faces present.  Currently these events happen on the first tuesday of every month between 5.30 and 7.30.  The other venue is the Kilbirnie BNZ.   No matter where you live in Wellington, if you are a small business owner, it’s a great way to make contact with other business owners.  The event is free and catering is done by the superb Gamboni’s Deli  in Parkvale Road. 

I had a great chat with Mihi Sinclair of Smooth Transitions  who operates an incredibly valuable service, which with the rapidly aging New Zealand demographic profile, is sure to be in great demand.  Smooth Transitions takes the hassle out of the decision making when it comes to making lifestyle changes for senior people, managing estate dispersal, household downsizing.  Families these days are much more dispersed,  so it’s good to know that you can get help.