It’s a collection of 52 “Rules of Thumb” – they are challenging, practical, thought provoking and often amusing!

A few to think about…

#10 A Good Question Beats a Good Answer

#16 Facts Are Facts; Stories Are How We Learn

#23 Keep Two Lists: What Gets You Up in the Morning? What Keeps You Up at Night?

#45 Failure Isn’t Failing. Failure Is Failing to Try

#52 Stay Alert! There Are Teachers Everywhere

Go read, its wonderful!

It argues that design is:

• Vital and must be approached as a process not just an event
• About the complete user experience, physically and emotionally and is not easy to archive -if you don’t connect emotionally then it will never be great design!

It’s full of good examples and is well worth a read.

I really enjoy his direct and thought provoking approach and whilst I don’t always agree I always enjoy reading.

As a fan of new ideas on leadership and technology this was an interesting and enjoyable read. It tackles how the leadership landscape is changing with help from emerging technologies and how Seth believes everyone now has the opportunity to lead by creating their own Tribe!

“All that’s missing is you, and your vision and your passion,” he shouts.

His name for this new type of leader is a “heretic.” …. “Heretics are engaged, passionate, and more powerful and happier than everyone else,” he explains. He has a great take on making sure you are doing what you enjoy – something about which I feel passionately.

Like all of Seth’s books, this is not a long thesis style justification; it’s a short and punchy “pitch” and all the better for it. I am sure you will end up reading it in one sitting and I challenge you not to feel inspired to do something!

Let me know what you think

1. The CEO must own the marketing – how often do I see the top person ignore this!

2. Keep the marketing team small and flat – avoid large/layered organisations

3. Maintain direct contact with customers

4. Be careful with market research

5. Hire missionaries not marketeers – love this one

6. Love and respect customers – not numbers

7. Create customer communities

8. Rethink the marketing mix

9. Use common sense and be fresh and different

10. Be true to the Brand

Interesting ideas and certainly food for thought

www.samhillonline.com

Swim with the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive – Harvey Mackay

Almost 20 years since I first read it, but I still stopped, sat down and spent a couple of hours enthralled by it…

Hundreds of thoughts and observations including:

• You’ll always get the good news; it’s how quickly you get the bad news that counts
• Little things don’t mean a lot; they mean everything
• Treat your people the way you treat your customers
• There is no future in saying it can’t be done

More information…Amazon >>

Recommended by a friend and it was worth the time …..will certainly stay in my “consult” group…

What more is there to say?

More…Amazon >>

In the book he points out that Black Swans are highly improbable events with 3 characteristics:

• Unpredictability
• Massive impact
• Our subsequent desire to explain why it was actually predicable all along

We spend so much time thinking about what could happen, making plans, putting systems in place and following lists – all of which helps and to varying degrees is necessary….

However…..

I believe that that real issue is that, too often, organisations lack the skills, flexibility and above all approach to deal with the inevitable Black Swans and move forward…….

Sometime ago I was working with an organisation that had plans and strategies coming out of its ears.  Then all of a sudden it was hit with an issue that took away its main market. What did it do? It spent months analysing its plans and risk registers trying to explain why this had happened -  whilst making no real effort to actually deal with it. In reality it lacked a senior team (the staff were raring to go!) that was comfortable making decisions that weren’t in the plan…

The result…..? lost time and a problem even bigger than the Black Swan!

When I first started work we were told “Change Management” was a specialist area – for dealing with “big” events……now it’s a basic skill which we all need

We need to accept that the world in which we live is full of imminent black swans…it’s how we react that matters!

“It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change.”

Charles Darwin

A great title and full of interesting and worthwhile ideas……

As per normal there will be things you don’t agree with and some things you already do….but on balance it made me think and added some good tips!

More information…Amazon >>

I love these guys and it’s well worth checking out their site and books.

The point is that in an oversupplied world, ideas are what separate successful companies and successful individuals from the failures.

Read and be educated and inspired

www.funkybusinessforever.com

Buy >>> Amazon

Tom is the master and helps generate a little urgency and excitement for us all

http://wowstore.tompeters.com/store/psf50

Check other the rest of the store as well