Book Description
Positioning, a concept developed by the authors, has changed the way people advertise. The reason? It's the first concept to deal with the problems of communicating in an overcommunicated society. With this approach, a company creates a 'position' in the prospect's mind, one that reflects the company's own strengths and weaknesses as well as those of its competitors. Witty and fast-paced, this book spells out how to position a leader so that it gets into the mind and stays there, position a follower in a way that finds a 'hole' not occupied by the leader, and avoid the pitfalls of letting a second product ride on the coattails of an established one. Revised to reflect significant developments in the five years since its original publication, Positioning reveals the fascinating case histories and anecdotes behind the campaigns of many stunning successes and failures in the world of advertising.
Customer Reviews:
Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind, 20th Anniversary Edition (Purchased on 09/04/2007) .......2007-10-05
I still haven't received my purchase, so reviewing it will be a tad bit difficult...
Got inspired!.......2007-09-21
I've got inspired from the basics in positioning. It delivers good examples of many American companies' positioing. I got inspired so that I can get my paper done very soon.
The best book ever on marketing/advertising/brand management.......2007-09-13
I make every new employee read Positioning no matter what their job description because it is really a book about the "battle for the consumer's mind", and that battle is waged in every department of every organization.
Positioning is the rule book for marketing success and the great thing is all the examples. Yes they are somewhat dated, but they make the rules easy to understand.
This is the book nobody at Ford read before they redisigned the Taurus from number 1 in sales to a hole in the ground.
If you work in brand management or advertising you must read this book. It should be stashed in a "break-glass-get-book" thing at every exit of every ad agency.
If you are studying marketing at college, you should memorize every word in the book and major in something else, and come out with the equivalent of a double major.
The importance of perception.......2007-05-13
If there's one thing that makes Positioning a classic and something that should be on the reading list of any marketer is the fact that it highlights what is the core of any marketing- perception is reality. It doesn't matter how good your product `really' is, or how hard you try, what matters is how your target perceives you vs competition. That basic truth, and how you could occupy the most desired position in the target's mind is the crux of this book. Perhaps some of the examples could get updated, but bottom line, this is the definitive book to read for any aspiring marketer.
- Mainak Dhar, author, Brand Management 101: 101 Lessons from Real-World Marketing
outdated.......2007-03-30
Positioning makes a few basic points that are helpful for someone who is not familiar with marketing basics. However, the examples are so outdated that some now disprove the authors' arguments. The more detailed chapters make less sense in an electronic culture. This book is really only useful now for those broad, basic ideas in the first chapters.
Average customer rating:
- Very, very helpful and insightful book
- Well Done.
- Easy to Read and Very Practical
- the anger workbook
- Great first effort
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The Anger Trap: Free Yourself from the Frustrations that Sabotage Your Life
Les Carter
Manufacturer: Jossey-Bass
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Similar Items:
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The Anger Workbook: A 13-Step Interactive Plan to Help You... (Minirth-Meier Clinic Series)
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Beyond Anger: A Guide for Men: How to Free Yourself from the Grip of Anger and Get More Out of Life
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The Anger Workbook for Women: How to Keep YOur Anger from Undermining Your Self-Esteem, Your Emotional Balance, and Your Relationships (New Harbinger Self-Help Workbook)
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:60 Second Anger Management: Quick Tips to Handle Explosive Feelings
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Taking Charge of Anger: How to Resolve Conflict, Sustain Relationships, and Express Yourself without Losing Control
ASIN: 0787968803 |
Book Description
It's easy to identify rage in people who lose their temper at traffic jams, unruly children, unresponsive coworkers, and unrealistic bosses. But we may not recognize more subtle manifestations of anger, such as being uncomfortable with loose ends, acting impatiently, or being overly critical. That is anger, too. And, as is so often the case, angry folks don't seem to realize that the behavior causing them problems at home or at work actually stems from unrecognized and unresolved pain and emotional injuries from the past. Is all this negative emotion inevitable, or are there choices about how to respond, choices that can improve personal relationships as well as emotional health?
The Anger Trap is a landmark book that strips away the myths and misconceptions about anger and reveals how you can learn to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy anger so that you may choose— or help someone else to choose— a better, more spiritually enlightened path. The Anger Trap examines the root causes of anger and can help you realize your patterns and break the destructive cycles of criticism, frustration, and irritation that hurt you and others around you. Drawing insight from timeless spiritual wisdom as well as cutting-edge research, Dr. Carter offers practical techniques to free you from anger, its hidden insecurities, fears, and selfishness and thereby improve the quality of your home and workplace life. The book clearly illustrates how the change process works and The Anger Trap is filled with real-life examples of the ways people have come to terms with their anger by applying the concepts Dr. Carter outlines.
Customer Reviews:
Very, very helpful and insightful book.......2007-03-03
I just finished reading this book and it's really opened my eyes up to a lot about myself and the traits of anger.
I've been dealing with my anger now for about six months. I waited too long to finally pick up a book and read it, and this was the first one I read. Dr. Carter uses many actual therapy sessions to demonstrate various traits of anger, and how they can affect a person. At the end, he gives you many options and ideas on how to better yourself as a person while releasing yourself from the bad side of anger.
If you are feeling a sense of anger that does not help in your everyday life, be it your relationship or profession, I highly recommend reading this book. It will open up your eyes and make you think, and make you want to change.
Well Done........2007-02-19
This is a great book book Dr. Carter. I found it very eye-opening and to the point.
