Business Book Blog

A Short Life Well Lived

2007-02-05T20:42:00.000-08:00

TITLE: Not Fade Away
AUTHORS: Peter Barton and Laurence Shames
PUBLISHER: Rodale
224 Pages
$33.95 CAD

THE BIG IDEA

A Big Media executive who contracts cancer in his early 50’s for a second time recounts his incredibly varied and full life and explores the process of dying with a terminal illness.

WHAT YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW

“There’s fear at every one of life’s big transitions. Fear goes with the territory. And I see that as an opportunity. Fear makes us study ourselves, force us to admit our soft spots, to see where we are vulnerable. In the end, we can’t undo that vulnerability; we can only accept it, and crawl forward in the face of it. That, I’ve had to learn, is part of being human.”

WHAT WE THOUGHT

Describing Not Fade Away is like describing one of the author’s favourite bands, The Rolling Stones. They aren’t the greatest technical musicians in the world but they are nobody else but themselves and that’s what makes them so compelling. Not Fade Away is the memoir of Peter Barton, a Big Media executive who contracted cancer for a second time in his early 50’s and died shortly after. However, Peter’s story is about much more than his illness. He lived an incredibly full life whether it was playing with the opening band for James Brown at the Apollo, running political campaigns, getting an MBA from Harvard, being a ski bum in Aspen, or helping start a billion dollar company Peter embraced the challenges and rewards of life like few do.

The book essentially goes forward and backward at the same time. Co-authored with writer Laurence Shames, who provides an outside perspective of his journey towards death, Peter looks back on his life and looks forward to the process of dying. Since Peter’s father and grandfather died when they were in their early forties he realized that men in his family didn’t live that long. Therefore, he had to pack as much as possible into his forty-odd years of living. A great example of this attitude is when he was a few credits shy of a Masters in International Relations. Peter realized he didn’t want to go down the well trodden International Relations path and work for the World Bank or IMF for the rest of his life. Not heeding his mother’s advice he quit school, bought a panel van and became a ski bum. He describes it as an incredible growth experience where he learned to have fun with no money and live completely in the moment. Not Fade Away is filled with a lot of great insights into business and life but in this instance there is a lesson that sticks with me. Peter realized that you always need recognize that difference between a dumb risk and a smart one and understanding when you need to change direction and having the guts to do it. He advises that, “So many of the big decisions that define a life- whether in business, or in starting a family or even facing a terminal disease – come down to managing these two ideas.” Because of the position he is writing from Peter can talk about the doubts, fears, triumphs, and true joys of his life in a very candid way. It is refreshing to have someone who was incredibly successful in life admit that they had to suck up tons of fear at every turn to do what they did.

Not Fade Away is also about Peter’s journey towards death. Peter isn’t a religious man, but he is spiritual (even if he says he isn’t). You can tell his love for family, friends, and life in general is intense and that he lived without reserve. If the book suffers from one thing though, it is that the momentum built up by Peter talking about his life occasionally halts when he talks about his struggle with cancer. I believe this has more to do with you wanting to hear more about his life and all the incredible things he has done than his dying. For me, Peter chronicling his death was one of the most powerful things about the book. He didn’t arrive easily or quickly to being at peace with the world but he was incredibly curious about where he was going. That unto itself is an amazingly courageous thing. In chronicling his life and death Peter Barton and Laurence Shames provide a sincere inspiration to anyone facing the challenges life throws our way, and that is why it has earned a place on our blog.

The B Cubed Crew

We Only Deal in Big Change Here

2007-01-22T21:38:00.000-08:00

TITLE: The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century
AUTHOR: Thomas L. Friedman
PUBLISHER: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
593 Pages
$39.95 CDN

BIG IDEA

Thomas Friedman examines the ways that technology and globalization has changed our world over the first five years of the 21st century, and what some of the implications are on businesses, individuals, and communities.

WHAT YOU CAN USE NOW

In this book, Friedman points out that people who are constantly hung up on the past are doomed to be left behind in the future. Though it is important to acknowledge past accomplishments, you cannot live off of them forever. Thus, no matter how good things used to be, don’t forget that your energy should always be focused on your future goals and dreams.

