Live Your Life With Some Brass

Grow a Pair – Larry Winget (Gotham Books)

When you work in the public eye and you express a strong opinion (the only kind worth expressing as far as I am concerned) you learn pretty quickly that you are more than likely to tick somebody off. In fact you may have people who downright loath you! So you have a simple choice; you can worry about whether or not people like you and waffle your opinion or you can choose what I did and not compromise and not really care if people like you or not.

Working in talk radio, if I wasn’t ticking somebody off, then chances are I wasn’t doing my job. This isn’t to say that I looked for contrived ways to make people mad, I simply had a set of principles and I stuck to them and if that makes you mad, then so be it. I wasn’t losing a minute of sleep worrying about if you liked me or not. It is that set of core values that I think drives what bestselling author, speaker and the pitbull of personal development® Larry Winget is all about.

Winget’s latest book is Grow A Pair: How to Stop Being a Victim and Take Back Your Life, Your Business, and Your Sanity. I found myself nodding my head in agreement and I admit it, even saying YES! out loud any number of times as I read the book. It’s so nice to know that someone else thinks exactly like I do!

 

Winget’s take on social media is right on! Yes it’s can be a great tool for business, but too many people drive themselves to distraction worrying about so-called “friends” and how many empty “likes” they generate. For me, Facebook was interesting for about ten minutes, but at the end of the day, my real friends are the folks I talk to and see in person on a regular basis, not somebody that I haven’t seen since graduating high school or college. Think about it; if they were really that important to you, wouldn’t you have stayed in contact with them? Yet I know family and friends that lose their minds if they don’t get a response to something that they posted, to the point of getting pissed off at even real friends! Sorry, but that is just plain stupid!

Winget lays out a very simple road map for you to follow when it comes to relationships, business, money and life. I am certainly not some touchy, feely self-help book kind of guy and don’t expect that from Winget. Touchy feely this ain’t; for some it will be an affirmation and for others it will be a much needed kick in the ass!

My plan is to gift a copy of the book to family and friends who will benefit from it. I can hear the response now…it will range from outrage to “this guys sounds just like you!”  

Made in The USA - The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing – Vaclav Smil (MIT Press)

A few years back I had the opportunity to interview/debate Robert Reich, the stubby little Secretary of Labor during the Clinton administration about a New York Times op/ed piece that he had authored were he made the case that it was not a bad thing the United States was shipping low-skill jobs overseas. Reich’s argument was that American’s should have to do these low skilled jobs because we could spend our time and resources in a better way by developing the next generation of technology and advanced products.

My response was that while that sounds great; what were we going to do with our workforce of low to moderately skilled workers who often did those jobs for family sustaining wages, more often than not in the manufacturing sector? Did he really believe that the American education system was capable of not only training the next generation of technologically advanced workers, but re-training those existing workers to tackle those new, higher level of skill jobs. While often praised for his brilliance as an economist, professor and author, the diminutive Reich seemed dumbfounded and dumbstruck by my question.

Now respected thinker, author and professor, Vaclav Smil, a man proclaimed to be Bill Gates favorite author tackles the question in his latest book, Made in USA– The Rise and Retreat of American Manufacturing. Don’t be confused by the title, Smil’s effort is not a simplistic or jingoistic approach that simply advocates buying products manufactured on these shores.

Smil makes the case that to survive and prosper great nations must have an innovative, manufacturing sector and the jobs that it creates. He chronicles the economic boom that followed the close of World War II has the spark that lit the fuse on the mass consumption economy. While the so-called information economy may sound great, it really boils down to moving existing dollars from one side of the board to the other. It boils down to basic economics that real wealth is created when we take raw materials and create something of increased value from it, Facebook and Twitter be damned!

Smil tackles the future by discussing the lack of a level playing field in the global economy, the need to lower corporate taxes to encourage new investment in U.S. manufacturing and calls for a change in our education system as part of the steps we need to undertake a re-birth of our manufacturing and of our economy. Clearly Smil understands that President and politicians don’t create jobs and that they can play a vital role in creating an environment where investment and jobs can grow.

This is not only a thoughtful and in depth examination of the problem, but also an honest roadmap to a solution. That said, even Smil only gives it a 50-50 chance of succeeding.   

A Roadmap for the Social Media Maze

Social Media Engagement for Dummies – Aliza Sherman and Danielle Elliot Smith (Wiley)

A quick look at any number of infographics that have been created in the past couple of years cover the explosion of social media outlets and it quickly become clear that the way we do business has changed dramatically and we’re going to need a roadmap to guide us through this ever increasingly tangled web of sites.

