Book Description
This comprehensive resource gives new teachers a wide variety of tested strategies, activities and tools for creating a positive and dynamic learning environment while meeting the challenges of each school day. For easy use, it is organized into 16 sections covering everything from motivation, lesson planning and classroom management, to behavior problems, meeting each student's needs, and building strong professional relationships with students, staff, and parents.
Customer Reviews:
Not just for teachers.......2007-09-17
Julia Thompson enlightens all teachers as well as other professionals in an easy-to-read informative look at what makes for a successful careers. The first half of the book details in short sentences and checklists tools for all jobs, i.e. coping with stress, dress, and overall professionalism. The second half delves into the classroom with insight on how to prepare and also what to expect. All teachers, whether beginners or seasoned pros will find this book extremely helpful without the heaviness of most educational tomes. A must buy !
Teacher.......2007-09-15
Fantastic book for first time teachers. It provides great insight and feedback as to how to get started and particularly how to maintain control of the classroom. One book that didn't miss anything pertaining to kids education, a book that every first time or any teacher should have in their library.
Fluff heavy, content light.......2007-09-13
As a first year teacher I am looking for books that offer concrete advice and practical techniques to help kids learn. This book offered little of either of those, instead giving long lists of one-sentence platitudes and self-surveys with no relevance to the classroom. While this book may offer some insights for the aspiring teacher, you can find most of what's in here in other teacher prep books or just by asking other teachers. For techniques that are detailed and applicable (if a bit old fashioned), check out Fred Jones' Tools for Teaching.
Wow! Buy this book before school begins!.......2007-08-19
I could only wish I had owned a copy of this book when I began teaching thirty one years ago. Thompson handles every aspect of the teaching life with clarity, with humor, and with clear and direct suggestions. Her approach is directed enough that even a beginner can follow her guidelines, yet she offers even the most seasoned veteran new things to consider. Bravo!
Hooray!!!!!!!.......2007-08-14
I work with new teachers throughout the year and this book is exactly what they need. The tips in the reader friendly book can help the first year teacher be prepared on the first day. I highly recommend this book for school divisions or for any teacher you know who is about to start their first year!
Book Description
Companies that purposefully set out to excel are remarkably few and far between.
The number of those who have a strong, well-thought out strategy for success are even fewer.
Based on five years of research and field-testing, Breakout Strategy gives you a “fast track” strategic vision that can push your company to incredible new rates of growth and expansion. Strategy and leadership experts Sydney Finkelstein, Charles Harvey, and Thomas Lawton show how to craft a strategy that fits your business, whether you're a small start-up or an established national or international company. They also give you the tools to adapt that strategy as you grow and expand. Their system features five key initiatives:
- Create a workable vision by understanding the needs and aspirations of a company
- Face customers with a value proposition that covers all the important bases
- Align what a business does with what the customer truly desires
- Balance the people and process sides of business to deliver on promises
- Liberate the energies of any strategy's toughest critic-those who work within the business
Breakout Strategy puts these initiatives in context by examining how diverse companies achieved breakout growth, including jetBlue, Harley Davidson, and Starbucks. It also sheds light on how a poor strategy can topple a once-successful company off the pedestal of market dominance, such as Krispy Kreme's overly ambitious expansion strategy that stretched the company and the brand too thin.
With the systematic approach in Breakout Strategy, you'll be able to travel the fast track to market triumph, leaving your competitors struggling to catch up.
Customer Reviews:
Break out and buy this book!.......2007-01-13
"Breakout Strategy" is a sophisticated handbook on business strategy that provides a clear framework for what has worked in the past and why it has. Success depends upon your ability to "break out" out of the status quo, take action, and stand apart from others.
Through rich examples culled from a deep understanding of business history, Finkelstein, Harvey, and Lawton take you through both the winners and the losers and identify why they won or lost. These examples form clear archetypes which, when placed in an easy-to-understand framework, turn the book into a useful business tool. You can just mirror the patterns set by those successful who have gone before and broken away in their fields.--to take your business to the next level.
