Book Description
Whether challenged with taking on a startup, turning a business around, or inheriting a high-performing unit, a new leader's success or failure is determined within the first 90 days on the job.
In this hands-on guide, Michael Watkins, a noted expert on leadership transitions, offers proven strategies for moving successfully into a new role at any point in one's career. The First 90 Days provides a framework for transition acceleration that will help leaders diagnose their situations, craft winning transition strategies, and take charge quickly.
Practical examples illustrate how to learn about new organizations, build teams, create coalitions, secure early wins, and lay the foundation for longer-term success. In addition, Watkins provides strategies for avoiding the most common pitfalls new leaders encounter, and shows how individuals can protect themselves-emotionally as well as professionally-during what is often an intense and vulnerable period.
Concise and actionable, this is the survival guide no new leader should be without.
"Few companies develop a systematic 'on-boarding' process for their new leaders, even though this is a critical function with major organizational implications. Michael Watkins's The First 90 Days provides a powerful framework and strategies that will enable new leaders to take charge quickly. It is an invaluable tool for that most vulnerable time-the transition."
-Goli Darabi, Senior Vice President, Corporate Leadership & Succession Management, Fidelity Investments
"Every job-private- or public-sector, civilian or military-has its breakeven point, and everyone can accelerate their learning. Read this book at least twice: once before your next transition-before getting caught up in the whirl and blur of new faces, names, acronyms, and issues; then read it again after you've settled in, and consider how to accelerate transitions for your next new boss and for those who come to work for you."
-Colonel Eli Alford, U.S. Army
"Watkins provides an excellent road map, telling us what all new leaders need to know and do to accelerate their learning and success in a new role. The First 90 Days should be incorporated into every company's leadership development strategy, so that anyone making a transition in an organization can get up to speed quicker and smarter."
-Suzanne M. Danielle, Director of Global Leadership Development, Aventis
"Michael Watkins has nailed a huge corporate problem and provided the solution in one fell swoop. The pressure on new leaders to hit the ground running has never been greater, and the likelihood and cost of failure is escalating. Watkins's timing with The First 90 Days is impeccable."
-Gordon Curtis, Principal, Curtis Consulting
"The First 90 Days is a must-read for entrepreneurs. Anyone who's been the CEO of a start-up or early-stage company knows that you go through many 90-day leadership transitions in the course of a company's formative years. In this groundbreaking book, Michael Watkins provides crucial insights, as well as a toolkit of techniques, to enable you to accelerate through these transitions successfully."
-Mike Kinkead, President and CEO, timeBLASTER Corporation, serial entrepreneur, and Cofounder and Trustee, Massachusetts Software Council
Customer Reviews:
Good way to get prepared.......2007-07-04
It just makes sense, and is very thorough. Many things I would not have thought about, or gotten around to thinking about - we live in such a fast paced world that it would have been a challenge to do. Luckily, I had a cross country trip, so this gave me the time to read this book and compile my "list" of notes and apply them to my upcoming job change. Bottom line - many good new perspectives that I simply would not have thought of. Highly recommended.
Practical and Actionable. It is an excellent book on the subject of management transitions........2007-06-22
As a human resources professional, I have seen a great deal of management transition. Many succeed but some do not. Unfortunately for our people and our organizations those that do not leave a stream of damage in their wake.
Recently I wrote a review about Scott Eblin's, "The Next Level" and I called it a real disappointment. This book is not and it is a far more actionable and practical approach to managing transitions.
One of the reasons this book is so practical is that each section not only provides you with clear direction but each section also ends with an action checklist. This make creating a 90-day transition plan doable and improves your prospects for success.
Lastly, the steps from this book create a framework that a company can use to create a "transition strategy" for all its new and upwardly moving managers. This alone will enable a firm to increase their odds that a new hire or promotion will be in the "win" column.
*****First 90 Days.......2007-06-10
I only ordered this for a superior and he is VERY VERY happy with the book...he asked for it by name so we ordered three copies! Thank you for the great service you provide.
A Must Read.......2007-05-30
Great book for all business leaders who are advancing to a new role or coming from the outside into an organization. Simple, easy to read with pertinent lessons for a successful transition.
Some great tips, but often not well developed or organized.......2007-05-28
We bought this book along with the "New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan" and read them side by side.
Pro:
-"STaRS" concept is excellent. Start-ups, Turnarounds, Realignments and Sustaining success are all different scenarios that you might be thrown into, and the environment you join directly affects what you need to do.
-Checklists are helpful, when available, to boil thoughts down to the most essential elements
-There are many good tips interspersed throughout the book that are good reminders of the basics you need to adhere to in order to be successful
-Breaks the "sink or swim mindset" often associated with starting a new position
Con:
-Does not really address the time opportunity BEFORE you start a job and in my experience is a major lost opportunity that I've been able to surprise and delight. Set up pre-meetings, arranging for email/phone and a place to sit, etc. as a chance to listen and learn without the pressure to perform. Any items that can/should be done ahead of time appear to me as afterthoughts, underdeveloped, and often out of sequence in this text.