Easy to Read and Very Practical.......2007-01-08
This reference is one of the best self-help books out there. The author has obviously spent a great deal of time in this field, and he has a knack for imparting his accumulated knowledge so that anyone can understand it. He uses stories about real people to illustrate various problems that can arise, and then shows how they can be resolved. Very easy to read. Also very easy to use, as the author gives concrete methods to handle many common situations. I very much appreciate the time and effort Dr. Carter has taken to put this together, and believe it will help many to deal not only with their own anger, but with the anger of people expressed around them. Excellent work!
the anger workbook.......2007-01-05
my husband and i went thur this 13wk anger workbook w/our ss teacher's it has been very freeing for both of us....so much so that we have purchased more of the books to pass on to friends we have who we know need to work out some anger issues in their lives :)if you have angry issues in your life and need some direction on how to dispose it, this is the book for you :) never give up,god is faithful, he has promised us abundant life, keep pressing.... thank you dr les carter and dr frank minirth :)
Great first effort.......2006-02-25
This is the first book I have read about anger. I grew up with an angry mother and a rageful father so this is an issue that needs attention in my life.
I basically chose this book after doing an Amazon search simply using the word anger. Then I read reviews of several of the options and chose this one.
The author seems to have an experienced and reasonable approach to the subject. As with most books, a definition, exposition is at the beginning, wherein the author firmly places responsibility for change on the reader, which in my mind is where it must be.
I liked that fact that the author does not make any promises of erasing a persons anger, but rather gives options of how to deal with it effectively.
I would like to recommend this book to anyone who deals with anger as the person experiencing it or living with someone who suffers from it. Perhaps this work is no magic bullet, but if taken seriously, can bring some relief and illumination to this often daunting emotion.
My two cents... ; >
Book Description
An authoritative manual that provides valuable insights for turning conflicts in the workplace into productive working relationships. The toughest part of any job is dealing with the people around you. Scratch the surface of any company and you'll uncover a hotbed of emotions -- people feeling anxious about performance, angry at co-workers, and misunderstood by management. Now, in Working With You is Killing Me, readers learn how to "unhook" from these emotional pitfalls and gain valuable strategies for confronting workplace conflicts in a healthy, productive way. Discover how to: - Manage an ill-tempered boss before he or she explodes - Defend yourself against idea-pilfering rivals before they steal all the credit - Detach from those annoying co-workers whose irritating habits ruin the day
Customer Reviews:
Just keeps giving.......2007-07-12
This is a book that just keeps giving. I bought it quite a while ago and really did not read it right away --- but ultimately I read the whole thing -- and I must admit I found myself appearing again and again in the descriptions.
But what really is great about this book is that if you just leave it on the coffee table or something like that, then you will find yourself picking it up and randomly looking at a chapter here and a chapter there -- and guess what -- it will all be relevant (if you are being honest with yourself). You will find yourself, your peers, coworkers, and your life.
Worth having.
Surprisingly helpful from an accidental reader.......2007-05-20
My wife bought the book and I was sceptical when I first saw it. I accidentally left it on a low table and our puppy picked it up and shredded most of the first chapter. I bought another copy from Amazon to replace the damaged copy. As I tried to repair the torn pages a few words caught my attention and after that I could not put it down. Take it from an initial sceptic that this book has very helpful suggestions and practical advice that you can readily apply. I highly recommend this book to anybody who is working.
Pop-Psychology.......2007-05-14
This book was assigned reading for a "Leadership" in business class. The first two chapters set the tone for the rest of the book. Read those, and the rest will be just variations on the same theme. I now use the book as a doorstop.
Smart Advice.......2007-05-12
As a veteran of the corporate world, I found the case studies and recommended solutions to common workplace snafus right on target. Best of all, the authors urge individuals to find out their options and own their decisions. In other words, no need to be the victim of an unhealthly work relationship. Hope is out there for those who can take a step back and not get tangled up in other person's bad behavior!
Disappointed.......2007-04-13
With all the glowing reviews, I thought this book would have something new and innovative, something I hadn't heard before. No such luck. Some interesting strategies and tactics for dealing with difficult people and see how you might be contributing to the problem, but nothing you won't find in other books on the subject.
I eventually gave up before finishing the CD because of the lack of anything new and I got tired of listen to the authors :-(
Book Description
Productivity.
Customer Reviews:
Very Effective Approach to prioritizng Time.......2007-05-25
Thank you Todd Duncan! This book continues and finishes Referral of a Lifetime. Basically, what Mr Duncan does is call attention to what we are doing with our time. He then presents a clear, concise way in which we can prioritize better. He may have been inspired by John Maxwell's Thinking for a Change. This is because Todd believes in managing your tasks during the day. It is akin to the concept of writing out 6 tasks that need to be accomplished today and work at them until finished without letting any other task interrupt you. What is even better with Mr Duncans approach is to set up folders in which to place these other tasks that arrive in our lives so that we can categorically and systematically face them at or before their appropriate time. Todd does a great job in finishing this book which will undoubtedly lead to more writings from him. In the Party trap he speaks of Health, financial and spiritual fitness, purpose, and Knowledge. This is a book worth reading even if you are not a "salesperson".
