Book Description
Media Reviews
- "I have been doing project management for over 30 years and am considered a subject matter expert in the PMBOK(r) Guide -Third Edition primarily because I am the Project Manager who led the team that developed this edition. As a consultant I was hired to review and evaluate eight of the top selling PMP Exam Preparation books for their accuracy in following the PMBOK® Guide - Third Edition. I have developed and taught a PMP Exam Prep course for a leading R.E.P., and taught PMP Exam preparation classes for PMI Chapters. I can honestly say that Head First PMP is by far the best PMP Exam Preparation book of all I have reviewed in depth. It is the very best basic education and training book that I have read that presents the processes for managing a project, which makes it a great resource for a basic project management class for beginners as well as a tool for practitioners who want to pass the PMP exam. The graphical story format is unique, as project management books go, which makes it both fun and easy to read while driving home the basics that are necessary for preparing someone is just getting started and those who want to take the exam."
--Dennis Bolles, PMP DLB Associates, LLC and co-author of The Power of Enterprise-Wide Project Management
- "This looks like too much fun to be a PMP study guide! Behind the quirky humor and nutty graphics lies an excellent explanation of the project management processes. Not only will this book make it easier to pass the exam, you'll learn a lot of good stuff to use on the job too."
--Carol Steuer, PMP and PMBOK(r) Guide, 3rd Edition Leadership Team
- "This is the best thing to happen to PMP since, well, ever. You'll laugh, learn, pass the exam, and become a better project manager all at the same time."
-- Scott Berkun, author of The Art of Project Management and The Myths of Innovation
- "Original, fresh, and fun... this is truly the perfect study companion for anyone aiming for PMP certification."
--Teresa Simmermacher, PMP and Project Manager at Avanade
- "I love this format! Head First PMP covers everything you need to know to pass your PMP exam. The sound-bite format combined with the whimsical images turns a dry subject into entertainment. The organization starts with the basics then drills into the details. The in-depth coverage of complex topics like Earned Value and Quality Control are presented in an easy to understand format with descriptions, pictures, and examples. This book will not only help you pass the PMP, it should be used as an daily reference for practicing project managers. I sure wish I had this when I was studying for the exam."
--Mike Jenkins, PMP, MBA
- "I think that under the fonts and formalized goofiness, the book has a good heart (intending to cover basic principles in an honest way rather than just to pass the test). Head First PMP attempts to educate potential project managers instead of being a mere "how to pass the PMP exam" book filled with test taking tips. This is truly something which sets it apart from the other PMP certification exam books."
--Jack Dahlgren, Project Management Consultant
- "Head First PMP is a great tool to help make sense of the Project Management Body of Knowledge for the everyday Project Manager."
--Mark Poinelli, PMP
About the Book
A PMP certification is more than just passing a test. It means that you have the knowledge to solve most common project problems, and proves that you know your stuff. Once you're certified, your projects are more likely to succeed because you have the skills and knowledge to make them successful. Not only that, it can mean a better job, more money, and greater respect from your peers.
But studying for a difficult four-hour exam on project management isn't easy, even for experienced project managers. You want to remember everything that you're learning about project management, but your brain is working against you! Your brain craves novelty, and most PMP certification prep books are anything but novel. When you keep putting down a boring book instead of studying, it's because your brain doesn't think the information in it is worth learning. Your brain has more important stuff to think about, like how to keep you alive and out of danger-and it doesn't think that failing the PMP exam qualifies as life-threatening!
So how do you trick your brain into thinking that your life does depend on learning everything you need to know to pass the PMP Exam? Head First PMP is the answer! Using the latest research in neurobiology, cognitive science and learning theory, Head First PMP has a visually rich format designed for the way your brain works-a multi-sensory experience that helps the material stick, not a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep.
Head First PMP offers 100% coverage of The PMBOK® Guide principles and certification objectives in a way that's engaging, not tedious. This book helps you prepare for the PMP certification exam with a unique method that goes beyond answers to specific questions and makes you think about the big picture of project management. By putting project management concepts into context, you will be able to understand, remember, and apply them-not just on the exam, but also on the job.
With Head First PMP, you get the best of both worlds: a thorough and effective preparation guide for the PMP certification exam with hundreds of practice questions and exam strategies, along with puzzles, games, problems, exercises and the unique Head First approach that makes learning easy and entertaining. When you're done with Head First PMP, you'll know your stuff, you'll pass the exam, and you'll be able to bring everything you've learned to your job.
Customer Reviews:
One of many books you need to conquer PMP - not the only.......2007-10-10
I passed my PMP exam recently. In spite of my years of experience, I found that the exam needs a truckload of preparation! I started with PMBOK Guide, Rita Mulcahy, some others, and settled on HFP. The HFP is not the first book you should read, and certainly should not be the only book you read. Unlike the somewhat snide (and ineffective) Mulcahy book, this book would give you tons of useful mnemonics to remember stuff by. After reading this book, I was having a much easier time answering questions in other books, such as Mulcahy's.
The PMP examination is not for the faint of heart. At the minimum, you should know the PMBOK Guide by rote (esp. the I-TT-O, Glossary, and the formulae). You need to supplement that knowledge using other books. These are the list of books I found useful (in no particular order):
0. PMBOK Guide
1. HF PMP
2. Mulcahy
3. Kim Heldman
4. Andy Crowe
Unfortunately, HF PMP does leave out many vital topics. This will hurt you in the exam, if you have not covered it elsewhere (e.g. Calculating CPPC and FPIP using numbers, GERT, etc., amongst many other examples). But for the topics covered, you will have a strong help from this book in retaining that information!
I would strongly encourage the authors to consider revising the book and adding the missing topics - given the treatment of topics from the authors. Add a glossary of terms that may be referenced in the PMP Exam, even though these are not covered in detail in the book (with a ref.). It will be worth the price you'd pay for such a book!
