andreweverett360 Book Review, Psychology & Neuroscience

How Full Is Your Bucket?

how-full-is-your-bucket


How Full Is Your Bucket? Positive Strategies for Work and Life
By Tom Rath and  Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D.

This book starts with a brief history of a North Korean POW camp which held 1000 U.S. prisoners.  The prisoners had adequate food and shelter. They were not physically tortured. And yet, this camp had the highest POW death rate in U.S. military history.

The weapon of choice was subtle psychological warfare, which eroded trust among fellow prisoners and broke their sense of hope. In essence, the cause of death was extreme negativity.

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Nudge

nudge


Nudge: Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
by Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein

Based on behavioral economics, Nudge is about “choice architecture.” Sometimes people don’t have enough information or expertise to make a good decision. Other times they may be too busy to think about it, so they rely on intuition or heuristics (rules of thumb and biases).  Choice architects can improve decision making by nudging people in the right direction.

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andreweverett360 Art, Book Review

Lessons in Classical Drawing

lessons-in-classical-drawing


Lessons in Classical Drawing: Essential Techniques from Inside the Atelier
by Juliette Aristides

Whether you are interested in learning to draw, or are just curious about the process as an observer of art, this is an outstanding book. It is clearly written, and illustrated with elegant artwork by contemporary artists and old masters.  The book includes a DVD with video demonstrations by the author.

“Every good drawing exhibits an understanding and control of tone, proportion, harmony, and composition.”

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Marketing ROI

marketing-roi


Marketing ROI: The Path to Campaign, Customer, and Corporate Profitability
by James D. Lenskold

Lenskold provides models to evaluate the expected return on investment (ROI) and profitability of marketing campaigns under consideration. The author rightfully points out that the net present value (NPV) of gross margin—not revenue—is the basis for these calculations. Campaigns with an ROI lower than the cost of capital will be rejected. Remaining options can be prioritized in favor those with the highest ROI.

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

The Articulate Executive in Action

the-articulate-executive-in-action


The Articulate Executive in Action
by Granville N. Toogood

This book is about the importance of communication skills in business, with a particular emphasis on meetings and presentations.  “If you’re not competent with language, you’re not likely to connect, no matter how smart you are.” The main theme is what Toogood calls communication value added (CVA), of which there are seven principles: “Never bore. Give value. Rule your PowerPoint—don’t let it rule you. Talk from experience. Know whom you’re talking to. Tell stories. And be ready.”

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Management

Execution

execution-the-discipline-of-getting-things-done


Execution: The Discipline of Getting Things Done
by Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan

Execution is about linking people, strategy, and operations. “Execution is not just tactics—it is a discipline and a system. It has to be built into a company’s strategy, its goals, and its culture. And the leader of the organization must be deeply engaged in it.” A significant portion of this book deals with managing people, including recognizing and developing future leaders.

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andreweverett360 Book Review, Marketing

Treat Your Customers

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Treat Your Customers: Thirty Lessons on Service and Sales That I Learned at my Family’s Dairy Queen Store
by Bob Miglani

Miglani uses situations from his parents’ Dairy Queen store as the basis for customer service lessons applicable to business in general–including Fortune 500 companies like the one where he works as a sales executive. Thirty bite-size chapters in plain English make this a quick read.

The common thread throughout this book is a mindset focused on pleasing customers and earning their repeat business.  Topics include customer service, up-selling, work ethic, leadership, and supplier relationships.

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andreweverett360 Book Review, history

Farewell to Manzanar

farewell-to-manzanar


Farewell to Manzanar
by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston and James D. Houston

Farewell to Manzanar is the autobiography of Jeanne Wakatsuki, who was seven years old in 1942, when the U.S. government forced Japanese-American families from their homes, and relocated them to internment camps.  She tells the story of life at the Manzanar camp, as well as her family’s difficulty in resuming a normal life after the camp closed, including her personal struggle to fit in with white kids at school.

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