Tried and true time management for salespeople.......2006-08-09
Countless tasks compete for a salesperson's time every day. Salespeople who fall into these "time traps" sacrifice the hours they need to invest in their ultimate purpose: selling. Sales and work-life balance expert Todd Duncan identifies the eight most common time traps that snare salespeople (and other businesspeople, also), including the "identity trap," the "organization trap," the "control trap" and the "party trap." He explains how to dodge these traps and streamline your workday so that you devote most of your time to selling. He offers strategies for selling more in less time, such as nurturing relationships with high-value customers to generate repeat business and referrals. Duncan also suggests ideas about how to use all your new free time, offering guidelines for balancing your life outside of work. There is a Christian flavor to his advice, but it is subtle and shouldn't deter those who are not spiritually oriented. This isn't a magic formula for increasing sales or buying time; in fact, much of the information is not new. But we recommend it as a nicely packaged approach to maximizing the value of your time as a salesperson, not only in your workday, but also in your life.
Very Good.......2006-04-19
Time management books and seminars can easily be a little vague and "fluffy". Duncan's book - particularly the first half - is filled with sensible, hands-on techniques and inspiration to regain control of your time and consequently your sales accounts.
I particularly appreciated the "Yes Trap" chapter which included a study on how salespeople spend their time (only 20% selling or prospecting, 80% admin, trouble shooting, etc).
The last few chapters felt less useful to me. In particular the Party Trap chapter ("wasting time celebrating success") is not something that I or my sales force could relate to, and the final chapter on Freedom citing Morrie from Tuesdays with Morrie fame held no value whatsoever for me. What I wanted were practical, concrete tools and techniques to improve the effectiveness of my sales force, and that is what I got in much of the first part of the book.
It's not about time management, it's about task management.......2006-01-04
One sentence summary: Build an effective and efficient team, don't waste time on nonproductive tasks and do what you enjoy doing.
NOTE: You may think that this book is not for you since it specifically states that it is for "Swamped Salespeople," but when you think about it, we are all salespeople in one way or another.
As a small business owner and entrepreneur, I am always looking for ways to make more time. Of course, everyone knows you can't make more time, but as Todd Duncan and his book Time Traps demonstrates there are ways that you can make better use of your time. The key is task management.
Here is a one sentence summary of each of the chapters:
1) Chasing the Wind - Don't try to manage your time.
2) The Identity Trap - Determine how to spend less time "working" while still being productive.
3) The Organization Trap - Stop wasting time (e.g. checking email every 5 minutes)
4) The Yes Trap - Stop saying yes all the time.
5) The Control Trap (get ready for a reality check) - Build a team!
NOTE: At one time or another we have fallen into the Control Trap. Remember, the first step to recovery is admitting that you have a problem. :)
6) The Technology Trap - Use technology only if it makes you more efficient.
7) The Quota Trap - Quality over quantity.
8) The Failure Trap - Don't cry over spilled milk, learn from the spillage and pour better next time.
9) The Party Trap - "Success in never final." Winston Churchill
10) Freedom (the touchy, feely chapter I liked which you MUST read) - "If a deep voice inside is telling you there's something more, something better, something you're still longing for, something worth striving for and fighting for, then your heart is still beating and there is still time to do something about it." (Time Traps)
One other thing that I like about this book is that there are executive summaries for every chapter, so you can get a really good idea about Duncan's recommendations in an hour (or as long as it takes you to read through 9 executive summaries and the last chapter on Freedom).
This is another definite addition to the Corea Properties and Esenai libraries.
Gotta go continue building the team...
How to get 4 extra hours out your day...without working late.......2005-09-24
Early on in my career, I was given the advice to "touch each piece of paper only once". This is a utopian ideal, that doesn't actually occur on planet earth. In my line of work, there are up to eleven individuals involved in the average transaction, and i am supposed to somehow coordinate ten or so such transactions each month.
This book is for anyone who has worked a 12 hour day, and still had work spill over into tomorrow. Put another way, if you've ever thought to yourself "there must be a better way", then you ought to not only buy this book, but also read it from cover to cover.
No matter how efficient you may consider yourself, you will be surprised at how much room for improvement there actually is. This book offers simple commonsense solutions to the various "time traps" that tend to steal away hours of our valuable time, often without us being aware of the extent.
One of the major concepts is that you can't manage time, but you can manage "events". The book suggests various ways to study and perfect how you use your time, and suggests that if you "take care of the minutes, the hours will take care of themselves".
You might also consider checking out "High Trust Selling" from the same author. Both of these books introduce their ideas as laws or concepts which fit into an overall business and life philosophy. The ideas introduced are based on a study of top producers and superstars in various industries.
These books are both an excellent investment and a good read, and will probably change your entire outlook on time management and running your business "by design".
Book Description
How to sell value, increase margins, make price irrelevant, win executive-level credibility, and create competitive immunity.
Selling value is taking on a whole new meaning for sales professionals. Here's a proven process pros can use to address their customer's pressing business issues, position themselves as strategic partners, and recommend solutions that improve the way their customers do business.
In Beyond Selling Value, top sales consultants Mark Shonka and Dan Kosch share their proven process for becoming a critical partner in their customers' success. From targeting the most promising prospects, to bypassing the gatekeepers, to reaching the decision makers who are empowered to buy, and to closing the deal with a powerful presentation, the authors impart their battle tested secrets to forging long term business relationships.
For sales professionals tired of being beaten up on price, here is a new way to leverage their strengths, elevate their sales game, and establish relationships with those who appreciate their value. Selling Power magazine calls it ""a detailed, street smart roadmap"".
Customer Reviews:
Excellent read!.......2005-10-26
This book is a terrific read. It is both educational and entertaining. It really is a must read for those of you who want to sell consultatively.
