Amazon.com
Here's another management parable that draws its lesson from an unlikely source--this time it's the fun-loving fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Market. In Fish! the heroine, Mary Jane Ramirez, recently widowed and mother of two, is asked to engineer a turnaround of her company's troubled operations department, a group that authors Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen describe as a "toxic energy dump." Most reasonable heads would cut their losses and move on. Why bother with this bunch of losers? But the authors don't make it so easy for Mary Jane. Instead, she's left to sort out this mess with the help of head fishmonger Lonnie. Based on a bestselling corporate education video, Fish! aims to help employees find their way to a fun and happy workplace. While some may find the story line and prescriptions--such as "Choose Your Attitude," "Make Their Day," and "Be Present"--downright corny, others will find a good dose of worthwhile motivational management techniques. If you loved Who Moved My Cheese? then you'll find much to like here. And don't worry about Mary Jane and kids. Fish! has a happy ending for everyone. --Harry C. Edwards
Book Description
Here's another management parable that draws its lesson from an unlikely source--this time it's the fun-loving fishmongers at Seattle's Pike Place Market. In Fish! the heroine, Mary Jane Ramirez, recently widowed and mother of two, is asked to engineer a turnaround of her company's troubled operations department, a group that authors Stephen Lundin, Harry Paul, and John Christensen describe as a "toxic energy dump." Most reasonable heads would cut their losses and move on. Why bother with this bunch of losers? But the authors don't make it so easy for Mary Jane. Instead, she's left to sort out this mess with the help of head fishmonger Lonnie. Based on a bestselling corporate education video, Fish! aims to help employees find their way to a fun and happy workplace. While some may find the story line and prescriptions--such as "Choose Your Attitude," "Make Their Day," and "Be Present"--downright corny, others will find a good dose of worthwhile motivational management techniques. If you loved Who Moved My Cheese? then you'll find much to like here. And don't worry about Mary Jane and kids. Fish! has a happy ending for everyone. --Harry C. Edwards
Download Description
In this engrossing parable, a fictional manager is charged with the responsibility of turning a chronically unenthusiastic and unhelpful department into an effective team.
Customer Reviews:
A very nice thought, but curmudgeons are curmudgeons.......2007-10-23
I read this book soon after it was released, and just re-read it today because a group of folks at work are all reading it now (and will discuss it tomorrow). I would like to be optimistic enough to believe that a toxic group of workers would make such a serious turnaround in attitude. We certainly have our share of them at work. But what I came away from this book feeling (both times I read it) is that I am capable of being optimistic, cheerful, and pleasant to be around, but I don't have enough influence to change the people around me who seem to hate life. Those people are bitter because that is what they find more rewarding and that is an easier way to behave. So, I guess I feel that the intent of the book is very good, but the results may not reach much farther than the reader. To be fair, it did motivate me to suggest to some people at work that the sarcastic framed mottos on their desk (e.g., "Lack of Planning on Your Part Doesn't Constitute an Emergency on my Part") might be counterproductive, but they are still the same old curmudgeons, and the sarcastic mottos are still on their desks.
a good lunchtime read but too abrupt for a book.......2007-10-18
The book does not provide adequate information on morale boosting. The examples cited do not occur too often in real life, and the situations are far too idealistic than the ones we encounter everyday.
No theory or research or whatsoever has been cited, making me wonder whether the content come from the author's dreams or pure imagination.
The book is also too short for a full fledged book to be published, I think that it's more appropriate to publish in a newspaper or blog.
Overall, it's a good lunchtime read, have a good laugh, and forget about it. It's not worth your money to buy it.
Wonderful.......2007-10-10
A powerful message in a tiny package. Why not accept/promote attitudes that promote efficiency and growth?
Quick Read...Makes some GREAT points!.......2007-08-13
This book is a quick read for anyone...the story was interesting enough to keep my attention all the way through. Even though this book was depicting more severe circumstances than I have faced, I could still find ways to relate to the information. It's a nice reminder to practice good work habits every day!
Fish! A Remarkable Way to Boost Morale and Improve Results.......2007-07-16
The book is good for the use as a morale booster in the workplace. It is easily adaptable to a variety of environments.
Book Description
KISS THEORY GOOD BYE
NEW BUSINESS BOOK GIVES TEXTBOOK THEORY THE BIG KISS OFF!
Business Expert Writes the Playbook on 'How To' Rapidly Increase Performance and Profit in Any Company.
Bob Prosen cuts like a laser through the fog of political correctness and business-as-usual in his new book, Kiss Theory Good Bye: Five Proven Ways to Get Extraordinary Results in Any Company.
Prosen says he's had enough of the business books that tell readers what to do rather than how. "Forget the platitudes and feel-good anecdotes from a few CEOs and business gurus. Get to the point—the how-to details that can actually help leaders get the results they need in the companies they run," Prosen counsels.
With the same genius that he used to turn around inherited, underperforming operations within 12 to 18 months in some of the world's most prominent companies including AT&T, Sprint, Hitachi, NCR, and Sabre, Prosen delivers a straightforward, no-nonsense, battle proven guide to accelerate performance and profits in any organization.
"A smart business leader can achieve unprecedented bottom-line results by forsaking abstract discussions and vague textbook theory, shutting down endless excuses, killing off company politics, holding people accountable, and simply doing things that clearly work," says Prosen.
Kiss Theory Good Bye shows you how to quickly and consistently achieve extraordinary results in leadership, sales effectiveness, operational excellence, financial management, and customer loyalty.
