CL&D Executive Book Club Notes

Part 2 of 2 Summaries

Book: ANYWHERE, How Global Connectivity is Revolutionizing the Way We Do Business

Author:  Emily Nagle Green

Published: 2010

Pages: 251

Why Read

The same for part one and two, the reason this is a must-read is because the ANYWHERE revolution will affect you no matter what—it’s not something you can choose. How is the revolution defined? It’s the largest and most profound technological transformation of our time, the author claims, referring to the even more advanced global connectivity developments in the works (more connected devices, experiences, and businesses). This book covers the changes still to come, and says that with the commercialization of the Internet, you ain’t seen nothing yet—the journey of connectivity has only just begun.

In part 1, we covered an overview of the first half of the book. In part 2, we wrap things up with the final half and conclusion of the book.

Summary

 The ANYWHERE revolution begs the questions—how quickly do we need to move, and how can we profit? The book provides a test, an “ANYWHERE quiz” to see where you land (are you in sync, behind, or ahead of the revolution). Ultimately the author reminds us that we need to be careful to not fall into the same “missteps, debates, and inaction” that plagued us the first five years after the Internet was commercialized.

There’s also an audit—a virtual tour—of your business that you can take to determine what if any opportunities exist and where they are. Here she points out the “whole problem philosophy,” a shift in mindset similar to the online grocery store that groups suggestions by items commonly prepared together. (You order pasta, up pops parmesan cheese and sauce so you can order that quickly, too, to make a whole spaghetti dinner).

Key assumptions and disrupters are offered next. The knowns are that the ANYWHERE network will be powered, affordable, open for business, and adaptable. The monkey wrenches?

• Networks will have to add capability in two places: The edge, where users connect to network from home, wireless device, or other access point, and  in the network’s “core innards” where our digital activities are bundled for bulk transmission
• Delays or inefficiencies in making new radio spectrum available could slow down ANYWHERE
• ANYWHERE experiences will depend on wireless networks
• Glass and copper demands (cables)
• Bad PR, ANYWHERE backlashes
• Government involvement (regulatory)
• Network neutrality, referring to the principle that networks should carry traffic indiscriminately
• And more?

The ANYWHERE conclusion is some advice on how to let the revolution change you: Be ANYWHERE curious, be a connector, and be a thinker. In other words, the ANYWHERE world is a glass half full—be optimistic and open to the change that it brings and be a champion of all positive ANYWHERE experiences.

Part 1 of 2 Summaries

Book: ANYWHERE, How Global Connectivity is Revolutionizing the Way We Do Business

Author:  Emily Nagle Green

Published: 2010

Pages: 251

Why Read

The same for part one and two, the reason this is a must-read is because the ANYWHERE revolution will affect you no matter what—it’s not something you can choose. How is the revolution defined? It’s the largest and most profound technological transformation of our time, the author claims, referring to the even more advanced global connectivity developments in the works (more connected devices, experiences, and businesses). This book covers the changes still to come, and says that with the commercialization of the Internet, you ain’t seen nothing yet—the journey of connectivity has only just begun.

Summary

In part 1, we’ll cover an overview of the first half of the book. In part 2, we’ll wrap things up with the final half and conclusion of the book.

ANYWHERE begins with a definition of a revolution—more quickly expressed in the examples of the printing press, railway system, and most recently, the Internet. The comparison of the latter with the ANYWHERE revolution has the author wondering if we will learn from the “rush-to-profit” mistakes in the revolution that we did with the Internet. Nagle Green is the president and CEO of Yankee Group, the self-declared “connectivity experts” with 40 years plus under their belts in helping customers profit from the changes the Yankee Group foretells.

In parts one and two, the author speaks of the revolution itself and us as consumers. She isn’t alone—she brings in more than 50 thought leaders and discusses what she sees as the top three elements of the technology shift as it emerges, that the ANYWHERE revolution will be seamless, secure, and intelligent.

Key to the ANYWHERE revolution is portability, which began with computers, then laptops and notebooks, and now ipads, but perhaps more critical is the consumer and how they use the devices (and how they will take advantage of the pending revolution).

Nagle Green profiles four consumers of the future to take into account the great diversity of humans. (For example, representing the U.S. is Sheryl, the American advertising executive, who can pick up watching a movie from any screen in the house, works full time with a minimum of three days at home, and has no need for filing cabinets because all paper copies are archived online. She links by video to her assistant and creative team to review work and collaborate live in real time.)

