What’s Chip Reading?

• Clearer definitions of the 4 generational groups.
• The "Perfect Labor Storm" and its implications in the workplace.
• The squeeze play happening to gen-x, and the "gray" ceiling that is keeping gen-x from moving into the positions of power that would have traditionally been theirs.
• And most importantly: some things we can do once we understand the language.

Switch
By Chip Heath and Dan Heath, Published by Broadway Books 2010

I love the way the Heath Brothers write. They had me at Made to Stick, and I have really enjoyed their column in Fast Company magazine. However, in Switch, they cemented the reader relationship with me in this book. The writing is crisp, the ideas are woven throughout the book and work in context, and the core principles are simple to visualize and implement.

As an executive coach, I work with the change process in individuals and teams on a daily basis. My work means that I live in the world described by this book. What could be easier than describing the three steps that make up the main headings of this book? Direct the Rider. Motivate the Elephant. Shape the Path. Wow, very simple. And the stories they use to illustrate each point and sub-points are well researched and not repetitive. More than well researched, they are poignant and memorable. The stories don't drag. And they are on target.

Checking in at 258 pages, it is not a light read, but it is so interesting you will want to devour it quickly. However, once devoured, there are nuggets you will go back to again and again to savor. My only question for the Heath's is "What's next?"

• How to focus on strategic accounts that builds long lasting revenue, not just "right now" revenue.
• Find the small business friendly big companies.
• Position yourself effectively to take advantage of the opportunities when they come about.
• Plan your approach and presentations in the right ways to win their business.

"Super Freakonomics: Global Cooling, Patriotic Prostitutes and why Suicide Bombers Should Buy Life Insurance"
Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, 2009

Levitt and Dubner really don't like real estate agents. In their first book Freakonomics, they compared real estate agents to Atilla the Hun and his hoard of invading Mongolians. In this book he compares them to pimps working on the south side of Chicago. Wow. While amusing, it seems a little over the top (especially since I have a wife and daughter in the real estate business).

Over the top is a great way to describe the authors analysis of all things political, economic and social. For instance they as the question: "What's more dangerous, driving drunk or walking drunk?" Or, "Why is chemotherapy prescribed so often when it is considered to be so ineffective?"

According to the jacket, Levitt and Dubner mix smart thinking and great storytelling like no one else. It is a great read for someone that wants to think differently about the world outside of the one they know. Reading this type of book tends to help someone develop flexibility in thinking, whether you agree with their conclusions or not.

"What the Dog Saw"
Malcolm Gladwell

In Gladwell's fourth book, he puts together an anthology of his favorite New York Times articles from the past several years. The fun part of the book is that there is no subject theme, only Gladwell's unique style of discovery and writing.

I have always been a fan of his writing, and look forward to each book that comes out. Tipping Point, his first book, discussed the macro world and the reasons why we notice things in the world. Blink talked about our internal world, and how we interpret the world around us. Outliers delved into what makes someone an expert and how we learn. What the Dog Saw gives us a broad range of topics.

For instance, the book opens with Ron Popeil, the mastermind behind Ronco and tells a story of how he got where he is today. Another story is about Cesar Milan, the Dog Whisperer. One of the more interesting questions he asks is "Why are there many flavors of mustard, but only one major flavor of ketchup?"

If you are a fan, enjoy a great read. If not, this may be a great primer for entering into a relationship with Gladwell's writings.

"Outliers: The Story of Success"
Malcolm Gladwell

Why are the most successful hockey players born in January, February and March? Why do Americans lag behind their Asian counterparts in math? Why would inner-city children want to go to school for eight hours a day year round? Why is the number of airplane crashes based on pilot error diminishing worldwide? Why is Bill Gates so successful?

Whether you have wondered about these topics or not, Outliers, the latest effort from New York Times columnist Malcolm Gladwell, will give you some pretty incredible insights. There are reasons that some people have a better chance at success than others. Bill Gates success was no accident of birth or timing.

I enjoy Gladwell's writing, and would read just about anything he writes. Outliers adds to the success from his previous two books, Tipping Point and Blink. He has made a great career out of using other people's research to make a point. The points he makes are always interesting, and the way he gets there is always fun.

"The Contrarian Effect"
Michael Port and Elizabeth Marshall

When you have been selling as long as I have, you have seen just about every approach, every new technique. I was trained on the "FAB" principle (features, advantages, benefits) and taught every hokey closing technique there is. The real truth is that those techniques don't work now and most likely never did. That point is clearly communicated in "The Contrarian Effect".

