Book Reviews – An Update
June 22nd, 2006I’ll be posting more book reviews on the site in the coming weeks and months, as Manager Tools starts its second year. (Happy Birthday, Mike!). Nearby this post is a re-print of an answer I provided to a member question, talking about reading and my habits related thereto.
You’ll note that I read 200 books a year, probably. I do this because I truly love to do it. Mike will tell you I’m pretty smart (and I will return the favor), but I just think I’ve read more than most people.
I’m writing this on an American flight to Chicago, and I read 3 Wall Street Journals waiting for the flight and at the gate. I have three books to read on this trip (3 days), and I will finish them all (and write about them, if they so merit).
Some things that might help you in reading my reviews.
1. I’m not predisposed to write favorably. Look, I’m a nice person, honest, but most business books just aren’t that good from my perspective (see 3 below).
And some books don’t pass muster from ANY perspective.
2. If I do like it, I’ll probably gush a little. You try reading 200 books a year when your history suggests that most are going to be duds. When I find one I like, well, I sing a little loudly.
3. I require good ideas, which I can actually use. I believe you buy business books to help you and your organization and your career. If I can’t figure out how a book will do that for most managers, how could I recommend it? It’s not enough, usually, to have a great idea, and I think this might disqualify me from a cocktail party of the big business writers, because they so often miss this. (My book will not miss this, though it may miss other targets. I may be accused of being too tactical.)
I am, nearly every sentence, asking, “Okay, but how can I USE this? What do you want me to DO?!?”
I recognize this is not the only way to evaluate a book, and certainly not the most scholarly of approaches. But then again, I’m not writing for scholars. I’m writing for YOU. Managers, and future managers.
4. My primary criteria is Recommend/Not Recommend. Since I’ve already read the book, and the only reason to write about it is to have you read my opinion, this seems to me to be the best criteria. I don’t want to keep track of star ratings or some other criterion. Pass/Fail. You’re too busy to read all these books TOO, when only one of us has to. Think of me as a different kind of filter than, but sharing a common respect for your time with, Executive Book Summaries (which I do not subscribe to, but have no problem with).
5. I really love great writing. If a book is well written, it’s a special joy. James Stewart, who wrote Den of Thieves, is a great writer. (It helps to have won a Pulitzer while editing the front page of the WSJ). Michael Lewis, who wrote Liar’s Poker, and Moneyball, is very good, though surely different than the erudite Mr. Stewart. Peter Drucker is better than both of them together, though for many of you he is an acquired taste. His prose is dense, which is often used as an aspersion, mistakenly. I really like Tom Friedman, too… and surprise, he’s won 3 Pulitzers.
6. I’d love to hear about your favorites. I’ll do my best to read them, and give you my opinion. Disagreements welcome. I’ll be wrong sometimes, maybe a lot. Don’t ask me to read a book on short notice to let you know whether you should buy it (it’s already happened).
7. I might mention non-business books. Usually they will stand out in some way, often with great writing. An Army At Dawn, by Rick Atkinson, which I read last year, is a good example: brilliant beyond compare.
And then there are books like The World is Flat. 
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August 24th, 2006 at 3:36 am
Hi, I have been a fan of your podcast since I discovered it, around september 2005. I try to vote every time for the awards, so congratulations on the podcastawards.
I was trying to find a good book on Emotional Intelligence, but finding my self lost in Amazon, I thought I could ask for your input.
Any input on the subject? Is it an overrated fashion “new” business word? Are there any good books or alternative readings?
Thank you.
August 25th, 2006 at 6:02 am
Marcela-
Thanks for your kind words. We’re glad you’re a long time member!
No, Emotional Intelligence is not a new business fashion. While all such ideas run that risk, “EQ” has far outlasted that danger, and it is firmly ensconsed as a legitimate business tool/point of view. Both Mike and I believe in it.
There are two books to read on the topic, both by Daniel Goleman, who popularized it. Start with his book, Emotional Intelligence, and then if you wish, continue with Working with Emotional Intelligence.
They’re both great.
It’s a privilege to serve you,
Mark
December 30th, 2006 at 3:30 pm
Hi,
I love the book recommendations — thank you! In the non-management section, have you read Deborah Tannen’s Talking 9 to 5? All about gender and communication in the workplace. I’d be curious to hear your views.
Thanks,
Rachelle
January 1st, 2007 at 3:56 am
Rachelle-
I have read all of Ms. Tannen’s books, and am not a big fan, alas. I find that making distinctions on the basis of gender in the workplace is not only ineffective, but also dangerous today.
I recently posted that managing a group of, say, programmers, as a largely homogeneous group does a disservice to what each of them bring to the table. The whole POINT of good management is reaching for the best in each individual. Using gender does the same thing, but nowadays it does it with an edge most managers can’t afford.
Imagine if someone said to you, “well, she’s a woman. That’s why.” Knowing nothing else, I’d be willing to bet that 80% of female managers would take offense, and 100% of HR managers would find a reasonable cause for action.
I certainly love that folks are thinking about work and communication. But the gender distinction is too rough a brush to pain anyone with.
Mark
January 8th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
I like your recommendations. I think that a lot of the philosophies these books espouse align to your philosophies. I love your podcasts!!
I have a few you may want to consider:
Crucial Conversations (and then Crucial Confrontations)
Vital Friends
The 5 Dysfunctions of a Team
Now, Discover Your Strengths
March 22nd, 2007 at 2:34 pm
Prompted by the SWOT podcast series, I would like a recomendation of where to begin reading some of Porter’s work? I know it’s probably pretty academic in nature, but I love that stuff.
Do you recommend begining with his book “Competitive Advantage” or is there more value in beginning with his collection of essays titled “On Competition?”
Thanks!
March 22nd, 2007 at 3:39 pm
Competitive Advantage, hands down.
Mark
April 26th, 2007 at 2:27 am
Mark, really enjoy the website and the podcasts. I’m a sales manager for a large bank and my people are struggling with competition from our internet channel. I’m looking to do some research on companies that have failed to change and also those that have changed so I can lead them through this issue. Do you have any recommendations for a book in this area? I’m thinking something that would have stories that I can share about business models being completely blown up etc.
I appreciate any help you can give.
Steve
April 30th, 2007 at 3:24 am
Steve-
I think the thing to do is go to HBR and review the last few years worth of articles, and their books. They tend to be narrower and deeper.
If you want the best book on corporate change, try Kotter’s Heart of Change, and its predecessor, Leading Change.
Mark
September 1st, 2007 at 12:01 am
Mark,
Thanks for the webcasts. I wanted to recommend a short book to you called “Certain to Win” by Chet Richards. It concerns applying the work of Col. John Boyd in a business environment, and from what I’ve hear on the podcasts so far it might resonate strongly for you (”mutual trust” is named as a primary ingredient of success).
I’m leaving a public sector career after 25 yrs and trying a little consulting on my own, and have found your work to be a marvelous catalyst for a more private-sector perspective in my thinking. Thanks very much.
dc