Few stones are left unturned when it comes to a frank look at business. For me, the most interesting section was "Breakout Leadership" where the authors suggest leaders face up to "negative capabilities." They describe leaders who try to put such a good face on everything that they end up stifling debate, change, and eventually growth and survival. I have personally seen examples of unbridled optimism among an executive team that truly created the "culture of silence" the authors describe--with the inevitable negative consequences for the business. As they say, "There is a fine line between appropriate confidence and over-the-top arrogance, and the best breakout leaders understand that they can't cross that line."
This is an eloquently written book for the erudite business person--a useful handbook which you can refer to again and again to practice and perfect your business strategy. Breakout out of what you are doing right now and get this book!
Book Description
Based on the best-selling first edition, this greatly expanded and updated version contains forty-seven new activities, more information about how to design and lead retreats, and additional suggestions for how to recover when things go wrong. A CD-ROM allows you to print out chapters for distribution to key leaders, duplicate templates, and produce handouts for specific exercises.
Whether you're planning to lead an offsite retreat for the first time or the ninety-ninth time, this easy-to-use, one-stop resource provides:
- Step-by-step instructions for leading a wide variety of tested exercises.
- Insight into establishing effective working relationships with clients.
- Information on what to include in your retreat designs.
- Suggestions for encouraging participants to speak up and play an active role.
- Tools for managing conflict.
- Guidance on making decisions during a retreat and changing course when necessary.
- Strategies for developing and implementing action plans.
- Tips for follow-up so you can keep the change train on track.
Order your copy of this practical guide today!
Customer Reviews:
This book helped me immensely.......2007-09-26
This book is really worth the money. Last year I was asked to faciliate a retreat for a nonprofit organization. I had absolutely no idea what to do or how to start. I researched many books on retreat planning, and Retreats That Work was far and away the most comprehensive and easy to apply. It walks you through interesting exercises that provoke real dialogue and inject energy into the process. I would have been completely lost without this book. The retreat was a complete success and I was asked to repeat the process this year. I recommend this book to novices and professionals alike.
What a great resource!.......2007-09-24
Even though I was trained at a local University in facilitation and have years of experience facilitating meeting and retreats, reading Retreats That Work took my skills to a whole new level.
I've been facilitating retreats of and on for about 18 years as part of my marketing consulting business, and I've always thought I was rather good at it. However, I just facilitated a strategic planning retreat for a professional services firm AFTER reading (in great detail) Retreats That Work, and it was by far the most professional, organized, productive and dynamic retreat I've ever facilitated. The thinking in the book is so very lucid and instructive, that using it as a reference allowed me to cover all of my bases and greatly increase my confidence and creativity.
From here on out, I am going to pursue much more facilitation work, because I feel I understand the process much better than before, and having this book on my desk makes me feel like I have a senior advisor available whenever I need it.
Just to let you know, there are numerous excellent retreat exercises that are categorized to help you choose the ones appropriate to different retreat types, there is a disk with printable resources, and throughout the book, there are numerous referrals to other professional resources that the authors have found useful. I really benefited from the author's thoughts on the consultant/client relationship and tips for managing client personalities and expectations.
If anyone else has ever read a professional resource book that is as good as this one (on almost any topic) I want to hear about it - this one is by far the best one I have ever read.
Retreats that Work: Everything you need to know..........2007-01-12
We design retreats for both large and small groups and needed to pass this knowledge on to others without our background and experience. This book was extremely helpful in providing some fundamentals that we were able to adapt to our clients needs.
A great help.......2007-01-10
I am periodically asked by my coaching clients to support them and their teams by conducting offsites. While I have had a lot of experience participating and doing offsites, this book has introduced me to some additional techniques and activities. I have found the book to be extremely helpful, complete, instructive and have recommended it to others.