A tactical in-the-trenches approach for B2B selling.......2005-04-04
Having worked for IMPAX for over six years, I've had a chance to learn and work around numerous sales training methodologies before and since.
Mark Shonka and Dan Kosch present a detailed step-by-step how to approach for understanding the customer's point of view, getting credit for what you know about them, and leveraging that knowledge to communicate your value in the customer's terms. Many other so-called "sales processes" from sales training companies fall short for several reasons, and this book fills many of those gaps:
1) Many so-called "sales processes" simply present ways of analyzing customer situations (such as Miller Heiman's 'Blue Sheet'). They do not show HOW to accomplish your objectives in an account situation as Kosch and Shonka do.
2) Other "sales processes" (such as Solution Selling or SPIN Selling) get tangled up in complex questioning processes that can be difficult to master in the field. I'm not saying there is no value in them (some of these offer techniques for prospecting or demonstrating that IMPAX does not address). What I'm saying is their complexity makes them somewhat unwieldy to implement by many salespeople so they can be less than totally effective.
3) Finally, many other sales processes from training companies make a dubious assumption: that everything the salesperson does should be calculated to close the deal. I hate it when salespeople do that to me, and you probably do too.
Some environments are more opportunity focused than relationship focused, but certainly building relationships is a critical component of any selling environment. IMPAX provides step-by-step approaches for doing that, so that when qualified opportunities arise you can leverage the relationships you have built. It provides the context in which you can be recognized for the value you truly offer, and close deals based on a wider context and on future value potential, rather than (inadvertently) forcing salespeople into "peddler mode," constantly conniving to close (perhaps when prospects are not yet ready).
4) One of the most valuable things about the IMPAX Process is that while speaking the language of practical tactics salespeople love, Shonka and Kosch are really teaching salespeople a powerful strategy that can be scaled from telesales to Global Account Management to talking to your five year old.
IMPAX may not be the only thing you'll need to make your sales organization more successful, because selling skills are just one of many factors at play. However, as far as selling skills go, especially for complex B2B environments, IMPAX has a lot to offer.
Michael Webb
The critical question author Shonka choose not to answer.......2004-03-07
I would give Beyond Selling Value five stars if there were not a *tiny* problem:
In an e-mail to author Mark Shonka I wondered what can one say if the client tells in the research meeting to one of the questions "That's none of your business!"
The research questions are more those a hired management consultant is allowed to ask and not somebody who is just needed to sell some products. How is one supposed to deal with this kind of objection/resistance? What should one say in response?
The response by Shonka was -- silence. Otherwise, of course, it's a great book.
Excellent for Sales and other Professionals.......2003-10-08
This is an excellent and clearly written book intended for the Sales Professional. The authors purposely reiterated certain key concepts that for me was a detractor, but for some one new to the subject they are talking about may not be.
Taking the authors process in components, there is nothing truly new here. What is new is the process they propose? The tieing together of the different elements to develop critical information to determine a business fit between the customer and your organization and presenting that to the key decision maker. Again, nothing technically new, but well presented in a well designed process of gathering data to prepare for research interviews with people in the customer's organization to gain the necessary coaches and insight to prepare a presentation to the decision maker.
Though this process is designed for the sales professional, it is useful for others. How many managers, engineers, accountants, etc, need to propose business solutions, initiatives, or other major projects to senior managers? Many I would suppose. This is an excellent process (with minor adjustments for internal use) for you too. Basically how to present a project top gain the attention and support of a decision maker.
I can not make a personal testamonial to any success using this process at this time, but am planning to.
Beyond Selling Value.......2003-05-23
I have read a lot of sales books and have attended more than my share of sales training seminars. Seldom have I seen content that is clearly written by sales people, for sales people. The anecdotal information brings to life behaviors that are "how to" steps rather than "one should always" general recommendations... real examples rather that philosophies about what should work. This tactical approach sets Beyond Selling Value apart and answers a lot of tough questions where others have failed to go.
Average customer rating:
- Great until the last chapter
- Emotional Unavailability
- Oversimplifies so much that it is a cartoon
- A great guide to emotional freedom
- Fantasic Book!
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Emotional Unavailability : Recognizing It, Understanding It, and Avoiding Its Trap
Bryn C. Collins
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
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ASIN: 0809229145 |
Book Description
An inspiring, solution-oriented guide, Emotional Unavailability takes an upbeat look at why people form painful and unfulfilling associations and empowers them to find authentic emotional connections. Through real-life examples, quizzes, and an easy-to-understand text, readers learn how to identify the 10 types of emotionally unavailable people to avoid and put themselves on the road to a truly satisfying relationship.
Customer Reviews:
Great until the last chapter.......2007-09-16
This is a great book, and I wish the author would update it based on more recent research. I think all of us can find ourselves in this book in part.
But in chapter 17, where the author says the emotionally unavailable partner drifts through relationships, & when they get too uncomfortable, they leave, he's not up on current research, and also contradicts himself. Think about it: If the point of players, blamers, & fixers are to control the relationship, why would they leave? It works for them!! They have all the power. It is the person who attempts to work with, cooperate, and "goes along to get along" with the emotionally unavailable person that finally comes to their senses, realizes they can not "fix" the unavailable person, and then leaves. At which the unavailable person becomes hugely distraut that the leaver is the one with the problems: "Your father had a mid-life crises, and abandoned the family!!" "No mom, he abandoned you, not me, when you blamed him." Or if someone is the victim of the "fixer" they withdraw quietly, and stop telling them what's going on their lives. Fixers & Blamers do not "drift", they are actively over-involved in their relationships. My suspicion is that the author at some time was left or abandoned in a relationship. I'm guessing he's a blamer, or since he does seem altuistic, a fixer.