Packed with easy to follow, step-by-step instructions, this book will show you how to
•Achieve consistent results, quarter after quarter
•Align your entire workforce to meet the organization's top objectives
•Increase accountability so you get the results you need
•Attract and retain top talent
•Beat your competition and lock in customer loyalty
•Reduce costs while increasing quality
•React less and have more time to plan
•Make your job easier and your organization run more smoothly
Contrary to the book's seemingly corporate focus, readers quickly point out that his business execution principles apply equally to not-for-profit organizations. As Los Angeles Unified School District Business Manager Michael A. Eugene reports, "Kiss Theory Good Bye is a compelling read, offering a toolbox to public- and private-sector managers alike to help establish clear focus, increase accountability, effective management, and measurable outcomes."
While other business books try to tell you what to do to run your business better, faster and for greater profit, Bob Prosen's Kiss Theory Good Bye gives you the tools and step-by-step directions to make it happen. For leaders who demand superior results, Kiss Theory Good Bye delivers the goods for taking immediate - and lasting - action.
My goal for sharing my knowledge and experiences is to give you the answers you need to immediately enable your enterprise to achieve its full potential. Leaders want their ideas and initiatives consistently carried out without hassle and rework. They want accountability, and value results over theory. I wrote Kiss Theory Good Bye with two principles in mind. First, theory would be replaced with proven tools, tactics, and answers that get results. Second, all of the information must be relevant and directly applicable to today's business challenges without the need for translation.
Until now this information has only been available piecemeal, leaving you to find, assemble, and translate it to fit your business. You might have gathered some of it through mentors, by trial and error, or by surviving the "school of hard knocks." But by the time you finish reading Kiss Theory Good Bye, you will have the answers you need to immediately begin improving results throughout your entire organization. And you will find that this book will remain a useful resource for quick, proven answers to resolve your most pressing business challenges.
Customer Reviews:
Required Reading for MBA Students.......2007-09-24
From the moment I read Prosen's book, I knew it had to be required reading for the MBA class I'm teaching. Because my day job puts me in the trenches with organizations of all sizes, I knew that this book hit the nail on the head. While other books make the case for getting from "good to great" this book creates the roadmap for HOW to achieve it. With relevant examples, usable tools, and a down-to-earth common sense approach, Prosen provides a timeless tool of common sense for senior leaders of organizations. He also provides applicable reasons for addressing the "nay sayers" in the organization. If you're tired of books that provide a lot of fluff with little take-back-to-your-desk-application, then get this book. My MBA students have assured me that they are keeping this book in their library.
Practical advice and a powerful read!.......2007-08-11
Our CEO group used the content from this book to transform our businesses in 2007! The tools and concepts are both practical and measurable. To date it has helped our group increase enterprise value by over $500M! The entry price of this book seems pretty reasonable for the return.
There are better places to spend your business-book dollars.......2007-07-19
Thirty-one Amazon customers loved Kiss Theory Good Bye: Five Proven Ways to Get Extraordinary Results in Any Company (Bob Prosen, Gold Pen Publishing, 2006, 256 pages). I didn't. I'm more inclined to agree with Publishers Weekly that this book is "prosaic" and "utterly familiar." There are better places to spend your business-leadership-book money.
Prosen set out to provide answers and tools to help business leaders overcome barriers to success. Drawing on 25 years of consulting experience, and on the self-ratings of some 66 leaders, Prosen claims to have found five crippling habits that prevent success and five attributes of successful organizations.
Unless you just crawled out of a cave, you already know what it takes to succeed:
Superior leadership
Sales effectiveness
Operational excellence
Financial management
Customer loyalty.
You need to read many books, watch many leaders in action, and try many things yourself to really understand each of these. Prosen devotes between 14 and 24 pages to each one. That's just not enough to give you any new insights or ideas.
If I were you, I'd turn to these books instead:
For general leadership insight, look to Confronting Reality: Doing What Matters to Get Things Right and 12: The Elements of Great Managing.
For sales effectiveness, turn to Strategic Customer Care : An Evolutionary Approach to Increasing Customer Value and Profitability and Delivering Profitable Value: A Revolutionary Framework to Accelerate Growth, Generate Wealth, and Rediscover the Heart of Business.
For operational excellence, your focus should be on increasing value-adding activities and eliminating non-value-adding activities. (This isn't the same as Prosen's cost-control focus.) Here I recommend two books that explain Lean thinking: Lean Thinking : Banish Waste and Create Wealth in Your Corporation, Revised and Updated and The Toyota Way Fieldbook.
The best source on financial management I've read is Financial Intelligence: A Manager's Guide to Knowing What the Numbers Really Mean.
For customer loyalty, you can't go wrong if you pick up Lean Solutions: How Companies and Customers Can Create Value and Wealth Together.
Back to the Basics.......2007-07-15
A refreshing theme throughout this book is the need for companies to create cultures based on accountability and results. When organizations have clear directives and hold team members accountable to achieve them, great things happen. Without these basic building blocks, some of the "cripplers" that Bob enumerates - rationalizing inferior performance, planning in lieu of action, and aversion to risk/change spread throughout organizations substantially eroding their effectiveness. This is "common sense, but not common practice" - a mantra frequently repeated by the author.
Bob introduces 5 attributes of highly profitable companies - superior leadership, sales effectiveness, operational excellence, financial management, and customer loyalty. He then explains how to execute in each of the areas. Bob asks questions to help the reader identify where his/her organization stands in each area so focus can be placed appropriately. Lists of actions complete each chapter with references to additional helpful materials available on the author's website.
Leaders/Managers at all levels need to get back to the basics. This book shows them the way. It cuts through the clutter and noise and addresses common problems with practical and proven solutions. If the tips in this book are "practiced," and institutionalized extraordinary results will follow.
Nick McCormick - Author, Lead Well and Prosper: 15 Successful Strategies for Becoming a Good Manager
Finallly a book with practical and real-world application.......2007-07-02
I was fortunate enough to see Bob speak at a local SMEI event several months back which prompted me to purchase the book there in person. His practical, real-life examples and principles are a must for the successful GM and sales leader. Thanks Bob for a book we can all apply right away!
