Sunday, December 6, 2009

Streetwise Time Management or Youre in Charge Now What

Streetwise Time Management: Get More Done with Less Stress by Efficiently Managing Your Time

Author: Marshall Cook

and/or stickers showing their discounted price. More about bargain books

Go to: Oracle Privacy Security Auditing or Multivariable Control Systems

You're in Charge - Now What?: The 8-Point Plan

Author: Thomas J Neff

Getting a new job or a big promotion is like building a house: You need to get the foundation right for both. With a job, the quick-drying cement is how well you do in your first hundred days, since they establish the foundation for long-term momentum and great performance.

Tom Neff and Jim Citrin are two of the world’s leading experts on leadership and career success. As key figures at Spencer Stuart (hailed by the Wall Street Journal as the number one brand name in executive search), they must understand the criteria for success when they recruit top executives for new leadership positions.

Through compelling, first-hand stories you will hear from people such as Jeffrey Immelt, CEO of GE, on how his career has been a series of successive first hundred days. Larry Summers, president of Harvard University, talks candidly about what he could have done differently in his early days to avoid dissipating goodwill among the diverse constituencies important for his future success. Gary Kusin of Kinko’s shares the specifics of the hundred-day action plan he crafted for himself before he started his new job. Paul Pressler of Gap Inc. shows how he developed a general strategic agenda that established fundamental principles and goals, waiting to prepare a more detailed strategic plan until later in his tenure.

Tom Neff and Jim Citrin’s actionable eight-point plan will be the foundation for your success—whether you are moving to a new organization or being promoted—showing how to:

• Prepare yourself mentally, physically, and emotionally from the time you accept until the time you begin
• Manage others’ expectationsof you—bosses, colleagues, and subordinates
• Shape and build the team that will work with you
• Learn the lay of the land and find out how things “really work around here”
• Communicate your story effectively to people inside and outside the organization
• Avoid the top ten traps that confront every new leader, such as disrespecting your predecessor, misreading the true sources of power in the organization, or succumbing to the “savior syndrome”

When you start a new job you are in what AOL’s Jon Miller calls a “temporary state of incompetence,” faced with having to do the most when you know the least. But with the eight-point plan of You’re in Charge—Now What? you’ll understand and be able to take action on the patterns that will build your success.

Also available as an eBook

Carrie Coolidge - Forbes

An ex-Havard prof claims two recruiters copied his how-to book. How can you tell?

Management advice is a book category that involves the recycling, repackaging and regurgitation of bromides. How many different ways can you say "Get close to the customer"? So now here comes what has to be a first: An author of a how-to book claiming his material was ripped off by another.

The book in question is You're in Charge-Now What?, written by two of the nation's most sought-after executive recruiters, Thomas J. Neff and James M. Citrin of search firm Spencer Stuart. Published recently by Crown, the book got gushy publicity-a seven-page excerpt in the Jan. 24 Fortune and favorable book reviews in Time and the Wall Street Journal. In January Citrin chatted with Today's Katie Couric about how new executives need to hit the ground running.

Michael Watkins, a former Harvard Business School professor, observed all this with gritted teeth. He says he has found "extensive parallels" between You're in Charge and two management books he wrote while at Har-vard: The First 90 Days: Critical Success Strategies for New Leaders at All Levels (2003) and Right from the Start: Taking Charge in a New Leadership Role (1999), which he co-wrote. Watkins says he's exploring a copyright infringement suit. An associate professor specializing in leadership and negotiation from 1996 to 2004, he is now a management consultant with Genesis Advisers, near Boston.

Outrageous, says Citrin, who insists he didn't even see Watkins' First 90 Days until after finishing You're in Charge. "I found it to be very different than our book and very academic," he says. Whatreally ticks off Neff and Citrin is that Watkins wrote a complaining letter to book-jacket endorsers, including Time Warner Chief Executive Richard Parsons. Now the two headhunters are consulting lawyers about possible defamation charges.

Watkins would likely have a tough case if he proceeds. You can copyright a sentence but not the ideas it repre-sents. He may be having regrets now anyway. Near our deadline Watkins said he was under "threat of legal action" from Crown and asked to retract his claims. Seems Watkins skipped over the media-advice section in You're in Charge that advises: "Don't try to come across as smarter than you are. You could get lucky-or you could be terri-bly embarrassed."