Really helpful whether you're new to retreats or a pro.......2006-12-02
After using the first edition (Retreats that Work) for advice and how-to help when I planned my first executive retreat a few years ago, I was sold on the methods the authors describe to make the most of an off-site work session. Alas, I lent my book to a colleague and he passed it on to another. I went to buy another for the retreat I recently planned and was thrilled to find the expanded edition--even better than the first. The CD-ROM is a stroke of genius. Buy this book and you will look forward to planning a successful retreat because you will be so well prepared!
Product Description
Morning Meeting is a powerful teaching tool for building community, increasing student investment, and improving academic and social skills. This comprehensive guidebook has helped thousands of teachers across the country use Morning Meeting to launch their school days. The expanded edition offers: Step-by-step guidelines for implementing Morning Meeting in any K-8 classroom Clear explanations of purposes 45 greetings, 66 group activities, and many samples of morning message charts Frequently asked questions and answers?? A chapter on implementing Morning Meeting in middle schools Ideas for adapting Morning Meeting for use with second language learners
Customer Reviews:
Morning Meeting Book.......2007-10-23
This book is simple and clear in focus and structure. It has great strategies and suggestions for implementation in classrooms of various grade levels. This is a great resource if you are looking to improve your classroom community and overall communication skills of your students.
What a way to start the day!.......2007-08-07
Wonderful, applicable strategies to build community in every classroom! In every school building! Great resource full of ideas.
Be prepared for YOUR morning meeting!.......2007-07-19
I am a 6th grade teacher moving to 2nd grade this year. This book was a HUGE help in preparing me to organize my morning meeting. It is an easy read and has lots of helpful tips. I can't wait to start school this year and start my morning meetings!
If you are an elementary teacher, buy this book! You won't regret it!The Morning Meeting Book (Strategies for Teachers, 1)
Excellent.......2007-04-05
This resource is an excellent buy. After cutting morning meeting out of my classroom routines, I realized that it's not what I should have done. I wish that I had this book in the beginning of the year to help me with the morning meeting. There are so many wonderful ideas and activities in this book. If you get this book, I would also highly recommend Morning Meeting, Afternoon Wrap-up by Donna Whyte. That is also an excellent resource. The two together will give you what you need for your morning meeting.
Best Book.......2006-11-04
This is an awesome book to help build a sense of community in your classroom. The kids love the greetings and games, but best of all they are starting to lead the morning meetings themselves. Working in a low income area I didn't think the meetings would work, however the kids are starting to show more respect towards each other and learn how to greet visitors. I highly recommend this book for ANY classroom.
Book Description
The Deliberative Democracy Handbook is a terrific resource for democratic practitioners and theorists alike. It combines rich case material from many cities and types of institutional settings with careful reflection on core principles. It generates hope for a renewed democracy, tempered with critical scholarship and political realism. Most important, this handbook opens a spacious window on the innovativeness of citizens in the U.S. (and around the world) and shows how the varied practices of deliberative democracy are part of a larger civic renewal movement.
Customer Reviews:
An excellent collection of case studies of public deliberation in the aim of influencing government decision-making........2007-04-19
John Gastil and Peter Levine have done important service for the academics and practitioners in the field of public participation in government decision-making. This 300 page text book provides 19 chapters of research into diverse contemporary demonstrations of deliberative democracy mostly within the U.S.A. but also some in-depth reviews of important European, Australian and Brazilian systems. An excellent variety of models are discussed including all levels of government decision-making from city planing to national policies. The research is presented by diverse authors with first hand experience. The writing is a good balance of academic rigour and perspective as well as practitioner friendly explanations and observations.
The only problem with this text is the use of "handbook" in the title. While the clearly written case studies are insightful for practitioners and the various practical suggestions found through out the book could help inform a processes plan, they do not constitute the definition of handbook, which is supposed to be an easily referenced manual of instructions. For a real handbook in deliberative democracy try "The Community Planning Handbook: How People Can Shape Their Cities, Towns and Villages in Any Part of the World" by Nick Wates which is clearly written and structured to guide people in the practical implementation of community deliberation to direct local decision-making. You may also be interested in handbooks for specific participatory democracy systems such as the classic "Preferred Futuring", the popular "Open Space Technology", the proven "Consensus Conference" or the new and ultra-simple "Advanced Dotmocracy".