-Would not serve as a handy reference... better chapter summaries and a stronger introduction with time lines and meaty chapter outline would have been helpful both now and in the future
-I think that many good concepts like "STaRS" were underdeveloped or under leveraged... I sense more detail that was perhaps omitted
-To me, many of the illustrations were filler and did not offer additional information
-Sometimes poor or awkward word choice or idea sequence (e.g. rather than "Promote Yourself" why not just call it "Prepare Yourself" as this is what you are really saying, so why not just say it that way?)
-Real life examples were unnecessarily detailed, consuming time and space that I think could be better used by the author as he's clearly brilliant and has some great observations
-I think that the scope is too narrow, picks up after you've started the job (day 1) and neglects the opportunity (and chaos) beforehand of the interview, moving, doing "pre-work" to get your basics at work set-up
Bottom line: While there were some interesting moments, I was disappointed. The book does offer several cautionary tales of CEOs who crashed and burned, and if nothing else serves as both warning and motivation to be smarter about your transition.
Book Description
In his nearly thirty years of teaching leadership, John Maxwell has encountered this question again and again:
How do I apply leadership principles if I'm not the boss? It's a valid question that Maxwell answers in
The 360 Degree Leader voted best business book of the year by Soundview Executive Book Summary subscribers, and 2006 recipient of their Harold Longman Award. In this award-winning book, Maxwell asserts that you don't have to be the
main leader to make significant impact in your organization. Good leaders are not only capable of leading their followers but are also adept at leading their superiors and their peers. Debunking myths and shedding light on the challenges, John Maxwell offers specific principles for Leading Down, Leading Up, and Leading Across. 360-Degree Leaders can lead effectively, regardless of their position in an organization. By applying Maxwell's principles, you will expand your influence and ultimately be a more valuable team member.
Customer Reviews:
Leadership 360.......2007-08-09
John Maxwell does it again. He bring perspective to you and your environment wherever you may be in the orgnaization and helps you look at yourself in a different light.
Everyday Practicality.......2007-08-06
Once again John Maxwell gives us sound advice on how to be more effective and he does it in ways that we can actually accomplish.
I like the fact that he gives us tasks and subtasks that allow us to meet each goal and become effective from where ever we may be in the company. Everyone has the potential to influence others if they can only find the right way to do it.
Maxwell believes that leading can occur from most anywhere and he gives practical ways to do just that. The thing that holds many people back is that they often feel that because they don't have any direct reports or because they are not in middle management or above that they can't lead and have influence. Maxwell refutes that myth and shows us how to lead up, down and across. These 3 directions will touch everyone and improve their ability to lead.
The book is broken into sections that covers each of the leadership directions and each direction is filled with tips and advice. The book isn't too long and is never boring. It it worth reading again and again to make sure that you are staying on track with your leadership goals and growth.
Required Reading for Today's Leaders.......2007-07-07
Another great book by leadership guru, J. Maxwell. This is an excellent book on leadership and contains many good ideas that anyone can apply from anywhere in their organization.
OK.......2007-06-20
This book has a lot of usefull information in it however at times I felt myself getting a little bored. The writer used to be a pastor and refers back to that a lot. Although I know he is trying to use real world examples I feel as though I have no relation with that genre of life. All in all, it's a good book and I learned a lot but I wish it was a little more interesting and more importantly exciting!!!
Developing middle-managers.......2007-06-13
This is a very good book to develop middle managers in an organization. John Maxwell points out how those in the middle can have a great leadership influence and shouldn't wait until they make it to the top to sharpen their skills. The book is easy to read and full of insightful quotes and stories.
Book Description
Is it possible to rescue your career and restore your reputation after a major professional setback? In an age when we're bombarded with press accounts of disgraced CEOs, politicians, and celebrities, this question is more important than ever. In Firing Back, Jeffrey Sonnenfeld and Andrew Ward lay out a novel five-step recovery process: "Fight, not flight" (face the difficult situation), "Recruit others into battle" (enlist the right assistance), "Rebuild heroic stature" (spread the true nature of the adversity), "Prove your mettle" (regain trust and credibility), and "Rediscover the heroic mission" (clear the past and chart the future).
Anchored in original research and decades of scholarly studies across fields, this book is packed with engrossing stories and first-hand accounts from humbled CEOs and executives from firms as esteemed as GE, The Home Depot, Morgan Stanley, Apple, Staples, and Hewlett-Packard, Firing Back offers a clear plan for any businessperson who needs to recover from career setbacks and reclaim lost prestige and reputation. The authors also identify common barriers to recovery that even seasoned executives can fall prey to, and explain how to surmount them.