Mike Merrill
Account Executive
Dell, Inc.
Plano, TX
Book Description
A decade ago, The Oz Principle took the business world by storm. At its root, the principle works like this: Like Dorothy and the gang in The Wizard of Oz, most businesspeople have the tools to succeed, but when things go wrong they blame circumstance or others instead of looking within for the true cause of unsatisfactory results. Once individuals learn to accept responsibility, they can use the Oz Principle to become better leaders.
Now, with corporate scandals in the headlines and the culture of victimization running rampant at every level of the business world, Roger Connors, Tom Smith, and Craig Hickman return with a new edition of The Oz Principle. Fully revised, this edition will update the statistics, concepts, and relevant companies through fresh, timely anecdotes and stories.
Customer Reviews:
I built a company culture on this book!.......2007-10-02
I'm now using this book to build a corp. culture for the second time. I buy a copy for every employee. I know they don't all read it. But, we use it as the text for company meetings, training and performance expectations. Big help in getting people to take more responsibility for our success as a company.
enjoyed the book.......2007-09-30
normally I am a cynical employee and our company is going into this hot and heavy. I figured that for once I should read about something before I talk bad about another fad. I read it cover to cover with a open mind and I agree with what it is pushing and I hope that my company really tries to follow the example.
Sadly, I do not see this taking hold where I work as the "CYA" principal will never go away and that is a shame.
Old Fashion.......2007-06-08
I guess i can understand the purpose of the material. However, it all seems to be common sense to a recent college grad who had to do any teamwork. I would find books on "treating women equal" just as useful. The concept is outdated, these things are already being taken care of in society.
Hackeneyed cliches and unsupported conclusions.......2007-05-15
I could not have been more disappointed in a supposedly useful business book. The entire book consisted of assertions on how "accountability" leads to better results, without a single empirical example to support it. Rather, there were plenty of quotes from Jack Welch (he who had 5 good years out of 20 at the top) and anecdotal stories linked to the Wizard of Oz. How dumbed down has business press gotten? What's next, management according to "Go Dog Go"? It was just bloody awful
Book and tape combo.......2006-02-19
I listened to the tape and used the book as documentation of the most important parts. It worked really well as a study method.
Book Description
Stop the World shows you how to use your spiritual power in the quest for practical results. James Arthur Ray combines the potent ingredients of material goals and mysticism, demonstrating how you need both to get the most out of life. Stop the World makes applying ancient wisdom and the latest discoveries about how our world works--in the realm of physics and beyond--something you can do today. You get:
- Actionable, clear principles to achieve tangible success without sacrificing spirituality, and vice versa
- Straight talk to put you on the true path of power so you can avoid the mistakes most people make
- Ways to break out of the mass hypnosis of our time and become completely free from cultural conditioning
This is a must-read and a must-do for anyone who is truly committed to becoming his or her own person in a world where most people just follow along. It's time to wake up and Stop the World!
Customer Reviews:
Great book if you need a kick in the pants.......2007-09-05
This book reminds me of the old days when I was devouring everything written by Carlos Castaneda. The difference is that Mr. Ray doesn't talk about the actual experiences he's had with his spiritual teachers -- rather, he tells you a few things about how you should (and shouldn't) live your life.
While I have no problem with the principles Mr. Ray is teaching (I am somewhat familiar with most of it already), I cannot help being turned off by his writing style. I feel that Mr. Ray shows an emormous contempt for the lifestyle of the average person. He uses words like "whimp" and "wet paper bag" rather frequently. I find this arrogant and snotty.
Sure, it is easy to get negative feelings when you notice how some people live, but a person at an advanced level of spiritual achievment ought to have gone beyond such negativity.
Also he talks about how people and relationships are "dispensable". My spontaneous thought when I read this is: "This guy obviously never has had children!" If he'd had the experience of caring for a baby of his own, he wouldn't be able to talk so flippantly about others being "dispensable".
He talks a lot about how he fights his Ego -- and I cannot help but think: "Seems like the Ego is fighting itself".
If you want to read a very different book about spirituality, I strongly recommend "The Power of Now" -- also I urge you to read "Soul on Fire": Soul on Fire: A Transformational Journey from Priest to Shaman by Peter Calhoun. The latter book takes a shamanic approach to spirituality, but unlike Mr. Rays' book it is devoid of arrogance and doesn't talk down to you. (I hope Mr. Ray will forgive me for recommending a competitor!)
This is an excellent book.......2007-08-16
This is an excellent book, conveying the message in an easy to understand English (don't underestimate the depth of the subject by the easy read language). It's definitely a book to study. I enjoyed reading it the first time and gained insight but I will study it the second round.
Very easy to read book!.......2007-07-12
I really enjoyed this book. He took difficult topics and ideas and put them into a simpler form that is easy to understand and follow. I look forward to reading it again so I can make better use of it.
Great book for the modern mystic.......2007-07-03
Find Me: How Psychic Detectives from Around the World Have Banded Together to Find Missing People
This book is a great opportunity to learn how to be a modern mystic. It gives do's and dont's that help clarify what it is that is needed to walk the path. Well written, I have referred it to many of my students.
Great book.......2007-05-16
Great book, I enjoy the contents of the book. The author really nailed it in every chapter.
Book Description
According to author Mike Schmoker, there is a yawning gap between the most well-known essential practices and the reality of most classrooms. This gap persists despite the hard, often heroic work done by many teachers and administrators. Schmoker believes that teachers and administrators may know what the best practices are, but they aren't using them or reinforcing them consistently. He asserts that our schools are protected by a buffer—a protective barrier that prevents scrutiny of instruction by outsiders. The buffer exists within the school as well. Teachers often know only what is going on in their classrooms—and they may be completely in the dark about what other teachers in the school are doing. Even principals, says Schmoker, don't have a clear view of the daily practices of teaching and learning in their schools.