Exactly what it promises, in an engaging style........2006-09-22
I read this book on assignment, and was surprised at how enjoyable it was. Gastil and Levine pull together experiences from across the country, all through the 20th Century, distilling them into clear lessons and practical advice. And they write well! While it could have been a dry tome of lists and statistics, instead they bring it alive with insight and lively writing.
The review below calling it a 'puff piece' implies an expectation of step-by-step instructions; totally off base. The sub-title is spot on: Strategies for Effective Civic Engagement. I read this book to learn how -and how not- to create and participate in civic debate and education (it's a much bigger field than I realized), which is exactly what I learned. And, while they don't give you a numbered checklist, there ARE enough details and caveats to effectively structure your own town hall meeting. (That reviewer should read the last chapter again.)
What Gastil and Levine do, the importance of which becomes increasingly apparent as one reads the book, is provide a general framework for creating, understanding, and evaluating various forms of deliberation WITHOUT boxing the reader into a one-size-fits-all structure. We're in the middle of exciting (ahem...) political times, and the value of this handbook exists in both the clarity and timing of the authors.
This book was great!.......2005-11-04
I just finished "The Deliberative Democracy Handbook" and recommend it as a welcome addition to interdisciplinary studies of researchers, policy-makers,students, and practitioners. In explaining the course of national deliberation and its history, Gastil and Levine present a well-argued history of civic engagement that includes transnational, grass-roots, and bureaucratic dialogues. Noting that the resurgence of deliberation in the 1990's might be short-lived, the authors present case studies of what has and hasn't worked,
such as deliberative polls, on-line dialogues, and town meetings. Perhaps most useful is the handbook's application to other types of discourse; for instance,an analysis of how NGOs may benefit civic culture is relevant to efforts in
international relief and development, particularly if you want to use the Participatory Rural Appraisal or similar methods
of measuring realities. I think the authors shine a much-needed spotlight on the promise of public deliberation in encouraging and restoring multiple citizen voices.
Puff pieces - a real disapointment.......2005-08-04
I ordered this book hoping that it would indeed be a handbook that would be appropriate for teaching college undergraduates about this exciting approach to problem-solving and capacity-building. With gathering dismay I leafed through the chapters, finding one after another to be merely a collection of breezy comments, written principally by the originator of one or another slightly varying technique, that uncritically promoted the value of that technique. The material appears plucked from a foundation grant proposal. Surprisingly, considering the deep familiarity of the authors with these techniques, the book contains little in the way of actual operational advice. Rather, most of the chapters are unsupported and grandious claims for the utility of each approach, presumably designed to entice the reader to sign a lucrative consulting contract with the author. Folks, this is why we have academic research - to avoid empty and meaningless self-promoting efforts like this one.
Product Description
Meetings are often poorly planned and executed events that produce no meaningful business results. How to Conduct Productive Meetings is a book designed to provide practical tools and advice for anyone planning or facilitating a meeting. Legendary evaluation guru Donald Kirkpatrick offers solid and timely advice to ensure that a meeting is necessary, the presentation is professional and effective, the participants contribute in constructive ways and the outcome is measurable.
Customer Reviews:
A Classic on Meeting Management.......2006-12-06
There are many books out there on meeting management but that by Donald Kirkpatrick has distinguished itself as a classic in meeting design, facilitation and ,management. The author methodically explains the essential elements of running productive meetings in a clear and logical way. The book is easy to read and use and is a standard guidebook that anyone can use.
The book covers all the meeting essentials including planning, creating an agenda, moderating conflict, stimulating discussion and participation, keeping a meeting focused, summarizing action items, problem solving, decision making, writing good minutes and following up on the meeting.
This is a very useful book whether you are the meeting leader, facilitator or participate in a meeting. It contains useful and often novel tips and techniques to ensure that a meeting is productive.
All-in-all, a clear, powerful and well written book that should avoid your organization from treating meetings as a nuisance and instead save vast amounts of time and productive man-hours from being wasted.