Great books to read on this are Uncoupling: Turning Points in Intimate Relationships and Crazy Time: Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life, Revised Edition.
If you want to help others, and are a fixer, then a good read is I Don't Have to Make Everything All Better.
For the reviewer who's partner rated himself as "glad" but rejects her from the party, that's a player. Wonderful charming, too busy for her but needs plenty of breathing space. Emotionally connects by arguments. Feels drowned by "needy" people. This is not emotional unavailability as much as a personality type (SPs on Myers Briggs) who can't ask for the autonomy & breathing space they need. Books to read are True Loves: Finding the Soul in Relationships (out of print? Read about the Mercurial Lover) and Survival Games Personalities Play - Check out the game "Blackmail" or "Uproar."
Emotional Unavailability.......2007-09-14
Reading this book has given me a better picture of emotional unavailability. Anyone who suspects they may be living with an emotionally unavailabile individual should most definitely read this book. It is a great stepping-stone to further understanding and therapy, if necessary. The author lives and practices therapy in Burnsville, Minnesota.
Oversimplifies so much that it is a cartoon .......2007-09-03
I bought this and related immediately to the intro, where the author describes an unavailable lover as one who invites you to a great party and then over and over refuses to let you in (you can hear the laughter and music behind him) because there is something you have done wrong (your clothes, the time, the food you brought). I thought the book was going to be great. Then I started reading the descriptions of "types" and found them to be too much of a cartoon to find a match for my partner, who rejects me from the party over and over. I know he is not emotionally available but these descriptions are too simplistic. There is also at least one quiz to help you find your "personality type" - "Mad", "Sad", "Glad", and "Fearful". My partner, who acknowledges having an anger/rage problem and is undergoing treatment for this, proudly told me that he fit the "Glad" category. I looked at the quiz and saw why - the questions were geared towards people have really over the top reactions to everyday occurrences. (When caught in traffic do you (a) turn on the radio or (b) honk the horn non-stop and scream?) (OK not a direct quote because I threw the book away, but pretty close). (By the way I am very anxious and I scored as "Glad" also. I'm anxious, not stupid.) I have a lot of knowledge about personality disorders etc., and maybe that is why this book was so useless to me. I didn't read the whole thing, maybe there are some helpful parts.
A great guide to emotional freedom.......2007-03-08
Being a person who has forged ahead with personal growth now for more than ten years, I am always pleased and inspired to find a book that helps further my understanding and development. Emotional Unavailability is written so well that it has helped clarify quite well my understanding of what Emotional Unavailability really means.
It has helped me identify areas where I am still emotionaly unavailable, and helped me understand more fully why I am drawn to emotionaly unavailable people.
Many Thanks Bryn!!
James
Fantasic Book!.......2007-02-21
This is one of best written, thoughtful, thorough and entertaining books I have read on this subject. It gives great tools for self analysis, analysis of others, and guidelines for positive communication and change in relationships.
Book Description
The annual budgeting process is a trap. Pressured by fixed targets and performance incentives, managers focus on making the numbers instead of making a difference, meeting set goals instead of maximizing potential. With their compensation at stake, managers often resort to deceitful-even unethical-behavior. In the end, everybody loses-the employee, the company, and ultimately the customer.
Now, finance experts Jeremy Hope and Robin Fraser reveal the results of an intensive study aimed at fixing the broken budgeting process. They argue that companies must abandon traditional budgeting contracts in favor of a radical new model that links performance measurement to evolving competitive benchmarks-and shifts the firm's focus from controlling employee behavior to delivering customer value.
The Beyond Budgeting model is built on the best practices of companies that have successfully revised their centralized planning and budgeting processes. It combines a leadership vision that devolves more authority to operating managers and a finance vision that enables fast decision making through appropriate tools and accessible information. Through vivid examples, Hope and Fraser illustrate how companies can implement these shared visions-and the long-term benefits that accrue from embracing them.
Offering a compelling case for breaking free from the budgeting trap, this book paves the way toward making organizations better places to work for, invest in, and do business with.
Customer Reviews:
Must read for corporate managers.......2007-08-20
It's time to review some standard practices in all corporations. Most haven't come out of industrial age views on how to manage and run organizations. Today's risk and opportunity environment needs some fresh thoughts and views on how to solve common problems and improve standard processes. This book takes a new approach on one of the most damaging and least critized processes - read it.
How to avoid or escape from "the annual performance trap".......2006-11-17
Given what Hope and Fraser perceive to be an obsolete core management model driven by the annual budgeting process, they offer an alternative to that model. It is based on "the decision-making needs of front-line managers [as well as] a coherent set of alternative processes that support relative targets and rewards, continuous planning, resources on demand, dynamic cross-company coordination, and a rich array of multilevel controls." In Part I, they explain how to break free from the annual "performance trap" and how this trap is sprung whenever managers are pressured to meet fixed targets by fixed dates. They provide an overview of two opportunities to think and act "beyond budgeting." In Part II, they examine the first opportunity and explain how a number of organizations have used beyond budgeting principles to implement more adaptive processes. Then in Part III, they examine the second opportunity and explain how and why abandoning the traditional (and ineffective) budgeting process can help to achieve what they characterize as "radical decentralization." In the last Part, Hope and Fraser examine how and why the adaptive and decentralized organization (as opposed to one with a traditional budgeting process) "meets the vision of business leaders in the 21st century."