Very Disappointed.......2007-10-07
I've read this and many other PMP study guides and here is my opinion. I passed the PMP exam but NOT due to this book. The main disappointment I have with this book (and a few others) is that it is organized according to the knowledge areas, whereas the PMP exam specifications by PMI are organized according to the process groups. Also it makes more sense to study project management by process groups because this approach is closer to the real life experience: initiating, planning, executing, controlling, and closing. If I need to look at the project management body of knowledge organized according to the knowledge areas, I would rather look at the PMBOK Guide. The exam study guides should follow the exam specifications, and should not be a mere re-run of the PMBOK Guide. Also, there is no mention of the exam objectives in any chapter. It reads like more or less a re-run of the PMBOK Guide without any consideration of the exam spec. Other drawbacks of the book are the following:
1. Questions are not close to the real exam questions.
2. The emphasis is on the "fun" not on explaining the topic...so the coverage of many topics is very shallow.
3. At best, the book is a collection of lecture notes without any lecturer explaining them.
4. Oversimplification of serious knowledge often leads to inaccuracies. This book even goes beyond over-simplification in search of humor. It's hard to draw the line between humor and inaccuracies.
If you think project management (or PMP) is a joke, this book is for you. If you believe project management is a serious business, stay away from this book...it has the potential to contaminate your project management knowledge.
So, don't use it as a primary source for your preparation. It's ok as a secondary source, perhaps...
Awesome book with great content!.......2007-09-12
Hi, I passed the PMP exam on Sep 6'07 and used HF PMP as part of my preparations. I must confess anything that PMBOK covers is being covered by this book. But what is more interesting is the ease with which all concepts are explained and can be understood. This book goes in depth to make you understand the finer points in PMBOK and that is one big reason to buy it. Not forgetting the presentation of this book which makes it so much enjoyable to read and pass the exam.
There are questions at the end of each chapter which are in line with the real exam and tests your understanding of concepts.
All in all a great book for preparation and a must have for anyone appearing for the exam. Cheers!
Neeraj , PMP
A must for PMP Certification preparation and beyond.......2007-08-30
"Head First PMP" is an absolute must for anyone who would like to prepare for PMP certification. It is well written, covering all the topics required for PMP. There are a lot of books available for preparation of the certification, but Head First PMP stands out from all of them. It is easy to read, understand, and believe me, it would help you make a great deal of progress in your understanding and study of the material. Even after certification, Head First PMP will serve you as a quick and easy reference for your project management questions. I would definitely recommend this to all.
Head First PMP Defines a New Oxymoron: Engaging Textbook.......2007-08-22
In preparation for the test, I recently spent some extended time in the bookstore comparing options to help my studies. The local bookseller I visited unfortunately didn't have the Head First book that I had heard so much about, so I ended up with a another title that was also highly recommended on Amazon. After bringing the other book home, I read two chapters and realized I was thinking about everything other than what I was reading. I decided I needed a different route if I planned to stay awake during my preparations for the exam and decided to try to source a copy of the Head First guide instead.
I found a copy of the Head First PMP title at another bookshop and settled in for what I thought was going to be another futile attempt at cramming this information into the old gray matter. However, much to my surprise, I found myself *engaged* in the content, and moreover, I was truly *learning* it! The book's approach ensures understanding of the content through thought and exercises - not reading lots of text and hoping some of it sticks long enough to pass the test.
If you haven't seen what makes the book different, definitely take a moment to visit the book's website (http://www.headfirstlabs.com/pmp) to see if this writing style is a fit for you. As another reviewer mentioned, this book definitely has a quirky feel to it (e.g. a fireside chat between the scope management plan and the project scope statement as one example) that may not be right for everyone, but for the rest of us, Fireside chats, crossword puzzles and Cows Gone Wild is half of what makes the book so engaging.
Don't let the fun use of graphics and informal style of the book fool you into doubting its usefulness or accuracy. While I can't guarantee that you'll pass the exam by reading this book, I will say that when you use the book as outlined in the book's introduction, the Head First PMP should absolutely increase your knowledge of the things PMI deems important for the exam without torturing yourself in the process.
Finally, for those that may be wondering why you should take my word on the use of this book, I passed the exam by a good margin yesterday. I found that on at least 25-30 questions, I would not have gotten the question correct had it not been for something I read in the Head First PMP book over the two days prior to the test.
Highly recommended!
Book Description
Praise for
Your Gut Is Still Not Smarter Than Your Head
"Too many companies treat marketing as a communication exercise to help sales move a few more cases of product out of the door. Your Gut Is Still Not Smarter Than Your Head demonstrates that marketing, properly understood, is your company's engine for spotting opportunities and nurturing them to produce long-term profitable growth."
-Philip Kotler, author and S.C. Johnson Distinguished Professor of International Marketing, Kellogg School of Management
"Clancy and Krieg debunk the popular myth that marketing is all instinct and hocus pocus. Here's a practical approach to marketing strategy and tactics that can drive profitability and growth. There are no 'blink' shortcuts here-this is the real work of transformational marketing, laid out in a practical, concise guide that every true marketer should read!"
-Susanne Lyons, Chief Marketing Officer, Visa USA
"Clancy and Krieg have written a comprehensive and highly compelling how-to book for the marketing community that says: wake up and look at the facts! It's a must-read for every professional marketer who aspires to breakthrough performance."
-Joseph V. Tripodi, Chief Marketing Officer, Allstate Insurance Company
"Bold moves require more facts in this fast-paced era. This book is a must-read for the risk tolerant!"
-Jon Luther, CEO, Dunkin' Brands, Inc.
"Fact-based marketing is the best way to reinvent marketing, and Clancy and Krieg provide the blueprint to do it."
-Bob Liodice, President and CEO, Association of National Advertisers
"The authors demonstrate forcefully and dramatically-with numerous examples-how great, even just good, analysis leads to legendary marketing strategies."
-Don Sexton, Professor, Columbia Business School, and author of Trump University Marketing 101
Customer Reviews:
Still Making the Most Sense.......2007-08-10
Authors Clancy and Krieg continue to be the sirens of reason in a sea of marketing strategies and tactics that are drowning in ineffectiveness. If you haven't purchased any of their previous books and are looking for a clear and well-written treatise on why most marketing efforts fail and what you can do to avoid the same fate, then this book is for you. It's an easy read, but also thought-provoking. CEOs should be especially interested, especially if they intend to hold their marketing staffs accountable for results. If I have a quibble (and it's minor), it's that not enough time and attention is paid to online marketing, which has its own share of marketing charlatans but is also on the cutting edge of performance measurement as a result of tools like Google Analytics. All in all -- a valuable resource for any business library.
