What Art Is
by Arthur C. Danto (1924-2013)
The dust jacket sums up Arthur Danto’s definition of art nicely. “A work of art is always defined by two essential criteria: meaning and embodiment, as well as one additional criterion contributed by the viewer: interpretation.”
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How to Write Knockout Proposals: What you must know (and say) to win funding every time.
by Joseph Barbato
The theme of this book boils down to one line on page 117: “Make it as easy as possible for them to give you money.”
Barbato emphasizes the importance of clear writing and attention to detail. He suggests a less-is-more approach: “Instead of offering four prosaic examples of how your project matters, tell one powerful story that drives home the potential of your work.” A template is included in chapter 24, guiding the reader on how to structure a grant proposal.
The book is concise and well organized in 53 two-page chapters. I like this format, but I think more could have been written about cover letters.
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Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence
by Daniel Goleman, Richard Boyatzis, and Annie McKee
Building on the lead author’s prior book, Emotional Intelligence, this book is about “leadership resonance.” The authors also warn about the opposite effect, dissonance, which destroys motivation and productivity. “Great leaders move us. They ignite our passion and inspire the best in us. When we try to explain why they are so effective, we speak of strategy, vision, or powerful ideas. But the reality is much more primal: Great leadership works through the emotions.” The authors cite a University of Maryland study showing that good morale has a positive effect on revenue and customer satisfaction.
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Email Marketing by the Numbers
by Chris Baggott
With a title like Email Marketing by the Numbers, one would expect the book to cover testing and analytics. “The organizations that embrace testing as an integral part of their programs simply outperform those that don’t… Rarely can the people within a company judge what is going to be successful outside of it.”
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The Lost Art of General Management
by Rob Waite
In The Lost Art of General Management, Rob Waite shares practical insights from his career as a hands-on general manager for various building materials manufacturers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, and Europe. Like a good executive communicator, he gets straight to the point.
Waite contends today’s managers have become functionally myopic. A general manager needs to take a broader view, while understanding how the company makes its money and how its customers make money.
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How: Why How We Do Anything Means Everything…in Business (and in Life)
by Dov Seidman
The book is about ethics and reputation, value-based cultures vs. rule-based cultures, and as the author likes to say, “getting your hows right.” There are some valuable messages in the book.
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The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need
by Daniel. H. Pink
The Adventures of Johnny Bunko is a short graphic novel about a young accountant who hates his job. In the story, a supernatural career advisor presents six guiding principles:
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The ACME Catalog
by Charles Carney. Illustrations by Scott Grass
As seen on TV! ACME has been the preferred vendor of your favorite Looney Tunes characters for over 60 years.
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How to Write an Inspired Creative Brief
by Howard Ibach
In an advertising agency, a creative brief is a set of instructions for the creative team, providing a clear understanding of the communication objectives and expected deliverables. “If you get the brief wrong, the creative work you see at the end of the process, when your team presents it, will also be wrong.” Garbage in, garbage out.
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The Quick and Easy Guide to Mind Map
by Thomas C. Randall
This book introduces the topic of mind mapping. A mind map is a diagram used to visually communicate the relationships between ideas. The mind map starts with a keyword or short phrase. Lines are drawn out to sub-ideas, then to sub-sub-ideas if applicable.
The book explains several uses for mind maps, such as:
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The Key Point 