There are a lot of sales books on the market to choose from. However if you just have time to read one, this is a good one to read. It is a quick read, and together Port and Marshall tell great stories to illustrate their points.

The biggest takeaways for me have to do with two concepts. The first is to target specific groups to market to rather than spend your days cold calling to a mass market. The other is the idea of collaborating with others in your market to create more attraction to your products or services.

Influence, the Psychology of Persuasion
Robert B. Cialdini PhD

Have you spent your life feeling like a patsy? Are you easily influenced by the media, advertisers, telemarketers? Do you have a tendency to buy the stuff that is sold on late night TV?

Cialdini is known as one of the wizards of marketing, and this is one of his best books. If you take the time to read it, you will learn about the six psychological secrets behind our impulse to comply. Once you learn those secrets, you can use them to be more effective in getting what you want. Why not put those secrets to work in your own behalf?

Coach Yourself to Success
Talane Miedaner

One of the things I always admired about Ken Blanchard's One Minute Manager was his focus on doing small things, but doing them well and repeatedly. So much of success thinking is about setting our "BHAG's" or Big Hairy Audacious Goals. What Talane has done with this book is to remind us that there are simple steps we can take to coach ourselves to be better tomorrow than we are today.

In the book she lists and illustrates 101 tips for self coaching. For instance, one that resonates with me is Tip Number 4, "Eliminate the Shoulds". It talks about goals that we have held onto for months, years, perhaps decades. We should lose weight, we should quit smoking, we should, should, should… Her narrative takes a great concept and gives specific ways you can turn it into behaviors you can use. Great stories and personal comments makes this an easy and timely read.

Turning Potential into Action
Ryan Scholz

No, Ryan is not related by ancestry, but I do happen to share many of his philosophies and business ideas.

In this book, Ryan keeps it simple and direct, and gives you a road map for being more effective in your work and your life. What I especially like about the book is that in a short 87 pages he has detailed 8 Outstanding Principles for becoming a leader and maintaining great leadership within an organization. His guidelines for tapping into the human potential and ultimately the potential of the whole organization are a must read for anyone who desires to release the power of their organization.

Ryan put some pretty incredible thought into this book to make it simple, descriptive and prescriptive without being preachy. A seasoned expert in personal development in manufacturing environments, Ryan uses his real world knowledge to turn theory into reality and great illustrations into something you can take action on immediately. Whether you are a pro or a novice in the world of management, leadership or supervision, you will find this book not only helpful, but perhaps transformational.

Power vs. Force, The Hidden Determinants of Human Behavior,
David R. Hawkins, M.D. Ph.D.

Imagine if you had access to a simple yes-or-no answer to any question you wished to ask? A demonstrably true answer to any question?

These questions begin the foreword and explain the premise of Power vs. Force by David Hawkins. Hawkins is a proponent of kinesiology. For those who are not familiar with the basis of Kinesiology, the basic theory is that all living things have an energy field. This energy field is connected to all other energy fields in some way or another. In short, we are all connected to each other in some way. Nothing we say or do or that has been said, done or felt occurs in a vacuum and so has an effect on energy. Because of this, everything that is or was is written into an energy record of the collective unconscious.

Hawkins bridges the gap between science and spirit. The book is written in a simple to understand style and contains a number of great illustrations for those that need visuals.

The book is not simply about the Kinesiological method, but rather using the method to compare the conclusions with the writings of great historical mystics. The idea that human beings coexist within a unified field of consciousness is not new. Rather, what is new is Hawkins' unique map of this field of consciousness. The map of consciousness laid out in power vs. force allows the readers to put the conclusions into context.

The Inner Game of Selling - Mastering the Hidden Forces that Determine Your Success
Ron Willingham

Your ability to sell is much more an issue of who you are than what you know," asserts Willingham, CEO of the sales training organization Integrity Solutions, in this workbook-style manual. Moving beyond the usual sales advice about gimmicks and closings, he focuses on the emotional factors behind effective sales and the hangups that prevent salespeople from achieving their full potential. Willingham synthesizes advice from his successful sales seminars, offering self-assessments and scorecards to aid the reader in applying each chapter's lessons.

The Last Lecture
Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

Pausch's "Last Lecture" is available in a youtube video, and I would recommend watching it. However, the book adds some great material. If you want a great quick read, one that will give you a quick uplift and help you to remember what is really important, this is a good one. You may want to give it as a gift to those people close to you for this holiday.