Grounding in what matters to be successful in marketing.......2007-07-09
This book makes us pay attention to the science of marketing, more critical than ever to succeed in marketing. "How to give your marketing programs a performance review" is an especially valuable and enlightening chapter. And the research on product commoditization is chilling, fascinating and in many ways a wake up call. Read this before your CEO does.
A counterpoint.......2007-07-09
It's a reasoned response to by Malcolm Gladwell's Blink and similar "your gut reaction is best" books, and highlights the critical importance of scientific research for good marketing and advertising purchase decisions. Sure, the authors' views continue the research views of David Ogilvy's "Confessions of an Advertising Man," etc., but does so with current anecdotes. Clancy and Krieg's personal writing style highlight inside stories about their personal sale effort frustrations. This books conclusions promote a thoughtful approach to products and their promotion, a welcome contrast to seat-of-the-pants youthful decision making.
A pick for any collection catering to managers........2007-07-07
YOUR GUT IS STILL NOT SMARTER THAN YOUR HEAD: HOW DISCIPLINED, FACT-BASED MARKETING CAN DRIVE EXTRAORDINARY GROWTH AND PROFITS considers and refutes one of the basics of marketing: the idea of the 'gut instinct' driving innovation. Marketing consultants Kevin Clancy and Peter Krieg here explain how to consider more disciplined, accountable marketing approaches that quantify the 'gut instinct' with measurable facts and analytical tools. Case studies and real-world data blend in a survey of how disciplined marketing beats gut-only thinking and planning, making this a pick for any collection catering to managers.
nothing new in it.......2007-05-19
The book is more about traditional advertising rather than about marketing as it said. And it is full of stale judgements without solid support. The overall theme is fine, but no solution has been given out for the future. Typical consulting cliche.
Book Description
George W. Bush came to the presidency in 2000 claiming to be the heir of Ronald Reagan. But while he did cut taxes, in most other respects he has governed in a way utterly unlike his revered predecessor, expanding the size and scope of government, letting immigration go unchecked, and allowing the federal budget to mushroom out of control.
Despite their strong misgivings, most conservatives remained silent during Bush’s first term. But a series of missteps and scandals, culminating in the ill-conceived nomination of Harriet Miers to the Supreme Court, has brought this hidden rift within the conservative movement crashing to the surface.
Now, in what is sure to be the political book of the season, Bruce Bartlett lays bare the incompetence and profligacy of Bush’s economic policies. A highly respected Washington economist—and true-believing Reaganite—Bartlett started out as a supporter of Bush and helped him craft his tax cuts. But he was dismayed by the way they were executed. Reagan combined his tax cuts with fiscal restraint, but Bush has done the opposite. Bartlett thus reluctantly concluded that Bush is not a Reaganite at all, but an unprincipled opportunist who will do whatever he or his advisers think is expedient to buy votes.
In this sober, thorough, and utterly devastating book, Bartlett attacks the Bush Administration's economic performance root and branch, from the "stovepiping" of its policy process to the coercive tactics used to ram its policies through Congress, to the effects of the policies themselves. He is especially hard on Bush’s enormous new Medicare entitlement…and predicts that within a few years, Bush's tax cuts and unrestricted spending will produce an economic crisis that will require a major tax increase, probably in the form of a European-style VAT.
Bartlett has surprisingly kind words for Bill Clinton, whose record on the budget was far better than Bush’s. Whatever else one may think of him, Bartlett argues, Clinton cut spending, abolished a federal entitlement program, and left a budget surplus. By contrast, Bush has increased spending, created a massive entitlement program, and produced the biggest deficits in American history.
In fact, Bartlett concludes, Bush is less like Reagan than like Nixon: an arch-conservative Republican, bitterly hated by liberals, who vainly tried to woo moderates by enacting big parts of the liberal program. It didn't work then, and it won't work now—and may have similar harmful effects for the GOP.
Customer Reviews:
Powerful critique of GWB not written by whiney liberal.......2007-06-02
Well written entertaining hard hitting book on the various failures of the Bush presidency.
This book is packed with facts and logic supporting the author's thesis that George W. Bush is not a conservative president and has done a bad job from a conservative perspective. Rather GWB has been a highly partisan Republican president in the genre of Richard Nixon in that he has pushed liberal policies like expansion of medicare benefits, pouring billions into educations, committing the troops to nation-building of a democracy (which no doubt will end up like Vietnam) in a place where US troops don't belong.
If you are a die-hard Bush fan or a liberal Bush-hater don't bother buying this book as it probably won't provide any enjoyment. But if you are an intelligent open-minded individual who appreciates a frank discussion of policy from the conservative viewpoint you should not be disappointed.
Well written critical summary of the G.W. Bush Years.......2007-05-20
This book by a Reagan insider reveals in stark detail Bush's hipocracy in using the conservative title. Bartlett shows him as an grandiose opportunist who believes he is guided by God, and making all the errors of judgement that stem from such absurd overconfidence.
Good, but..........2007-04-18
I hate Dubya as much has the next good liberal, but I found this book to be a bit tough to get through due to its focus on economic issues. Cleary, he can be similarly criticized for straying from conservative positions on a whole host of other issues, but the author never strays from economics (but to be fair, that is his area of expertise). At the end, he even veers off on some VAT tax tangent that has nothing to do with Bush.
It's not a bad book, but buyer beware.
An attack more in sorrow than in anger.......2007-02-23
This is a good book. As a political book it is well above average.
As an attack book it is one of the best because it deals with facts,
mostly, and usually identifies opinions as opinions.
We have 210 pages of text, divided into 11 chapters, mostly complaining about
what Bush did, but a lot of complaints about how he did it, and why.
There 35 pages of appendices and notes, documenting the "what" quite well,
and the "how" fairly well. The "why" seems not as well done, but better than
the average political attack book.