Schmoker suggests that we need to get beyond this buffer to confront the truth about what is happening in classrooms, and to allow teachers to learn from each other and to be supervised properly. He outlines a plan that focuses on the importance of consistent curriculum, authentic literacy education, and professional learning communities for teachers.
What will students get out of this new approach? Learning for life. Schmoker argues passionately that students become learners for life when they have more opportunities to engage in strategic reading, writing with explicit guidance, and argument and discussion.
Through strong teamwork, true leadership, and authentic learning, schools and their students can reach new heights. Results Now is a rally cry for educators to focus on what counts. If they do, Schmoker promises, the entire school community can count on unprecedented achievements.
Customer Reviews:
Educators Need This Book Now.......2007-08-31
This is an excellent book that supports teaching and learning, professional learning communities, power standards and data-driven decision making. If Reeves' and Marzano's work is intriguing, then Schmoker extends it. Every one of the staff in our district is reading this book as we implement our essential standards and assessments as part of our school improvement and student learning goals.
Schmoker Review.......2007-05-29
Mr. Schmoker's ideas and concerns within "Results Now" are thought provoking and interesting. I found that this book revolves around two grand ideas: literacy instruction and Prfessional Learning Communities. Within those two themes are many practical suggestions for school leaders to use.
As far as literacy instruction, Schmoker is very blunt and forward about what works and what doesn't. I thought it was particularly interesting to read about how so many leaders live in the now and place programs in schools that have no research behind them. I have to agree that this only creates roadblocks to best practices and improving instruction.
I have also been doing research on Dufour's idea of Professional Learning Communities (PLC's). Results Now is a user-friendly handbook that contains an effective overview of PLC's. I am now trying to implement this into my own building and have used this book as a suggested reading for all stake holders.
I found the information on isolation particularly useful. I think Schmoker makes a good point when he points out that that teaching is one of the most isolated and, therefore, safest jobs in the world. Furthermore, he goes on to say that, as leaders, we settle for mediocrity and excellent teachers are no longer a requirement in schools.
Overall, I found this book to be very helpful. It is a no-nonsense approach to significant changes in education. I would recommend it to anyone involved in education.
Great for Teacher Professional Library.......2007-02-23
This book would be a great addition to a teacher's professional library. Offers some great ideas for dealing with NCLB
Some Good Points.......2007-01-27
I think that Michael Schmoker has some very good observations about how schools work. I just don't believe that he has the accurate reasons for why the schools work the ways they do. What is missing from his theories are people at the bottom - the students and the teachers. This book essentially advocates the top - down method of running schools and is meant to psyche administrators into "taking control" of the classrooms and buildings they work in. A balance has to be struck with top - down and from the bottom up methods. Schools need all people to help run them and if their is too much control at the top, students especially will react with passive resistance. In fact, it is already happening. Take a good look at how many students are "tuned out of school" and are not graduating. Lynn
Literacy & PLCs.......2006-11-23
In Results Now, Michael Schmoker explains what he believes to be the route to achieving unprecedented gains in student achievement. His conclusions center around two main points: literacy and professional learning communities (PLCs). He believes that the key to success in all areas is the ability to read. In addition, he believes that teachers already have the knowledge they need to make great strides in aiding student achievement if they would only create the structures that would allow them to share their knowledge effectively.
Like many educational pundits, Schmoker has some great ideas. Certainly, there is much to be said for the importance of literacy across the curriculum. There is also a lot of truth to his assertions that many language arts classes, particularly at the younger ages when literacy is beginning to form, have become only incidentally about reading and writing. The overabundance of "artistic expression" (i.e. drawing pictures) in the place of actively engaging in literary activities is a problem, as is the reliance on skill/drill activities (read "worksheets"). Instead, Schmoker pushes for dominance of activities that have the students actively reading and writing.
Some of his commentary on professional development was interesting as well. As an educational consultant, I too have seen first hand how the "educational initiative of the moment" has had nothing but negative impact on school districts. There is something to be said for Schmoker's belief that, if teachers could just be pulled together in an effective way to share their expertise and best lessons, they could have a huge impact on student achievement. I must also note that his focus less on the evil of standardized tests as opposed to our ability to help students succeed on these tests was, admittedly, refreshing.
Unfortunately, like many educational pundits, his tone in prose can make his suggestions bitter pills to swallow and his idealism is a little far-fetched. He has an occasional tendency to slide into a rather condescending tone which is rather off-putting. And, though following his suggestions would likely have a great impact on education, I don't think all problems will be solved by his ideas. Literacy is a key but it will not open all doors across the curriculum and, having worked with teachers trying to form professional learning communities, it's easier said than done. I don't believe even a great PLC will eliminate the need for professional development. Master teachers are always looking to improve. Still, it is fair to say that Schmoker has ideas that are worth considering.
Book Description
nce a customer, always a friend-that is the simple philosophy behind Mitchells/Richards, two of the most successful clothing stores in the nation-and that is why Jack Mitchell, his family, and associates inspire the enduring loyalty and admiration of his customers, including today's top CEOs. Jack's two stores, Richards in Greenwich, Connecticut, and Mitchells in Westport, Connecticut, suit up discerning customers from across the country. Now for the first time, Jack Mitchell shares the secrets of his family's innovative merchandising and management approach in his book Hug Your Customers. It's a deceptively simple but winning approach to customer service-that a relationship is at the heart of every transaction. Jack Mitchells' business philosophy is based on 'hugs'-personal touches such as knowing every customer's name and clothing preferences or handing out free coffee and newspapers on the commuter train platform. Complete with anecdotes that exemplify outstanding customer service, Hug Your Customers shows how any business can adapt this hugging philosophy to attract great staff, lower marketing costs, and maintain higher gross margins and long-term revenues. At a time when customer service has become the difference between success and failure, Hug Your Customers shows how Jack's one-of-a-kind philosophy brings winning results.