Customer Reviews:
Rx: give it to a young manager.......2007-09-21
A profound study of CEO career setbacks and comebacks. As we are all CEOs of our own lives, there is no one who wouldn't profit from a close read, and re-read, of this excellent volume, including the latest fallen, e.g Michael Vick, Alberto Gonzales, Don Imus, Dan Rather, etc.
Many great quotes, Eastern wisdom to Broadway, telling anecdotes and insightful studies contained herein, but more than just anecdotes, the authors lay out a five-step blueprint on making a comeback: 1) fight, don't flee, 2) recruit others to help, 3) rebuild heroic stature, 4) prove your mettle and 5) rediscover your heroic mission.
Highly recommended. Rx: give it to a young manager, may just save him/her tons of grief down the road. Review by John A. Sarkett, author, Extraordinary Comebacks.
Did An Editor Read This Book?.......2007-08-24
I'm about a third of the way through this book and have had to stop reading several times, in sheer amazement. Was an editor from Harvard Press involved in this publication at all? It's full of run-on sentences, missing words, typos, repetitions (sometimes within the same sentence) and just plain bad writing.
I've come to expect grammar and spelling mistakes in popular fiction, but these authors should know better -- they're university professors. This book is just astoundingly badly edited. The authors need to pull it off the market, have someone go through it who knows how to write, and issue a revised version. Their many good points are being lost in the debris of poor composition.
Adequate.......2007-04-15
I bought this from a magazine recommendation. The recommendation highlighted the telling of past business titans who had failed and how they rebounded. I assumed I would have chapters on each different story, a beginning, middle and end. Instead, this is more a business management book on the theoretical discussion of comebacks, why some work and some don't. The business biographies are there, but they are told in short staccato versions to prove a point and not fully explored. Nothing wrong with that, just not what I had hoped for. For others, this book will be perfect. But if you are looking for multiple business biographies as was I, this is not for you.
A deep understaning of CEOs as humans.......2007-03-08
Unfortunately, much of the literature on CEOs depicts them as either Gods , demons or idiots. I have worked with many CEOs and have found them to be human beings - just like the rest of us. Jeff Sonnenfeld is one of the few authors who has actually interacted with hundreds of CEOs. This book depicts the 'human drama' of success and failure at the top of the executive world. It also has lessons about defeat, courage and perserverence that we can all use. Lots of books talk about what we can learn from success stories - few talk about what we can learn when we fail. From my experince, most of of learning comes from our losses - not our victories. We will all face adversity. We will all fail. 'Firing Back' gives us some great ideas about how to make a comeback when that happens.
You get what is expected with minor detractors.......2007-02-21
Sonnefeld and Ward deliver a book who's title delivers exactly what you would expect; understanding failure, how to reconstruct, rebound and fire back. Though the first 2/3rd of the book great care is taken to acknowledge failure and the barriers faced in an organization on the path to recovery. These are the most poignant sections considering most people rarely see the true causes of mistakes and the barriers they face in correcting them. In the remaining 1/3rd the rebuilding of your heroic stature is approached.
This is a 4 star book on merit of its content though given a 3 star rating because of dueling writing styles among the two authors and overuse of underdeveloped examples making portions of the book an awkward read.
Book Description
If you've been looking for sound direction on how to coach top executives, here it is. In Executive Coaching with Backbone and Heart, Mary Beth O'Neill outlines the dynamic approach to coaching leaders that she's developed over the course of a twenty-year career. Her unique perspective and sage advice, backed by a specific four-phase methodology, gives you the means to successfully manage the coach-client relationship and effect dramatic changes that ensure the business outcomes leaders' want. It's a one-of-a-kind guide for executive coaches--both aspiring and established--that fills a long-standing gap in coaching literature.
To read the preface from this book, click here.
Customer Reviews:
Exceptional Coaching Resource.......2007-02-22
The combination of theory and practice lends well to readers of all levels (from graduate students to seasoned professionals). The author's systems perspective focuses on the executive as part of a greater whole within the organization and the importance of understanding the influences that are impacting his/her behaviors. O'Neill also focuses on the importance of a results orientation (a topic often lost in other coaching books). She discusses the importance of thinking like an executive so that you (as a coach) can produce at a level that executives expect - increasing the likelihood of establishing rapport, a long-term relationship and, most of all, bottom-line results.
Well Written and Enlightening.......2007-01-08
This is a well written and thorough resource which aptly combines theory with practical application of the systems theory to executive coaching as well as advice and tools to use. The book is very useful in translating the systems theory to readable and useful frameworks, pragmatic tips and case studies.
The author methodically explains the four phases of coaching process namely contracting, planning, implementation and debriefing. She explains that coaching is a complex process which involves the application of the principles and methods of psychology, leadership principles, business management and organisation development, among others, to assist the executive and the aspiring executive improve their effectiveness.
