Book Review: ADD Trio

I went to my computer no fewer than 12 separate times to complete the reviews and summary that constitute this week's blog.  Working in 15-30 minute blocks, it came together over the course of a couple of weeks.  That is life with ADD.  While the reading may be endlessly interesting, writing the summaries and reviews can be a chore for me.  I will never be able to do a project like this from start to finish... never.  And I am OK with that now.  Thanks to these three wonderful authors and their five-star books, I no longer fight the way I am built to better fit someone else's idea of how I should be. 

My three page summary (one page each book) is available by clicking here.

Healing ADD: The Breakthrough Program That Allows You to See and Heal the 6 Types of ADD by Daniel G. Amen

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was diagnosed with ADD at the age of 39.  I resisted the idea for about a minute: "But that is just for young boys," I said.  "No," replied my doctor. "It's for everybody and I think it could explain a great deal about the problems you are describing. I'd like to refer you to a psychiatrist..."

So I got on the internet, did a self-test that convinced me, and made an appointment with the psychiatrist. She confirmed the diagnosis and asked if I wanted medicine.  I didn't.  "Just tell me what your favorite book is on this subject."

And that's when I got this one - and it turned out to be a life changer!

Part medical text and part real-life storytelling, Healing ADD explains so much, not just about my constant irritability and procrastination, but also about my financial debt, hatred for telephones and also for housework, and all those blown deadlines.  With understanding comes peace, rather than self-flagellation.  What a relief.

Then there are the strategies for healing.  Sleep, diet, exercise.  No surprises there. Tackle automatic negative thinking.  That makes sense.  Supplements and medications. Check.  Dr. Amen's breakthrough is using brain scan technology to identify six separate kinds of ADD and describing which treatments work best for which types.  A self-test in the book helped me identify my kind of ADD and choose strategies to address the specific dysfunction. 

One of the myths of ADD is that someone with the condition wouldn't be able to read a 400 page book on the subject.  Not true.  It's the mundane stuff we struggle with. If we find something interesting, we're good all day long.  Healing ADD is riveting from beginning to end.  I recommend this for anyone who may have ADD or who loves someone who does.


View all my reviews
Delivered from Distraction: Getting the Most out of Life with Attention Deficit Disorder by Edward M. Hallowell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cruising through TV channels one night, two seconds on each, I happened to hear an interviewer say "So if you could take away your son's ADD, would you?" The answer was immediate and unequivocal: No.  Shocked, I stayed on that channel for the balance of the hour.  That is how I was introduced to Dr. Edward Hallowell.  He was grateful for ADD - for himself and for his family.

Thank God for ADD?!  Whoever thought it would be possible to say that??  Well, with the right information and perspective, it's true. Dr. Hallowell teaches us that having ADD is like being left-handed in a right-handed world.  It is just another way to be.  Once a person can get that, really get it all the way through, then the positive side of this way of being can be embraced, cherished, and used as springboard to success.  Keep the focus there.  Mitigate against the things that other people don't like (being late, not finishing projects, etc.) - but organize your life around the up side.  Brilliant.  

In her last show, Oprah said that one of the things she'd learned over the years is that all people everywhere crave validation. This is exactly what Dr. Hallowell provides ADDers. Our way of being is not immoral, lazy, stupid, or bad. It's a brain thing, not a character thing.  He says it and he reiterates it.  The shame and stigma that has been heaped on us every time we miss a deadline or lose our keys compounds over the years, causing anxiety, depression, addiction and more.  It is never too late to recognize what is really going on, develop workable strategies for coping, seek appropriate treatment where needed... but mostly to embrace the positive. 

I wish Dr. Hallowell had been around to counsel me when I was 12.  If he is grateful for his own ADD, he'd be grateful for mine.  And now I am, too. 