WHAT WE THINK

In The World is Flat, Friedman examines globalization and business, and gives the reader an incredibly large amount of information about what is going on in our world today. What does Friedman mean by the world is flat? Well, think of it this way: imagine yourself on a curling rink. You, as an individual, want to send a product or service (a curling rock) to the other side of the rink. So, you just push off, let go, and allow the rock to smoothly glide from your hands to its ultimate destination. In this flat world, the rock slides through its trajectory without any friction, obstacles, or resistance. What does an un-flat world look like? Imagine trying to curl on a soccer field, where thousands of blades of grass (trade restrictions, communication barriers, faulty technology) work to stop the rock dead in its tracks. In The World is Flat, Friedman attempts to describe the ten factors that made the world flat, and then examine the opportunities, challenges, and consequences that a flat world carries.

For this review, I’m choosing a slightly different approach. When I generally review books, I try to more or less stick to this basic outline: describe the book and what it’s trying to accomplish before moving into its strengths, weaknesses, and then finally give my conclusion. In this case, though, I’m going to skip to the end of the review and give my conclusion first: this book is quite good. However, before I move into what makes The World is Flat a good read, I would like to first clear out what I disliked about the book.

Perhaps the main problem I have with the book is that the sheer amount of information Friedman is engaging in means that issues and arguments are not always given the necessary space needed for intelligent debate. Even 600 pages can’t cope with the sheer amount of material Friedman has bitten off; from global policies, terrorism, education, technology, to the environment, Friedman has essentially taken a lifetime’s worth of subjects, and tightly packed them into a book. As a result, some subjects suffer. The other point of contention that I had with this book is Friedman’s own perspective on the issues. While he has reported on globalization from every location that he covers, for most of the book he seems to be wearing some pretty impressive blinders, focusing almost exclusively on the United States. While Friedman does try to include some analysis on how outsourcing and globalization are changing some developing countries, his analysis sometimes comes across as partially oblivious, as he skims over some of the problems associated with a flat world. This is no more evident than when Friedman is praising companies for working to eliminate worker exploitation, bribery, and pollution in their overseas outlets, rather than criticizing them for having these problems in the first place.

However, like I said at the start, this book deserves a good review because it does what it sets out to do. Though Friedman tackles much more material than he could possibly hope to cover thoroughly, the book is not meant to be an in-depth report into each of these issues. Instead, think of this book as a gigantic survey, providing you with hundreds of issues that you need to consider in business and life. Also, while Friedman carries a “how can America benefit from this” attitude with regards to every situation, he admits to his biases almost immediately, and never pretends to be objective. So, with those issues taken care of, there are many aspects of this book that I appreciated. Friedman’s almost exclusive use of primary sources, for example, means that this book is incredibly up to date and relevant. Also, The World is Flat gives the reader a huge amount of real life examples to illustrate its points, making this book a good companion to some of the more theoretical material available. And, most importantly, the book is interesting and fun to read, so the fifteen lengthy chapters go by with relative ease, allowing you to absorb a large amount of the information presented. So ultimately, if you take the bad with the good, The World is Flat is worth a read for anyone interested in globalization, no matter where you sit on the issue.

The B Cubed Crew

Let's Give them Something to Talk About.

2006-12-31T18:32:00.000-08:00

TITLE: The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership
AUTHOR: Steve Sample
PUBLISHER: John Wiley & Sons
192 Pages, $24.99 (CDN)

THE BIG IDEA

In The Contrarian's Guide to Leadership, Sample explores the skills, ideas, and mentality of what it takes to be the kind of leader who sees humanity as it truly is. This is not so much a book with a huge unifying idea but a book filled with provocative ideas to chew on.

WHAT YOU CAN USE RIGHT NOW

The next time you are faced with a challenge or issue don't immediately catergorize it into either being true or false, right or wrong, good or bad. Instead suspend an opinion until you have all the facts or circumstances force you to make an opinon. Sample calls this "thinking grey" and it's surprisingly hard to do. It is an unnatural act to not make a snap decision about something. We are conditioned by things like the media to immediately form an opinon around an issue or event. However, if a leader is to make great decisions about contentious issues he or she must put their mind on hold long enough to examine all the relevant information, free of the bias of previous opinions about the subject, and then make a commitment. To develop this skill Sample suggests "thinking grey" about everyday decisions. Next time you meet someone new, don't decide right away whether you like them or not, you might be surprised as to what you find.