Publishers Weekly

For any manager in a new position, from CEO to department subhead, the title's question is of paramount importance. The authors of this seminal book, top brass at leading global executive search firm Spencer Stuart, answer it with a comprehensive approach to maximizing the first 100 days on the job, drawing dramatically on the experience of more than 50 chief executives (as well as other corporate personnel) interviewed in depth. The authors' clear, sound eight-point plan covers the bases of what incoming business leaders need to know, from how to prepare physically and mentally for the first 100 days to crafting a strategic agenda; dealing with and transforming corporate culture; shaping the management team; working with a boss or a board; and more. What truly distinguishes this book from available management volumes, besides its inspiring hit-the-ground-running approach, is the material gleaned from the chief executives (among them, for example, Gary Kusin of Kinko's; Paul Pressler of Gap Inc.; Jonathan F. Miller of AOL; Steve Bennett of Intuit), which is full of entertaining, enlightening first-person anecdotes. Notably, this material focuses on steps to avoid as well as on appropriate actions to take. Lawrence Summers, for instance, named president of Harvard University in 2001, recalls that he "didn't fully appreciate the importance of simply providing traditional institutional reassurance.... I failed to appreciate that if you're going to be questioning everybody and challenging everybody, you have to do a lot of reassuring in return." Near book's end, Neff and Citrin (Lessons from the Top, etc.) distill their plan into two principles: "Listen and Learn. Underpromise and overdeliver." Their expert elaboration of those principles throughout will make their work a guiding light to many an incoming manager. First serial to Fast Company. (Jan. 11) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

Consultants with the executive search firm Spencer Stuart, authors Neff and Citrin (Lessons from the Top: The Search for America's Best Business Leaders) provide an eight-point plan to help executives prepare for the CEO role. Thankfully, the authors eschew the glib hype found in many management titles for concrete tips that address aligning expectations with associates and board members, shaping their management team, crafting a strategic agenda, transforming the corporate culture, establishing a productive relationship with a board, and avoiding the top ten traps for new leaders. While the focus is on those assuming the duties of the CEO, this wise material will be of value to anyone newly appointed to a leadership position. Based on the authors' critical study of the successes and failures of hundreds of executives, this unique title is a praiseworthy gem in the saturated management genre. Highly recommended for all management and business collections, especially academic libraries supporting schools of business.-Dale Farris, Groves, TX Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.



Saturday, December 5, 2009

Implementing Lean Software Development or Mr China

Implementing Lean Software Development: From Concept to Cash

Author: Mary Poppendieck

"This remarkable book combines practical advice, ready-to-use techniques, anda deep understanding of why this is the right way to develop software. I haveseen software teams transformed by the ideas in this book."

--Mike Cohn, author of Agile Estimating and Planning

"As a lean practitioner myself, I have loved and used their first book for years.When this second book came out, I was delighted that it was even better. If youare interested in how lean principles can be useful for software developmentorganizations, this is the book you are looking for. The Poppendiecks offer abeautiful blend of history, theory, and practice."

--Alan Shalloway, coauthor of Design Patterns Explained

"I've enjoyed reading the book very much. I feel it might even be better than thefirst lean book by Tom and Mary, while that one was already exceptionallygood! Mary especially has a lot of knowledge related to lean techniques inproduct development and manufacturing. It's rare that these techniques areactually translated to software. This is something no other book does well(except their first book)."

--Bas Vodde

"The new book by Mary and Tom Poppendieck provides a well-written andcomprehensive introduction to lean principles and selected practices for softwaremanagers and engineers. It illustrates the application of the values andpractices with well-suited success stories. I enjoyed reading it."

--Roman Pichler

"In Implementing Lean Software Development, the Poppendiecks explore moredeeply the themes they introduced in Lean Software Development. They beginwith a compelling history of lean thinking, then move tokey areas such asvalue, waste, and people. Each chapter includes exercises to help you apply keypoints. If you want a better understanding of how lean ideas can work withsoftware, this book is for you."

--Bill Wake, independent consultant

In 2003, Mary and Tom Poppendieck's Lean Software Development introduced breakthrough development techniques that leverage Lean principles to deliver unprecedented agility and value. Now their widely anticipated sequel and companion guide shows exactly how to implement Lean software development, hands-on.

This new book draws on the Poppendiecks' unparalleled experience helping development organizations optimize the entire software value stream. You'll discover the right questions to ask, the key issues to focus on, and techniques proven to work. The authors present case studies from leading-edge software organizations, and offer practical exercises for jumpstarting your own Lean initiatives.