In closing out the first half, the author presents three key topics that tie into the “consumer ANYWHERE attitude:” Who is ANYWHERE today, which consumers are the most influential, and how can businesses target and profit from them.

Part 2 of 2 Summaries

Book: MOJO, How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It

Author:  Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter

Published: 2009

Pages: 184

Why Read

The four ingredients to establishing mojo or getting it back are revealed, helping us to see how someone like U2’s Bono can go from rock star to humanitarian. The message of this book, bottom-lined? When people are asked what they most want for their kids when they grow up, the top response is for them to be HAPPY. This book gives us permission to “go first” and by showing your mojo, you are a role model. For more on this read, check out our “back blog,” part 1.

Summary

Identity: How do you define yourself, who do you think you are?

The author says this is based on four sources, remembered identity from the past (which can cheat you), reflected identity which is shaped by feedback from others, programmed identity or that which is created by other people sending messages about who you will be in the future, and created identity where “self” and “future” meet (the heart of mojo).

The author says it’s an “aha moment” when you realize you can’t lay all problems on your programming from the past and stop looking to others for our sense of self.

The other vital ingredients with a brief definition are below. Want to get interactive? Download a MOJO scorecard.

Achievement: What have you done lately?

This is both personal and professional mojo. The book challenges us to think of our own definition of achievement—what honestly matters to you?

Reputation: Who do people think you are?

Here, an interesting question is asked, “Would you rather be smart or effective?” Goldsmith says in his case, he’d choose the latter every time and reminds us to think about our own answer when considering a career move.

Also, it is possible to change your reputation. Guess who it depends on?

Acceptance: When can you let go?

This is what liberates us from toxic emotions, and nothing says it better than a direct quote from the book:

Getting upset with other people for being who they are makes as much sense as kicking a chair for being a chair.

Yep, it’s the old “change what I can change, and accept what I cannot” rule to live by.

Part 1 of 2 Summaries

Book: MOJO, How to Get It, How to Keep It, How to Get It Back If You Lose It

Author:  Marshall Goldsmith with Mark Reiter

Published: 2009

Pages: 184

Why Read

Most people have some idea of what Mojo is, but this book defines and dissects it—while providing the tools and tests you need to do what the title suggests. At the heart of the book are the four vital ingredients of mojo, which we list in the summary below. Please see Part 2 of this book summary entry for full definitions.

The opposite of mojo—NOJO—is a highlight of this read, along with a list of “mojo killers.”* Identifying and being aware of both concepts will go a long way toward understanding how important it is to eliminate them to ultimately establish or capture your mojo.

Summary

The author starts by defining mojo as the moment you do something purposeful, powerful, and positive that the world recognizes—and further suggests that two goals can be achieved with mojo: loving what you do and showing it. Essentially, when you have mojo, the gap between the positive way we perceive ourselves and the way others see us does not exist.

The mojo payoff? What you can start doing in order to achieve more meaning and happiness in your life. The author says the question he is most often asked is, “What is the one quality that differentiates truly successful from everyone else?” The answer, of course, is that they have mojo, and he goes on to list four vital ingredients of mojo: identity, achievement, reputation, and acceptance.

A whole section is dedicated as a mojo toolkit, because you can’t measure mojo by external things (money, respect, power, status). You must instead get great satisfaction or meaning from your job or accomplishments, as well as live in the now. (Happiness and meaning cannot be experienced next week, next month, next year.)

The book shows us that the first step to establishing or capturing mojo is to take a test that essentially asks, “Is this really what I should be doing?” Five variables are listed to help determine what matters: health, wealth, relationships, happiness, and meaning. And the test goes on to have you evaluate all activities and the author explains that the mere act of evaluating activities will alter the experience.

Later chapters detail how to change your reputation and teach you how to “let go.” There’s even a chapter on four pointless arguments!

We’ll leave Part 1 with a note that reminds us that you can change YOU or It, and only you can make the decision. Part 2 goes over the four sources of identity, provides an action list to change with tools for each source, and reveals an overall conclusion.

*Here are some excerpts from the book on Nojo and Mojo Killers.

Mojo vs. Nojo

take responsibility vs. playing the victim

run the extra mile vs. satisfied with the bare minimum

grateful vs. resentful

caring vs. indifference

awake vs. asleep

Mojo killers: Missing the big opportunity, getting passed over for a promotion, getting demoted, losing a lot of money, getting fired, and going bankrupt.