A common attack book strategy is to make a statement as a fact, and provide
a note reference. The reference turns out to be an opinion offered elsewhere,
sometimes by the same author. Another is broad labelling. A request for a
hardship deferral makes one a draft dodger. Not accepting a particular
theory espoused by a professor makes one anti-intellectual. These are
rare in Bartlett's book.
There are also 31 pages of end notes, 49 pages of references and a 14 page
index. You can check his claims. In most cases there are references to
both sides of an issue.
I also appreciated that Bartlett identified the political biases of think
tanks and publications.
There are some weaknesses in the book. Much of the subject matter involves
economics, a topic most readers find boring, intimidating, or both.
To aid the attack, Bush is compared against Clinton in some ways and
against Reagan in others. Bartlett gives Clinton credit for welfare reform.
He properly identifies the tax increases that partly offset the Reagan
tax cuts, but ignores the slowness of spending reductions. Bartlett
argues there will be a major tax increase, probably after Bush is gone,
then spends many pages supporting a value added tax (VAT) as the least
bad way to do it.
Some Republicans will hate the book because it attacks one of their own.
Bartlett got fired for writing it. Some Democrats will hate the book
because it does not accuse Bush of treason, rape, armed robbery, and
wearing ugly ties. This is clearly an attack book, but it seems to have
been written more in sorrow than in anger. The book is far more rational
and far less emotional than some of the reviews here.
Critique of the President from the Right.......2006-09-24
This is an interesting work. Many of the critical analyses of the Bush II Administration (George W. Bush as opposed to George H. W. Bush, referred to as Bush I below) have come from journalists or those on the left or from Democrats. This book is fascinating precisely because it is authored by a conservative, one who served in the Reagan White House and in the Bush I Treasury Department. In that, it is akin to Francis Fukuyama's critical analyses of neocons and the Administration's Nation-Building efforts. And, indeed, Bartlett paid a personal price for his criticisms--he lost his job.
He suggests that the Bush II Administration is simply not conservative. In fact, the first chapter's title exemplifies that theme: "I Know Conservatives and George W. Bush Is No Conservative." Among his contentions: the Bush II administration simply does not care about serious policy analysis; it is more concerned with attaining its goals. The chapter, entitled "The End of Serious Policy Analysis," quotes part of Ron Suskind's interview with a top Bush official (some opine that this quotation may come from Karl Rove himself): "You guys, the aide said, are 'in what we call the reality-based community.' Such people are defined, the aide went on, as those who 'believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernable reality.'" The aide went on, quoting Bartlett: "That's not the way the world works anymore. We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. Any while you're studying that reality--judiciously as you will--we'll act again, creating other new realities. . . ."
Other chapters question the Bush II Administration for its tax cuts, its trade policy, why Enron serves as metaphor for Bush's economic policy, the budget (mirabile dictu, Bartlett suggests that Bill Clinton's policy is preferable to Bush II), and so on.
Precisely because this is a critique from the right, this becomes a very interesting volume to reflect upon. While sometimes the critique becomes a bit shrill, this is still worth looking at and thinking about.
Book Description
Find the right candidate for the job every time
Adler's insightful new POWER hiring methods enable managers to attract, assess, and recruit the best candidates through the integration of online tools and offline behavior modifications. New information on hiring and the Internet, diversity, and legal compliance issues is included.
Customer Reviews:
A definite must read for any manager.......2006-11-28
I highly recommend Lou Adler's book, Hiring with Your Head, for any hiring manager seeking to hiring the best talent. Hiring with Your Head provides an overview of a proven systematic approach for hiring superior people by focusing on their past performance rather than relying on intuition.
Lou Adler provides a methodology for critically assessing candidates' potential for evaluating how well their past accomplishments meet the requirements for a position. He also goes into depth on how to successfully source and recruit talented individuals to your company.
The star is for the digital version, and Amazon customer service!.......2006-06-04
Beware: If you buy the digital version from Amazon, it forces you to use Microsoft identity, and you will not be able to download the file then load it in your reader... No, you must open up a security hole in your firewall to make the pre-file send encrypted information to God knows where, then you can only read it on that identity. It is Microsoft bound so I don't know if you Mac guys or Linux guys are covered here, on PDA side, forget PDA that is not the right terminology, Pocket PC it should say.
The whole thing is Microsoft bound, and if you like me are behind a corporate firewall you are unable to get the book at all.
Customer service will read 1% of what you write and even ask you to include the order # on your replies... not via email, but like all corporations with customer service which really sucks. You must login to there webpage and email from there, no inconvenience to great... When you at the end ask if they can replace with the paperback version, they ignore it completely and send an auto- responder returning the money to your credit card... I wanted the book, but that is not possible unbelievable enough, the order I ordered it with which still is not shipped from Amazon could not have the paperback added, so if I wanted it they could send it as an extra for 12 $ in shipping costs on top, instead of helping me save by tossing it in a pack still to be sent!
I believe this book could be great, but due to the extreme restrictions on this e-book and lack of service mentality I will never find out. So for all I recommend you to buy the paperback version, to avoid the dissapointment.
Good Practical and Relevant.......2006-03-22
OK let's get it out there... people who have very little to live for read business books. 99% of the stuff written is of the most egregious quality known to mankind -- people with any sense avoid the business section in any bookstore. It is the special writer indeed that can make their experiences relevant to the rest of us, impart knowledge and wisdom, who goes beyond the pump-me-up-and-let's-all-feel-good-and-happy-clappy version of corporate America -- the kind commonly encouraged in some national sales conventions. You know! The type that tries to convince you they have secrets of business success by regaling you with stories on how important their "new" business discoveries really are, when really they are variations on the benefits such banal things as getting up early, not watching too much TV, changing your socks, and giving people hell the occassional time (preferably all of the above done based upon some abstruse mathematical formulation).
No... Lou Adler is the real thing. Not full of beans or full of himself most of the time. The advice he gives is practical, well organised and starts with the premise that, when you hire someone you should use the job as the screen for the candidate -- in order to draw those qualities out of the candidate and also to organise your presentation of the job. Adler says, "do not start with percieved requirements of the position" as these do not deliver the results needed.