The book will assist the executive coaching practitioners, business executives and managers who need them and offers a practical guide to developing the effective communications and relationship expertise needed by business managers to run effectively their organisations in the highly competitive operating environment.
Read this book and you will have a comprehensive understanding of this emerging new field.
Excellent Aplication of Systems Theory to Executive Coaching!.......2006-02-14
I highly recommend this book to new and seasoned coaches. Not only is it enjoyable to read, but the author presents a clear description of the application of systems theory to executive coaching. There are a number of coaching books that describe coaching skills, but O'Neill's book provides a solid theoretical framework for applying these skills.
Sabrina Starling Schleicher, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Executive and Life Coach
Useful Guide with a Few Key Elements Missing.......2004-03-19
Mary Beth O'Neill is an experienced executive coach who provides a useful perspective and helpful guidelines and examples of what coaches can do to help executives. Her systems perspective and four-step approach is helpful with case examples and additional insights into how leaders can be coached to coach and how coaching can be combined with consulting to have a greater impact on the organization. There are several key elements of professional coaching that are missing in the book: First- The four-step approach does not include a thorough assessment of the executive and his/her organization using reliable historical, normative, and 360-degree data. Instead, the major focus is on asking the executive what they think they need or want to work on. Second- There is a lack of focus on involving and partnering with the executive's boss, board, key constituents, HR professionals and others to truly understand the executive and the organization from multiple perspectives and to have the potential impact on the whole system. And third- there could be greater emphasis on what happens after the coaching is completed; how to transition for continued learning, application, and improvement.
For more information about the principles and practice of executive coaching that incorporates Ms. O'Neill's useful approaches along with the additional components described above, you may want to go to the following website for the free Handbook of Executive Coaching along with other free information and tools for executives, coaches, and HR professionals: www.executivecoachingforum.com
"Real World" Coaching.......2003-01-12
Excellent resource for experienced coaches looking for insight to take their practice to a higher level. This book is also useful for those considering coaching or consulting as a permanent profession. O'Neill provides many honest examples of the inner thoughts of coaches during sessions and tools to help maintain effectiveness and composure with tough clients.
Her humble writing style fosters the belief that "I could do this!" even though the concepts are highly advanced. I found myself going back over pages and concepts as I realized I had been in similar situations before. The case studies are exciting and easy to absorb but read this book slowly to embrace the richer complexities.
Book Description
The Executive Director's Survival Guide provides new insight, inspiration, and tools to meet the real life challenges and rewards of leading a nonprofit organization--and to thrive in this big job. Written by Mim Carlson and Margaret Donohoe, experienced nonprofit professionals and consultants on nonprofit leadership, this vital resource will give you the help you need to develop and strengthen personal, interpersonal and organizational effectiveness. It is filled with practical advice for succeeding in the position and offers a reader-friendly question and answer format.
Read a Charity Channel review:
http://charitychannel.com/publish/templates/?a=7625&z=25
Customer Reviews:
excellent reference.......2007-01-10
excellent source for anyone looking to be and organized and successful Executive Director. Works for any field.
A must for every ED.......2006-08-19
I'm so glad I decided to purchase this book. Good material! I was feeling a little overwhelmed, 9 months into this new position and that's when I bought this book. THANK YOU!!!
Excellent for the new Executive Director..........2005-09-30
Being new to the Non-Profit arena, I was looking for an insider's guide. I found it in this book. It has specific examples and suggestions that pertain to daily life as an ED. I know that it will always be with me as a reference guide for what and what not to do..
The Executive Director's Survival Guide: Thriving as a Nonprofit Leader.......2005-09-12
The book is and excellent resource for information on how to lead a non for profit organization; I would highly recommend it.
However, I did order the book from Amazon to be shipped to my home overnight, for which I paid , but only received it three whole days later. This was rather disappointing and very costly!!!
Example of the Best Non Profit Consultants.......2003-10-24
No one is more qualified and experienced to write an ED Survival Guide to Non profit management than Margaret Donohue and Mim Carlson. I have had the distinct pleasure of working with both of them for a number of years. I have the utmost respect and admiration for them and am thrilled that they took the time to write this book for all of us "in the field" who can and will profit from their wisdom and experience!
Amazon.com
Leadership authorities James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner say employees perform best when their contributions are genuinely appreciated. Unfortunately, the two contend, most executives have not mastered the decidedly soft-management skill of "encouragement" that fosters such behavior. In Encouraging the Heart, they examine how this type of compassionate supervision is becoming a critical part of successful management today, and through example and suggestion they describe how readers can establish the process in their own businesses.