  • Managing to extend, nourish, and leverage agile practices
  • Building true development teams, not just groups
  • Driving quality through rapid feedback and detailed discipline
  • Making decisions Just-in-Time, but no later
  • Delivering fast: How PatientKeeper delivers 45 rock-solid releases per year
  • Making tradeoffs that really satisfy customers
Implementing Lean Software Development is indispensable to anyone who wants more effective development processes--managers, project leaders, senior developers, and architects in enterprise IT and software companies alike.



Table of Contents:

Foreword by Jeff Sutherland xvii

Foreword by Kent Beck xx

Preface xxiii

Chapter 1: History 1

Interchangeable Parts 1

Interchangeable People 2

The Toyodas 3

The Toyota Production System 4

Taiichi Ohno 5

Shigeo Shingo 6

Just-in-Time 7

Lean 11

Lean Manufacturing / Lean Operations 11

Lean Supply Chain 12

Lean Product Development 13

Lean Software Development 17

Try This 17

Chapter 2: Principles 19

Principles and Practices 19

Software Development 20

The Seven Principles of Lean Software Development 23

Principle 1: Eliminate Waste 23

Principle 2: Build Quality In 25

Principle 3: Create Knowledge 29

Principle 4: Defer Commitment 32

Principle 5: Deliver Fast 34

Principle 6: Respect People 36

Principle 7: Optimize the Whole 38

Try This 42

Chapter 3: Value 43

Lean Solutions 43

Google 43

From Concept to Cash 46

Delighted Customers 49

Deep Customer Understanding 50

Focus on the Job 51

The Customer-Focused Organization 52

Leadership 52

Complete Teams 57

Custom Development 60

From Projects to Products 60

IT--Business Collaboration 62

Try This 65

Chapter 4: Waste 67

Write Less Code 67

Zara 67

Complexity 69

The Seven Wastes 73

Partially Done Work 74

Extra Features 75

Relearning 76

Handoffs 77

Task Switching78

Delays 80

Defects 81

Mapping the Value Stream 83

Preparation 83

Examples 85

Future Value Stream Maps 92

Try This 92

Chapter 5: Speed 95

Deliver Fast 95

PatientKeeper 95

Time: The Universal Currency 98

Queuing Theory 100

Little's Law 100

Variation and Utilization 101

Reducing Cycle Time 103

Try This 114

Chapter 6: People 117

A System of Management 117

The Boeing 777 117

W. Edwards Deming 120

Why Good Programs Fail 124

Teams 126

What Makes a Team? 126

Expertise 129

Leadership 132

Responsibility-Based Planning and Control 133

The Visual Workspace 136

Self-Directing Work 137

Incentives 141

Performance Evaluations 141

Compensation 143

Try This 147

Chapter 7: Knowledge 149

Creating Knowledge 149

Rally 149

What, Exactly, Is Your Problem? 152

A Scientific Way of Thinking 154

Keeping Track of What You Know 155

Just-in-Time Commitment 159

Set-Based Design 160

Refactoring 164

Problem Solving 168

A Disciplined Approach 169

Kaizen Events 173

Try This 175

Chapter 8: Quality 177

Feedback 177

The Polaris Program 177

Release Planning 179

Architecture 182

Iterations 183

Discipline 190

The Five S's 190

Standards 193

Mistake-Proofing 196

Test-Driven Development 198

Configuration Management 201

Continuous Integration 202

Nested Synchronization 203

Try This 204

Chapter 9: Partners 207

Synergy 207

Emergency! 207

Open Source 209

Global Networks 210

Outsourcing 214

Contracts 217

The T5 Agreement 217

The PS 2000 Contract 218

Relational Contracts 219

Try This 221

Chapter 10: Journey 223

Where Do You Want to Go? 223

A Computer on Wheels 224

A Long-Term Perspective 225

Centered on People 227

What Have We Learned? 229

Six Sigma 229

Theory of Constraints 230

Hypothesis 234

Training 234

Thinking 236

Measurement 237

Roadmap 242

Try This 243

Optimize the Whole 243

Respect People 243

Deliver Fast 244

Defer Commitment 244

Create Knowledge 245

Build Quality In 245

Eliminate Waste 246

Bibliography 247

Index 257

Look this: The New Leaders 100 Day Action Plan or The Wolf of Wall Street

Mr. China: A Memoir

Author: Tim Clissold

Mr. China tells the rollicking story of a young man who goes to China with the misguided notion that he will help bring the Chinese into the modern world, only to be schooled by the most resourceful and creative operators he would ever meet. Part memoir, part parable, Mr. China is one man's coming-of-age story where he learns to respect and admire the nation he sought to conquer.