Of special interest to me is what Hope and Fraser have to say about the differences between the fixed performance contract (FPC) and the relative improvement contract (RIC). For example, here are two of the six cited:
In terms of targets,
FPC: "Your [sales/profit] target is fixed at [$]"
RIC: "We trust you to maximize your profit potential to continuously improve against the agreed-upon benchmarked KPIs [key performance indicators] and to remain in the top [quartile] of your peer group."
In terms of resources,
FPC: "The agreed resources to support the capital and operating budgets are set out in the attached budget statements."
RIC: "You trust us to provide the resources you need when you need them. We trust you to keep within agreed KPI boundaries."
Note the references to "trust." Hope and Fraser insist (and I wholly agree) that there must be mutual trust between and among everyone involved when making a commitment to beyond budgeting principles. It is important to emphasize that Hope and Fraser did not write this book solely for CFOs. On the contrary, what they propose requires that all senior-level executives in a given organization understand and actively support the beyond budgeting principles. Although CFOs and heads of HR have responsibility for the implementation of strategy, more often than not, they are not centrally involved in the formulation of strategy. That is a serious mistake. Beyond budgeting initiatives will succeed only if a CFO can be trusted to make prudent and effective use of resources provided, and only if she or he trusts the given organization to make sufficient provision of them.
Otherwise....
Excelent real life cases.......2004-07-01
This book does capture the findings from the work of Beyond Budgeting Roundtable in a excellent way. The cases in the book are real and are brilliant proofs of the fact that it is possible to run even a large corporation with out traditional budget models. I'm really looking forward to the follow up.
Good Book on Relatively New Topic.......2003-12-30
As a business consultant with many years experience in budgeting, I found this a very useful overview of a relatively new topic in finance. The authors clearly show the limitations of the traditional budgeting process and present a comprehensive alternative.
However, while the book brings many examples from real companies, many of the ideas still seem a little conceptual and difficult to imagine how they would actually work in practise.
This book will certainly interest anyone seriously involved in budgeting.
Customer Reviews:
Very esoteric.......2007-06-27
You really have to be a language weenie to care about many of these. If you're looking to become a better programmer, or simply to be entertained, this probably isn't the right book.
Great book for people who like puzzlers/Java .......2007-01-17
The book is very friendly and readable.
Some of the examples are real unique and in most cases you are not going to meet them but it's fun to read, use your mind and check you knowledge.
another cracker from Josh ..........2006-06-30
Disclaimer: the fact that I have known and worked with Josh on and off for around 10 years now has little bearing on my review of this book.
Anyone who believes they are a Java master should read this book, it is well written, captivating, informative and full of useful information!
In short it's a must have (along with Effective Java) for your Java bookshelf
Great book.......2006-06-07
This is really another excellent book I've seen on Java. Authors try to model/abstract real-world senarios into some "silly trivia" puzzles. You may say they are "Not puzzles, just silly trivia", but if you are experienced Java developer, you will figure out what they really mean and then smile on them. I have to say I was lost in some of those puzzles before in my real-world programming history...
It's not easy to address real-world problems in such a generic way. This book really makes the complication simple. Great job!
Unique book finds pitfalls in both programs and the language itself.......2006-05-26
This book is filled with brainteasers about the Java programming language and its core libraries. Anyone with a working knowledge of Java can understand these puzzles, but many of them are tough enough to challenge even the most experienced programmer. Puzzlers are grouped according to the features they use, but you cannot assume that the trick to a puzzle is related to its chapter heading.
Most of the puzzles exploit counterintuitive or obscure behaviors that can lead to bugs. Every platform has them, but Java has far fewer than other platforms of comparable power. The goal of the book is to entertain the reader with puzzles while teaching you to avoid the underlying traps and pitfalls. By working through the puzzles, you become less likely to fall prey to these dangers in your own code and more likely to spot them the code of others over which you have maintenance priveleges.
This book is meant to be read while you have access to a computer that has a Java development environment installed, ideally JDK 5.0, which is the latest release at the time I am writing this. That is because some of the puzzles rely on pitfalls in this particular release of Java.
Most of the puzzles take the form of a short program that appears to do one thing but actually does something else. It's the reader's job to figure out what each program does. It would be best if you first study the program/puzzle and determine what you think it will do. Next, run the program and see if its expected behavior matches its actual behavior. Try to fix the program if you believe it is "broken". Finally, read the solution and see if it matches your answer. What is really great about this book is that it sticks to pitfalls in the core language and doesn't delve into any of the add-on API's or J2EE. You'll be surprised that so many pitfalls can be conjured up in the core language. Amazon does not show the table of contents, so I do that here along with a brief description of the type of puzzles in each chapter.
1. Introduction
2. Expressive Puzzles - The puzzles in this chapter are simple but not necessarily easy and involve only expression evaluation. My personal favorite : the statement "System.out.println(2.00 - 1.10);" displays 0.8999999999999999 instead of .9. There is a solution, but it is not pretty and showcases a pretty bad weakness in the Java language.
3. Puzzlers with Character - This chapter contains puzzles that concern strings, characters, and other textual data. This section contains several puzzles involving unicode characters, and one is a cautionary tale for language designers in character overloading. Example: System.out.print('H' + 'a'); prints the number 169 not the word "Ha" as you might imagine.