Download Description
HUG YOUR CUSTOMERS is about customer service and how Jack Mitchell has practiced it by extending "hugs" - unexpected extras, from knowing each customers name, along with their family members and clothing preferences, to handing out free coffee and newspapers on the Greenwich commuter train platform to say thanks (and by extension "Shop at Mitchells"). Mitchell looks at sales as being about something other than the product. You're not selling clothing, you're selling the relationship. That's why on Saturdays, many people come to Mitchells just to see what's going on. In the summer, he's giving away hot dogs. Any time a regular customer walks in, the sales staff knows his name, spouse's and kids' names, clothing preferences and last purchase.
Customer Reviews:
Lead Your Business to Improved Customer Loyalty.......2007-10-08
Overall, this is an excellent book for leaders of customer-centric organizations. While the book lacks organization and is heavy on personal examples, it is effective at providing numerous methods to improve customer loyalty. Hug Your Customers is an easy read and most examples can be implemented in almost any business. The positives so far outweighed the negatives mentioned above that I am giving this book five stars.
GROUP HUGS!!.......2007-07-05
This book is an inspiration! Jack Mitchell writes with such enthusiasm it would make anyone want to hug. It is general enough to apply to any type of business and not at all boring.
If companies would aspire to doing even a fraction of the hugging he is writes about, the world would be a happier and healthier place. I will recommend this read for ANYONE in customer service or those who may think service is dead. I plan a trip to Mitchell's, just to check it out. Thanks Jack Mitchell. Service is NOT DEAD.
Great read!.......2007-03-30
A great philosophy for anyone to adopt. I have made it a mandatory read for all senior managers in my company.
Hug Your Customers.......2007-01-10
This book has nuggets that anyone in business should read. As a country where technology has removed the human touch at times, this speaks to the necessity of true customer service and what we as consumers long to feel.
Great book & great insight into true customer service.......2007-01-09
Great book. Transcends the clothing biz to pass on ideas that affect any business that needs to provide great customer service.
Product Description
In the wake of the accountability movement, school administrators are inundated with data about their students. How can they use this information to support student achievement? This book presents a clear and carefully tested blueprint for school leaders. It shows how examining test scores and other classroom data can become a catalyst for important schoolwide conversations that will enhance schools' ability to capture teachers' knowledge, foster collaboration, identify obstacles to change, and enhance school culture and climate.
Customer Reviews:
Useful how-to book on data use in schools.......2007-06-14
Data Wise is exactly as the title describes. It tells you exactly how to implement data use in your school with case studies/examples. Great for all levels of experience, especially those just starting out. Little to no background knowledge in the area is required to benefit from the book. Lingo and definitions are given in the beginning. Great for use by all educators.
Fast Shipping!.......2007-02-06
I didn't expect for this book to arrive as quickly as it did! It came in just a few days. (With standard shipping) I was very pleased!
Book Description
Would you like to increase your own selling results, or the performance of your entire sales team? The concept of Secrets of Question-Based Selling is founded on the idea that an effective salesperson knows what his or her prospect needs, then offers solutions--and the only way to find out what someone needs is to ask!
With more than 17 years of experience in sales and management, Thomas A. Freese has taken the approach that consistently empowered him to exceed, at times even double, his selling results, and has packaged it into the sales methodology he calls Question-Based Selling. This book serves as an explanation of this technique, as well as a reference guide that can be used over time by both salespeople and sales managers to exponentially increase their productivity. You will learn to:
• Penetrate more accounts
• Establish greater credibility
• Generate more return calls
• Prevent and handle objections
• Motivate prospective customers
• Close more sales faster
• And much, much more!
Customer Reviews:
Powerful Sales People Ask Questions.......2007-07-25
An excellent resource for anyone looking to connect with the needs of prospects, customers... and just people in general. I think the following is from this book (I have it posted to my wall): "You've probably heard that they best sales people are those who listen most. And that is a lie. The most effective persuaders are those who ask powerful questions that draw people out and get them to keep talking and revealing more about themselves."
Great book for novice.......2006-11-03
I read the book and found it very informative. The system works but is not really for the beginner. I felt the book could have helped more on developing the questions as well as implementation. The book was great that is why I still gave it 5 stars
If you only read ONE sales book, Read this one!.......2006-07-18
This is perhaps the best all-around sales book I have ever read. While other books point out much needed information, or say the same thing with a different perspective that is sometimes necessary to understand a point, this book should be THE starting point for any sales professional. This book has helped me greatly in my success as a sale professional. It is a sales book, a persuasion book, and a psychology book all rolled into one. Everyone seems to try to start people off with "You Can't Teach a Kid to Ride a Bike at a Seminar" by Sandler, but this book is everything that book is and then some.
Where are the differences? Other books take an elementary strategy to the sales process. First you prospect, then you get the appointment, then you interview the customer, then you give your presentation, then you handle objections, then you close, close, close! I have even heard one person ask what the point of "step 1" is....and his answer was to get to "step 2". while this is somewhat useful to understand, it doesn't help you DO it, it doesn't tell you what to do and how to do it, and it's little more than an outline.
Secrets of Questions Based Selling gets down to the nitty-gritty. He brings things to the table that you may never think about if you don't read this book. He talks about how people interact, how they need to ad value, how they mismatch, how different types of questions serve different purposes- some are solely for the benefit of the person doing the questioning and ad no value to the person answering (i.e.- What CRM product are you currently using in your company?), while others provide more value to the customer (How many customers do you think you are losing because you do not have voicemail and people are hanging up?), etc.
