On Our Bookshelf: The Huffington Post Complete Guide to Blogging

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.

You’ll love this book if: You are ready to jump in and start writing.

You’ll hate this book if: You allow the guide’s political frame of reference get in the way of its educational content.

Words of Wisdom:

The blogosphere thrives on authenticity. No one really sounds like a law paper, an academic paper, or a PowerPoint presentation. So your blog shouldn’t sound like that either. You want your posts to sound like you at your most witty, entertaining, and relevant. Tape yourself as you critique something you read in the newspaper. If you take out the “ums” and clean up the grammar, a transcription of this tape could be the start of a good blog post. Or don’t clean up the grammar.

Why we think this book is important: Blogging is a touchpoint opportunity that cannot be overlooked. Your organization’s blog is the ideal medium for your organization to have an ongoing authentic conversation with your customers.

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On Our Bookshelf: Karaoke Capitalism

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.

You’ll love this book if: You understand (or want to understand) that corporations cannot survive following the “me-too” rules of the business world.

You’ll hate this book if: You are not comfortable cultivating change, creativity or diversity in your organization.

Words of Wisdom:

Companies must, therefore, also learn to forget. They must delete to develop, destroy to build … Quite often doing so is easier said than done… In an organizational setting, getting rid of the past is particularly difficult since many senior executives are at the top because the are experts at what was important yesterday.

Why we think this book is important: This book provides detailed insight on why you must – and how you can – design an exceptional customer experience by transforming your organization from the inside out.

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On Our Bookshelf: Chasing Cool

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.

You’ll love this book if: You believe you can learn a business lesson from looking outside the traditional boundaries of your current industry.

You’ll hate this book if: You think the word “cool” is only for kids.

Words of Wisdom:

The only way to build a true communion with an audience – to a point where they might deem you or your work “cool” – is to follow a personal vision and stay true to that vision no matter what. And if your completely off-the-wall idea gets old, come up with another one.

Why we think this book is important: Cool = authentic. Customers cannot be fooled: Ensure that your touchpoints are authentic.

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Read more thoughts about Chasing Cool.

On Our Bookshelf: Tribes

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.

You’ll love this book if: You are open to encouraging employees and customers to openly and passionately dialogue about your organization – and learning from this experience.

You’ll hate this book if: You are not interested in creating a customer experience worth talking about, and you think it’s OK for your employees to be bored with their jobs.

Words of Wisdom:

The business world has a long history of conservatives tribes, of groups of people who relish the status quo. The big news is that this has changes. People yearn for change, they relish being part of a movement, and they talk about things that are remarkable, not boring.

Why we think this book is important: Engaged employees translate into engaged (and profitable) customers.

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Want more? Check out the long and winding version of this book review.

On Our Bookshelf: Discover Your Sales Strengths

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.

You’ll love this book if: You want to try a new strategy for improving your sales results, and the results of your sales team.

You’ll hate this book if: You are steeped in “old school” sales training, such as “working to improve” people’s weaknesses.

Words of Wisdom:

Focusing energy on weaknesses might improve performance somewhat, but – contrary to conventional wisdom – great performance comes from strengths. Knowing your talents, understanding them thoroughly, building them into strengths, and seeing how you can put your strengths to work every day isa key to greatness and, our research would attest, the surer path to success.

Why we think this book is important: Your salespeople are quite possibly your organization’s most important customer touchpoint.

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Want more? Check out the long and winding version of this book review.