4. Loopy Puzzlers - All the puzzles in this chapter concern loops, such as coming up with declarations that turn simple loops into infinite ones.
5. Exceptional Puzzlers - The puzzles in this chapter concern exceptions and the closely related Try-finally statement. Most exhibit odd behavior such that simple changes in the program cause completely different types of exception handling to occur.
6. Classy Puzzlers - This chapter contains puzzlers that concern the use of classes and their instances, methods, and fields.
7. Library Puzzlers - The puzzles in this chapter concern basic library-related topics, such as Object methods, collections, Date, and Calendar. One particularly interesting puzzler illustrates that, in Java, integer literals beginning with a "0" are interpreted as octal values. This obscure construct is a holdover from the C programming language and the 1970s, when octal was much more commonly used than today. Thus "012" is seen by Java as 10 base 10.
8. Classier Puzzlers - The puzzles in this chapter concern inheritance, overriding, and other forms of name reuse.
9. More Library Puzzlers - The puzzles in this chapter feature more advanced library topics, such as threading, reflection, and I/O. Here you will learn, for example, that "write(int)" is the only Java output method that does not flush a PrintStream on which automatic flushing is enabled. Thus you must explicitly invoke "flush" on its stream to print any message, making the "write" method seem unfriendly and outright pointless.
10. Advanced Puzzlers - The puzzles in this chapter concern advanced topics, such as nested classes, generics, serialization, and binary compatibility.
A. Catalog of Traps and Pitfalls - This chapter contains a concise taxonomy of traps and pitfalls in the Java platform. Each entry in the catalog is divided into three parts - A short description of the pitfall, how to avoid the trap, and pointers to additional information on the trap.
B. Notes on the Illusions - This appendix contains brief descriptions of the graphical illusions that appear throughout the book. The descriptions are grouped loosely by category. Within each category, the order is roughly chronological.
This book is very good practice for anybody who enjoys programming in the Java language, but it will probably appeal the most to the geekiest among us of which I proudly count myself.
Customer Reviews:
book.......2007-10-03
Interesting book that is highly focussed on how we should react to offenses. It is helpful to study this book in a small group rather than just reading it.
An Important Book - Forgive so that You May be Forgiven.......2007-09-21
The Golden Rule states to do unto others what you would have them do unto you. That message was meant for good things, to treat others well in the hopes you'd be treated well in return. Unfortunately, too many people have used this as a license to treat others poorly just because they've been treated poorly themselves.
The Golden Rule is based on Matthew 7:12, where Jesus says that, in short, you should treat others the way you want to be treated.
The point of Bevere's book is offense and how to deal with it. The message is to forgive because the Bible is quite clear that if we don't forgive others, God won't forgive us. After all, fair is fair, and God is always fair and is the embodiment of that. It isn't about how wrong we've been treated or how justified we are to be mad at or upset with someone else. Judgment and justice belong to Christ alone so who are we to mete it out? It's simply not our place and by holding grudges and not forgiving someone, we are passing judgment on them by withholding our love and forgiveness from them.
Bevere hits the message home with a hard smack, as he's so good at. His writing style is simple and clear, but very poignant, frequently reminding the reader of what the Bible says about offense and forgiveness without pulling any punches.
This book is a true gem and a must for the serious Christian's bookshelf. It is also important reading for the non-Christian because, as it is with truth, truth is universal and applies to everyone.
This book is important. It is life-changing because it is based on a Word that can divide joints and marrow, and soul and spirit.
This Book is Based on Bad Theology.......2007-08-10
Forgiveness is important, vital to the Christian life, but this book does not give an accurate picture of the forgiveness taught by Jesus.
The premise of the book, stated in the first few pages, is this: Jesus forgives everyone, so we must forgive everyone.
Except that Jesus does not forgive everyone. Unlike love, forgiveness is conditional. He OFFERS forgiveness to everyone, but only gives it to those who have repented of their sin.
Forgiveness in the church is to work the same way. If someone who claims to be a Christian is in sin, (overlooking the small stuff) we are to confront that person in love. If they repent, then forgiveness is to be offered immediately and their offense is to be completely wiped off the books. If we can't forgive properly after someone has properly repented, then we are in sin and have our own idols to confront.
If however, the offending party does not confess their sin and clean up the mess they made (the biblical description of repentance found in Numbers 5:5-6), other Christians are not supposed to just forgive him and move on. Matthew 18 teaches that they are to confront him again in a larger group, then again by the local body as a whole, and then if they still will not make things right, they are to be turned out of the body. Those in the body are to continue to go to him and encourage him to clean things up and return, but Christians are not to be in good standing in the body of Christ when they will not repent of their sin. (1 Cor 5) Period.
This is an important process for weeding out the tares. If someone claims to be a Christian, but refuses to be held accountable after repeatedly being confronted lovingly from scripture, then he just might not actually be a Christian.
This book, based on the idea that all sin is to be forgiven and that Christians should just 'let go' of things that offend God, regardless of how rebellious the offending person is or how high up in ministry they are, is not biblical. God hates sin. He wants it addressed in His church. He says that those who don't address it frankly, share in the guilt of it (Leviticus 19:17) . This book not only teaches Christians to turn a blind eye to sin, it will lead to rampant abuse in the church where it is practiced.