WHAT WE THINK

The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership makes me uncomfortable. Don’t worry, it’s a good kind of awkward. This is an amazing book for someone who is not afraid to ask tough questions, have their ideas about human nature challenged, and be shown a very unique take on what a great leader can be. Sample’s tone is honest and straightforward and his ideas well thought out and unique, which is especially refreshing in the leadership/bio genre where books tend to be light on the advice and heavy on the MY-EGO/TURNAROUND-OF-COMPANY-X-IS-THE-GREATEST-ACHIEVEMENT- IN-HISTORY. What is interesting is Sample’s book doesn’t really have a definitive structure or “system,” if anything it kind of ambles.

Throughout this book Sample explores the skills and mentality that it takes to see the world as it truly is. There is no one central thought that you can take away from this book that will instantly make you a better leader. What it does do however is provide some very provocative ideas for you to chew on. One of those meaty ideas is a seemingly simple question, how do you feel about God? I bet there are very few people that could give you a concise, well thought-out answer that doesn’t make them blush, laugh, or brush you off as a patchouli scented hippie. But as Sample states, “One of mankind’s deepest and most abiding concerns for all times, in all places, and for all peoples, is our feeling for and relationship with God.” Whether we want to acknowledge it or not seeking a relationship with the Divine has permeated all societies and effected their structures, values, and operations for all of human history. A leader needs to understand these consequences so they can authentically engage the world around them. In order to do that they must be intimately aware and engaged with how they feel about a Higher power. Sample points out that there are certain texts that have stood the test of time for a reason, they provide incredible insight into the human condition, he calls them "Supertexts." He recommends reading and understanding the obvious like The Bible, Koran, and Torah, as well as works like Machiavelli’s The Prince for its insights into leadership. Books like Plato’s Republic for showing us at our best, Shakespeare’s Hamlet for a look into our depths, and Sophocles’ Antigone for its demonstration of the pitfalls of rigidity in leadership.

The greatest downside of this book is that a lot of the advice works really well in large mature organizations with highly politicized environments, but not so much in small entrepreneurial settings. Sample is an academic; his claim to fame is running the University of Southern California and turning it into a premier research institution, committed community actor, and top undergrad university. However, anyone that has been involved in post-secondary educational politics knows the free flow of ideas in an area of study is countered with a regimented and bureaucratic organizational structure. Sample is a product of this environment. He is very hierarchical and cold in his thinking about how people should be organized and lead. He demonstrates this thinking in constantly referring to direct reports as “lieutenants,” there is not too much mention of a “team” in this book. A more striking example is his heavily Machiavellian influenced approach to leadership. He counsels that leaders should never be too predictable so that followers can guess their moves and manipulate them. To a certain extent I agree with this conjecture, it can be very useful in highly political workplaces. However, it implies an inherent lack of trust in a leader-follower relationship, and if you don’t have trust in a relationship, what do you have?

Nagging doubts about the sincerity of humans aside, The Contrarian’s Guide to Leadership is a fantastic read for those who aren't interested in the newest catchphrase to use at a meeting, but are looking for solid ideas to chew on. Sample provides some great ideas to expand your horizons and force you to think about why and how you think the way you do. It will make you uncomfortable, but as my Mum says “If you want to grow you have to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

The B Cubed Crew

The Hardest Working Man, ever.

2006-12-25T22:37:00.000-08:00

TITLE: Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World.
AUTHOR: Tracy Kidder
PUBLISHER: Random House
317 Pages
$21.00 CDN

BIG IDEA

Do you think you work too hard for too little? Well, you don’t. In one of the most inspiring stories I’ve ever read Dr. Paul Farmer imagines a world without infectious disease, especially those eradicated in the Western world, like tuberculosis. Mountains Beyond Mountains recounts Farmer’s journey from living on a barge with his family, to simultaneously pursuing two graduate degrees at Harvard, to starting a first-class medical facility in the most impoverished nation in the Western Hemisphere. Along the way questioning why the worldwide pharmaceutical market has failed to provide those in need with proper medicine.

