Book: The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging
Author: The Editors of The Huffington Post with an Introduction by Arianna Huffington
Summary: The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging is exactly what it says. In addition to insights and and posts from famous bloggers, the guide provides helpful basics such as a listing and short description of the most popular blogging services and optimizing your blog for search engines. Although the book has a decidedly political and journalistic orientation, it is an excellent place to start for blogging of any kind, and even contains a “Glossary of Blogging Terms” for total newbies.
Book: Karaoke Capitalism: Daring to Be Different in a Copycat World
Author: Jonas Ridderstrale and Kjell A. Nordstrom
Summary: Karaoke Capitalism: Daring to Be Different in a Copycat World offers a compelling argument against traditional business metrics such as “benchmarking” and “best practice.” In a thoughtful and well-supported (there are 510 footnotes) case, we learn just how dangerous it is to sustain sameness – that it leads merely to mediocrity.
Book: The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action
Author: Jeffrey Pfeffer and Robert I. Sutton
Summary: The Knowing-Doing Gap: How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action is not just another strategy book about “what to do.” Pfeffer and Sutton convincingly argue that management already knows what to do. The gap that exists between “knowing” and “doing” actually resides within the unique culture of an organization.
Yes, we are talking about execution.
Book: Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today’s Cluttered Marketplace
Author: Noah Kerner, Gene Pressman, Andrew Essex
Summary: Chasing Cool: Standing Out in Today’s Cluttered Marketplace is a book about authenticity. While the book’s examples are from design and culture-related industries, the message is clear for any organization, be it a bank or an automobile manufacturer: Cool is the ultimate point of difference.
Book: Tribes: We Need You To Lead Us
Author: Seth Godin
Summary: Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us explores the idea that humans have always joined tribes, and the Internet now makes tribe assembly easier than ever. The business application here is that by providing opportunities for your customers to engage with your product or service, while giving employees the freedom to accomplish amazing things, you potentially set up a platform for a conversation – even a tribe – to form around your organization.
Book: Discover Your Sales Strengths: How the World’s Greatest Salespeople Develop Winning Careers
Author: Benson Smith & Tony Rutigliano
Summary: Discover Your Sales Strengths: How the World’s Greatest Salespeople Develop Winning Careers is a wonderfully counterintuitive exploration of developing star salespeople. The book’s premise is the idea that focusing on a person’s strengths will allow them to perform at an exceptional level, while focusing on weaknesses merely produces average results.
