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My wife has often reminded me that it is important to read for the pure enjoyment of it. I read many books on technology and management, but I try to read several books a year that have nothing to do with my career. Usually, they are about baseball - Dodger baseball if at all possible! But I am reading "The Last Lecture" right now - and it is fantastic.

I have seen (like thousands of others) the video of the Last Lecture that Randy Pausch gave at Carnegie Mellon. It was stirring and inspiring. Randy has written a book with the help of Jeff Zaslow of the Wall Street Journal that ranks as one of the best books I have ever read.

The back story is that Dr. Pausch has been diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer - which is an oxymoron because it is fatally virtually all the time. He has written a book that contains much of the lessons of the lecture, but so much more. Some of the chapters are 2 pages long, but there are no wasted words - it all packs a powerful punch.

This man has taken the time to turn his terminal illness into an opportunity to share the crystallization of his thoughts on what is really important. There are lessons in here that certainly apply to being a manager - time is your most precious resource, people are what matter, etc., but it is so much more broad and deep.

READ THIS BOOK! It is an important reminder that much of the noise around us is truly not important and we need to redirect our efforts to those things that matter most.

HMac's picture

You're right Daniel (or, your wife is right!) - great book.

-Hugh