This is not a book about glad-handing and backslapping, gold stars, and payoffs. It's about the importance of linking rewards and appreciation to standards of excellence. It's about why encouragement is absolutely essential to sustaining people's commitment to organizations and outcomes. It's about the hard work it takes to get extraordinary things done in organizations, and it's about ways to enhance your own ability in--and comfort with--recognizing and celebrating the achievements of others.
The book's opening section introduces their concept of the caring leader; the second outlines their "seven essential principles" for encouraging workers; the third explains how the process can be personalized and describes 150 additional suggestions for implementing it. --Howard Rothman
Book Description
All too often, simple acts of human kindness are often overlooked and under utilized by people in leadership roles. Advising mutual respect and recognition of accomplishments, Encouraging the Heart shows us how true leaders encourage and motivate those they work with by helping them find their voice and making them feel like heroes. Recognized experts in the field of leadership, authors James Kouzes and Barry Posner show us that, through love, leaders can encourage, and indeed allow those around them to be their very best. Both practical and inspirational, Encouraging the Heart gives readers a thoughtful approach to motivating individuals within an organizational structure.
Read Chapter 3 or Chapter 12, or see The Encouragement Index.
Customer Reviews:
A Key Relational Leadership Process.......2007-09-25
Continuing their `Leadership is a Relationship' philosophy, best-selling authors, (The Leadership Challenge and Credibility), Kouzes & Posner focus this book on the 5th of their five essential practices for exemplary leadership - Encourage the Heart. After demonstrating that even the best performers are `starved for recognition' and will respond positively to a heart-felt "thank you", the authors provide descriptions and examples of the seven essential components of the Encouraging the Heart practice, devoting a chapter to each of the following:
1. Set Clear Standards
2. Expect the Best
3. Pay Attention
4. Personalize Recognition
5. Tell the Story
6. Celebrate Together
7. Set the Example
But, reading about how others do it is never enough, and the so the last part of the book takes the reader beyond tools and techniques, with a "Finding Your Voice" chapter coming before the listing of "150 Ways to Encourage the Heart" of others.
If you believe that money is the prime motivator of exceptional performance, you may want to spend a few quiet hours with this easy-to-read, how-to manual for getting to the heart of individual performance. This book is recommended for anyone wanting to learn a foundational process for relational leadership. Dennis DeWilde, author of "The Performance Connection"
Book for Senior Vice President.......2007-03-08
I did not read this book. I am a corporate librarian and was asked to purchase it for one of our senior vice presidents.
Leading Through Encouragement: "Thoughtfully" Expanding the Potential of your Team.......2006-11-25
* The famous journalist Walter Lippman once said, "The final test of a leader is that he leaves behind in others the conviction and will to carry on."
* That is the test for all of us, not only those is a managerial position, but all of us. A leader may be the guy in a suit and tie down in the corner office, but a leader can also be the sixty year old woman working as a cashier who knows not to put our bread and canned goods in the same bag.
* Every one of us leads, whether directly or indirectly, in the actions we perform every day. Whether we know it or not, right now, each of us is showing something the right way to be or the wrong way to be.
* James M. Kouzes and Barry Z. Posner, discuss in their bestselling book The Leadership Challenge, the five principles they have found in leaders who have teams that get "extraordinary" things done:
* These leaders:
* Challenge the Process
* Inspire a shared vision
* Enable others to act
* Model the way
* And, Encourage the Heart.
* But what does it mean to "encourage the heart?"
* Encouraging the Heart shows how, with a few main ideas, how each of us - management or not - can take the initiative to bring common courtesy and kindness into the workplace, and how effective that everyday emotional bond between human beings can translate into a successful, more productive, and generally happier workplace.
* And as we all know, the more content the team is, the better that team will be. And a successful team is often attributed to the successful leader of that team. Encouraging the heart forms that connection, and helps boost the overall strength of the team as well as the strength of the leader.
If people are what matter, this is a critical read for leaders.......2006-10-24
No communities are not a collection of assets, financial reports, and marketing, they are made up with people. This may be obvious. On the other hand, a large percentage of managers and leaders act as though people are robots there but to order around and attack if performance does not match expectations. Of course expectations have never been clarified, but that is an other story. If this description of management and leadership offends you, you really should be reading this book. There is a well documented better way to work with, reward, and encourage people. If we all treated people the way that is outlined in this book, our world would be a better place.
This is also a very easy to read book with clear and valuable recommendations. It is worthy of a learning group within your management team. Bring your managers together into circle and explore how to implement this principles. You will be glad you did.