WHAT WE THINK

In Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder introduces us to Dr. Paul Farmer, a man who started a hospital in Haiti while completing a medical and doctorate degree at Harvard: a man who, without a doubt, works harder than you do. For several years, Kidder follows Farmer: from a Boston Hospital where he works and teaches to his Haitian hospital where he spends every possible minute treating people. In the midst of all of these commitments, Farmer also answers about 200 emails per day, plans and coordinates another Partner in Health (PIH) operation in Peru, and does consulting work on Russia’s Tuberculosis (TB) management program. Along the way, Farmer “narrates” Haiti for Kidder, explaining what happens there, why it happens, and how it should be dealt with. His narrative includes 7 hour hikes to check-up on patients, the appalling prevalence of TB and other infectious diseases, and the daily struggles associated with running a first rate hospital in a third world country. In short, Farmer tells Kidder a story that shows why sick people in Haiti are important, and what we need to do about it.

Like Farmer narrating Haiti, Kidder narrates every aspect of Farmer’s life piece by piece: his history, his personality, his mission, his drive. The result is a supremely powerful book that allows us insight into a world that most of us have never experienced. For example, have you ever been worried that you might contract tuberculosis? Probably not. And if you spend almost no time worrying about contracting TB, you spend even less time worrying that you might die from it. Though in all likelihood, you probably don’t even know what TB is. Please don’t get me wrong; never having to worry about TB is in fact a very, very, good thing. Yet curing diseases that we quite easily shrug off as mostly obsolete and inconsequential is Farmer’s sole mission in life. More accurately, it is eliminating the obstacles that obstruct treatment of these seemingly simple diseases that is his problem.

In the book, Farmer explains how Boston hospitals have more than enough drugs, equipment, and manpower to eradicate TB. The problem is that there is no TB in Boston. Transferring drugs and equipment to treat TB, malaria, HIV, and AIDS to Haiti and other places that need it most are Farmer’s challenge; nothing else matters to him. He is interested in politics when it affects the health of the population, but is otherwise indifferent to who is in power. He does not want glory or recognition, unless it helps him get grants and funding. His Haitian hospital, mostly funded by an aging millionaire, has achieved results that rival most hospitals in the United States, without charging its patients a single penny. And yet, Farmer is not finished. Partners In Health has also started projects in Peru and Russia, spreading their innovative system of treating TB to those who need it most. The obstacles are numerous and varied, including transportation, patient care, dealing with local customs and beliefs, rhetoric, the World Health Organization (WHO), and most importantly, a lack of money.

So how is this book relevant to business? From an economics standpoint, the book brings up questions about the allocation of resources. Why do the places with the most demand receive the fewest supplies? To me, this is the absolute definition of market failure. Yet, in this case, market failure does not simply result in line-ups for gasoline, or a run on pork bellies. Instead, real people suffer and die needlessly. And what about business ethics? Part of the problem in Haiti is that drugs are too expensive. But these drugs are not expensive to produce: the medications and treatments have been around for decades. So logically, the revenue from TB drugs is mostly profit gained from those who can barely afford food to begin with. Figuring out a way to deal with this situation and solve the problems then becomes are main priority. So if you are still wondering what this book has to do with business, I would argue that this book has everything to do with business, and beyond.

In the end, I’ve kept this review relatively short because I have very little say about this book. Just this: please read it. It is fantastic in every way: important, well written, and moving. And if Farmer had time to interview for it with his busy schedule, you will undoubtedly have time to read it, no matter how busy you think you are.

The B Cubed Crew

An Inspirational Cash-Grab

2006-12-18T12:32:00.000-08:00

TITLE: When Fish Fly: Lessons for Creating a Vital and Energized Workplace
AUTHOR: John Yokoyama and Joseph Michelli, Ph.D
PUBLISHER: Hyperion
158 pages $28.95 CDN

BIG IDEA

John Yokoyama, the owner of the World Famous Pike Place Fish Market in Seattle (the place where they throw fish to each other and customers), describes how he brought his struggling business to unprecedented popularity and cooperativeness by adopting new methods and attitudes.