There is a lot of technical detail and healthy, not corny or forced anecdotal evidence such as is legion in most of this genre.
I have seen Lou Adler on two occassions and can concur that he is one of the most down-to-earth people you can meet. In a world rife with industry setting unrealistic targets Lou is able to lay it on the line and tell you what you need to do and not what you want to do. There is no percieved, strained intellectualism or claims of revealed truth or knowledge that you get in other such reads as Zig Ziglar or Gerardi, or (horror or horrors, Wess Roberts -- author of the worst sales coaching book in history "The Leadership Secrets of Atilla the Hun).
I have recommended it for my corporate clients on occasion and can do so with a straight face and strong measure of encouragement. It actually reinforced those elements of hiring that we were doing right, and forced us to change those elements we were doing wrong - can there ever be a stronger recommendation for any book?
Packed With Knowledge!.......2004-05-06
Lou Adler, president of the Power Hiring consulting and training company, provides a systematic approach for finding, interviewing and hiring the best candidate for a job. He emphasizes making an objective assessment and, to this end, he provides techniques for overcoming first impressions. He identifies four key interview questions you can use to determine job candidates' competency and motivation, and to match their skills and interests to your company's needs. The book includes charts and checklists that highlight important points. We recommend this well-organized guide to effective hiring to company owners, human resource personnel and managers involved in the hiring process. Alert job seekers may also find it useful to learn what a good interview will demand.
An On-Target Update.......2002-11-22
The second edition of Lou Adler's Hire with Your Head takes the best of the original concepts and updates it with the latest insights on interviewing and the entire selection process. I've been able to introduce the POWER Hiring concepts to a major professional services with significant results including better retention and a reputation as an employer of choice. I've seen hundred's of clients report more confidence in their ability to accurately interview candidates.
One excellent example of this update should be a revelation to many managers and human resource professionals who have been inundated with books recommending the "152 Best Interview Questions." It's the answers, not the questions that count. Adler's POWER Hiring formula recognizes the importance of getting and properly evaluating candidate answers.
From the starting point of Performance Profiles to the insights on the latest recruiting tips, Lou Adler courageously tells managers and HR professionals what they're not doing right -- and what to do to make it right.
It's rare that I read both a first and second edition of the same book -- but this second edition captivated me with every chapter.
Book Description
One of the most acclaimed books of our time, winner of both the Pulitzer and the Francis Parkman prizes,
The Power Broker tells the hidden story behind the shaping (and mis-shaping) of twentieth-century New York (city and state) and makes public what few have known: that Robert Moses was, for almost half a century, the single most powerful man of our time in New York, the shaper not only of the city's politics but of its physical structure and the problems of urban decline that plague us today.
In revealing how Moses did it--how he developed his public authorities into a political machine that was virtually a fourth branch of government, one that could bring to their knees Governors and Mayors (from La Guardia to Lindsay) by mobilizing banks, contractors, labor unions, insurance firms, even the press and the Church, into an irresistible economic force--Robert Caro reveals how power works in all the cities of the United States. Moses built an empire and lived like an emperor. He personally conceived and completed public works costing 27 billion dollars--the greatest builder America (and probably the world) has ever known. Without ever having been elected to office, he dominated the men who were--even his most bitter enemy, Franklin D. Roosevelt, could not control him--until he finally encountered, in Nelson Rockefeller, the only man whose power (and ruthlessness in wielding it) equalled his own.
Customer Reviews:
Remarkable research and writing, remarkable corruption, and remarkable length.......2007-10-15
This is an astonishing book. For at least three reasons. First, Robert Caro is a master of exhaustively-researched biographies, and this book is remarkable in the comprehensiveness of his portrait of Robert Moses. From details of his youth and college years, to a blow-by-blow description of his fall from power as an old man, the writing is detailed, opinionated, and razor sharp. Second, the life of Moses is astonishing in itself. The book gives a portrait of how idealism can be quickly turned to stubbornness, incuriousity, and corruption. Robert Moses was one of the smartest and most talented bureaucrats of the 20th century, and he split his energies 50/50 on beautiful parks and cutting red tape on the one hand, and destroying neighborhoods and building networks of cronies on the other hand. Third, the book is astonishing in its length, to a point where it becomes almost a reference rather than a book to be read cover to cover. Repetitive in places, filled with unnecessary detail in others (although in some cases, the detail adds to the brilliance of the book), the reader sometimes wishes that Caro had been forced to cram his encyclopedic knowledge about Moses into a mere, say, 500 pages. It would have been possible to cover the lessons of Moses' life, the brilliance, the arrogance, the great feats, and utter disasters, in that space. Nevertheless, this book has, for more than 30 years, been absolutely essential reading for people interested in New York, urbanism, power, and the art of journalistic biography.
The Best Book on New York City History!.......2007-10-02
As a native New Yorker I must say that this is the absolute best book depicting New York History I have ever read! Robert Moses was an amazing man who was very driven. The book gives some good insight into what made him the person he was and how Moses used to stay up all night reading books on every subject.
Moses had a hand in building just about everything that is New York. Unfortunately, he didn't do enough to keep the Dodgers in Brooklyn!
More praise.......2007-09-08
My praise has to pale beside the mountain of kudos this book has received. The best book ever about power in America, the best book about the recent history of New York City, the best book about city planning.
Has conclusively shut the door on Robert Moses's reputation.......2007-08-08
I submit that it is impossible to finish "The Power Broker" without really viscerally despising Robert Moses. Partly out of a desire to leave no hole in his argument unfilled, and partly because he has trouble using one word when forty-five words will do, the book is just really, really long -- nearly 1,200 pages. I wanted to get angry at Caro for doing this; every time I considered getting angry at him, though, the next sentence would be some devastating quote from one of Moses' victims. The book could still stand some editing, but it's certainly the quickest, most engrossing 1,200-page read I've ever had.