Clearly this is not a “build it and they will come” kind of thing; you need a strategy and a plan to execute. Aliza Sherman, founder of Cybergirl Inc. a full service internet company and Danielle Elliot Smith founder of ExtraordinaryMommy.com among many others, are multi-talented and engaged on a number of levels in guiding folks through the complexities of the social media maze. They have offered up a tremendous set of tools in the form of their new book Social Media Engagement for Dummies.

 

While some may scoff at the For Dummies books as a guide to the basics, sort of training wheels for the uninformed, I find them to be useful compendiums that I turn to for quick reference and often times inspiration. Sherman and Smith do breakdown the basics of social media, but also delve into helping you learn from their missteps and help you drill down into ways of being more effective and truly targeting your audience to maximize results.

They also help to broaden your horizons beyond the standard Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter and Google + routes. It’s not just a matter of bombing your audience with messages; it’s about developing the right message and the right method to make that message impactful. Sherman and Smith make path easier to follow and you will quickly find your copy of Social Media Engagement for Dummies dog eared and underlined just like mine.

The Death of Deception

Spy The Lie – Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, Susan Carnicero, with Don Tennant –

(St. Martin’s Press)

Have you ever been in a situation, workplace or social, were something struck you as being just not right about the person that is across from you. Call it instinct, call it a sixth sense, if you’re superhero inclined call it Spidey-sense or call it whatever you’d like; your internal detection system has noted that there is a problem.

Now imagine that there is a system that can take that internal sense for deception and take it to the next level through a program that has been developed by folks who made their living by spotting deception in the high stakes world of international intelligence at the CIA. Imagine no more…that system exists and is available in the form of;  Spy The Lie – Former CIA Case Officers Teach You How to Detect Deception, by Philip Houston, Michael Floyd, Susan Carnicero, with Don Tennant.

Houston developed the techniques to detect deception in counter-terrorism operations and criminal investigation to protect the security of the United States. Now they show you how to take that skillset and transfer it to work and social situations. No you won’t have to visit your favorite hardware store to buy powerful spotlights and a length of rubber hose. The techniques they detail, involve the ability to pick up on both verbal and non-verbal clues that indicate deception.

While much of the material involves a level of technical information to digest, but the anecdotal examples give real world incites that make the technical easily digestible. The authors do an amazing job of showcasing the deception in verbal cues from the Bob Costas interview of Jerry Sandusky prior to his criminal trial.

While the insights and techniques provide in this book are not a magic bullet for detecting deception. The authors clearly developed these processes through trail and error over the course of time and through a variety of situations and with time and practice you will be able to hone your skills.

 

 

A Leadership Library

Motivation – Negotiation -  Delegation and Supervision – Brain Tracy (AMACOM)

Fear is a great motivator.

That true if you’re reading a thriller centered on taking out a bad guy or stopping a terrorist. In the work place not so much. Speaker, author, and leadership trainer Brian Tracy makes the strong case that leaders who wield fear as a motivational tool are actually having a negative impact on their organizations.

Tracy is out with the first three installments of what is currently planned to be a five-part series dubbed the Brian Tracy Success Library. Tracy has authored or co-written a shelf full of books and this set does borrow concepts that he has written about in prior editions. This compact set makes a great reference tool and boils down many broader concepts into useful, actionable tools that can be put into practice today.

 

I was struck early on in Motivation by the concept of driving out fear in your organization; it actually de-motivates managers and employees from taking chances and striving for success. I think everyone has worked for one of those iron-fisted tyrants who ruled with fear; I know I can certainly relate. Contrast that with leaders who created an environment of freedom that nurtured success. This is good stuff for newbies and veteran mangers alike; full of useful tools and concepts to move your team forward.

Negotiation brings you the perspective from both sides of the table; in a world that preaches a win at all costs mindset, this was a interesting perspective. Tips, tricks, skills whatever you want to call them, the book certainly delivers clear insights into the process of negotiation. As a obsessive preparer, I could certainly relate to the section on the keys of preparation when it comes to negotiation.

Knowing what your goals are going into a negotiation is a critical point; being confident in your preparation allows you the ability to use one of the most effective negotiation techniques, the walk away method. I have used this technique effectively on numerous occasions with everything from buying a car to huge broadcast rights contracts and the purchase of collectibles. While negotiation is a skill honed over time and practice, Tracy certainly compiles a great collection of tools to help you refine the skill.