Intro to OBG QuickPix

While we’ve been diligent about reading the latest and greatest business books and posting summaries, all the stacks of books that surround our offices remind us that there are valuable older resources, too. We did our homework and checked to make sure these books (and in some cases, newer editions) are available for purchase. Here are three keepers:

Book: Brand Royalty

Author:  Matt Haig

Published: 2006

Pages: 314

Why Read

There’s no secret formula to brand success, rather Haig’s book shines a light on brands that follow their own path—with confidence. He goes on to share 100 brand success stories as thought-starters for those looking for a new way to brand themselves.

A highlight is his take on Harley-Davidson’s brand success: H-D has created a legend—one that people want to be a part of. “Consumers aren’t just making a choice based on cheapest price or convenience. They are buying into the story and—in doing so—are becoming part of the brand story itself.”

Now that’s a powerful brand.

Summary

The book is helpful because it breaks down the types of brands (innovation, example: Xerox; pioneer brands, example: Heinz, distraction brands, example: MTV and 14 more). For each type, Haig explains the name of the type and why certain brands are that type. He follows with:

• Background & importance of the brand
• Focus on the factors that make the brand different, relating to the type
• Brand specifics, including facts

Book: Living the 80/20 Way

Author:  Richard Koch

Published: 2004

Pages: 186

Why Read

Who doesn’t want to work and worry less, succeed and enjoy MORE? You are likely familiar with the concept: 80 percent of results are generated from just 20 percent of effort or causes (sales people know it as 80 percent of sales comes from 20 percent of customers).

Read the book because it’s a road map of sorts, one that connects the 80/20 rule to individuals via engaging stories of those who have opened their arms to it.

Summary

The author puts the foundation of personal success under the microscope to reveal how individuals can leverage the 80/20 rule. On the working less, it’s yet another way of saying you should be working smarter, not harder (or live to work instead of working to live). To do so, the theory is that if you do more of the things you love you can do “less things” in general and see great change in your own life.

It’s all about being more productive, and Koch says that getting more with less “delivers” on two promises:

One, that it’s possible to enhance anything by a large amount, and two, the road to improvement begins with the question “What will give me a better result for less effort?”

At the end of the day, according to the author, we need to spend more time living in the moment—while being proud of our past and hopeful about the future.

Book: Then We Set His Hair on Fire

Author:  Phil Dusenberry

Published: 2005

Pages: 290

Why Read

With a book title like this, you know it comes from the world of advertising! The author shares funny and memorable moments from his career at the leading ad agency BBDO North America (the book’s title, for example, recalls the day in 1984 when Michael Jackson’s hair caught on fire during the filming of that infamous Pepsi commercial).

The take-away? One great insight can open up the world of advertising, and that big insight can be the very definition of brand that even has the power to change the industry.

Summary

There’s loads of stories, lessons, and tips but the stand-out is the “litmus test” for a great company or brand tagline (in the old days, they called it a slogan):

• It must be memorable, either by rhyming, spelling, or using a pun.
• It has to differentiate.
• It must be strategic (connecting products use or benefits).
• It should show personality (the brand’s).
• It must be original.
• It should be simple.
• It should encourage purchase (call to action).
• And ultimately, it can be extended into an entire campaign (a series of ads).

Book: StrengthsFinder 2.0

Author:  Tom Rath

Published: 2007

Pages: 174

Why Read

It’s interactive—you don’t just read about how to find out and enhance your strengths, there’s an online test to tell you your individual top talents and how to use them. Why? We focus too much on the negative, what we are not good at. This was explained in many ways, but at its simplest form, consider this:

Even Michael Jordan couldn’t become the “Michael Jordan of golf” no matter how hard he tried.

Summary

“When you put all of your energy into developing your natural talents, extraordinary room for growth exists.”

StrengthsFinder 2.0 defines 34 common talents so that a “global conversation on what’s right about people” can be started. Of the 34, the online test provides your top five talents as well as a strengths discovery and action planning guide. You also get 10 action ideas for each, for a total of 50 so you can take action and improve your life.

The test itself takes about 30 minutes, you have 20 seconds to answer each question, and you choose your level of agreement on a series of statements. (Each book purchase gives you one unique access code to get started.)

There are other variations of the system, in fact one colleague’s manager had his sales team take the test, get the top five talents, and then see which of the four domains of leadership strengths the majority of them fell under. The four domains: Executing, Influencing, Relationship Building, Strategic Thinking.

Here’s a sample of top five themes: Strategic, Activator, Communication, Achiever, Maximizer. Three of these themes fall under the Influencing leadership domain (activator, communication, maximizer), but again this is beyond the scope of this particular book (2.0).