It's far more than just a biography of Moses. It's a study of how power actually works -- how, specifically, dictators amass power, and how even ostensibly democratic systems can evade public scrutiny. For at least 30 years, according to Caro, Moses was utterly beyond democratic control. Anyone who wanted to get anything done in New York City needed Moses' money, and needed the engineering expertise that he monopolized. Anyone from the City's government who wanted to talk with the federal highway or public-housing authorities had to talk to Moses, who would relay (his version of) their words to the feds. No one could fire him without bringing down an endless public outcry -- an outcry encouraged and protected by the media, which Moses expertly manipulated into printing only what he wanted said and only the statistics that his office generated. Money and media were in his pocket; with those, he was invincible. A purely accidental slipup after 40 years in power led to a crack in the godlike image that the media had sculpted for him. That crack led the media to question one small corner of his power. Having surrounded himself by yes-men, Moses flew in a rage against any such questioning. But you don't pick a fight with the media. (The phrase one always quotes here is something like "Never pick a fight with someone who buys ink by the barrel.") That rage led to still more questioning, which led to still more rages, and by the time it was through his media armor was gone. Down fell the rest of his protection.
That, in the tiniest conceivable nutshell, is the story of Moses' power and its end. The Power Broker is an in-depth study of the processes that made all of this possible. The argument is watertight, as far as I can tell.
My big lingering question from Caro's book is whether any amount of legal tinkering could possibly have saved democracy from Moses. The people with the money will probably always own the political process in this country, whether they buy the politicians outright or do it in more stealthy ways. Much of The Power Broker explains the "honest graft" that powered the Moses machine: payoffs to lawyers hidden as fees, payoffs to insurance companies hidden as premiums, payoffs to banks in the form of interest-free loans, and payoffs to unions in the form of contract favoritism. When Moses "pushed a button," everyone on his side -- which is to say, the lawyers, and insurance companies, and banks, and unions -- would call anyone whom Moses wanted them to call and state in no uncertain terms that the recipient's political career would end unless he did Moses' bidding. No politician could withstand this kind of constant pressure. Moses had to engineer some remarkably clever legislation and get it pushed through without anyone noticing the details, so if anything he's a worst-case example . . . but that's just the point: you want to look at how the system (in this case representative democracy) works when something fails.
Apart from Moses-hatred, two big themes come out of the book. First, I will probably never read a newspaper the same way again. If we believe Caro, the media's coverage of anything related to Moses bore no relation to reality -- both because Moses wined them and dined them, and because they seem just incapable of reporting political backstories. And all the people who actually wield the power are far too clever to pull the lever themselves. The real power in New York, says Caro, is in places like the Chase Manhattan Bank, but the press never bothers to report from there. And the press is much more attuned to clear-cut scandal -- actual bribes, say -- than it is to honest graft. For 30 years, no one had the slightest clue what Moses was doing, even when what he was doing involved condeming the homes of tens of thousands of poor New Yorkers.
The Power Broker's other big theme is that the private automobile is an absolute disaster for American cities. It doesn't even make mathematical sense to build roads to the exclusion of public transit when you're trying to address traffic congestion: train tracks can accommodate an order of magnitude more passengers than can highways. And train tracks encourage higher-density development, by encouraging people to walk to their trains. That higher-density development means people can own fewer cars. Conversely, if lots of people own cars, the whole pattern of development centers on cars -- which is where strip malls and highway ugliness come from.
That second point illustrates the silliness of one common line of American thought. When an ugly patch of road forms that's lined with nothing but strip malls and McDonald's, we're inclined to say, "It must have happened because people wanted it to." But what "people want" is defined by the choices available to them. If someone lives in most American suburbs, he can't "choose" to walk to work. That choice is not available to him. He can't choose to walk to a movie theatre. He is forced, in fact, to "choose" to own a car. He then chooses, like tens of thousands of his fellow-Americans, to sit in the same traffic jam on the same highway. This isn't choice: this is path dependence, enforced by the roads that we've built. Had the government chosen to invest in subways and high-speed rail, the set of choices and costs would be different. But it doesn't even make sense to talk about a choice that's unencumbered by prior decisions or by institutions: the institutions define the set of available choices, and then those choices force future choices of institutions.
The big trouble with a public work like a bridge or a highway is that if society decides in the future that it wants to pursue another path -- say, subways -- that option is pretty decisively foreclosed. Caro illustrates this point with Long Island: it would have been cheap to have bought a 20-foot right of way for high-speed rail while condemning land for highways on the Island. Once that highway went down, though, the value of the land immediately shot up. It shot up even more when houses starting popping up there. Nowadays, even getting started on laying down track for a high-speed rail would involve tens of millions -- perhaps hundreds of millions -- of dollars in condemnation fees alone. Our earlier choices, in a very direct way, made later choices difficult if not impossible.
So it's hard, I think, to escape The Power Broker without really and truly despising the automobile. It's been a disaster for American cities, a disaster for America's rural areas, and of course a disaster for American foreign policy. Robert Moses may have done more than any one man to unite the evils of the automobile with the evils of undemocratic public planning.
Look on my (public) works, ye mighty ..........2007-05-26
I have to disagree with what some of the other reviewers who said this book mainly will be enjoyed by people from New York and intersted in city planning.
Robert Moses died before I could even walk on two legs, and I've never spent more than three days in New York in my entire life. But this book fascinated me from page one to page 1162, even as I pored over the pages-long passages detailing the complicated, subtly ingenious legalities of the bond contracts that were Moses' means of consolidating his power and slogged through sometimes-tedious descriptions of several of his major projects.
That's because Caro never loses sight of the thing behind every line and dot on the maps included in the book: the man, Robert Moses, himself, his cunning, his restlessness, his ego. I get the feeling that Moses may have himself been an embodiment of New York.
What gets me the most about this book is the bitter irony of Moses' tale -- really, the bitter irony of humanity. He starts out as the perfect idealist, an exceptional man who by sheer will and intellect will systematically pull the rug out from under the city's corrupt Tammany machine and the state's all-powerful, elite robber barons.
Toward the end of the book, he and his network of cronies have become the machine itself. When he finally falls from power, it is not a grassroots reform movement has toppled him, not even because the public and the press have turned against him after decades of blind support. Rather, he is quietly marginalized by the political and financial power of the Rockefeller family -- the heirs to the quintessential robber baron.