View all my reviews
ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life by Judith Kolberg

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


For people with ADD, trying harder to do what others do easily is just not a workable strategy.  If it was, I would have never run up debt or ruined my credit rating.  I would have just paid my bills on time like most people do.  But I didn't - I couldn't. Month after month for 20 years I promised myself I would do better next time as I reviewed and paid bills a day or two late, cringed at the huge interest rates, and then packed it all away again for another month. I. Just. Could. Not. Do. Bills. On. Time.

Then came my ADD diagnosis, validation and understanding from Dr. Amen and Dr. Hallowell, and the recognition that late bill paying was not immoral.  It was a problem that needed to be solved, but "just do it" was never going to work.  I needed something else.  From the previous books I learned about ways to reduce the ADD down side: medical and natural interventions that have improved the quality of my life immeasurably. But I also needed tips and tricks - organizing strategies for my way of being. 

I love this book.  These authors - one a professional organizer, the other an experienced ADD clinician - tackle all the usual difficulties those of us with ADD face in the "attention surplus world." Paper, time, clutter, housework, all the things that may or may not bother us but absolutely always bother our loved ones and coworkers and credit card companies.  Once I came to see my struggle with bill-paying as a problem to be solved (rather than as a character flaw to be ashamed of) I could look for a realistic strategy.  Since I don't have a partner to rely on for this one, it is more about 1) doing money stuff first thing in the morning when my brain is fresh, 2) breaking it up into a series of small tasks, and 3) allowing myself the option of deciding something later and moving on with the rest.  With decisions no longer crossing me up, more gets done.  It's not trying harder... it's working with my brain instead of against it.

ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life is broken into easily-digestable sections that include a dozen or more suggestions for each topic. Try one that makes sense to you and leave the others.  One size does not fit all.  I keep this one on my shelf and use it for quick reference when I notice something cropping up. Highly recommended.



View all my reviews

Book Review: The Carolina Way by Dean Smith

The Carolina Way: Leadership Lessons from a Life in Coaching by Dean Smith

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I always dreaded basketball days in gym class.  It terrified me that someone might pass the ball to me and I would have to do something with it.  Running track was OK, until they introduced relays. The idea of letting down teammates was what I just couldn't stand.  Still can't, really.  So I truly admire athletes who want the ball - the ones with the confidence to know they can contribute when the hopes and dreams of others are riding on it.

Apparently, though, the skills and style that get one noticed by college basketball scouts - outstanding individual accomplishment and big numbers - have to be overcome to be successful at the college and pro levels.  According to the great coaches, including Dean Smith, basketball is a team game and success only comes to those who share.  In the chapter called "Breaking Bad Habits" he says "Many good high school players are taught to be selfish. They're used to being 'the Man.'  They're the best players on their teams, so sometimes the coaches encourage them to take the most shots and not too worry too much about playing defense."   They had a rigorous re-orientation program for North Carolina freshman. Play hard. Play together. Play smart. 

John Wooden, Mike Krzyzewski, and Phil Jackson also wrote of this phenomenon in their books on leadership, but Smith stands out because he worked in conjunction with a business professor who put Smith's coaching principles into a business context. On breaking bad habits, Dr. Gerald Bell had this to say: "...the fact is that when recruits come to work, their knowledge is often very limited. They often have great intellectual ability and academic knowledge but little wisdom. They lack the people skills and the judgment to work with others to implement solutions to business problems. There's a large gap between where they are and where they need to be, but they can't see it." He then describes some on-boarding exercises to help young professionals grow into their roles.  This was a brilliant idea for a book executed with wisdom and care.

Dean Smith died last weekend and will be well remembered by many grateful people, including some of the world's most successful basketball superstars (Michael Jordan) and also by at least one random Ohio woman who grew up afraid of the ball.

My two-page summary is posted and ready for downloading.

View all my reviews

Book Review Two-fer: FISH! Tales and FISH! Sticks

Fish! Tales: Real-Life Stories to Help You Transform Your Workplace and Your Life by Stephen C. Lundin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This is a great concept for a book.  When you start hearing from people who tried out the ideas from your first book and were successful, collect up their stories, flesh out your theories, and publish the whole ball of wax together.  Wonderful.