Book Description
Managerial Communication: Strategies and Applications focuses on skills and strategies that managers need in today’s workplace. The first edition of Managerial Communication stood out in the field for its strategic approach, solid research base, comprehensive range of topics, its even-handed examination of oral and written channels, and its focus on managerial (as opposed to entry-level) competencies. The overriding principle for the revision was to preserve the book’s key strengths while bringing it in line with the early twenty-first century workplace. The chapters have been streamlined and condensed to meet the needs of a busy contemporary manager and content was added to reflect current business practices. In short, the second edition preserves the best features of the first edition, while bringing them up to date and presenting them in a concise, easy to read format. Today's managers will learn the skills and strategies necessary for successful and effective business communication.
Customer Reviews:
Cram 101 is NOT the text and is a total scam.......2007-02-03
Don't waste your money buying this so-called study guide. The vocabulary lists barley match the key words from the text book and the definitions are wrong. For example, for the key word "receiver," it says it is someone involved in a monetary transaction. This is a text on managerial communication-- not finance. The "receiver" is the person who is listening to the message being communicated. The definitions are out of context and probably computer generated. There are plenty of examples like this. I was so frustrated, I threw mine away. You are better off taking your own notes.
Also, I know that it says in the fine print that it is not the textbook, but I think that should be made even more obvious in the title. It is misleading.
Good Stuff.......2005-10-01
I am using this textbook for a class. I had already started the class when I ordered the book, but I received my book in enough time where I was not left behind. I appreciate the prompt service. Thanks:-)
you don't get what you pay for.......2002-09-14
I'm just an ordinary college student, forced to buy this over-priced book for a course I am taking. The content of this text book may be great but for the [$$$] price tag, I think I should get more. How about review questions at the end of each chapter? How hard would that have been? Could you maybe have bothered to highlight key terms?
Book Description
THE RIGHT PHRASE FOR EVERY SITUATION . . . EVERY TIME
Any successful leader will tell you: Giving a strong presentation is the most immediate and powerful way to set goals, form strategies, and sell your vision-to both internal and external audiences. Perfect Phrases for Executive Presentations not only tells you how to plan and deliver your address, but also provides phrases for every part of the speech or presentation. Organized by speech type and audience, you'll be walked through the beginning, middle, and end of a speech, giving you effective phrases to use. This invaluable book includes
- A detailed review of building an effective presentation for a wide variety of meetings and conferences
- Instructions and phrases for writing effective speeches for nearly 30 different groups and interests, from shareholders to commencements
- Techniques you can use to become a more effective speaker
Customer Reviews:
Perfect if it fits the bill for you.......2007-10-01
This book is too basic and repetitive for experienced presenters, but extremely useful for those who are very new to the field, lack confidence, and/or are non-native speakers of English. It presents exact phrases, even entire speeches, for a variety of situations (including formal events). This can be great jumping-off point if you're unsure of yourself in this kind of situation. Although not written for this particular purpose, the book is an excellent choice for any international businessperson who is new to making presentations to Americans and is not 100% confident speaking in English.
Extensive but tired.......2007-05-30
This work has a wide variety of phrases but many have become tired from over-use. It's a good place to start but don't look to it for fresh ideas.
Book Description
This book is written to address an underemphasized area of chess training and study, the identification of and reaction to--threats. For beginner and intermediate-level players, the study of tactics is paramount. Almost all tactics books take the approach of providing a position where there is a forced win, checkmate or draw. However, Looking for Trouble takes a different tack. This book helps players to recognize threats by providing over 200 problems in which players can focus on identifying and meeting threats ranging from extremely easy to fiendishly difficult. The identification of difficult threats û and how to meet them û is discussed in a manner that accommodates players of all levels.
Customer Reviews:
Good things come in small packages.......2005-05-24
I almost passed this one up but I'm sure glad I didn't. As a player rated in the 1600 - 1800 range, I'm often frustrated to see a "crushing" win swept away in one careless move. I get so wrapped up in my own plans that I often ignore those of my opponent. Ugh! Although it is easy to say "always try to understand what your opponent's move was threatening before making your move", I tend to play fast and impatiently (even when not in any time trouble). Heisman's book is great because it forces you to solve the problems in 2 stages - identify the threat, then figure out the remedy.