So by the end, decades after Moses first became the most powerful man in New York, nothing has changed and, it seems, nothing will ever change.
Book Description
Inside the Minds: Leading Investment Bankers is written by an unprecedented collection of top industry visionaries and explains in an easy to understand language and format proven real world intelligence and strategies for being a successful investment banker. A must read for every investment banking professional, executive and entrepreneur, regardless of your experience level in investment banking, this book will shed light on the art and science of investment banking and help you be a better professional.
Customer Reviews:
Fake reviewers, this must be a
<1 star rank .......2006-03-13
trust me, this book(let) is really bad. Nothing Nothing, it contains Nothing!
I guess some top bankers just write whatever off their minds during lunchtime and put into this book(let) for sale.
there is no way people would rank it 4-5 stars on a sane mind.
buy it and you will regret.
It is like a pitch book.......2005-12-14
This book does not reflect in any way the world of investment banking and really does resemble to an IBanker pitch book. This is especially fond in the ML director vaunting the his bank and how good they are with the new recruits. However, the Manager from DB drawn a pretty picture of the business and how it did built a department. Overall, it less than average book, Monkey business is a lot better.
Jerome
==>Revealing.......2003-09-12
"Inside the Minds" is one of the most informative books I've read about investment banking aside from my Corporate Finance textbooks. The question and answer interview format made the text highly readable. Answers were filled less with managerial jargon and more with nuts-to-bolts advice on how to be a successful banker. Many of the books I've found about banking are either about how to get into the business or about deal mechanics. "Inside" focuses on what personal values help one succeed as a banker, and how to ensure longevity in the industry. "Inside the Minds" is similar to "Market Wizards," by Jack Schwager, only it's about banking (not trading). Both were entirely fascinating, and I'm still looking for more books like them.
First Hand Look at Investment Banking.......2003-07-30
This is a great book on the "insider" world of investment banking - applicable for both current and aspiring investment bankers, seasoned veterans, and anyone interested in how investment bankers operate. Having been in banking for 10 years at a tier 1 investment banking firm, this is the first insider account of investment banking I have read. I would definitely recommend this book for anyone interested in investment banking.
Book Description
The notion that Dilbert creator Scott Adams has secretly bugged every office, cubicle, and conference room in America-a belief widely held by Dilbert fans-has been debunked by pointy-haired experts. This discovery leads to an even more sinister yet inescapable conclusion: that the lunacy you thought was unique to your workplace is spreading with a viral malignancy across the nation's business landscape.
Yes, the Corporate America brand of insanity has garnered a majority market share among white-collar managers and so-called leaders at companies large and small. Product features (let's not call them "benefits") of this insanity include inflated executive salaries, irrelevant performance objectives, insipid management fads, inscrutable e-mail, interminable meetings, and oppressive work environments.
Dilbert is the inadvertent poster child for the Corporate America brand. In his 25th collection, he and his power-hungry dog, Dogbert, provide much-needed comic relief to working stiffs toiling in cubicles everywhere. Dilbert is featured in 2,000 newspapers and is read by 150 million fans in 65 countries and 19 languages.
Customer Reviews:
Short but worth it.......2006-07-28
Ok, so as you could guess, this is a small book compared to the other Dilbert collections, but you'll get your money's worth. Blah blah blah, reality of offices, ineffective management, unmanageable coworkers, evil contractors, malicious subdivisions, all here, as a Dilbert fan would expect, and holds what I consider the best dilbert strip: Dogbert explains corporate investing. You'll find some of these comics elsewhere, but for a dilbert collection fanatic, a worthy buy.
As Dilbert books go.................2006-02-25
Another great collection of Dilbert from the master of business humor!!!!! I still laugh out loud when I read it.
Can't get enough Dilbert!!!.......2005-10-20
I don't work in an office, but Dilbert applies just as well to those of us in the education field (change pointy-haired boss to pointy-haired principal and you get the picture) I have read Dilbert from the beginning, and I love it all. Dogbert will always be my favorite, and there is plenty of him in this book, along with Dilbert, Wally, Alice, Asok, Catbert...the whole gang. Great book!
Dilbert 25.......2005-10-03
I have read Dilbert from the first day. I don't think it is as cutting edge as it once was, but I still look forward to each one. This is as good as any.
The perfect way to end the day: Dilbert humor.......2005-08-07
This is one of the best Dilberts ever and I've read quite a few. Though it makes me skeptical about what my future boss may be like, it is still hilarious.
Customer Reviews:
Partially Good Book.......2007-02-25
This book is really good. however my main problem with is that it is mainly good for the American resort market, and not so useful in European circumstances speciall in smaller individual cityhotels.
I have to stress that it is very well written but not what i was looking for.
It is also abit dated. nevertheless I think everyone working this field shoud read it!
Easy-to-Read and Extremely Informative.......2006-04-24
I normally don't take the time to write book reviews, but this book was so amazing that I felt obligated to comment. It is succinct, well-written, and extremely easy to read. The ideas in this book can be applied to any type of hospitality product. Mr. Raza supplements the text by giving links to websites the readers can visit to obtain more information.
The chapters:
1) Hospitality and Marketing
2) The Market
3) Products
4) Branding
5) Advertising
6) How to Create Better Brochures and Collateral Materials
7) Public Relations
8) Promotions
9) 25 Proven Ways to Reach Travel Agents
10) Coop Marketing: How to Get the Best Results from Marketing Through Wholesalers and Tour Operators
11) Internet Marketing
12) Loyalty Marketing
13) Marketing Operations
14) Behind the Budget
Appendix: The Marketing Plan
too cool for school.......2006-04-22
Just finished it. Had to write a review. In summary: The Best Marketing Book Ever!
very good .......2006-01-14
Great to read. very good book.
Great book.......2005-09-25
Very interesting and helpful
From real pro!