I like the way the authors organized the book.  They took the "tales" of those who implemented the FISH! philosophy and turned dozens of them into one- and two-paragraph testimonials of success.  People from all kinds of organizations described what they tried and how they made it work.  The authors also took one story exemplifying each of the Four Principles (Play, Choose Your Attitude, Be There and Make Their Day) and explored it a little more fully. This allows them to invite all of us along as their own understanding deepens.  After all, the guys at the Pike Place Fish Market didn't develop a full-on theory of improved quality of work life.  They just chose to  enjoy themselves at work and started living the benefits.

My favorite story in here involves a "grouchy old guy" roofer who comes to embrace the FISH! philosophy (silly as it seems) when he sees that it works: the younger guys work harder, the customers are less difficult to deal with, and the jobs are steady. I spend a lot of my professional life trying to convince people that new ideas will work if we decide in advance to make them work... so kudos to the roofers for giving intentional positivity a fair shot. 

And kudos to the authors for a terrific sequel.




View all my reviews
Fish! Sticks: A Remarkable Way to Adapt to Changing Times and Keep Your Work Fresh by Stephen C. Lundin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's a pun, get it?  FISH! Sticks... like the breaded things we find in the freezer case.  Except in this case "stick" means "to last."  As in change that sustains itself.  Almost always a good thing.

A year after FISH! Tales the authors were back with another fable. Gone are the financial executives who learn about quality of work life from fishmongers in Seattle (though their method survives.) Here we have the burned-out staff of a hospital who learn about how to keep the FISH! Principles alive from a Manhattan sushi chef and her employees.  This restaurant has embedded the FISH! way of life in their culture.  They know how it is done. 

The bad news is that there is no program, no checklist, to be distributed to the team.  Positivity cannot be enforced through external means, with rah-rah posters, in-service workshops, or any kind of one-size-fits all program. In order to stick, the change has to come from within each individual (or at least from a critical mass of them.)

The good news is there are ways to help people along in their journey. When IT is the vision, the big picture idea of the kind of place or organization we wish to be, then each person must discover IT for himself or herself.  Change leaders must live IT - walk their talk and use the organization's system of rewards according to the behavior they seek.  And perhaps most importantly - each person must be willing to give and accept coaching, friendly reminders when we slip into old habits.  If people can't or won't nudge each other for minor infractions of the principles, then over time the gains will be reversed.

I think this is the only business fable I have ever read that includes a tragic blow to a main character, but it turns out that one of the authors lost a child to drunk driving during the writing of the book.  They embed the simple idea that sometimes our co-workers can be our greatest sources of personal support - if that is the kind of workplace we have built. 

Glad for a simple book on sustaining a change effort.  Definitely worth reading.

The two-page summary written by me, contains info on all three books in the series.  Download it for free here.



View all my reviews

Book Review: FISH!

Fish!: A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results by Stephen C. Lundin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's always good to become familiar with a classic work like this, a book or concept that is widely known throughout the work world.  In this case, I am glad I read it.  I sure would like to live in a society where more people knew this philosophy, or more importantly, where more people lived this philosophy.

I first picked the book up because a client organization asked me to deliver a presentation at an all-staff in-service, something to help inspire the troops and boost morale.  I asked what they had already tried and they explained they had been implementing the FISH method.  I never like to recreate wheels, so I went to the original source to see what fresh inspiration I might find.  (In the end, I found my answer in the third book of the series -- FISH! Sticks -- which is about sustaining change.)

Simple ideas are always the best, especially when not overwhelmed by other ideas.  Much thanks is due the Pike Place Fish Market guys for figuring out that applying the simple ideas of choosing your attitude, being present, intending to help others, and going out of our way to have fun not only improves quality of work life, but it also improves customer service and grows the business.  Credit is also due the authors for seeing that the FISH method has wide applicability.

My summary for this one includes the other two books in the series, FISH Tales (real-life stories from those who have adopted the principles) and FISH Sticks about sustaining the change.  Download it for free by clicking here.