I have read A LOT of books on sales, and I keep finding pieces of this book in all of the other works. High Trust Selling, Sandler's work, Selling with NLP, SPIN selling, etc. They may build on things differently, but this book IS the foundation.
So, as yourself these questions:
1. Am I EVER going to read a sales book? (If so, this should be the first one)
2. Have I been reading sales books, but haven't read this one yet? (If so, this should be the next one you read)
3. Have I been reading sales books, but haven't quite found a useful one yet? (See #2, and this will be a useful book- if you learn it)
Overall, this is a GREAT book that provides a GREAT foundation to your sales knowledge. However, always keep in mind that you have to use what you learn (which means you have to LEARN it first), and that you can't hit a baseball by reading a book. Use the books to learn the mechanics, but then get up and swing the bat a few times, and then get out and hit the ball!
No Question about it.......2006-03-24
This is a Great Book that every salesperson & Manager should own. I have 30 years of sales experience in Corporate as well as Small business to business & individuals. I wish I'd had this from the beginning
Well written.......2006-03-13
This book is a well written, easy to read guide that will improve your sales success. It provides a logical system that is simple to follow. Questions are packed in the pages that narrow your focus and entice customers to engage in conversation. You will find a simple sales style for every salesperson in any field.
Book Description
An easy-to-start, simple-to-maintain, scientifically sound, and eminently usable twelve-week program of small steps on the road to better health
Small Changes, Big Results is not about cutting all the carbohydrates out of your diet. Or replacing every single gram of sugar with omega-3 fatty acids. It’s not about doing one hundred sit-ups a day, or getting on the treadmill whenever you have a free second. In fact, it’s not about any of the total lifestyle-replacement gimmicks—whether diet, exercise, or pop psychology—that have swept our culture in recent years, putting untold millions of Americans on the risky roller coaster of success and failure that defines fad diets and programs.
Not here.
Small Changes, Big Results is about reality—the reality of what you can do, the reality of what you want to do, and the reality of what works. It’s about introducing a series of small changes each week for three months in the three core areas of diet and nutrition; exercise and fitness; and emotional wellness. For each of the twelve weeks, nutritionist Ellie Krieger introduces a very finite, completely practical action plan for the week—and not only are these tasks incredibly doable, they’re in fact so accessible that it’s tough not to be inspired.
For example, in Week 1 the nutrition task is merely to go shopping, buy some healthful pantry items, and start keeping track of what you eat; the exercise consists of taking three twenty-minute walks; and the wellness aspect is to do a five-minute breathing exercise. That’s it. And it doesn’t really get any harder.
But these small changes do in fact lead to big results. At the end of twelve weeks, a totally unhealthy diet has been overhauled: armed with easy, delicious recipes and tips, you’ve removed unhelpful munchies and replaced them with healthful snacking, you’ve cut down on lethal trans fats while adding beneficial fat choices, you’ve replaced refined grains with whole grains, you’re eating more fish and less red meat, and so forth. Yet you’ve never been forbidden to eat a single thing: instead of prohibiting entire food groups, Ellie categorizes foods as Usually, Sometimes, and Rarely—and now you should be eating more from the Usually choices, less from the Rarely category. Furthermore, you’ve integrated physical activity into your life, and you’ve developed a set of tools to help you deal with stress—you’re not only eating better, but you’re also exercising better and feeling better.
The beauty of this program is that none of these action steps is remotely intimidating, because they’re not a full immersion into a totally new lifestyle. Instead, it’s a series of incremental changes—removing bad habits one by one, while at the same time adding good ones. There’s nothing to scare you off—on the contrary, here’s a whole book full of small changes that produce big results.
From the Hardcover edition.
Customer Reviews:
Ellie's Plan to a Better Life.......2007-07-03
I have not had an opportunity to delve very far into this book, but I did thumb through it and found it very exciting. I can hardly wait to get into the Plan. It appears to be very thorough and touches on a variety of things. I look forward to this with pleasure.
A very Good Start.......2007-05-19
For anyone just starting out with a lifestyle change this is a very good start. It will help you change your lifestyle step by step with a possitive and realistic attitude.
Most people dont go from being a couch potato to living at the gym over night. Its a process that doesnt happen over night for the majority of people that are in need of life changes. This book will realistically help you get on your way to a better lifestyle.
For anyone who's already educated about nutrition and diet I wouldnt recommend it. Its a VERY VERY good starter but for die hard health nuts its probably nothing you havent heard before.
Healthy changes.......2007-03-25
A book for those beginning the weight loss process. This isn't a fad diet, it's about healthy changes to your lifestyle where nothing is actually banned but "wrong" foods are only discouraged.
health conscience.......2007-03-23
Ellie offers a lot of insight in healthy living. She has a lot of good, sound nutritional advice to offer regarding diet and exercise. She also gives you a standard of what foods to buy in terms of most healthy to least healthy. I would recommend this book!
A great diet-book staple.......2007-03-21
I've never been a fan of Ellie Krieger's show on the Food Network, so I wasn't prepared to like this book. One thing I've noticed on her show is that the food she makes isn't really all that healthy.
But, I have to say this book was, overall, very well done. Many of the negative reviews point out that her tips are obvious and not original. I can't say I totally disagree, but they are presented in an easy-to-read format, concisely, all in one book. Sure, you can go online and find a chart that compares the fat and calories in a buffalo burger to that in a turkey burger, and you can also find guides on how to do her meditations or exercises online, too. You can probably also bring up all the research she included on the benefits and drawbacks of dairy, and the nutrients found in fruits and veggies. But you could also just buy the book and get all that info in one place, as well as an easy-to-follow guide on how to slowly incorporate nutrition, exercise and wellness into your life.
