Category Archives: Executive

The seven business books I believe are right for right now

These books, which I've read or am reading, are works whose content can inform business life. 

The Power of Pull:  How Small Moves, Smartly Made, Can Set Big Things in MotionJohn Hagel III, John Seely Brown, Lang Davison.  Aptly describes the change that is afoot and how anyone — and any business — can sustain relevance and connection.

Team of Rivals:  The Political Genius of Abraham LincolnDoris Kearns Goodwin.  Shows how competitors can collaborate when their leader is clear about the objective and recognizes how their motives can help reach the goal.  [Side benefit:  I found the description of the actions of biased journalists soothing.  If this country survived a civil war and those reporters, it can survive anything.]

The Divine ComedyDante Alighieri [The John Ciardi Translation].  Amazing that despite every other kind of growth, the human character really never changes.  Very useful.

I Hate People:  Kick Loose from the Overbearing and Underhanded Jerks at Work and Get What You Want Out of Your JobJonathan Littman, Mark Hershon.  The authors do an outstanding job of categorizing every personality you can encounter in the workplace.  The psychology and the comedy of pathological behavior.

Delivering Happiness:  A Path to Profits, Passion and PurposeTony Hsieh.  Sometimes nice works. Here's how to do it and prosper without becoming a patsy.

Power:  Why Some People Have It — and Others Don'tJeffrey Pfeffer.  How to get comfortable with power and decide whether you want it.

Overlook Much, Correct a Little:  99 Sayings by John XXIIIHans-Peter Rothlin, editor.  The musings of an enlightened mind, these thoughts inspire action that benefits every stakeholder in an organization — most especially, oneself.

 

 

 

Lessons from a leader who looked to heaven but kept his feet on the ground

Last month, FAST COMPANY blogger David Gardner shared a memorial tribute to Paul L Locatelli, SJ, the president of Santa Clara University who passed away after a two-month illness.  Father Locatelli was something of a legend in Northern California; I had heard of his talents in management and fundraising, but this eloquent eulogy by Mr Gardner explored the qualities of Father Locatelli's style in a way I hadn't seen.  Please take a moment to read it.

Here are the basics of Father Locatelli's approach to leadership, as captured by Mr Gardner, that I took away and will keep in front of me.

  • Commit fully to your company, from vision, to strategy, to execution
  • Make commitments, not promises
  • Be relentless in pursuing your goals and don't lose heart
  • Keep speeches short and idle time shorter, all the while moving to the next thing
  • Make a list and get it done
  • Feed your physical, mental and spiritual selves equally
  • Pay attention to the people in your circles by engaging wholeheartedly with them; make time for them always
  • Listen intently
  • When someone asks for help, find a way to do it without hesitation
  • Emphasize the opportunities in life
  • Look for a value that serves others as well as yourself and honor it through optimal performance

Cloud computing: March 1 2010

The titans of Silicon Valley were talking about cloud computing in the late 1990s — way before anyone called it cloud computing.  I remember Larry Ellison telling Charlie Rose that one day, we'd be accessing our data from a box on our desks, but the data would be off somewhere in a central server, not in the box. 

Today, whole businesses are building in the cloud, offering companies of every size the ability to manage information strategically — affording a focus on the various communities consuming the information, not where the information is stored.

ReadWriteWeb's excellent ReadWriteCloud, the online publication, just ran this article.  While it addresses cloud recovery and whether it's a new name for the simple backup, the article serves as a solid immersion into the value of cloud computing.  

Social media tips from Kodak: February 23 2010

Today's Social Media Hour, a really useful weekly radio program about social media created and moderated by Cathy Brooks, included an interview with Jeff Hayzlett, Kodak's chief marketing officer.  Click here to download the company's excellent, and complimentary, guide to social media use.

Social media reading for those dipping their toes into the ocean: February 22 2010

These are on my radar screen today, courtesy of the talented bloggers and execs I follow.