View all my reviews

Book Review: One Minute Manager

The One Minute Manager: The World's Most Popular Management Method by Kenneth H. Blanchard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Such a simple idea - those who supervise others see great success if they apply tried and true principles to their management tasks.  Meet people where they are. Care for and about them. Be clear when delivering instruction. Focus on what they are doing well.  When you have to correct a behavior, be specific, do it right away, and follow up with something positive.  Easy peasy.

These methods have been proven to bring results.  Why, then, are there so many truly horrible managers everywhere? 

One of the myths busted by this simple little book is the idea that one size fits all in management - that fairness requires everyone to be treated exactly the same.  No one is ever given extra time, or an additional bit of instruction. Each person is rewarded and punished like everyone else, whether that is motivating to them or not.  And heaven forbid if someone on the team needs a bit of accommodation... we'll just holler louder.  But that simply does not work.  Some people don't respond well to anger.  Some really hate to be recognized publicly.  Some people want to be told exactly how to do something. Others want to understand the goal, and figure the method out on their own.

The truth is that managers need to invest a little bit of themselves into every person whose work they oversee. It turns out that is easily done.  It only takes a minute.  One minute to establish work goals with someone.  One minute to catch them doing something well (or, during the training phase, almost well) and offer them sincere praise and positive feedback. One minute to explain to someone what mistake they have made and develop a solution.  One minute.

I see why this one was on the bestseller list for so long... short, concise and compelling.  The fable is lame, of course, totally forced and silly, but who cares?  It still delivers the learning in an easy-to-digest form that is more pleasant to read than a journal article of the same length. The authors - whom we know well from their numerous other works - posit that good managers follow these three basic strategies, one minute goal setting, one minute praisings, and one minute reprimands. Meet people where they are. 

My hope is that anyone who finds themselves supervising the work of others will find an hour to read this and apply the techniques. Many other books came from this one and I will post reviews and summaries in the next few months because I think the series is hugely important. My short summary for this one is paired with a summary of Leadership and the One Minute Manager.  Download them for free by clicking here.   



View all my reviews

Books with Tools, Part 2

Last week I wrote about the tools and exercises found in some of my favorite books.  Such tools can allow for self-assessment, create a means for solidifying learning, and point people in the direction of positive change in a way that narrative alone cannot do.  Here are some more of my favorites, perhaps a little different from what we ordinarily think of as business books. As always, I am writing about books that I highly recommend picking up and reading.  But - if you want to know more before investing the money or time, you can access a free download of a two-page summary written by me. Just click on the title of the book.



Overcoming That Pessimistic Outlook.  Too often in organizational life we can succumb to the least hopeful of the strands of thinking around us.  It seems the person with the upbeat style is the one regarded as out of touch. But Professor Martin Seligman is here to tell us in Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Change Your Life that the people with the most optimistic viewpoints are the most successful among us.  In chapter after chapter he reviews the evidence and makes the case that in sports, offices, school, politics, and families, optimism is a winning strategy.  The second half of the book is for those of us who struggle to be optimistic.  With a 48-question self-assessment, each reader can get a sense of their own starting point.  Then, by imagining our own scenarios and following Dr. Seligman's worksheets, we can gain practice at challenging our initial reactions and choosing better ones.  Over time, if we follow the formula, we can make the optimistic perspective more natural.  Then, look out world!



Overcoming a Penchant for Poverty.  What a service Barbara Stanny has done for all of us who were told as little girls that talking about money is not nice and that we should be focused on taking care of others!  The exercises and resources she packs into The Secrets of Six Figure Women: Surprising Strategies to Up Your Earnings and Change Your Life are a great boon to all of us struggling see our value rewarded properly in the workplace.  After interviewing dozens of women who earn good incomes, she sets out to help us all understand what they have in common... and offers their wisdom to the rest of us.  I never thought about how I was contributing to my financial troubles until I took the Am I an Underearner? quiz.  And now I know... the solution to balancing my budget is on the income side. Go to work with an intent to make money, sister!  You're not selling out your soul... you are taking responsibility! 