WHAT YOU CAN USE NOW

Always realize the difference between “doing” and “being”. For example, instead of just “doing” stuff to ensure better customer service, try “being” someone who continually seeks to provide better customer service. This way, you won’t just be paying lip service to a concept or idea and going through the motions, but will instead be completely committed to making that idea succeed. The difference between “doing” and “being” can make a profound difference in your life.

WHAT WE THINK

When Fish Fly is an unusual book. It’s part autobiography, part business profile, part self-help, and, let’s be honest, part advertisement. The book begins with the owner of Pike Place Fish Market, John Yokoyama, describing his working environment during its formative years: there was no money, lots of anger, and high staff turnover. Then, with the help of a business consultant, Pike Place Fish made a commitment to become “world famous”, and started to adopt some innovative business practices. Now, the owner describes his business as a “means to an end”, with creating a difference being the main idea. The rest of the book details different techniques, ideas, and attitudes that will help transform your business from a place where people go to get a paycheck into a place where people go to make a difference.

While I was reading When Fish Fly, I was of course skeptical. I always am when reading this kind of self-help genre, because I always assume that half of these books are meant to swindle people out of their money by selling a “system of success” that is nothing more than a few buzzwords mixed with some watered down common sense (or worse). However, I couldn’t help but notice how much of a difference the workers at the Pike Place Fish Market truly make. For example, in one story the owner paid for two of his employees to go and visit a young cancer patient on her birthday to throw stuffed animals and give away t-shirts to the other kids in the ward. The young girl lived in Minneapolis after having moved from Seattle, and would dream about going to the Pike Place market whenever her chemo treatments became too rough. The story is touching, and is an important lesson that even the most seemingly menial jobs can be highly rewarding and serve a greater purpose.

Nonetheless, I think that some of my suspicion is justified, since When Fish Fly reads like a 158-page advertising sample for the bigger products and services put on by the Pike Place Fish Market. Some of you may or may not be aware of this, but the Pike Place way of doing business has become a hot seller in the management world. Are you interested in other products and services offered by Yokoyama? Well, you could purchase the $600 US training video Fish!, which lays out the Pike Place system in great detail. Or, you could buy the more comprehensive trilogy of books published in 2000. Or, better yet, you could hire a consultant from the firm that has worked with Yokoyama for the last several years. Either way, the book is very low on useful advice, instead merely scratching the surface of what makes this company work, and encouraging you to buy the more detailed products. And, since there is no way you could possibly apply this system to your business using only this book, I can’t help but accuse this book of being a bit of a money grab: big on feel good stories and philosophies, but short on actual information. Backing up the point is the length of the book: a 158-page book basically written in size sixteen font. Its also triple spaced, and single sided. Obviously I’m exaggerating, but in reality there isn’t very much substance to the book, limiting its usefulness. Unfortunately you cannot buy thousands of dollars worth of business consulting for the price of $28.95 CDN.

So, even though When Fish Fly is light in the usable advice category, I believe that reading it will be very beneficial for those who feel they are in dead-end jobs and want to start making a difference. Everyone’s been in a situation where they feel that whatever they do can’t possibly have any profound effects on other people. But, as Yokoyama proves though through his own experiences, even a tiny fish stand in Seattle can have a huge positive impact. Who knows, maybe your job isn't as meaningless as you may think.

The B Cubed Crew

Love Business and People Like You Mean It.

2006-12-10T21:56:00.000-08:00

TITLE: Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends
AUTHOR: Tim Sanders
$13.00USD, 213 Pages

BIG IDEA

Tim Sanders profiles his journey from an unhappy ad exec to Chief Solutions Officer of Yahoo; and explains the system for sharing intangibles and connecting people that made him successful.

WHAT YOU CAN USE NOW

Work and partner with people who "ed" versus "ing." That is, putting people in your network that say things like "We discussed that," "We planned that," and "We executed that." Versus "We're discussing that," "We are planning that," the latter don't execute.