Neither does it distinguish forgiveness and fellowship. If someone has sinned against us, and been turned out of the body for not repenting, then it is time for us who are offended to "forgive from the heart" (Matt 18:35), but that does not mean that fellowship is restored. It is not.
Bevere even goes as far as to give examples from his life and his ministry, where he failed to confront sin in others, even another pastor who was sinning against not just him but several people in the church, and presents them as if he was doing a good thing by not addressing the problem. He seems to feel that because it all worked out in the end, that what he did was right. Except that he was failing his God and his congregation by failing to act biblically in these situations. And how do we know that it all worked out in the end for the other people that were victims of the sinning pastor?
Further, this book calls God a sinner. One of the other premises of the book is that if you are offended, you are in sin. Jesus trashed the temple courts because He was offended that God's House was being turned into a place for profiteers. If the teachings of this book are true, then Jesus was in sin.
Not to mention that God spent pretty much the whole Old Testament being offended at the behavior of almost everyone. Anger and Jealousy are among the attributes of God. Taking Bevere's theology to its logical consequence, God Himself is in serious and habitual sin and is in need of repentance.
Forgiveness is important, but it needs to be placed in context. The theological holes in this book are big enough to drive a truck through, and there are a lot more than I have mentioned here. My brother in law gave me a copy and I returned it to him with notes on every other page bringing his attention to the problems it has. I urge Christians reading this book to get out your Bible and read the passages I have noted here.
Books like this high light the importance of having a discerning mind and running all "Christian" books through the screen of inerrant scripture. ALL of scripture.
We trap by offenses.......2007-07-28
If you are a person that is offened by one person or another this is the book for you! This is a Great book and it is a must read for everyone who has been deeply hurt by someone's actions, words or deed!
Excellent book.......2007-07-04
It's well-supported biblically, practical,and able to positively impact relationships.
After reading this book, I bought copies for each of my 4 children, for my pastor and one of the church elders, who in turn bought copies for each of the church elders.
Amazon.com
Since it was first published, The Time Trap, by internationally known authority Alec Mackenzie, has indeed become The Classic Book on Time Management, as proclaimed in its subtitle. Based on the theory that self-management is the key to handling the time crunch that we all face, it focuses primarily on Mackenzie's 20 biggest time wasters, such as telephone interruptions, the inability to say "no," and personal disorganization, and offers clear step-by-step ways to combat them. The updated third edition also includes information on time problems caused by technology, downsizing, and self-employment.
Book Description
Can't say no? Reluctant to delegate? Information overload? More and more people today are finding their time clogged up with endless activities and responsibilities, and their work lives spinning out of control. No matter how hard they try to get things done...there's never enough time!
Now practical, realistic solutions to the problem are spelled out clearly and concisely in this new edition of the classic book on time management. The Time Trap shows readers how to squeeze the optimal efficiency-and satisfaction-out of their workday as they learn how to:
** recognize how human nature is usually the root cause of dwindling time
** pinpoint and combat the 20 most tenacious time-wasters
** avoid the technology trap and so-called "time-savers"
** choose realistic goals and regain control of their life
** use time management techniques for professional and personal success
Based on decades of research with businesspeople around the world, The Time Trap is filled with smart tactics, hard-hitting interviews, and handy time management tools. With a half million copies sold in previous editions, it's the most popular time management toolkit available.
Customer Reviews:
The Time Trap .......2007-09-28
Taking Care of the Basics
The Time Trap by Alec Mackenzie is a classic in the field, yet is one of the most easily readable and practical books on the subject I've ever read. I read this book for the first time in the early 1970's and have since re-read and studied it as I've applied the principles. The chapter on managing yourself gives the reader tips that make sense and the appendix that tells you how to "spring the time trap" is worth its weight in gold.
Best in Class.......2007-07-18
I have read many books on this topic, and this is the best by far
Targeted for working people, not much for the rest of us.......2006-08-23
This time management book is very workplace-oriented. Almost every page or so has something to do with meetings, paperwork, calendars, delegation, business communication, time logs, etc. Not really applicable for a stay-at-home parent such as myself. Most, if not all, of the given examples are set in the workplace. Even the charts and figures and worksheets are applicable only to working or business situations.
Very frustrated reader. Couldn't move past the first few pages. Skimmed through the book at best, not much interesting information for myself though. (The principles, concepts, and advice given by the author are very helpful and quite impressive...but again, just for work settings, and not for my situation)
This would be an excellent book for someone who is looking to get organized at work/home business. But for the rest of us who are full-time or stay-at-home parents, students, and unemployed or between-jobs, I'd suggest searching for other titles with a more general approach to time management.
***I wish the publishers had added something in the title to indicate its targeted readers...maybe something like "The Classic Book on Time Management in the Workplace"--or something!***
Well worth the time.......2006-03-19
Wonderful and practical advice. I am putting the practices in this book to use on a daily basis and am achieving more than I previously was. The only problem I have is that my fellow workers are trying to pawn off their workload on me since I am getting my stuff done more quickly and efficiently than I was previously. Super book...easy to read...will read again in a year. Highly recommend!
Practical advice to identifying and correcting time-wasters.......2006-02-02
This is a thoughtful time management book, that gets to the point, effectively. Personal discipline is the key to stress-free success. Set a plan, log what you actually do with your time, and then identify the time-wasters for mitigation.
The book provides the insight, list of common time-wasters, and some simple forms to help in logging and evaluation. I find "At-A-Glance" paper calenders work well with Mackenzie's system.
If you want to get control of your day and become dramatically more efficient this book is for you.
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