Overcoming Motivational Barriers:  Carrots and sticks don't work.  I think most of us knew that about sticks... but carrots?  Nope... they backfire too.  Offering a kid a dollar for every A on his report card might get you a flight of A's in the short term... but in the long term you are diminishing that kid's natural desire to do well.   Well-meaning as we are, we just can't motivate others.  But, with practice, we can learn to tap the powerful internal motivations of those around us.  That's the chief lesson in Drive: The Surprising Truth about What Motivates Us, the last 65 pages of which is a Toolkit chock-full of ideas and strategies for awakening our internal motivators and helping others without harming them.  Well-written, charming, fun and, yes, motivational, Drive is a must-read for every leader or manager who is swimming upstream against under-performing co-workers. 


Overcoming Indecision:  Of all the "glad I read that one" books on my shelf, the one I mention in conversation most often is The Paradox of Choice: Why More is Less by Professor Barry Schwartz.  It changed my life... and it can change yours, too.  With some little quizzes and self-tests the author guides us to an understanding of our natural tendencies toward satisfaction with the choices we make... or our proclivity to beat ourselves up after decisions.  After making the case that we often make ourselves crazy with all the options we have (straight leg or boot cut? big deductible or higher premium? 1% or skim?) Schwartz gives us a series of strategies for learning to be more sanguine about our choices.  Learn to accept that good enough is good enough and move on!  What an important concept!

Book Review: Drive

Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us by Daniel H. Pink

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I've said this before and I will say it again: little is more fun than finding ways to pierce the power of conventional wisdom.  Let's add Daniel Pink to the pantheon of wonderful writers who take the time to read and digest the dense material published by social scientific researchers and then spin it into stories the rest of us can read and understand.  In this entertaining and thought-provoking work, Pink takes us on a journey to understand what truly motivates us. He suggests ways - backed by data - of motivating ourselves and others.  It turns out all the things we've always thought was helpful - carrots and sticks - are way wrong.  The key is to get out of the way of a person's internal motivation.  I recommend Drive for anyone who manages, teaches, or parents others. Don't believe me? Have a look at my two-page summary (it's free!) Just click here to download it.



View all my reviews

Richard Branson Rocks

One of the toughest business decisions I ever made was to pull the plug on selling the WhatIsCathyReading two-page summaries.  I was quite attached to the vision of earning my income while retired from the slog of putting in billable hours.  I felt like I had a good product to offer and I enjoyed creating it.  And while I believed it was just a matter of tapping into the right market niche, I knew in my heart that I didn't have what it takes to put in the hard work of finding that niche, or doing that selling.  The fire in my belly just wasn't strong enough to make it work and I was meanwhile pouring good money after bad.

I came to this conclusion while reading Richard Branson's thoughts on letting go of ideas that are failing.  As a fellow who has climbed the high mountains to make enterprises wildly successful, he knows a thing or two about when to invest time and effort and when to change gears, retool, and reinvest in something more likely to succeed.  His words mattered to me. I took the advice, stopped what I was doing, and replaced the paid website with the free one.  I still like doing the summaries, so just click on the title of any of the four books reviewed in this blog and be connected to a downloadable two-page summary written by me!

Richard Branson's approach to business and to life is always fresh and inspiring.  His courage, ability to overcome odds, world-class entrepreneurship, and team-building skill earned him billions.  He seems to move through life like a chess grand master moves across his board, except that Branson is having more fun.  In honor of his birthday (and mine!) I have collected my reviews of four of his books into one spot.  And since I am extolling Sir Richard's virtues as an author, let me also highly recommend following him on Facebook and LinkedIn.  He puts out great stuff daily, presumably with help from a wonderful staff.  Plus, his face always makes me smile.