Valuable Insights...Practical Advice.......2002-03-02
Those who have already read Kouzes and Posner's The Leadership Challenge will immediately realize that this volume provides a deeper examination of the concepts introduced in Part Six ("Encouraging the Heart") of the previously published work. After introducing and then discussing five "leadership practices common to successful leaders" and ten "behavioral commitments" among those leaders studied iwhile preparing to write The Leadership Challenge, Kouzes and Posner focus on recognizing contributions (i.e. linking rewards with performance) and celebrating accomplishments (i.e. valuing the victories) in Part Six. In this volume, these two "leadership commitments" receive their full attention. The material is carefully organized within 12 chapters which range from "The Heart of Leadership" to "150 Ways to Encourage the Heart." Why did they write this book? There are four reasons.
Practicality: "We wanted to offer a set of principles, practices, and examples that would provide leaders with a repeatable process -- a set of essential actions --they could apply in their own settings."
Principle: "In this book, we not only demonstrate that encouraging the heart is not soft; we show how powerful a force it is in achieving high standards and stretch goals."
Curiosity: "We've been intrigued for some time by this finding that] "female constituents do not report that their leaders encourage the heart any more than do male constituents, regardless of the gender of their leader] and we wanted to explore the practice in depth to see if we could understand more about these differences."
Finally, "...because we wanted to add our voices to the discussion of soul and spirit in the workplace."
Kouzes and Posner note that the word "encouragement" has its root in the Latin word "cor" which literally means "heart." (So does the word "courage.") To have courage is to have heart. To encourage -- to provide with or give courage -- literally means to give others heart. For me, there are at least three especially important core concepts: First, love what you do. Love those for whom you are responsible. And love them enough to set high standards for them and then give them hope that you and they can meet those standards. Second, don't think of leadership in terms of position, title, power, status, etc. Rather, think of it in terms of initiative. Encourage, recognize and reward initiative whenever and wherever you find it throughout your entire organization. Third and finally, practice what you preach and do that every day. The most effective leaders care....and care deeply. They have credibility because their values and behavior are in unshakable alignment. They have earned others' trust.
Those who share my high regard for this book are urged to check out David Maister's Practice What You Preach, Tim Sanders' Love Is the Killer App, David Whyte's The Heart Aroused, and Larry Davis' Pioneering Organizations.
Book Description
An award-winning news anchor presents methods for better communication in any business environment
During her 20 years in broadcasting, award-winning news anchor Suzanne Bates conducted more than 10,000 interviews, during which she witnessed business leaders, politicians, and celebrities at their best and worst. Now a top CEO communication coach, Bates is renowned for her uncanny ability to transform even the shyest oratorical mouse into a public-speaking lion. In Speak Like a CEO, Bates:
- Reveals the secrets for communicating in any situation
- Describes simple techniques for acing speeches, presentations, media interviews, Q&A sessions, business meetings, and more
- Outlines self-improvement plans that can easily be customized to your needs
- Shares secrets from top leaders, including Mario Cuomo's technique for overcoming stage fright and Colin Powell's secret for projecting authenticity
Customer Reviews:
A great asset to any public speaker or presenter.......2007-05-08
I wish I had read this book a long time ago. It is consise and an interesting read. Above all it has provided me with several great tips on improving presentations which I have already started to use. Unbelievably, both my audience and I have noticed the difference.
Didn't finish it!.......2007-04-27
While some stories were interesting to listen to; there just wasn't enough substance to the (audio)book. I didn't finish listening to it, and unless this is your first book on leadership, I would recommend against it.
More could be gotten from a public speaking book and a few leadership books (Tom Peters is my latest read who is pretty good).
Mike
A true resource.......2007-01-11
The author knows of what she speaks! A former reporter, she has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly and helps the reader be one of the good, if not the great. Useful, practical tips for anyone who wants to be more successful both professionally and personally. Well worth your time and money.
Public speaking essentials.......2006-11-30
For anyone who wants to learn about basics on how to conduct public speaking engagement in front of business audience, this is a good starter book. You will learn on how to tell the story, build the humor and keep everyone's focus in place while presenting. Like everything else in life, this skill requires preparation, practice and planning. You must not only know what you are talking about, but also know your audience too. I particularly liked the part of the book with tips on how to answer questions not anticipated during the preparation process (trigger method and making a qualifying or opinion statement).
Worth the read.......2006-11-27
I'm a professional speaker, and was critiquing this book to see if I would recommend it to others. It's a very simple read - you'll get through it in a day or so, I'm sure. It's got some good basic tips, and some interesting insights into leadership styles. The important thing is to DO what the book recommends - not just read it and think the info will infuse into your psyche!
I do recommend it - it would make a good gift for a mentee, as well.
SusanBaughman.com
Average customer rating:
- Good book with beneficial concepts
- A practical guide to excellence in communication
- Great Title, not much for the Executive though
- Granville is on point, correct and powerful.