WHAT WE THINK

In Love is the Killer App, Sanders argues that no longer are people and organizations valued because they can capitalize on scarce resources. Instead, they are evaluated on their network and the ability to have their ideas adopted within a marketplace (think YouTube, it’s successful because it is pervasive). Therefore, if you want to be successful, Sanders states you have to gain knowledge, connect people, and care about others’ success just as much as your own.

To achieve these goals, Sanders advocates that you become a “Lovecat.” Someone who uses compassion to connect people and ideas and create value for everyone involved. It's about not brokering relationships and trying to get "a piece of the action." Instead, it’s loving the people in your life and helping them be successful by building and connecting your network to create value. In this light, Sanders also broaches the often-taboo topic of showing affection to colleagues through physical and emotional contact. He argues that Western countries are way too touch-phobic, and that we're scared to show affection because we might be embarrassed by a rebuttal, or worse, won't be taken seriously. I personally agree with Sanders, and hug my closest associates and tell them I love them and want to see them become successful because this is exactly how I feel. To counter the often-used argument that “business is not about making friends," Sanders offers this question: have you ever heard about someone losing business because they were overly nice to their contact? How about companies losing their clients because they viewed them with contempt and disrespect? The results speak for themselves. However, being nice does not mean that people walk all over you, it means you treat people with respect and honesty, and create value in every situation you can. However, this is a point Sanders doesn't make forcefully enough. Someone who brings loves to their work is tune with their emotions and those of others. They take chances on people and try to connect people in their network as best they can. What Lovecats should not do is let people use them for their connections. I believe that by stressing the idea of being a Lovecat so much Sanders doesn’t spell out this distinction well enough.

I think people also rebuff the idea of spreading some love in business because they all know Big Joe. You know that guy that saunters down the cubicle lane spouting nicknames, giving "the guns" and always calling you "Big Suzie!" even though your name is Cheryl and you're 5'2”? That's Big Joe, he's happy to see and you, the hope is he wants the best for you, but he provides absolutely no value to anyone because it's always the same empty shtick. So what Sanders suggests is to have Big Joe's attitude of openness and friendless (tone it down on the nicknames though), but back it up with a base of knowledge to create value for yourself and those around you. How is this done? Sanders suggests to start reading, a lot. Anything you can get your hands and you believe will add depth to your knowledge of business and the world. He even includes a list of titles at the back of the book. However, Sanders argues that reading alone is not enough. To be successful, you have to read intelligently. This is also where Sanders' greatest insights comes in. The first he calls "cliffing"; as you read you underline important quotes, terms or passages and make note of them on a full blank page at the back or front of the book (here are my cliff notes for Love is the Killer App written on the inside hardcover). When you want to refer to a specific passage or refresh yourself you can look at your notes. He also reminds readers to always stop at the end of a section, especially if it was tough, and mull it over. This is especially useful advice for when you are slogging through something dry like David Landes' The Wealth and Poverty of Nations.

In her 2004 book Confidence, Rosabeth Moss Kanter states, "It is readers who bring a book's ideas to life – literally – by using what they've read to gain insights, see new possibilities, and take action." I can think of no better way to describe what must be done with the advice given in Tim Sanders’ Love is the Killer App: How to Win Business and Influence Friends. Life isn't some high school English exam, the only test your going to have is real world application, so you might as well get it right. Sanders posits that to become successful you should be a human amusement park. You want to "Take people places they have never been before, show them books they have never heard of, [and] introduce them to people they dreamed they would meet," couldn't have said it better myself.

The B Cubed Crew

Oh Sh*t, this book is okay!

2006-12-05T21:02:00.000-08:00

TITLE: The Radical Leap: A Personal Lesson in Extreme Leadership
AUTHOR: Steve Farber
181 pages $25.95 CDN

BIG IDEA: The author, Steve Farber, meets Edg (pronounced "edge"), who shows him how Love, Energy, Audacity, and Proof are the tickets to extreme leadership. Farber then applies this formula to help a friend of his resolve problems at her job.

WHAT YOU CAN USE NOW: Always seek Oh Shit! Moments (OS!M's), where you try something out of your comfort zone. This may include public speaking, accepting a few more assignments at work than you're used to, or even trying a new sport for the first time. By continually exposing yourself to these situations, you will become more satisfied with yourself on a daily basis, and mark yourself as a leader.