By working on these, I found that I started to automatically look more carefully at my opponent's moves. Heisman's examples also include some very common themes so I suspect "imprinting" these "tactical images" into my brain will also do me good. Great stuff!
By the way, as an earlier reviewer pointed out, I found that even some of the so-called easy challenges were sometimes difficult.
Good Positions - Decent Organizing.......2005-03-21
Overall I liked this book but found it difficult at certain points. It is not a good book for a lower rated player like the advertizing makes it seem. Not all the patterns found in this book are logically placed. But there are some good positions for understanding.
Learn to use the Sword in Chess.......2004-08-01
I did not think I could ever find a book to learn what chess is about, well at least one of the most important things in the game. Yes, chess is about making threats and stop them, and this book teaches how to do that in a very instructive way. If we ever want to become strong chess players, it is of essential nature learning to see our opponent's threats and meet them appropriately.
What you will find in this book is a very clear explanation about threats and how we can deal with them, and then a lot of excercises to train your mind and eye to find the threats on the chess board. This is the firs book I know that deviates from the traditional way of "White to play and win".
Stop loosing games because you did not see your opponent's threat, get this book and become stronger. I really liked it.
Instructive and fun to read.......2003-12-29
"Looking for Trouble" is a collection of 200+ chess positions that are mostly tactical in nature. What separates this book from other similar works are the extensive and helpful verbal annotations, and the fact that it's not "White to move and win", but instead: "Avoid the threat and find the best move". Working through this book feels more like playing a real game than playing through a normal collection of tactical problems, and is surprisingly fun.
One of the main benefits of this book is that it helps you to establish a better thinking process. After you worked through all the puzzles, your first thought while playing a game will be "What is his threat?", which is exactly how it should be.
The positions themselves are also very instructive: Taken from real games, sorted into openings, middle game and endgame sections and assigned an estimated difficulty (* to *****).
My only criticism is that the author recommends this book to players rated as low as 1200. I'm rated 1700 and found most of these puzzles to be quite challenging. I think a 1200 player would be overwhelmed by the difficulty of most positions, though he will likely still benefit from learning how to think better.
A chess book that's instructive and Enjoyable to read.......2003-12-09
I'll start off by stating that I am a novice-intermediate level player who has several chess books and a training CD to boot!. (Fred Reinfeld, Complete Chess player, Chess for Dummies, Burgess Mammoth book of chess). With the exception of Chess for Dummies, they all look nice on my shelf. Everytime I pick up Burgess or Reinfeld I lose interest quickly. This book by Heisman has me hooked ! To me, it's much more useful than "Find mate in 2 " problems. It teaches you to think about what your oppenent is up to (threat) and how to (and not to ) respond. In essence, play CHESS. My copy is already worn and battered up a bit..like all my other favorite paperbacks.
Book Description
"Nanus and Dobbs have written a seminal book about a long-neglected and key area of American life: the leadership of not-for-profits.... It's a first and should be read by all those concerned about not-for-profits: board members most especially, but volunteers, executives, benefactors, and academics as well."
--Warren Bennis, University Professor, Marshall School of Business, University of Southern California, and coauthor of Organizing Genius
"These authors have made a remarkable contribution to social sector nonprofit leadership. It's a valuable resource by two great authorities on a critical need."
--Frances Hesselbein, chairman of the board, The Peter F. Drucker Foundation for Nonprofit Management
"If there's one thing that today's nonprofit sector needs more than anything else, it's leadership.... Burt Nanus and Stephen Dobbs illustrate the qualities that do 'make a difference' by telling real-life stories of exceptional nonprofit leaders--few of them household names--and examining the lessons these men and women learned the hard way."