 

Ever feel like the guy on the Ed Sullivan Show that tried to keep the plates spinning on the sticks?  Is your plate filled to overflowing? Then you may want to ponder Delegation and Supervision to learn how to effectively hand off work while maintaining a level of control and still delivering on measurable goals.

Tracy makes the case that delegation not simply passing the buck, but a way for managers to display confidence in their employees and utilize delegation as a tool to develop new skills in the team. The section of delivering useful feedback and constructive guidance works for both of the book’s title topics. As an experienced manager I readily admit to having difficulties with delegating; you have to train yourself to get over the control issues and learn how to match skillsets with tasks to improve outcomes.

While some may find this series a little too basic, I think they offer a solid mix of tools and tactics that will help you no matter what your leadership experience. I am looking forward to adding the next two installments; Leadership and Time Management to my toolkit when they get released.

 

A Marketing Must Have

The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly – David Meerman Scott (Wiley – Fourth Edition)

When David Meerman Scott originally released The New Rules of Marketing & PR six years ago, it was at the time a groundbreaking, direct to consumers approach that was a twist to traditional marketing. While the book may not have spawned a revolution, it certainly was one of the early roadmaps to the evolution of how to communicate and market directly to consumers.

In the completely revised and updated fourth edition of The New Rules of Marketing & PR: How to Use Social Media, Online Video, Mobile Applications, Blogs, News Releases and Viral Marketing to Reach Buyers Directly, Scott goes beyond just strategies and delves directly into tactics that not just marketers, but business owners can put into practice today to improve their results.

 

Rather than taking the often expensive route of trying to reach consumers through traditional mediums, utilizing repetition of messages to hopefully reach consumers, Scott offers up techniques to open up a treasure trove of information about your products and services and open the door to them becoming your customer. This is steps ahead of tried and true calls to action, making the approach more about the consumer than it is about you and your business.

Some may be quick to claim that this is a death knell for traditional marketers, allowing business owners to start a DIY marketing storm, but the reality is that nimble practitioners will simply showcase their value by deliver focused content that will allow business to stand out in the storm. If this book isn’t already in your business toolbox, it should be.

Why An Educated Consumer is Your Best Customer

Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help Not Hype – Jay Baer (Portfolio Publishing)

Back in the early 1980s clothing merchant Sy Syms coined the phrase, “an educated consumer is our best customer” as a way to attract clientele to his men’s clothing outlets. He reasoned that if customers knew that they would get a good deal on a nice suit every time they shopped at his stores, then would keep coming back for more. It was an interesting concept, meant to be helpful rather than hype-ful and it was about 30 years before it’s time.

While things didn’t work out in the end for Sy Syms with his stores closing in bankruptcy a few years back, the concept of the educated consumer has become a whole new way for smart marketers to attract new customers. That concept is at the center of Jay Baer’s new book, Youtility: Why Smart Marketing is About Help Not Hype. The online world has created a seismic shift in consumer’s favor when it comes to the purchase process. The abundance of information that is available to consumers about the products and services that the purchase everyday is truly staggering.

 

By the same token the information available to those consumers about your business is equally abundant. Baer makes the case that marketing battleground has shifted from winning the consumer’s hearts to winning the consumer’s minds. I have always made the argument that the best person to tell your businesses story is you and Baer illustrates that concept with examples of real companies succeeding by offering help rather than hype.

As a healthcare marketer it would be easy for me to think that sites like WEB MD would lead patients to try to treat themselves and avoid coming to a doctor’s office for help. The reality is that while WEB MD does offer treatment suggestions, in the end they help doctor’s to treat patients because the patient is better educated about potential illnesses or injuries; they can communicate more clearly, ask better questions and assist physicians in finding the best treatment options. So why would I want to shift marketing focus away from physician credentials and cool new equipment, to patient focused information to help them make better healthcare choices?

It may not be an easy transition for veteran marketers to make from talking at consumers to engaging consumers and drawing them in and allowing them to take the lead. A quick scan of how many companies use tweets, likes and blogs to continue to jam branding statements down consumer’s throats will tell you it’s not an easy jump. Baer makes the process easier with a series of blueprints to guide you through the process. I might suggest delving into the blueprints then going back to the real business examples of how companies “youtilize” themselves.