- Good source material and some thought-provoking ideas, but dated
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The Articulate Executive: Learn to Look, Act, and Sound Like a Leader
Granville N. Toogood
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It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It: Ready-to-Use Advice for Presentations, Speeches, and Other Speaking Occasions, Large and Small
ASIN: 0070653380 |
Book Description
Granville N. Toogood is a top executive communications expert, as well as an established speaker, trainer, and writer. Before starting his own company in 1982, Mr. Toogood was a television reporter and network news producer for NBC and ABC. Today he works with a long list of blue-chip clients and has served as a consultant to 38 of the Fortune 50 CEOs, as well as thousands of senior-level executives, elected officials, and diplomats throughout the world. This book is based on his acclaimed corporate workshops in executive communications. Mr. Toogood resides in Darien, Connecticut.
Customer Reviews:
Good book with beneficial concepts.......2007-05-15
This book is pretty good. It has many relevant and useful concepts that are organized well and easy to remember (through the use of acronyms and "fun" concepts). The book is an easy, which is great for people on the go with very little time to spare for reading. The only reason for four stars is because the author seems to be sexist throughout the book (managers being referred in "he" terms, but women always seem to be at a lower level). This could just be my imagination, but I think it occurs throughout the book unintentionally.
A practical guide to excellence in communication.......2006-09-24
For most occasional speakers, help offered by a book used to be very limited. I have read a lot of communication books talking about smoke and spirits but, Granville N. Toogood offer us a comprehensive guide, plenty of examples, techniques and rules to apply. Do you think this book can improve communication in our business? My answer is clearly affirmative after reading the book.
Great Title, not much for the Executive though.......2006-03-25
Similar to most of the reviews of the book the strong points include helping a person form effective communication with others. It has a nice foundation for people who are new to public speaking, and a reminder for those who have been doing it for a while.
However, the book is just plain dated. There must be a new book from another author that we could steer people towards. The business and professional world has changed in the 11 years since the book was released. The pace of conversation, the use of technology to communicate, etc.
I must agree with another reviewer who noted that the book did little to address Executive status or sounding like a Leader, as the title infers.
Sorry, I know it takes a lot to create a book for others to read, but this particular one just does not deliver.
Granville is on point, correct and powerful........2006-03-24
We gave the book to all of our field management and had Granville come and share with them. A few comments from our people were; I wish i knew about this before, it will really help me get my point across quickly", another stated "I will order this book for the rest of my staff" and our President and CEO said Granville is on point, correct and powerful.
Good source material and some thought-provoking ideas, but dated.......2006-02-12
This book is exclusively about giving presentations and public speaking. I was mislead by the title, thinking it would be about communication in general for executives. The author lost a fair amount of his credibility with me at the beginning of chapter 2 when he listed his 4 exemplary executives, including John Scully who "built Apple into a world power that challenged IBM." Scully? Dude, check your facts. This book was written in '95 before the great divide of the high tech revolution, and there are plenty of dated ideas, including quaint advice on how to dress (Alan Flusser needn't worry about his job) and a lot of obviously pre-Powerpoint info about slides and overhead projectors. Could use an updated edition.
All-in-all, it's pretty good, but not great. It presents some thought-provoking ideas, especially about how to present with slides but keep the focus of the presentation on you, not the slides. However, there is a fair amount of trite junk to wade through to get to the valuable ideas. Good as source material if you pick and choose ideas, but definitely not the final authority on how to do presentations.
Book Description
From the acclaimed bestselling author of The Conquerors
Michael Beschloss has brought us a brilliantly readable and inspiring saga about crucial times in America's history when a courageous President dramatically changed the future of the United States.
With surprising new sources and a dazzling command of history and human character, Beschloss brings to life these flawed, complex men -- and their wives, families, friends and foes. Never have we had a more intimate, behind-the-scenes view of Presidents coping with the supreme dilemmas of their lives.
You will be in the room with the private George Washington, braving threats of impeachment and assassination to make peace with England. John Adams, incurring his party's "unrelenting hatred" by refusing to fight France and warning his enemies, "Great is the guilt of an unnecessary war." Andrew Jackson, in a death struggle against the corrupt Bank of the United States. Abraham Lincoln, risking his Presidency to insist that slaves be freed.
Beschloss also shows us Theodore Roosevelt, taunting J. P. Morgan and the Wall Street leaders who dominated his party. Franklin Roosevelt, defying the isolationists -- and maybe the law -- to stop Adolf Hitler. Harry Truman, risking a walkout by top officials to recognize a Jewish state. John Kennedy, the belated champion of civil rights, complaining that he has cost himself a second term. And finally, two hundred years after Washington, Ronald Reagan, irking some of his oldest backers to seek an end to the Cold War.
As Beschloss shows in this gripping and important book, none of these Presidents was eager to incur ridicule, vilification or threats of political destruction and even assassination. But in the end, bolstered by friends and family, hidden private beliefs and, sometimes, religious faith, each ultimately proved himself to be, in Andrew Jackson's words, "born for the storm."