Here’s a quick hint at the definition and an idea or two for action for each talent theme. (The last strength is a perfect way to close this summary since EVERYONE can take the action given and apply it to their top strengths!)

Strategic: In any given situation, you can instantly find relevant patterns and issues. ACTIONS: 1. Take time to reflect on a goal until related patterns emerge. 2. Since you see repercussions easily, plan your action by considering the result of each.

Activator: You can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. ACTION: Take on a job that allows you to make and act on your own decisions (start-up or turn-around situations).

Communication: It’s easy for you to put your thoughts into words; you are a good conversationalist and presenter. ACTIONS: 1. You will be good at capturing people’s attention, think about a career in teaching, sales, marketing, ministry, or media. 2. When you are presenting, pay attention to the parts of your presentation that the audience is especially engaged in and refine your presentation based on these parts.

Achiever: You have a great deal of stamina and work hard. ACTION: You like to be busy and productive, but also like to know when you are done. Be sure to assign yourself timelines and goals.

Maximizer: You seek to move from “strong” to “superb.” ACTION: Stay focused on your strengths and refine them, acquire new information, practice, keep working on them!

Book: When I Stop Talking, You’ll Know I’m Dead

Author:  Jerry Weintraub with Rich Cohen

Published: 2010

Pages: 270

Why Read

Caution—this isn’t a book you can “skim” for ideas—the the ideas (lessons learned) are told through storytelling. That being said, you’ll have a hard time putting it down. Most probably know Jerry Weintraub through his work as producer (Diner, The Karate Kid original series and the recent remake, the Ocean’s “ensemble cast” series (11, 12 & 13). He’s clearly much more than a producer, as we learn through his stories that he pretty much accomplishes anything he sets out to, as a “savvy negotiator, smart producer, and shrewdest film investors of our time.”

Jerry says “luck, love, and improvisation” have gotten him this far, and that the lessons he’s learned are “essential, not just for those who love movies and music, but for businessmen, entrepreneurs, artists…everyone.”

Summary

The world was Jerry’s classroom, and his teachers often came in the form of mentors (of which you’re never too old to have). Jerry says that people and relationships are all that matters and his life’s achievements are a testament to this belief. He says his network and networking are the keys to his success—“a lot depends on who you know, who you can get to, and who can open doors for you.” There are a series of “Weintraub-isms” (our term) throughout the book—short tidbits of lessons learned and thought-starters—that summarize his “select moments of hilarity or epiphany” that have guided him. (See the end for sample Weintraub-isms, we’ll also be tweeting them from time to time.)

The name of the book comes from Jerry’s self-admitted distinct ability to get out of jams by talking his way out of them (he terms this “improv”). His overall message? We think this Weintraub-ism sums it up best: Don’t get attached to the world as it is because it is changing. Said another way, you’ve got to have vision or big-picture thinking. Not sure what you are doing? Not a problem. His theory: Act like you’re in charge and no one will stop you (otherwise express as “fake it till you make it”).

Need more proof? Weintraub took Elvis on tour during the mid-late 60s when he had stopped touring and had decided to focus on movies. Weintraub was 26 years old and after the tour, he was a millionaire. He has worked with Sinatra, was literally the man behind John Denver (and his quirky haircut and glasses), and was the powerhouse who pulled together Clooney, Pitt, Damon, and Roberts for an ensemble series—all while getting them to agree to much smaller paychecks.

How did he do it? “I told the truth. I asked if I did not know. I listened when someone else was talking. I sold with joy, so my products were fun to buy. Most important, I was never afraid to fail, which meant I was never afraid to try. I was never afraid to look silly, which meant I was never threatened by a new idea.”

Sample Weintraub-isms

• Savor life, don’t press too hard, don’t worry too much (enjoy!)
• I was selling Clooney, Pitt & Damon, the trick is the same: it’s the packaging; you can have the greatest talent in the world but it doesn’t matter if you can’t sell it
• At some point you forget the object and the means becomes the end, work for the joy of the work
• People will pay you to make their lives easier, always take the time to make the pitch, personal service is the name of the game, never get paid once for doing something twice
• Be willing to be lucky
• Even if you have the greatest “script” in the world it won’t work if the “actors” don’t play their part
• Know what you are buying (sometimes it’s a PERSON, the example: he wasn’t  buying a movie, he was buying Robert Altman of M*A*S*H fame, the director of the first movie he produced, Nashville)
• No matter how old you are, never stop looking for teachers; just because you get older, make money and lose money, does not mean you should forget how exciting it all is (thought we’d wrap up with two-for-one!)