--Dorothy S. Ridings, president and CEO, Council on Foundations
There are many books on leadership, but few that focus specifically on the unique role of nonprofit executives. For the CEOs and directors of more than one million U.S. social sector organizations--as well as those who aspire to these positions--best-selling author Burt Nanus and colleague Stephen M. Dobbs have written the first comprehensive and authoritative book on nonprofit leadership.
The authors show how leaders build successful nonprofit organizations by developing key relationships to improve their performance and move them toward a greater good--such as much higher levels of service to their clients and community. They describe the six key roles that effective leaders must play--Visionary, Strategist, Change Agent, Coach, Politician, and Fundraiser--and present inspiring examples of how their actions in these roles have been crucial to the success of large and small nonprofits flourishing across the nation. Leaders Who Make a Difference offers proven lessons on strategy, team building, fundraising, advocacy, board relations, and much more. Grounded in real-world practice, the book champions the potential of all nonprofit leaders to greatly improve the performance of their organizations and realize their visions of better communities.
Customer Reviews:
A must read for a new Exec.......2007-05-14
This is a great how to book in getting started in a new non-profit. Wish I would have had it earlier in my career.
A Strong Resource for University Classroom Use .......2005-07-29
If you're after a lot of theoretical hocus pocus, please look elsewhere. If you aspire to revel in charts and graphs, this book isn't for you. But if, by chance, you are looking for a straightforward, concise, and easy-to-digest discussion of what leaders in nonprofits (the most effective ones) actually do, I encourage you to read this book. Moreover, if you are an educator looking for a text-based catalyst for classroom discussion about nonprofit leadership, Leaders Who Make a Difference should be on your short list for consideration.
The text is well organized, with each concept building on the next. There is no wheel reinvention here, with the authors instead boiling down some of the more prescient literature to a smattering of leadership roles, offering a listing of the more extensive works for the reader's consideration under "Additional Readings."
For educators, the text's focus on some of the more mission-critical roles played by nonprofit leaders--visionary, strategist, change agent, coach, politician and campaigner--provides a good platform from which to integrate guest speakers who exemplify these roles, and who can amplify upon these roles in a classroom setting. As the course for which this reviewer used this text (among others) included students with significant nonprofit leadership experience, others with none, and everything in between, the authors of Leaders Who Make a Difference provided a reading reasource that was digestible and meaningful for both the experienced and aspiring nonprofit leader.
It's anti-capitalism slant hurts its message.......2005-03-31
I'm trying to read this book but it is getting harder and harder to do so. It's preface and first chapter (The Leadership Challenge) were fine. However, the second chapter (The Greater Good) was awful. It spews a lot of anti-capitalism garbage served up as fact without backing any of its statements. Stuff you'd expect to hear from a socialist that is a professor in the fairyland of academia. First, you do not raise yourself up by tearing down others. Second, the author (singular because it is obvious Dobbs just lent his name and this book is all written by Nanus) essentially condemns capitalism and individualism and praises socialism and the collective. What a fool and a moron. Seriously. He acts as if there was still a debate over this issue. Third, he begrudgingly acknowledges anything positive that capitalism has done for society and only presents non-profits as doing the best things for society. He doesn't present what damage non-profits have done. In America, it was non-profits that did the greatest damage to society with the Prohibitionist movement. This unbalanced view greatly hurts what little good this book offers. Leaders of non-profits have to work with reality and not fantasy. And that's not the only thing that is off about this book.
The author just doesn't understand management at all. Now the book is about leadership, but, contrary to the author's stance, leaders are managers. He views them as two separate jobs and anyone that has actually lead an organization (I being one of those) knows they're not. Again, the author comes across as not being connected to reality ... like a professor. And I won't even touch the silliness of his E=mc^2 statement.
And his "organizational capital" is another example that he really doesn't understand business. He thinks he's coming up with some new form of capital that no one else has but when he lists what his "organizational capital" is, you can easily identify the items on his list as really belonging to the other established forms of capital that he just listed.
Now since I've read it this far, I am going to try to skim through the rest of this book and see if there's anything worthwhile in it. If you don't see a second review by me here, you will know that I didn't find anything that other books have done a better job of covering.