Losing My Virginity: How I've Survived, Had Fun, and Made a Fortune Doing Business My Way


It's true.  I am a 7-18er. Richard Branson, Nelson Mandela, John Glenn, and I all have the same birthday.  How cool is that?  Branson is an especially attractive figure to me, but not for the dare-devil, high-risk and high-yield lifestyle he's had.  I like him, and enjoyed his book, more because of how honest he is.  He was not born qualified to run a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.  But after running a student newspaper for a while, he was qualified to take on another business too.  Then another, and another and another.  Until he was running a multi-billion dollar conglomerate.  Oh, and having fun along the way.  What's not to like?  Thanks Sir Richard!  We appreciate the time and effort you put into chronicling your journey for us!



Like a Virgin: Secrets They Won't Teach You in Business School.

Among the many, many reasons why I enjoy having a new book by Sir Richard to read is that his writing style is punchy and fun. He never dwells on tedious points, building complex arguments to make his case. He just says what he thinks.  Let others spin their wheels proving him wrong. He's got other stuff to do.

The subtitle here says it all: "Secrets They Won't Teach You at Business School."  Can't get more clear than that.  Branson is an alum of the University of Been There, Done That... and he has graduated with honors.  In 76 chapters of about four pages each, Branson provides wisdom on everything from taking risk, innovating, and making change to leadership, office relationships, and listening to frontline staff.  He writes of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and putting family life first.  He says money follows people who follow their passion.  Focusing on money gets us nowhere. All golden.

Like a Virgin is liberating... Branson not only advises readers to break with conventional wisdom in a host of ways, he also gives us permission to follow our own lights.  Make it up as we go.  Focus on what we think is important. Mess up. Try again. Have fun. Give back.  It's OK Mom (Boss, Mr. Banker) Sir Richard said I could.


Screw Business As Usual 


So now comes Sir Richard with a critique of modern business practices that only he could produce. In exhorting readers to "Screw Business as Usual" Branson is calling upon us to reinvent capitalism in a more ethical, more just, and less destructive way.  His primary theme here is that Capitalism 24902 (named for the number of miles in our globe's circumference) must serve the world and not deplete it.  "Doing good is good for business" he says over and over... and then he proves his case.  He tells dozens of stories of business leaders who break the model, screw business as usual, and go on to greater wealth and influence than they could have done with traditional methods. And he uses himself as a case-in-point to great effect.  With his example, we learn how a great leader like Branson thinks and makes decisions - and then it all seems more attainable somehow.

Screw Business as Usual is a call to action that is truly motivating!  While reading, I made some new personal commitments in terms of how I organize my little one-woman consulting firm.  Not much in the grand scheme of things, but it is my bit to do and I will do it.

If I had had four and a half stars to give, I would have, and I nearly went with a five.  Though the book was a bit slow in the beginning, once I got to Chapter 3 or so it became a real page turner and I enjoyed the reading immensely.  I have scribbled more wows, far-outs, and yeses into the margins of this book than I have done since those college days when every idea was new and exciting. If that ain't a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon I don't know what is!

Branson initially became a favorite of mine because we share a birthday - July 18 - and we share it with some other phenomenally smart and brave people like Astronaut/Senator John Glenn and Freedom Fighter /President Nelson Mandela.  I think that the greatness in this 7-18er (as Branson calls us) must be latent!  But I love how these great leaders call forth everyone's best.  Thanks guys!


Screw It, Let's Do It: 14 Lessons on Making it the the Top While Having Fun and Growing Greener

Here are the notes I made to myself on the back page of this book after reading it on the plane out to California for a dream 50th-birthday vacation. "I can afford this trip.  I can meet my own needs, now and into the future. I can help any who need me. There's a lot of life in this body - and a great deal to give. Now, have fun - and let the money take care of itself. Screw it - let's do it!"  Really, what else is there to say?  If an author can make you feel that good about yourself, your decisions, and your future, then anybody should want to read that author. 

I am not like Sir Richard in any way.  I am not as smart, not as brave, not as passionate, not as ambitious or male or British. But the way he lives his life, and the thoughts he shares, inspire me to the core.  If he ever quits putting out books I may have to read one of the old ones every few years just to stay connected to that spirit. 