Customer Reviews:
Excellent book - must read for adults and young adults.......2007-10-03
I enthusiatically recommend this book. I read it and gave it to my son to read to illustrate the difficulties in doing the right thing - even if it costs you your carrer.
Easy and entertaining read as well.
Not what I expected.......2007-10-01
Michael Beschloss is a fine historian, and the book is well-researched. Unfortunately, the examples he provides show little in the way of actual courage. If anything, they paint a series of portraits of presidents who acted less out of courage than out of self-preservation. Nearly all of them resisted mightily before doing what was right, or -- in the case of Andrew Jackson -- used a veil of bravery to disguise the real motive: petty vengeance. How disappointing to find that these men whose actions have reverberated throughout history were less noble than we believed.
I was also disappointed in the writing, which was choppy and often inelegant.
Fun, Informative Read.......2007-09-30
Beschloss writes well and this is a very engaging read. I differ with his politics in places, but he is even handed. FDR's actions in the book don't sound like courage as much self-exalting opportunism.
Beschloss has inside information in various settings from interviews with family members, etc. which really adds to the account.
This is a great read and very informative.
Presidential Courage.......2007-09-22
Excellent book! I could hardly put it down. Beschloss tells the story of presidents who, in spite of their personal failures, took a stand for what they believed was right and, often aganst a massive tide of public opinion, changed the course of American history for the better.
Missing important courageous actions.......2007-09-15
I attempted to read his book, but frankly I just couldnt get into it. I made several attempts. I enjoy political history. But there are two issues that he failed to talk about. Correct me if I am wrong. These are important courageous stands taken by presidents.
1. Harry Truman had no chance of winning election in 1948. Blacks didnt vote in large numbers (mainly because of impediments at the polls). He had two major third party candidates to deal with in addition to the Republican candidate. In 1948 in the middle of the campaign, he signed an executive order intergrating the armed services. He had nothing to win. Many whites would not vote for him because of it. But he signed it anyway.
2. Lyndon Johnson knew that if he signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Democrats would lose the south for decades. Up until 1964, it was the solid south for Democrats. After 1964, it has been practically the solid south for Republicans. Johnson knew what would happen, but he signed the bill anyway.
[...]
Book Description
Richard Lowry explores the real importance of the Clinton years--the Clinton administration appeasing and ignoring the ever-growing threats to American security from hostile regimes and parties, rogue states, and global terrorist networks. Lowry offers the first sweeping-and stunning assessment of what the Clinton era really meant and means for America.
Customer Reviews:
Know the Truth..........2007-03-25
Legacy: Paying the Price for the Clinton Years by Rich Lowry provides the reader with an intense and thorough analysis of the Clinton Era. Legacy is rich with actual quotations from Clinton, his wife and, most importantly, the people from his inner political circle, his aides and advisors. The book immerses deep into Clinton's insidious past and presents a wealth of forgotten truths to the reader, not as conservative propaganda, but, as cold hard facts. Lowry's powerful use of syntax and diction paints a very deep and honest portrait of Clinton. From Clinton's insecurities and capricious behavior to his inability to take action and responsibility, Rich Lowry does NOT hold back from exposing Clinton for what he truly is...a self-absorbed coward. Overall, Lowry does a splendid job of compressing eight years of mistakes, scandals and lies into one book. I applaud him. Being in the military, I experienced much of the aftermath from Clinton's budget cuts and other bogus endeavors and I can attest that we, as Americans, have paid a heavy and painful price for his cowardice and dishonesty. I encourage all Americans to open their eyes, read this book and acknowledge the fact for now is time to know the truth about Clinton.
Makes you wonder how he got away with it.......2007-01-14
it kind of tells it like it was. He as not the smiling guy he comes off as. Get it at the library for free. I gave it three stars because it does bring out some of the seedy things he did. I really never finished it.
Devastated by passage of time.......2006-11-04
Wow, what a difference five years makes.
For all the flaws Lowry finds in Clinton (and there are several which bear noting), even the most serious pale to what we now find in the Executive Branch. If only we had a president who cared about his legacy enough to correct mistakes in judgement and reverse course when desperately needed. If only we had a president today who cared about polls, and the will of the people. If only we had a leader who acted cautiously, intellectually, and with the aid of evidence rather than "gut feelings".
I remember well the days when I thought Clinton would be the worst president our country would ever see. How quaint those days seem.
Shipment early, packing condition.......2006-07-29
Book arrived on earliest date listed. Packing was simply a tight bubble wrap envelope that (I am sure) resulted in bent corners of book. Otherwise, book in great condition.
Why the Change? .......2006-06-18
This review is somewhat belated. I read the book shortly after its original release. The copy I have has a scarlet letter "A" in the title, which I thought represented perfectly the legacy of this brilliant, but terribly flawed man. It's too bad the title was retooled.
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