WHAT WE THINK:

The Radical Leap begins with Steve being asked by a university student to define leadership. Since he does this for a living, he feels pretty confident in his ability to answer the question, but gives the surveyor a pretty stock answer. The guy sitting next to him (a middle-aged surfer named Edg) interrupts, and explains that Love, Energy, Audacity, and Proof are the keys not just to leadership, but to extreme leadership. Fascinated, Farber agrees to meet with Edg every day for the next four days to discuss leadership ideas. Meanwhile, Steve has agreed to help his friend Janice solve some of her workplace problems, which involve a new manager who is not exactly popular with the staff. Throughout the storylines, Steve learns how cultivating Love, generating Energy, inspiring Audacity, and providing Proof will make you a better leader. Farber also describes the Oh Shit! Moment (OS!M), an action that scares and challenges you, and argues that seeking these moments will help you grow. Ultimately, Steve uses his new knowledge to help Janice, and expand his own ideas about leadership.

This is the second time that I've reviewed this book. The first review, which was written about two weeks ago, and was not very flattering. "Good, semi-useful system, but pretty cheesy" was the jist of my review. After my write-up had sat on the back burner for a couple of weeks though, my opinion of the book started to change. Why? Well, I found myself applying the L.E.A.P. formula to my own situations, and I have to admit that things turned out pretty well. Even though the things I was trying were not daring, humbling, nor even personally embarrassing (by my own standards), my performance in each situation truly surprised me. Personally, I never knew that I was capable of so much, and can directly thank this book for inspiring me. If you feel at all that your professional or personal life is at a bit of a standstill, reading The Radical Leap will definitely give you an inspirational boost that can resonate in every section of your life.

That being said though, some of the complaints I had are still applicable. Though some readers may like the book's story, I found it to be largely unnecessary. Which would be fine if the story was really engaging and insightful, but instead it's a bunch of beach bums chatting about leadership skills in really cheesy ways. For example, one character, meant to enlighten (I believe) points to a road sign that says: "Unattended vehicles will be towed at the owner's expense". The character then uses this as a metaphor to explain how some people need to be more involved with their lives (Farber explains that interpreting random signs is actually what the character does for a living). It makes sense, but it, like other moments in the book, literally made me groan. To be frank, if The Radical Leap was heavily edited and turned into a 10 page magazine article, it would retain all of its good points, and be cheese free.

Overall though, this book is worth the read for the sole purpose that it will inspire your own OS!M's, give you new ways to enjoy whatever job you have, and seek challenges in every aspect of your life. Though the story is lame, the book will only take you a couple of hours to read, so even if you're like me and don't care for the story, you won't exactly be wasting a large amount of time on it.

The B Cubed Crew

The Business Book Blog Tract (Because Everyone has a Manifesto)

2006-11-12T23:00:00.000-08:00

We want to help you change the world through business.

Sounds like a fairly bold statement, but is it really? Through the power of collaborative technology such as the internet at no other time in human history have individuals and small groups been able to have such a disproportionate impact on the world around them. That also means a lot more noise is created. We're here to help you pick-up a stronger signal and connect with books and ideas that will help you have positive impact in the world of commerce.

We come from a different perspective on business. We believe the world is poised to change in a big way, possibly more and certainly faster, than at any other time in human history. This could mean severe consequences, but also great opportunities. We feel that many people have become afraid or lost in all this change. Our hope is that by sharing these books we help people find their way and help grow people grow dynamic, profitable, and positive businesses.
We endeavour to see the world as it truly is, we are not afraid to call a spade, a spade. Even if it affects our click-through revenue.
We will try and avoid books that promise to solve problems or change your life in 6, 10 or 167 steps. Everyone deals with challenges differently; there is no one system or program that upon completion will make your life amazing.
Our reviews are fresh, on-point, and give readers value for their time.
We realize the world of ideas and business is permeable. We don't care about an idea's source (whether it be Vice Magazine or the Wall Street Journal) as long as it elucidates.
Collaboration is king. We demand that all of our readers share what they learn with others.

So, let's have some fun.

The B Cubed Crew