What Really Matters, Searching for Wisdom in America
Tony Schwartz
Published by Bantam Books 1995

In 1987 Tony Schwartz found himself at the peak of his profession. He had just written "Art of the Deal" with Trump and was making more money in a day than he had in the rest of his life to that point. As he was standing in a receiving line with the glitterati and the paparazzi, he felt an emptiness, an angst. He decided he needed to do something about it.

For five years Tony Schwartz traveled America looking for wisdom. He met with psychologists, mystics, philosophers, psychics and leaders in alternative thought. He found some great wisdom and some false prophets. This book is the distillation of his search.

He covers a lot of ground in this book. From meditation to bio-feedback, right brain drawing to bodywork, dreamwork to Enneagrams to the growing scientific evidence connecting mind and body, he pursued answers to the deepest questions. What is a truly meaningful and complete life?

What if conficts at home, conflicts at work and conflicts in the world stem from the same root cause? Through a story of parents who are struggling with their children and with problems that have come to consume their lives, we learn from once-bitter enemies the way to find peace whenever we bring war upon ourselves.

This is the follow up to Arbinger's "Leadership and Self Deception" and while great as a stand-alone, is better served when you read the two sequentially. The concepts that were introduced in “Self Deception” are more fully defined and illustrated here. What is most important is that it becomes eminently usable and easily applied in your daily life.

If your relationships could use a bit of polish, this is a good start. As the book says, the choice between peace and war is within us all, and at all times. Choosing peace may not always be easy, but is always possible. The book offers a unique solution to the conflicts that cause pain in our lives.

Business to business selling has never been easy. In difficult economic times, the ability to sell strategically becomes much more important. The difference between the companies that win or lose are the ones that can sell and mange their customer base the best.

"Hope Is Not A Strategy" is a must-read if you're in the business of selling complex products or services to complex organizations. If you have ever lost a deal and wondered why, you may find the answers here. If you want to feel confident in winning tomorrow's deal, start with this book.

Strategic Hiring, Tomorrow’s Benefits Today
Stephen Blakesley
Published by Stephen Blakesley

Stephen Blakesley presents a complete system to successfully identify, develop and keep outstanding people. Executives and managers understand the significance of hiring and development, but often the urgency of running a successful business usurps the importance of identifying the best people and keeping them. Strategic Hiring puts things in proper perspective.

Stephen is a colleague of mine, and does a great job of creating a simple to use system for reducing turnover, increasing productivity and maximizing organizational performance.

I Quit, but Forgot To Tell You, Attacking the Spreading Virus of Disengagement
Written by the Terri Kabachnick
Published by The Kabachnick Group, Inc., Copyright 2006

From the liner notes: "As customers, we have been served by people who quit but never left. As employees, we have been managed by bosses who quit, but managed to stay. As managers, we have managed people who physically attend, but mentally pretend.

Let's face it. No one takes a job intending to fail. No employer hires with the intent to fire. Both parties want only the best. They both want to succeed. So what happens?"

Practical, thought provoking and timely, this is a great read. If you have been in business for any length of time, you have seen this issue and it's insidiously devastating effects. You may not have known what to call it. You now do...worker disengagement. These are the workers that seem to have retired in place, workers who have mentally checked out. These are the ones that my clients spend most of their time trying, with marginal success, to motivate.

The sad fact is that these are the people that you are entrusting your business to. They are the ones that create lagging morale in your other employees, poor customer service, and declining profits. They aren't just ineffective, they are damaging to your best efforts.

Leadership and Self Deception
Written by the Arbinger Institute
Published by Berrett-Koehler Publishers, Inc. 2002

You're working hard, pushing yourself and your people. Your work and personal relationships are "difficult" or challenged in some way. Something is just not right, but you can't put your finger on it. It could be self-deception.

This is a practical guide to changing one's outlook on life, not just the way one conducts business. This book provides a realistic plan to look at one's self honestly and to begin to see reality as it truly is. If you would like to challenge your view of yourself and of how others see you and you see others, this is a good starting point.

Made to Stick, Why Some Ideas Survive And Others Die
Written by Chip Heath and Dan Heath
Published by Random House, 2007

Urban legends, conspiracy theories and bogus public health scares circulate effortlessly. Meanwhile, people with important ideas—businesspeople, teachers, politicians, journalists and authors—struggle to make their ideas stick.

This book by brothers Chip and Dan Heath is well written, well researched, and has a good balance between story telling and how-tos. The ideas allow you to transform the way you communicate ideas. It shows us the vital principles of winning ideas, and tells us how we can apply the principles to make our ideas stickier.