Thursday, December 3, 2009

Selling to VITO or The Answer

Selling to VITO: The Very Important Top Officer, Second Edition

Author: Anthony Parinello

This book contains all the tactics you need to get appointments with impossible-to-reach top decision-makers. They in fact are the Very Important Top Officers (VITOs), the people with the ultimate veto power who hold the key to bigger commission checks, every sales award you could possibly win, and VITO to VITO referrals that you can take to the bank!

You'll quickly learn how to:

Get into new accounts at the top
Keep out of time-consuming log-jams; and into VITO's office
Promote loyalty at the top with existing customers and capture add-on business
Increase the size of every sale

Selling To VITO offers innovative new ideas and street-smart tactics for reaching the very top person in any organization. It's based on the seminars that have helped thousands of sales professionals from top corporations like Canon, 3M, Hewlett-Packard, and MCI bust quotas and increase commissions. It can help you, too, by getting you to the right person so you can do what you do best: SELL!

What People Are Saying

Tom Hopkins
Tom Hopkins, Author, How to Master the Art of Selling

Destined to become a widely recommended reference by all sales professionals who are serious about achieving greatness.


Denis Waitley
Dr. Denis Waitley, Author, The Psychology of Winning

With Tony as your coach and Selling to VITO as your training guide…you'll become unstoppable.


Peter T. D'Errico
Peter T. D'Errico, Sales Representative

As a result of implementing Tony's ideas, I won my company's Rookie of the Year award, became the third ranked salesperson in a company of 1,000 salespeople, and emerged as the #1 sales rep in the West.




New interesting textbook: Parties That Renew the Heart or Food Morals and Meaning

The Answer: Grow Any Business, Achieve Financial Freedom, and Live an Extraordinary Life

Author: John Assaraf

What would it take to make all your dreams come true?

In The Answer, John Assaraf, a key team member behind the phenomenal success of The Secret, and business growth expert Murray Smith demonstrate bold, new ways to harness the unlimited power of your mind and imagination in order to achieve exactly what your heart desires. Then, they offer practical steps to grow any organization or business into a meaningful and profitable enterprise that can flourish in any economy or business climate.

In The Answer, you'll learn how to:

• Attract more of the right customers to any business

• Create your own business blueprint for success in any field

• Pinpoint your own passions and achieve your business goals

• Use the Law of Attraction to create the business of your dreams

• Rewire your brain to make success inevitable

• Make the right decisions with confidence and certainty

• Reduce your learning curve from years to moments

• Develop the mindset of a mega-millionaire

The Answer brings together decades of research from such areas as neuroscience, quantum physics, business coaching, and practical, hands-on business development to give you the confidence you need and the specific step-by-step actions to follow to build the business -- and life -- of your dreams.

What People Are Saying

Jack Canfield
"This book is a masterpiece! I couldn't stop reading it. It is by far the best book I have ever read on how to use the law of attraction and the latest breakthroughs in neuroscience to quantum leap the growth of any business. It is now required reading for all my staff and students."--(Jack Canfield, co-author of The Success Principles and co-creator of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series)


Dharma Singh Khalsa
"The Answer is absolutely a must read for anyone interested in a new and much higher level of prosperity. John and Murray have helped me more than triple my business income and they can do the same for you. I highly recommend it."--(Dharma Singh Khalsa, MD, America's #1 Brain Longevity Specialist)




Table of Contents:

Contents

Introduction: The Question

1. Inside the Box: John's Story

2. The Search for How the World Works

3. The Law of Attraction

4. The Universe Inside Your Brain

5. How to Change Your Mind

6. Your Dream Business

7. The Neural Reconditioning Process™

8. Neural Reconditioning FAQs

9. The Important Things: Murray's Story

10. Vision, Focus, Action

11. Your Ideal Customer

12. Innovating Your Business

13. Finding Your Business's DNA

14. Reaching Your Ideal Customer

15. Big Thinking

Conclusion: The Path

Acknowledgments

Appendix 1 Customer Survey Forms

Appendix 2 The Five Major Industries: Common Hot Buttons

Appendix 3 Distribution Channels, Marketing Strategies, and Marketing Tactics

Appendix 4 The Five Major Industries: Common Distribution Channels and Marketing Strategies

Resources