Whenever you buy a book about business (and non-profit organizations are businesses) and you see one of the authors is a professor, my best words of advice is to always put the book back up on the shelf. I've yet to read a business book by a professor that was worth reading. Sadly, this book is another example of that. What little solid information that I've read so far in this book is what others have said numerous other times and is the only reason why I didn't give this book a 1 out of 5. What new "information" this book presents is just fantasies you'd expect to hear from someone insulated from reality on a college campus.
Leaders Who Make Difference --- Makes a Difference.......2001-03-15
There is a dearth of leadership literature aimed at the non-profit and public sectors. Leaders Who Make a Difference by Nanus and Dobbs helps to fill that void. It is a very valuable leadership guide and reference book for leaders in the non-profit sector. Their synthesis of the leadership literature and their emphasis on shared vision, strategy, and team building with tools and guides is very valuable to students of leadership as well as current mangers who are enhancing their leadership skills. The roles of a leader that are emphasized - visionary, strategist, change agent, coach, politician, and campaigner - are useful reminders to leaders in all sectors about the importance and complexity of leading well with a full set of skills. This book is being used in the curriculum of an International Family Planning Leadership Program with great success - so it has global relevance and appeal. Our fellows have found the book to be full of tips and tools that serve to validate the skills that they already have as well as guide them to devleop more facets of their leadership. I highly recommend this book to leadership development programs and practitioners in the non-profit and public sectors.
Home run on leadership for not-for-profits.......2000-08-02
"As Editor of the Not-for-Profit CEO Monthly Letter, I had occasion to review "Leaders Who Make a Difference" for our readership, which consists almost entirely of executive directors and board members. I recommended it enthusiastically, telling our readers that `this volume should be on your desk; not in the book case, but on your desk.' After the review was published, I received the following letter from a nationally known consultant to not-for-profit boards." George B. Wright, Editor, "The Not-For-Profit CEO Monthly Letter," C3 Strategies, Portland, OR
"The challenges today's nonprofit organizations face make effective leadership a critical need. By combining relevant theory with case studies that exemplify leadership excellence, Nanus and Dobbs have created an invaluable and much-needed resource for all nonprofit leaders." Kathleen D. Edwards, consultant and author, Bowman-Edwards & Associates, Seattle, WA.
Books:
- Fundamentals of Organizational Communication (6th Edition)
- Graduate Admissions Essays: Write Your Way Into the Graduate School of Your Choice (Graduate Admissions Essays)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)
- How to Develop and Promote Successful Seminars and Workshops: The Definitive Guide to Creating and Marketing Seminars, Workshops, Classes, and Conferences
- How to Say It: Choice Words, Phrases, Sentences, and Paragraphs for Every Situation, Revised Edition
- How to Say It For Women: Communicating with Confidence and Power Using the Language of Success
- How to Win Friends & Influence People
- How to Write a Love Letter That Works: The Whens, Whys, and Hows of Expressing Terms of Endearment
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
- A Midsummer Night's Dream
- None Shall Look Back
- Delivering the Goods: The Art of Managing Your Supply Chain
- Discontinuous Change: Leading Organizational Transformation
- I'm Still Hungry
- Seductive Poison: A Jonestown Survivor's Story of Life and Death in the People's Temple
- Make Your Space Ads Pay : Using Space Advertising as Effective Direct Marketing
- Capitalism: A Very Short Introduction
- Fiscal Policies and Growth in the World Economy - 3rd Edition
- Fungal Physiology, 2nd Edition
General
| Education
| Nonfiction
| Subjects
| Books
The First Days Of School: How To Be An Effective Teacher
Reluctant Disciplinarian: Advice on Classroom Management From a Softy who Became (Eventually) a Successful Teacher
The Everything New Teacher Book: Increase Your Confidence, Connect With Your Students, and Deal With the Unexpected (Everything Series)
Teaching Outside the Box: How to Grab Your Students By Their Brains
Fred Jones Tools for Teaching