If you're a diet book guru and have read through a stack of nutrition guides already, this book isn't for you. It also probably won't enhance the life of anyone already living a fairly healthy lifestyle, as you probably do most of what she recommends anyway, and the few recipes included don't really warrant the purchase price.
But, if you're a newcomer to nutrition, especially one looking to switch to a healthy lifestyle, I'd say this book would be a perfect choice for you!
Book Description
The U.S. health care system is in crisis. At stake are the quality of care for millions of Americans and the financial well-being of individuals and employers squeezed by skyrocketing costs--not to mention the stability of state and federal government budgets.
In Redefining Health Care, internationally renowned strategy expert Michael E. Porter and innovation expert Elizabeth Olmsted Teisberg reveal the underlying and largely overlooked causes of the problem and provide a powerful prescription for change. The authors argue that participants in the health care system have competed to shift costs, accumulate bargaining power, and restrict services rather than create value for patients. This zero-sum competition takes place at the wrong level--among health plans, networks, and hospitals--rather than where it matters most: in the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of specific health conditions.
In spite of competition among these systems, the patient care cycle is poorly coordinated. The fractured system undermines both efficiency and quality of outcomes.
Redefining Health Care lays out a breakthrough framework for redefining health care competition based on patient value over the full cycle of care—from prevention and diagnosis through recovery or long-term disease management. With specific recommendations for hospitals, doctors, health plans, employers, and policy makers, this book shows how to move to value-based competition on results that will unleash stunning improvements in quality and efficiency.
Customer Reviews:
How sick is US Healthcare.......2007-10-17
Interesting view on the actual US healthcare and a challenging way to solve the mailaise
Excellent analysis with some weak points.......2007-09-01
This book has received probably disproportionate attention due to Prof. Porter's notoriety as a strategic thinking theorist. There are better overall books on healthcare policy available. In particular I recommend the Bodenheimer/Grumbach books, one on healthcare policy and one on primary care, Dr. Arnold Relman's book, A Second Opinion, Strained Mercy, an outstanding and thorough analysis of healthcare economics with particular regard to Canada's healthcare system, among others.
I find the analysis of the USA healthcare system by Profs. Porter and Teisberg to generally be excellent, although I find it wanting in regard to their disparagement of a single-payer/single-insurer system and to their description and analysis of healthcare systems outside the USA. From my perspective private health plans play only a net negative role in the system. The authors' analysis of how the health insurance market works is quite good. However their recommendation that a system of private insurers should persist is refuted by their own analysis! A single payer/insurer system will not cure the problems of the US system, as they clearly point out, but it does remove the inherently dysfunctional characteristics of private insurance, not least of which is its failure to meet the needs of the uninsured - a very large number - and its inherent propensity to exclude the very people who need coverage and care. The authors rightly point out that mandatory health insurance along with risk-pooling among insurers to spread the costs of those insured individuals who generate the highest costs is a "solution" to the current non-functioning system, but the same result, at lower cost and with much greater simplicity, can be achieved through a single payer/insurer.
The other key aspect of healthcare - how it is delivered - is ultimately more important than the financing/insurance side. The authors provide excellent analysis and recommendations in this regard. They correctly address the aspects of the healthcare market that prevent its functioning as a "competitive" market, specifically the abysmal lack of patient information on prices for services, on outcomes of actions by providers, comparative statistics on provider performance and similar. They also provide an interesting report by the Cleveland Clinic on outcomes, i.e. results, of the Clinic's heart surgery activity. They appropriately use this as an example of the kind of reporting that is needed.
The authors' analysis of healthcare systems outside the USA is skimpy and inaccurate in my opinion. The authors underplay the demonstrated efficacy of government-funded systems that outperform the USA system almost across the board in gross measures of outcomes (infant mortality and longevity) and vastly outperform the US system in regard to cost. They gloss over the fact that per capita costs in the USA are 2.5 times! the average of other OECD countries. It is not as though the costs are say 10% above the average with comparable outcomes. They are 150% higher with worse outcomes. Instead of noting this and analyzing it thoroughly, the authors assert that waiting times and rationing of care are significant problems in those countries, assertions which are simply not borne out by a closer examination of the facts. Also the fact that (mostly) single-payer/insurer systems function well universally does not fit the authors' main thesis, so rather than revise the thesis based on this evidence they choose to ignore the evidence.
As a consequence of these limitations I rate the book with 4 stars rather than 5. Too bad, because most of the book is excellent.
Redefining Health Care.......2007-05-23
Book Review
Redefining Health Care by Michael Porter
I am writing this review to help share some excellent ideas on the availability and quality of medical treatment in the United States and on the U.S. economy which is being dragged down by ever-increasing medical costs. The economic impact is not just on corporate profits and stock prices but also on U.S. employment because everything that raises costs makes it harder for U.S. manufacturers to compete with foreign suppliers and makes it harder for U.S. manufacturers to sell in foreign markets.
Unfortunately, the book is long, turgid, and full of details, which help to substantiate his conclusions and also provide guidance on implementing improved policies. I am afraid the book does not appeal to executives, politicians, or doctors. It also proposes radical changes in all aspects of the medical system and its financing and operation. Dr. Porter proposes major changes on the part of all parties involved in delivering and paying for health care.
The book begins with a review of health indexes and health care throughout the world and shows, while the U.S. has the greatest expenditures by any set of measurements, it does not have the best results.