My own essential life commitment is to finding and sharing the value of creating option "C" - inventing a way past the dug-in place when people who want "A" are pitted against those who want "B."  Screw It Let's Do It is a how-to manual for anyone who wishes to participate fully in the capitalist system while simultaneously taking care of the earth and enjoying life. It's Creating Option C writ on a grand scale by busting out and focusing on what matters.  What a gift.  Happy (re)birthday to me.  Happy (re)birthday to everyone! 

Book Review: Moneyball

Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game by Michael Lewis

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Truly, I loved everything about this book: the pace, the visuals, the humor.  But it's the learning that is the key takeaway... the lesson for business leaders everywhere.  What we measure is important.  Picking the right indicators is important. Sometimes challenging the conventional wisdom in your field is necessary for survival. 

As Lewis tells it, challenging the status quo was the best available option for Billy Beane, who started his tenure as general manager of the down and out Oakland A's with a bit of a chip on his shoulder: he'd had unrealistically high expectations placed on him as a young player. So, instead of being seen as one of the rare talents who make it to the Big Leagues, he was seen as a disappointment to his potential.  (Don't you just hate it when that happens?)

That personal history is what made Beane the right guy to listen to a group of amateur baseball statisticians (the fantasy league fanatics) who had been saying for some time that major league scouts valued the wrong things in potential recruits.  He didn't necessarily follow the math himself, but he had a number cruncher he trusted and he was willing to take risks.  Perfect.  Next thing you know, the A's have won the World Series and everybody else is using Billy Beane's methods of evaluating players.  This guy moved his entire industry forward.  How many of us can say that?   

My favorite chapter is called "The Jeremy Brown Blue Plate Special." Never mind that Jeremy Brown is a real flesh-and-blood guy who might have feelings about being purchased for cheap.  He'd grown up believing that no matter his baseball accomplishments, he was the wrong body type to become a professional.  He was glad to be given his shot, with a GM who was ready to be patient, and organize the team according to the things that matter instead of the things that are normal.  Here's the business lesson of the chapter:

"The inability to envision a certain kind of person doing a certain kind of thing because you've never seen someone who looks like him do it before is not just a vice. It is a luxury. What begins as a failure of the imagination ends as a market inefficiency: when you rule out an entire class of people from doing a job simply by their appearance, you are less likely to find the best person for the job."

Right on!

Lewis's manner of writing is like the spoonful of sugar that makes the medicine go down.  He wraps an important piece of business education in a fun and compelling narrative about baseball.  I admire his facility with language and his ability to keep so many moving parts relevant and interesting.  But most of all I admire his ability to influence.  My guess is that for-profit and non-profit leaders all across the country took another look at what they were measuring as success indicators after reading this book (or perhaps after seeing the movie, which I have not done.)  That's great writing!

My two-page summary is now posted and ready for download. Just click here.

View all my reviews

Book Review: Whale Done!

Whale Done! : The Power of Positive Relationships by Kenneth H. Blanchard

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I like how-to books, especially when they are fun little fables. Blanchard and his coauthors wrote a  story that can be read in an hour, but the lessons are likely to last a lifetime. 

Any manager or supervisor (or teacher or parent) who seeks to promote new behaviors in others, or train people how to do a task well, can apply the Whale Done! method.  In a nutshell, rather than getting after someone for doing something wrong, praise them for what they do right.  If they are learning a new skill, give an "Atta Girl" for their progress. It is so much easier for people to understand what you DO want than to continuously find themselves in trouble for doing what you didn't want. 

There's a reason we all know what "positive reinforcement" means.  The phrase entered the lexicon because it works.  And remember, if you make a commitment to changing your management style to include more "Whale Done!" moments with your team, and you slip up a time or two... that's OK!  Praise yourself for the progress you've made and keep trying!  The system will work, even on ourselves.

It only takes half a page to summarize this book... so I embedded my summary into a single document with summaries of three other fable-style books.  Click here to download it now.



View all my reviews