Not a textbook, fun and easy to read
Book Description
Brewing Up a Business is an entertaining, enlightening first-person account of author Sam Calagione's nontraditional success as an entrepreneur. Starting out with a home brewing kit cobbled together from used kegs, Calagione turned his entrepreneurial dream into a reality. Relying on unique brews, lots of loving technique, and hard work, Calagione built Dogfish Head Craft Beer into America's fastest growing brewery. Without the benefit of an advertising budget, Dogfish went from a tiny operation in Delaware to one of the country's most popular craft breweries, distributed in 29 states and four countries. As revenues grow at lightning speed-an increase of 105 percent in 2003-Dogfish's success is the result of dreaming big, working hard, and thinking unconventionally. With real lessons on entrepreneurship and success from a real entrepreneur, as well as practical ideas on nontraditional marketing, this is a business story that will open readers' eyes to the unquantifiable benefits of thinking differently.
Download Description
Brewing Up a Business is an entertaining, enlightening first-person account of author Sam Calagione's nontraditional success as an entrepreneur. Starting out with a home brewing kit cobbled together from used kegs, Calagione turned his entrepreneurial dream into a reality. Relying on unique brews, lots of loving technique, and hard work, Calagione built Dogfish Head Craft Beer into America's fastest growing brewery. Without the benefit of an advertising budget, Dogfish went from a tiny operation in Delaware to one of the country's most popular craft breweries, distributed in 29 states and four countries. As revenues grow at lightning speed-an increase of 105 percent in 2003-Dogfish's success is the result of dreaming big, working hard, and thinking unconventionally. With real lessons on entrepreneurship and success from a real entrepreneur, as well as practical ideas on nontraditional marketing, this is a business story that will open readers' eyes to the unquantifiable benefits of thinking differently.
Customer Reviews:
Calagione, a REAL businessman.......2007-10-17
The title of the book is slightly misleading, it is NOT a book that details the accounting, planning, marketing, permits and taxes associated with "brewing up a business". It's much more than that. The book gets at the heart of why people are in business for themselves and projecting an image based on passion, not the almighty dollar.
I plan to re-read the book soon because I think it's a great moral and ethical approach to any type of business. Just a few typos and a little sentimental at times, but it's definitely genuine.
Mildly disappointed in the direction.......2007-09-16
I bought this book looking for a little more insight into developing a microbrewey but found although it is interesting, it is full of platitiudes concerning what I would call "business culture." The author has had unbelievable success as an enterprising brewer but the book does not translate this into any advice for someone who hopes to follow in his footsteps. Read it for the story and for sheer enjoyment but don't look to it for any kind of blueprint to microbrewery business success.
Fantastic Book.......2007-08-15
Great book and a fantastic read. While the book is directed towards entrepreneurs, the guiding principles can be applied to all aspects of business. The manner in which it is written makes it a quick read and I found myself laughing out loud often. Well written Sam! - John
BUY THIS BOOK AND READ IT!.......2007-06-25
I'm a brewpub owner and a professional brewer and the book was inspiring. If you're thinking of starting your own business or if you already own a business I highly recommend this book. Sam is a great writer and after reading "Brewing Up a Business" you will understand why DogFish Head is so successful.
more about sam than the brewery.......2007-03-03
The book is well named - its more about entrepreneurship, and not very much about the beer industry, and frankly, its about Sam, and Sam's business, and what Sam thinks about Sam's business. There is a great deal about Sam's incredibly brilliant product strategy - and it **is** a brilliant product strategy!
If you are interested in the brewing industry / business, there is not so much here.
The book is entertaining although not that informative, and reads like many new age business books. The founder has been tremendously successful. Suggest "beer school" if you want to learn about critical factors in brewing industry.
Book Description
Today's buyers are tougher, more knowledgeable and more willing to play hardball than ever before. This practical, field-tested guide demonstrates that understanding the customer is the key to making the sale. With an introduction by Dr. Ken Blanchard, co-author of The One Minute Manager, this is a unique book on selling for sales professionals and sales managers. Illustrations.
Customer Reviews:
A Solid Book.......2007-07-08
This book would be on my list of the Top Ten best sales books to own... but it would be in the middle of that list. The author breaks apart the buyers processes into roles and issues and it is helpful.
There is a better book out there titled "Sales is Dead." However, this book would still be an excellent addition to your library and much better than most of the books which have been written on sales process.
Business Development Coordinator - SPSI.......2000-04-28
Everybody TALKS about "Putting the customer FIRST", but Getting into Your Customers Head is a blueprint to do it best.
Kevin Davis' work is strictly for those who truly strive to attain the level of "Solution Provider" and Business confidant; the highly regarded "Go To" person to whom customers are comfortable in divulging all the intimate details.
"Getting into your Customers Head" eliminates the "Commission Breathe" that all prospects and customers smell a mile away, and turns them off from the moment you open your mouth.
Forget the rest. "Gettting into your customers head" is SPIN Selling, Strategic Selling, Consultive Selling, Visionary Selling and Solution Selling all rolled into one.
It's a methodology to operate at the highest level of sales productivity. Better yet, it's easy to read, easy to learn, and easy to use.
BUY IT, absorb it, "walk it", "talk it" and "OWN IT", and you'll generate more business than your company can handle.
Drop all the other sales method books, NOW........1999-08-30
I wish I had read this sooner! No more sales cycle for me
The book was great!.......1999-07-06
After 20 years leading sales organizations, both large and small, I thought there was very little new that I could learn about selling. And I was right! What I had been missing until I came across "Getting Into Your Customer's Head" was understanding how customers buy. "Getting Into Your Customer's Head" provides sales representatives with the ability to act like a consultant who is working in the best interest of his/her customers. A tremendous book which can help the entry level sales rep all the way up to the President of the company.
An ABSOLUTE "Must Have" book!!!!!!.......1999-06-02
Mr. Davis thoroughly outlines the key roles that all sales professionals should play daily. This book captures the very basic principles of buyer behavior at all stages of the buying process. Through "real life" examples in a variety of industries, Getting Into Your Customer's Head pinpoints the contemporary way to sell and to keep the customer.
Books:
- Healthcare Ethics in a Diverse Society
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How Good People Make Tough Choices: Resolving the Dilemmas of Ethical Living
- Images of Organization
- Images of Organization
Books Index
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