Then, Dr. Porter introduces his most important concept: that any medical treatment should be measured by its results; how much lost time and discomfort did the patient have, is he or she completely cured, or how much disability measured over the entire span of the illness or even the life of the patient. We tend to think of an operation as being successful if the patient left the hospital in good condition. But how much additional recovery time, disability, or reoccurrence was there? If the patient doesn't come back to see him, a doctor doesn't know whether he was cured by the treatment or if the patient was so dissatisfied he went to another doctor or simply gave up on a series of treatments. The goal is to develop a scoring system for each group of illnesses that can be compared with the cost of each individual's treatment and their results to determine what is the best set of procedures and the best doctor or group of doctors to do the work can be used to guide providers and treatments. Porter has some reason to believe that the best treatments are generally less costly even though the individual item costs may be more, the greater effectiveness and the less chance of complications reduces overall cost. Included in the overall cost should be lost wages, which is a reasonable proxy for the patient's time.
The goal is to develop a health plan that pays for results not for treatments. In many cases, that would be a single payment to the provider for a whole series of treatments from diagnosis on through operations, post-operative care, and follow ups which could extend over a long period of time. This is a radical change from the present system which pays for treatments and tends to produce more treatments and does not have any effective means for either the insurers, or the employers, or the patients even to compare one treatment option with another. This is an extreme, radical change and would take a long time to implement, but there are pieces of the program in operation. A number of these are explained at length. Health insurance companies could hire these firms for their specialized expertise and would not have to do the work on their own. An example of what is done is how the firm studies the history of heart transplant patients and will give an insurance company a single payment for the entire course of treatment providing it is done in the manner and by people they specify. They would particularly focus on caregivers who have an outstanding record of success. It appears that for most illnesses, there are organizations that are substantially better than others and this program could be extended broadly.
Another area of development would be to have counselors which would be part of the function of the insurer to advise a company's employees with a list of particularly well qualified doctors and suggest treatment elements.
Government would seem to be poorly adapted to facilitating these changes because they are radically different from Medicare. Medicare seems to promote cheap, but not necessarily effective treatments and set arbitrary pay scales which do not allow the better providers to charge more for their services and thus encourage more providers to be in the high performance category. Companies that pay for the insurance are the ones that have to put pressure on the insurers to implement the above changes. This could not be done over a short period of time but would eliminate a lot of the wasted time that is now involved in the payments for each little step of the process and for each treatment step.
Chapter 8 is a detailed discussion of how to implement the aforementioned concepts using modifications of Medicare and other laws. This is too complex to summarize here but it appears doable if Congress and the Executive are sufficiently motivated. It is likely that few people would understand what is happening, but the benefits to cost ratio is sufficiently great that the changes would probably be supported and accepted. On the other hand, the situation is so complex, it is questionable whether lawmakers and administrators would be willing to undertake the many complex tasks required. On the other hand, the downside risk appears quite small.
Porter approaches the whole subject from the points of view of business strategy and the problems of decisions with very imperfect information. While the government frequently acts with very imperfect information, its strategy for doing so is not well developed and poorly applied.
Redefining Health Care: Creating Value-Based Competition on Results
A new look.......2007-05-20
Though a little dry, and at times repetitive, this book offers practical information. In a mess of books describing the massive problems in healthcare today, this book was at once motivating and up-lifting. I bought it for a class, but it is one of the books I'll be keeping instead of passing along at the end of the quarter.
Disappointed but Some Might Find Value.......2007-04-05
I'm a big fan of Porter, but I was somewhat disappointed by this book. Let me be frank. The first problem I have with the book is that the authors try to capture as large of an audience as possible, being careful not to place blame on certain providers within the health care system. That approach might get better reviews and sell more copies, but it is not delivering real value. One cannot escape mention of the realities of corruption and fraud by every player in health care and expect to address the problems.
The second problem I have is that Porter fails to recognize that health care is distinct from any other industry in America because it is highly politically influenced. Much of the health care system is public (government funded). This is a main reason why competition in this industry is highly ineffective. How can you have a pure competitive environment when poor performing providers continue to receive government-funded contracts? How can you have full competition when Washington merely fines providers for fraud with no jail time? How can you have competition that creates value when Washington places the burden of increasing costs upon taxpayers, letting the industry charge what it needs to deliver earnings that Wall Street expects?
Overall, by failing to address the harsh realities of politics and big money within America's health care industry, Porter's book is too idealistic and therefore falls short of offering a real solution. Regardless, it is a quality book and at least does what no other has in trying to approach the problems from a reasonable standpoint. I expected more from him, but clearly this book is a view from academia and is far detached from many realities of big industry in America. There are many good points in the book, but without addressing the main problems of a system whereby lobbyist groups who control health care policy, very little will change.
Books:
- FLIP: How to Find, Fix, and Sell Houses for Profit
- From Reel to Deal: Everything You Need to Create a Successful Independent Film
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
- Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In
- Going Global: The Textiles And Apparel Industry
- Good Birders Don't Wear White: 50 Tips From North America's Top Birders
- Haiti in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics, and Culture (In Focus Guides)
- Handbook of Simulation: Principles, Methodology, Advances, Applications, and Practice
- Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference
- Harvard Business Essentials Guide to Negotiation
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- Strategy Pure & Simple II: How Winning Companies Dominate Their Competitors
- History: Fiction or Science
- Wes Craven: The Art of Horror
- A Few Good Women: Memoirs of a World War II Marine
- Billion-Dollar Kiss: The Kiss That Saved Dawson's Creek and Other Adventures in TV Writing
- High Country Bride
- Florida's Fabulous Trees
- The Handbook of Derivatives & Synthetics: Innovations, Technologies and Strategies in the Global
- A Treatise on the Family: Enlarged Edition
- Chrysanthemum Palace a Novel
Workplace
| Organizational Behavior
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Who Moved My Cheese? An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life
Fish! Sticks: A Remarkable Way to Adapt to Changing Times and Keep Your Work Fresh
Fish! Tales: Real-Life Stories to Help You Transform Your Workplace and Your Life
Fish! for Life: A Remarkable Way to Achieve Your Dreams
Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach To Customer Service
